Sample records for qualitative event-based diagnosis

  1. Qualitative Event-Based Diagnosis: Case Study on the Second International Diagnostic Competition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew; Roychoudhury, Indranil

    2010-01-01

    We describe a diagnosis algorithm entered into the Second International Diagnostic Competition. We focus on the first diagnostic problem of the industrial track of the competition in which a diagnosis algorithm must detect, isolate, and identify faults in an electrical power distribution testbed and provide corresponding recovery recommendations. The diagnosis algorithm embodies a model-based approach, centered around qualitative event-based fault isolation. Faults produce deviations in measured values from model-predicted values. The sequence of these deviations is matched to those predicted by the model in order to isolate faults. We augment this approach with model-based fault identification, which determines fault parameters and helps to further isolate faults. We describe the diagnosis approach, provide diagnosis results from running the algorithm on provided example scenarios, and discuss the issues faced, and lessons learned, from implementing the approach

  2. An Event-Based Approach to Distributed Diagnosis of Continuous Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daigle, Matthew; Roychoudhurry, Indranil; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon

    2010-01-01

    Distributed fault diagnosis solutions are becoming necessary due to the complexity of modern engineering systems, and the advent of smart sensors and computing elements. This paper presents a novel event-based approach for distributed diagnosis of abrupt parametric faults in continuous systems, based on a qualitative abstraction of measurement deviations from the nominal behavior. We systematically derive dynamic fault signatures expressed as event-based fault models. We develop a distributed diagnoser design algorithm that uses these models for designing local event-based diagnosers based on global diagnosability analysis. The local diagnosers each generate globally correct diagnosis results locally, without a centralized coordinator, and by communicating a minimal number of measurements between themselves. The proposed approach is applied to a multi-tank system, and results demonstrate a marked improvement in scalability compared to a centralized approach.

  3. Qualitative model-based diagnosis using possibility theory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Joslyn, Cliff

    1994-01-01

    The potential for the use of possibility in the qualitative model-based diagnosis of spacecraft systems is described. The first sections of the paper briefly introduce the Model-Based Diagnostic (MBD) approach to spacecraft fault diagnosis; Qualitative Modeling (QM) methodologies; and the concepts of possibilistic modeling in the context of Generalized Information Theory (GIT). Then the necessary conditions for the applicability of possibilistic methods to qualitative MBD, and a number of potential directions for such an application, are described.

  4. Centrifugal compressor fault diagnosis based on qualitative simulation and thermal parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Yunsong; Wang, Fuli; Jia, Mingxing; Qi, Yuanchen

    2016-12-01

    This paper concerns fault diagnosis of centrifugal compressor based on thermal parameters. An improved qualitative simulation (QSIM) based fault diagnosis method is proposed to diagnose the faults of centrifugal compressor in a gas-steam combined-cycle power plant (CCPP). The qualitative models under normal and two faulty conditions have been built through the analysis of the principle of centrifugal compressor. To solve the problem of qualitative description of the observations of system variables, a qualitative trend extraction algorithm is applied to extract the trends of the observations. For qualitative states matching, a sliding window based matching strategy which consists of variables operating ranges constraints and qualitative constraints is proposed. The matching results are used to determine which QSIM model is more consistent with the running state of system. The correct diagnosis of two typical faults: seal leakage and valve stuck in the centrifugal compressor has validated the targeted performance of the proposed method, showing the advantages of fault roots containing in thermal parameters.

  5. System monitoring and diagnosis with qualitative models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuipers, Benjamin

    1991-01-01

    A substantial foundation of tools for model-based reasoning with incomplete knowledge was developed: QSIM (a qualitative simulation program) and its extensions for qualitative simulation; Q2, Q3 and their successors for quantitative reasoning on a qualitative framework; and the CC (component-connection) and QPC (Qualitative Process Theory) model compilers for building QSIM QDE (qualitative differential equation) models starting from different ontological assumptions. Other model-compilers for QDE's, e.g., using bond graphs or compartmental models, have been developed elsewhere. These model-building tools will support automatic construction of qualitative models from physical specifications, and further research into selection of appropriate modeling viewpoints. For monitoring and diagnosis, plausible hypotheses are unified against observations to strengthen or refute the predicted behaviors. In MIMIC (Model Integration via Mesh Interpolation Coefficients), multiple hypothesized models of the system are tracked in parallel in order to reduce the 'missing model' problem. Each model begins as a qualitative model, and is unified with a priori quantitative knowledge and with the stream of incoming observational data. When the model/data unification yields a contradiction, the model is refuted. When there is no contradiction, the predictions of the model are progressively strengthened, for use in procedure planning and differential diagnosis. Only under a qualitative level of description can a finite set of models guarantee the complete coverage necessary for this performance. The results of this research are presented in several publications. Abstracts of these published papers are presented along with abtracts of papers representing work that was synergistic with the NASA grant but funded otherwise. These 28 papers include but are not limited to: 'Combined qualitative and numerical simulation with Q3'; 'Comparative analysis and qualitative integral representations

  6. Diagnosis by integrating model-based reasoning with knowledge-based reasoning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bylander, Tom

    1988-01-01

    Our research investigates how observations can be categorized by integrating a qualitative physical model with experiential knowledge. Our domain is diagnosis of pathologic gait in humans, in which the observations are the gait motions, muscle activity during gait, and physical exam data, and the diagnostic hypotheses are the potential muscle weaknesses, muscle mistimings, and joint restrictions. Patients with underlying neurological disorders typically have several malfunctions. Among the problems that need to be faced are: the ambiguity of the observations, the ambiguity of the qualitative physical model, correspondence of the observations and hypotheses to the qualitative physical model, the inherent uncertainty of experiential knowledge, and the combinatorics involved in forming composite hypotheses. Our system divides the work so that the knowledge-based reasoning suggests which hypotheses appear more likely than others, the qualitative physical model is used to determine which hypotheses explain which observations, and another process combines these functionalities to construct a composite hypothesis based on explanatory power and plausibility. We speculate that the reasoning architecture of our system is generally applicable to complex domains in which a less-than-perfect physical model and less-than-perfect experiential knowledge need to be combined to perform diagnosis.

  7. Pathways to Lung Cancer Diagnosis: A Qualitative Study of Patients and General Practitioners about Diagnostic and Pretreatment Intervals.

    PubMed

    Rankin, Nicole M; York, Sarah; Stone, Emily; Barnes, David; McGregor, Deborah; Lai, Michelle; Shaw, Tim; Butow, Phyllis N

    2017-05-01

    Pathways to lung cancer diagnosis and treatment are complex. International evidence shows significant variations in pathways. Qualitative research investigating pathways to lung cancer diagnosis rarely considers both patient and general practitioner views simultaneously. To describe the lung cancer diagnostic pathway, focusing on the perspective of patients and general practitioners about diagnostic and pretreatment intervals. This qualitative study of patients with lung cancer and general practitioners in Australia used qualitative interviews or a focus group in which participants responded to a semistructured questionnaire designed to explore experiences of the diagnostic pathway. The Model of Pathways to Treatment (the Model) was used as a framework for analysis, with data organized into (1) events, (2) processes, and (3) contributing factors for variations in diagnostic and pretreatment intervals. Thirty participants (19 patients with lung cancer and 11 general practitioners) took part. Nine themes were identified during analysis. For the diagnostic interval, these were: (1) taking patient concerns seriously, (2) a sense of urgency, (3) advocacy that is doctor-driven or self-motivated, and (4) referral: "knowing who to refer to." For the pretreatment interval, themes were: (5) uncertainty, (6) psychosocial support for the patient and family before treatment, and (7) communication among the multidisciplinary team and general practitioners. Two cross-cutting themes were: (8) coordination of care and "handing over" the patient, and (9) general practitioner knowledge about lung cancer. Events were perceived as complex, with diagnosis often being revealed over time, rather than as a single event. Contributing factors at patient, system, and disease levels are described for both intervals. Patients and general practitioners expressed similar themes across the diagnostic and pretreatment intervals. Significant improvements could be made to health systems to facilitate

  8. Event-specific qualitative and quantitative PCR detection of the GMO carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) variety Moonlite based upon the 5'-transgene integration sequence.

    PubMed

    Li, P; Jia, J W; Jiang, L X; Zhu, H; Bai, L; Wang, J B; Tang, X M; Pan, A H

    2012-04-27

    To ensure the implementation of genetically modified organism (GMO)-labeling regulations, an event-specific detection method was developed based on the junction sequence of an exogenous integrant in the transgenic carnation variety Moonlite. The 5'-transgene integration sequence was isolated by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR. Based upon the 5'-transgene integration sequence, the event-specific primers and TaqMan probe were designed to amplify the fragments, which spanned the exogenous DNA and carnation genomic DNA. Qualitative and quantitative PCR assays were developed employing the designed primers and probe. The detection limit of the qualitative PCR assay was 0.05% for Moonlite in 100 ng total carnation genomic DNA, corresponding to about 79 copies of the carnation haploid genome; the limit of detection and quantification of the quantitative PCR assay were estimated to be 38 and 190 copies of haploid carnation genomic DNA, respectively. Carnation samples with different contents of genetically modified components were quantified and the bias between the observed and true values of three samples were lower than the acceptance criterion (<25%) of the GMO detection method. These results indicated that these event-specific methods would be useful for the identification and quantification of the GMO carnation Moonlite.

  9. Integrating qualitative research into evidence based practice.

    PubMed

    Greenhalgh, Trisha

    2002-09-01

    This article attempts to provide an overview of qualitative tools and methods using mainly examples from diabetes research. The other articles in this issue of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America have demonstrated the enormous contribution made in the past 15 years or so by rigorous quantitative studies of prevalence, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy to clinical decision-making in endocrinology. In the early 21st century, the state of qualitative research into such topics as the illness experience of diabetes; the barriers to effective self care and positive health choices; the design of complex educational interventions; the design of appropriate, acceptable and responsive health services; and the decision-making behavior of health professionals, is such that there remain many more questions than answers. But qualitative research is increasingly recognized as an important, legitimate and expanding dimension of evidence-based health care (18;19). It is highly likely that the major landmark studies in diabetes care over the next decade will build on an exploratory qualitative study or incorporate an explanatory or evaluative dimension based on qualitative methods.

  10. Applying a Qualitative Modeling Shell to Process Diagnosis: The Caster System.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-03-01

    Process Diagnosis: The Caster System by Timothy F. Thompson and William J. Clancey Department of Computer Science Stanford University Stanford, CA 94303...MODELING SHELL TO PROCESS DIAGNOSIS: THE CASTER SYSTEM 12 PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) TIMOTHY F. THOMPSON. WESTINGHOUSE R&D CENTER, WILLIAM CLANCEY, STANFORD...editions are obsolete. Applying a Qualitative Modeling Shell to Process Diagnosis: The Caster System by Timothy F. Thompson, Westinghouse R&D Center

  11. New diagnosis of cancer and the risk of subsequent cerebrovascular events.

    PubMed

    Navi, Babak B; Howard, George; Howard, Virginia J; Zhao, Hong; Judd, Suzanne E; Elkind, Mitchell S V; Iadecola, Costantino; DeAngelis, Lisa M; Kamel, Hooman; Okin, Peter M; Gilchrist, Susan; Soliman, Elsayed Z; Cushman, Mary; Muntner, Paul

    2018-06-05

    We aimed to evaluate the association between cancer and cerebrovascular disease in a prospective cohort study with adjudicated cerebrovascular diagnoses. We analyzed participants from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who were 45 years and older and had Medicare coverage for 365 days before their baseline study visit. Participants with a history of cancer or cerebrovascular events were excluded. The time-dependent exposure was a new diagnosis of malignant cancer identified through Medicare claims algorithms. Participants were prospectively followed from their baseline study visit (2003-2007) through 2014 for the outcome of a neurologist-adjudicated cerebrovascular event defined as a composite of stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) or TIA. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between a new cancer diagnosis and subsequent cerebrovascular events. Follow-up time was modeled in discrete time periods to fulfill the proportional hazard assumption. Among 6,602 REGARDS participants who met eligibility criteria, 1,149 were diagnosed with cancer during follow-up. Compared to no cancer, a new cancer diagnosis was associated with subsequent cerebrovascular events in the first 30 days after diagnosis (hazard ratio 6.1, 95% confidence interval 2.7-13.7). This association persisted after adjustment for demographics, region of residence, and vascular risk factors (hazard ratio 6.6, 95% confidence interval 2.7-16.0). There was no association between cancer diagnosis and incident cerebrovascular events beyond 30 days. Cancers considered high risk for venous thromboembolism demonstrated the strongest associations with cerebrovascular event risk. A new diagnosis of cancer is associated with a substantially increased short-term risk of cerebrovascular events. © 2018 American Academy of Neurology.

  12. A method for classification of transient events in EEG recordings: application to epilepsy diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Tzallas, A T; Karvelis, P S; Katsis, C D; Fotiadis, D I; Giannopoulos, S; Konitsiotis, S

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the paper is to analyze transient events in inter-ictal EEG recordings, and classify epileptic activity into focal or generalized epilepsy using an automated method. A two-stage approach is proposed. In the first stage the observed transient events of a single channel are classified into four categories: epileptic spike (ES), muscle activity (EMG), eye blinking activity (EOG), and sharp alpha activity (SAA). The process is based on an artificial neural network. Different artificial neural network architectures have been tried and the network having the lowest error has been selected using the hold out approach. In the second stage a knowledge-based system is used to produce diagnosis for focal or generalized epileptic activity. The classification of transient events reported high overall accuracy (84.48%), while the knowledge-based system for epilepsy diagnosis correctly classified nine out of ten cases. The proposed method is advantageous since it effectively detects and classifies the undesirable activity into appropriate categories and produces a final outcome related to the existence of epilepsy.

  13. CONFIG - Adapting qualitative modeling and discrete event simulation for design of fault management systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, Jane T.; Basham, Bryan D.

    1989-01-01

    CONFIG is a modeling and simulation tool prototype for analyzing the normal and faulty qualitative behaviors of engineered systems. Qualitative modeling and discrete-event simulation have been adapted and integrated, to support early development, during system design, of software and procedures for management of failures, especially in diagnostic expert systems. Qualitative component models are defined in terms of normal and faulty modes and processes, which are defined by invocation statements and effect statements with time delays. System models are constructed graphically by using instances of components and relations from object-oriented hierarchical model libraries. Extension and reuse of CONFIG models and analysis capabilities in hybrid rule- and model-based expert fault-management support systems are discussed.

  14. Health beliefs about lifestyle habits differ between patients and spouses 1 year after a cardiac event - a qualitative analysis based on the Health Belief Model.

    PubMed

    Köhler, Anita Kärner; Nilsson, Staffan; Jaarsma, Tiny; Tingström, Pia

    2017-06-01

    Spousal concordance on risk factors and lifestyle habits exists and can partly be explained by patients' and spouses' health beliefs and underuse of cardiac rehabilitation. However, there have been very few qualitative comparisons of health beliefs between patients and spouses after a cardiac event. To examine and qualitatively compare the health beliefs of patients with coronary heart disease and their spouses about lifestyle habits, 1 year after the cardiac event. Explorative and descriptive. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with patients (n = 14) 1 year after a cardiac event, as well as individual interviews with spouses (n = 8). The transcriptions underwent a deductive qualitative content analysis, within the framework of the Health Belief Model. Patients' and spouses' health beliefs about lifestyle habits qualitatively differed in most predetermined main analytical categories of the Health Belief Model. The patients relied more on their own capacity and the healthcare system than on collaboration with their spouses who instead emphasised the importance of mutual activities to establish lifestyle habits. The spouses therefore experienced problems with different family preferences compared to the patients' wishes. Moreover, only patients believed supervised exercise was beneficial for risk reduction of coronary heart disease and they related barriers for medication to a self-healing body and a meaningless life without relatives and old habits. Patients and spouses agreed that despite the severity of illness, life was captured and that normalisation to a life as usual was possible. The patients' and spouses' qualitatively different health beliefs regarding health-related behaviours imply a new approach. Nurses and associated professionals need to follow-up patients' and spouses' in primary health care to support them in a tailored way, for example in problem-based sessions. Recognition and understanding of their different views and otherness

  15. A qualitative signature for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on relative expression orderings.

    PubMed

    Ao, Lu; Zhang, Zimei; Guan, Qingzhou; Guo, Yating; Guo, You; Zhang, Jiahui; Lv, Xingwei; Huang, Haiyan; Zhang, Huarong; Wang, Xianlong; Guo, Zheng

    2018-04-23

    Currently, using biopsy specimens to confirm suspicious liver lesions of early hepatocellular carcinoma are not entirely reliable because of insufficient sampling amount and inaccurate sampling location. It is necessary to develop a signature to aid early hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis using biopsy specimens even when the sampling location is inaccurate. Based on the within-sample relative expression orderings of gene pairs, we identified a simple qualitative signature to distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent non-tumour tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients. A signature consisting of 19 gene pairs was identified in the training data sets and validated in 2 large collections of samples from biopsy and surgical resection specimens. For biopsy specimens, 95.7% of 141 hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and all (100%) of 108 cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients were correctly classified. Especially, all (100%) of 60 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues and 77.5% of 80 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. For surgical resection specimens, 99.7% of 733 hepatocellular carcinoma specimens were correctly classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, while 96.1% of 254 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent cirrhosis tissues and 95.9% of 538 hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent normal tissues were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast, 17.0% of 47 cirrhosis from non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients waiting for liver transplantation were classified to hepatocellular carcinoma, indicating that some patients with long-lasting cirrhosis could have already gained hepatocellular carcinoma characteristics. The signature can distinguish both hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and tumour-adjacent tissues from cirrhosis tissues of non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients even using inaccurately sampled biopsy specimens, which can aid early

  16. Efficient, Decentralized Detection of Qualitative Spatial Events in a Dynamic Scalar Field

    PubMed Central

    Jeong, Myeong-Hun; Duckham, Matt

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes an efficient, decentralized algorithm to monitor qualitative spatial events in a dynamic scalar field. The events of interest involve changes to the critical points (i.e., peak, pits and passes) and edges of the surface network derived from the field. Four fundamental types of event (appearance, disappearance, movement and switch) are defined. Our algorithm is designed to rely purely on qualitative information about the neighborhoods of nodes in the sensor network and does not require information about nodes’ coordinate positions. Experimental investigations confirm that our algorithm is efficient, with O(n) overall communication complexity (where n is the number of nodes in the sensor network), an even load balance and low operational latency. The accuracy of event detection is comparable to established centralized algorithms for the identification of critical points of a surface network. Our algorithm is relevant to a broad range of environmental monitoring applications of sensor networks. PMID:26343672

  17. Efficient, Decentralized Detection of Qualitative Spatial Events in a Dynamic Scalar Field.

    PubMed

    Jeong, Myeong-Hun; Duckham, Matt

    2015-08-28

    This paper describes an efficient, decentralized algorithm to monitor qualitative spatial events in a dynamic scalar field. The events of interest involve changes to the critical points (i.e., peak, pits and passes) and edges of the surface network derived from the field. Four fundamental types of event (appearance, disappearance, movement and switch) are defined. Our algorithm is designed to rely purely on qualitative information about the neighborhoods of nodes in the sensor network and does not require information about nodes' coordinate positions. Experimental investigations confirm that our algorithm is efficient, with O(n) overall communication complexity (where n is the number of nodes in the sensor network), an even load balance and low operational latency. The accuracy of event detection is comparable to established centralized algorithms for the identification of critical points of a surface network. Our algorithm is relevant to a broad range of environmental monitoring applications of sensor networks.

  18. Sensing qualitative events to control manipulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pook, Polly K.; Ballard, Dana H.

    1992-11-01

    Dexterous robotic hands have numerous sensors distributed over a flexible high-degree-of- freedom framework. Control of these hands often relies on a detailed task description that is either specified a priori or computed on-line from sensory feedback. Such controllers are complex and may use unnecessary precision. In contrast, one can incorporate plan cues that provide a contextual backdrop in order to simplify the control task. To demonstrate, a Utah/MIT dexterous hand mounted on a Puma 760 arm flips a plastic egg, using the finger tendon tensions as the sole control signal. The completion of each subtask, such as picking up the spatula, finding the pan, and sliding the spatula under the egg, is detected by sensing tension states. The strategy depends on the task context but does not require precise positioning knowledge. We term this qualitative manipulation to draw a parallel with qualitative vision strategies. The approach is to design closed-loop programs that detect significant events to control manipulation but ignore inessential details. The strategy is generalized by analyzing the robot state dynamics during teleoperated hand actions to reveal the essential features that control each action.

  19. Event specific qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction detection of genetically modified MON863 maize based on the 5'-transgene integration sequence.

    PubMed

    Yang, Litao; Xu, Songci; Pan, Aihu; Yin, Changsong; Zhang, Kewei; Wang, Zhenying; Zhou, Zhigang; Zhang, Dabing

    2005-11-30

    Because of the genetically modified organisms (GMOs) labeling policies issued in many countries and areas, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were developed for the execution of GMO labeling policies, such as screening, gene specific, construct specific, and event specific PCR detection methods, which have become a mainstay of GMOs detection. The event specific PCR detection method is the primary trend in GMOs detection because of its high specificity based on the flanking sequence of the exogenous integrant. This genetically modified maize, MON863, contains a Cry3Bb1 coding sequence that produces a protein with enhanced insecticidal activity against the coleopteran pest, corn rootworm. In this study, the 5'-integration junction sequence between the host plant DNA and the integrated gene construct of the genetically modified maize MON863 was revealed by means of thermal asymmetric interlaced-PCR, and the specific PCR primers and TaqMan probe were designed based upon the revealed 5'-integration junction sequence; the conventional qualitative PCR and quantitative TaqMan real-time PCR detection methods employing these primers and probes were successfully developed. In conventional qualitative PCR assay, the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1% for MON863 in 100 ng of maize genomic DNA for one reaction. In the quantitative TaqMan real-time PCR assay, the LOD and the limit of quantification were eight and 80 haploid genome copies, respectively. In addition, three mixed maize samples with known MON863 contents were detected using the established real-time PCR systems, and the ideal results indicated that the established event specific real-time PCR detection systems were reliable, sensitive, and accurate.

  20. Event-specific qualitative and quantitative detection of five genetically modified rice events using a single standard reference molecule.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jae-Hwan; Park, Saet-Byul; Roh, Hyo-Jeong; Shin, Min-Ki; Moon, Gui-Im; Hong, Jin-Hwan; Kim, Hae-Yeong

    2017-07-01

    One novel standard reference plasmid, namely pUC-RICE5, was constructed as a positive control and calibrator for event-specific qualitative and quantitative detection of genetically modified (GM) rice (Bt63, Kemingdao1, Kefeng6, Kefeng8, and LLRice62). pUC-RICE5 contained fragments of a rice-specific endogenous reference gene (sucrose phosphate synthase) as well as the five GM rice events. An existing qualitative PCR assay approach was modified using pUC-RICE5 to create a quantitative method with limits of detection correlating to approximately 1-10 copies of rice haploid genomes. In this quantitative PCR assay, the square regression coefficients ranged from 0.993 to 1.000. The standard deviation and relative standard deviation values for repeatability ranged from 0.02 to 0.22 and 0.10% to 0.67%, respectively. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Korea) validated the method and the results suggest it could be used routinely to identify five GM rice events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Experiences of prenatal diagnosis and decision-making about termination of pregnancy: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Hodgson, Jan; Pitt, Penelope; Metcalfe, Sylvia; Halliday, Jane; Menezes, Melody; Fisher, Jane; Hickerton, Chriselle; Petersen, Kerry; McClaren, Belinda

    2016-12-01

    Advances in genetic technologies and ultrasound screening techniques have increased the ability to predict and diagnose congenital anomalies during pregnancy. As a result more prospective parents than ever before will receive a prenatal diagnosis of a fetal abnormality. Little is known about how Australian women and men experience receiving a prenatal diagnosis and how they make their decision about whether or not to continue the pregnancy. This qualitative study aims to describe parental experiences and examine how best to provide support after a prenatal diagnosis. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 102 women and men approximately six weeks post-diagnosis of fetal abnormality. Data were elicited using a narrative, chronological approach and women (n = 75) and a sample of male partners (n = 27) were separately interviewed. Thematic analysis, involving a rigorous process of qualitative coding, enabled iterative development and validation of emergent themes. Participants identified that the shock of the diagnosis can be lessened when good care is delivered, by provision of: clear, accurate and respectful communication; empathic, non-judgemental, professional support; timely access to further testing and appointments; seamless interactions with services and administration; appropriate choices about invasive testing; acknowledgment of the enormity and unexpected nature of the diagnosis, and of the subsequent decision-making challenges; and discussion of the myriad feelings likely to emerge throughout the process. This study has demonstrated the importance of providing timely access to accurate information and supportive, non-judgemental care for women and their partners following prenatal diagnosis of a fetal abnormality. © 2016 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  2. Metrology of human-based and other qualitative measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pendrill, Leslie; Petersson, Niclas

    2016-09-01

    The metrology of human-based and other qualitative measurements is in its infancy—concepts such as traceability and uncertainty are as yet poorly developed. This paper reviews how a measurement system analysis approach, particularly invoking as performance metric the ability of a probe (such as a human being) acting as a measurement instrument to make a successful decision, can enable a more general metrological treatment of qualitative observations. Measures based on human observations are typically qualitative, not only in sectors, such as health care, services and safety, where the human factor is obvious, but also in customer perception of traditional products of all kinds. A principal challenge is that the usual tools of statistics normally employed for expressing measurement accuracy and uncertainty will probably not work reliably if relations between distances on different portions of scales are not fully known, as is typical of ordinal or other qualitative measurements. A key enabling insight is to connect the treatment of decision risks associated with measurement uncertainty to generalized linear modelling (GLM). Handling qualitative observations in this way unites information theory, the perceptive identification and choice paradigms of psychophysics. The Rasch invariant measure psychometric GLM approach in particular enables a proper treatment of ordinal data; a clear separation of probe and item attribute estimates; simple expressions for instrument sensitivity; etc. Examples include two aspects of the care of breast cancer patients, from diagnosis to rehabilitation. The Rasch approach leads in turn to opportunities of establishing metrological references for quality assurance of qualitative measurements. In psychometrics, one could imagine a certified reference for knowledge challenge, for example, a particular concept in understanding physics or for product quality of a certain health care service. Multivariate methods, such as Principal Component

  3. Resident-to-Resident Aggression in Nursing Homes: Results from a Qualitative Event Reconstruction Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pillemer, Karl; Chen, Emily K.; Van Haitsma, Kimberly S.; Teresi, Jeanne; Ramirez, Mildred; Silver, Stephanie; Sukha, Gail; Lachs, Mark S.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Despite its prevalence and negative consequences, research on elder abuse has rarely considered resident-to-resident aggression (RRA) in nursing homes. This study employed a qualitative event reconstruction methodology to identify the major forms of RRA that occur in nursing homes. Design and methods: Events of RRA were identified within…

  4. Combining destination diversion decisions and critical in-flight event diagnosis in computer aided testing of pilots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rockwell, T. H.; Giffin, W. C.; Romer, D. J.

    1984-01-01

    Rockwell and Giffin (1982) and Giffin and Rockwell (1983) have discussed the use of computer aided testing (CAT) in the study of pilot response to critical in-flight events. The present investigation represents an extension of these earlier studies. In testing pilot responses to critical in-flight events, use is made of a Plato-touch CRT system operating on a menu based format. In connection with the typical diagnostic problem, the pilot was presented with symptoms within a flight scenario. In one problem, the pilot has four minutes for obtaining the information which is needed to make a diagnosis of the problem. In the reported research, the attempt has been made to combine both diagnosis and diversion scenario into a single computer aided test. Tests with nine subjects were conducted. The obtained results and their significance are discussed.

  5. Deterministic versus evidence-based attitude towards clinical diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Soltani, Akbar; Moayyeri, Alireza

    2007-08-01

    Generally, two basic classes have been proposed for scientific explanation of events. Deductive reasoning emphasizes on reaching conclusions about a hypothesis based on verification of universal laws pertinent to that hypothesis, while inductive or probabilistic reasoning explains an event by calculation of some probabilities for that event to be related to a given hypothesis. Although both types of reasoning are used in clinical practice, evidence-based medicine stresses on the advantages of the second approach for most instances in medical decision making. While 'probabilistic or evidence-based' reasoning seems to involve more mathematical formulas at the first look, this attitude is more dynamic and less imprisoned by the rigidity of mathematics comparing with 'deterministic or mathematical attitude'. In the field of medical diagnosis, appreciation of uncertainty in clinical encounters and utilization of likelihood ratio as measure of accuracy seem to be the most important characteristics of evidence-based doctors. Other characteristics include use of series of tests for refining probability, changing diagnostic thresholds considering external evidences and nature of the disease, and attention to confidence intervals to estimate uncertainty of research-derived parameters.

  6. Diagnosis of delay-deadline failures in real time discrete event models.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Santosh; Sarkar, Dipankar; Bhowal, Prodip; Mukhopadhyay, Siddhartha

    2007-10-01

    In this paper a method for fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) of real time systems has been developed. A modeling framework termed as real time discrete event system (RTDES) model is presented and a mechanism for FDD of the same has been developed. The use of RTDES framework for FDD is an extension of the works reported in the discrete event system (DES) literature, which are based on finite state machines (FSM). FDD of RTDES models are suited for real time systems because of their capability of representing timing faults leading to failures in terms of erroneous delays and deadlines, which FSM-based ones cannot address. The concept of measurement restriction of variables is introduced for RTDES and the consequent equivalence of states and indistinguishability of transitions have been characterized. Faults are modeled in terms of an unmeasurable condition variable in the state map. Diagnosability is defined and the procedure of constructing a diagnoser is provided. A checkable property of the diagnoser is shown to be a necessary and sufficient condition for diagnosability. The methodology is illustrated with an example of a hydraulic cylinder.

  7. Psychosocial Factors That Shape Patient and Carer Experiences of Dementia Diagnosis and Treatment: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

    PubMed Central

    Bunn, Frances; Goodman, Claire; Sworn, Katie; Rait, Greta; Brayne, Carol; Robinson, Louise; McNeilly, Elaine; Iliffe, Steve

    2012-01-01

    Background Early diagnosis and intervention for people with dementia is increasingly considered a priority, but practitioners are concerned with the effects of earlier diagnosis and interventions on patients and caregivers. This systematic review evaluates the qualitative evidence about how people accommodate and adapt to the diagnosis of dementia and its immediate consequences, to guide practice. Methods and Findings We systematically reviewed qualitative studies exploring experiences of community-dwelling individuals with dementia, and their carers, around diagnosis and the transition to becoming a person with dementia. We searched PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, CINAHL, and the British Nursing Index (all searched in May 2010 with no date restrictions; PubMed search updated in February 2012), checked reference lists, and undertook citation searches in PubMed and Google Scholar (ongoing to September 2011). We used thematic synthesis to identify key themes, commonalities, barriers to earlier diagnosis, and support identified as helpful. We identified 126 papers reporting 102 studies including a total of 3,095 participants. Three overarching themes emerged from our analysis: (1) pathways through diagnosis, including its impact on identity, roles, and relationships; (2) resolving conflicts to accommodate a diagnosis, including the acceptability of support, focusing on the present or the future, and the use or avoidance of knowledge; and (3) strategies and support to minimise the impact of dementia. Consistent barriers to diagnosis include stigma, normalisation of symptoms, and lack of knowledge. Studies report a lack of specialist support particularly post-diagnosis. Conclusions There is an extensive body of qualitative literature on the experiences of community-dwelling individuals with dementia on receiving and adapting to a diagnosis of dementia. We present a thematic analysis that could be useful to professionals working with people with dementia. We suggest that

  8. Why Clinicians Don't Report Adverse Drug Events: Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Hohl, Corinne M; Small, Serena S; Peddie, David; Badke, Katherin; Bailey, Chantelle; Balka, Ellen

    2018-02-27

    Adverse drug events are unintended and harmful events related to medications. Adverse drug events are important for patient care, quality improvement, drug safety research, and postmarketing surveillance, but they are vastly underreported. Our objectives were to identify barriers to adverse drug event documentation and factors contributing to underreporting. This qualitative study was conducted in 1 ambulatory center, and the emergency departments and inpatient wards of 3 acute care hospitals in British Columbia between March 2014 and December 2016. We completed workplace observations and focus groups with general practitioners, hospitalists, emergency physicians, and hospital and community pharmacists. We analyzed field notes by coding and iteratively analyzing our data to identify emerging concepts, generate thematic and event summaries, and create workflow diagrams. Clinicians validated emerging concepts by applying them to cases from their clinical practice. We completed 238 hours of observations during which clinicians investigated 65 suspect adverse drug events. The observed events were often complex and diagnosed over time, requiring the input of multiple providers. Providers documented adverse drug events in charts to support continuity of care but never reported them to external agencies. Providers faced time constraints, and reporting would have required duplication of documentation. Existing reporting systems are not suited to capture the complex nature of adverse drug events or adapted to workflow and are simply not used by frontline clinicians. Systems that are integrated into electronic medical records, make use of existing data to avoid duplication of documentation, and generate alerts to improve safety may address the shortcomings of existing systems and generate robust adverse drug event data as a by-product of safer care. ©Corinne M Hohl, Serena S Small, David Peddie, Katherin Badke, Chantelle Bailey, Ellen Balka. Originally published in JMIR

  9. Understanding barriers to exercise implementation 5-year post-breast cancer diagnosis: a large-scale qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Hefferon, Kate; Murphy, Helen; McLeod, Janice; Mutrie, Nanette; Campbell, Anna

    2013-10-01

    Due to the amount of literature supporting exercise participation after cancer diagnosis, there has been recent interest in barriers to exercise engagement among cancer patients. However, little is known regarding reasons why people choose to disengage and how this disengagement occurs over time. This study aimed to qualitatively study the perceived barriers to exercise implementation, 5-year post-breast cancer diagnosis. Eighty-three female breast cancer survivors participated in a one-to-one semi-structured interview, regarding their experience of exercise over the past 5 years following their original participation in a group-based structured exercise intervention after diagnosis (41 from intervention and 42 from original control group). The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The findings included three main themes and several subthemes regarding the women's perceived barriers: psychological barriers (lack of motivation, fears, dislike of gym, not being the 'sporty type'), physical barriers (the ageing process, cancer treatment and other physical co-morbidities, fatigue and weight gain) and contextual and environmental barriers (employment, traditional female care-giving roles, proximity/access to facilities, seasonal weather). The findings add inductive support to the current survivor health research advocating the use of activity immediately after diagnosis, as well as the need for tailored activity programmes in order to overcome potential obstacles.

  10. A Qualitative Study of Factors Influencing Decision-Making after Prenatal Diagnosis of down Syndrome.

    PubMed

    Reed, Amy R; Berrier, Kathryn L

    2017-08-01

    Previous research has identified twenty-six factors that may affect pregnancy management decisions following prenatal diagnosis of DS; however, there is no consensus about the relative importance or effects of these factors. In order to better understand patient decision-making, we conducted expansive cognitive interviews with nine former patients who received a prenatal diagnosis of DS. Our results suggest that patients attached unique meanings to factors influencing decision-making regardless of the pregnancy outcome. Nineteen of the twenty-six factors previously studied and four novel factors (rationale for testing, information quality, pregnancy experience, and perception of parenting abilities and goals) were found to be important to decision-making. We argue that qualitative studies can help characterize the complexity of decision-making following prenatal diagnosis of DS.

  11. Emotions and coping of patients with head and neck cancers after diagnosis: A qualitative content analysis.

    PubMed

    Jagannathan, A; Juvva, S

    2016-01-01

    Patients suffering with head and neck cancers are observed to have a relatively high risk of developing emotional disturbances after diagnosis and treatment. These emotional concerns can be best understood and explored through the method of content analysis or qualitative data. Though a number of qualitative studies have been conducted in the last few years in the field of psychosocial oncology, none have looked at the emotions experienced and the coping by head and neck cancer patients. Seventy-five new cases of postsurgery patients of head and neck cancers were qualitatively interviewed regarding the emotions experienced and coping strategies after diagnosis. Qualitative content analysis of the in-depth interviews brought out that patients experienced varied emotions on realizing that they were suffering from cancer, the cause of which could be mainly attributed to three themes: 1) knowledge of their illness; 2) duration of untreated illness; and 3) object of blame. They coped with their emotions by either: 1) inculcating a positive attitude and faith in the doctor/treatment, 2) ventilating their emotions with family and friends, or 3) indulging in activities to divert attention. The results brought out a conceptual framework, which showed that an in-depth understanding of the emotions - Their root cause, coping strategies, and spiritual and cultural orientations of the cancer survivor - Is essential to develop any effective intervention program in India.

  12. Qualitative Fault Isolation of Hybrid Systems: A Structural Model Decomposition-Based Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bregon, Anibal; Daigle, Matthew; Roychoudhury, Indranil

    2016-01-01

    Quick and robust fault diagnosis is critical to ensuring safe operation of complex engineering systems. A large number of techniques are available to provide fault diagnosis in systems with continuous dynamics. However, many systems in aerospace and industrial environments are best represented as hybrid systems that consist of discrete behavioral modes, each with its own continuous dynamics. These hybrid dynamics make the on-line fault diagnosis task computationally more complex due to the large number of possible system modes and the existence of autonomous mode transitions. This paper presents a qualitative fault isolation framework for hybrid systems based on structural model decomposition. The fault isolation is performed by analyzing the qualitative information of the residual deviations. However, in hybrid systems this process becomes complex due to possible existence of observation delays, which can cause observed deviations to be inconsistent with the expected deviations for the current mode in the system. The great advantage of structural model decomposition is that (i) it allows to design residuals that respond to only a subset of the faults, and (ii) every time a mode change occurs, only a subset of the residuals will need to be reconfigured, thus reducing the complexity of the reasoning process for isolation purposes. To demonstrate and test the validity of our approach, we use an electric circuit simulation as the case study.

  13. Effects of life events on infertility diagnosis: comparison with presumably fertile men and women.

    PubMed

    Santos, Carina; Sobral, Maria Pedro; Martins, Mariana V

    2017-02-01

    To compare the occurrence and degree of stress attributed to life events during childhood/adolescence and adulthood between individuals diagnosed with infertility and presumably fertile individuals, and to examine the effect of life events occurrence and stress levels on an infertility diagnosis. Although stress has been explored as a consequence of the experience of infertility, its role as a predictor of this disease still lacks research, particularly regarding the use of adequate control groups composed of non-parents. The final sample had 151 infertile subjects (74 males and 77 females) and 225 presumably fertile participants (95 males and 130 females), who completed a questionnaire indicating occurrence (y/n) and degree of stress of life events (1-5) during childhood/adolescence and adulthood. Significant differences regarding occurrence were found in seven stressful life events in men and in nine events in women, with infertile groups presenting higher occurrence than presumably fertile groups. Eleven stressful life events were rated differently by men and women regarding the degree of stress, with group significant differences observed in both directions. While most events were rated as more stressful by infertile men, infertile women reported less stress resulting from these events than presumably fertile women. After controlling for age, the degree of stress induced by life events in childhood/adolescence and adulthood were not significant predictors of infertility diagnosis, for both men and women. The amount of stress associated with earlier or concurrent life events does not seem to be related with infertility. Further prospective research is needed to validate these findings.

  14. Emotions and coping of patients with head and neck cancers after diagnosis: A qualitative content analysis

    PubMed Central

    Jagannathan, A; Juvva, S

    2016-01-01

    Background and Rationale: Patients suffering with head and neck cancers are observed to have a relatively high risk of developing emotional disturbances after diagnosis and treatment. These emotional concerns can be best understood and explored through the method of content analysis or qualitative data. Though a number of qualitative studies have been conducted in the last few years in the field of psychosocial oncology, none have looked at the emotions experienced and the coping by head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five new cases of postsurgery patients of head and neck cancers were qualitatively interviewed regarding the emotions experienced and coping strategies after diagnosis. Results: Qualitative content analysis of the in-depth interviews brought out that patients experienced varied emotions on realizing that they were suffering from cancer, the cause of which could be mainly attributed to three themes: 1) knowledge of their illness; 2) duration of untreated illness; and 3) object of blame. They coped with their emotions by either: 1) inculcating a positive attitude and faith in the doctor/treatment, 2) ventilating their emotions with family and friends, or 3) indulging in activities to divert attention. Conclusion: The results brought out a conceptual framework, which showed that an in-depth understanding of the emotions — Their root cause, coping strategies, and spiritual and cultural orientations of the cancer survivor — Is essential to develop any effective intervention program in India. PMID:27320951

  15. Understanding evidence-based diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Kohn, Michael A

    2014-01-01

    The real meaning of the word "diagnosis" is naming the disease that is causing a patient's illness. The cognitive process of assigning this name is a mysterious combination of pattern recognition and the hypothetico-deductive approach that is only remotely related to the mathematical process of using test results to update the probability of a disease. What I refer to as "evidence-based diagnosis" is really evidence-based use of medical tests to guide treatment decisions. Understanding how to use test results to update the probability of disease can help us interpret test results more rationally. Also, evidence-based diagnosis reminds us to consider the costs and risks of testing and the dangers of over-diagnosis and over-treatment, in addition to the costs and risks of missing serious disease.

  16. Protocol for a qualitative synthesis of barriers and facilitators in implementing guidelines for diagnosis of tuberculosis.

    PubMed

    Ochodo, Eleanor; Kredo, Tamara; Young, Taryn; Wiysonge, Charles Shey

    2017-06-09

    Despite the introduction of new tests and guidelines for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), worldwide case detection rate of TB is still suboptimal. This could be in part explained by the poor implementation of TB diagnostic guidelines. We aim to identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative evidence exploring the barriers and facilitators to implementing TB diagnostic guidelines. A systematic review of qualitative studies will be conducted. Relevant electronic databases will be searched and studies included based on predefined inclusion criteria. We will also search reference lists, grey literature, conduct forward citation searches and contact relevant content experts. An adaptation of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool will be used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Two authors will review the search output, extract data and assess methodological quality independently, resolving any disagreements by consensus. We will use the thematic framework analysis approach based on the Supporting the Use of Research Evidence thematic framework to analyse and synthesise our data. We will apply the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research approach to transparently assess our confidence in the findings of the systematic review. This protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), registration number CRD42016039790 TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2016: CRD42016039790. Available from http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. Vaccine adverse event text mining system for extracting features from vaccine safety reports.

    PubMed

    Botsis, Taxiarchis; Buttolph, Thomas; Nguyen, Michael D; Winiecki, Scott; Woo, Emily Jane; Ball, Robert

    2012-01-01

    To develop and evaluate a text mining system for extracting key clinical features from vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS) narratives to aid in the automated review of adverse event reports. Based upon clinical significance to VAERS reviewing physicians, we defined the primary (diagnosis and cause of death) and secondary features (eg, symptoms) for extraction. We built a novel vaccine adverse event text mining (VaeTM) system based on a semantic text mining strategy. The performance of VaeTM was evaluated using a total of 300 VAERS reports in three sequential evaluations of 100 reports each. Moreover, we evaluated the VaeTM contribution to case classification; an information retrieval-based approach was used for the identification of anaphylaxis cases in a set of reports and was compared with two other methods: a dedicated text classifier and an online tool. The performance metrics of VaeTM were text mining metrics: recall, precision and F-measure. We also conducted a qualitative difference analysis and calculated sensitivity and specificity for classification of anaphylaxis cases based on the above three approaches. VaeTM performed best in extracting diagnosis, second level diagnosis, drug, vaccine, and lot number features (lenient F-measure in the third evaluation: 0.897, 0.817, 0.858, 0.874, and 0.914, respectively). In terms of case classification, high sensitivity was achieved (83.1%); this was equal and better compared to the text classifier (83.1%) and the online tool (40.7%), respectively. Our VaeTM implementation of a semantic text mining strategy shows promise in providing accurate and efficient extraction of key features from VAERS narratives.

  18. Computer-Based Image Analysis for Plus Disease Diagnosis in Retinopathy of Prematurity

    PubMed Central

    Wittenberg, Leah A.; Jonsson, Nina J.; Chan, RV Paul; Chiang, Michael F.

    2014-01-01

    Presence of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is an important criterion for identifying treatment-requiring ROP. Plus disease is defined by a standard published photograph selected over 20 years ago by expert consensus. However, diagnosis of plus disease has been shown to be subjective and qualitative. Computer-based image analysis, using quantitative methods, has potential to improve the objectivity of plus disease diagnosis. The objective was to review the published literature involving computer-based image analysis for ROP diagnosis. The PubMed and Cochrane library databases were searched for the keywords “retinopathy of prematurity” AND “image analysis” AND/OR “plus disease.” Reference lists of retrieved articles were searched to identify additional relevant studies. All relevant English-language studies were reviewed. There are four main computer-based systems, ROPtool (AU ROC curve, plus tortuosity 0.95, plus dilation 0.87), RISA (AU ROC curve, arteriolar TI 0.71, venular diameter 0.82), Vessel Map (AU ROC curve, arteriolar dilation 0.75, venular dilation 0.96), and CAIAR (AU ROC curve, arteriole tortuosity 0.92, venular dilation 0.91), attempting to objectively analyze vessel tortuosity and dilation in plus disease in ROP. Some of them show promise for identification of plus disease using quantitative methods. This has potential to improve the diagnosis of plus disease, and may contribute to the management of ROP using both traditional binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and image-based telemedicine approaches. PMID:21366159

  19. Unwrapping the diagnosis of tuberculosis in primary care: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Metcalf, Elizabeth P; Davies, Joanne C; Wood, Fiona; Butler, Christopher C

    2007-02-01

    Although tuberculosis (TB) is relatively rare in the UK, its diagnosis is important because diagnostic delays can result in worse outcomes for patients and expose others to the risk of infection. Atypical presentations may be common, and patients' help-seeking behaviour may influence the diagnostic process in primary care. Little is known about the process of diagnosing TB in primary care in developed countries. To understand the process of diagnosing TB in UK primary care. Qualitative inductive study with paired semi-structured interviews. Communities and general practices in south-east Wales. Interviews were conducted with 17 patients diagnosed with TB in the previous 6 months and 16 GPs involved with their care. Data were analysed thematically. In response to expected classical features, GPs generally ordered specific tests. Both GPs and patients reported atypical presentations, and then the diagnostic and referral net was appropriately widened in most cases. Identified barriers to prompt diagnosis included atypical presentations and low clinical suspicion of TB, lack of continuity of care, workload demands that limit time with patients, and suboptimal clinician-patient communication. GPs recognised the growing problem of TB nationally and the need for improved education among health professionals. GPs' and patients' accounts about the process of diagnosing TB suggest that delays can occur, although they are not typical. Where diagnosis is clear, GPs generally test specifically and refer appropriately; where diagnosis is less clear, the diagnostic net is cast further. It is only when certain core values of general practice are not applied (including continuity of care, considering context appropriately, and eliciting and responding appropriately to patients' explanatory models) that clinicians and patients identify a suboptimal diagnostic process.

  20. The diagnosis and lived experience of polycystic ovary syndrome: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Tomlinson, Julie; Pinkney, Jonathan; Adams, Linda; Stenhouse, Elizabeth; Bendall, Alison; Corrigan, Oonagh; Letherby, Gayle

    2017-10-01

    To explore the impact of the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome on health/ill health identity, how women experience this diagnosis and their health beliefs. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common and heterogeneous condition, giving rise to a wide range of different health concerns. Previous research on polycystic ovary syndrome has been dominated by the medical perspective and less is known about the experiences and needs of women. A qualitative study of 32 premenopausal adult women with polycystic ovary syndrome (diagnosis confirmed by Rotterdam criteria), aged between 18 and 45 years, recruited from a primary and secondary care setting. Thematic analysis of transcripts from 11 focus groups conducted between 2013-2015. Women identified a range of concerns affecting personal and reproductive identity, health knowledge and beliefs: (1) delays and barriers to diagnosis; (2) general lack of empathy by the medical profession; (3) difficulty in accessing specialist referral; (4) lack of information from professionals; (5) inconsistent and sometimes unsatisfactory experiences with medications; (6) insufficient help and advice regarding in/fertility; (7) relative lack of awareness or concern about longer term risks such as diabetes; and (8) significant discrepancies between the beliefs of women with polycystic ovary syndrome and how they experienced the attitudes of healthcare professionals. There appears to be a divergence between women's experience and attitudes of healthcare professionals. The diagnosis, support and lived experience of women with polycystic ovary syndrome could be enhanced by better professional recognition of these concerns, improved knowledge and communication about polycystic ovary syndrome and better access to support and specialist advice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Diagnostic yield and optimal duration of continuous-loop event monitoring for the diagnosis of palpitations. A cost-effectiveness analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zimetbaum, P. J.; Kim, K. Y.; Josephson, M. E.; Goldberger, A. L.; Cohen, D. J.

    1998-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Continuous-loop event recorders are widely used for the evaluation of palpitations, but the optimal duration of monitoring is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the yield, timing, and incremental cost-effectiveness of each week of event monitoring for palpitations. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. PATIENTS: 105 consecutive outpatients referred for the placement of a continuous-loop event recorder for the evaluation of palpitations. MEASUREMENTS: Diagnostic yield, incremental cost, and cost-effectiveness for each week of monitoring. RESULTS: The diagnostic yield of continuous-loop event recorders was 1.04 diagnoses per patient in week 1, 0.15 diagnoses per patient in week 2, and 0.01 diagnoses per patient in week 3 and beyond. Over time, the cost-effectiveness ratio increased from $98 per new diagnosis in week 1 to $576 per new diagnosis in week 2 and $5832 per new diagnosis in week 3. CONCLUSIONS: In patients referred for evaluation of palpitations, the diagnostic yield of continuous-loop event recording decreases rapidly after 2 weeks of monitoring. A 2-week monitoring period is reasonably cost-effective for most patients and should be the standard period for continuous-loop event recording for the evaluation of palpitations.

  2. Hepatitis Diagnosis Using Facial Color Image

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Mingjia; Guo, Zhenhua

    Facial color diagnosis is an important diagnostic method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, due to its qualitative, subjective and experi-ence-based nature, traditional facial color diagnosis has a very limited application in clinical medicine. To circumvent the subjective and qualitative problems of facial color diagnosis of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in this paper, we present a novel computer aided facial color diagnosis method (CAFCDM). The method has three parts: face Image Database, Image Preprocessing Module and Diagnosis Engine. Face Image Database is carried out on a group of 116 patients affected by 2 kinds of liver diseases and 29 healthy volunteers. The quantitative color feature is extracted from facial images by using popular digital image processing techni-ques. Then, KNN classifier is employed to model the relationship between the quantitative color feature and diseases. The results show that the method can properly identify three groups: healthy, severe hepatitis with jaundice and severe hepatitis without jaundice with accuracy higher than 73%.

  3. Breast cancer diagnosis using spatial light interference microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majeed, Hassaan; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Han, Kevin; Luo, Zelun; Macias, Virgilia; Tangella, Krishnarao; Balla, Andre; Popescu, Gabriel

    2015-11-01

    The standard practice in histopathology of breast cancers is to examine a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissue biopsy under a microscope to diagnose whether a lesion is benign or malignant. This determination is made based on a manual, qualitative inspection, making it subject to investigator bias and resulting in low throughput. Hence, a quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis method is highly desirable. We present here preliminary results showing the potential of quantitative phase imaging for breast cancer screening and help with differential diagnosis. We generated phase maps of unstained breast tissue biopsies using spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). As a first step toward quantitative diagnosis based on SLIM, we carried out a qualitative evaluation of our label-free images. These images were shown to two pathologists who classified each case as either benign or malignant. This diagnosis was then compared against the diagnosis of the two pathologists on corresponding H&E stained tissue images and the number of agreements were counted. The agreement between SLIM and H&E based diagnosis was 88% for the first pathologist and 87% for the second. Our results demonstrate the potential and promise of SLIM for quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis.

  4. Fault Diagnosis approach based on a model-based reasoner and a functional designer for a wind turbine. An approach towards self-maintenance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Echavarria, E.; Tomiyama, T.; van Bussel, G. J. W.

    2007-07-01

    The objective of this on-going research is to develop a design methodology to increase the availability for offshore wind farms, by means of an intelligent maintenance system capable of responding to faults by reconfiguring the system or subsystems, without increasing service visits, complexity, or costs. The idea is to make use of the existing functional redundancies within the system and sub-systems to keep the wind turbine operational, even at a reduced capacity if necessary. Re-configuration is intended to be a built-in capability to be used as a repair strategy, based on these existing functionalities provided by the components. The possible solutions can range from using information from adjacent wind turbines, such as wind speed and direction, to setting up different operational modes, for instance re-wiring, re-connecting, changing parameters or control strategy. The methodology described in this paper is based on qualitative physics and consists of a fault diagnosis system based on a model-based reasoner (MBR), and on a functional redundancy designer (FRD). Both design tools make use of a function-behaviour-state (FBS) model. A design methodology based on the re-configuration concept to achieve self-maintained wind turbines is an interesting and promising approach to reduce stoppage rate, failure events, maintenance visits, and to maintain energy output possibly at reduced rate until the next scheduled maintenance.

  5. [Implantable ECG recorder revealed the diagnosis in a baby with apparent life-threatening events].

    PubMed

    Hoorntje, T M; Langerak, W; Blokland-Loggers, H E; Sreeram, N

    1999-09-25

    A 14-month-old boy went through episodes of cyanosis and brief loss of consciousness. Extensive investigations failed to lead to a diagnosis, until an implanted ECG recorder revealed ECG abnormalities suggestive of strangulation. Interviews with the father and mother showed that this was indeed the case. The diagnosis of 'Münchhausen by proxy' was made. Psychiatric assistance and home help were called in. The child recovered well. If there is a suspicion of arrhythmia as the cause of apparent life-threatening events, prolonged ECG recordings are necessary. In a clinical environment it is possible to make continuous ECG recordings during a limited period. An insertable recorder allows continuous ECG recordings during a syncopal event and can be used for prolonged monitoring. The patient presented is the youngest infant in the world in whom such a device has been implanted.

  6. Anomalous event diagnosis for environmental satellite systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramsay, Bruce H.

    1993-01-01

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) is responsible for the operation of the NOAA geostationary and polar orbiting satellites. NESDIS provides a wide array of operational meteorological and oceanographic products and services and operates various computer and communication systems on a 24-hour, seven days per week schedule. The Anomaly Reporting System contains a database of anomalous events regarding the operations of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), communication, or computer systems that have degraded or caused the loss of GOES imagery. Data is currently entered manually via an automated query user interface. There are 21 possible symptoms (e.g., No Data), and 73 possible causes (e.g., Sectorizer - World Weather Building) of an anomalous event. The determination of an event's cause(s) is made by the on-duty computer operator, who enters the event in a paper based daily log, and by the analyst entering the data into the reporting system. The determination of the event's cause(s) impacts both the operational status of these systems, and the performance evaluation of the on-site computer and communication operations contractor.

  7. The subjective impact of a diagnosis of gestational diabetes among ethnically diverse pregnant women: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Kaptein, Simone; Evans, Marilyn; McTavish, Sarah; Banerjee, Ananya T; Feig, Denice S; Lowe, Julia; Lipscombe, Lorraine L

    2015-04-01

    Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) require enhanced medical care, social support and health behaviour changes to reduce the complications of pregnancy and future adverse health outcomes. Little is known about how a GDM diagnosis positively and negatively impacts women, especially those of diverse ethnic backgrounds. This qualitative study sought to gain insight into the reactions and experiences of multiethnic women diagnosed with GDM. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to analyze semistructured telephone interviews conducted with 19 pregnant women of diverse backgrounds who were diagnosed with GDM. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and then coded and analyzed using content analysis. This study identified 2 main themes and several subthemes. First, women reported many negative effects of a GDM diagnosis, including heightened pressure to fulfill multiple roles, financial impact, and a disconnect between diabetes-prevention recommendations and their cultural practices. Second, a GDM diagnosis also had positive effects on many women. Women indicated being motivated to make health behaviour changes after a GDM diagnosis and viewed it as a wake-up call to modify their lifestyles. To help pregnant women with self-management of gestational diabetes, healthcare providers should pay greater attention to the adverse effects of GDM on women, including role expectations, cultural issues and financial barriers. Healthcare providers also need to focus on the positive effects and capitalize on women's motivation to make lifestyle changes to reduce their future risk for diabetes. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Viewing Knowledge Bases as Qualitative Models.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clancey, William J.

    The concept of a qualitative model provides a unifying perspective for understanding how expert systems differ from conventional programs. Knowledge bases contain qualitative models of systems in the world, that is, primarily non-numeric descriptions that provide a basis for explaining and predicting behavior and formulating action plans. The…

  9. Discrete event simulation tool for analysis of qualitative models of continuous processing systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, Jane T. (Inventor); Basham, Bryan D. (Inventor); Harris, Richard A. (Inventor)

    1990-01-01

    An artificial intelligence design and qualitative modeling tool is disclosed for creating computer models and simulating continuous activities, functions, and/or behavior using developed discrete event techniques. Conveniently, the tool is organized in four modules: library design module, model construction module, simulation module, and experimentation and analysis. The library design module supports the building of library knowledge including component classes and elements pertinent to a particular domain of continuous activities, functions, and behavior being modeled. The continuous behavior is defined discretely with respect to invocation statements, effect statements, and time delays. The functionality of the components is defined in terms of variable cluster instances, independent processes, and modes, further defined in terms of mode transition processes and mode dependent processes. Model construction utilizes the hierarchy of libraries and connects them with appropriate relations. The simulation executes a specialized initialization routine and executes events in a manner that includes selective inherency of characteristics through a time and event schema until the event queue in the simulator is emptied. The experimentation and analysis module supports analysis through the generation of appropriate log files and graphics developments and includes the ability of log file comparisons.

  10. Parents' perceptions of counselling following prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Marokakis, Sarah; Kasparian, Nadine A; Kennedy, Sean E

    2017-03-01

    To explore parents' experiences of counselling after prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. Parents of a child born between September 2012 and March 2015 with posterior urethral valves (PUV) or multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) completed a semi-structured telephone interview, demographic survey, and the 21-item self-report Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales questionnaire. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using NVivo10 software. In all, 17 parents (PUV, eight; MCDK, nine) participated (response rate 40%), and most were offered counselling during pregnancy (14/17). Parents described feelings of shock, fear and uncertainty after diagnosis, and desired early information on all aspects of their child's condition. Most participants were satisfied with the information received; however, unmet information needs relating to treatment and prognosis were identified, particularly amongst fathers and parents in the PUV group. Some parents felt relieved after counselling (12/17); however, emotional distress often persisted long after diagnosis. Parents described a need for written and web-based information resources, specialised psychological services, and parent support groups. While parents valued counselling, many continued to report unmet informational and psychological needs. Early counselling addressing topics important to parents and provision of additional resources and support services may improve parents' adjustment to their baby's diagnosis. © 2016 The Authors BJU International © 2016 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. An Efficient Model-based Diagnosis Engine for Hybrid Systems Using Structural Model Decomposition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bregon, Anibal; Narasimhan, Sriram; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Daigle, Matthew; Pulido, Belarmino

    2013-01-01

    Complex hybrid systems are present in a large range of engineering applications, like mechanical systems, electrical circuits, or embedded computation systems. The behavior of these systems is made up of continuous and discrete event dynamics that increase the difficulties for accurate and timely online fault diagnosis. The Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE) offers flexibility to the diagnosis application designer to choose the modeling paradigm and the reasoning algorithms. The HyDE architecture supports the use of multiple modeling paradigms at the component and system level. However, HyDE faces some problems regarding performance in terms of complexity and time. Our focus in this paper is on developing efficient model-based methodologies for online fault diagnosis in complex hybrid systems. To do this, we propose a diagnosis framework where structural model decomposition is integrated within the HyDE diagnosis framework to reduce the computational complexity associated with the fault diagnosis of hybrid systems. As a case study, we apply our approach to a diagnostic testbed, the Advanced Diagnostics and Prognostics Testbed (ADAPT), using real data.

  12. Fault diagnosis based on continuous simulation models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feyock, Stefan

    1987-01-01

    The results are described of an investigation of techniques for using continuous simulation models as basis for reasoning about physical systems, with emphasis on the diagnosis of system faults. It is assumed that a continuous simulation model of the properly operating system is available. Malfunctions are diagnosed by posing the question: how can we make the model behave like that. The adjustments that must be made to the model to produce the observed behavior usually provide definitive clues to the nature of the malfunction. A novel application of Dijkstra's weakest precondition predicate transformer is used to derive the preconditions for producing the required model behavior. To minimize the size of the search space, an envisionment generator based on interval mathematics was developed. In addition to its intended application, the ability to generate qualitative state spaces automatically from quantitative simulations proved to be a fruitful avenue of investigation in its own right. Implementations of the Dijkstra transform and the envisionment generator are reproduced in the Appendix.

  13. Qualitative and Semiquantitative Elastography for the Diagnosis of Intermediate Suspicious Thyroid Nodules Based on the 2015 American Thyroid Association Guidelines.

    PubMed

    Yang, Bo Ra; Kim, Eun-Kyung; Moon, Hee Jung; Yoon, Jung Hyun; Park, Vivian Y; Kwak, Jin Young

    2018-04-01

    To evaluate qualitative and semiquantitative elastography for the diagnosis of intermediate suspicious thyroid nodules based on the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines. Through a retrospective search of our institutional database, 746 solid thyroid nodules found on grayscale ultrasonography, strain elastography, and ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration between June and November 2009 were collected. Among them, 80 nodules from 80 patients with an intermediate suspicion of malignancy based on the 2015 ATA guidelines that were 10 mm or larger were recruited as the final study nodules. Elastographic findings were categorized according to the criteria of Rago et al (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007; 92:2917-2922) and Asteria et al (Thyroid 2008; 18:523-531), and strain ratio values were calculated and recorded. The independent 2-sample t test and χ 2 test (or Fisher exact test) were used to evaluate differences in clinical parameters between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. All variables were compared by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Of the 80 nodules, 6 (7.5%) were malignant, and 74 (92.5%) were benign. No significant differences were observed in age, sex, nodule size, elasticity score, and strain ratio between benign and malignant nodules. No variables significantly predicted thyroid malignancy on the univariate analysis. On the multivariate logistic regression analysis, there were no independent variables associated with thyroid malignancy, including the elasticity score and strain ratio (all P > .05). Elastographic analysis using the elasticity score and strain ratio has limited ability to characterize the benignity or malignancy of thyroid nodules with an intermediate suspicion of malignancy based on the 2015 ATA guidelines. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

  14. Personalized Clinical Diagnosis in Data Bases for Treatment Support in Phthisiology.

    PubMed

    Lugovkina, T K; Skornyakov, S N; Golubev, D N; Egorov, E A; Medvinsky, I D

    2016-01-01

    The decision-making is a key event in the clinical practice. The program products with clinical decision support models in electronic data-base as well as with fixed decision moments of the real clinical practice and treatment results are very actual instruments for improving phthisiological practice and may be useful in the severe cases caused by the resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The methodology for gathering and structuring of useful information (critical clinical signals for decisions) is described. Additional coding of clinical diagnosis characteristics was implemented for numeric reflection of the personal situations. The created methodology for systematization and coding Clinical Events allowed to improve the clinical decision models for better clinical results.

  15. The Impact of Future World Events on Iranians’ Social Health: A Qualitative Futurology

    PubMed Central

    DAMARI, Behzad; HAJIAN, Maryam; MINAEE, Farima; RIAZI-ISFAHANI, Sahand

    2016-01-01

    Background: Social health is a dimension of health affected and interacts with other dimensions. Considering the rate of world changes, foresighting the influence of future events and possible trends on social health could bring about advantageous information for social policy makers. Methods: This is a qualitative study of futurology with cross impact analysis approach. After studying possible trends and events in future, they were categorized in four domains including population, resources, climate changes, and globalization and 12 groups of events; and they were used to design a questionnaire. It was given to experts and their opinions were collected through depth interviews between May 2013 and Sep 2013. Results: Analysis of experts’ opinions reveals that future trends in four main potential domains may have some positive and more negative impacts on Iranians’ social health. Conclusion: The global “resource challenge” is the most important incoming event, considering to the four domains of global events and its final and potential effects will be the increase of inequalities leading to social threat. Since inequalities are considered the most important risk factor of health in the societies, the solution for dispel the impact of world trends on Iranians’ social health is managing the crisis of inequalities which is started with fore sighting and adopting preventive strategies in all four domains. PMID:27648424

  16. Communicating a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder - a qualitative study of parents' experiences.

    PubMed

    Abbott, Mandy; Bernard, Paul; Forge, Jenny

    2013-07-01

    Not enough is known about parents' experiences of receiving the news that their child warrants a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sharing this information with parents is an important and difficult part of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) practice. Qualitative methodology was used to explore the experiences of the 'feedback session' with nine sets of parents in a community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in North East England. Parents gave vivid accounts of their experiences and described issues relating to the structure, style and content of the session. The experiences of CAMHS users should inform the development of good practice in this important area.

  17. Fault Diagnosis System of Wind Turbine Generator Based on Petri Net

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Han

    Petri net is an important tool for discrete event dynamic systems modeling and analysis. And it has great ability to handle concurrent phenomena and non-deterministic phenomena. Currently Petri nets used in wind turbine fault diagnosis have not participated in the actual system. This article will combine the existing fuzzy Petri net algorithms; build wind turbine control system simulation based on Siemens S7-1200 PLC, while making matlab gui interface for migration of the system to different platforms.

  18. Knowledge-based diagnosis for aerospace systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Atkinson, David J.

    1988-01-01

    The need for automated diagnosis in aerospace systems and the approach of using knowledge-based systems are examined. Research issues in knowledge-based diagnosis which are important for aerospace applications are treated along with a review of recent relevant research developments in Artificial Intelligence. The design and operation of some existing knowledge-based diagnosis systems are described. The systems described and compared include the LES expert system for liquid oxygen loading at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the FAITH diagnosis system developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the PES procedural expert system developed at SRI International, the CSRL approach developed at Ohio State University, the StarPlan system developed by Ford Aerospace, the IDM integrated diagnostic model, and the DRAPhys diagnostic system developed at NASA Langley Research Center.

  19. Development and in-house validation of the event-specific qualitative and quantitative PCR detection methods for genetically modified cotton MON15985.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Lingxi; Yang, Litao; Rao, Jun; Guo, Jinchao; Wang, Shu; Liu, Jia; Lee, Seonghun; Zhang, Dabing

    2010-02-01

    To implement genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling regulations, an event-specific analysis method based on the junction sequence between exogenous integration and host genomic DNA has become the preferential approach for GMO identification and quantification. In this study, specific primers and TaqMan probes based on the revealed 5'-end junction sequence of GM cotton MON15985 were designed, and qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were established employing the designed primers and probes. In the qualitative PCR assay, the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.5 g kg(-1) in 100 ng total cotton genomic DNA, corresponding to about 17 copies of haploid cotton genomic DNA, and the LOD and limit of quantification (LOQ) for quantitative PCR assay were 10 and 17 copies of haploid cotton genomic DNA, respectively. Furthermore, the developed quantitative PCR assays were validated in-house by five different researchers. Also, five practical samples with known GM contents were quantified using the developed PCR assay in in-house validation, and the bias between the true and quantification values ranged from 2.06% to 12.59%. This study shows that the developed qualitative and quantitative PCR methods are applicable for the identification and quantification of GM cotton MON15985 and its derivates.

  20. An evaluation of performance-arts based HIV-prevention events in London with 13- 16-year-olds.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Tomás; Bath, Michael; Bradbear, Rachel; Cottle, Justine; Parrett, Neil

    2009-09-01

    The London borough of Newham is ethnically diverse and is one of the poorest regions in the UK. Rates of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV are high compared to the rest of the country. One strand of the local school-based HIV-prevention programme for young people utilizes performance arts as a tool for HIV education and prevention. This study evaluated HIV knowledge, confidence and intention to use a condom in two groups of 13- 16-year-olds who had participated in performance-based events. Group 1 (n = 14) participated in a six-week programme of performance arts-based HIV education and prevention workshops, which culminated in a theatre-based performance. Group 2 (n = 65) were audience members who attended the performance. Participants completed a short questionnaire containing both qualitative and quantitative items. Qualitative data suggested that the participants had learned about condoms and their efficacy in preventing acquisition of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Quantitative results indicated that after participation in the events, respondents had more information about HIV and condom use; were more confident that they could insist on condom use with partners; and planned to use condoms in the future. There was a statistically significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 but because of the small numbers in Group 1 this result should be interpreted cautiously. Performance-based HIV-prevention activities may be a useful way to deliver HIV-prevention messages to young people. This evaluation will form the basis of a more systematic and robust evaluation of future events.

  1. The struggle against perceived negligence. A qualitative study of patients' experiences of adverse events in Norwegian hospitals.

    PubMed

    Hågensen, Gunn; Nilsen, Gudrun; Mehus, Grete; Henriksen, Nils

    2018-04-25

    Every year, 14 % of patients in Norwegian hospitals experience adverse events, which often have health-damaging consequences. The government, hospital management and health personnel attempt to minimize such events. Limited research on the first-hand experience of the patients affected is available. The aim of this study is to present patients' perspectives of the occurrence of, disclosure of, and healthcare organizations' responses to adverse events. Findings are discussed within a social constructivist framework and with reference to principles of open disclosure policy. This qualitative study with an explorative descriptive design included fifteen in-depth interviews with former patients recruited by the Health and Social Services ombudsmen in the two northernmost counties of Norway. Inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) experience of adverse events in connection with surgical, orthopedic or medical treatment in general hospitals; 2) men and women; 3) aged 20-70; and 4) a minimum of one year since the event occurred. Transcribed audio-recorded interviews were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed three main topics regarding patients' experiences of adverse events: 1) ignored concerns or signs of complications; 2) lack of responsibility and error correction; and 3) lack of support, loyalty and learning opportunities. Patients had to struggle to demonstrate the error that had occurred and to receive the necessary treatment and monitoring in the aftermath of the events. Patient narratives reveal a lack of openness, care and responsibility in connection with adverse events. Conflicting power structures, attitudes and established procedures may inhibit prevention, learning and patient safety work in spite of major efforts and good intentions. Attitudes in day-to-day patient care and organizational procedures should be challenged to invite patients into open disclosure processes and include them in health and safety work to a greater

  2. Improving Distributed Diagnosis Through Structural Model Decomposition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bregon, Anibal; Daigle, Matthew John; Roychoudhury, Indranil; Biswas, Gautam; Koutsoukos, Xenofon; Pulido, Belarmino

    2011-01-01

    Complex engineering systems require efficient fault diagnosis methodologies, but centralized approaches do not scale well, and this motivates the development of distributed solutions. This work presents an event-based approach for distributed diagnosis of abrupt parametric faults in continuous systems, by using the structural model decomposition capabilities provided by Possible Conflicts. We develop a distributed diagnosis algorithm that uses residuals computed by extending Possible Conflicts to build local event-based diagnosers based on global diagnosability analysis. The proposed approach is applied to a multitank system, and results demonstrate an improvement in the design of local diagnosers. Since local diagnosers use only a subset of the residuals, and use subsystem models to compute residuals (instead of the global system model), the local diagnosers are more efficient than previously developed distributed approaches.

  3. The Role of Qualitative Research in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Devetak, Iztok; Glazar, Sasa A.; Vogrinc, Janez

    2010-01-01

    In the paper the qualitative research in which the researcher has been directly involved, and has himself been examining the research phenomenon in the studied environment, is presented. The aim of this qualitative study is to gather data in the form of rich content-based descriptions of people, events, and situations by using different,…

  4. Increased Risk of Vascular Events in Emergency Room Patients Discharged Home with Diagnosis of Dizziness or Vertigo: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Ching-Chih; Ho, Hsu-Chueh; Su, Yu-Chieh; Chiu, Brian C-H; Su, Yung-Cheng; Lee, Yi-Da; Chou, Pesus

    2012-01-01

    Background Dizziness and vertigo symptoms are commonly seen in emergency room (ER). However, these patients are often discharged without a definite diagnosis. Conflicting data regarding the vascular event risk among the dizziness or vertigo patients have been reported. This study aims to determine the risk of developing stroke or cardiovascular events in ER patients discharged home with a diagnosis of dizziness or vertigo. Methodology A total of 25,757 subjects with at least one ER visit in 2004 were identified. Of those, 1,118 patients were discharged home with a diagnosis of vertigo or dizziness. A Cox proportional hazard model was performed to compare the three-year vascular event-free survival rates between the dizziness/vertigo patients and those without dizziness/vertigo after adjusting for confounding and risk factors. Results We identified 52 (4.7%) vascular events in patients with dizziness/vertigo and 454 (1.8%) vascular events in patients without dizziness/vertigo. ER patients discharged home with a diagnosis of vertigo or dizziness had 2-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–2.96; p<0.001) higher risk of stroke or cardiovascular events after adjusting for patient characteristics, co-morbidities, urbanization level of residence, individual socio-economic status, and initially taking medications after the onset of dizziness or vertigo during the first year. Conclusions ER patients discharged home with a diagnosis of dizziness or vertigo were at a increased risk of developing subsequent vascular events than those without dizziness/vertigo after the onset of dizziness or vertigo. Further studies are warranted for developing better diagnostic and follow-up strategies in increased risk patients. PMID:22558272

  5. Accident diagnosis system based on real-time decision tree expert system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicolau, Andressa dos S.; Augusto, João P. da S. C.; Schirru, Roberto

    2017-06-01

    Safety is one of the most studied topics when referring to power stations. For that reason, sensors and alarms develop an important role in environmental and human protection. When abnormal event happens, it triggers a chain of alarms that must be, somehow, checked by the control room operators. In this case, diagnosis support system can help operators to accurately identify the possible root-cause of the problem in short time. In this article, we present a computational model of a generic diagnose support system based on artificial intelligence, that was applied on the dataset of two real power stations: Angra1 Nuclear Power Plant and Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Plant. The proposed system processes all the information logged in the sequence of events before a shutdown signal using the expert's knowledge inputted into an expert system indicating the chain of events, from the shutdown signal to its root-cause. The results of both applications showed that the support system is a potential tool to help the control room operators identify abnormal events, as accidents and consequently increase the safety.

  6. Patient experiences of acute myeloid leukemia: A qualitative study about diagnosis, illness understanding, and treatment decision-making.

    PubMed

    LeBlanc, Thomas W; Fish, Laura J; Bloom, Catherine T; El-Jawahri, Areej; Davis, Debra M; Locke, Susan C; Steinhauser, Karen E; Pollak, Kathryn I

    2017-12-01

    Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) face a unique, difficult situation characterized by sudden changes in health, complex information, and pressure to make quick treatment decisions amid sizeable tradeoffs. Yet, little is known about patients' experiences with AML. We used qualitative methods to learn about their experiences with diagnosis and treatment decision-making to identify areas for improvement. We recruited hospitalized patients with AML to participate in semi-structured qualitative interviews about their experiences being diagnosed with AML, receiving information, and making a treatment decision. Interviews were conducted during their hospitalization for induction chemotherapy. We analyzed data by using a constant comparison approach. Thirty-two patients completed an interview. Four main themes emerged: (a) shock and suddenness, (b) difficulty processing information, (c) poor communication, and (d) uncertainty. Patients frequently described their diagnosis as shocking. They also felt that the amount of information was too great and too difficult to process, which negatively impacted their understanding. Patients frequently described a lack of emotional support from clinicians and described uncertainty about their prognosis, the number and nature of available treatments, and what to expect from treatment. Acute myeloid leukemia poses a sudden, emotionally challenging, information-laden situation, where little time is available to make important decisions. This results in difficulty processing information and is sometimes complicated by a lack of emotive communication from clinicians. Results indicate a need for targeted interventions to improve AML patients' understanding of illness and treatment options and to address their traumatic experiences around diagnosis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Partner experiences of "near-miss" events in pregnancy and childbirth in the UK: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Hinton, Lisa; Locock, Louise; Knight, Marian

    2014-01-01

    Severe life-threatening complications in pregnancy that require urgent medical intervention are commonly known as "near-miss" events. Although these complications are rare (1 in 100 births), there are potentially 8,000 women and their families in the UK each year who live through a life-threatening emergency and its aftermath. Near-miss obstetric emergencies can be traumatic and frightening for women, and their impact can last for years. There is little research that has explored how these events impact on partners. The objective of this interview study was to explore the impact of a near-miss obstetric emergency, focusing particularly on partners. Qualitative study based on narrative interviews, video and audio recorded and transcribed for analysis. A qualitative interpretative approach was taken, combining thematic analysis with constant comparison. The analysis presented here focuses on the experiences of partners. Maximum variation sample included 35 women, 10 male partners, and one lesbian partner who had experienced a life-threatening obstetric emergency. Interviews were conducted in participants' own homes. In the hospital, partner experiences were characterized by powerlessness and exclusion. Partners often found witnessing the emergency shocking and distressing. Support (from family or staff) was very important, and clear, honest communication from medical staff highly valued. The long-term emotional effects for some were profound; some experienced depression, flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder months and years after the emergency. These, in turn, affected the whole family. Little support was felt to be available, nor acknowledgement of their ongoing distress. Partners, as well as women giving birth, can be shocked to experience a life-threatening illness in childbirth. While medical staff may view a near-miss as a positive outcome for a woman and her baby, there can be long-term mental health consequences that can have profound impacts on the

  8. Enhance your team-based qualitative research.

    PubMed

    Fernald, Douglas H; Duclos, Christine W

    2005-01-01

    Qualitative research projects often involve the collaborative efforts of a research team. Challenges inherent in teamwork include changes in membership and differences in analytical style, philosophy, training, experience, and skill. This article discusses teamwork issues and tools and techniques used to improve team-based qualitative research. We drew on our experiences in working on numerous projects of varying, size, duration, and purpose. Through trials of different tools and techniques, expert consultation, and review of the literature, we learned to improve how we build teams, manage information, and disseminate results. Attention given to team members and team processes is as important as choosing appropriate analytical tools and techniques. Attentive team leadership, commitment to early and regular team meetings, and discussion of roles, responsibilities, and expectations all help build more effective teams and establish clear norms. As data are collected and analyzed, it is important to anticipate potential problems from differing skills and styles, and how information and files are managed. Discuss analytical preferences and biases and set clear guidelines and practices for how data will be analyzed and handled. As emerging ideas and findings disperse across team members, common tools (such as summary forms and data grids), coding conventions, intermediate goals or products, and regular documentation help capture essential ideas and insights. In a team setting, little should be left to chance. This article identifies ways to improve team-based qualitative research with more a considered and systematic approach. Qualitative researchers will benefit from further examination and discussion of effective, field-tested, team-based strategies.

  9. A Study Combining Criticism and Qualitative Research Techniques for Appraising Classroom Media.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swartz, James D.

    Qualitative criticism is a method of understanding things, actions, and events within a social framework. It is a method of acquiring knowledge to guide decision making based on local knowledge and a synthesis of principles from criticism and qualitative research. The function of qualitative criticism is centered with Richard Rorty's theoretical…

  10. Qualitative mechanism models and the rationalization of procedures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farley, Arthur M.

    1989-01-01

    A qualitative, cluster-based approach to the representation of hydraulic systems is described and its potential for generating and explaining procedures is demonstrated. Many ideas are formalized and implemented as part of an interactive, computer-based system. The system allows for designing, displaying, and reasoning about hydraulic systems. The interactive system has an interface consisting of three windows: a design/control window, a cluster window, and a diagnosis/plan window. A qualitative mechanism model for the ORS (Orbital Refueling System) is presented to coordinate with ongoing research on this system being conducted at NASA Ames Research Center.

  11. Diagnosis of condensation-induced waterhammer: Case studies

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

    Izenson, M.G.; Rothe, P.H.; Wallis, G.B.

    1988-10-01

    This guidebook provides reference material and diagnostic procedures concerning condensation-induced waterhammer in nuclear power plants. Condensation-induced waterhammer is the most damaging form of waterhammer, and its diagnosis is complicated by the complex nature of the underlying phenomena. In Volume 1, the guidebook groups condensation-induced waterhammers into five event classes which have similar phenomena and levels of damage. Diagnostic guidelines focus on locating the event center where condensation and slug acceleration take place. Diagnosis is described in three stages: an initial assessment, detailed evaluation and final confirmation. Graphical scoping analyses are provided to evaluate whether an event from one of themore » event classes could have occurred at the event center. Examples are provided for each type of waterhammer. Special instructions are provided for walking down damaged piping and evaluating damage due to waterhammer. To illustrate the diagnostic methods and document past experience, six case studies have been compiled in Volume 2. These case studies, based on actual condensation-induced waterhammer events at nuclear plants, present detailed data and work through the event diagnosis using the tools introduced in the first volume. 20 refs., 21 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  12. Understanding patients and spouses experiences of patient education following a cardiac event and eliciting attitudes and preferences towards incorporating cardiopulmonary resuscitation training: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Cartledge, Susie; Feldman, Susan; Bray, Janet E; Stub, Dion; Finn, Judith

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this study was to gain a comprehensive perspective about the experience of patient and spousal education following an acute cardiac event. The second objective was to elicit an understanding of patient and spousal attitudes, preferences and intentions towards future cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Patients with cardiovascular disease require comprehensive patient and family education to ensure adequate long-term disease management. As cardiac patients are at risk of future cardiac events, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation training to patients and family members has long been advocated. We conducted a qualitative study underpinned by phenomenology and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with cardiac patients and their spouses (N = 12 patient-spouse pairs) between March 2015-April 2016 purposively sampled from a cardiology ward. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis undertaken. Nine male and three female patients and their spouses were recruited. Ages ranged from 47-75 years. Four strongly interrelated themes emerged: the emotional response to the event, information, control and responsibility. There was evidence of positive attitudes and intentions from the TPB towards undertaking cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in the future. Only the eldest patient spouse pair were not interested in undertaking training. Findings suggest cardiac patients and spouses have unmet education needs following an acute cardiac event. Information increased control and decreased negative emotions associated with diagnosis. Participants' preferences were for inclusion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in cardiac rehabilitation programs. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. A Predictive Model for Medical Events Based on Contextual Embedding of Temporal Sequences

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Zhimu; Huang, Yingxiang; Wang, Shuang; Wang, Fei; Jiang, Xiaoqian

    2016-01-01

    Background Medical concepts are inherently ambiguous and error-prone due to human fallibility, which makes it hard for them to be fully used by classical machine learning methods (eg, for tasks like early stage disease prediction). Objective Our work was to create a new machine-friendly representation that resembles the semantics of medical concepts. We then developed a sequential predictive model for medical events based on this new representation. Methods We developed novel contextual embedding techniques to combine different medical events (eg, diagnoses, prescriptions, and labs tests). Each medical event is converted into a numerical vector that resembles its “semantics,” via which the similarity between medical events can be easily measured. We developed simple and effective predictive models based on these vectors to predict novel diagnoses. Results We evaluated our sequential prediction model (and standard learning methods) in estimating the risk of potential diseases based on our contextual embedding representation. Our model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.79 on chronic systolic heart failure and an average AUC of 0.67 (over the 80 most common diagnoses) using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) dataset. Conclusions We propose a general early prognosis predictor for 80 different diagnoses. Our method computes numeric representation for each medical event to uncover the potential meaning of those events. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, which will benefit patients and physicians by offering more accurate diagnosis. PMID:27888170

  14. Life course experiences and lay diagnosis explain low-income parents' child dental decisions: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Muirhead, Vanessa; Levine, Alissa; Nicolau, Belinda; Landry, Anne; Bedos, Christophe

    2013-02-01

    This study aimed to better understand low-income parents' child dental care decisions through a life course approach that captured parents' experiences within the social context of poverty. We conducted 43 qualitative life history interviews with 10 parents, who were long-term social assistance recipients living in Montreal, Canada. Thematic analysis involved interview debriefing, transcript coding, theme identification and data interpretation. Our interviews identified two emergent themes: lay diagnosis and parental oral health management. Parents described a process of 'lay diagnosis' that consisted of examining their children's teeth and interpreting their children's oral signs and symptoms based on their observations. These lay diagnoses were also shaped by their own dental crises, care experiences and oral health knowledge gained across a life course of poverty and dental disadvantage. Parents' management strategies included monitoring and managing their children's oral health themselves or by seeking professional recourse. Parents' management strategies were influenced both by their lay diagnoses and their perceived ability to manage their children's oral health. Parents felt responsible for their children's dental care, empowered to manage their oral health and sometimes forgo dental visits for their children because of their own self-management life history. This original approach revealed insights that help to understand why low-income parents may underutilize free dental services. Further research should consider how dental programs can nurture parental empowerment and capitalize on parents' perceived ability to diagnose and manage their children's oral health.

  15. A Motion-Based Feature for Event-Based Pattern Recognition

    PubMed Central

    Clady, Xavier; Maro, Jean-Matthieu; Barré, Sébastien; Benosman, Ryad B.

    2017-01-01

    This paper introduces an event-based luminance-free feature from the output of asynchronous event-based neuromorphic retinas. The feature consists in mapping the distribution of the optical flow along the contours of the moving objects in the visual scene into a matrix. Asynchronous event-based neuromorphic retinas are composed of autonomous pixels, each of them asynchronously generating “spiking” events that encode relative changes in pixels' illumination at high temporal resolutions. The optical flow is computed at each event, and is integrated locally or globally in a speed and direction coordinate frame based grid, using speed-tuned temporal kernels. The latter ensures that the resulting feature equitably represents the distribution of the normal motion along the current moving edges, whatever their respective dynamics. The usefulness and the generality of the proposed feature are demonstrated in pattern recognition applications: local corner detection and global gesture recognition. PMID:28101001

  16. eAMI: A Qualitative Quantification of Periodic Breathing Based on Amplitude of Oscillations

    PubMed Central

    Fernandez Tellez, Helio; Pattyn, Nathalie; Mairesse, Olivier; Dolenc-Groselj, Leja; Eiken, Ola; Mekjavic, Igor B.; Migeotte, P. F.; Macdonald-Nethercott, Eoin; Meeusen, Romain; Neyt, Xavier

    2015-01-01

    Study Objectives: Periodic breathing is sleep disordered breathing characterized by instability in the respiratory pattern that exhibits an oscillatory behavior. Periodic breathing is associated with increased mortality, and it is observed in a variety of situations, such as acute hypoxia, chronic heart failure, and damage to respiratory centers. The standard quantification for the diagnosis of sleep related breathing disorders is the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the proportion of apneic/hypopneic events during polysomnography. Determining the AHI is labor-intensive and requires the simultaneous recording of airflow and oxygen saturation. In this paper, we propose an automated, simple, and novel methodology for the detection and qualification of periodic breathing: the estimated amplitude modulation index (eAMI). Patients or Participants: Antarctic cohort (3,800 meters): 13 normal individuals. Clinical cohort: 39 different patients suffering from diverse sleep-related pathologies. Measurements and Results: When tested in a population with high levels of periodic breathing (Antarctic cohort), eAMI was closely correlated with AHI (r = 0.95, P < 0.001). When tested in the clinical setting, the proposed method was able to detect portions of the signal in which subclinical periodic breathing was validated by an expert (n = 93; accuracy = 0.85). Average eAMI was also correlated with the loop gain for the combined clinical and Antarctica cohorts (r = 0.58, P < 0.001). Conclusions: In terms of quantification and temporal resolution, the eAMI is able to estimate the strength of periodic breathing and the underlying loop gain at any given time within a record. The impaired prognosis associated with periodic breathing makes its automated detection and early diagnosis of clinical relevance. Citation: Fernandez Tellez H, Pattyn N, Mairesse O, Dolenc-Groselj L, Eiken O, Mekjavic IB, Migeotte PF, Macdonald-Nethercott E, Meeusen R, Neyt X. eAMI: a qualitative

  17. Ontology-Based Method for Fault Diagnosis of Loaders.

    PubMed

    Xu, Feixiang; Liu, Xinhui; Chen, Wei; Zhou, Chen; Cao, Bingwei

    2018-02-28

    This paper proposes an ontology-based fault diagnosis method which overcomes the difficulty of understanding complex fault diagnosis knowledge of loaders and offers a universal approach for fault diagnosis of all loaders. This method contains the following components: (1) An ontology-based fault diagnosis model is proposed to achieve the integrating, sharing and reusing of fault diagnosis knowledge for loaders; (2) combined with ontology, CBR (case-based reasoning) is introduced to realize effective and accurate fault diagnoses following four steps (feature selection, case-retrieval, case-matching and case-updating); and (3) in order to cover the shortages of the CBR method due to the lack of concerned cases, ontology based RBR (rule-based reasoning) is put forward through building SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) rules. An application program is also developed to implement the above methods to assist in finding the fault causes, fault locations and maintenance measures of loaders. In addition, the program is validated through analyzing a case study.

  18. Ontology-Based Method for Fault Diagnosis of Loaders

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Xinhui; Chen, Wei; Zhou, Chen; Cao, Bingwei

    2018-01-01

    This paper proposes an ontology-based fault diagnosis method which overcomes the difficulty of understanding complex fault diagnosis knowledge of loaders and offers a universal approach for fault diagnosis of all loaders. This method contains the following components: (1) An ontology-based fault diagnosis model is proposed to achieve the integrating, sharing and reusing of fault diagnosis knowledge for loaders; (2) combined with ontology, CBR (case-based reasoning) is introduced to realize effective and accurate fault diagnoses following four steps (feature selection, case-retrieval, case-matching and case-updating); and (3) in order to cover the shortages of the CBR method due to the lack of concerned cases, ontology based RBR (rule-based reasoning) is put forward through building SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) rules. An application program is also developed to implement the above methods to assist in finding the fault causes, fault locations and maintenance measures of loaders. In addition, the program is validated through analyzing a case study. PMID:29495646

  19. Venous Thromboembolism and Cerebrovascular Events in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

    PubMed Central

    Crowson, Cynthia S.; Makol, Ashima; Ytterberg, Steven R.; Saitta, Antonino; Salvarani, Carlo; Matteson, Eric L.; Warrington, Kenneth J.

    2016-01-01

    Objective To investigate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cerebrovascular events in a community-based incidence cohort of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) compared to the general population. Methods A population-based inception cohort of patients with incident GCA between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 2009 in Olmsted County, Minnesota and a cohort of non-GCA subjects from the same population were assembled and followed until December 31, 2013. Confirmed VTE and cerebrovascular events were identified through direct medical record review. Results The study population included 244 patients with GCA with a mean ± SD age at diagnosis of 76.2 ± 8.2 years (79% women) and an average length of follow-up of 10.2 ± 6.8 years. Compared to non-GCA subjects of similar age and sex, patients diagnosed with GCA had a higher incidence (%) of amaurosis fugax (cumulative incidence ± SE: 2.1 ± 0.9 versus 0, respectively; p = 0.014) but similar rates of stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and VTE. Among patients with GCA, neither baseline characteristics nor laboratory parameters at diagnosis reliably predicted risk of VTE or cerebrovascular events. Conclusion In this population-based study, the incidence of VTE, stroke and TIA was similar in patients with GCA compared to non-GCA subjects. PMID:26901431

  20. Chinese women living with cervical cancer in the first 3 months after diagnosis: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Ding, Yan; Hu, Yan; Hallberg, Ingalill Rahm

    2015-01-01

    An earlier study revealed that Mainland Chinese women experienced a relatively low health-related quality of life during the first 3 months after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. This merited conducting a qualitative study to explore their experiences during this period. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of Chinese women with cervical cancer in the first 3 months after diagnosis. A descriptive phenomenological method was used. Fourteen participants were interviewed at the time of diagnosis and 10 were reinterviewed 3 months later. The number of interviews conducted was determined by data saturation. Five themes were discerned: dealing with the emotional chaos down to the hassles caused by the disease and its treatment, handling the diagnosis and the disease in my own way and in accordance with Chinese culture, instinctively depending on my partner and experiencing improved relationships within the family but no sexual life, sharing information and support with fellow patients but hiding the diagnosis from friends and acquaintances, and returning to previous existence wanting to be treated as normal but with changed attitudes to life. The lived experience was seen as a sudden life transition triggered by receiving the diagnosis. Cultural and societal contexts influenced patient adaptation to the situation. Family members and fellow patients could be mobilized to help patients since their support was highly valued. Regarding their hope for an ordinary life, patients could benefit from the relief of adverse effects and information, for instance, on how to resume sexual activity.

  1. Receiving the Initial Down Syndrome Diagnosis: A Comparison of Prenatal and Postnatal Parent Group Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson Goff, Briana S.; Springer, Nicole; Foote, Laura Cline; Frantz, Courtney; Peak, Madison; Tracy, Courtney; Veh, Taylor; Bentley, Gail E.; Cross, Kayli A.

    2013-01-01

    This study explored the preliminary experiences of parents upon learning of their child's diagnosis of Down syndrome. Qualitative data from a web-based, national survey were analyzed based on two groups: prenatal ("n" = 46) or postnatal ("n" = 115) diagnosis. Three primary categories emerged from the data analysis:…

  2. Diagnosis of breast cancer biopsies using quantitative phase imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majeed, Hassaan; Kandel, Mikhail E.; Han, Kevin; Luo, Zelun; Macias, Virgilia; Tangella, Krishnarao; Balla, Andre; Popescu, Gabriel

    2015-03-01

    The standard practice in the histopathology of breast cancers is to examine a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissue biopsy under a microscope. The pathologist looks at certain morphological features, visible under the stain, to diagnose whether a tumor is benign or malignant. This determination is made based on qualitative inspection making it subject to investigator bias. Furthermore, since this method requires a microscopic examination by the pathologist it suffers from low throughput. A quantitative, label-free and high throughput method for detection of these morphological features from images of tissue biopsies is, hence, highly desirable as it would assist the pathologist in making a quicker and more accurate diagnosis of cancers. We present here preliminary results showing the potential of using quantitative phase imaging for breast cancer screening and help with differential diagnosis. We generated optical path length maps of unstained breast tissue biopsies using Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM). As a first step towards diagnosis based on quantitative phase imaging, we carried out a qualitative evaluation of the imaging resolution and contrast of our label-free phase images. These images were shown to two pathologists who marked the tumors present in tissue as either benign or malignant. This diagnosis was then compared against the diagnosis of the two pathologists on H&E stained tissue images and the number of agreements were counted. In our experiment, the agreement between SLIM and H&E based diagnosis was measured to be 88%. Our preliminary results demonstrate the potential and promise of SLIM for a push in the future towards quantitative, label-free and high throughput diagnosis.

  3. Field evaluation of Abbott Real Time HIV-1 Qualitative test for early infant diagnosis using dried blood spots samples in comparison to Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Qual Test in Kenya

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Joy; Omuomo, Kenneth; Anyango, Emily; Kingwara, Leonard; Basiye, Frank; Morwabe, Alex; Shanmugam, Vedapuri; Nguyen, Shon; Sabatier, Jennifer; Zeh, Clement; Ellenberger, Dennis

    2016-01-01

    Timely diagnosis and treatment of infants infected with HIV are critical for reducing infant mortality. High-throughput automated diagnostic tests like Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Qual Test (Roche CAPCTM Qual) and the Abbott Real Time HIV-1 Qualitative (Abbott Qualitative) can be used to rapidly expand early infant diagnosis testing services. In this study, the performance characteristics of the Abbott Qualitative were evaluated using two hundred dried blood spots (DBS) samples (100 HIV-1 positive and 100 HIV-1 negative) collected from infants attending the antenatal facilities in Kisumu, Kenya. The Abbott Qualitative results were compared to the diagnostic testing completed using the Roche CAPCTM Qual in Kenya. The sensitivity and specificity of the Abbott Qualitative were 99.0% (95% CI: 95.0–100.0) and 100.0% (95% CI: 96.0–100.0), respectively, and the overall reproducibility was 98.0% (95% CI: 86.0–100.0). The limits of detection for the Abbott Qualitative and Roche CAPCTM Qual were 56.5 and 6.9 copies/mL at 95% CIs (p = 0.005), respectively. The study findings demonstrate that the Abbott Qualitative test is a practical option for timely diagnosis of HIV in infants. PMID:24726703

  4. Field evaluation of Abbott Real Time HIV-1 Qualitative test for early infant diagnosis using dried blood spots samples in comparison to Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Qual test in Kenya.

    PubMed

    Chang, Joy; Omuomo, Kenneth; Anyango, Emily; Kingwara, Leonard; Basiye, Frank; Morwabe, Alex; Shanmugam, Vedapuri; Nguyen, Shon; Sabatier, Jennifer; Zeh, Clement; Ellenberger, Dennis

    2014-08-01

    Timely diagnosis and treatment of infants infected with HIV are critical for reducing infant mortality. High-throughput automated diagnostic tests like Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Qual Test (Roche CAPCTM Qual) and the Abbott Real Time HIV-1 Qualitative (Abbott Qualitative) can be used to rapidly expand early infant diagnosis testing services. In this study, the performance characteristics of the Abbott Qualitative were evaluated using two hundred dried blood spots (DBS) samples (100 HIV-1 positive and 100 HIV-1 negative) collected from infants attending the antenatal facilities in Kisumu, Kenya. The Abbott Qualitative results were compared to the diagnostic testing completed using the Roche CAPCTM Qual in Kenya. The sensitivity and specificity of the Abbott Qualitative were 99.0% (95% CI: 95.0-100.0) and 100.0% (95% CI: 96.0-100.0), respectively, and the overall reproducibility was 98.0% (95% CI: 86.0-100.0). The limits of detection for the Abbott Qualitative and Roche CAPCTM Qual were 56.5 and 6.9copies/mL at 95% CIs (p=0.005), respectively. The study findings demonstrate that the Abbott Qualitative test is a practical option for timely diagnosis of HIV in infants. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. The experiences of family members in the year following the diagnosis of a child or adolescent with cancer: a qualitative systematic review.

    PubMed

    Mu, Pei-Fan; Lee, Mei-Yin; Sheng, Ching-Ching; Tung, Pei-Chi; Huang, Ling-Ya; Chen, Yi-Wei

    2015-06-12

    Research shows that it is stressful for family members when a child or an adolescent within the family unit is diagnosed with cancer and this stress continues over the course of the year after the diagnosis. Qualitative studies have been conducted aimed at exploring parental, siblings' and other family members' experiences when facing health-illness transition-related stress during the first year after the child is diagnosed with cancer. This study integrates the research findings of relevant existing qualitative studies on this topic in order to provide empirical evidence-based suggestions for clinical care. This study intent is to obtain an understanding of the family members' experiences over the course of the following year after learning that a child or adolescent within their family unit has been diagnosed with cancer. The participants of interest are family members of a child or adolescent with cancer who verbally describe the whole experience and/or report on the impact of the diagnosis and disease on their lives. In this systematic review, there were no restrictions on the type, severity and prognosis of cancer. Studies investigating the experiences of the family of a child or adolescent with cancer that were reported verbally and the opinions of others external to the family (e.g. nurses) were excluded from the review. The phenomena of interest were the self-reported experiences over the course of the following year of family members of a child or adolescent with cancer and the impact on the whole family of the child or adolescent receiving a cancer diagnosis. The settings included acute care, home and community settings with any cultural context. Research on other phenomena, such as experiences related to social support intervention for the family, the long-term coping experience of the family, the bereavement experiences of children with cancer, the experiences of a child or adolescent with cancer and experiences more than one year after the diagnosis

  6. Model-based reconfiguration: Diagnosis and recovery

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crow, Judy; Rushby, John

    1994-01-01

    We extend Reiter's general theory of model-based diagnosis to a theory of fault detection, identification, and reconfiguration (FDIR). The generality of Reiter's theory readily supports an extension in which the problem of reconfiguration is viewed as a close analog of the problem of diagnosis. Using a reconfiguration predicate 'rcfg' analogous to the abnormality predicate 'ab,' we derive a strategy for reconfiguration by transforming the corresponding strategy for diagnosis. There are two obvious benefits of this approach: algorithms for diagnosis can be exploited as algorithms for reconfiguration and we have a theoretical framework for an integrated approach to FDIR. As a first step toward realizing these benefits we show that a class of diagnosis engines can be used for reconfiguration and we discuss algorithms for integrated FDIR. We argue that integrating recovery and diagnosis is an essential next step if this technology is to be useful for practical applications.

  7. Event-Based Stereo Depth Estimation Using Belief Propagation.

    PubMed

    Xie, Zhen; Chen, Shengyong; Orchard, Garrick

    2017-01-01

    Compared to standard frame-based cameras, biologically-inspired event-based sensors capture visual information with low latency and minimal redundancy. These event-based sensors are also far less prone to motion blur than traditional cameras, and still operate effectively in high dynamic range scenes. However, classical framed-based algorithms are not typically suitable for these event-based data and new processing algorithms are required. This paper focuses on the problem of depth estimation from a stereo pair of event-based sensors. A fully event-based stereo depth estimation algorithm which relies on message passing is proposed. The algorithm not only considers the properties of a single event but also uses a Markov Random Field (MRF) to consider the constraints between the nearby events, such as disparity uniqueness and depth continuity. The method is tested on five different scenes and compared to other state-of-art event-based stereo matching methods. The results show that the method detects more stereo matches than other methods, with each match having a higher accuracy. The method can operate in an event-driven manner where depths are reported for individual events as they are received, or the network can be queried at any time to generate a sparse depth frame which represents the current state of the network.

  8. Diagnosis of condensation-induced waterhammer: Methods and background

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

    Izenson, M.G.; Rothe, P.H.; Wallis, G.B.

    This guidebook provides reference material and diagnostic procedures concerning condensation-induced waterhammer in nuclear power plants. Condensation-induced waterhammer is the most damaging form of waterhammer and its diagnosis is complicated by the complex nature of the underlying phenomena. In Volume 1, the guidebook groups condensation-induced waterhammers into five event classes which have similar phenomena and levels of damage. Diagnostic guidelines focus on locating the event center where condensation and slug acceleration take place. Diagnosis is described in three stages: an initial assessment, detailed evaluation and final confirmation. Graphical scoping analyses are provided to evaluate whether an event from one of themore » event classes could have occurred at the event center. Examples are provided for each type of waterhammer. Special instructions are provided for walking down damaged piping and evaluating damage due to waterhammer. To illustrate the diagnostic methods and document past experience, six case studies have been compiled in Volume 2. These case studies, based on actual condensation-induced waterhammer events at nuclear plants, present detailed data and work through the event diagnosis using the tools introduced in the first volume. 65 figs., 8 tabs.« less

  9. Suboptimal Agreement Among Cytopathologists in Diagnosis of Malignancy Based on Endoscopic Ultrasound Needle Aspirates of Solid Pancreatic Lesions: A Validation Study.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Carrie; Mounzer, Rawad; Hall, Matt; Simon, Violette; Centeno, Barbara; Dennis, Katie; Dhillon, Jasreman; Fan, Fang; Khazai, Laila; Klapman, Jason; Komanduri, Srinadh; Lin, Xiaoqi; Lu, David; Mehrotra, Sanjana; Muthusamy, V Raman; Nayar, Ritu; Paintal, Ajit; Rao, Jianyu; Sams, Sharon; Shah, Janak; Watson, Rabindra; Rastogi, Amit; Wani, Sachin

    2018-07-01

    Despite the widespread use of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) to sample pancreatic lesions and the standardization of pancreaticobiliary cytopathologic nomenclature, there are few data on inter-observer agreement among cytopathologists evaluating pancreatic cytologic specimens obtained by EUS-FNA. We developed a scoring system to assess agreement among cytopathologists in overall diagnosis and quantitative and qualitative parameters, and evaluated factors associated with agreement. We performed a prospective study to validate results from our pilot study that demonstrated moderate to substantial inter-observer agreement among cytopathologists for the final cytologic diagnosis. In the first phase, 3 cytopathologists refined criteria for assessment of quantity and quality measures. During phase 2, EUS-FNA specimens of solid pancreatic lesions from 46 patients were evaluated by 11 cytopathologists at 5 tertiary care centers using a standardized scoring tool. Individual quantitative and qualitative measures were scored and an overall cytologic diagnosis was determined. Clinical and EUS parameters were assessed as predictors of unanimous agreement. Inter-observer agreement (IOA) was calculated using multi-rater kappa (κ) statistics and a logistic regression model was created to identify factors associated with unanimous agreement. The IOA for final diagnoses, based on cytologic analysis, was moderate (κ = 0.56; 95% CI, 0.43-0.70). Kappa values did not increase when categories of suspicious for malignancy, malignant, and neoplasm were combined. IOA was slight to moderate for individual quantitative (κ = 0.007; 95% CI, -0.03 to -0.04) and qualitative parameters (κ = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.47-0.53). Jaundice was the only factor associated with agreement among all cytopathologists on multivariate analysis (odds ratio for unanimous agreement, 5.3; 95% CI, 1.1-26.89). There is a suboptimal level of agreement among cytopathologists in the diagnosis

  10. Explanation Constraint Programming for Model-based Diagnosis of Engineered Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Narasimhan, Sriram; Brownston, Lee; Burrows, Daniel

    2004-01-01

    We can expect to see an increase in the deployment of unmanned air and land vehicles for autonomous exploration of space. In order to maintain autonomous control of such systems, it is essential to track the current state of the system. When the system includes safety-critical components, failures or faults in the system must be diagnosed as quickly as possible, and their effects compensated for so that control and safety are maintained under a variety of fault conditions. The Livingstone fault diagnosis and recovery kernel and its temporal extension L2 are examples of model-based reasoning engines for health management. Livingstone has been shown to be effective, it is in demand, and it is being further developed. It was part of the successful Remote Agent demonstration on Deep Space One in 1999. It has been and is being utilized by several projects involving groups from various NASA centers, including the In Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) simulation at Kennedy Space Center, the X-34 and X-37 experimental reusable launch vehicle missions, Techsat-21, and advanced life support projects. Model-based and consistency-based diagnostic systems like Livingstone work only with discrete and finite domain models. When quantitative and continuous behaviors are involved, these are abstracted to discrete form using some mapping. This mapping from the quantitative domain to the qualitative domain is sometimes very involved and requires the design of highly sophisticated and complex monitors. We propose a diagnostic methodology that deals directly with quantitative models and behaviors, thereby mitigating the need for these sophisticated mappings. Our work brings together ideas from model-based diagnosis systems like Livingstone and concurrent constraint programming concepts. The system uses explanations derived from the propagation of quantitative constraints to generate conflicts. Fast conflict generation algorithms are used to generate and maintain multiple candidates

  11. Women's experience of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Karatas, J C; Barlow-Stewart, K; Strong, K A; Meiser, B; McMahon, C; Roberts, C

    2010-08-01

    To provide an in-depth account of the experience of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Exploratory qualitative interview study. Participants were recruited from one major in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic in Sydney, Australia. Data were collected through 14 in-depth interviews with women at different stages of PGD, utilized a thematic approach and facilitated by NVivo software. Women reported using PGD as empowering and led them to feel in control of their reproductive futures. Health professionals who did not tell women about PGD were seen as a barrier to accessing treatment. The ability to select embryos free from the genetic condition (for which it was at risk) alleviated stress. Despite this, stress experienced with PGD was significant for women, and often related to past experiences of reproductive trauma and grief. The outcome of embryos was also the cause of stress for women. Women undergoing PGD have a diverse range of reproductive and genetic histories, psychosocial circumstances and world views that all interact and impact their experience of PGD. Successful support and care of these women should address all of these factors and tailor the support provided for women using this physically and emotionally complex form of reproductive technology. (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. Acute cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in patients with hyperthyroidism: a population-based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Dekkers, Olaf M; Horváth-Puhó, Erzsébet; Cannegieter, Suzanne C; Vandenbroucke, Jan P; Sørensen, Henrik Toft; Jørgensen, Jens Otto L

    2017-01-01

    Several studies have shown an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hyperthyroidism, but most studies have been too small to address the effect of hyperthyroidism on individual cardiovascular endpoints. Our main aim was to assess the association among hyperthyroidism, acute cardiovascular events and mortality. It is a nationwide population-based cohort study. Data were obtained from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Patient Registry, which covers all Danish hospitals. We compared the rate of all-cause mortality as well as venous thromboembolism (VTE), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ischemic and non-ischemic stroke, arterial embolism, atrial fibrillation (AF) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the two cohorts. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. The study included 85 856 hyperthyroid patients and 847 057 matched population-based controls. Mean follow-up time was 9.2 years. The HR for mortality was highest in the first 3 months after diagnosis of hyperthyroidism: 4.62, 95% CI: 4.40-4.85, and remained elevated during long-term follow-up (>3 years) (HR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.33-1.37). The risk for all examined cardiovascular events was increased, with the highest risk in the first 3 months after hyperthyroidism diagnosis. The 3-month post-diagnosis risk was highest for atrial fibrillation (HR: 7.32, 95% CI: 6.58-8.14) and arterial embolism (HR: 6.08, 95% CI: 4.30-8.61), but the risks of VTE, AMI, ischemic and non-ischemic stroke and PCI were increased also 2- to 3-fold. We found an increased risk for all-cause mortality and acute cardiovascular events in patients with hyperthyroidism. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology.

  13. Annual diagnosis rate of superficial vein thrombosis of the lower limbs: the STEPH community-based study.

    PubMed

    Frappé, P; Buchmuller-Cordier, A; Bertoletti, L; Bonithon-Kopp, C; Couzan, S; Lafond, P; Leizorovicz, A; Merah, A; Presles, E; Preynat, P; Tardy, B; Décousus, H

    2014-06-01

    The incidence of superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) in the general adult population remains unknown. To assess the annual diagnosis rate of symptomatic, objectively confirmed lower limb SVT, associated or not with concomitant deep vein thrombosis and/or symptomatic pulmonary embolism. We conducted, from November 14, 2011, to November 13, 2012, a multicenter, community-based study in the Saint-Etienne urban area, France, representing a population of 265 687 adult residents (according to the 2009 census). All 248 general practitioners located within the area were asked to refer any patient with clinically suspected lower limb acute SVT to a vascular physician for systematic compression ultrasonography. All 28 vascular physicians located within the area participated in the study. The annual diagnosis rate, with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), was calculated as the number of patients with symptomatic, objectively confirmed SVT divided by the number of person-years at risk defined by population data of the area. All venous thromboembolic events were validated by an independent central adjudication committee. Overall, 171 patients with symptomatic, confirmed SVT were reported. The annual diagnosis rate was 0.64& (95% CI, 0.55%-0.74&), was higher in women, and increased with advancing age regardless of gender [corrected]. Concomitant deep vein thrombosis (20 proximal) was observed in 42 patients (24.6% [95% CI, 18.3%-31.7%]), and concomitant symptomatic pulmonary embolism was observed in eight patients (4.7% [95% CI, 2.0%-9.0%]). This first community-based study showed that symptomatic SVT with confirmed diagnosis is a relatively common disease frequently associated with thromboembolic events in the deep venous system. © 2014 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

  14. DEVS representation of dynamical systems - Event-based intelligent control. [Discrete Event System Specification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zeigler, Bernard P.

    1989-01-01

    It is shown how systems can be advantageously represented as discrete-event models by using DEVS (discrete-event system specification), a set-theoretic formalism. Such DEVS models provide a basis for the design of event-based logic control. In this control paradigm, the controller expects to receive confirming sensor responses to its control commands within definite time windows determined by its DEVS model of the system under control. The event-based contral paradigm is applied in advanced robotic and intelligent automation, showing how classical process control can be readily interfaced with rule-based symbolic reasoning systems.

  15. Event selection services in ATLAS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cranshaw, J.; Cuhadar-Donszelmann, T.; Gallas, E.; Hrivnac, J.; Kenyon, M.; McGlone, H.; Malon, D.; Mambelli, M.; Nowak, M.; Viegas, F.; Vinek, E.; Zhang, Q.

    2010-04-01

    ATLAS has developed and deployed event-level selection services based upon event metadata records ("TAGS") and supporting file and database technology. These services allow physicists to extract events that satisfy their selection predicates from any stage of data processing and use them as input to later analyses. One component of these services is a web-based Event-Level Selection Service Interface (ELSSI). ELSSI supports event selection by integrating run-level metadata, luminosity-block-level metadata (e.g., detector status and quality information), and event-by-event information (e.g., triggers passed and physics content). The list of events that survive after some selection criterion is returned in a form that can be used directly as input to local or distributed analysis; indeed, it is possible to submit a skimming job directly from the ELSSI interface using grid proxy credential delegation. ELSSI allows physicists to explore ATLAS event metadata as a means to understand, qualitatively and quantitatively, the distributional characteristics of ATLAS data. In fact, the ELSSI service provides an easy interface to see the highest missing ET events or the events with the most leptons, to count how many events passed a given set of triggers, or to find events that failed a given trigger but nonetheless look relevant to an analysis based upon the results of offline reconstruction, and more. This work provides an overview of ATLAS event-level selection services, with an emphasis upon the interactive Event-Level Selection Service Interface.

  16. Qualitative-Modeling-Based Silicon Neurons and Their Networks

    PubMed Central

    Kohno, Takashi; Sekikawa, Munehisa; Li, Jing; Nanami, Takuya; Aihara, Kazuyuki

    2016-01-01

    The ionic conductance models of neuronal cells can finely reproduce a wide variety of complex neuronal activities. However, the complexity of these models has prompted the development of qualitative neuron models. They are described by differential equations with a reduced number of variables and their low-dimensional polynomials, which retain the core mathematical structures. Such simple models form the foundation of a bottom-up approach in computational and theoretical neuroscience. We proposed a qualitative-modeling-based approach for designing silicon neuron circuits, in which the mathematical structures in the polynomial-based qualitative models are reproduced by differential equations with silicon-native expressions. This approach can realize low-power-consuming circuits that can be configured to realize various classes of neuronal cells. In this article, our qualitative-modeling-based silicon neuron circuits for analog and digital implementations are quickly reviewed. One of our CMOS analog silicon neuron circuits can realize a variety of neuronal activities with a power consumption less than 72 nW. The square-wave bursting mode of this circuit is explained. Another circuit can realize Class I and II neuronal activities with about 3 nW. Our digital silicon neuron circuit can also realize these classes. An auto-associative memory realized on an all-to-all connected network of these silicon neurons is also reviewed, in which the neuron class plays important roles in its performance. PMID:27378842

  17. The emotional process from diagnosis to birth following a prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomaly: A qualitative study of messages in online discussion boards.

    PubMed

    Carlsson, Tommy; Starke, Veronica; Mattsson, Elisabet

    2017-05-01

    to explore written statements found in online discussion boards where parents currently expecting, or with previous experience of expecting, a child with a prenatally diagnosed congenital anomaly communicate about their emotional process from diagnosis to birth. cross-sectional qualitative study of messages in public online discussion boards. Swedish public discussion boards about reproductive subjects. ten pregnant women and eight parents (of children with prenatal diagnoses) who had written 852 messages in five threads in Swedish online discussion boards identified via systematic searches. three phases were identified in the process of moving from the diagnosis to the birth: shock, existential crisis, and life remodeling. The people posting message ('posters') moved from initial shock to existential crisis and, lastly, a phase of remodeling life later in the pregnancy. During the pregnancy, considerable worries about both antenatal and postnatal aspects were expressed. To cope with their situation, the posters distanced themselves from the diagnoses, vented their feelings, sought control, and obtained practical support from friends and relatives. expectant parents faced with a prenatal diagnosis move from initial shock to a phase of life remodeling and acceptance. Burdened with considerable worries, expectant parents cope with their situation through informational, emotional, and instrumental support from health professionals, family, friends, and peers. health professionals should make sure that expectant parents feel involved in planning their children's postnatal care, that they are offered sufficient information, and that they have access to emotional and instrumental support structures. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Developing assessment system for wireless capsule endoscopy videos based on event detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Ying-ju; Yasen, Wisam; Lee, Jeongkyu; Lee, Dongha; Kim, Yongho

    2009-02-01

    Along with the advancing of technology in wireless and miniature camera, Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE), the combination of both, enables a physician to diagnose patient's digestive system without actually perform a surgical procedure. Although WCE is a technical breakthrough that allows physicians to visualize the entire small bowel noninvasively, the video viewing time takes 1 - 2 hours. This is very time consuming for the gastroenterologist. Not only it sets a limit on the wide application of this technology but also it incurs considerable amount of cost. Therefore, it is important to automate such process so that the medical clinicians only focus on interested events. As an extension from our previous work that characterizes the motility of digestive tract in WCE videos, we propose a new assessment system for energy based events detection (EG-EBD) to classify the events in WCE videos. For the system, we first extract general features of a WCE video that can characterize the intestinal contractions in digestive organs. Then, the event boundaries are identified by using High Frequency Content (HFC) function. The segments are classified into WCE event by special features. In this system, we focus on entering duodenum, entering cecum, and active bleeding. This assessment system can be easily extended to discover more WCE events, such as detailed organ segmentation and more diseases, by using new special features. In addition, the system provides a score for every WCE image for each event. Using the event scores, the system helps a specialist to speedup the diagnosis process.

  19. First-Person Perspectives on Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA): A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Roush, Sean; Monica, Corbett; Carpenter-Song, Elizabeth; Drake, Robert E

    2015-01-01

    People with dually diagnosed substance abuse and mental illnesses often feel alienated at traditional 12-step meetings, yet they need the peer support provided by such groups. Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA) is a peer-support program specifically for people with co-occurring disorders, which addresses many of the factors that members find alienating about traditional 12-step groups. This study aimed to elicit first-person perspectives on DDA. Occupational therapy students conducted 13 focus groups with 106 DDA members in three settings: the community (6 groups, n = 36), correctional facilities (5 groups, n = 53), and the state psychiatric hospital (2 groups, n = 17). Researchers inductively analyzed focus group transcripts to identify prominent themes. The vast majority of participants were between the ages of 18 and 49 (n = 87, 82.1%) and were non-Hispanic/White (n = 82, 77.4%). Most participants had been using substances for more than 10 years and had a diagnosed mental illness for more than 10 years. The most common substance of choice among those in the community and corrections setting was multiple substances, while those in the state hospital identified alcohol most often. Bipolar disorder was the most common mental illness diagnosis among participants in the state hospital, but depression and anxiety were the two most common diagnoses in the community and corrections participants. Four primary themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) feeling accepted by others in the group, (2) understanding the interactive nature of dual disorders, (3) the open discussions in DDA meetings, and (4) a focus on hope and recovery from both illnesses. DDA provides a helpful alternative for individuals who do not feel comfortable at traditional 12-step groups due to their mental illness. Members value the acceptance, understanding, discussion, and hope in DDA meetings.

  20. Event-based Sensing for Space Situational Awareness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cohen, G.; Afshar, S.; van Schaik, A.; Wabnitz, A.; Bessell, T.; Rutten, M.; Morreale, B.

    A revolutionary type of imaging device, known as a silicon retina or event-based sensor, has recently been developed and is gaining in popularity in the field of artificial vision systems. These devices are inspired by a biological retina and operate in a significantly different way to traditional CCD-based imaging sensors. While a CCD produces frames of pixel intensities, an event-based sensor produces a continuous stream of events, each of which is generated when a pixel detects a change in log light intensity. These pixels operate asynchronously and independently, producing an event-based output with high temporal resolution. There are also no fixed exposure times, allowing these devices to offer a very high dynamic range independently for each pixel. Additionally, these devices offer high-speed, low power operation and a sparse spatiotemporal output. As a consequence, the data from these sensors must be interpreted in a significantly different way to traditional imaging sensors and this paper explores the advantages this technology provides for space imaging. The applicability and capabilities of event-based sensors for SSA applications are demonstrated through telescope field trials. Trial results have confirmed that the devices are capable of observing resident space objects from LEO through to GEO orbital regimes. Significantly, observations of RSOs were made during both day-time and nighttime (terminator) conditions without modification to the camera or optics. The event based sensor’s ability to image stars and satellites during day-time hours offers a dramatic capability increase for terrestrial optical sensors. This paper shows the field testing and validation of two different architectures of event-based imaging sensors. An eventbased sensor’s asynchronous output has an intrinsically low data-rate. In addition to low-bandwidth communications requirements, the low weight, low-power and high-speed make them ideally suitable to meeting the demanding

  1. [Reconstituting evaluation methods based on both qualitative and quantitative paradigms].

    PubMed

    Miyata, Hiroaki; Okubo, Suguru; Yoshie, Satoru; Kai, Ichiro

    2011-01-01

    Debate about the relationship between quantitative and qualitative paradigms is often muddled and confusing and the clutter of terms and arguments has resulted in the concepts becoming obscure and unrecognizable. In this study we conducted content analysis regarding evaluation methods of qualitative healthcare research. We extracted descriptions on four types of evaluation paradigm (validity/credibility, reliability/credibility, objectivity/confirmability, and generalizability/transferability), and classified them into subcategories. In quantitative research, there has been many evaluation methods based on qualitative paradigms, and vice versa. Thus, it might not be useful to consider evaluation methods of qualitative paradigm are isolated from those of quantitative methods. Choosing practical evaluation methods based on the situation and prior conditions of each study is an important approach for researchers.

  2. Accuracy and Reliability of Eye-Based vs Quadrant-Based Diagnosis of Plus Disease in Retinopathy of Prematurity.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sang Jin; Campbell, J Peter; Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn E; Choi, Dongseok; Chan, R V Paul; Chiang, Michael F

    2018-06-01

    Presence of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity is the most critical element in identifying treatment-requiring disease. However, there is significant variability in plus disease diagnosis. In particular, plus disease has been defined as 2 or more quadrants of vascular abnormality, and it is not clear whether it is more reliably and accurately diagnosed by eye-based assessment of overall retinal appearance or by quadrant-based assessment combining grades of 4 individual quadrants. To compare eye-based vs quadrant-based diagnosis of plus disease and to provide insight for ophthalmologists about the diagnostic process. In this multicenter cohort study, we developed a database of 197 wide-angle retinal images from 141 preterm infants from neonatal intensive care units at 9 academic institutions (enrolled from July 2011 to December 2016). Each image was assigned a reference standard diagnosis based on consensus image-based and clinical diagnosis. Data analysis was performed from February 2017 to September 2017. Six graders independently diagnosed each of the 4 quadrants (cropped images) of the 197 eyes (quadrant-based diagnosis) as well as the entire image (eye-based diagnosis). Images were displayed individually, in random order. Quadrant-based diagnosis of plus disease was made when 2 or more quadrants were diagnosed as indicating plus disease by combining grades of individual quadrants post hoc. Intragrader and intergrader reliability (absolute agreement and κ statistic) and accuracy compared with the reference standard diagnosis. Of the 141 included preterm infants, 65 (46.1%) were female and 116 (82.3%) white, and the mean (SD) gestational age was 27.0 (2.6) weeks. There was variable agreement between eye-based and quadrant-based diagnosis among the 6 graders (Cohen κ range, 0.32-0.75). Four graders showed underdiagnosis of plus disease with quadrant-based diagnosis compared with eye-based diagnosis (by McNemar test). Intergrader agreement of quadrant-based

  3. Event-based analysis of free-living behaviour.

    PubMed

    Granat, Malcolm H

    2012-11-01

    The quantification of free-living physical activities is important in understanding how physical activity and sedentary behaviour impact on health and also on how interventions might modify free-living behaviour to enhance health. Quantification, and the terminology used, has in many ways been determined by the choice of measurement technique. The inter-related issues around measurement devices and terminology used are explored. This paper proposes a terminology and a systematic approach for the analysis of free-living activity information using event-based activity data. The event-based approach uses a flexible hierarchical classification of events and, dependent on the research question, analysis can then be undertaken on a selection of these events. The quantification of free-living behaviour is therefore the result of the analysis on the patterns of these chosen events. The application of this approach is illustrated with results from a range of published studies by our group showing how event-based analysis provides a flexible yet robust method of addressing the research question(s) and provides a deeper insight into free-living behaviour. It is proposed that it is through event-based analysis we can more clearly understand how behaviour is related to health and also how we can produce more relevant outcome measures.

  4. Trouble with ataxia: A longitudinal qualitative study of the diagnosis and medical management of a group of rare, progressive neurological conditions

    PubMed Central

    Ealing, John; Greenfield, Julie; Kingston, Helen; Sanders, Caroline; Payne, Katherine

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: An exploratory investigation of diagnosis and management in progressive ataxias: rare neurological conditions usually affecting balance, mobility and speech. Methods: A longitudinal qualitative study into the experiences of people with ataxia and neurologists. Thematic analysis and follow-up interviews were used to determine diagnosis and management issues over time. Results: People with ataxia recruited via two hospital departments and Ataxia UK were interviewed at baseline (n = 38) and 12-month follow-up (n = 31). Eight consultant neurologists were interviewed once. Patient accounts were diverse, but many expressed frustration at having an incurable condition and dissatisfaction with service outcomes. At follow-up, there was variation in their contact and satisfaction with helping agencies. Service issues regarding continuity of care and the primary/secondary care interface were evident. Neurologists’ accounts also varied. One-half reported that there is nothing that can be done, and one-half favoured specialist referral to increase the likelihood of finding an underlying aetiology within budget constraints. Conclusions: Diagnostic uncertainties existing at baseline remained for patients at follow-up interviews, although some had learned to deal with the uncertainties brought by the diagnosis of a largely untreatable condition. Care pathways only seemed to operate in the case of defined conditions, such as Friedreich’s Ataxia, the most commonly inherited cause. The findings point to a need to develop the evidence base to inform the relative utility of diagnostic procedures in the context of finite resources for patient care and support. PMID:26770684

  5. Event-Based Tone Mapping for Asynchronous Time-Based Image Sensor

    PubMed Central

    Simon Chane, Camille; Ieng, Sio-Hoi; Posch, Christoph; Benosman, Ryad B.

    2016-01-01

    The asynchronous time-based neuromorphic image sensor ATIS is an array of autonomously operating pixels able to encode luminance information with an exceptionally high dynamic range (>143 dB). This paper introduces an event-based methodology to display data from this type of event-based imagers, taking into account the large dynamic range and high temporal accuracy that go beyond available mainstream display technologies. We introduce an event-based tone mapping methodology for asynchronously acquired time encoded gray-level data. A global and a local tone mapping operator are proposed. Both are designed to operate on a stream of incoming events rather than on time frame windows. Experimental results on real outdoor scenes are presented to evaluate the performance of the tone mapping operators in terms of quality, temporal stability, adaptation capability, and computational time. PMID:27642275

  6. Situation analysis of prenatal diagnosis technology utilization in China: current situation, main issues, and policy implications.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yingyao; Qian, Xu; Tang, Zhiliu; Banta, H David; Hu, Fangfang; Cao, Jianwen; Huang, Jiayan; Wang, Qian; Lv, Jun; Ying, Xianghua; Chen, Jie

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe the situation with the distribution and utilization of prenatal diagnosis technology in China, to identify some important barriers to prenatal diagnosis use, and to suggest changes to improve the present situation. The study uses cross-sectional surveys to capture quantitative data from both providers and consumers. Qualitative information based on focus group discussions is also presented. A mail survey of the provincial Bureaus of Health (BOHs) reveals that sixteen provincial prenatal diagnosis centers and twelve city level centers were accredited by the BOHs by July of 2001. These centers were located in thirteen provinces, of thirty in all of China. Of 147 selected institutions surveyed separately, 90.5 percent offer ultrasound examination, 72.1 percent provide pathogen tests (mainly Toxoplasma, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex or TORCH), 57.1 percent do biochemical tests, 21.8 percent have genetic counseling, 13.6 percent do karyotype testing, 7.5 percent do enzymology testing, and 5.4 percent carry out molecular genetic testing. Chromosome diseases, congenital diseases, and several gene diseases are the target diseases. According to qualitative data, macromanagement for prenatal diagnosis, supplier provision of tests, and population demand are the main influences on prenatal diagnosis use. From the quantitative and qualitative analysis, it is clear that the technology of prenatal diagnosis is not diffusing well throughout China and is apparently not appropriately used. The situation of prenatal diagnosis has implications for policy-makers, including identification of priorities, regulation of prenatal diagnosis, strategic planning, development of guidelines based on health technology assessment, and consumer orientation.

  7. Failure Diagnosis for the Holdup Tank System via ISFA

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

    Li, Huijuan; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon; Smidts, Carol

    This paper discusses the use of the integrated system failure analysis (ISFA) technique for fault diagnosis for the holdup tank system. ISFA is a simulation-based, qualitative and integrated approach used to study fault propagation in systems containing both hardware and software subsystems. The holdup tank system consists of a tank containing a fluid whose level is controlled by an inlet valve and an outlet valve. We introduce the component and functional models of the system, quantify the main parameters and simulate possible failure-propagation paths based on the fault propagation approach, ISFA. The results show that most component failures in themore » holdup tank system can be identified clearly and that ISFA is viable as a technique for fault diagnosis. Since ISFA is a qualitative technique that can be used in the very early stages of system design, this case study provides indications that it can be used early to study design aspects that relate to robustness and fault tolerance.« less

  8. The experience and impact of traumatic perinatal event experiences in midwives: A qualitative investigation.

    PubMed

    Sheen, Kayleigh; Spiby, Helen; Slade, Pauline

    2016-01-01

    Through their work midwives may experience distressing events that fulfil criteria for trauma. However, there is a paucity of research examining the impact of these events, or what is perceived to be helpful/unhelpful by midwives afterwards. To investigate midwives' experiences of traumatic perinatal events and to provide insights into experiences and responses reported by midwives with and without subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of midwives following participation in a previous postal survey. 35 midwives who had all experienced a traumatic perinatal event defined using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (version IV) Criterion A for posttraumatic stress disorder were interviewed. Two groups of midwives with high or low distress (as reported during the postal survey) were purposefully recruited. High distress was defined as the presence of clinical levels of PTSD symptomatology and high perceived impairment in terms of impacts on daily life. Low distress was defined as any symptoms of PTSD present were below clinical threshold and low perceived life impairment. Interviews were analysed using template analysis, an iterative process of organising and coding qualitative data chosen for this study for its flexibility. An initial template of four a priori codes was used to structure the analysis: event characteristics, perceived responses and impacts, supportive and helpful strategies and reflection of change over time codes were amended, integrated and collapsed as appropriate through the process of analysis. A final template of themes from each group is presented together with differences outlined where applicable. Event characteristics were similar between groups, and involved severe, unexpected episodes contributing to feeling 'out of a comfort zone.' Emotional upset, self-blame and feelings of vulnerability to investigative procedures were reported. High

  9. Model-based monitoring and diagnosis of a satellite-based instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bos, Andre; Callies, Jorg; Lefebvre, Alain

    1995-01-01

    For about a decade model-based reasoning has been propounded by a number of researchers. Maybe one of the most convincing arguments in favor of this kind of reasoning has been given by Davis in his paper on diagnosis from first principles (Davis 1984). Following their guidelines we have developed a system to verify the behavior of a satellite-based instrument GOME (which will be measuring Ozone concentrations in the near future (1995)). We start by giving a description of model-based monitoring. Besides recognizing that something is wrong, we also like to find the cause for misbehaving automatically. Therefore, we show how the monitoring technique can be extended to model-based diagnosis.

  10. Model-based monitoring and diagnosis of a satellite-based instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bos, Andre; Callies, Jorg; Lefebvre, Alain

    1995-05-01

    For about a decade model-based reasoning has been propounded by a number of researchers. Maybe one of the most convincing arguments in favor of this kind of reasoning has been given by Davis in his paper on diagnosis from first principles (Davis 1984). Following their guidelines we have developed a system to verify the behavior of a satellite-based instrument GOME (which will be measuring Ozone concentrations in the near future (1995)). We start by giving a description of model-based monitoring. Besides recognizing that something is wrong, we also like to find the cause for misbehaving automatically. Therefore, we show how the monitoring technique can be extended to model-based diagnosis.

  11. A diagnosis system using object-oriented fault tree models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Iverson, David L.; Patterson-Hine, F. A.

    1990-01-01

    Spaceborne computing systems must provide reliable, continuous operation for extended periods. Due to weight, power, and volume constraints, these systems must manage resources very effectively. A fault diagnosis algorithm is described which enables fast and flexible diagnoses in the dynamic distributed computing environments planned for future space missions. The algorithm uses a knowledge base that is easily changed and updated to reflect current system status. Augmented fault trees represented in an object-oriented form provide deep system knowledge that is easy to access and revise as a system changes. Given such a fault tree, a set of failure events that have occurred, and a set of failure events that have not occurred, this diagnosis system uses forward and backward chaining to propagate causal and temporal information about other failure events in the system being diagnosed. Once the system has established temporal and causal constraints, it reasons backward from heuristically selected failure events to find a set of basic failure events which are a likely cause of the occurrence of the top failure event in the fault tree. The diagnosis system has been implemented in common LISP using Flavors.

  12. Atherosclerosis profile and incidence of cardiovascular events: a population-based survey.

    PubMed

    Robinson, Jennifer G; Fox, Kathleen M; Bullano, Michael F; Grandy, Susan

    2009-09-15

    Atherosclerosis is a chronic progressive disease often presenting as clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. This study evaluated the characteristics of individuals with a diagnosis of atherosclerosis and estimated the incidence of CVD events to assist in the early identification of high-risk individuals. Respondents to the US SHIELD baseline survey were followed for 2 years to observe incident self-reported CVD. Respondents had subclinical atherosclerosis if they reported a diagnosis of narrow or blocked arteries/carotid artery disease without a past clinical CVD event (heart attack, stroke or revascularization). Characteristics of those with atherosclerosis and incident CVD were compared with those who did not report atherosclerosis at baseline but had CVD in the following 2 years using chi-square tests. Logistic regression model identified characteristics associated with atherosclerosis and incident events. Of 17,640 respondents, 488 (2.8%) reported having subclinical atherosclerosis at baseline. Subclinical atherosclerosis was associated with age, male gender, dyslipidemia, circulation problems, hypertension, past smoker, and a cholesterol test in past year (OR = 2.2) [all p < 0.05]. Incident CVD was twice as high in respondents with subclinical atherosclerosis (25.8%) as in those without atherosclerosis or clinical CVD (12.2%). In individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis, men (RR = 1.77, p = 0.050) and individuals with circulation problems (RR = 2.36, p = 0.003) were at greatest risk of experiencing CVD events in the next 2 years. Self-report of subclinical atherosclerosis identified an extremely high-risk group with a >25% risk of a CVD event in the next 2 years. These characteristics may be useful for identifying individuals for more aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic efforts.

  13. Comparison of the Gen-Probe Aptima HIV-1 and Abbott HIV-1 qualitative assays with the Roche Amplicor HIV-1 DNA assay for early infant diagnosis using dried blood spots.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Julie A E; Hawkins, J Tyler; Schanz, Maria; Mollan, Katie; Miller, Melissa B; Schmitz, John L; Fiscus, Susan A

    2014-08-01

    The current gold standard for infant diagnosis of HIV-1 is the Roche Amplicor Qualitative DNA assay, but it is being phased out. Compare the Abbott qualitative assay and the Gen-Probe Aptima assay to the gold standard Roche DNA assay using dried blood spots (DBS). The Gen-Probe Aptima and Abbott qualitative HIV-1 assays were compared to the Roche DNA assay for early infant diagnosis. Specificity and sensitivity were determined for the three assays using DBS from 50 HIV-exposed uninfected infants and 269 HIV-1 infected adults from North Carolina, respectively. All of the negative and 151 of the positive DBS had valid results on the 3 different assays, and an additional 118 positive DBS had valid results on the Roche DNA and Aptima assays. All three assays were very specific. The Roche DNA assay was the most sensitive (96.7%) over a wide range of HIV PVL, including samples with PVL<400 copies/ml. Restricted to samples with PVL>400 copies/ml, the Gen-Probe Aptima assay had sensitivity (96.5%) comparable to the Roche DNA assay (98.8%). The Abbott Qualitative assay was the least sensitive and only had sensitivity above 95% among samples with PVL over 1000 copies/ml. The Abbott HIV-1 Qualitative assay was not as sensitive as the comparator assays, so it would not be a useful replacement assay, especially for infants taking antiretroviral prophylaxis. The Gen-Probe Aptima assay is an adequate replacement option for infant diagnosis using DBS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. On event-based optical flow detection

    PubMed Central

    Brosch, Tobias; Tschechne, Stephan; Neumann, Heiko

    2015-01-01

    Event-based sensing, i.e., the asynchronous detection of luminance changes, promises low-energy, high dynamic range, and sparse sensing. This stands in contrast to whole image frame-wise acquisition by standard cameras. Here, we systematically investigate the implications of event-based sensing in the context of visual motion, or flow, estimation. Starting from a common theoretical foundation, we discuss different principal approaches for optical flow detection ranging from gradient-based methods over plane-fitting to filter based methods and identify strengths and weaknesses of each class. Gradient-based methods for local motion integration are shown to suffer from the sparse encoding in address-event representations (AER). Approaches exploiting the local plane like structure of the event cloud, on the other hand, are shown to be well suited. Within this class, filter based approaches are shown to define a proper detection scheme which can also deal with the problem of representing multiple motions at a single location (motion transparency). A novel biologically inspired efficient motion detector is proposed, analyzed and experimentally validated. Furthermore, a stage of surround normalization is incorporated. Together with the filtering this defines a canonical circuit for motion feature detection. The theoretical analysis shows that such an integrated circuit reduces motion ambiguity in addition to decorrelating the representation of motion related activations. PMID:25941470

  15. Adjusting to a Diagnosis of Cancer: Processes for Building Patient Capacity for Decision-Making.

    PubMed

    Emanuel, Linda; Johnson, Rebecca; Taromino, Caroline

    2017-09-01

    This short report contributes to the expanding body of qualitative research literature about the cognitive processes of newly diagnosed cancer patients as they adjust to a diagnosis of cancer. The study is based on secondary qualitative analysis of audio records collected as part of a larger NIH study (RO1D: An Interdisciplinary Perspective: A Social Science Examination of Oncofertility RL1 HD058296). Core categories illustrate the processes of "naming it," "dealing with dealing with it," and finding the "new norm" and were based on nine patient experiences. We observe that our substantive conceptual categories have equivalents in bereavement and grief literature where researchers have posited the theory that processing the diagnosis of a terminal illness is the equivalent to adjusting to a bereavement. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding real-time patient thoughts and feelings as soon after diagnosis as was possible with full patient consent.

  16. Computer-aided diagnosis based on enhancement of degraded fundus photographs.

    PubMed

    Jin, Kai; Zhou, Mei; Wang, Shaoze; Lou, Lixia; Xu, Yufeng; Ye, Juan; Qian, Dahong

    2018-05-01

    Retinal imaging is an important and effective tool for detecting retinal diseases. However, degraded images caused by the aberrations of the eye can disguise lesions, so that a diseased eye can be mistakenly diagnosed as normal. In this work, we propose a new image enhancement method to improve the quality of degraded images. A new method is used to enhance degraded-quality fundus images. In this method, the image is converted from the input RGB colour space to LAB colour space and then each normalized component is enhanced using contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization. Human visual system (HVS)-based fundus image quality assessment, combined with diagnosis by experts, is used to evaluate the enhancement. The study included 191 degraded-quality fundus photographs of 143 subjects with optic media opacity. Objective quality assessment of image enhancement (range: 0-1) indicated that our method improved colour retinal image quality from an average of 0.0773 (variance 0.0801) to an average of 0.3973 (variance 0.0756). Following enhancement, area under curves (AUC) were 0.996 for the glaucoma classifier, 0.989 for the diabetic retinopathy (DR) classifier, 0.975 for the age-related macular degeneration (AMD) classifier and 0.979 for the other retinal diseases classifier. The relatively simple method for enhancing degraded-quality fundus images achieves superior image enhancement, as demonstrated in a qualitative HVS-based image quality assessment. This retinal image enhancement may, therefore, be employed to assist ophthalmologists in more efficient screening of retinal diseases and the development of computer-aided diagnosis. © 2017 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Evaluation of shear wave elastography for differential diagnosis of breast lesions: A new qualitative analysis versus conventional quantitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Ren, Wei-Wei; Li, Xiao-Long; Wang, Dan; Liu, Bo-Ji; Zhao, Chong-Ke; Xu, Hui-Xiong

    2018-04-13

    To evaluate a special kind of ultrasound (US) shear wave elastography for differential diagnosis of breast lesions, using a new qualitative analysis (i.e. the elasticity score in the travel time map) compared with conventional quantitative analysis. From June 2014 to July 2015, 266 pathologically proven breast lesions were enrolled in this study. The maximum, mean, median, minimum, and standard deviation of shear wave speed (SWS) values (m/s) were assessed. The elasticity score, a new qualitative feature, was evaluated in the travel time map. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of both qualitative and quantitative analyses for differentiation of breast lesions. Among all quantitative parameters, SWS-max showed the highest AUROC (0.805; 95% CI: 0.752, 0.851) compared with SWS-mean (0.786; 95% CI:0.732, 0.834; P = 0.094), SWS-median (0.775; 95% CI:0.720, 0.824; P = 0.046), SWS-min (0.675; 95% CI:0.615, 0.731; P = 0.000), and SWS-SD (0.768; 95% CI:0.712, 0.817; P = 0.074). The AUROC of qualitative analysis in this study obtained the best diagnostic performance (0.871; 95% CI: 0.825, 0.909, compared with the best parameter of SWS-max in quantitative analysis, P = 0.011). The new qualitative analysis of shear wave travel time showed the superior diagnostic performance in the differentiation of breast lesions in comparison with conventional quantitative analysis.

  18. A Physician-based Voluntary Reporting System for Adverse Events and Medical Errors

    PubMed Central

    Weingart, Saul N; Callanan, Lawrence D; Ship, Amy N; Aronson, Mark D

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To create a voluntary reporting method for identifying adverse events (AEs) and potential adverse events (PAEs) among medical inpatients. DESIGN Medical house officers asked their peers about obstacles to care, injuries or extended hospitalizations, and problems with medications that affected their patients. Two independent reviewers coded event narratives for adverse outcomes, responsible parties, preventability, and process problems. We corroborated house officers' reports with hospital incident reports and conducted a retrospective chart review. SETTING The cardiac step-down, oncology, and medical intensive care units of an urban teaching hospital. INTERVENTION Structured confidential interviews by postgraduate year-2 and -3 medical residents of interns during work rounds. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Respondents reported 88 events over 3 months. AEs occurred among 5 patients (0.5% of admissions) and PAEs among 48 patients (4.9% of admissions). Delayed diagnoses and treatments figured prominently among PAEs (54%). Clinicians were responsible for the greatest number of incidents (55%), followed by workers in the laboratory (11%), radiology (15%), and pharmacy (3%). Respondents identified a variety of problematic processes of care, including problems with diagnosis (16%), therapy (26%), and failure to provide clinical and support services (29%). We corroborated 84% of reported events in the medical record. Participants found voluntary peer reporting of medical errors unobtrusive and agreed that it could be implemented on a regular basis. CONCLUSIONS A physician-based voluntary reporting system for medical errors is feasible and acceptable to front-line clinicians. PMID:11903759

  19. Qualitative-Based Methodology to Teaching Qualitative Methodology in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katz, Sara

    2015-01-01

    There is no defined theory for teaching Qualitative Inquiry, and very few studies have focused on the topic. This study is a qualitative case study focused on the Qualitative Methods course that I teach at a college of education in Israel. The aim of the study is to explore and describe the course, to provide a true picture of my pedagogy, and to…

  20. The mathematical bases for qualitative reasoning

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kalagnanam, Jayant; Simon, Herbert A.; Iwasaki, Yumi

    1991-01-01

    The practices of researchers in many fields who use qualitative reasoning are summarized and explained. The goal is to gain an understanding of the formal assumptions and mechanisms that underlie this kind of analysis. The explanations given are based on standard mathematical formalisms, particularly on ordinal properties, continuous differentiable functions, and the mathematics of nonlinear dynamic systems.

  1. Qualitative methods: what are they and why use them?

    PubMed Central

    Sofaer, S

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of reasons why qualitative methods have been used and can be used in health services and health policy research, to describe a range of specific methods, and to give examples of their application. DATA SOURCES: Classic and contemporary descriptions of the underpinnings and applications of qualitative research methods and studies that have used such methods to examine important health services and health policy issues. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Qualitative research methods are valuable in providing rich descriptions of complex phenomena; tracking unique or unexpected events; illuminating the experience and interpretation of events by actors with widely differing stakes and roles; giving voice to those whose views are rarely heard; conducting initial explorations to develop theories and to generate and even test hypotheses; and moving toward explanations. Qualitative and quantitative methods can be complementary, used in sequence or in tandem. The best qualitative research is systematic and rigorous, and it seeks to reduce bias and error and to identify evidence that disconfirms initial or emergent hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative methods have much to contribute to health services and health policy research, especially as such research deals with rapid change and develops a more fully integrated theory base and research agenda. However, the field must build on the best traditions and techniques of qualitative methods and must recognize that special training and experience are essential to the application of these methods. PMID:10591275

  2. Factors affecting decision making about fertility preservation after cancer diagnosis: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Peddie, V L; Porter, M A; Barbour, R; Culligan, D; MacDonald, G; King, D; Horn, J; Bhattacharya, S

    2012-08-01

    To increase our understanding of factors underlying the decision to store gametes after the diagnosis of cancer. Qualitative interview study. Andrology, Haematology, and Oncology Departments of a Scottish teaching hospital, and patients' own homes. Sixteen men and 18 women aged 17-49 years recently diagnosed with cancer; 15 health professionals concerned in cancer care. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Topics included perceptions of diagnosis; prognosis; future reproductive choices; priorities; quality of information received; communication and decisions made about future reproductive choices; and the role of partners, family, friends and healthcare professionals. Professional interviews examined their role in decision making and that of protocols and guidelines, together with information emerging from patient interview analysis. Themes identified following analysis of interview transcripts. The primary barriers to pursuing fertility preservation were the way in which information was provided and the 'urgent need for treatment' conveyed by staff. Survival was always viewed as paramount, with future fertility secondary. Sperm banking was viewed as 'part and parcel' of oncology care, and the majority of men quickly stored sperm as 'insurance' against future infertility. Few women were afforded the opportunity to discuss their options, reflecting clinicians' reservations about the experimental nature of egg and ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and the need for partner involvement in embryo storage. Significant gaps in the information provided to young women diagnosed with cancer suggest the need for an early appointment with a fertility expert. © 2012 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2012 RCOG.

  3. Synthesis of qualitative research and evidence-based nursing.

    PubMed

    Flemming, Kate

    Evidence-based nursing is central to nursing practice. Systematic reviews have played a key part in providing evidence for decision making in nursing. Traditionally, these have consisted of syntheses of randomised controlled trials. New approaches to combining research include the synthesis of qualitative research. This article discusses the development of research synthesis as a method for creating evidence of effectiveness identified in quantitative research; more effective use of primary data; enhancing the generalizability of qualitative research; the identification of future nursing research topics.

  4. A Memory Based Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Evaluating Basic Assumptions Underlying the PTSD Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Rubin, David C.; Berntsen, Dorthe; Johansen, Malene Klindt

    2009-01-01

    In the mnemonic model of PTSD, the current memory of a negative event, not the event itself determines symptoms. The model is an alternative to the current event-based etiology of PTSD represented in the DSM. The model accounts for important and reliable findings that are often inconsistent with the current diagnostic view and that have been neglected by theoretical accounts of the disorder, including the following observations. The diagnosis needs objective information about the trauma and peritraumatic emotions, but uses retrospective memory reports that can have substantial biases. Negative events and emotions that do not satisfy the current diagnostic criteria for a trauma can be followed by symptoms that would otherwise qualify for PTSD. Predisposing factors that affect the current memory have large effects on symptoms. The inability-to-recall-an-important-aspect-of-the-trauma symptom does not correlate with other symptoms. Loss or enhancement of the trauma memory affects PTSD symptoms in predictable ways. Special mechanisms that apply only to traumatic memories are not needed, increasing parsimony and the knowledge that can be applied to understanding PTSD. PMID:18954211

  5. Pathways to diagnosis: a qualitative study of the experiences and emotional reactions of parents of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Rankin, David; Harden, Jeni; Waugh, Norman; Noyes, Kathryn; Barnard, Katharine D; Stephen, John; Robertson, Kenneth J; Bath, Louise; Robertson, Linda; Lawton, Julia

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study was to explore from parents' perspectives the circumstances and events which led to their child being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The objective was to understand reasons for delays in seeking treatment and parents' emotional reactions to diagnosis so others can be better informed and supported in future. In-depth interviews with 54 parents of children (aged ≤12 yr) with T1D were conducted. Data analysis used an inductive, thematic approach. Parents described a 'prompt' and a 'delayed' pathway to their child being diagnosed. Parents who considered the diagnosis to be 'prompt' reported how they, or other people, had recognized their child had developed symptoms of T1D which resulted in a rapid presentation to health care professionals. In contrast, parents who perceived their child's diagnosis to be 'delayed' did not recognize signs of T1D and attributed their child's deteriorating health to other conditions, being out of routines and/or their stage of development. These parents often only sought medical help when symptoms became extreme. All parents were distressed by their child's diagnosis; however, parents in the 'delayed' pathway expressed unresolved feelings of guilt, particularly when their child was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis. Parents' and other people's knowledge about T1D can affect the duration between onset of their child's symptoms and diagnosis. Campaigns to raise awareness should ensure that parents are made aware of symptoms and that T1D can develop during childhood. Health care professionals could discuss with parents the events preceding their child's diagnosis to better determine their emotional support needs. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Internalizing the threat of risk--a qualitative study about adolescents' experience living with screening-detected celiac disease 5 years after diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Nordyke, Katrina; Rosén, Anna; Emmelin, Maria; Ivarsson, Anneli

    2014-06-11

    Mass screening could identify those with unrecognized celiac disease (CD), but the experience of being detected through screening and living with screening-detected CD should be explored before considering this as acceptable intervention. For this study we invited screening-detected adolescents to describe their experience living with screening-detected CD five years after diagnosis with the aim to explore how their perceptions, practices, and beliefs evolved. Adolescents who were diagnosed through a population-based CD screening were invited to write narratives after being diagnosed. Of 153 adolescents who were eventually diagnosed through the screening, 91 wrote narratives one year after diagnosis and 72 five years after diagnosis. A qualitative content analysis resulted in a theme and categories that describe the experience living with screening-detected CD five years after diagnosis. The overall theme--Internalizing the threat of risk--illustrates that being detected through screening and the internalized threat of future health complications have impacted how these adolescents felt about the diagnosis, coped with the gluten-free diet (GFD), and thought about CD screening. This theme is supported by four categories: maintaining an imposed disease identity describes how they continued to define their diagnosis in relation to the screening. They also expressed moving from forced food changes to adapted diet routines by describing habits, routines, coping strategies, and the financial burden of the GFD. They had enduring beliefs of being spared negative consequences, however, even after five years, some doubted they had CD and worried that being detected and eating a GFD might not be beneficial, i.e. continuing to fear it is "all in vain". There was maintenance and evolution in the perceptions, practices, and beliefs of the adolescents after five years. Some have adjusted to the disease and adapted new habits and coping strategies to deal with the GFD, while

  7. Assessing Traumatic Event Exposure: Comparing the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire to the Structured Clinical Interview for "DSM-IV"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peirce, Jessica M.; Burke, Christopher K.; Stoller, Kenneth B.; Neufeld, Karin J.; Brooner, Robert K.

    2009-01-01

    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis requires first identifying a traumatic event, but very few studies have evaluated methods of potential traumatic event assessment and their impact on PTSD diagnosis. The authors compared a behaviorally specific comprehensive multiple-item traumatic event measure with a single-item measure to…

  8. Enormous knowledge base of disease diagnosis criteria.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Z H; Xiao, Y H; Pei, J H

    1995-01-01

    One of the problems in the development of the medical knowledge systems is the limitations of the system's knowledge. It is a common expectation to increase the number of diseases contained in a system. Using a high density knowledge representation method designed by us, we have developed the Enormous Knowledge Base of Disease Diagnosis Criteria (EKBDDC). It contains diagnostic criteria of 1,001 diagnostic entities and describes nearly 4,000 items of diagnostic indicators. It is the core of a huge medical project--the Electronic-Brain Medical Erudite (EBME). This enormous knowledge base was implemented initially on a low-cost popular microcomputer, which can aid in the prompting of typical disease and in teaching of diagnosis. The knowledge base is easy to expand. One of the main goals of EKBDDC is to increase the number of diseases included in it as far as possible using a low-cost computer with a comparatively small storage capacity. For this, we have designed a high density knowledge representation method. Criteria of various diagnostic entities are respectively stored in different records of the knowledge base. Each diagnostic entity corresponds to a diagnostic criterion data set; each data set consists of some diagnostic criterion data values (Table 1); each data is composed of two parts: integer and decimal; the integral part is the coding number of the given diagnostic information, and the decimal part is the diagnostic value of this information to the disease indicated by corresponding record number. For example, 75.02: the integer 75 is the coding number of "hemorrhagic skin rash"; the decimal 0.02 is the diagnostic value of this manifestation for diagnosing allergic purpura. TABULAR DATA, SEE PUBLISHED ABSTRACT. The algebraic sum method, a special form of the weighted summation, is adopted as mathematical model. In EKBDDC, the diagnostic values, which represent the significance of the disease manifestations for diagnosing corresponding diseases, were

  9. Signal-boosted qualitative ultrasensitive p24 antigen assay for diagnosis of subtype C HIV-1 infection in infants under the age of 2 years.

    PubMed

    Zijenah, Lynn S; Tobaiwa, Ocean; Rusakaniko, Simbarashe; Nathoo, Kusum J; Nhembe, Margaret; Matibe, Petronella; Katzenstein, David A

    2005-08-01

    The gold standard for diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in infants under the age of 2 years is DNA or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. However, these tests are expensive and therefore not available in resource-limited countries. With the increasing availability of antiretroviral drugs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and treatment of AIDS in resource-poor countries, there is an urgent need to develop cheaper, alternative, and cost-effective laboratory methods for early diagnosis of infant HIV-1 infection that will be useful in identifying infected infants who may benefit from early cotrimoxazole prophylaxis or commencement of antiretroviral therapy. We evaluated an alternative method, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based qualitative ultrasensitive p24 antigen assay for diagnosis of subtype C HIV-1 infection in infants under the age of 2 years using DNA polymerase chain reaction as the reference method. The assay showed a sensitivity of 96.7% (95% CI: 93.0-100) for detection of HIV-1 infection among infants 0-18 months of age with a specificity of 96.1% (95% CI: 91.7-100). These evaluated parameters were not statistically different between infants aged 0-6 and 7-18 months. The ultrasensitive p24 antigen assay is a useful diagnostic test for detection of HIV-1 infection among infants aged 0-18 months.

  10. Rule-Based Event Processing and Reaction Rules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paschke, Adrian; Kozlenkov, Alexander

    Reaction rules and event processing technologies play a key role in making business and IT / Internet infrastructures more agile and active. While event processing is concerned with detecting events from large event clouds or streams in almost real-time, reaction rules are concerned with the invocation of actions in response to events and actionable situations. They state the conditions under which actions must be taken. In the last decades various reaction rule and event processing approaches have been developed, which for the most part have been advanced separately. In this paper we survey reaction rule approaches and rule-based event processing systems and languages.

  11. Model Based Verification of Cyber Range Event Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-10

    Model Based Verification of Cyber Range Event Environments Suresh K. Damodaran MIT Lincoln Laboratory 244 Wood St., Lexington, MA, USA...apply model based verification to cyber range event environment configurations, allowing for the early detection of errors in event environment...Environment Representation (CCER) ontology. We also provide an overview of a methodology to specify verification rules and the corresponding error

  12. Proposal of diagnostic process model for computer based diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Matsumura, Yasushi; Takeda, Toshihiro; Manabe, Shiro; Saito, Hirokazu; Teramoto, Kei; Kuwata, Shigeki; Mihara, Naoki

    2012-01-01

    We aim at making a diagnosis support system that can be put to practical use. We proposed a diagnostic process model based on simple knowledge which can be gleaned from textbooks. We defined clinical finding (CF) as a general concept for patient's symptom or findings etc., whose value is expressed by Boolean. We call the combination of several CFs a "CF pattern", and a set of CF patterns with concomitant diseases "case base". We consider diagnosis as a process of searching an instance from the case base whose CF pattern is concomitant with that of a patient. The diseases which have the same CF pattern are candidates for diagnosis. Then we select a CF which is present in part of the candidates and check whether it is present or absent in the patient in order to narrow down the candidates. Because the case base does not exist in reality, the probability of CF pattern is calculated by the product of CF occurrence rate assuming that occurrence of CF is independent. Therefore the knowledge required for diagnosis is frequency of disease under sex and age group and CF-disease relation (CF and its occurrence rate in the disease). By processing these two types of knowledge, diagnosis can be made.

  13. Stressful Life Events in a Clinical Sample of Depressed Children in Hungary

    PubMed Central

    Mayer, László; Lopez-Duran, Nestor L.; Kovacs, Maria; George, Charles; Baji, Ildikó; Kapornai, Krisztina; Kiss, Enikő; Vetró, Ágnes

    2009-01-01

    Background There is limited information on the characteristics of stressful life events in depressed pediatric clinical populations and the extent to which sex, age, and their interactions may influence the relations of life events and depression. Using a very large clinical sample of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), we therefore examined life events in various ways as well as their relations to age and sex. Method The study included a clinic-based sample of 434 children (ages 7–14) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of MDD and their mothers, and a school-based comparison sample of 724 children and their mothers. Life event information was obtained from the mothers. Results Children with MDD had twice the number of lifetime stressful events than did the comparison group, with very high levels of stressors by the age of 7–9 that stabilized across adolescence. In contrast, the comparison sample experienced a gradual increase in stressful life events as a function of age up to mid-adolescence. Parental health events, death of close relatives, and intra-familial events were significantly associated with MDD diagnosis. There were significantly stronger associations between parental health- as well as death-event clusters and MDD diagnosis among younger children than adolescents. Limitations Geographical differences between the clinical and comparison samples, as well as possible parental reporting biases may affect the generalizability of these findings. Conclusion The association between some stressful life events and MDD seems to be moderated by age, underscoring the need to examine specific events, as well as clusters of events. Better understanding of such interactions may facilitate early identification of possible risk factors for pediatric MDD. PMID:18845343

  14. Stressful life events in a clinical sample of depressed children in Hungary.

    PubMed

    Mayer, László; Lopez-Duran, Nestor L; Kovacs, Maria; George, Charles J; Baji, Ildikó; Kapornai, Krisztina; Kiss, Eniko; Vetró, Agnes

    2009-05-01

    There is limited information on the characteristics of stressful life events in depressed pediatric clinical populations and the extent to which sex, age, and their interactions may influence the relations of life events and depression. Using a very large clinical sample of children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), we therefore examined life events in various ways, as well as their relations to age and sex. The study included a clinic-based sample of 434 children (ages 7-14) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of MDD and their mothers, and a school-based comparison sample of 724 children and their mothers. Life event information was obtained from the mothers. Children with MDD had twice the number of lifetime stressful events than did the comparison group, with very high levels of stressors by the age of 7-9 that stabilized across adolescence. In contrast, the comparison sample experienced a gradual increase in stressful life events as a function of age up to mid-adolescence. Parental health events, death of close relatives, and intrafamilial events were significantly associated with MDD diagnosis. There were significantly stronger associations between parental health- as well as death-event clusters and MDD diagnosis among younger children than adolescents. Geographical differences between the clinical and comparison samples, as well as possible parental reporting biases may affect the generalizability of these findings. The association between some stressful life events and MDD seems to be moderated by age, underscoring the need to examine specific events, as well as clusters of events. Better understanding of such interactions may facilitate early identification of possible risk factors for pediatric MDD.

  15. On-line early fault detection and diagnosis of municipal solid waste incinerators

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

    Zhao Jinsong; Huang Jianchao; Sun Wei

    A fault detection and diagnosis framework is proposed in this paper for early fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) in order to improve the safety and continuity of production. In this framework, principal component analysis (PCA), one of the multivariate statistical technologies, is used for detecting abnormal events, while rule-based reasoning performs the fault diagnosis and consequence prediction, and also generates recommendations for fault mitigation once an abnormal event is detected. A software package, SWIFT, is developed based on the proposed framework, and has been applied in an actual industrial MSWI. The application shows thatmore » automated real-time abnormal situation management (ASM) of the MSWI can be achieved by using SWIFT, resulting in an industrially acceptable low rate of wrong diagnosis, which has resulted in improved process continuity and environmental performance of the MSWI.« less

  16. Knowledge-based nursing diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roy, Claudette; Hay, D. Robert

    1991-03-01

    Nursing diagnosis is an integral part of the nursing process and determines the interventions leading to outcomes for which the nurse is accountable. Diagnoses under the time constraints of modern nursing can benefit from a computer assist. A knowledge-based engineering approach was developed to address these problems. A number of problems were addressed during system design to make the system practical extended beyond capture of knowledge. The issues involved in implementing a professional knowledge base in a clinical setting are discussed. System functions, structure, interfaces, health care environment, and terminology and taxonomy are discussed. An integrated system concept from assessment through intervention and evaluation is outlined.

  17. Dark clouds or silver linings? A stigma threat perspective on the implications of an autism diagnosis for workplace well-being.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Tiffany D; Joshi, Aparna

    2016-03-01

    This article unpacks the stigma associated with a developmental disability at work, specifically autism spectrum disorders (ASD), by presenting findings from 2 studies-one interview-based and the other survey-based. Drawing on in-depth interviews with individuals on the autism spectrum, the first study showed that a clinical diagnosis of autism is a milestone event that triggered both positive (silver linings) and negative (dark clouds) responses to work. These positive and negative responses were shaped by the age at which the diagnosis occurred as well as specific work-related contingencies-identity management (disclosing or not disclosing), the importance of the social demands imposed by the job, and organizational support policies for autism. The second study developed and tested propositions derived from the qualitative data by using survey data gathered from working adults with ASD. Results showed that, compared with individuals diagnosed later in life, individuals who were diagnosed at an earlier age experienced greater organization-based self-esteem and lower perceived discrimination when they disclosed their disability, worked in jobs that placed lower social demands on them, or were employed in organizations that offered policies to support workers with ASD. We conclude that, depending on the age of diagnosis, attributes of the employment context can trigger stigma-related threat in different ways and we outline important practical implications of these findings. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Novel multiplex qualitative detection using universal primer-multiplex-PCR combined with pyrosequencing.

    PubMed

    Shang, Ying; Xu, Wentao; Wang, Yong; Xu, Yuancong; Huang, Kunlun

    2017-12-15

    This study described a novel multiplex qualitative detection method using pyrosequencing. Based on the principle of the universal primer-multiplex-PCR, only one sequencing primer was employed to realize the detection of the multiple targets. Samples containing three genetically modified (GM) crops in different proportions were used to validate the method. The dNTP dispensing order was designed based on the product sequences. Only 12 rounds (ATCTGATCGACT) of dNTPs addition and, often, as few as three rounds (CAT) under ideal conditions, were required to detect the GM events qualitatively, and sensitivity was as low as 1% of a mixture. However, when considering a mixture, calculating signal values allowed the proportion of each GM to be estimated. Based on these results, we concluded that our novel method not only realized detection but also allowed semi-quantitative detection of individual events. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Experiences of patient-centredness with specialized community-based care: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.

    PubMed

    Winsor, S; Smith, A; Vanstone, M; Giacomini, M; Brundisini, F K; DeJean, D

    2013-01-01

    Specialized community-based care (SCBC) endeavours to help patients manage chronic diseases by formalizing the link between primary care providers and other community providers with specialized training. Many types of health care providers and community-based programs are employed in SCBC. Patient-centred care focuses on patients' psychosocial experience of health and illness to ensure that patients' care plans are modelled on their individual values, preferences, spirituality, and expressed needs. To synthesize qualitative research on patient and provider experiences of SCBC interventions and health care delivery models, using the core principles of patient-centredness. This report synthesizes 29 primary qualitative studies on the topic of SCBC interventions for patients with chronic conditions. Included studies were published between 2002 and 2012, and followed adult patients in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Qualitative meta-synthesis was used to integrate findings across primary research studies. Three core themes emerged from the analysis: patients' health beliefs affect their participation in SCBC interventions;patients' experiences with community-based care differ from their experiences with hospital-based care;patients and providers value the role of nurses differently in community-based chronic disease care. Qualitative research findings are not intended to generalize directly to populations, although meta-synthesis across several qualitative studies builds an increasingly robust understanding that is more likely to be transferable. The diversity of interventions that fall under SCBC and the cross-interventional focus of many of the studies mean that findings might not be generalizable to all forms of SCBC or its specific components. Patients with chronic diseases who participated in SCBC interventions reported greater satisfaction when SCBC helped them better understand their diagnosis, facilitated increased socialization, provided

  20. Qualitative Assessment of Inquiry-Based Teaching Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Briggs, Michael; Long, George; Owens, Katrina

    2011-01-01

    A new approach to teaching method assessment using student focused qualitative studies and the theoretical framework of mental models is proposed. The methodology is considered specifically for the advantages it offers when applied to the assessment of inquiry-based teaching methods. The theoretical foundation of mental models is discussed, and…

  1. Automatic Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Events Using Respiratory Signals.

    PubMed

    Aydoğan, Osman; Öter, Ali; Güney, Kerim; Kıymık, M Kemal; Tuncel, Deniz

    2016-12-01

    Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder which may lead to various results. While some studies used real-time systems, there are also numerous studies which focus on diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea via signals obtained by polysomnography from apnea patients who spend the night in sleep laboratory. The mean, frequency and power of signals obtained from patients are frequently used. Obstructive Sleep Apnea of 74 patients were scored in this study. A visual-scoring based algorithm and a morphological filter via Artificial Neural Networks were used in order to diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea. After total accuracy of scoring was calculated via both methods, it was compared with visual scoring performed by the doctor. The algorithm used in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea reached an average accuracy of 88.33 %, while Artificial Neural Networks and morphological filter method reached a success of 87.28 %. Scoring success was analyzed after it was grouped based on apnea/hypopnea. It is considered that both methods enable doctors to reduce time and costs in the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea as well as ease of use.

  2. [Disorders related to traumatic events. Screening and treatment].

    PubMed

    Guay, Stéphane; Mainguy, Nicole; Marchand, André

    2002-03-01

    To educate family physicians about screening, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders related to traumatic events. PsycLIT, PsychINFO, PILOTS, and MEDLINE databases were searched from January 1985 to December 2000 using the terms "acute stress disorder," "posttraumatic stress disorder," "traumatic stress," "psychotherapy," "psychosocial treatment," "treatment," and "pharmacotherapy." Recommendations concerning treatment of acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are based on evidence from trials of the highest quality. Conclusions about assessment and diagnosis are based on the most recent epidemiologic studies, consensus, and expert opinion. Very often, ASD and PTSD are underdiagnosed and undertreated. Family physicians are likely to see patients suffering from these disorders. Early screening in primary care is a function of active listening; warm, safe patient-physician relationships; and careful examination of difficulties related to traumatic events. Ideally, patients with either ASD or PTSD should be referred to a specialist. If a specialist is unavailable, family physicians can offer support and prescribe medication to address patients' symptoms. Family physicians can help identify and treat patients presenting with disorders related to traumatic events.

  3. Diagnosis and management of perinatal depression and anxiety in general practice: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

    PubMed

    Ford, Elizabeth; Lee, Suzanne; Shakespeare, Judy; Ayers, Susan

    2017-08-01

    Up to 20% of women experience anxiety and depression during the perinatal period. In the UK, management of perinatal mental health falls under the remit of GPs. This review aimed at synthesising the available information from qualitative studies on GPs' attitudes, recognition, and management of perinatal anxiety and depression. Meta-synthesis of the available published qualitative evidence on GPs' recognition and management of perinatal anxiety and depression. A systematic search was conducted on Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and grey literature was searched using Google, Google Scholar, and British Library EThOS. Papers and reports were eligible for inclusion if they reported qualitatively on GPs' diagnosis or treatment of perinatal anxiety or depression. The synthesis was constructed using meta-ethnography. Five themes were established from five eligible papers: labels: diagnosing depression; clinical judgement versus guidelines; care and management; use of medication; and isolation: the role of other professionals. GPs considered perinatal depression to be a psychosocial phenomenon, and were reluctant to label disorders and medicalise distress. GPs relied on their own clinical judgement more than guidelines. They reported helping patients make informed choices about treatment, and inviting them back regularly for GP visits. GPs sometimes felt isolated when dealing with perinatal mental health issues. GPs often do not have timely access to appropriate psychological therapies and use several strategies to mitigate this shortfall. Training must focus on these issues and must be evaluated to consider whether this makes a difference to outcomes for patients. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

  4. Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis for Facial Complexion in Traditional Chinese Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Changbo; Li, Guo-zheng; Li, Fufeng; Wang, Zhi; Liu, Chang

    2014-01-01

    Facial diagnosis is an important and very intuitive diagnostic method in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). However, due to its qualitative and experience-based subjective property, traditional facial diagnosis has a certain limitation in clinical medicine. The computerized inspection method provides classification models to recognize facial complexion (including color and gloss). However, the previous works only study the classification problems of facial complexion, which is considered as qualitative analysis in our perspective. For quantitative analysis expectation, the severity or degree of facial complexion has not been reported yet. This paper aims to make both qualitative and quantitative analysis for facial complexion. We propose a novel feature representation of facial complexion from the whole face of patients. The features are established with four chromaticity bases splitting up by luminance distribution on CIELAB color space. Chromaticity bases are constructed from facial dominant color using two-level clustering; the optimal luminance distribution is simply implemented with experimental comparisons. The features are proved to be more distinctive than the previous facial complexion feature representation. Complexion recognition proceeds by training an SVM classifier with the optimal model parameters. In addition, further improved features are more developed by the weighted fusion of five local regions. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed features achieve highest facial color recognition performance with a total accuracy of 86.89%. And, furthermore, the proposed recognition framework could analyze both color and gloss degrees of facial complexion by learning a ranking function. PMID:24967342

  5. Patient expectations of treatment for back pain: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies.

    PubMed

    Verbeek, Jos; Sengers, Marie-José; Riemens, Linda; Haafkens, Joke

    2004-10-15

    A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies. To summarize evidence from studies among patients with low back pain on their expectations and satisfaction with treatment as part of practice guideline development. Patients are often dissatisfied with treatment for acute or chronic back pain. We searched the literature for studies on patient expectations and satisfaction with treatment for low back pain. Treatment aspects related to expectations or satisfaction were identified in qualitative studies. Percentages of dissatisfied patients were calculated from quantitative studies. Twelve qualitative and eight quantitative studies were found. Qualitative studies revealed the following aspects that patient expectation from treatment for back pain or with which they are dissatisfied. Patients want a clear diagnosis of the cause of their pain, information and instructions, pain relief, and a physical examination. Next, expectations are that there are more diagnostic tests, other therapy or referrals to specialists, and sickness certification. They expect confirmation from the healthcare provider that their pain is real. Like other patients, they want a confidence-based association that includes understanding, listening, respect, and being included in decision-making. The results from qualitative studies are confirmed by quantitative studies. Patients have explicit expectations on diagnosis, instructions, and interpersonal management. New strategies need to be developed in order to meet patients' expectations better. Practice guidelines should pay more attention to the best way of discussing the causes and diagnosis with the patient and should involve them in the decision-making process.

  6. Decision tree and PCA-based fault diagnosis of rotating machinery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Weixiang; Chen, Jin; Li, Jiaqing

    2007-04-01

    After analysing the flaws of conventional fault diagnosis methods, data mining technology is introduced to fault diagnosis field, and a new method based on C4.5 decision tree and principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed. In this method, PCA is used to reduce features after data collection, preprocessing and feature extraction. Then, C4.5 is trained by using the samples to generate a decision tree model with diagnosis knowledge. At last the tree model is used to make diagnosis analysis. To validate the method proposed, six kinds of running states (normal or without any defect, unbalance, rotor radial rub, oil whirl, shaft crack and a simultaneous state of unbalance and radial rub), are simulated on Bently Rotor Kit RK4 to test C4.5 and PCA-based method and back-propagation neural network (BPNN). The result shows that C4.5 and PCA-based diagnosis method has higher accuracy and needs less training time than BPNN.

  7. Internalizing the threat of risk-a qualitative study about adolescents’ experience living with screening-detected celiac disease 5 years after diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Mass screening could identify those with unrecognized celiac disease (CD), but the experience of being detected through screening and living with screening-detected CD should be explored before considering this as acceptable intervention. For this study we invited screening-detected adolescents to describe their experience living with screening-detected CD five years after diagnosis with the aim to explore how their perceptions, practices, and beliefs evolved. Methods Adolescents who were diagnosed through a population-based CD screening were invited to write narratives after being diagnosed. Of 153 adolescents who were eventually diagnosed through the screening, 91 wrote narratives one year after diagnosis and 72 five years after diagnosis. A qualitative content analysis resulted in a theme and categories that describe the experience living with screening-detected CD five years after diagnosis. Results The overall theme – Internalizing the threat of risk – illustrates that being detected through screening and the internalized threat of future health complications have impacted how these adolescents felt about the diagnosis, coped with the gluten-free diet (GFD), and thought about CD screening. This theme is supported by four categories: maintaining an imposed disease identity describes how they continued to define their diagnosis in relation to the screening. They also expressed moving from forced food changes to adapted diet routines by describing habits, routines, coping strategies, and the financial burden of the GFD. They had enduring beliefs of being spared negative consequences, however, even after five years, some doubted they had CD and worried that being detected and eating a GFD might not be beneficial, i.e. continuing to fear it is “all in vain”. Conclusions There was maintenance and evolution in the perceptions, practices, and beliefs of the adolescents after five years. Some have adjusted to the disease and adapted new habits and

  8. Patient perspectives on delays in diagnosis and treatment of cancer: a qualitative analysis of free-text data.

    PubMed

    Parsonage, Rachel K; Hiscock, Julia; Law, Rebecca-Jane; Neal, Richard D

    2017-01-01

    Earlier cancer diagnosis is crucial in improving cancer survival. The International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Module 4 (ICBP4) is a quantitative survey study that explores the reasons for delays in diagnosis and treatment of breast, colorectal, lung, and ovarian cancer. To further understand the associated diagnostic processes, it is also important to explore the patient perspectives expressed in the free-text comments. To use the free-text data provided by patients completing the ICBP4 survey to augment the understanding of patients' perspectives of their diagnostic journey. Qualitative analysis of the free-text data collected in Wales between October 2013 and December 2014 as part of the ICBP4 survey. Newly-diagnosed patients with either breast, ovarian, colorectal, or lung cancer were identified from registry data and then invited by their GPs to participate in the survey. A thematic framework was used to analyse the free-text comments provided at the end of the ICBP4 survey. Of the 905 patients who returned a questionnaire, 530 included comments. The free-text data provided information about patients' perspectives of the diagnostic journey. Analysis identified factors that acted as either barriers or facilitators at different stages of the diagnostic process. Some factors, such as screening, doctor-patient familiarity, and private treatment, acted as both barriers and facilitators depending on the context. Factors identified in this study help to explain how existing models of cancer diagnosis (for example, the Pathways to Treatment Model) work in practice. It is important that clinicians are aware of how these factors may interact with individual clinical cases and either facilitate, or act as a barrier to, subsequent cancer diagnosis. Understanding and implementing this knowledge into clinical practice may result in quicker cancer diagnoses. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

  9. A Monte Carlo–Based Bayesian Approach for Measuring Agreement in a Qualitative Scale

    PubMed Central

    Pérez Sánchez, Carlos Javier

    2014-01-01

    Agreement analysis has been an active research area whose techniques have been widely applied in psychology and other fields. However, statistical agreement among raters has been mainly considered from a classical statistics point of view. Bayesian methodology is a viable alternative that allows the inclusion of subjective initial information coming from expert opinions, personal judgments, or historical data. A Bayesian approach is proposed by providing a unified Monte Carlo–based framework to estimate all types of measures of agreement in a qualitative scale of response. The approach is conceptually simple and it has a low computational cost. Both informative and non-informative scenarios are considered. In case no initial information is available, the results are in line with the classical methodology, but providing more information on the measures of agreement. For the informative case, some guidelines are presented to elicitate the prior distribution. The approach has been applied to two applications related to schizophrenia diagnosis and sensory analysis. PMID:29881002

  10. Qualitative versus quantitative methods in psychiatric research.

    PubMed

    Razafsha, Mahdi; Behforuzi, Hura; Azari, Hassan; Zhang, Zhiqun; Wang, Kevin K; Kobeissy, Firas H; Gold, Mark S

    2012-01-01

    Qualitative studies are gaining their credibility after a period of being misinterpreted as "not being quantitative." Qualitative method is a broad umbrella term for research methodologies that describe and explain individuals' experiences, behaviors, interactions, and social contexts. In-depth interview, focus groups, and participant observation are among the qualitative methods of inquiry commonly used in psychiatry. Researchers measure the frequency of occurring events using quantitative methods; however, qualitative methods provide a broader understanding and a more thorough reasoning behind the event. Hence, it is considered to be of special importance in psychiatry. Besides hypothesis generation in earlier phases of the research, qualitative methods can be employed in questionnaire design, diagnostic criteria establishment, feasibility studies, as well as studies of attitude and beliefs. Animal models are another area that qualitative methods can be employed, especially when naturalistic observation of animal behavior is important. However, since qualitative results can be researcher's own view, they need to be statistically confirmed, quantitative methods. The tendency to combine both qualitative and quantitative methods as complementary methods has emerged over recent years. By applying both methods of research, scientists can take advantage of interpretative characteristics of qualitative methods as well as experimental dimensions of quantitative methods.

  11. Healthcare providers’ knowledge, experience and challenges of reporting adverse events following immunisation: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Healthcare provider spontaneous reporting of suspected adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) is central to monitoring post-licensure vaccine safety, but little is known about how healthcare professionals recognise and report to surveillance systems. The aim of this study was explore the knowledge, experience and attitudes of medical and nursing professionals towards detecting and reporting AEFI. Methods We conducted a qualitative study, using semi-structured, face to face interviews with 13 Paediatric Emergency Department consultants from a tertiary paediatric hospital, 10 General Practitioners, 2 local council immunisation and 4 General Practice nurses, recruited using purposive sampling in Adelaide, South Australia, between December 2010 and September 2011. We identified emergent themes related to previous experience of an AEFI in practice, awareness and experience of AEFI reporting, factors that would facilitate or impede reporting and previous training in vaccine safety. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results AEFI reporting was infrequent across all groups, despite most participants having reviewed an AEFI. We found confusion about how to report an AEFI and variability, according to the provider group, as to the type of events that would constitute a reportable AEFI. Participants’ interpretation of a “serious” or “unexpected” AEFI varied across the three groups. Common barriers to reporting included time constraints and unsatisfactory reporting processes. Nurses were more likely to have received formal training in vaccine safety and reporting than medical practitioners. Conclusions This study provides an overview of experience and beliefs of three healthcare professional groups in relation to identifying and reporting AEFI. The qualitative assessment reveals differences in experience and awareness of AEFI reporting across the three professional groups. Most participants appreciated the importance of their role in

  12. Development and in-house validation of the event-specific polymerase chain reaction detection methods for genetically modified soybean MON89788 based on the cloned integration flanking sequence.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jia; Guo, Jinchao; Zhang, Haibo; Li, Ning; Yang, Litao; Zhang, Dabing

    2009-11-25

    Various polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods were developed for the execution of genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling policies, of which an event-specific PCR detection method based on the flanking sequence of exogenous integration is the primary trend in GMO detection due to its high specificity. In this study, the 5' and 3' flanking sequences of the exogenous integration of MON89788 soybean were revealed by thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR. The event-specific PCR primers and TaqMan probe were designed based upon the revealed 5' flanking sequence, and the qualitative and quantitative PCR assays were established employing these designed primers and probes. In qualitative PCR, the limit of detection (LOD) was about 0.01 ng of genomic DNA corresponding to 10 copies of haploid soybean genomic DNA. In the quantitative PCR assay, the LOD was as low as two haploid genome copies, and the limit of quantification was five haploid genome copies. Furthermore, the developed PCR methods were in-house validated by five researchers, and the validated results indicated that the developed event-specific PCR methods can be used for identification and quantification of MON89788 soybean and its derivates.

  13. Exploration of the psychological impact and adaptation to cardiac events in South Asians in the UK: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    Bhattacharyya, Mimi; Stevenson, Fiona; Walters, Kate

    2016-01-01

    Objective There is little research on how different ethnic groups adapt after an acute cardiac event. This qualitative study explores between-ethnicity and within-ethnicity variation in adaptation, and the psychological impact of an acute cardiac event among UK South Asian and white British people. Setting We purposively sampled people by ethnic group from general practices in London who had a new myocardial infarction, angina or acute arrhythmia in the preceding 18 months. Participants We conducted 28 semistructured interviews for exploring the psychological symptoms, experiences and adaptations following a cardiac event among South Asians (Indian and Bangladeshi) in comparison to white British people. Data were analysed using a thematic ‘framework’ approach. Results Findings showed heterogeneity in experiences of the cardiac event and its subsequent psychological and physical impact. Adaptation to the event related predominantly to life circumstances, personal attitudes and employment status. Anxiety and low mood symptoms were common sequelae, especially in the Bangladeshi group. Indian men tended to normalise symptoms and the cardiac event, and reported less negative mood symptoms than other groups. Fear of physical exertion, particularly heavy lifting, persisted across the groups. Some people across all ethnic groups indicated the need for more psychological therapy postcardiac event. Socioeconomic circumstances, age and prior work status appeared to be more important in relation to adaptation after a cardiac event than ethnic status. Conclusions Heterogeneity in views and experiences related to the socioeconomic background, age and work status of the participants along with some cultural influences. Rehabilitation programmes should be flexibly tailored for individuals in particular and where relevant, specific support should be provided for returning to work. PMID:27401355

  14. Diagnostic evaluation of distributed physically based model at the REW scale (THREW) using rainfall-runoff event analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, F.; Sivapalan, M.; Li, H.; Hu, H.

    2007-12-01

    The importance of diagnostic analysis of hydrological models is increasingly recognized by the scientific community (M. Sivapalan, et al., 2003; H. V. Gupta, et al., 2007). Model diagnosis refers to model structures and parameters being identified not only by statistical comparison of system state variables and outputs but also by process understanding in a specific watershed. Process understanding can be gained by the analysis of observational data and model results at the specific watershed as well as through regionalization. Although remote sensing technology can provide valuable data about the inputs, state variables, and outputs of the hydrological system, observational rainfall-runoff data still constitute the most accurate, reliable, direct, and thus a basic component of hydrology related database. One critical question in model diagnostic analysis is, therefore, what signature characteristic can we extract from rainfall and runoff data. To this date only a few studies have focused on this question, such as Merz et al. (2006) and Lana-Renault et al. (2007), still none of these studies related event analysis with model diagnosis in an explicit, rigorous, and systematic manner. Our work focuses on the identification of the dominant runoff generation mechanisms from event analysis of rainfall-runoff data, including correlation analysis and analysis of timing pattern. The correlation analysis involves the identification of the complex relationship among rainfall depth, intensity, runoff coefficient, and antecedent conditions, and the timing pattern analysis aims to identify the clustering pattern of runoff events in relation to the patterns of rainfall events. Our diagnostic analysis illustrates the changing pattern of runoff generation mechanisms in the DMIP2 test watersheds located in Oklahoma region, which is also well recognized by numerical simulations based on TsingHua Representative Elementary Watershed (THREW) model. The result suggests the usefulness of

  15. Computer-based diagnosis of illness in historical persons.

    PubMed

    Peters, T J

    2013-01-01

    Retrospective diagnosis of illness in historical figures is a popular but somewhat unreliable pastime due to the lack of detailed information and reliable reports about clinical features and disease progression. Modern computer-based diagnostic programmes have been used to supplement historical documents and accounts, offering new and more objective approaches to the retrospective investigations of the medical conditions of historical persons. In the case of King George III, modern technology has been used to strengthen the findings of previous reports rejecting the popular diagnosis of variegate porphyria in the King, his grandson Augustus d'Esté and his antecedent King James VI and I. Alternative diagnoses based on these programmes are indicated. The Operational Criteria in Studies of Psychotic Illness (OPCRIT) programme and the Young mania scale have been applied to the features described for George III and suggest a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The neuro-diagnostic programme SimulConsult was applied to Augustus d'Esté and suggests a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica rather than acute porphyria with secondarily multiple sclerosis, as proposed by others. James VI and I's complex medical history and the clinical features of his behavioural traits were also subjected to SimulConsult analysis; acute porphyria was rejected and the unexpected diagnosis of attenuated (mild) Lesch-Nyhan disease offered. A brief review of these approaches along with full reference listings to the methodology including validation are provided. Textual analysis of the written and verbal outputs of historical figures indicate possible future developments in the diagnosis of medical disorders in historical figures.

  16. DERMA: A Melanoma Diagnosis Platform Based on Collaborative Multilabel Analog Reasoning

    PubMed Central

    Golobardes, Elisabet; Corral, Guiomar; Puig, Susana; Malvehy, Josep

    2014-01-01

    The number of melanoma cancer-related death has increased over the last few years due to the new solar habits. Early diagnosis has become the best prevention method. This work presents a melanoma diagnosis architecture based on the collaboration of several multilabel case-based reasoning subsystems called DERMA. The system has to face up several challenges that include data characterization, pattern matching, reliable diagnosis, and self-explanation capabilities. Experiments using subsystems specialized in confocal and dermoscopy images have provided promising results for helping experts to assess melanoma diagnosis. PMID:24578629

  17. Support vector machines-based fault diagnosis for turbo-pump rotor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Sheng-Fa; Chu, Fu-Lei

    2006-05-01

    Most artificial intelligence methods used in fault diagnosis are based on empirical risk minimisation principle and have poor generalisation when fault samples are few. Support vector machines (SVM) is a new general machine-learning tool based on structural risk minimisation principle that exhibits good generalisation even when fault samples are few. Fault diagnosis based on SVM is discussed. Since basic SVM is originally designed for two-class classification, while most of fault diagnosis problems are multi-class cases, a new multi-class classification of SVM named 'one to others' algorithm is presented to solve the multi-class recognition problems. It is a binary tree classifier composed of several two-class classifiers organised by fault priority, which is simple, and has little repeated training amount, and the rate of training and recognition is expedited. The effectiveness of the method is verified by the application to the fault diagnosis for turbo pump rotor.

  18. Experiences and preferences of care among Swedish immigrants following a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect in the fetus: a qualitative interview study.

    PubMed

    Carlsson, Tommy; Marttala, Ulla Melander; Mattsson, Elisabet; Ringnér, Anders

    2016-06-02

    Immigrants experience significant challenges when in contact with healthcare and report less satisfaction with maternity care compared to native Swedes. Research that gives voice to pregnant immigrant women and their partners following a prenatal diagnosis of a fetal anomaly is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore experiences and preferences of care following a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect among Swedish immigrants. Pregnant immigrants and their partners were consecutively recruited following a prenatal diagnosis of a congenital heart defect in the fetus. Nine respondents were interviewed in five interviews, four with the aid of a professional interpreter. The material was analyzed using manifest qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in five categories: 1) "Trustworthy information", 2) "Language barriers", 3) "Psychosocial situation", 4) "Peer support", and 5) "Religious positions". The potential need for interpreter services, visual information, psychosocial support, coordination with welfare officers, and respect for religious positions about termination of pregnancy are all important aspects for health professionals to consider when consulting immigrants faced with a prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomaly in the fetus. Peer support within this context needs to be further explored in future studies.

  19. An Oracle-based event index for ATLAS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallas, E. J.; Dimitrov, G.; Vasileva, P.; Baranowski, Z.; Canali, L.; Dumitru, A.; Formica, A.; ATLAS Collaboration

    2017-10-01

    The ATLAS Eventlndex System has amassed a set of key quantities for a large number of ATLAS events into a Hadoop based infrastructure for the purpose of providing the experiment with a number of event-wise services. Collecting this data in one place provides the opportunity to investigate various storage formats and technologies and assess which best serve the various use cases as well as consider what other benefits alternative storage systems provide. In this presentation we describe how the data are imported into an Oracle RDBMS (relational database management system), the services we have built based on this architecture, and our experience with it. We’ve indexed about 26 billion real data events thus far and have designed the system to accommodate future data which has expected rates of 5 and 20 billion events per year. We have found this system offers outstanding performance for some fundamental use cases. In addition, profiting from the co-location of this data with other complementary metadata in ATLAS, the system has been easily extended to perform essential assessments of data integrity and completeness and to identify event duplication, including at what step in processing the duplication occurred.

  20. The growth of a culture of evidence-based obstetrics in South Africa: a qualitative case study

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background While the past two decades have seen a shift towards evidence-based obstetrics and midwifery, the process through which a culture of evidence-based practice develops and is sustained within particular fields of clinical practice has not been well documented, particularly in LMICs (low- and middle-income countries). Forming part of a broader qualitative study of evidence-based policy making, this paper describes the development of a culture of evidence-based practice amongst maternal health policy makers and senior academic obstetricians in South Africa Methods A qualitative case-study approach was used. This included a literature review, a policy document review, a timeline of key events and the collection and analysis of 15 interviews with policy makers and academic clinicians involved in these policy processes and sampled using a purposive approach. The data was analysed thematically. Results The concept of evidence-based medicine became embedded in South African academic obstetrics at a very early stage in relation to the development of the concept internationally. The diffusion of this concept into local academic obstetrics was facilitated by contact and exchange between local academic obstetricians, opinion leaders in international research and structures promoting evidence-based practice. Furthermore the growing acceptance of the concept was stimulated locally through the use of existing professional networks and meetings to share ideas and the contribution of local researchers to building the evidence base for obstetrics both locally and internationally. As a testimony to the extent of the diffusion of evidence-based medicine, South Africa has strongly evidence-based policies for maternal health. Conclusion This case study shows that the combined efforts of local and international researchers can create a culture of evidence-based medicine within one country. It also shows that doing so required time and perseverance from international researchers

  1. Exploration of the psychological impact and adaptation to cardiac events in South Asians in the UK: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharyya, Mimi; Stevenson, Fiona; Walters, Kate

    2016-07-08

    There is little research on how different ethnic groups adapt after an acute cardiac event. This qualitative study explores between-ethnicity and within-ethnicity variation in adaptation, and the psychological impact of an acute cardiac event among UK South Asian and white British people. We purposively sampled people by ethnic group from general practices in London who had a new myocardial infarction, angina or acute arrhythmia in the preceding 18 months. We conducted 28 semistructured interviews for exploring the psychological symptoms, experiences and adaptations following a cardiac event among South Asians (Indian and Bangladeshi) in comparison to white British people. Data were analysed using a thematic 'framework' approach. Findings showed heterogeneity in experiences of the cardiac event and its subsequent psychological and physical impact. Adaptation to the event related predominantly to life circumstances, personal attitudes and employment status. Anxiety and low mood symptoms were common sequelae, especially in the Bangladeshi group. Indian men tended to normalise symptoms and the cardiac event, and reported less negative mood symptoms than other groups. Fear of physical exertion, particularly heavy lifting, persisted across the groups. Some people across all ethnic groups indicated the need for more psychological therapy postcardiac event. Socioeconomic circumstances, age and prior work status appeared to be more important in relation to adaptation after a cardiac event than ethnic status. Heterogeneity in views and experiences related to the socioeconomic background, age and work status of the participants along with some cultural influences. Rehabilitation programmes should be flexibly tailored for individuals in particular and where relevant, specific support should be provided for returning to work. 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/

  2. Utility of qualitative research findings in evidence-based public health practice.

    PubMed

    Jack, Susan M

    2006-01-01

    Epidemiological data, derived from quantitative studies, provide important information about the causes, prevalence, risk correlates, treatment and prevention of diseases, and health issues at a population level. However, public health issues are complex in nature and quantitative research findings are insufficient to support practitioners and administrators in making evidence-informed decisions. Upshur's Synthetic Model of Evidence (2001) situates qualitative research findings as a credible source of evidence for public health practice. This article answers the following questions: (1) where does qualitative research fit within the paradigm of evidence-based practice and (2) how can qualitative research be used by public health professionals? Strategies for using qualitative research findings instrumentally, conceptually, and symbolically are identified by applying Estabrooks' (1999) conceptual structure of research utilization. Different research utilization strategies are illustrated through the use of research examples from the field of work on intimate partner violence against women. Recommendations for qualitative researchers disseminating findings and for public health practitioners/policy makers considering the use of qualitative findings as evidence to inform decisions are provided.

  3. Developing resources to support the diagnosis and management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis (CFS/ME) in primary care: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Hannon, Kerin; Peters, Sarah; Fisher, Louise; Riste, Lisa; Wearden, Alison; Lovell, Karina; Turner, Pam; Leech, Yvonne; Chew-Graham, Carolyn

    2012-09-21

    NICE guidelines emphasise the need for a confident, early diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalitis (CFS/ME) in Primary Care with management tailored to the needs of the patient. Research suggests that GPs are reluctant to make the diagnosis and resources for management are currently inadequate. This study aimed to develop resources for practitioners and patients to support the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in primary care. Semi structured interviews were conducted with patients, carers, GPs, practice nurses and CFS/ME specialists in North West England. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively using open explorative thematic coding. Two patient involvement groups were consulted at each stage of the development of resources to ensure that the resources reflect everyday issues faced by people living with CFS/ME. Patients and carers stressed the importance of recognising CFS/ME as a legitimate condition, and the need to be believed by health care professionals. GPs and practice nurses stated that they do not always have the knowledge or skills to diagnose and manage the condition. They expressed a preference for an online training package. For patients, information on getting the most out of a consultation and the role of carers was thought to be important. Patients did not want to be overloaded with information at diagnosis, and suggested information should be given in steps. A DVD was suggested, to enable information sharing with carers and family, and also for those whose symptoms act as a barrier to reading. Rather than use a top-down approach to the development of training for health care practitioners and information for patients and carers, we have used data from key stakeholders to develop a patient DVD, patient leaflets to guide symptom management and a modular e-learning resource which should equip GPs to diagnose and manage CFS/ME effectively, meet NICE guidelines and give patients acceptable

  4. The impact of conveying the diagnosis when using a biopsychosocial approach: A qualitative study among adolescents and young adults with NES (non-epileptic seizures).

    PubMed

    Karterud, Hilde Nordahl; Risør, Mette Bech; Haavet, Ole Rikard

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative study explored the impact of using a biopsychosocial approach to explain the diagnosis of non-epileptic seizures (NES). Semi-structured interviews of eleven adolescents and young adults who had participated in an inpatient follow-up stay of the diagnosis were used. The interviews were taped, transcribed, and analysed using systematic text condensation. Three key themes were identified:1."Threatened self-image": Patients initially perceived their diagnosis as being purely psychological. As they did not accept that they had mental disorders, they interpreted this as frightening and threatening, and resisted the diagnosis.2."Being believed and belief in oneself": Participants had many experiences of being suspected by healthcare providers of staging their seizures. Some had even begun to have doubts themselves as to whether the attacks were voluntary or not. Explaining that unconscious processes are involved in NES contributed towards increasing patients' feelings of being believed, and thereby acceptance of the diagnosis.3."Getting an explanation that makes sense": Some participants identified connections between their personal histories and their seizures and became seizure-free. Others found that the explanatory models gave personal meaning, but did not become seizure-free, while a few continued to doubt whether NES was the correct diagnosis. Being believed was the most elemental factor for coping with the condition. Using a biopsychosocial approach to explain the diagnosis may facilitate identification with the explanatory models, and thus acceptance of the diagnosis. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

    2017-11-01

    Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  6. Sensor fault diagnosis of aero-engine based on divided flight status

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Zhen; Zhang, Jun; Sun, Yigang; Liu, Zhexu

    2017-11-01

    Fault diagnosis and safety analysis of an aero-engine have attracted more and more attention in modern society, whose safety directly affects the flight safety of an aircraft. In this paper, the problem concerning sensor fault diagnosis is investigated for an aero-engine during the whole flight process. Considering that the aero-engine is always working in different status through the whole flight process, a flight status division-based sensor fault diagnosis method is presented to improve fault diagnosis precision for the aero-engine. First, aero-engine status is partitioned according to normal sensor data during the whole flight process through the clustering algorithm. Based on that, a diagnosis model is built for each status using the principal component analysis algorithm. Finally, the sensors are monitored using the built diagnosis models by identifying the aero-engine status. The simulation result illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  7. Smartphone-based multispectral imaging: system development and potential for mobile skin diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Sewoong; Cho, Dongrae; Kim, Jihun; Kim, Manjae; Youn, Sangyeon; Jang, Jae Eun; Je, Minkyu; Lee, Dong Hun; Lee, Boreom; Farkas, Daniel L.; Hwang, Jae Youn

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the potential of mobile smartphone-based multispectral imaging for the quantitative diagnosis and management of skin lesions. Recently, various mobile devices such as a smartphone have emerged as healthcare tools. They have been applied for the early diagnosis of nonmalignant and malignant skin diseases. Particularly, when they are combined with an advanced optical imaging technique such as multispectral imaging and analysis, it would be beneficial for the early diagnosis of such skin diseases and for further quantitative prognosis monitoring after treatment at home. Thus, we demonstrate here the development of a smartphone-based multispectral imaging system with high portability and its potential for mobile skin diagnosis. The results suggest that smartphone-based multispectral imaging and analysis has great potential as a healthcare tool for quantitative mobile skin diagnosis. PMID:28018743

  8. Smartphone-based multispectral imaging: system development and potential for mobile skin diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sewoong; Cho, Dongrae; Kim, Jihun; Kim, Manjae; Youn, Sangyeon; Jang, Jae Eun; Je, Minkyu; Lee, Dong Hun; Lee, Boreom; Farkas, Daniel L; Hwang, Jae Youn

    2016-12-01

    We investigate the potential of mobile smartphone-based multispectral imaging for the quantitative diagnosis and management of skin lesions. Recently, various mobile devices such as a smartphone have emerged as healthcare tools. They have been applied for the early diagnosis of nonmalignant and malignant skin diseases. Particularly, when they are combined with an advanced optical imaging technique such as multispectral imaging and analysis, it would be beneficial for the early diagnosis of such skin diseases and for further quantitative prognosis monitoring after treatment at home. Thus, we demonstrate here the development of a smartphone-based multispectral imaging system with high portability and its potential for mobile skin diagnosis. The results suggest that smartphone-based multispectral imaging and analysis has great potential as a healthcare tool for quantitative mobile skin diagnosis.

  9. Breath analysis based on micropreconcentrator for early cancer diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Sang-Seok

    2018-02-01

    We are developing micropreconcentrators based on micro/nanotechnology to detect trace levels of volatile organic compound (VOC) gases contained in human and canine exhaled breath. The possibility of using exhaled VOC gases as biomarkers for various cancer diagnoses has been previously discussed. For early cancer diagnosis, detection of trace levels of VOC gas is indispensable. Using micropreconcentrators based on MEMS technology or nanotechnology is very promising for detection of VOC gas. A micropreconcentrator based breath analysis technique also has advantages from the viewpoints of cost performance and availability for various cancers diagnosis. In this paper, we introduce design, fabrication and evaluation results of our MEMS and nanotechnology based micropreconcentrators. In the MEMS based device, we propose a flower leaf type Si microstructure, and its shape and configuration are optimized quantitatively by finite element method simulation. The nanotechnology based micropreconcentrator consists of carbon nanotube (CNT) structures. As a result, we achieve ppb level VOC gas detection with our micropreconcentrators and usual gas chromatography system that can detect on the order of ppm VOC in gas samples. In performance evaluation, we also confirm that the CNT based micropreconcentrator shows 115 times better concentration ratio than that of the Si based micropreconcentrator. Moreover, we discuss a commercialization idea for new cancer diagnosis using breath analysis. Future work and preliminary clinical testing in dogs is also discussed.

  10. Research of Litchi Diseases Diagnosis Expertsystem Based on Rbr and Cbr

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Bing; Liu, Liqun

    To conquer the bottleneck problems existing in the traditional rule-based reasoning diseases diagnosis system, such as low reasoning efficiency and lack of flexibility, etc.. It researched the integrated case-based reasoning (CBR) and rule-based reasoning (RBR) technology, and put forward a litchi diseases diagnosis expert system (LDDES) with integrated reasoning method. The method use data mining and knowledge obtaining technology to establish knowledge base and case library. It adopt rules to instruct the retrieval and matching for CBR, and use association rule and decision trees algorithm to calculate case similarity.The experiment shows that the method can increase the system's flexibility and reasoning ability, and improve the accuracy of litchi diseases diagnosis.

  11. Event-Based Processing of Neutron Scattering Data

    DOE PAGES

    Peterson, Peter F.; Campbell, Stuart I.; Reuter, Michael A.; ...

    2015-09-16

    Many of the world's time-of-flight spallation neutrons sources are migrating to the recording of individual neutron events. This provides for new opportunities in data processing, the least of which is to filter the events based on correlating them with logs of sample environment and other ancillary equipment. This paper will describe techniques for processing neutron scattering data acquired in event mode that preserve event information all the way to a final spectrum, including any necessary corrections or normalizations. This results in smaller final errors, while significantly reducing processing time and memory requirements in typical experiments. Results with traditional histogramming techniquesmore » will be shown for comparison.« less

  12. Dysphonia, Perceived Control, and Psychosocial Distress: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Misono, Stephanie; Haut, Caroline; Meredith, Liza; Frazier, Patricia A; Stockness, Ali; Michael, Deirdre D; Butcher, Lisa; Harwood, Eileen M

    2018-05-11

    The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine relationships between psychological factors, particularly perceived control, and voice symptoms in adults seeking treatment for a voice problem. Semistructured interviews of adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia were conducted and transcribed. Follow-up interviews were conducted as needed for further information or clarification. A multidisciplinary team analyzed interview content using inductive techniques. Common themes and subthemes were identified. A conceptual model was developed describing the association between voice symptoms, psychological factors, precipitants of ongoing voice symptoms, and perceived control. Thematic saturation was reached after 23 interviews. No participants reported a direct psychological cause for their voice problem, although half described significant life events preceding voice problem onset (eg, miscarriage and other health events, interpersonal conflicts, and family members' illnesses, injuries, and deaths). Participants described psychological influences on voice symptoms that led to rapid exacerbation of their voice symptoms. Participants described the helpfulness of speech therapy and sometimes also challenges of applying techniques in daily life. They also discussed personal coping strategies that included behavioral (eg, avoiding triggers and seeking social support) and psychological (eg, mind-body awareness and emotion regulation) components. Voice-related perceived control was associated with adaptive emotional and behavioral responses, which appeared to facilitate symptom improvement. In this qualitative pilot study, participant narratives suggested that psychological factors and emotions influence voice symptoms, facilitating development of a preliminary conceptual model of how adaptive and maladaptive responses develop and how they influence vocal function. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

  13. Incidence and economic burden of suspected adverse events and adverse event monitoring during AF therapy.

    PubMed

    Kim, M H; Lin, J; Hussein, M; Battleman, D

    2009-12-01

    Rhythm- and rate-control therapies are an essential part of atrial fibrillation (AF) management; however, the use of existing agents is often limited by the occurrence of adverse events. The aim of this study was to evaluate suspected adverse events and adverse event monitoring, and associated medical costs, in patients receiving AF rhythm-control and/or rate-control therapy. This retrospective cohort study used claims data from the Integrated Healthcare Information Systems National Managed Care Benchmark Database from 2002-2006. Patients hospitalized for AF (primary diagnosis), and who had at least 365 days' enrollment before and after the initial (index) AF hospitalization, were included in the analysis. Suspected AF therapy-related adverse events and function tests for adverse event monitoring were identified according to pre-specified diagnosis codes/procedures, and examined over the 12 months following discharge from the index hospitalization. Events/function tests had to have occurred within 90 days of a claim for AF therapy to be considered a suspected adverse event/adverse event monitoring. Of 4174 AF patients meeting the study criteria, 3323 received AF drugs; 428 received rhythm-control only (12.9%), 2130 rate-control only (64.1%), and 765 combined rhythm/rate-control therapy (23.0%). Overall, 50.1% of treated patients had a suspected adverse event and/or function test for adverse event monitoring (45.5% with rate-control, 53.5% with rhythm-control, and 61.2% with combined rhythm/rate-control). Suspected cardiovascular adverse events were the most common events (occurring in 36.1% of patients), followed by pulmonary (6.1%), and endocrine events (5.9%). Overall, suspected adverse events/function tests were associated with mean annual per-patient costs of $3089 ($1750 with rhythm-control, $2041 with rate control, and $6755 with combined rhythm/rate-control). As a retrospective analysis, the study is subject to potential selection bias, while its reliance on

  14. An Integrated Framework for Model-Based Distributed Diagnosis and Prognosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bregon, Anibal; Daigle, Matthew J.; Roychoudhury, Indranil

    2012-01-01

    Diagnosis and prognosis are necessary tasks for system reconfiguration and fault-adaptive control in complex systems. Diagnosis consists of detection, isolation and identification of faults, while prognosis consists of prediction of the remaining useful life of systems. This paper presents a novel integrated framework for model-based distributed diagnosis and prognosis, where system decomposition is used to enable the diagnosis and prognosis tasks to be performed in a distributed way. We show how different submodels can be automatically constructed to solve the local diagnosis and prognosis problems. We illustrate our approach using a simulated four-wheeled rover for different fault scenarios. Our experiments show that our approach correctly performs distributed fault diagnosis and prognosis in an efficient and robust manner.

  15. Self-calibrating models for dynamic monitoring and diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuipers, Benjamin

    1996-01-01

    A method for automatically building qualitative and semi-quantitative models of dynamic systems, and using them for monitoring and fault diagnosis, is developed and demonstrated. The qualitative approach and semi-quantitative method are applied to monitoring observation streams, and to design of non-linear control systems.

  16. A study of preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a discrepant-event-based physical science class

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lilly, James Edward

    This research evaluated the POWERFUL IDEAS IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PIiPS) curriculum model used to develop a physical science course taken by preservice elementary teachers. The focus was on the evaluation of discrepant events used to induce conceptual change in relation to students' ideas concerning heat, temperature, and specific heat. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used for the analysis. Data was collected during the 1998 Fall semester using two classes of physical science for elementary school teachers. The traditionally taught class served as the control group and the class using the PIiPS curriculum model was the experimental group. The PIiPS curriculum model was evaluated quantitatively for its influence on students' attitude toward science, anxiety towards teaching science, self efficacy toward teaching science, and content knowledge. An analysis of covariance was performed on the quantitative data to test for significant differences between the means of the posttests for the control and experimental groups while controlling for pretest. It was found that there were no significant differences between the means of the control and experimental groups with respect to changes in their attitude toward science, anxiety toward teaching science and self efficacy toward teaching science. A significant difference between the means of the content examination was found (F(1,28) = 14.202 and p = 0.001), however, the result is questionable. The heat and energy module was the target for qualitative scrutiny. Coding for discrepant events was adapted from Appleton's 1996 work on student's responses to discrepant event science lessons. The following qualitative questions were posed for the investigation: (1) what were the ideas of the preservice elementary students prior to entering the classroom regarding heat and energy, (2) how effective were the discrepant events as presented in the PIiPS heat and energy module, and (3) how much does the "risk taking

  17. Health economic evaluation of plasma oxysterol screening in the diagnosis of Niemann-Pick Type C disease among intellectually disabled using discrete event simulation.

    PubMed

    van Karnebeek, Clara D M; Mohammadi, Tima; Tsao, Nicole; Sinclair, Graham; Sirrs, Sandra; Stockler, Sylvia; Marra, Carlo

    2015-02-01

    Recently a less invasive method of screening and diagnosing Niemann-Pick C (NP-C) disease has emerged. This approach involves the use of a metabolic screening test (oxysterol assay) instead of the current practice of clinical assessment of patients suspected of NP-C (review of medical history, family history and clinical examination for the signs and symptoms). Our objective is to compare costs and outcomes of plasma oxysterol screening versus current practice in diagnosis of NP-C disease among intellectually disabled (ID) patients using decision-analytic methods. A discrete event simulation model was conducted to follow ID patients through the diagnosis and treatment of NP-C, forecast the costs and effectiveness for a cohort of ID patients and compare the outcomes and costs in two different arms of the model: plasma oxysterol screening and routine diagnosis procedure (anno 2013) over 5 years of follow up. Data from published sources and clinical trials were used in simulation model. Unit costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were discounted at a 3% annual rate in the base case analysis. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. The outcomes of the base case model showed that using plasma oxysterol screening for diagnosis of NP-C disease among ID patients is a dominant strategy. It would result in lower total cost and would slightly improve patients' quality of life. The average amount of cost saving was $3642 CAD and the incremental QALYs per each individual ID patient in oxysterol screening arm versus current practice of diagnosis NP-C was 0.0022 QALYs. Results of sensitivity analysis demonstrated robustness of the outcomes over the wide range of changes in model inputs. Whilst acknowledging the limitations of this study, we conclude that screening ID children and adolescents with oxysterol tests compared to current practice for the diagnosis of NP-C is a dominant strategy with clinical and economic benefits. The less costly

  18. A qualitative study of life events and psychological needs underlying the decision to have cosmetic surgery.

    PubMed

    Locatelli, Katia; Boccara, David; De Runz, Antoine; Fournier, Mathilde; Chaouat, Marc; Villa, François; Mimoun, Maurice

    2017-01-01

    Objective A thorough psychological assessment of patients requesting cosmetic surgery can help to protect them from the risk of postoperative dissatisfaction and the onset and/or aggravation of psychiatric disorders. This study seeks to shed more light on why people desire cosmetic surgery and thus help surgeons, psychiatrists, and psychologists to conduct assessments before surgery. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 subjects who requested cosmetic surgery. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and then analyzed qualitatively with Grounded Theory. Themes and categories were identified and compared in logical order, to build a consistent theoretical model. Results In each interview, we identified one or more recent events that the subjects considered to be contributing factors in their decisions to have cosmetic surgery. We observed that 33 of 35 patients said they sought cosmetic surgery at a time when they were experiencing, or had just experienced, one or more major changes in their bodies or their relationships. Recent life events triggered or strengthened specific psychological needs in the subjects: to cope with the past and with change, attain a consistent identity, find or regain a positive self-image, alter others' perceptions, define themselves in relation to others, or please themselves or others. Patients said that they chose plastic surgery to fulfill one or more of these needs. Conclusions This study identifies the role of recent events in inciting individuals to resort to cosmetic surgery. This factor provides new perspectives for surgeons to understand those patients and opens new avenues for research.

  19. Application of Haddon's matrix in qualitative research methodology: an experience in burns epidemiology.

    PubMed

    Deljavan, Reza; Sadeghi-Bazargani, Homayoun; Fouladi, Nasrin; Arshi, Shahnam; Mohammadi, Reza

    2012-01-01

    Little has been done to investigate the application of injury specific qualitative research methods in the field of burn injuries. The aim of this study was to use an analytical tool (Haddon's matrix) through qualitative research methods to better understand people's perceptions about burn injuries. This study applied Haddon's matrix as a framework and an analytical tool for a qualitative research methodology in burn research. Both child and adult burn injury victims were enrolled into a qualitative study conducted using focus group discussion. Haddon's matrix was used to develop an interview guide and also through the analysis phase. The main analysis clusters were pre-event level/human (including risky behaviors, belief and cultural factors, and knowledge and education), pre-event level/object, pre-event phase/environment and event and post-event phase (including fire control, emergency scald and burn wound management, traditional remedies, medical consultation, and severity indicators). This research gave rise to results that are possibly useful both for future injury research and for designing burn injury prevention plans. Haddon's matrix is applicable in a qualitative research methodology both at data collection and data analysis phases. The study using Haddon's matrix through a qualitative research methodology yielded substantially rich information regarding burn injuries that may possibly be useful for prevention or future quantitative research.

  20. Qualitative models for space system engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forbus, Kenneth D.

    1990-01-01

    The objectives of this project were: (1) to investigate the implications of qualitative modeling techniques for problems arising in the monitoring, diagnosis, and design of Space Station subsystems and procedures; (2) to identify the issues involved in using qualitative models to enhance and automate engineering functions. These issues include representing operational criteria, fault models, alternate ontologies, and modeling continuous signals at a functional level of description; and (3) to develop a prototype collection of qualitative models for fluid and thermal systems commonly found in Space Station subsystems. Potential applications of qualitative modeling to space-systems engineering, including the notion of intelligent computer-aided engineering are summarized. Emphasis is given to determining which systems of the proposed Space Station provide the most leverage for study, given the current state of the art. Progress on using qualitative models, including development of the molecular collection ontology for reasoning about fluids, the interaction of qualitative and quantitative knowledge in analyzing thermodynamic cycles, and an experiment on building a natural language interface to qualitative reasoning is reported. Finally, some recommendations are made for future research.

  1. Disclosure, stigma of HIV positive child and access to early infant diagnosis in the rural communities of OR Tambo District, South Africa: a qualitative exploration of maternal perspective.

    PubMed

    Adeniyi, Vincent Oladele; Thomson, Elza; Ter Goon, Daniel; Ajayi, Idowu Anthony

    2015-08-26

    Despite the overwhelming evidence confirming the morbidity and mortality benefits of early initiation of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected infants, some children are still disadvantaged from gaining access to care. The understanding of the maternal perspective on early infant HIV diagnosis and prompt initiation of HAART has not been adequately explored, especially in the rural communities of South Africa. This study explores the perspectives of mothers of HIV-exposed infants with regard to early infant diagnosis (EID) through a lens of social and structural barriers to accessing primary healthcare in OR Tambo district, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In this qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured interviews at two primary healthcare centres in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality of the OR Tambo district, South Africa. Twenty-four purposive sample of mothers of HIV-exposed infants took part in the study. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and field notes were obtained. The findings were triangulated with two focus group discussions in order to enrich and validate the qualitative data. Thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the data. The participants have fairly good knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the risks during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. The majority of participants were confident of the protection offered by anti-retroviral drugs provided during pregnancy, however, lack knowledge of optimal time for early infant diagnosis of HIV. Reasons for not accessing EID included fear of finding out that their child is HIV positive, feelings of guilt and/or shame and embarrassment with respect to raising an HIV infected infant. Personal experiences of HIV diagnosis and HAART were associated with participants' attitudes and beliefs toward care-seeking behaviours. Stigma resulting from their own disclosure to others reduced their likelihood of recommending EID to other members of

  2. Design of virtual simulation experiment based on key events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, Zheng; Zhou, Dongbo; Song, Lingxiu

    2018-06-01

    Considering complex content and lacking of guidance in virtual simulation experiments, the key event technology in VR narrative theory was introduced for virtual simulation experiment to enhance fidelity and vividness process. Based on the VR narrative technology, an event transition structure was designed to meet the need of experimental operation process, and an interactive event processing model was used to generate key events in interactive scene. The experiment of" margin value of bees foraging" based on Biologic morphology was taken as an example, many objects, behaviors and other contents were reorganized. The result shows that this method can enhance the user's experience and ensure experimental process complete and effectively.

  3. Mapping patients' experiences from initial symptoms to gout diagnosis: a qualitative exploration.

    PubMed

    Liddle, Jennifer; Roddy, Edward; Mallen, Christian D; Hider, Samantha L; Prinjha, Suman; Ziebland, Sue; Richardson, Jane C

    2015-09-14

    To explore patients' experiences from initial symptoms to receiving a diagnosis of gout. Data from in-depth semistructured interviews were used to construct themes to describe key features of patients' experiences of gout diagnosis. A maximum variation sample of 43 UK patients with gout (29 men; 14 women; age range 32-87 years) were recruited from general practices, rheumatology clinics, gout support groups and through online advertising. Severe joint pain, combined with no obvious signs of physical trauma or knowledge of injury, caused confusion for patients attempting to interpret their symptoms. Reasons for delayed consultation included self-diagnosis and/or self-medication, reluctance to seek medical attention, and financial/work pressures. Factors potentially contributing to delayed diagnosis after consultation included reported misdiagnosis, attacks in joints other than the first metatarsophalangeal joint, and female gender. The limitations in using serum uric acid (SUA) levels for diagnostic purposes were not always communicated effectively to patients, and led to uncertainty and lack of confidence in the accuracy of the diagnosis. Resistance to the diagnosis occurred in response to patients' beliefs about the causes of gout and characteristics of the people likely to be affected. Diagnosis prompted actions, such as changes in diet, and evidence was found of self-monitoring of SUA levels. This study is the first to report data specifically about patients' pathways to initial consultation and subsequent experiences of gout diagnosis. A more targeted approach to information provision at diagnosis would improve patients' experiences. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  4. Sharing news of a lung cancer diagnosis with adult family members and friends: a qualitative study to inform a supportive intervention.

    PubMed

    Ewing, Gail; Ngwenya, Nothando; Benson, John; Gilligan, David; Bailey, Susan; Seymour, Jane; Farquhar, Morag

    2016-03-01

    Extensive research exists on breaking bad news by clinicians. This study examines perspectives of patients and those accompanying them at diagnosis-giving of subsequently sharing news of lung cancer with adult family/friends, and views of healthcare professionals, to inform development of a supportive intervention. Qualitative interviews with 20 patients, 17 accompanying persons; focus groups and interviews with 27 healthcare professionals from four Thoracic Oncology Units. Intervention development workshops with 24 healthcare professionals and six service users with experience of sharing a cancer diagnosis. Framework thematic analysis. Patients and accompanying persons shared news of lung cancer whilst coming to terms with the diagnosis. They recalled general support from healthcare professionals but not support with sharing bad news. Six elements were identified providing a framework for a potential intervention: 1-people to be told, 2-information to be shared, 3-timing of sharing, 4-responsibility for sharing, 5-methods of telling others and 6-reactions of those told. This study identifies the challenge of sharing bad news and a potential framework to guide delivery of a supportive intervention tailored to individual needs of patients. The identified framework could extend the portfolio of guidance on communication in cancer and potentially in other life-limiting conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Classification of cassava genotypes based on qualitative and quantitative data.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, E J; Oliveira Filho, O S; Santos, V S

    2015-02-02

    We evaluated the genetic variation of cassava accessions based on qualitative (binomial and multicategorical) and quantitative traits (continuous). We characterized 95 accessions obtained from the Cassava Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura; we evaluated these accessions for 13 continuous, 10 binary, and 25 multicategorical traits. First, we analyzed the accessions based only on quantitative traits; next, we conducted joint analysis (qualitative and quantitative traits) based on the Ward-MLM method, which performs clustering in two stages. According to the pseudo-F, pseudo-t2, and maximum likelihood criteria, we identified five and four groups based on quantitative trait and joint analysis, respectively. The smaller number of groups identified based on joint analysis may be related to the nature of the data. On the other hand, quantitative data are more subject to environmental effects in the phenotype expression; this results in the absence of genetic differences, thereby contributing to greater differentiation among accessions. For most of the accessions, the maximum probability of classification was >0.90, independent of the trait analyzed, indicating a good fit of the clustering method. Differences in clustering according to the type of data implied that analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits in cassava germplasm might explore different genomic regions. On the other hand, when joint analysis was used, the means and ranges of genetic distances were high, indicating that the Ward-MLM method is very useful for clustering genotypes when there are several phenotypic traits, such as in the case of genetic resources and breeding programs.

  6. SDG and qualitative trend based model multiple scale validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Dong; Xu, Xin; Yin, Jianjin; Zhang, Hongyu; Zhang, Beike

    2017-09-01

    Verification, Validation and Accreditation (VV&A) is key technology of simulation and modelling. For the traditional model validation methods, the completeness is weak; it is carried out in one scale; it depends on human experience. The SDG (Signed Directed Graph) and qualitative trend based multiple scale validation is proposed. First the SDG model is built and qualitative trends are added to the model. And then complete testing scenarios are produced by positive inference. The multiple scale validation is carried out by comparing the testing scenarios with outputs of simulation model in different scales. Finally, the effectiveness is proved by carrying out validation for a reactor model.

  7. Development of a GCR Event-based Risk Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cucinotta, Francis A.; Ponomarev, Artem L.; Plante, Ianik; Carra, Claudio; Kim, Myung-Hee

    2009-01-01

    A goal at NASA is to develop event-based systems biology models of space radiation risks that will replace the current dose-based empirical models. Complex and varied biochemical signaling processes transmit the initial DNA and oxidative damage from space radiation into cellular and tissue responses. Mis-repaired damage or aberrant signals can lead to genomic instability, persistent oxidative stress or inflammation, which are causative of cancer and CNS risks. Protective signaling through adaptive responses or cell repopulation is also possible. We are developing a computational simulation approach to galactic cosmic ray (GCR) effects that is based on biological events rather than average quantities such as dose, fluence, or dose equivalent. The goal of the GCR Event-based Risk Model (GERMcode) is to provide a simulation tool to describe and integrate physical and biological events into stochastic models of space radiation risks. We used the quantum multiple scattering model of heavy ion fragmentation (QMSFRG) and well known energy loss processes to develop a stochastic Monte-Carlo based model of GCR transport in spacecraft shielding and tissue. We validated the accuracy of the model by comparing to physical data from the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL). Our simulation approach allows us to time-tag each GCR proton or heavy ion interaction in tissue including correlated secondary ions often of high multiplicity. Conventional space radiation risk assessment employs average quantities, and assumes linearity and additivity of responses over the complete range of GCR charge and energies. To investigate possible deviations from these assumptions, we studied several biological response pathway models of varying induction and relaxation times including the ATM, TGF -Smad, and WNT signaling pathways. We then considered small volumes of interacting cells and the time-dependent biophysical events that the GCR would produce within these tissue volumes to estimate how

  8. Event Driven Messaging with Role-Based Subscriptions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bui, Tung; Bui, Bach; Malhotra, Shantanu; Chen, Fannie; Kim, rachel; Allen, Christopher; Luong, Ivy; Chang, George; Zendejas, Silvino; Sadaqathulla, Syed

    2009-01-01

    Event Driven Messaging with Role-Based Subscriptions (EDM-RBS) is a framework integrated into the Service Management Database (SMDB) to allow for role-based and subscription-based delivery of synchronous and asynchronous messages over JMS (Java Messaging Service), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), or SMS (Short Messaging Service). This allows for 24/7 operation with users in all parts of the world. The software classifies messages by triggering data type, application source, owner of data triggering event (mission), classification, sub-classification and various other secondary classifying tags. Messages are routed to applications or users based on subscription rules using a combination of the above message attributes. This program provides a framework for identifying connected users and their applications for targeted delivery of messages over JMS to the client applications the user is logged into. EDMRBS provides the ability to send notifications over e-mail or pager rather than having to rely on a live human to do it. It is implemented as an Oracle application that uses Oracle relational database management system intrinsic functions. It is configurable to use Oracle AQ JMS API or an external JMS provider for messaging. It fully integrates into the event-logging framework of SMDB (Subnet Management Database).

  9. Qualitative Methods to Advance Care, Diagnosis, and Therapy in Rheumatic Diseases.

    PubMed

    Saketkoo, Lesley Ann; Pauling, John D

    2018-05-01

    This article provides an overview of the basis, usefulness, and validity of qualitative methods in research. It is aimed to enhance the understanding of a broad spectrum of readers, ranging from those mystified by such approaches, to those wanting a better critical knowledge to apply to literature review, and for health care providers considering developing an interest in the field. Qualitative research is crucial in augmentation of disease knowledge as well as the development of incremental care strategies and operational aspects of care that improves health outcomes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Assessing the continuum of event-based biosurveillance through an operational lens.

    PubMed

    Corley, Courtney D; Lancaster, Mary J; Brigantic, Robert T; Chung, James S; Walters, Ronald A; Arthur, Ray R; Bruckner-Lea, Cynthia J; Calapristi, Augustin; Dowling, Glenn; Hartley, David M; Kennedy, Shaun; Kircher, Amy; Klucking, Sara; Lee, Eva K; McKenzie, Taylor; Nelson, Noele P; Olsen, Jennifer; Pancerella, Carmen; Quitugua, Teresa N; Reed, Jeremy Todd; Thomas, Carla S

    2012-03-01

    This research follows the Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems, Recommendations from the Guidelines Working Group, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly a decade ago. Since then, models have been developed and complex systems have evolved with a breadth of disparate data to detect or forecast chemical, biological, and radiological events that have a significant impact on the One Health landscape. How the attributes identified in 2001 relate to the new range of event-based biosurveillance technologies is unclear. This article frames the continuum of event-based biosurveillance systems (that fuse media reports from the internet), models (ie, computational that forecast disease occurrence), and constructs (ie, descriptive analytical reports) through an operational lens (ie, aspects and attributes associated with operational considerations in the development, testing, and validation of the event-based biosurveillance methods and models and their use in an operational environment). A workshop was held in 2010 to scientifically identify, develop, and vet a set of attributes for event-based biosurveillance. Subject matter experts were invited from 7 federal government agencies and 6 different academic institutions pursuing research in biosurveillance event detection. We describe 8 attribute families for the characterization of event-based biosurveillance: event, readiness, operational aspects, geographic coverage, population coverage, input data, output, and cost. Ultimately, the analyses provide a framework from which the broad scope, complexity, and relevant issues germane to event-based biosurveillance useful in an operational environment can be characterized.

  11. Assessment of acute myocarditis by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: Comparison of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods.

    PubMed

    Imbriaco, Massimo; Nappi, Carmela; Puglia, Marta; De Giorgi, Marco; Dell'Aversana, Serena; Cuocolo, Renato; Ponsiglione, Andrea; De Giorgi, Igino; Polito, Maria Vincenza; Klain, Michele; Piscione, Federico; Pace, Leonardo; Cuocolo, Alberto

    2017-10-26

    To compare cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for the noninvasive assessment of myocardial inflammation in patients with suspected acute myocarditis (AM). A total of 61 patients with suspected AM underwent coronary angiography and CMR. Qualitative analysis was performed applying Lake-Louise Criteria (LLC), followed by quantitative analysis based on the evaluation of edema ratio (ER) and global relative enhancement (RE). Diagnostic performance was assessed for each method by measuring the area under the curves (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic analyses. The final diagnosis of AM was based on symptoms and signs suggestive of cardiac disease, evidence of myocardial injury as defined by electrocardiogram changes, elevated troponin I, exclusion of coronary artery disease by coronary angiography, and clinical and echocardiographic follow-up at 3 months after admission to the chest pain unit. In all patients, coronary angiography did not show significant coronary artery stenosis. Troponin I levels and creatine kinase were higher in patients with AM compared to those without (both P < .001). There were no significant differences among LLC, T2-weighted short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR) sequences, early (EGE), and late (LGE) gadolinium-enhancement sequences for diagnosis of AM. The AUC for qualitative (T2-weighted STIR 0.92, EGE 0.87 and LGE 0.88) and quantitative (ER 0.89 and global RE 0.80) analyses were also similar. Qualitative and quantitative CMR analysis methods show similar diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of AM. These findings suggest that a simplified approach using a shortened CMR protocol including only T2-weighted STIR sequences might be useful to rule out AM in patients with acute coronary syndrome and normal coronary angiography.

  12. Communication at pediatric rapid response events: a survey of health care providers.

    PubMed

    McCrory, Michael C; Aboumatar, Hanan A; Hunt, Elizabeth A

    2015-06-01

    The objective of this study was to explore perceptions of communication quality at pediatric rapid response events and to determine whether these perceptions differed between rapid response team (RRT) members (RRTm) and floor providers (FP). This survey study was conducted of clinical providers involved in RRT events at a tertiary care children's hospital. Perceptions of RRT communication were assessed by using a 5-point Likert scale, and qualitative comments were collected. Responses were compared between RRTm (responder nurses and intensive care fellows) and FP (floor nurses and resident physicians). Survey response was 64% (18 of 28) for RRTm and 70% (194 of 278) for FP. RRTm gave lower ratings than FP for communication of: (1) the purpose of the call; (2) airway and breathing; (3) circulation; (4) background information; and (5) possible diagnosis and treatment. RRTm were more likely than FP to indicate that description of background information delayed communication of critical management problems ("often": RRTm, 7 of 17 [41%]; FP, 23 of 175 [13%]; "always": RRTm, 2 of 18 [12%]; FP, 19 of 175 [11%]; P=.001 for overall comparison). A structured approach for communication was generally supported, although less strongly among floor nurses. Themes from qualitative responses included role confusion, fractured room entry, and a dismissive attitude by RRTm. A disconnect in perceived quality of communication was observed between RRTm and FP at pediatric rapid response events. A structured approach with well-defined roles may improve communication quality. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  13. Using internet-based approaches to collect qualitative data from vulnerable groups: reflections from the field.

    PubMed

    Neville, Stephen; Adams, Jeffery; Cook, Catherine

    2016-12-01

    Undertaking qualitative research with vulnerable populations is a complex and challenging process for researchers. Traditional and common modes of collecting qualitative data with these groups have been via face-to-face recorded interviews. This article reports on three internet-based data collection methods; email and synchronous online interviews, as well as online qualitative survey. The key characteristics of using email, sychronous online interviews and an online qualitative survey including the strengths and limitations of each are presented. Reflections and insights on the use of these internet-based data collection methods are provided to encourage researchers to embrace technology and move away from using traditional face-to-face interviews when researching with vulnerable populations. Using the internet to collect qualitative data offers additional ways to gather qualitative data over traditional data collection methods. The use of alternative interview methods may encourage participation of vulnerable participants.

  14. Self-calibrating models for dynamic monitoring and diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuipers, Benjamin

    1994-01-01

    The present goal in qualitative reasoning is to develop methods for automatically building qualitative and semiquantitative models of dynamic systems and to use them for monitoring and fault diagnosis. The qualitative approach to modeling provides a guarantee of coverage while our semiquantitative methods support convergence toward a numerical model as observations are accumulated. We have developed and applied methods for automatic creation of qualitative models, developed two methods for obtaining tractable results on problems that were previously intractable for qualitative simulation, and developed more powerful methods for learning semiquantitative models from observations and deriving semiquantitative predictions from them. With these advances, qualitative reasoning comes significantly closer to realizing its aims as a practical engineering method.

  15. Synthesising quantitative and qualitative research in evidence-based patient information.

    PubMed

    Goldsmith, Megan R; Bankhead, Clare R; Austoker, Joan

    2007-03-01

    Systematic reviews have, in the past, focused on quantitative studies and clinical effectiveness, while excluding qualitative evidence. Qualitative research can inform evidence-based practice independently of other research methodologies but methods for the synthesis of such data are currently evolving. Synthesising quantitative and qualitative research in a single review is an important methodological challenge. This paper describes the review methods developed and the difficulties encountered during the process of updating a systematic review of evidence to inform guidelines for the content of patient information related to cervical screening. Systematic searches of 12 electronic databases (January 1996 to July 2004) were conducted. Studies that evaluated the content of information provided to women about cervical screening or that addressed women's information needs were assessed for inclusion. A data extraction form and quality assessment criteria were developed from published resources. A non-quantitative synthesis was conducted and a tabular evidence profile for each important outcome (eg "explain what the test involves") was prepared. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome was then assessed using an approach published by the GRADE working group, which was adapted to suit the review questions and modified to include qualitative research evidence. Quantitative and qualitative studies were considered separately for every outcome. 32 papers were included in the systematic review following data extraction and assessment of methodological quality. The review questions were best answered by evidence from a range of data sources. The inclusion of qualitative research, which was often highly relevant and specific to many components of the screening information materials, enabled the production of a set of recommendations that will directly affect policy within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. A practical example is provided of how quantitative and

  16. Synthesising quantitative and qualitative research in evidence‐based patient information

    PubMed Central

    Goldsmith, Megan R; Bankhead, Clare R; Austoker, Joan

    2007-01-01

    Background Systematic reviews have, in the past, focused on quantitative studies and clinical effectiveness, while excluding qualitative evidence. Qualitative research can inform evidence‐based practice independently of other research methodologies but methods for the synthesis of such data are currently evolving. Synthesising quantitative and qualitative research in a single review is an important methodological challenge. Aims This paper describes the review methods developed and the difficulties encountered during the process of updating a systematic review of evidence to inform guidelines for the content of patient information related to cervical screening. Methods Systematic searches of 12 electronic databases (January 1996 to July 2004) were conducted. Studies that evaluated the content of information provided to women about cervical screening or that addressed women's information needs were assessed for inclusion. A data extraction form and quality assessment criteria were developed from published resources. A non‐quantitative synthesis was conducted and a tabular evidence profile for each important outcome (eg “explain what the test involves”) was prepared. The overall quality of evidence for each outcome was then assessed using an approach published by the GRADE working group, which was adapted to suit the review questions and modified to include qualitative research evidence. Quantitative and qualitative studies were considered separately for every outcome. Results 32 papers were included in the systematic review following data extraction and assessment of methodological quality. The review questions were best answered by evidence from a range of data sources. The inclusion of qualitative research, which was often highly relevant and specific to many components of the screening information materials, enabled the production of a set of recommendations that will directly affect policy within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. Conclusions A

  17. Pathways to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment initiation: a qualitative comparison of patients' experiences in the era of rapid molecular diagnostic tests.

    PubMed

    Naidoo, Pren; van Niekerk, Margaret; du Toit, Elizabeth; Beyers, Nulda; Leon, Natalie

    2015-10-28

    Although new molecular diagnostic tests such as GenoType MTBDRplus and Xpert® MTB/RIF have reduced multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment initiation times, patients' experiences of diagnosis and treatment initiation are not known. This study aimed to explore and compare MDR-TB patients' experiences of their diagnostic and treatment initiation pathway in GenoType MTBDRplus and Xpert® MTB/RIF-based diagnostic algorithms. The study was undertaken in Cape Town, South Africa where primary health-care services provided free TB diagnosis and treatment. A smear, culture and GenoType MTBDRplus diagnostic algorithm was used in 2010, with Xpert® MTB/RIF phased in from 2011-2013. Participants diagnosed in each algorithm at four facilities were purposively sampled, stratifying by age, gender and MDR-TB risk profiles. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Through constant comparative analysis we induced common and divergent themes related to symptom recognition, health-care access, testing for MDR-TB and treatment initiation within and between groups. Data were triangulated with clinical information and health visit data from a structured questionnaire. We identified both enablers and barriers to early MDR-TB diagnosis and treatment. Half the patients had previously been treated for TB; most recognised recurring symptoms and reported early health-seeking. Those who attributed symptoms to other causes delayed health-seeking. Perceptions of poor public sector services were prevalent and may have contributed both to deferred health-seeking and to patient's use of the private sector, contributing to delays. However, once on treatment, most patients expressed satisfaction with public sector care. Two patients in the Xpert® MTB/RIF-based algorithm exemplified its potential to reduce delays, commencing MDR-TB treatment within a week of their first health contact. However, most patients in both algorithms experienced

  18. Model-Based Diagnosis in a Power Distribution Test-Bed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scarl, E.; McCall, K.

    1998-01-01

    The Rodon model-based diagnosis shell was applied to a breadboard test-bed, modeling an automated power distribution system. The constraint-based modeling paradigm and diagnostic algorithm were found to adequately represent the selected set of test scenarios.

  19. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Intracranial Hypotension: Diagnostic Value of Combined Qualitative Signs and Quantitative Metrics.

    PubMed

    Aslan, Kerim; Gunbey, Hediye Pinar; Tomak, Leman; Ozmen, Zafer; Incesu, Lutfi

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of combination quantitative metrics (mamillopontine distance [MPD], pontomesencephalic angle, and mesencephalon anterior-posterior/medial-lateral diameter ratios) with qualitative signs (dural enhancement, subdural collections/hematoma, venous engorgement, pituitary gland enlargements, and tonsillar herniations) provides a more accurate diagnosis of intracranial hypotension (IH). The quantitative metrics and qualitative signs of 34 patients and 34 control subjects were assessed by 2 independent observers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative metrics and qualitative signs, and for the diagnosis of IH, optimum cutoff values of quantitative metrics were found with ROC analysis. Combined ROC curve was measured for the quantitative metrics, and qualitative signs combinations in determining diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were found, and the best model combination was formed. Whereas MPD and pontomesencephalic angle were significantly lower in patients with IH when compared with the control group (P < 0.001), mesencephalon anterior-posterior/medial-lateral diameter ratio was significantly higher (P < 0.001). For qualitative signs, the highest individual distinctive power was dural enhancement with area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.838. For quantitative metrics, the highest individual distinctive power was MPD with AUC of 0.947. The best accuracy in the diagnosis of IH was obtained by combination of dural enhancement, venous engorgement, and MPD with an AUC of 1.00. This study showed that the combined use of dural enhancement, venous engorgement, and MPD had diagnostic accuracy of 100 % for the diagnosis of IH. Therefore, a more accurate IH diagnosis can be provided with combination of quantitative metrics with qualitative signs.

  20. A PC based fault diagnosis expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marsh, Christopher A.

    1990-01-01

    The Integrated Status Assessment (ISA) prototype expert system performs system level fault diagnosis using rules and models created by the user. The ISA evolved from concepts to a stand-alone demonstration prototype using OPS5 on a LISP Machine. The LISP based prototype was rewritten in C and the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) to run on a Personal Computer (PC) and a graphics workstation. The ISA prototype has been used to demonstrate fault diagnosis functions of Space Station Freedom's Operation Management System (OMS). This paper describes the development of the ISA prototype from early concepts to the current PC/workstation version used today and describes future areas of development for the prototype.

  1. A description of the "event manager" role in resuscitations: A qualitative study of interviews and focus groups of resuscitation participants.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Katherine L; Parshuram, Christopher S; Ferri, Susan; Mema, Briseida

    2017-06-01

    Communication during resuscitation is essential for the provision of coordinated, effective care. Previously, we observed 44% of resuscitation communication originated from participants other than the physician team leader; 65% of which was directed to the team, exclusive of the team leader. We called this outer-loop communication. This institutional review board-approved qualitative study used grounded theory analysis of focus groups and interviews to describe and define outer-loop communication and the role of "event manager" as an additional "leader." Participants were health care staff involved in the medical management of resuscitations in a quaternary pediatric academic hospital. The following 3 domains were identified: the existence and rationale of outer-loop communication; the functions fulfilled by outer-loop communication; and the leadership and learning of event manager skills. The role was recognized by all team members and evolved organically as resuscitation complexity increased. A "good" manager has similar qualities to a "good team leader" with strong nontechnical skills. Event managers were not formally identified and no specific training had occurred. "Outer-loop" communication supports resuscitation activities. An event manager gives direction to the team, coordinates activities, and supports the team leader. We describe a new role in resuscitation in light of structural organizational theory and cognitive load with a view to incorporating this structure into resuscitation training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Stability of model-based event-triggered control systems: a separation property

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hao, Fei; Yu, Hao

    2017-04-01

    To save resource of communication, this paper investigates the model-based event-triggered control systems. Two main problems are considered in this paper. One is, for given plant and model, to design event conditions to guarantee the stability of the systems. The other is to consider the effect of the model matrices on the stability. The results show that the closed-loop systems can be asymptotically stabilised with any model matrices in compact sets if the parameters in the event conditions are within the designed ranges. Then, a separation property of model-based event-triggered control is proposed. Namely, the design of the controller gain and the event condition can be separated from the selection of the model matrices. Based on this property, an adaption mechanism is introduced to the model-based event-triggered control systems, which can further improve the sampling performance. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the efficiency and feasibility of the developed results.

  3. The Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on the Children and Siblings' School Attendance, Performance, and Activities: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

    PubMed

    Tsimicalis, Argerie; Genest, Laurence; Stevens, Bonnie; Ungar, Wendy J; Barr, Ronald

    Families of children with cancer are confronted with unexpected out-of-pocket expenses and productivity costs associated with the diagnosis. One productivity cost that falls on children is the impact of cancer on children's school attendance, performance, and activities (eg, play, friendships, and socialization). Nested within the Childhood Cancer Cost Study, this qualitative descriptive study used convenience sampling to recruit and interview parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Content analysis techniques were used to inductively descriptive the semistructured interview data. Sixty-six parents of 65 children with cancer and of 73 siblings participated. The most commonly reported productivity loss in children with cancer was school absenteeism mainly due to cancer treatment. Children fell behind their classmates academically and lost important social time with peers. A few siblings also fell behind their peers primarily due to limited parental attention. Parents adopted various strategies to lessen the impact of the diagnosis on their children's school attendance, performance, and activities. Providing parents with additional resources and support may optimize their children's academic and social reintegration into school.

  4. Utilizing Problem-Based Learning in Qualitative Analysis Lab Experiments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hicks, Randall W.; Bevsek, Holly M.

    2012-01-01

    A series of qualitative analysis (QA) laboratory experiments utilizing a problem-based learning (PBL) module has been designed and implemented. The module guided students through the experiments under the guise of cleaning up a potentially contaminated water site as employees of an environmental chemistry laboratory. The main goal was the…

  5. A Qualitative Study of College-Based Peace Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boudreau, Will

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory research study was to examine the perceptions of seven northeast United States, college-based, Peace Education program directors regarding their respective programs' characteristics and the challenges they face. This qualitative study was designed to fill a gap in the literature by examining the perceptions of…

  6. Gene-Based Multiclass Cancer Diagnosis with Class-Selective Rejections

    PubMed Central

    Jrad, Nisrine; Grall-Maës, Edith; Beauseroy, Pierre

    2009-01-01

    Supervised learning of microarray data is receiving much attention in recent years. Multiclass cancer diagnosis, based on selected gene profiles, are used as adjunct of clinical diagnosis. However, supervised diagnosis may hinder patient care, add expense or confound a result. To avoid this misleading, a multiclass cancer diagnosis with class-selective rejection is proposed. It rejects some patients from one, some, or all classes in order to ensure a higher reliability while reducing time and expense costs. Moreover, this classifier takes into account asymmetric penalties dependant on each class and on each wrong or partially correct decision. It is based on ν-1-SVM coupled with its regularization path and minimizes a general loss function defined in the class-selective rejection scheme. The state of art multiclass algorithms can be considered as a particular case of the proposed algorithm where the number of decisions is given by the classes and the loss function is defined by the Bayesian risk. Two experiments are carried out in the Bayesian and the class selective rejection frameworks. Five genes selected datasets are used to assess the performance of the proposed method. Results are discussed and accuracies are compared with those computed by the Naive Bayes, Nearest Neighbor, Linear Perceptron, Multilayer Perceptron, and Support Vector Machines classifiers. PMID:19584932

  7. Knowledge-Driven Event Extraction in Russian: Corpus-Based Linguistic Resources

    PubMed Central

    Solovyev, Valery; Ivanov, Vladimir

    2016-01-01

    Automatic event extraction form text is an important step in knowledge acquisition and knowledge base population. Manual work in development of extraction system is indispensable either in corpus annotation or in vocabularies and pattern creation for a knowledge-based system. Recent works have been focused on adaptation of existing system (for extraction from English texts) to new domains. Event extraction in other languages was not studied due to the lack of resources and algorithms necessary for natural language processing. In this paper we define a set of linguistic resources that are necessary in development of a knowledge-based event extraction system in Russian: a vocabulary of subordination models, a vocabulary of event triggers, and a vocabulary of Frame Elements that are basic building blocks for semantic patterns. We propose a set of methods for creation of such vocabularies in Russian and other languages using Google Books NGram Corpus. The methods are evaluated in development of event extraction system for Russian. PMID:26955386

  8. Event Recognition Based on Deep Learning in Chinese Texts

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yajun; Liu, Zongtian; Zhou, Wen

    2016-01-01

    Event recognition is the most fundamental and critical task in event-based natural language processing systems. Existing event recognition methods based on rules and shallow neural networks have certain limitations. For example, extracting features using methods based on rules is difficult; methods based on shallow neural networks converge too quickly to a local minimum, resulting in low recognition precision. To address these problems, we propose the Chinese emergency event recognition model based on deep learning (CEERM). Firstly, we use a word segmentation system to segment sentences. According to event elements labeled in the CEC 2.0 corpus, we classify words into five categories: trigger words, participants, objects, time and location. Each word is vectorized according to the following six feature layers: part of speech, dependency grammar, length, location, distance between trigger word and core word and trigger word frequency. We obtain deep semantic features of words by training a feature vector set using a deep belief network (DBN), then analyze those features in order to identify trigger words by means of a back propagation neural network. Extensive testing shows that the CEERM achieves excellent recognition performance, with a maximum F-measure value of 85.17%. Moreover, we propose the dynamic-supervised DBN, which adds supervised fine-tuning to a restricted Boltzmann machine layer by monitoring its training performance. Test analysis reveals that the new DBN improves recognition performance and effectively controls the training time. Although the F-measure increases to 88.11%, the training time increases by only 25.35%. PMID:27501231

  9. Event Recognition Based on Deep Learning in Chinese Texts.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yajun; Liu, Zongtian; Zhou, Wen

    2016-01-01

    Event recognition is the most fundamental and critical task in event-based natural language processing systems. Existing event recognition methods based on rules and shallow neural networks have certain limitations. For example, extracting features using methods based on rules is difficult; methods based on shallow neural networks converge too quickly to a local minimum, resulting in low recognition precision. To address these problems, we propose the Chinese emergency event recognition model based on deep learning (CEERM). Firstly, we use a word segmentation system to segment sentences. According to event elements labeled in the CEC 2.0 corpus, we classify words into five categories: trigger words, participants, objects, time and location. Each word is vectorized according to the following six feature layers: part of speech, dependency grammar, length, location, distance between trigger word and core word and trigger word frequency. We obtain deep semantic features of words by training a feature vector set using a deep belief network (DBN), then analyze those features in order to identify trigger words by means of a back propagation neural network. Extensive testing shows that the CEERM achieves excellent recognition performance, with a maximum F-measure value of 85.17%. Moreover, we propose the dynamic-supervised DBN, which adds supervised fine-tuning to a restricted Boltzmann machine layer by monitoring its training performance. Test analysis reveals that the new DBN improves recognition performance and effectively controls the training time. Although the F-measure increases to 88.11%, the training time increases by only 25.35%.

  10. Fish based preimplantation genetic diagnosis to prevent DiGeorge syndrome.

    PubMed

    Shefi, Shai; Raviv, Gil; Rienstein, Shlomit; Barkai, Gad; Aviram-Goldring, Ayala; Levron, Jacob

    2009-07-01

    To report the performance of fluorescence in-situ hybridization in the setting of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in order to diagnose embryos affected by DiGeorge syndrome. Case report. Academic referral center. A 32 year-old female affected by DiGeorge syndrome. History and physical examination, karyotyping, amniocentesis, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Avoidance of pregnancy with embryo affected by DiGeorge syndrome. Termination of pregnancy with an affected embryo followed by fluorescence in-situ hybridization based preimplantation genetic diagnosis and delivery of healthy offspring. The combination of preimplantation genetic diagnosis with fluorescence in-situ hybridization is recommended to prevent pregnancies with DiGeorge syndrome affected embryos in properly selected patients.

  11. Visual tracking using neuromorphic asynchronous event-based cameras.

    PubMed

    Ni, Zhenjiang; Ieng, Sio-Hoi; Posch, Christoph; Régnier, Stéphane; Benosman, Ryad

    2015-04-01

    This letter presents a novel computationally efficient and robust pattern tracking method based on a time-encoded, frame-free visual data. Recent interdisciplinary developments, combining inputs from engineering and biology, have yielded a novel type of camera that encodes visual information into a continuous stream of asynchronous, temporal events. These events encode temporal contrast and intensity locally in space and time. We show that the sparse yet accurately timed information is well suited as a computational input for object tracking. In this letter, visual data processing is performed for each incoming event at the time it arrives. The method provides a continuous and iterative estimation of the geometric transformation between the model and the events representing the tracked object. It can handle isometry, similarities, and affine distortions and allows for unprecedented real-time performance at equivalent frame rates in the kilohertz range on a standard PC. Furthermore, by using the dimension of time that is currently underexploited by most artificial vision systems, the method we present is able to solve ambiguous cases of object occlusions that classical frame-based techniques handle poorly.

  12. Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Meteorology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  13. Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Geology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  14. Withdrawal Phenomena: A Concept Analysis for the Development of a Nursing Diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Dändliker, This; Kolbe, Nina

    This study explored the concept of withdrawal phenomena from the perspective of nurses, with the aim of developing a nursing diagnosis. Concept analysis was used as the framework of the study, a systematized review was conducted to identify relevant studies, and interpretation was based on qualitative content analysis. Specifying aspects, defining characteristics, related factors, and risk factors were extracted and classified into categories. Thirteen studies were identified as a basis for the construction of two nursing diagnoses: "withdrawal phenomena" and "risk of withdrawal complications." The proposed nursing diagnoses require further discussion. The NANDA International Diagnosis Development Committee was asked to examine the proposed diagnoses. However, it was too early to determine implications for nursing practice based on the results of this study.

  15. Navigating Your Child's Hearing Loss Diagnosis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trapp Petty, Melissa A.

    2011-01-01

    For hearing parents, receiving a hearing loss diagnosis for their child can be a shocking event. For some parents, the diagnosis is the fulfillment of a hunch; confirmation of the suspected, but still scary verdict. Recent research finds that the period directly after hearing loss diagnosis is the most stressful and burdensome for parents,…

  16. Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Geology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research,…

  17. Diagnosis of helicopter gearboxes using structure-based networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jammu, Vinay B.; Danai, Kourosh; Lewicki, David G.

    1995-01-01

    A connectionist network is introduced for fault diagnosis of helicopter gearboxes that incorporates knowledge of the gearbox structure and characteristics of the vibration features as its fuzzy weights. Diagnosis is performed by propagating the abnormal features of vibration measurements through this Structure-Based Connectionist Network (SBCN), the outputs of which represent the fault possibility values for individual components of the gearbox. The performance of this network is evaluated by applying it to experimental vibration data from an OH-58A helicopter gearbox. The diagnostic results indicate that the network performance is comparable to those obtained from supervised pattern classification.

  18. Intelligent Gearbox Diagnosis Methods Based on SVM, Wavelet Lifting and RBR

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Lixin; Ren, Zhiqiang; Tang, Wenliang; Wang, Huaqing; Chen, Peng

    2010-01-01

    Given the problems in intelligent gearbox diagnosis methods, it is difficult to obtain the desired information and a large enough sample size to study; therefore, we propose the application of various methods for gearbox fault diagnosis, including wavelet lifting, a support vector machine (SVM) and rule-based reasoning (RBR). In a complex field environment, it is less likely for machines to have the same fault; moreover, the fault features can also vary. Therefore, a SVM could be used for the initial diagnosis. First, gearbox vibration signals were processed with wavelet packet decomposition, and the signal energy coefficients of each frequency band were extracted and used as input feature vectors in SVM for normal and faulty pattern recognition. Second, precision analysis using wavelet lifting could successfully filter out the noisy signals while maintaining the impulse characteristics of the fault; thus effectively extracting the fault frequency of the machine. Lastly, the knowledge base was built based on the field rules summarized by experts to identify the detailed fault type. Results have shown that SVM is a powerful tool to accomplish gearbox fault pattern recognition when the sample size is small, whereas the wavelet lifting scheme can effectively extract fault features, and rule-based reasoning can be used to identify the detailed fault type. Therefore, a method that combines SVM, wavelet lifting and rule-based reasoning ensures effective gearbox fault diagnosis. PMID:22399894

  19. Intelligent gearbox diagnosis methods based on SVM, wavelet lifting and RBR.

    PubMed

    Gao, Lixin; Ren, Zhiqiang; Tang, Wenliang; Wang, Huaqing; Chen, Peng

    2010-01-01

    Given the problems in intelligent gearbox diagnosis methods, it is difficult to obtain the desired information and a large enough sample size to study; therefore, we propose the application of various methods for gearbox fault diagnosis, including wavelet lifting, a support vector machine (SVM) and rule-based reasoning (RBR). In a complex field environment, it is less likely for machines to have the same fault; moreover, the fault features can also vary. Therefore, a SVM could be used for the initial diagnosis. First, gearbox vibration signals were processed with wavelet packet decomposition, and the signal energy coefficients of each frequency band were extracted and used as input feature vectors in SVM for normal and faulty pattern recognition. Second, precision analysis using wavelet lifting could successfully filter out the noisy signals while maintaining the impulse characteristics of the fault; thus effectively extracting the fault frequency of the machine. Lastly, the knowledge base was built based on the field rules summarized by experts to identify the detailed fault type. Results have shown that SVM is a powerful tool to accomplish gearbox fault pattern recognition when the sample size is small, whereas the wavelet lifting scheme can effectively extract fault features, and rule-based reasoning can be used to identify the detailed fault type. Therefore, a method that combines SVM, wavelet lifting and rule-based reasoning ensures effective gearbox fault diagnosis.

  20. Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Meteorology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about problems with tornadoes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning,…

  1. Fault Diagnosis for Rotating Machinery: A Method based on Image Processing

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Chen; Wang, Yang; Ragulskis, Minvydas; Cheng, Yujie

    2016-01-01

    Rotating machinery is one of the most typical types of mechanical equipment and plays a significant role in industrial applications. Condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of rotating machinery has gained wide attention for its significance in preventing catastrophic accident and guaranteeing sufficient maintenance. With the development of science and technology, fault diagnosis methods based on multi-disciplines are becoming the focus in the field of fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. This paper presents a multi-discipline method based on image-processing for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Different from traditional analysis method in one-dimensional space, this study employs computing method in the field of image processing to realize automatic feature extraction and fault diagnosis in a two-dimensional space. The proposed method mainly includes the following steps. First, the vibration signal is transformed into a bi-spectrum contour map utilizing bi-spectrum technology, which provides a basis for the following image-based feature extraction. Then, an emerging approach in the field of image processing for feature extraction, speeded-up robust features, is employed to automatically exact fault features from the transformed bi-spectrum contour map and finally form a high-dimensional feature vector. To reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector, thus highlighting main fault features and reducing subsequent computing resources, t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding is adopt to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector. At last, probabilistic neural network is introduced for fault identification. Two typical rotating machinery, axial piston hydraulic pump and self-priming centrifugal pumps, are selected to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that the proposed method based on image-processing achieves a high accuracy, thus providing a highly effective means to fault diagnosis for rotating machinery. PMID

  2. Fault Diagnosis for Rotating Machinery: A Method based on Image Processing.

    PubMed

    Lu, Chen; Wang, Yang; Ragulskis, Minvydas; Cheng, Yujie

    2016-01-01

    Rotating machinery is one of the most typical types of mechanical equipment and plays a significant role in industrial applications. Condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of rotating machinery has gained wide attention for its significance in preventing catastrophic accident and guaranteeing sufficient maintenance. With the development of science and technology, fault diagnosis methods based on multi-disciplines are becoming the focus in the field of fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. This paper presents a multi-discipline method based on image-processing for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Different from traditional analysis method in one-dimensional space, this study employs computing method in the field of image processing to realize automatic feature extraction and fault diagnosis in a two-dimensional space. The proposed method mainly includes the following steps. First, the vibration signal is transformed into a bi-spectrum contour map utilizing bi-spectrum technology, which provides a basis for the following image-based feature extraction. Then, an emerging approach in the field of image processing for feature extraction, speeded-up robust features, is employed to automatically exact fault features from the transformed bi-spectrum contour map and finally form a high-dimensional feature vector. To reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector, thus highlighting main fault features and reducing subsequent computing resources, t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding is adopt to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector. At last, probabilistic neural network is introduced for fault identification. Two typical rotating machinery, axial piston hydraulic pump and self-priming centrifugal pumps, are selected to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that the proposed method based on image-processing achieves a high accuracy, thus providing a highly effective means to fault diagnosis for rotating machinery.

  3. Termination of pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome: A qualitative study of the decision-making process of pregnant couples.

    PubMed

    Lou, Stina; Carstensen, Kathrine; Petersen, Olav Bjørn; Nielsen, Camilla Palmhøj; Hvidman, Lone; Lanther, Maja Retpen; Vogel, Ida

    2018-05-23

    In Denmark, first trimester screening has a very high uptake (>90%). If Down syndrome is diagnosed, termination rates are high (>95%). The aim of this study was to investigate the timing of the decision to terminate pregnancy following a diagnosis of Down syndrome and the factors influencing this decision. Semi-structured, qualitative interview study with 21 couples who had received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and decided to terminate the pregnancy. Participants were recruited from obstetric departments between February 2016 and July 2017. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: "initial decision-making", "consolidating the decision", "reasons and concerns shaping the termination of pregnancy decision", "the right decision is also burdensome", and "perceived influences in decision-making". For most couples, the initial decision to terminate pregnancy was made before or during the diagnostic process, but it was re-addressed and consolidated following the actual diagnosis. Imagining a family future with a severely affected Down syndrome child was the main factor influencing the termination of pregnancy decision. The decision was articulated as "right" but also as existentially burdensome for some, due to fear of regret and concern about ending a potential life. The decision to terminate pregnancy was considered a private matter between the couple, but was refined through interactions with clinicians and social networks. All couples made an initial decision prior to receiving the Down syndrome diagnosis. Knowledge of the couple's initial decision may facilitate patient-centered communication during and after the diagnostic process. Couples may benefit from counseling to deal with grief and existential concerns. © 2018 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  4. Cardiovascular Events in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

    PubMed Central

    Fernández-Nebro, Antonio; Rúa-Figueroa, Íñigo; López-Longo, Francisco J.; Galindo-Izquierdo, María; Calvo-Alén, Jaime; Olivé-Marqués, Alejandro; Ordóñez-Cañizares, Carmen; Martín-Martínez, María A.; Blanco, Ricardo; Melero-González, Rafael; Ibáñez-Rúan, Jesús; Bernal-Vidal, José Antonio; Tomero-Muriel, Eva; Uriarte-Isacelaya, Esther; Horcada-Rubio, Loreto; Freire-González, Mercedes; Narváez, Javier; Boteanu, Alina L.; Santos-Soler, Gregorio; Andreu, José L.; Pego-Reigosa, José M.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract This article estimates the frequency of cardiovascular (CV) events that occurred after diagnosis in a large Spanish cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and investigates the main risk factors for atherosclerosis. RELESSER is a nationwide multicenter, hospital-based registry of SLE patients. This is a cross-sectional study. Demographic and clinical variables, the presence of traditional risk factors, and CV events were collected. A CV event was defined as a myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and/or peripheral artery disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the possible risk factors for atherosclerosis. From 2011 to 2012, 3658 SLE patients were enrolled. Of these, 374 (10.9%) patients suffered at least a CV event. In 269 (7.4%) patients, the CV events occurred after SLE diagnosis (86.2% women, median [interquartile range] age 54.9 years [43.2–66.1], and SLE duration of 212.0 months [120.8–289.0]). Strokes (5.7%) were the most frequent CV event, followed by ischemic heart disease (3.8%) and peripheral artery disease (2.2%). Multivariate analysis identified age (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.03 [1.02–1.04]), hypertension (1.71 [1.20–2.44]), smoking (1.48 [1.06–2.07]), diabetes (2.2 [1.32–3.74]), dyslipidemia (2.18 [1.54–3.09]), neurolupus (2.42 [1.56–3.75]), valvulopathy (2.44 [1.34–4.26]), serositis (1.54 [1.09–2.18]), antiphospholipid antibodies (1.57 [1.13–2.17]), low complement (1.81 [1.12–2.93]), and azathioprine (1.47 [1.04–2.07]) as risk factors for CV events. We have confirmed that SLE patients suffer a high prevalence of premature CV disease. Both traditional and nontraditional risk factors contribute to this higher prevalence. Although it needs to be verified with future studies, our study also shows—for the first time—an association between diabetes and CV events in SLE patients. PMID:26200625

  5. Event-based user classification in Weibo media.

    PubMed

    Guo, Liang; Wang, Wendong; Cheng, Shiduan; Que, Xirong

    2014-01-01

    Weibo media, known as the real-time microblogging services, has attracted massive attention and support from social network users. Weibo platform offers an opportunity for people to access information and changes the way people acquire and disseminate information significantly. Meanwhile, it enables people to respond to the social events in a more convenient way. Much of the information in Weibo media is related to some events. Users who post different contents, and exert different behavior or attitude may lead to different contribution to the specific event. Therefore, classifying the large amount of uncategorized social circles generated in Weibo media automatically from the perspective of events has been a promising task. Under this circumstance, in order to effectively organize and manage the huge amounts of users, thereby further managing their contents, we address the task of user classification in a more granular, event-based approach in this paper. By analyzing real data collected from Sina Weibo, we investigate the Weibo properties and utilize both content information and social network information to classify the numerous users into four primary groups: celebrities, organizations/media accounts, grassroots stars, and ordinary individuals. The experiments results show that our method identifies the user categories accurately.

  6. Medium-based noninvasive preimplantation genetic diagnosis for human α-thalassemias-SEA.

    PubMed

    Wu, Haitao; Ding, Chenhui; Shen, Xiaoting; Wang, Jing; Li, Rong; Cai, Bing; Xu, Yanwen; Zhong, Yiping; Zhou, Canquan

    2015-03-01

    To develop a noninvasive medium-based preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) test for α-thalassemias-SEA. The embryos of α-thalassemia-SEA carriers undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) were cultured. Single cells were biopsied from blastomeres and subjected to fluorescent gap polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis; the spent culture media that contained embryo genomic DNA and corresponding blastocysts as verification were subjected to quantitative-PCR (Q-PCR) detection of α-thalassemia-SEA. The diagnosis efficiency and allele dropout (ADO) ratio were calculated, and the cell-free DNA concentration was quantitatively assessed in the culture medium. The diagnosis efficiency of medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection significantly increased compared with that of biopsy-based fluorescent gap PCR analysis (88.6% vs 82.1%, P < 0.05). There is no significant difference regarding ADO ratio between them. The optimal time for medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection is Day 5 (D5) following IVF. Medium-based α-thalassemias-SEA detection could represent a novel, quick, and noninvasive approach for carriers to undergo IVF and PGD.

  7. Adverse Event extraction from Structured Product Labels using the Event-based Text-mining of Health Electronic Records (ETHER)system.

    PubMed

    Pandey, Abhishek; Kreimeyer, Kory; Foster, Matthew; Botsis, Taxiarchis; Dang, Oanh; Ly, Thomas; Wang, Wei; Forshee, Richard

    2018-01-01

    Structured Product Labels follow an XML-based document markup standard approved by the Health Level Seven organization and adopted by the US Food and Drug Administration as a mechanism for exchanging medical products information. Their current organization makes their secondary use rather challenging. We used the Side Effect Resource database and DailyMed to generate a comparison dataset of 1159 Structured Product Labels. We processed the Adverse Reaction section of these Structured Product Labels with the Event-based Text-mining of Health Electronic Records system and evaluated its ability to extract and encode Adverse Event terms to Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Terms. A small sample of 100 labels was then selected for further analysis. Of the 100 labels, Event-based Text-mining of Health Electronic Records achieved a precision and recall of 81 percent and 92 percent, respectively. This study demonstrated Event-based Text-mining of Health Electronic Record's ability to extract and encode Adverse Event terms from Structured Product Labels which may potentially support multiple pharmacoepidemiological tasks.

  8. Using the DOE Knowledge Base for Special Event Analysis

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

    Armstrong, H.M.; Harris, J.M.; Young, C.J.

    1998-10-20

    The DOE Knowledge Base is a library of detailed information whose purpose is to support the United States National Data Center (USNDC) in its mission to monitor compliance with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). One of the important tasks which the USNDC must accomplish is to periodically perform detailed analysis of events of high interest, so-called "Special Events", to provide the national authority with information needed to make policy decisions. In this paper we investigate some possible uses of the Knowledge Base for Special Event Analysis (SEA), and make recommendations for improving Knowledge Base support for SEA. To analyzemore » an event in detail, there are two basic types of data which must be used sensor-derived data (wave- forms, arrivals, events, etc.) and regiohalized contextual data (known sources, geological characteristics, etc.). Cur- rently there is no single package which can provide full access to both types of data, so for our study we use a separate package for each MatSeis, the Sandia Labs-developed MATLAB-based seismic analysis package, for wave- form data analysis, and ArcView, an ESRI product, for contextual data analysis. Both packages are well-suited to pro- totyping because they provide a rich set of currently available functionality and yet are also flexible and easily extensible, . Using these tools and Phase I Knowledge Base data sets, we show how the Knowledge Base can improve both the speed and the quality of SEA. Empirically-derived interpolated correction information can be accessed to improve both location estimates and associated error estimates. This information can in turn be used to identi~ any known nearby sources (e.g. mines, volcanos), which may then trigger specialized processing of the sensor data. Based on the location estimate, preferred magnitude formulas and discriminants can be retrieved, and any known blockages can be identified to prevent miscalculations. Relevant historic events can be identilled

  9. Event- and interval-based measurement of stuttering: a review.

    PubMed

    Valente, Ana Rita S; Jesus, Luis M T; Hall, Andreia; Leahy, Margaret

    2015-01-01

    Event- and interval-based measurements are two different ways of computing frequency of stuttering. Interval-based methodology emerged as an alternative measure to overcome problems associated with reproducibility in the event-based methodology. No review has been made to study the effect of methodological factors in interval-based absolute reliability data or to compute the agreement between the two methodologies in terms of inter-judge, intra-judge and accuracy (i.e., correspondence between raters' scores and an established criterion). To provide a review related to reproducibility of event-based and time-interval measurement, and to verify the effect of methodological factors (training, experience, interval duration, sample presentation order and judgment conditions) on agreement of time-interval measurement; in addition, to determine if it is possible to quantify the agreement between the two methodologies The first two authors searched for articles on ERIC, MEDLINE, PubMed, B-on, CENTRAL and Dissertation Abstracts during January-February 2013 and retrieved 495 articles. Forty-eight articles were selected for review. Content tables were constructed with the main findings. Articles related to event-based measurements revealed values of inter- and intra-judge greater than 0.70 and agreement percentages beyond 80%. The articles related to time-interval measures revealed that, in general, judges with more experience with stuttering presented significantly higher levels of intra- and inter-judge agreement. Inter- and intra-judge values were beyond the references for high reproducibility values for both methodologies. Accuracy (regarding the closeness of raters' judgements with an established criterion), intra- and inter-judge agreement were higher for trained groups when compared with non-trained groups. Sample presentation order and audio/video conditions did not result in differences in inter- or intra-judge results. A duration of 5 s for an interval appears to be

  10. A Fuzzy-Decision Based Approach for Composite Event Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Shukui; Chen, Hao; Zhu, Qiaoming

    2014-01-01

    The event detection is one of the fundamental researches in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Due to the consideration of various properties that reflect events status, the Composite event is more consistent with the objective world. Thus, the research of the Composite event becomes more realistic. In this paper, we analyze the characteristics of the Composite event; then we propose a criterion to determine the area of the Composite event and put forward a dominating set based network topology construction algorithm under random deployment. For the unreliability of partial data in detection process and fuzziness of the event definitions in nature, we propose a cluster-based two-dimensional τ-GAS algorithm and fuzzy-decision based composite event decision mechanism. In the case that the sensory data of most nodes are normal, the two-dimensional τ-GAS algorithm can filter the fault node data effectively and reduce the influence of erroneous data on the event determination. The Composite event judgment mechanism which is based on fuzzy-decision holds the superiority of the fuzzy-logic based algorithm; moreover, it does not need the support of a huge rule base and its computational complexity is small. Compared to CollECT algorithm and CDS algorithm, this algorithm improves the detection accuracy and reduces the traffic. PMID:25136690

  11. Naive Bayes Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Enhanced Independence of Data

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Nannan; Wu, Lifeng; Yang, Jing; Guan, Yong

    2018-01-01

    The bearing is the key component of rotating machinery, and its performance directly determines the reliability and safety of the system. Data-based bearing fault diagnosis has become a research hotspot. Naive Bayes (NB), which is based on independent presumption, is widely used in fault diagnosis. However, the bearing data are not completely independent, which reduces the performance of NB algorithms. In order to solve this problem, we propose a NB bearing fault diagnosis method based on enhanced independence of data. The method deals with data vector from two aspects: the attribute feature and the sample dimension. After processing, the classification limitation of NB is reduced by the independence hypothesis. First, we extract the statistical characteristics of the original signal of the bearings effectively. Then, the Decision Tree algorithm is used to select the important features of the time domain signal, and the low correlation features is selected. Next, the Selective Support Vector Machine (SSVM) is used to prune the dimension data and remove redundant vectors. Finally, we use NB to diagnose the fault with the low correlation data. The experimental results show that the independent enhancement of data is effective for bearing fault diagnosis. PMID:29401730

  12. Symbolic Interactionism and Library Research: Using a Qualitative Methodology To Understand Library Interchange.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fidishun, Dolores

    2002-01-01

    Explains symbolic interactionism as a theory for analyzing research based on a qualitative interpretive process that can help librarians to understand the way in which the library staff and users view services, training, policy, and other issues. The theory focuses on the symbolic meaning of objects, such as books, and events as they are…

  13. Human visual system-based smoking event detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Odetallah, Amjad D.; Agaian, Sos S.

    2012-06-01

    Human action (e.g. smoking, eating, and phoning) analysis is an important task in various application domains like video surveillance, video retrieval, human-computer interaction systems, and so on. Smoke detection is a crucial task in many video surveillance applications and could have a great impact to raise the level of safety of urban areas, public parks, airplanes, hospitals, schools and others. The detection task is challenging since there is no prior knowledge about the object's shape, texture and color. In addition, its visual features will change under different lighting and weather conditions. This paper presents a new scheme of a system for detecting human smoking events, or small smoke, in a sequence of images. In developed system, motion detection and background subtraction are combined with motion-region-saving, skin-based image segmentation, and smoke-based image segmentation to capture potential smoke regions which are further analyzed to decide on the occurrence of smoking events. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. As well, the developed method is capable of detecting the small smoking events of uncertain actions with various cigarette sizes, colors, and shapes.

  14. The Mathematical Bases for Qualitative Reasoning

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-01-01

    but solely in terms of ordinary language. A good deal of such qualitative reasoning makes implicit use of the properties of ordinal variables and...without use of mathematical formalisms, but solely in terms of ordinary language. A good deal of such qualitative reasoning makes implicit use of the...irenheit 2 QualItalive ReaonIng 27 Janury 1990 or Celsius temperature on either day. If we ar. considering an equation connecting two variables, wfAx), we

  15. Integrated Knowledge Based Expert System for Disease Diagnosis System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arbaiy, Nureize; Sulaiman, Shafiza Eliza; Hassan, Norlida; Afizah Afip, Zehan

    2017-08-01

    The role and importance of healthcare systems to improve quality of life and social welfare in a society have been well recognized. Attention should be given to raise awareness and implementing appropriate measures to improve health care. Therefore, a computer based system is developed to serve as an alternative for people to self-diagnose their health status based on given symptoms. This strategy should be emphasized so that people can utilize the information correctly as a reference to enjoy healthier life. Hence, a Web-based Community Center for Healthcare Diagnosis system is developed based on expert system technique. Expert system reasoning technique is employed in the system to enable information about treatment and prevention of the diseases based on given symptoms. At present, three diseases are included which are arthritis, thalassemia and pneumococcal. Sets of rule and fact are managed in the knowledge based system. Web based technology is used as a platform to disseminate the information to users in order for them to optimize the information appropriately. This system will benefit people who wish to increase health awareness and seek expert knowledge on the diseases by performing self-diagnosis for early disease detection.

  16. Establishment and application of event-specific polymerase chain reaction methods for two genetically modified soybean events, A2704-12 and A5547-127.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiang; Pan, Liangwen; Li, Junyi; Zhang, Qigang; Zhang, Shuya; Lv, Rong; Yang, Litao

    2011-12-28

    For implementation of the issued regulations and labeling policies for genetically modified organism (GMO) supervision, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method has been widely used due to its high specificity and sensitivity. In particular, use of the event-specific PCR method based on the flanking sequence of transgenes has become the primary trend. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative PCR methods were established on the basis of the 5' flanking sequence of transgenic soybean A2704-12 and the 3' flanking sequence of transgenic soybean A5547-127, respectively. In qualitative PCR assays, the limits of detection (LODs) were 10 copies of haploid soybean genomic DNA for both A2704-12 and A5547-127. In quantitative real-time PCR assays, the LODs were 5 copies of haploid soybean genomic DNA for both A2704-12 and A5547-127, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 10 copies for both. Low bias and acceptable SD and RSD values were also achieved in quantification of four blind samples using the developed real-time PCR assays. In addition, the developed PCR assays for the two transgenic soybean events were used for routine analysis of soybean samples imported to Shanghai in a 6 month period from October 2010 to March 2011. A total of 27 lots of soybean from the United States and Argentina were analyzed: 8 lots from the Unites States were found to have the GM soybean A2704-12 event, and the GM contents were <1.5% in all eight analyzed lots. On the contrary, no GM soybean A5547-127 content was found in any of the eight lots. These results demonstrated that the established event-specific qualitative and quantitative PCR methods could be used effectively in routine identification and quantification of GM soybeans A2704-12 and A5547-127 and their derived products.

  17. Students' Understanding of Acid, Base and Salt Reactions in Qualitative Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tan, Kim-Chwee Daniel; Goh, Ngoh-Khang; Chia, Lian-Sai; Treagust, David F.

    2003-01-01

    Uses a two-tier, multiple-choice diagnostic instrument to determine (n=915) grade 10 students' understanding of the acid, base, and salt reactions involved in basic qualitative analysis. Reports that many students did not understand the formation of precipitates and the complex salts, acid/salt-base reactions, and thermal decomposition involved in…

  18. Studies in knowledge-based diagnosis of failures in robotic assembly

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lam, Raymond K.; Pollard, Nancy S.; Desai, Rajiv S.

    1990-01-01

    The telerobot diagnostic system (TDS) is a knowledge-based system that is being developed for identification and diagnosis of failures in the space robotic domain. The system is able to isolate the symptoms of the failure, generate failure hypotheses based on these symptoms, and test their validity at various levels by interpreting or simulating the effects of the hypotheses on results of plan execution. The implementation of the TDS is outlined. The classification of failures and the types of system models used by the TDS are discussed. A detailed example of the TDS approach to failure diagnosis is provided.

  19. Cloud-based image sharing network for collaborative imaging diagnosis and consultation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Yuanyuan; Gu, Yiping; Wang, Mingqing; Sun, Jianyong; Li, Ming; Zhang, Weiqiang; Zhang, Jianguo

    2018-03-01

    In this presentation, we presented a new approach to design cloud-based image sharing network for collaborative imaging diagnosis and consultation through Internet, which can enable radiologists, specialists and physicians locating in different sites collaboratively and interactively to do imaging diagnosis or consultation for difficult or emergency cases. The designed network combined a regional RIS, grid-based image distribution management, an integrated video conferencing system and multi-platform interactive image display devices together with secured messaging and data communication. There are three kinds of components in the network: edge server, grid-based imaging documents registry and repository, and multi-platform display devices. This network has been deployed in a public cloud platform of Alibaba through Internet since March 2017 and used for small lung nodule or early staging lung cancer diagnosis services between Radiology departments of Huadong hospital in Shanghai and the First Hospital of Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province.

  20. Hybrid Systems Diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McIlraith, Sheila; Biswas, Gautam; Clancy, Dan; Gupta, Vineet

    2005-01-01

    This paper reports on an on-going Project to investigate techniques to diagnose complex dynamical systems that are modeled as hybrid systems. In particular, we examine continuous systems with embedded supervisory controllers that experience abrupt, partial or full failure of component devices. We cast the diagnosis problem as a model selection problem. To reduce the space of potential models under consideration, we exploit techniques from qualitative reasoning to conjecture an initial set of qualitative candidate diagnoses, which induce a smaller set of models. We refine these diagnoses using parameter estimation and model fitting techniques. As a motivating case study, we have examined the problem of diagnosing NASA's Sprint AERCam, a small spherical robotic camera unit with 12 thrusters that enable both linear and rotational motion.

  1. Graph-based real-time fault diagnostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Padalkar, S.; Karsai, G.; Sztipanovits, J.

    1988-01-01

    A real-time fault detection and diagnosis capability is absolutely crucial in the design of large-scale space systems. Some of the existing AI-based fault diagnostic techniques like expert systems and qualitative modelling are frequently ill-suited for this purpose. Expert systems are often inadequately structured, difficult to validate and suffer from knowledge acquisition bottlenecks. Qualitative modelling techniques sometimes generate a large number of failure source alternatives, thus hampering speedy diagnosis. In this paper we present a graph-based technique which is well suited for real-time fault diagnosis, structured knowledge representation and acquisition and testing and validation. A Hierarchical Fault Model of the system to be diagnosed is developed. At each level of hierarchy, there exist fault propagation digraphs denoting causal relations between failure modes of subsystems. The edges of such a digraph are weighted with fault propagation time intervals. Efficient and restartable graph algorithms are used for on-line speedy identification of failure source components.

  2. Resonance-Based Sparse Signal Decomposition and its Application in Mechanical Fault Diagnosis: A Review.

    PubMed

    Huang, Wentao; Sun, Hongjian; Wang, Weijie

    2017-06-03

    Mechanical equipment is the heart of industry. For this reason, mechanical fault diagnosis has drawn considerable attention. In terms of the rich information hidden in fault vibration signals, the processing and analysis techniques of vibration signals have become a crucial research issue in the field of mechanical fault diagnosis. Based on the theory of sparse decomposition, Selesnick proposed a novel nonlinear signal processing method: resonance-based sparse signal decomposition (RSSD). Since being put forward, RSSD has become widely recognized, and many RSSD-based methods have been developed to guide mechanical fault diagnosis. This paper attempts to summarize and review the theoretical developments and application advances of RSSD in mechanical fault diagnosis, and to provide a more comprehensive reference for those interested in RSSD and mechanical fault diagnosis. Followed by a brief introduction of RSSD's theoretical foundation, based on different optimization directions, applications of RSSD in mechanical fault diagnosis are categorized into five aspects: original RSSD, parameter optimized RSSD, subband optimized RSSD, integrated optimized RSSD, and RSSD combined with other methods. On this basis, outstanding issues in current RSSD study are also pointed out, as well as corresponding instructional solutions. We hope this review will provide an insightful reference for researchers and readers who are interested in RSSD and mechanical fault diagnosis.

  3. Resonance-Based Sparse Signal Decomposition and Its Application in Mechanical Fault Diagnosis: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Wentao; Sun, Hongjian; Wang, Weijie

    2017-01-01

    Mechanical equipment is the heart of industry. For this reason, mechanical fault diagnosis has drawn considerable attention. In terms of the rich information hidden in fault vibration signals, the processing and analysis techniques of vibration signals have become a crucial research issue in the field of mechanical fault diagnosis. Based on the theory of sparse decomposition, Selesnick proposed a novel nonlinear signal processing method: resonance-based sparse signal decomposition (RSSD). Since being put forward, RSSD has become widely recognized, and many RSSD-based methods have been developed to guide mechanical fault diagnosis. This paper attempts to summarize and review the theoretical developments and application advances of RSSD in mechanical fault diagnosis, and to provide a more comprehensive reference for those interested in RSSD and mechanical fault diagnosis. Followed by a brief introduction of RSSD’s theoretical foundation, based on different optimization directions, applications of RSSD in mechanical fault diagnosis are categorized into five aspects: original RSSD, parameter optimized RSSD, subband optimized RSSD, integrated optimized RSSD, and RSSD combined with other methods. On this basis, outstanding issues in current RSSD study are also pointed out, as well as corresponding instructional solutions. We hope this review will provide an insightful reference for researchers and readers who are interested in RSSD and mechanical fault diagnosis. PMID:28587198

  4. Address-event-based platform for bioinspired spiking systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiménez-Fernández, A.; Luján, C. D.; Linares-Barranco, A.; Gómez-Rodríguez, F.; Rivas, M.; Jiménez, G.; Civit, A.

    2007-05-01

    Address Event Representation (AER) is an emergent neuromorphic interchip communication protocol that allows a real-time virtual massive connectivity between huge number neurons, located on different chips. By exploiting high speed digital communication circuits (with nano-seconds timings), synaptic neural connections can be time multiplexed, while neural activity signals (with mili-seconds timings) are sampled at low frequencies. Also, neurons generate "events" according to their activity levels. More active neurons generate more events per unit time, and access the interchip communication channel more frequently, while neurons with low activity consume less communication bandwidth. When building multi-chip muti-layered AER systems, it is absolutely necessary to have a computer interface that allows (a) reading AER interchip traffic into the computer and visualizing it on the screen, and (b) converting conventional frame-based video stream in the computer into AER and injecting it at some point of the AER structure. This is necessary for test and debugging of complex AER systems. In the other hand, the use of a commercial personal computer implies to depend on software tools and operating systems that can make the system slower and un-robust. This paper addresses the problem of communicating several AER based chips to compose a powerful processing system. The problem was discussed in the Neuromorphic Engineering Workshop of 2006. The platform is based basically on an embedded computer, a powerful FPGA and serial links, to make the system faster and be stand alone (independent from a PC). A new platform is presented that allow to connect up to eight AER based chips to a Spartan 3 4000 FPGA. The FPGA is responsible of the network communication based in Address-Event and, at the same time, to map and transform the address space of the traffic to implement a pre-processing. A MMU microprocessor (Intel XScale 400MHz Gumstix Connex computer) is also connected to the FPGA

  5. The use of multiple models in case-based diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karamouzis, Stamos T.; Feyock, Stefan

    1993-01-01

    The work described in this paper has as its goal the integration of a number of reasoning techniques into a unified intelligent information system that will aid flight crews with malfunction diagnosis and prognostication. One of these approaches involves using the extensive archive of information contained in aircraft accident reports along with various models of the aircraft as the basis for case-based reasoning about malfunctions. Case-based reasoning draws conclusions on the basis of similarities between the present situation and prior experience. We maintain that the ability of a CBR program to reason about physical systems is significantly enhanced by the addition to the CBR program of various models. This paper describes the diagnostic concepts implemented in a prototypical case based reasoner that operates in the domain of in-flight fault diagnosis, the various models used in conjunction with the reasoner's CBR component, and results from a preliminary evaluation.

  6. Machine-based classification of ADHD and nonADHD participants using time/frequency features of event-related neuroelectric activity.

    PubMed

    Öztoprak, Hüseyin; Toycan, Mehmet; Alp, Yaşar Kemal; Arıkan, Orhan; Doğutepe, Elvin; Karakaş, Sirel

    2017-12-01

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most frequent diagnosis among children who are referred to psychiatry departments. Although ADHD was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, its diagnosis is still confronted with many problems. A novel classification approach that discriminates ADHD and nonADHD groups over the time-frequency domain features of event-related potential (ERP) recordings that are taken during Stroop task is presented. Time-Frequency Hermite-Atomizer (TFHA) technique is used for the extraction of high resolution time-frequency domain features that are highly localized in time-frequency domain. Based on an extensive investigation, Support Vector Machine-Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE) was used to obtain the best discriminating features. When the best three features were used, the classification accuracy for the training dataset reached 98%, and the use of five features further improved the accuracy to 99.5%. The accuracy was 100% for the testing dataset. Based on extensive experiments, the delta band emerged as the most contributing frequency band and statistical parameters emerged as the most contributing feature group. The classification performance of this study suggests that TFHA can be employed as an auxiliary component of the diagnostic and prognostic procedures for ADHD. The features obtained in this study can potentially contribute to the neuroelectrical understanding and clinical diagnosis of ADHD. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. The Development of a Web-Based Virtual Environment for Teaching Qualitative Analysis of Structures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Dwyer, D. W.; Logan-Phelan, T. M.; O'Neill, E. A.

    2007-01-01

    The current paper describes the design and development of a qualitative analysis course and an interactive web-based teaching and assessment tool called VSE (virtual structural environment). The widespread reliance on structural analysis programs requires engineers to be able to verify computer output by carrying out qualitative analyses.…

  8. Event-by-event mean p T fluctuations in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC

    DOE PAGES

    Abelev, B.; Adam, J.; Adamová, D.; ...

    2014-10-15

    Event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum of charged particles produced in pp collisions at √s = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb–Pb collisions at √ sNN = 2.76 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Dynamical fluctuations indicative of correlated particle emission are observed in all systems. The results in pp collisions show little dependence on collision energy. The Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET are in qualitative agreement with the data. Peripheral Pb–Pb data exhibit a similar multiplicity dependence as that observed in pp. In centralmore » Pb–Pb, the results deviate from this trend, featuring a significant reduction of the fluctuation strength. The results in Pb–Pb are in qualitative agreement with previous measurements in Au–Au at lower collision energies and with expectations from models that incorporate collective phenomena.« less

  9. Event-Based User Classification in Weibo Media

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Wendong; Cheng, Shiduan; Que, Xirong

    2014-01-01

    Weibo media, known as the real-time microblogging services, has attracted massive attention and support from social network users. Weibo platform offers an opportunity for people to access information and changes the way people acquire and disseminate information significantly. Meanwhile, it enables people to respond to the social events in a more convenient way. Much of the information in Weibo media is related to some events. Users who post different contents, and exert different behavior or attitude may lead to different contribution to the specific event. Therefore, classifying the large amount of uncategorized social circles generated in Weibo media automatically from the perspective of events has been a promising task. Under this circumstance, in order to effectively organize and manage the huge amounts of users, thereby further managing their contents, we address the task of user classification in a more granular, event-based approach in this paper. By analyzing real data collected from Sina Weibo, we investigate the Weibo properties and utilize both content information and social network information to classify the numerous users into four primary groups: celebrities, organizations/media accounts, grassroots stars, and ordinary individuals. The experiments results show that our method identifies the user categories accurately. PMID:25133235

  10. MRI-based decision tree model for diagnosis of biliary atresia.

    PubMed

    Kim, Yong Hee; Kim, Myung-Joon; Shin, Hyun Joo; Yoon, Haesung; Han, Seok Joo; Koh, Hong; Roh, Yun Ho; Lee, Mi-Jung

    2018-02-23

    To evaluate MRI findings and to generate a decision tree model for diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA) in infants with jaundice. We retrospectively reviewed features of MRI and ultrasonography (US) performed in infants with jaundice between January 2009 and June 2016 under approval of the institutional review board, including the maximum diameter of periportal signal change on MRI (MR triangular cord thickness, MR-TCT) or US (US-TCT), visibility of common bile duct (CBD) and abnormality of gallbladder (GB). Hepatic subcapsular flow was reviewed on Doppler US. We performed conditional inference tree analysis using MRI findings to generate a decision tree model. A total of 208 infants were included, 112 in the BA group and 96 in the non-BA group. Mean age at the time of MRI was 58.7 ± 36.6 days. Visibility of CBD, abnormality of GB and MR-TCT were good discriminators for the diagnosis of BA and the MRI-based decision tree using these findings with MR-TCT cut-off 5.1 mm showed 97.3 % sensitivity, 94.8 % specificity and 96.2 % accuracy. MRI-based decision tree model reliably differentiates BA in infants with jaundice. MRI can be an objective imaging modality for the diagnosis of BA. • MRI-based decision tree model reliably differentiates biliary atresia in neonatal cholestasis. • Common bile duct, gallbladder and periportal signal changes are the discriminators. • MRI has comparable performance to ultrasonography for diagnosis of biliary atresia.

  11. The Uses of Qualitative Research: Powerful Methods to Inform Evidence-Based Practice in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kozleski, Elizabeth B.

    2017-01-01

    This article offers a rationale for the contributions of qualitative research to evidence-based practice in special education. In it, I make the argument that qualitative research encompasses the ability to study significant problems of practice, engage with practitioners in the conduct of research studies, learn and change processes during a…

  12. Ontology based decision system for breast cancer diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trabelsi Ben Ameur, Soumaya; Cloppet, Florence; Wendling, Laurent; Sellami, Dorra

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we focus on analysis and diagnosis of breast masses inspired by expert concepts and rules. Accordingly, a Bag of Words is built based on the ontology of breast cancer diagnosis, accurately described in the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. To fill the gap between low level knowledge and expert concepts, a semantic annotation is developed using a machine learning tool. Then, breast masses are classified into benign or malignant according to expert rules implicitly modeled with a set of classifiers (KNN, ANN, SVM and Decision Tree). This semantic context of analysis offers a frame where we can include external factors and other meta-knowledge such as patient risk factors as well as exploiting more than one modality. Based on MRI and DECEDM modalities, our developed system leads a recognition rate of 99.7% with Decision Tree where an improvement of 24.7 % is obtained owing to semantic analysis.

  13. Fault Diagnosis for Rolling Bearings under Variable Conditions Based on Visual Cognition

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Yujie; Zhou, Bo; Lu, Chen; Yang, Chao

    2017-01-01

    Fault diagnosis for rolling bearings has attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, few studies have focused on fault diagnosis for rolling bearings under variable conditions. This paper introduces a fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings under variable conditions based on visual cognition. The proposed method includes the following steps. First, the vibration signal data are transformed into a recurrence plot (RP), which is a two-dimensional image. Then, inspired by the visual invariance characteristic of the human visual system (HVS), we utilize speed up robust feature to extract fault features from the two-dimensional RP and generate a 64-dimensional feature vector, which is invariant to image translation, rotation, scaling variation, etc. Third, based on the manifold perception characteristic of HVS, isometric mapping, a manifold learning method that can reflect the intrinsic manifold embedded in the high-dimensional space, is employed to obtain a low-dimensional feature vector. Finally, a classical classification method, support vector machine, is utilized to realize fault diagnosis. Verification data were collected from Case Western Reserve University Bearing Data Center, and the experimental result indicates that the proposed fault diagnosis method based on visual cognition is highly effective for rolling bearings under variable conditions, thus providing a promising approach from the cognitive computing field. PMID:28772943

  14. Bearing Fault Diagnosis Based on Statistical Locally Linear Embedding

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiang; Zheng, Yuan; Zhao, Zhenzhou; Wang, Jinping

    2015-01-01

    Fault diagnosis is essentially a kind of pattern recognition. The measured signal samples usually distribute on nonlinear low-dimensional manifolds embedded in the high-dimensional signal space, so how to implement feature extraction, dimensionality reduction and improve recognition performance is a crucial task. In this paper a novel machinery fault diagnosis approach based on a statistical locally linear embedding (S-LLE) algorithm which is an extension of LLE by exploiting the fault class label information is proposed. The fault diagnosis approach first extracts the intrinsic manifold features from the high-dimensional feature vectors which are obtained from vibration signals that feature extraction by time-domain, frequency-domain and empirical mode decomposition (EMD), and then translates the complex mode space into a salient low-dimensional feature space by the manifold learning algorithm S-LLE, which outperforms other feature reduction methods such as PCA, LDA and LLE. Finally in the feature reduction space pattern classification and fault diagnosis by classifier are carried out easily and rapidly. Rolling bearing fault signals are used to validate the proposed fault diagnosis approach. The results indicate that the proposed approach obviously improves the classification performance of fault pattern recognition and outperforms the other traditional approaches. PMID:26153771

  15. Iron deficiency anemia: diagnosis and management.

    PubMed

    Clark, Susan F

    2009-03-01

    Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) still remains universally problematic worldwide. The primary focus of this review is to critique articles published over the past 18 months that describe strategies for the diagnosis and management of this prevalent condition. The medical community continues to lack consensus when identifying the optimal approach for the diagnosis and management of IDA. Current diagnostic recommendations revolve around the validity and practicality of current biomarkers such as soluble transferrin-receptor concentrations and others, and cause-based diagnostics that potentially include endoscopy. Management of IDA is based on supplementation combined with effective etiological treatment. Advances in oral and parenteral low-molecular-weight iron preparations has expanded and improved treatment modalities for IDA. Since the introduction of low versus high-molecular-weight intravenous iron administration, there have been fewer serious adverse events associated with parenteral iron preparations. Best practice guidelines for diagnosing and managing IDA should include the design of an algorithm that is inclusive of multiple biomarkers and cause-based diagnostics, which will provide direction in managing IDA, and distinguish between IDA from the anemia of chronic disease.

  16. Event Classification and Identification Based on the Characteristic Ellipsoid of Phasor Measurement

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

    Ma, Jian; Diao, Ruisheng; Makarov, Yuri V.

    2011-09-23

    In this paper, a method to classify and identify power system events based on the characteristic ellipsoid of phasor measurement is presented. The decision tree technique is used to perform the event classification and identification. Event types, event locations and clearance times are identified by decision trees based on the indices of the characteristic ellipsoid. A sufficiently large number of transient events were simulated on the New England 10-machine 39-bus system based on different system configurations. Transient simulations taking into account different event types, clearance times and various locations are conducted to simulate phasor measurement. Bus voltage magnitudes and recordedmore » reactive and active power flows are used to build the characteristic ellipsoid. The volume, eccentricity, center and projection of the longest axis in the parameter space coordinates of the characteristic ellipsoids are used to classify and identify events. Results demonstrate that the characteristic ellipsoid and the decision tree are capable to detect the event type, location, and clearance time with very high accuracy.« less

  17. An evaluation of a real-time fault diagnosis expert system for aircraft applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schutte, Paul C.; Abbott, Kathy H.; Palmer, Michael T.; Ricks, Wendell R.

    1987-01-01

    A fault monitoring and diagnosis expert system called Faultfinder was conceived and developed to detect and diagnose in-flight failures in an aircraft. Faultfinder is an automated intelligent aid whose purpose is to assist the flight crew in fault monitoring, fault diagnosis, and recovery planning. The present implementation of this concept performs monitoring and diagnosis for a generic aircraft's propulsion and hydraulic subsystems. This implementation is capable of detecting and diagnosing failures of known and unknown (i.e., unforseeable) type in a real-time environment. Faultfinder uses both rule-based and model-based reasoning strategies which operate on causal, temporal, and qualitative information. A preliminary evaluation is made of the diagnostic concepts implemented in Faultfinder. The evaluation used actual aircraft accident and incident cases which were simulated to assess the effectiveness of Faultfinder in detecting and diagnosing failures. Results of this evaluation, together with the description of the current Faultfinder implementation, are presented.

  18. Stress echocardiography for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease: an evidence-based analysis.

    PubMed

    2010-01-01

    . Further, it is estimated that approximately 30% of patients have sub-optimal stress ECHO exams. To overcome this limitation, contrast agents for LV opacification have been developed. Although stress ECHO is a relatively easy to use technology that poses only a low risk of adverse events compared to other imaging technologies, it may potentially be overused and/or misused in CAD diagnosis. Several recent advances have been made focusing on quantitative methods for assessment, improved image quality and enhanced portability, however, evidence on the effectiveness and clinical utility of these enhancements is limited. EVIDENCE-BASED ANALYSIS: What is the diagnostic accuracy of stress ECHO for the diagnosis of patients with suspected CAD compared to the reference standard of CA?What is the clinical utility() of stress ECHO? A literature search was performed on August 28, 2009 using OVID MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Cochrane Library, and the International Agency for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) for studies published from January 1, 2004 until August 21, 2009. Abstracts were reviewed by a single reviewer and, for those studies meeting the eligibility criteria, full-text articles were obtained. Reference lists were also examined for any relevant studies not identified through the search. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, prospective observational studies, retrospective analysesMinimum sample size of 20 enrolled patientsComparison to CA (reference standard)Definition of CAD specified as either ≥50%, ≥70% or ≥75% coronary artery stenosis on CAReporting accuracy data on individual patients (rather than accuracy data stratified by segments of the heart)EnglishHuman Duplicate studiesNon-systematic reviews, case reportsGrey literature (e.g., conference abstracts)Insufficient data for independent calculation of sensitivity and

  19. Event-Based control of depth of hypnosis in anesthesia.

    PubMed

    Merigo, Luca; Beschi, Manuel; Padula, Fabrizio; Latronico, Nicola; Paltenghi, Massimiliano; Visioli, Antonio

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, we propose the use of an event-based control strategy for the closed-loop control of the depth of hypnosis in anesthesia by using propofol administration and the bispectral index as a controlled variable. A new event generator with high noise-filtering properties is employed in addition to a PIDPlus controller. The tuning of the parameters is performed off-line by using genetic algorithms by considering a given data set of patients. The effectiveness and robustness of the method is verified in simulation by implementing a Monte Carlo method to address the intra-patient and inter-patient variability. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the event-based control system achieves a reduction of the total variation of the manipulated variable of 93% in the induction phase and of 95% in the maintenance phase. The use of event based automatic control in anesthesia yields a fast induction phase with bounded overshoot and an acceptable disturbance rejection. A comparison with a standard PID control structure shows that the technique effectively mimics the behavior of the anesthesiologist by providing a significant decrement of the total variation of the manipulated variable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Landmark-based deep multi-instance learning for brain disease diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Liu, Mingxia; Zhang, Jun; Adeli, Ehsan; Shen, Dinggang

    2018-01-01

    In conventional Magnetic Resonance (MR) image based methods, two stages are often involved to capture brain structural information for disease diagnosis, i.e., 1) manually partitioning each MR image into a number of regions-of-interest (ROIs), and 2) extracting pre-defined features from each ROI for diagnosis with a certain classifier. However, these pre-defined features often limit the performance of the diagnosis, due to challenges in 1) defining the ROIs and 2) extracting effective disease-related features. In this paper, we propose a landmark-based deep multi-instance learning (LDMIL) framework for brain disease diagnosis. Specifically, we first adopt a data-driven learning approach to discover disease-related anatomical landmarks in the brain MR images, along with their nearby image patches. Then, our LDMIL framework learns an end-to-end MR image classifier for capturing both the local structural information conveyed by image patches located by landmarks and the global structural information derived from all detected landmarks. We have evaluated our proposed framework on 1526 subjects from three public datasets (i.e., ADNI-1, ADNI-2, and MIRIAD), and the experimental results show that our framework can achieve superior performance over state-of-the-art approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Abstracting event-based control models for high autonomy systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luh, Cheng-Jye; Zeigler, Bernard P.

    1993-01-01

    A high autonomy system needs many models on which to base control, management, design, and other interventions. These models differ in level of abstraction and in formalism. Concepts and tools are needed to organize the models into a coherent whole. The paper deals with the abstraction processes for systematic derivation of related models for use in event-based control. The multifaceted modeling methodology is briefly reviewed. The morphism concepts needed for application to model abstraction are described. A theory for supporting the construction of DEVS models needed for event-based control is then presented. An implemented morphism on the basis of this theory is also described.

  2. VVV Survey Microlensing Events in the Galactic Center Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Navarro, María Gabriela; Minniti, Dante; Contreras Ramos, Rodrigo

    2017-12-01

    We search for microlensing events in the highly reddened areas surrounding the Galactic center using the near-IR observations with the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV). We report the discovery of 182 new microlensing events, based on observations acquired between 2010 and 2015. We present the color-magnitude diagrams of the microlensing sources for the VVV tiles b332, b333, and b334, which were independently analyzed, and show good qualitative agreement among themselves. We detect an excess of microlensing events in the central tile b333 in comparison with the other two tiles, suggesting that the microlensing optical depth keeps rising all the way to the Galactic center. We derive the Einstein radius crossing time for all of the observed events. The observed event timescales range from t E = 5 to 200 days. The resulting timescale distribution shows a mean timescale of < {t}{{E}}> =30.91 days for the complete sample (N = 182 events), and < {t}{{E}}> =29.93 days if restricted only for the red clump (RC) giant sources (N = 96 RC events). There are 20 long timescale events ({t}{{E}}≥slant 100 days) that suggest the presence of massive lenses (black holes) or disk-disk event. This work demonstrates that the VVV Survey is a powerful tool to detect intermediate/long timescale microlensing events in highly reddened areas, and it enables a number of future applications, from analyzing individual events to computing the statistics for the inner Galactic mass and kinematic distributions, in aid of future ground- and space-based experiments.

  3. IBES: a tool for creating instructions based on event segmentation

    PubMed Central

    Mura, Katharina; Petersen, Nils; Huff, Markus; Ghose, Tandra

    2013-01-01

    Receiving informative, well-structured, and well-designed instructions supports performance and memory in assembly tasks. We describe IBES, a tool with which users can quickly and easily create multimedia, step-by-step instructions by segmenting a video of a task into segments. In a validation study we demonstrate that the step-by-step structure of the visual instructions created by the tool corresponds to the natural event boundaries, which are assessed by event segmentation and are known to play an important role in memory processes. In one part of the study, 20 participants created instructions based on videos of two different scenarios by using the proposed tool. In the other part of the study, 10 and 12 participants respectively segmented videos of the same scenarios yielding event boundaries for coarse and fine events. We found that the visual steps chosen by the participants for creating the instruction manual had corresponding events in the event segmentation. The number of instructional steps was a compromise between the number of fine and coarse events. Our interpretation of results is that the tool picks up on natural human event perception processes of segmenting an ongoing activity into events and enables the convenient transfer into meaningful multimedia instructions for assembly tasks. We discuss the practical application of IBES, for example, creating manuals for differing expertise levels, and give suggestions for research on user-oriented instructional design based on this tool. PMID:24454296

  4. IBES: a tool for creating instructions based on event segmentation.

    PubMed

    Mura, Katharina; Petersen, Nils; Huff, Markus; Ghose, Tandra

    2013-12-26

    Receiving informative, well-structured, and well-designed instructions supports performance and memory in assembly tasks. We describe IBES, a tool with which users can quickly and easily create multimedia, step-by-step instructions by segmenting a video of a task into segments. In a validation study we demonstrate that the step-by-step structure of the visual instructions created by the tool corresponds to the natural event boundaries, which are assessed by event segmentation and are known to play an important role in memory processes. In one part of the study, 20 participants created instructions based on videos of two different scenarios by using the proposed tool. In the other part of the study, 10 and 12 participants respectively segmented videos of the same scenarios yielding event boundaries for coarse and fine events. We found that the visual steps chosen by the participants for creating the instruction manual had corresponding events in the event segmentation. The number of instructional steps was a compromise between the number of fine and coarse events. Our interpretation of results is that the tool picks up on natural human event perception processes of segmenting an ongoing activity into events and enables the convenient transfer into meaningful multimedia instructions for assembly tasks. We discuss the practical application of IBES, for example, creating manuals for differing expertise levels, and give suggestions for research on user-oriented instructional design based on this tool.

  5. Toxic Leak!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Groundwater Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for the middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  6. Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Earth Science Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  7. Oil Spill! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Oceanography Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  8. Case-Mix Adjusting Performance Measures in a Veteran Population: Pharmacy- and Diagnosis-Based Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Chuan-Fen; Sales, Anne E; Sharp, Nancy D; Fishman, Paul; Sloan, Kevin L; Todd-Stenberg, Jeff; Nichol, W Paul; Rosen, Amy K; Loveland, Susan

    2003-01-01

    Objective To compare the rankings for health care utilization performance measures at the facility level in a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) health care delivery network using pharmacy- and diagnosis-based case-mix adjustment measures. Data Sources/Study Setting The study included veterans who used inpatient or outpatient services in Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 20 during fiscal year 1998 (October 1997 to September 1998; N=126,076). Utilization and pharmacy data were extracted from VHA national databases and the VISN 20 data warehouse. Study Design We estimated concurrent regression models using pharmacy or diagnosis information in the base year (FY1998) to predict health service utilization in the same year. Utilization measures included bed days of care for inpatient care and provider visits for outpatient care. Principal Findings Rankings of predicted utilization measures across facilities vary by case-mix adjustment measure. There is greater consistency within the diagnosis-based models than between the diagnosis- and pharmacy-based models. The eight facilities were ranked differently by the diagnosis- and pharmacy-based models. Conclusions Choice of case-mix adjustment measure affects rankings of facilities on performance measures, raising concerns about the validity of profiling practices. Differences in rankings may reflect differences in comparability of data capture across facilities between pharmacy and diagnosis data sources, and unstable estimates due to small numbers of patients in a facility. PMID:14596393

  9. Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Earth Science Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about earthquakes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  10. Oil Spill!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Oceanography Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science or general science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  11. Event-based Plausibility Immediately Influences On-line Language Comprehension

    PubMed Central

    Matsuki, Kazunaga; Chow, Tracy; Hare, Mary; Elman, Jeffrey L.; Scheepers, Christoph; McRae, Ken

    2011-01-01

    In some theories of sentence comprehension, linguistically-relevant lexical knowledge such as selectional restrictions is privileged in terms of the time-course of its access and influence. We examined whether event knowledge computed by combining multiple concepts can rapidly influence language understanding even in the absence of selectional restriction violations. Specifically, we investigated whether instruments can combine with actions to influence comprehension of ensuing patients. Instrument-verb-patient triplets were created in a norming study designed to tap directly into event knowledge. In self-paced reading (Experiment 1), participants were faster to read patient nouns such as hair when they were typical of the instrument-action pair (Donna used the shampoo to wash vs. the hose to wash). Experiment 2 showed that these results were not due to direct instrument-patient relations. Experiment 3 replicated Experiment 1 using eyetracking, with effects of event typicality observed in first fixation and gaze durations on the patient noun. This research demonstrates that conceptual event-based expectations are computed and used rapidly and dynamically during on-line language comprehension. We discuss relationships among plausibility and predictability, as well as their implications. We conclude that selectional restrictions may be best considered as event-based conceptual knowledge, rather than lexical-grammatical knowledge. PMID:21517222

  12. Qualitative exploration of healthcare relationships following delayed diagnosis of ovarian cancer and subsequent participation in supportive-expressive group therapy.

    PubMed

    Walker, Lauren M; Robinson, John W

    2009-11-01

    To explore the role of supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) in facilitating the development and quality of healthcare relationships in patients with ovarian cancer. Qualitative, grounded theory, and comparative approach. Tertiary care cancer center. 6 patients with advanced ovarian cancer and 3 healthcare professionals. Patients participated in semistructured interviews that examined the nature of their healthcare relationships, diagnoses, and SEGT experience. The primary gynecologic oncologist and two nurses responsible for the care of the patients also were interviewed. Analysis of this qualitative study employed a grounded theory technique. Patients' and healthcare professionals' perceptions of healthcare relationships. Patients' negative diagnostic experiences were found to influence the quality of relationships with healthcare providers. However, the process appears to benefit from patient participation in SEGT. Patients perceived that SEGT helped facilitate communication between patients and professionals. Patients also indicated that SEGT led them to participate more actively in the treatment process. Professionals viewed patient participation in SEGT as a positive outlet for emotional expression, a source of psychological healing, and a tool that facilitated communication, collaboration, and understanding of medical treatment. Participation in SEGT can advance communication and collaboration in medical care and provide opportunity and resources for psychological healing. SEGT provides a vehicle to enhance the quality of life of patients with ovarian cancer by breaking down the common feeling of isolation, addressing women's frustration and resentment regarding delayed diagnosis, and enhancing relationships with healthcare providers to promote collaborative care in this patient population.

  13. Clinical Assistant Diagnosis for Electronic Medical Record Based on Convolutional Neural Network.

    PubMed

    Yang, Zhongliang; Huang, Yongfeng; Jiang, Yiran; Sun, Yuxi; Zhang, Yu-Jin; Luo, Pengcheng

    2018-04-20

    Automatically extracting useful information from electronic medical records along with conducting disease diagnoses is a promising task for both clinical decision support(CDS) and neural language processing(NLP). Most of the existing systems are based on artificially constructed knowledge bases, and then auxiliary diagnosis is done by rule matching. In this study, we present a clinical intelligent decision approach based on Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN), which can automatically extract high-level semantic information of electronic medical records and then perform automatic diagnosis without artificial construction of rules or knowledge bases. We use collected 18,590 copies of the real-world clinical electronic medical records to train and test the proposed model. Experimental results show that the proposed model can achieve 98.67% accuracy and 96.02% recall, which strongly supports that using convolutional neural network to automatically learn high-level semantic features of electronic medical records and then conduct assist diagnosis is feasible and effective.

  14. Longitudinal decorrelation measures of flow magnitude and event-plane angles in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    BoŻek, Piotr; Broniowski, Wojciech

    2018-03-01

    We discuss the forward-backward correlations of harmonic flow in Pb +Pb collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, applying standard multibin measures as well as new measures proposed here. We illustrate the methods with hydrodynamic model simulations based on event-by-event initial conditions from the wounded quark model with asymmetric rapidity emission profiles. Within the model, we examine independently the event-plane angle and the flow magnitude decorrelations. We find a specific hierarchy between various flow decorrelation measures and confirm certain factorization relations. We find qualitative agreement of the model and the data from the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations.

  15. Contribution of criterion A2 to PTSD screening in the presence of traumatic events.

    PubMed

    Pereda, Noemí; Forero, Carlos G

    2012-10-01

    Criterion A2 according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4(th) ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aims to assess the individual's subjective appraisal of an event, but it has been claimed that it might not be sufficiently specific for diagnostic purposes. We analyse the contribution of Criterion A2 and DSM-IV criteria to detect PTSD for the most distressing life events experienced by our subjects. Young adults (N = 1,033) reported their most distressing life events, together with PTSD criteria (Criteria A2, B, C, D, E, and F). PTSD prevalence and criterion specificity and agreement with probable diagnoses were estimated. Our results indicate 80.30% of the individuals experienced traumatic events and met one or more PTSD criteria; 13.22% cases received a positive diagnosis of PTSD. Criterion A2 showed poor agreement with the final probable PTSD diagnosis (correlation with PTSD .13, specificity = .10); excluding it from PTSD diagnosis did not the change the estimated disorder prevalence significantly. Based on these findings it appears that Criterion A2 is scarcely specific and provides little information to confirm a probable PTSD case. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

  16. Probabilistic self-localisation on a qualitative map based on occlusions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santos, Paulo E.; Martins, Murilo F.; Fenelon, Valquiria; Cozman, Fabio G.; Dee, Hannah M.

    2016-09-01

    Spatial knowledge plays an essential role in human reasoning, permitting tasks such as locating objects in the world (including oneself), reasoning about everyday actions and describing perceptual information. This is also the case in the field of mobile robotics, where one of the most basic (and essential) tasks is the autonomous determination of the pose of a robot with respect to a map, given its perception of the environment. This is the problem of robot self-localisation (or simply the localisation problem). This paper presents a probabilistic algorithm for robot self-localisation that is based on a topological map constructed from the observation of spatial occlusion. Distinct locations on the map are defined by means of a classical formalism for qualitative spatial reasoning, whose base definitions are closer to the human categorisation of space than traditional, numerical, localisation procedures. The approach herein proposed was systematically evaluated through experiments using a mobile robot equipped with a RGB-D sensor. The results obtained show that the localisation algorithm is successful in locating the robot in qualitatively distinct regions.

  17. Using framework-based synthesis for conducting reviews of qualitative studies.

    PubMed

    Dixon-Woods, Mary

    2011-04-14

    Framework analysis is a technique used for data analysis in primary qualitative research. Recent years have seen its being adapted to conduct syntheses of qualitative studies. Framework-based synthesis shows considerable promise in addressing applied policy questions. An innovation in the approach, known as 'best fit' framework synthesis, has been published in BMC Medical Research Methodology this month. It involves reviewers in choosing a conceptual model likely to be suitable for the question of the review, and using it as the basis of their initial coding framework. This framework is then modified in response to the evidence reported in the studies in the reviews, so that the final product is a revised framework that may include both modified factors and new factors that were not anticipated in the original model. 'Best fit' framework-based synthesis may be especially suitable in addressing urgent policy questions where the need for a more fully developed synthesis is balanced by the need for a quick answer. Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2288/11/29.

  18. Nanotechnology-Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-01

    1 AD _________________ AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0157 TITLE: Nanotechnology -Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate...DATES COVERED 15 Jul 2015 - 14 Jul 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Nanotechnology -Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer...the expression level of deregulated miRNAs in mouse and human PCa tissues as well as serum samples using an advanced nanotechnology -based sensing

  19. Digital disease detection: A systematic review of event-based internet biosurveillance systems.

    PubMed

    O'Shea, Jesse

    2017-05-01

    Internet access and usage has changed how people seek and report health information. Meanwhile,infectious diseases continue to threaten humanity. The analysis of Big Data, or vast digital data, presents an opportunity to improve disease surveillance and epidemic intelligence. Epidemic intelligence contains two components: indicator based and event-based. A relatively new surveillance type has emerged called event-based Internet biosurveillance systems. These systems use information on events impacting health from Internet sources, such as social media or news aggregates. These systems circumvent the limitations of traditional reporting systems by being inexpensive, transparent, and flexible. Yet, innovations and the functionality of these systems can change rapidly. To update the current state of knowledge on event-based Internet biosurveillance systems by identifying all systems, including current functionality, with hopes to aid decision makers with whether to incorporate new methods into comprehensive programmes of surveillance. A systematic review was performed through PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, while also including grey literature and other publication types. 50 event-based Internet systems were identified, including an extraction of 15 attributes for each system, described in 99 articles. Each system uses different innovative technology and data sources to gather data, process, and disseminate data to detect infectious disease outbreaks. The review emphasises the importance of using both formal and informal sources for timely and accurate infectious disease outbreak surveillance, cataloguing all event-based Internet biosurveillance systems. By doing so, future researchers will be able to use this review as a library for referencing systems, with hopes of learning, building, and expanding Internet-based surveillance systems. Event-based Internet biosurveillance should act as an extension of traditional systems, to be utilised as an

  20. Diagnosis diagrams for passing signals on an automatic block signaling railway section

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spunei, E.; Piroi, I.; Chioncel, C. P.; Piroi, F.

    2018-01-01

    This work presents a diagnosis method for railway traffic security installations. More specifically, the authors present a series of diagnosis charts for passing signals on a railway block equipped with an automatic block signaling installation. These charts are based on the exploitation electric schemes, and are subsequently used to develop a diagnosis software package. The thus developed software package contributes substantially to a reduction of failure detection and remedy for these types of installation faults. The use of the software package eliminates making wrong decisions in the fault detection process, decisions that may result in longer remedy times and, sometimes, to railway traffic events.

  1. Invasive candidiasis: future directions in non-culture based diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Posch, Wilfried; Heimdörfer, David; Wilflingseder, Doris; Lass-Flörl, Cornelia

    2017-09-01

    Delayed initial antifungal therapy is associated with high mortality rates caused by invasive candida infections, since accurate detection of the opportunistic pathogenic yeast and its identification display a diagnostic challenge. diagnosis of candida infections relies on time-consuming methods such as blood cultures, serologic and histopathologic examination. to allow for fast detection and characterization of invasive candidiasis, there is a need to improve diagnostic tools. trends in diagnostics switch to non-culture-based methods, which allow specified diagnosis within significantly shorter periods of time in order to provide early and appropriate antifungal treatment. Areas covered: within this review comprise novel pathogen- and host-related testing methods, e.g. multiplex-PCR analyses, T2 magnetic resonance, fungus-specific DNA microarrays, microRNA characterization or analyses of IL-17 as biomarker for early detection of invasive candidiasis. Expert commentary: Early recognition and diagnosis of fungal infections is a key issue for improved patient management. As shown in this review, a broad range of novel molecular based tests for the detection and identification of Candida species is available. However, several assays are in-house assays and lack standardization, clinical validation as well as data on sensitivity and specificity. This underscores the need for the development of faster and more accurate diagnostic tests.

  2. A hierarchical fuzzy rule-based approach to aphasia diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Akbarzadeh-T, Mohammad-R; Moshtagh-Khorasani, Majid

    2007-10-01

    Aphasia diagnosis is a particularly challenging medical diagnostic task due to the linguistic uncertainty and vagueness, inconsistencies in the definition of aphasic syndromes, large number of measurements with imprecision, natural diversity and subjectivity in test objects as well as in opinions of experts who diagnose the disease. To efficiently address this diagnostic process, a hierarchical fuzzy rule-based structure is proposed here that considers the effect of different features of aphasia by statistical analysis in its construction. This approach can be efficient for diagnosis of aphasia and possibly other medical diagnostic applications due to its fuzzy and hierarchical reasoning construction. Initially, the symptoms of the disease which each consists of different features are analyzed statistically. The measured statistical parameters from the training set are then used to define membership functions and the fuzzy rules. The resulting two-layered fuzzy rule-based system is then compared with a back propagating feed-forward neural network for diagnosis of four Aphasia types: Anomic, Broca, Global and Wernicke. In order to reduce the number of required inputs, the technique is applied and compared on both comprehensive and spontaneous speech tests. Statistical t-test analysis confirms that the proposed approach uses fewer Aphasia features while also presenting a significant improvement in terms of accuracy.

  3. Qualitative Research and Community-Based Participatory Research: Considerations for Effective Dissemination in the Peer-Reviewed Literature.

    PubMed

    Grieb, Suzanne Dolwick; Eder, Milton Mickey; Smith, Katherine C; Calhoun, Karen; Tandon, Darius

    2015-01-01

    Qualitative research is appearing with increasing frequency in the public health and medical literature. Qualitative research in combination with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach can be powerful. However little guidance is available on how to present qualitative research within a CBPR framework for peer-review publications. This article provides a brief overview of how qualitative research can advance CBPR partnerships and outlines practical guidelines for writing for publication about qualitative research within a CBPR framework to (1) guide partners with little experience publishing in peer-reviewed journals and/or (2) facilitate effective preparation of manuscripts grounded in qualitative research for peer-reviewed journals. We provide information regarding the specific benefits of qualitative inquiry in CBPR, tips for organizing the manuscript, questions to consider in preparing the manuscript, common mistakes in the presentation of qualitative research, and examples of peer-reviewed manuscripts presenting qualitative research conducted within a CBPR framework. Qualitative research approaches have tremendous potential to integrate community and researcher perspectives to inform community health research findings. Effective dissemination of CBPR informed qualitative research findings is crucial to advancing health disparities research.

  4. Pediatric bipolar disorder: validity, phenomenology, and recommendations for diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Youngstrom, Eric A; Birmaher, Boris; Findling, Robert L

    2013-01-01

    Objective To find, review, and critically evaluate evidence pertaining to the phenomenology of pediatric bipolar disorder and its validity as a diagnosis. Methods The present qualitative review summarizes and synthesizes available evidence about the phenomenology of bipolar disorder (BD) in youths, including description of the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of symptoms, clarification about rates of cycling and mixed states, and discussion about chronic versus episodic presentations of mood dysregulation. The validity of the diagnosis of BD in youths is also evaluated based on traditional criteria including associated demographic characteristics, family environmental features, genetic bases, longitudinal studies of youths at risk of developing BD as well as youths already manifesting symptoms on the bipolar spectrum, treatment studies and pharmacologic dissection, neurobiological findings (including morphological and functional data), and other related laboratory findings. Additional sections review impairment and quality of life, personality and temperamental correlates, the clinical utility of a bipolar diagnosis in youths, and the dimensional versus categorical distinction as it applies to mood disorder in youths. Results A schema for diagnosis of BD in youths is developed, including a review of different operational definitions of `bipolar not otherwise specified.' Principal areas of disagreement appear to include the relative role of elated versus irritable mood in assessment, and also the limits of the extent of the bipolar spectrum – when do definitions become so broad that they are no longer describing `bipolar' cases? Conclusions In spite of these areas of disagreement, considerable evidence has amassed supporting the validity of the bipolar diagnosis in children and adolescents. PMID:18199237

  5. Implementing resources to support the diagnosis and management of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in primary care: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Bayliss, Kerin; Riste, Lisa; Band, Rebecca; Peters, Sarah; Wearden, Alison; Lovell, Karina; Fisher, Louise; Chew-Graham, Carolyn A

    2016-06-04

    Previous research has highlighted that many GPs lack the confidence and knowledge to diagnose and manage people with CFS/ME. Following the development of an online training module for GPs, and an information pack and DVD for patients, this study explored the extent to which these resources can be implemented in routine primary care. Semi structured qualitative interviews were completed with patients and GPs across North West England. All interviews were transcribed and analysed using open exploratory thematic coding. Following this thematic analysis, the authors conducted a further theory-driven analysis of the data guided by Normalisation Process Theory. When used in line with advice from the research team, the information resource and training were perceived as beneficial to both patients and GPs in the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME. However, 47 % of patients in this study did not receive the information pack from their GP. When the information pack was used, it was often incomplete, sent in the post, and GPs did not work with patients to discuss the materials. Only13 out of 21 practices completed the training module due to time pressures and the low priority placed on low prevalence, contentious, hard to manage conditions. When the module was completed, many GPs stated that it was not feasible to retain the key messages as they saw so few patients with the condition. Due to the complexity of the condition, GPs also believed that the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME should take place in a specialist care setting. While barriers to the implementation of training and resources for CFS/ME remain, there is a need to support CFS/ME patients to access reliable, evidence based information outside primary care. Our findings suggest that future research should develop an online resource for patients to support self-management.

  6. Factors influencing adverse events reporting within the health care system: the case of artemisinin-based combination treatments in northern Ghana.

    PubMed

    Chatio, Samuel; Aborigo, Raymond; Adongo, Philip Baba; Anyorigiya, Thomas; Dalinjong, Philip Ayizem; Akweongo, Patricia; Oduro, Abraham

    2016-02-27

    The use of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria was a policy recommended by World Health Organization. In 2004, Ghana changed her first-line anti-malarial drug policy to use ACT. This study examined factors affecting adverse events reporting in northern Ghana after the introduction of ACT. This was a qualitative study based on sixty in-depth interviews with health workers, chemical shop owners and patients with malaria who were given ACT at the health facilities. Purposive sampling method was used to select study participants. The interviews were transcribed, coded into themes using Nvivo 9 software. The thematic analysis framework was used to analyse the data. Study respondents reported body weakness and dizziness as the most frequent side effects they had experienced from the used of ACT. Other side effects they reported were swollen testes, abdominal pain and shivering. These side effects were mostly associated with the use of artesunate-amodiaquine compared to other artemisinin-based combinations. Patients were not provided information about the side effects of the drugs and so did not report when they experienced them. Also long queues at health facilities and unfriendly health worker attitude were the main factors affecting adverse events reporting. Other factors such as wrong use of ACT at home, farming and commercial activities also affected effective adverse events reporting in the study area. Patients' lack of knowledge and health sector drawbacks affected side effect reporting on ACT. Intensive health education on likely side effects of ACT should be provided to patients by health workers. Also, improving health worker attitude toward clients will encourage patients to visit the health facilities when they react negatively to ACT and, subsequently, will improve on adverse events reporting.

  7. Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction Meditation Technique for Teacher Burnout: A Qualitative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schnaider-Levi, Lia; Mitnik, Inbal; Zafrani, Keren; Goldman, Zehavit; Lev-Ari, Shahar

    2017-01-01

    An inquiry-based intervention has been found to have a positive effect on burnout and mental well-being parameters among teachers. The aim of the current study was to qualitatively evaluate the effect of the inquiry-based stress reduction (IBSR) meditation technique on the participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted before and after…

  8. Modeling Sensor Reliability in Fault Diagnosis Based on Evidence Theory

    PubMed Central

    Yuan, Kaijuan; Xiao, Fuyuan; Fei, Liguo; Kang, Bingyi; Deng, Yong

    2016-01-01

    Sensor data fusion plays an important role in fault diagnosis. Dempster–Shafer (D-R) evidence theory is widely used in fault diagnosis, since it is efficient to combine evidence from different sensors. However, under the situation where the evidence highly conflicts, it may obtain a counterintuitive result. To address the issue, a new method is proposed in this paper. Not only the statistic sensor reliability, but also the dynamic sensor reliability are taken into consideration. The evidence distance function and the belief entropy are combined to obtain the dynamic reliability of each sensor report. A weighted averaging method is adopted to modify the conflict evidence by assigning different weights to evidence according to sensor reliability. The proposed method has better performance in conflict management and fault diagnosis due to the fact that the information volume of each sensor report is taken into consideration. An application in fault diagnosis based on sensor fusion is illustrated to show the efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method improves the accuracy of fault diagnosis from 81.19% to 89.48% compared to the existing methods. PMID:26797611

  9. Infectious diseases prioritisation for event-based surveillance at the European Union level for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    PubMed

    Economopoulou, A; Kinross, P; Domanovic, D; Coulombier, D

    2014-04-17

    In 2012, London hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games (the Games), with events occurring throughout the United Kingdom (UK) between 27 July and 9 September 2012. Public health surveillance was performed by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Collaboration between the HPA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was established for the detection and assessment of significant infectious disease events (SIDEs) occurring outside the UK during the time of the Games. Additionally, ECDC undertook an internal prioritisation exercise to facilitate ECDC’s decisions on which SIDEs should have preferentially enhanced monitoring through epidemic intelligence activities for detection and reporting in daily surveillance in the European Union (EU). A team of ECDC experts evaluated potential public health risks to the Games, selecting and prioritising SIDEs for event-based surveillance with regard to their potential for importation to the Games, occurrence during the Games or export to the EU/European Economic Area from the Games. The team opted for a multilevel approach including comprehensive disease selection, development and use of a qualitative matrix scoring system and a Delphi method for disease prioritisation. The experts selected 71 infectious diseases to enter the prioritisation exercise of which 27 were considered as priority for epidemic intelligence activities by ECDC for the EU for the Games.

  10. HOTS: A Hierarchy of Event-Based Time-Surfaces for Pattern Recognition.

    PubMed

    Lagorce, Xavier; Orchard, Garrick; Galluppi, Francesco; Shi, Bertram E; Benosman, Ryad B

    2017-07-01

    This paper describes novel event-based spatio-temporal features called time-surfaces and how they can be used to create a hierarchical event-based pattern recognition architecture. Unlike existing hierarchical architectures for pattern recognition, the presented model relies on a time oriented approach to extract spatio-temporal features from the asynchronously acquired dynamics of a visual scene. These dynamics are acquired using biologically inspired frameless asynchronous event-driven vision sensors. Similarly to cortical structures, subsequent layers in our hierarchy extract increasingly abstract features using increasingly large spatio-temporal windows. The central concept is to use the rich temporal information provided by events to create contexts in the form of time-surfaces which represent the recent temporal activity within a local spatial neighborhood. We demonstrate that this concept can robustly be used at all stages of an event-based hierarchical model. First layer feature units operate on groups of pixels, while subsequent layer feature units operate on the output of lower level feature units. We report results on a previously published 36 class character recognition task and a four class canonical dynamic card pip task, achieving near 100 percent accuracy on each. We introduce a new seven class moving face recognition task, achieving 79 percent accuracy.This paper describes novel event-based spatio-temporal features called time-surfaces and how they can be used to create a hierarchical event-based pattern recognition architecture. Unlike existing hierarchical architectures for pattern recognition, the presented model relies on a time oriented approach to extract spatio-temporal features from the asynchronously acquired dynamics of a visual scene. These dynamics are acquired using biologically inspired frameless asynchronous event-driven vision sensors. Similarly to cortical structures, subsequent layers in our hierarchy extract increasingly abstract

  11. Lessons Learned from Real-Time, Event-Based Internet Science Communications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phillips, T.; Myszka, E.; Gallagher, D. L.; Adams, M. L.; Koczor, R. J.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    For the last several years the Science Directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center has carried out a diverse program of Internet-based science communication. The Directorate's Science Roundtable includes active researchers, NASA public relations, educators, and administrators. The Science@NASA award-winning family of Web sites features science, mathematics, and space news. The program includes extended stories about NASA science, a curriculum resource for teachers tied to national education standards, on-line activities for students, and webcasts of real-time events. The focus of sharing science activities in real-time has been to involve and excite students and the public about science. Events have involved meteor showers, solar eclipses, natural very low frequency radio emissions, and amateur balloon flights. In some cases, broadcasts accommodate active feedback and questions from Internet participants. Through these projects a pattern has emerged in the level of interest or popularity with the public. The pattern differentiates projects that include science from those that do not, All real-time, event-based Internet activities have captured public interest at a level not achieved through science stories or educator resource material exclusively. The worst event-based activity attracted more interest than the best written science story. One truly rewarding lesson learned through these projects is that the public recognizes the importance and excitement of being part of scientific discovery. Flying a camera to 100,000 feet altitude isn't as interesting to the public as searching for viable life-forms at these oxygen-poor altitudes. The details of these real-time, event-based projects and lessons learned will be discussed.

  12. PACS-Based Computer-Aided Detection and Diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, H. K. (Bernie); Liu, Brent J.; Le, Anh HongTu; Documet, Jorge

    The ultimate goal of Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS)-based Computer-Aided Detection and Diagnosis (CAD) is to integrate CAD results into daily clinical practice so that it becomes a second reader to aid the radiologist's diagnosis. Integration of CAD and Hospital Information System (HIS), Radiology Information System (RIS) or PACS requires certain basic ingredients from Health Level 7 (HL7) standard for textual data, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard for images, and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) workflow profiles in order to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements to be a healthcare information system. Among the DICOM standards and IHE workflow profiles, DICOM Structured Reporting (DICOM-SR); and IHE Key Image Note (KIN), Simple Image and Numeric Report (SINR) and Post-processing Work Flow (PWF) are utilized in CAD-HIS/RIS/PACS integration. These topics with examples are presented in this chapter.

  13. Simplex and duplex event-specific analytical methods for functional biotech maize.

    PubMed

    Lee, Seong-Hun; Kim, Su-Jeong; Yi, Bu-Young

    2009-08-26

    Analytical methods are very important in the control of genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling systems or living modified organism (LMO) management for biotech crops. Event-specific primers and probes were developed for qualitative and quantitative analysis for biotech maize event 3272 and LY 038 on the basis of the 3' flanking regions, respectively. The qualitative primers confirmed the specificity by a single PCR product and sensitivity to 0.05% as a limit of detection (LOD). Simplex and duplex quantitative methods were also developed using TaqMan real-time PCR. One synthetic plasmid was constructed from two taxon-specific DNA sequences of maize and two event-specific 3' flanking DNA sequences of event 3272 and LY 038 as reference molecules. In-house validation of the quantitative methods was performed using six levels of mixing samples, from 0.1 to 10.0%. As a result, the biases from the true value and the relative deviations were all within the range of +/-30%. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) of the quantitative methods were all 0.1% for simplex real-time PCRs of event 3272 and LY 038 and 0.5% for duplex real-time PCR of LY 038. This study reports that event-specific analytical methods were applicable for qualitative and quantitative analysis for biotech maize event 3272 and LY 038.

  14. HyDE Framework for Stochastic and Hybrid Model-Based Diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Narasimhan, Sriram; Brownston, Lee

    2012-01-01

    Hybrid Diagnosis Engine (HyDE) is a general framework for stochastic and hybrid model-based diagnosis that offers flexibility to the diagnosis application designer. The HyDE architecture supports the use of multiple modeling paradigms at the component and system level. Several alternative algorithms are available for the various steps in diagnostic reasoning. This approach is extensible, with support for the addition of new modeling paradigms as well as diagnostic reasoning algorithms for existing or new modeling paradigms. HyDE is a general framework for stochastic hybrid model-based diagnosis of discrete faults; that is, spontaneous changes in operating modes of components. HyDE combines ideas from consistency-based and stochastic approaches to model- based diagnosis using discrete and continuous models to create a flexible and extensible architecture for stochastic and hybrid diagnosis. HyDE supports the use of multiple paradigms and is extensible to support new paradigms. HyDE generates candidate diagnoses and checks them for consistency with the observations. It uses hybrid models built by the users and sensor data from the system to deduce the state of the system over time, including changes in state indicative of faults. At each time step when observations are available, HyDE checks each existing candidate for continued consistency with the new observations. If the candidate is consistent, it continues to remain in the candidate set. If it is not consistent, then the information about the inconsistency is used to generate successor candidates while discarding the candidate that was inconsistent. The models used by HyDE are similar to simulation models. They describe the expected behavior of the system under nominal and fault conditions. The model can be constructed in modular and hierarchical fashion by building component/subsystem models (which may themselves contain component/ subsystem models) and linking them through shared variables/parameters. The

  15. Pancreatic Cancer in Pregnancy Presenting with Thromboembolic Events: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

    PubMed

    Wakefield, Brian W; Masterson, Crystal M C; Borges, Manuel T; Hurt, K Joseph

    2018-06-08

    Stroke and hepatic vein thrombosis are highly associated with neoplasia but are extremely rare events in young, pregnant women. Rare and recurrent thrombotic events in pregnancy increase the suspicion for occult malignancy. We describe the case of a healthy 31-year-old G2P1 who presented with visual changes and dysarthria during pregnancy. Imaging showed cerebral infarcts. Her thrombophilia evaluation was negative. During delivery, she was diagnosed with fulminant Budd-Chiari Syndrome. Hepatic ultrasound suggested malignancy or metastasis, and postpartum CT scan and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Although rare in pregnancy, a new diagnosis of malignancy should be considered in patients with recurrent unexplained hypercoagulable complications. We propose an evidence-based algorithm for evaluation of occult malignancy in pregnancy based upon this case and review of the literature. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  16. Event-Based Robust Control for Uncertain Nonlinear Systems Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qichao; Zhao, Dongbin; Wang, Ding

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, the robust control problem for a class of continuous-time nonlinear system with unmatched uncertainties is investigated using an event-based control method. First, the robust control problem is transformed into a corresponding optimal control problem with an augmented control and an appropriate cost function. Under the event-based mechanism, we prove that the solution of the optimal control problem can asymptotically stabilize the uncertain system with an adaptive triggering condition. That is, the designed event-based controller is robust to the original uncertain system. Note that the event-based controller is updated only when the triggering condition is satisfied, which can save the communication resources between the plant and the controller. Then, a single network adaptive dynamic programming structure with experience replay technique is constructed to approach the optimal control policies. The stability of the closed-loop system with the event-based control policy and the augmented control policy is analyzed using the Lyapunov approach. Furthermore, we prove that the minimal intersample time is bounded by a nonzero positive constant, which excludes Zeno behavior during the learning process. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

  17. Detecting event-based prospective memory cues occurring within and outside the focus of attention.

    PubMed

    Hicks, Jason L; Cook, Gabriel I; Marsh, Richard L

    2005-01-01

    Event-based prospective memory cues are environmental stimuli that are associated with a previously established intention to perform an activity. Such cues traditionally have been placed in materials that receive focal attention during an ongoing activity. This article reports a direct comparison of event-based cues that occurred either within the focus of attention or at the periphery of such attention. When the cue occurred outside focal attention, manipulating that cue changed event-based prospective memory. The identical manipulation had no effect on event-based responding if the cue occurred within focal attention. These results suggest that cue characteristics can compensate for attention being directed away from an aspect of an ongoing task that contains event-based prospective memory.

  18. Fuzzy model-based fault detection and diagnosis for a pilot heat exchanger

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Habbi, Hacene; Kidouche, Madjid; Kinnaert, Michel; Zelmat, Mimoun

    2011-04-01

    This article addresses the design and real-time implementation of a fuzzy model-based fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) system for a pilot co-current heat exchanger. The design method is based on a three-step procedure which involves the identification of data-driven fuzzy rule-based models, the design of a fuzzy residual generator and the evaluation of the residuals for fault diagnosis using statistical tests. The fuzzy FDD mechanism has been implemented and validated on the real co-current heat exchanger, and has been proven to be efficient in detecting and isolating process, sensor and actuator faults.

  19. Design of a Program for Expert Diagnosis of Acid Base and Electrolyte Disturbances,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-05-01

    PIP) is a frame based [23) program for taking the present illnrvc irs the doina in of renal diseases. The PIP data base is implemented using disease...I- AD—A 078 ‘+13 MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE LAB FOR COMPUTE—ETC F/B 6/5 DESIGN OF A PROGRA M FOR EXPERT DIAGNOSIS OF ACID BASE AND ELECT...132 / D ~~ C DEC -‘ç 1979 DESIGN OF A PROGRAN FOR EXPERT DIAGNOSIS OF ACID BASE MID ELECTROLYTE DISTURBANCES ~979 Ratuesh S. Path LIBRA Rya- 4

  20. Heartbeat-based error diagnosis framework for distributed embedded systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, Swagat; Khilar, Pabitra Mohan

    2012-01-01

    Distributed Embedded Systems have significant applications in automobile industry as steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems. In this paper, we provide a general framework for fault detection in a distributed embedded real time system. We use heartbeat monitoring, check pointing and model based redundancy to design a scalable framework that takes care of task scheduling, temperature control and diagnosis of faulty nodes in a distributed embedded system. This helps in diagnosis and shutting down of faulty actuators before the system becomes unsafe. The framework is designed and tested using a new simulation model consisting of virtual nodes working on a message passing system.

  1. Heartbeat-based error diagnosis framework for distributed embedded systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mishra, Swagat; Khilar, Pabitra Mohan

    2011-12-01

    Distributed Embedded Systems have significant applications in automobile industry as steer-by-wire, fly-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems. In this paper, we provide a general framework for fault detection in a distributed embedded real time system. We use heartbeat monitoring, check pointing and model based redundancy to design a scalable framework that takes care of task scheduling, temperature control and diagnosis of faulty nodes in a distributed embedded system. This helps in diagnosis and shutting down of faulty actuators before the system becomes unsafe. The framework is designed and tested using a new simulation model consisting of virtual nodes working on a message passing system.

  2. Product quality management based on CNC machine fault prognostics and diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozlov, A. M.; Al-jonid, Kh M.; Kozlov, A. A.; Antar, Sh D.

    2018-03-01

    This paper presents a new fault classification model and an integrated approach to fault diagnosis which involves the combination of ideas of Neuro-fuzzy Networks (NF), Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBN) and Particle Filtering (PF) algorithm on a single platform. In the new model, faults are categorized in two aspects, namely first and second degree faults. First degree faults are instantaneous in nature, and second degree faults are evolutional and appear as a developing phenomenon which starts from the initial stage, goes through the development stage and finally ends at the mature stage. These categories of faults have a lifetime which is inversely proportional to a machine tool's life according to the modified version of Taylor’s equation. For fault diagnosis, this framework consists of two phases: the first one is focusing on fault prognosis, which is done online, and the second one is concerned with fault diagnosis which depends on both off-line and on-line modules. In the first phase, a neuro-fuzzy predictor is used to take a decision on whether to embark Conditional Based Maintenance (CBM) or fault diagnosis based on the severity of a fault. The second phase only comes into action when an evolving fault goes beyond a critical threshold limit called a CBM limit for a command to be issued for fault diagnosis. During this phase, DBN and PF techniques are used as an intelligent fault diagnosis system to determine the severity, time and location of the fault. The feasibility of this approach was tested in a simulation environment using the CNC machine as a case study and the results were studied and analyzed.

  3. Factors influencing timely initiation and completion of gestational diabetes mellitus screening and diagnosis - a qualitative study from Tamil Nadu, India.

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Karoline Kragelund; Rheinländer, Thilde; Kapur, Anil; Damm, Peter; Seshiah, Veerasamy; Bygbjerg, Ib C

    2017-08-01

    In 2007, universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was introduced in Tamil Nadu, India. To identify factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the GDM screening and diagnosis process, our study investigated how pregnant women in rural and urban Tamil Nadu access and navigate different GDM related health services. The study was carried out in two settings: an urban private diabetes centre and a rural government primary health centre. Observations of the process of screening and diagnosis at the health centres as well as semi-structured interviews with 30 pregnant women and nine health care providers were conducted. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. There were significant differences in the process of GDM screening and diagnosis in the urban and rural settings. Several factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the process were identified. Timely attendance required awareness, motivation and opportunity to attend. Women had to attend the health centre at the right time and sometimes at the right gestational age to initiate the test, wait to complete the test and obtain the test report in time to initiate further action. All these steps and requirements were influenced by factors within and outside the health system such as getting right information from health care providers, clinic timings, characteristics of the test, availability of transport, social network and support, and social norms and cultural practices. Minimising and aligning complex stepwise processes of prenatal care and GDM screening delivery and attention to the factors influencing it are important for further improving and expanding GDM screening and related services, not only in Tamil Nadu but in other similar low and middle income settings. This study stresses the importance of guidelines and diagnostic criteria which are simple and feasible on the ground.

  4. Developmental differences in false-event rejection: Effects of memorability-based warnings.

    PubMed

    Ghetti, Simona; Castelli, Paola

    2006-08-01

    The present study investigated the development of the memorability-based strategy, a metacognitive process through which individuals reject the occurrence of false events if they do not remember the events and they expect them to be highly memorable. Previous research found that only older children spontaneously use this strategy. In the present study, we examined whether providing children with relevant information about expected event-memorability and inferences derived from it induced strategy use. Children aged 5, 7, and 9 (n = 144) were asked about true and false (high- and low-memorability) autobiographical events. Participants were either interviewed according to the standard "lost-in-the-mall" procedure, or were additionally provided with warnings. Warnings were either congruent or incongruent with assessments and decision processes involved in the strategy use. Results showed that receiving memorability-congruent warnings increased false-event rejection rates in 7- and 9-year-olds, but not in 5-year-olds. However, only older children were more likely to reject high-memorability compared with low-memorability false events. Developmental trajectories and factors affecting reliance on the memorability-based strategy are discussed.

  5. Improving the Critic Learning for Event-Based Nonlinear $H_{\\infty }$ Control Design.

    PubMed

    Wang, Ding; He, Haibo; Liu, Derong

    2017-10-01

    In this paper, we aim at improving the critic learning criterion to cope with the event-based nonlinear H ∞ state feedback control design. First of all, the H ∞ control problem is regarded as a two-player zero-sum game and the adaptive critic mechanism is used to achieve the minimax optimization under event-based environment. Then, based on an improved updating rule, the event-based optimal control law and the time-based worst-case disturbance law are obtained approximately by training a single critic neural network. The initial stabilizing control is no longer required during the implementation process of the new algorithm. Next, the closed-loop system is formulated as an impulsive model and its stability issue is handled by incorporating the improved learning criterion. The infamous Zeno behavior of the present event-based design is also avoided through theoretical analysis on the lower bound of the minimal intersample time. Finally, the applications to an aircraft dynamics and a robot arm plant are carried out to verify the efficient performance of the present novel design method.

  6. Diagnosing Students' Mental Models via the Web-Based Mental Models Diagnosis System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Tzu-Hua; Chiu, Mei-Hung; Lin, Jing-Wen; Chou, Chin-Cheng

    2013-01-01

    Mental models play an important role in science education research. To extend the effectiveness of conceptual change research and to improve mental model identi?cation and diagnosis, the authors developed and tested the Web-Based Mental Models Diagnosis (WMMD) system. In this article, they describe their WMMD system, which goes beyond the…

  7. [Parent-doctor relations in oncology: a qualitative approach].

    PubMed

    Grau, C; Rubio, Claudia Grau; Espada, M C; Barón, Ma Carmen Espada; Fortes, M C; Fortes del Valle, Ma Carmen

    2010-01-01

    We want to learn how parents of children with cancer perceive their relationship with hospital staff, especially with doctors. We used group-based qualitative methodology. The sample is composed of 14 mothers/fathers whose children contracted the disease more than two years previously. All parents want information that is both intelligible and detailed. The word cancer has a strong social stigma and is avoided when giving information to parents and to children. Communication between doctors and parents can lead to situations of tension during diagnosis and relapses. Parents trust the professionalism of doctors. Parents also want doctors to be competent and to have human qualities. The preparation of reports by physicians is the task most criticized by parents.

  8. The travesty of choosing after positive prenatal diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Sandelowski, Margarete; Barroso, Julie

    2005-01-01

    To integrate the findings of qualitative studies of expectant parents receiving positive prenatal diagnosis. Seventeen published and unpublished reports appearing between 1984 and 2001 and retrieved between December of 2002 and March of 2003. The electronic databases searched include Academic Search Elite, AIDS Information Online (AIDSLINE), Anthropological Index Online, Anthropological Literature, Black Studies, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Digital Dissertations, Dissertation Abstracts Index (DAI), Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC), MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS), PubMed, Social Science Abstracts (SocSci Abstracts), Social Science Citation Index, Social Work Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts (Sociofile), Women's Resources International, and Women's Studies. Qualitative studies involving expectant parents living in the United States of any race, ethnicity, nationality, or class who learned during any time in pregnancy of any fetal impairment by any means of diagnosis were eligible for inclusion. Metasummary techniques, including the calculation of frequency effect sizes, were used to aggregate the findings. Metasynthesis techniques, including constant comparison analysis and the reciprocal translation of concepts, were used to interpret the findings. The topical emphasis in the findings is on the termination of pregnancy following positive diagnosis. The thematic emphasis is on the dilemmas of choice and decision making. Positive prenatal diagnosis was for couples an experience of chosen losses and lost choices. Couples managed information to minimize stigmatization and cognitive dissonance. Existing guidelines for caring for couples after perinatal losses must accommodate the chosen loss experientially defining positive prenatal diagnosis.

  9. Event-shape fluctuations and flow correlations in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

    DOE PAGES

    Jia, Jiangyong

    2014-12-01

    I review recent measurements of a large set of flow observables associated with event-shape fluctuations and collective expansion in heavy ion collisions. First, these flow observables are classified and experiment methods are introduced. The experimental results for each type of observables are then presented and compared to theoretical calculations. A coherent picture of initial condition and collective flow based on linear and non-linear hydrodynamic responses is derived, which qualitatively describe most experimental results. I discuss new types of fluctuation measurements that can further our understanding of the event-shape fluctuations and collective expansion dynamics.

  10. Ontology-based prediction of surgical events in laparoscopic surgery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katić, Darko; Wekerle, Anna-Laura; Gärtner, Fabian; Kenngott, Hannes; Müller-Stich, Beat Peter; Dillmann, Rüdiger; Speidel, Stefanie

    2013-03-01

    Context-aware technologies have great potential to help surgeons during laparoscopic interventions. Their underlying idea is to create systems which can adapt their assistance functions automatically to the situation in the OR, thus relieving surgeons from the burden of managing computer assisted surgery devices manually. To this purpose, a certain kind of understanding of the current situation in the OR is essential. Beyond that, anticipatory knowledge of incoming events is beneficial, e.g. for early warnings of imminent risk situations. To achieve the goal of predicting surgical events based on previously observed ones, we developed a language to describe surgeries and surgical events using Description Logics and integrated it with methods from computational linguistics. Using n-Grams to compute probabilities of followup events, we are able to make sensible predictions of upcoming events in real-time. The system was evaluated on professionally recorded and labeled surgeries and showed an average prediction rate of 80%.

  11. Poisson-event-based analysis of cell proliferation.

    PubMed

    Summers, Huw D; Wills, John W; Brown, M Rowan; Rees, Paul

    2015-05-01

    A protocol for the assessment of cell proliferation dynamics is presented. This is based on the measurement of cell division events and their subsequent analysis using Poisson probability statistics. Detailed analysis of proliferation dynamics in heterogeneous populations requires single cell resolution within a time series analysis and so is technically demanding to implement. Here, we show that by focusing on the events during which cells undergo division rather than directly on the cells themselves a simplified image acquisition and analysis protocol can be followed, which maintains single cell resolution and reports on the key metrics of cell proliferation. The technique is demonstrated using a microscope with 1.3 μm spatial resolution to track mitotic events within A549 and BEAS-2B cell lines, over a period of up to 48 h. Automated image processing of the bright field images using standard algorithms within the ImageJ software toolkit yielded 87% accurate recording of the manually identified, temporal, and spatial positions of the mitotic event series. Analysis of the statistics of the interevent times (i.e., times between observed mitoses in a field of view) showed that cell division conformed to a nonhomogeneous Poisson process in which the rate of occurrence of mitotic events, λ exponentially increased over time and provided values of the mean inter mitotic time of 21.1 ± 1.2 hours for the A549 cells and 25.0 ± 1.1 h for the BEAS-2B cells. Comparison of the mitotic event series for the BEAS-2B cell line to that predicted by random Poisson statistics indicated that temporal synchronisation of the cell division process was occurring within 70% of the population and that this could be increased to 85% through serum starvation of the cell culture. © 2015 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

  12. Development and Evaluation of Reference Standards for Image-based Telemedicine Diagnosis and Clinical Research Studies in Ophthalmology

    PubMed Central

    Ryan, Michael C.; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn; Berrocal, Audina; Drenser, Kimberly; Horowitz, Jason; Lee, Thomas C.; Simmons, Charles; Martinez-Castellanos, Maria-Ana; Chan, R.V. Paul; Chiang, Michael F.

    2014-01-01

    Information systems managing image-based data for telemedicine or clinical research applications require a reference standard representing the correct diagnosis. Accurate reference standards are difficult to establish because of imperfect agreement among physicians, and discrepancies between clinical vs. image-based diagnosis. This study is designed to describe the development and evaluation of reference standards for image-based diagnosis, which combine diagnostic impressions of multiple image readers with the actual clinical diagnoses. We show that agreement between image reading and clinical examinations was imperfect (689 [32%] discrepancies in 2148 image readings), as was inter-reader agreement (kappa 0.490-0.652). This was improved by establishing an image-based reference standard defined as the majority diagnosis given by three readers (13% discrepancies with image readers). It was further improved by establishing an overall reference standard that incorporated the clinical diagnosis (10% discrepancies with image readers). These principles of establishing reference standards may be applied to improve robustness of real-world systems supporting image-based diagnosis. PMID:25954463

  13. Complex Event Processing for Content-Based Text, Image, and Video Retrieval

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    NY): Wiley- Interscience; 2000. Feldman R, Sanger J. The text mining handbook: advanced approaches in analyzing unstructured data. New York (NY...ARL-TR-7705 ● JUNE 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Complex Event Processing for Content-Based Text , Image, and Video Retrieval...ARL-TR-7705 ● JUNE 2016 US Army Research Laboratory Complex Event Processing for Content-Based Text , Image, and Video Retrieval

  14. Critiquing qualitative research.

    PubMed

    Beck, Cheryl Tatano

    2009-10-01

    The ability to critique research is a valuable skill that is fundamental to a perioperative nurse's ability to base his or her clinical practice on evidence derived from research. Criteria differ for critiquing a quantitative versus a qualitative study (ie, statistics are evaluated in a quantitative study, but not in a qualitative study). This article provides on guidelines for assessing qualitative research. Excerpts from a published qualitative research report are summarized and then critiqued. Questions are provided that help evaluate different sections of a research study (eg, sample, data collection methods, data analysis).

  15. Toward a hybrid brain-computer interface based on repetitive visual stimuli with missing events.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yingying; Li, Man; Wang, Jing

    2016-07-26

    Steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) can be elicited by repetitive stimuli and extracted in the frequency domain with satisfied performance. However, the temporal information of such stimulus is often ignored. In this study, we utilized repetitive visual stimuli with missing events to present a novel hybrid BCI paradigm based on SSVEP and omitted stimulus potential (OSP). Four discs flickering from black to white with missing flickers served as visual stimulators to simultaneously elicit subject's SSVEPs and OSPs. Key parameters in the new paradigm, including flicker frequency, optimal electrodes, missing flicker duration and intervals of missing events were qualitatively discussed with offline data. Two omitted flicker patterns including missing black/white disc were proposed and compared. Averaging times were optimized with Information Transfer Rate (ITR) in online experiments, where SSVEPs and OSPs were identified using Canonical Correlation Analysis in the frequency domain and Support Vector Machine (SVM)-Bayes fusion in the time domain, respectively. The online accuracy and ITR (mean ± standard deviation) over nine healthy subjects were 79.29 ± 18.14 % and 19.45 ± 11.99 bits/min with missing black disc pattern, and 86.82 ± 12.91 % and 24.06 ± 10.95 bits/min with missing white disc pattern, respectively. The proposed BCI paradigm, for the first time, demonstrated that SSVEPs and OSPs can be simultaneously elicited in single visual stimulus pattern and recognized in real-time with satisfied performance. Besides the frequency features such as SSVEP elicited by repetitive stimuli, we found a new feature (OSP) in the time domain to design a novel hybrid BCI paradigm by adding missing events in repetitive stimuli.

  16. Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Management of Hypertension in Children.

    PubMed

    Rao, Goutham

    2016-08-01

    National guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hypertension in children have been available for nearly 40 years. Unfortunately, knowledge and recognition of the problem by clinicians remain poor. Prevalence estimates are highly variable because of differing standards, populations, and blood pressure (BP) measurement techniques. Estimates in the United States range from 0.3% to 4.5%. Risk factors for primary hypertension include overweight and obesity, male sex, older age, high sodium intake, and African American or Latino ancestry. Data relating hypertension in childhood to later cardiovascular events is currently lacking. It is known that BP in childhood is highly predictive of BP in adulthood. Compelling data about target organ damage is available, including the association of hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid-intima media thickness, and microalbuminuria. Guidelines from both the United States and Europe include detailed recommendations for diagnosis and management. Diagnostic standards are based on clinic readings, ambulatory BP monitoring is useful in confirming diagnosis of hypertension and identifying white-coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and secondary hypertension, as well as monitoring response to therapy. Research priorities include the need for reliable prevalence estimates based on diverse populations and data about the long-term impact of childhood hypertension on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Priorities to improve clinical practice include more education among clinicians about diagnosis and management, clinical decision support to aid in diagnosis, and routine use of ambulatory BP monitoring to aid in diagnosis and to monitor response to treatment. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  17. Nanotechnology-Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-08-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0157 TITLE: Nanotechnology -Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer PRINCIPAL...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Nanotechnology -Based Detection of Novel microRNAs for Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER...identify novel differentially expressed miRNAs in the body fluids (blood, urine, etc.) for an early detection of PCa. Advances in nanotechnology and

  18. Fault diagnosis method based on FFT-RPCA-SVM for Cascaded-Multilevel Inverter.

    PubMed

    Wang, Tianzhen; Qi, Jie; Xu, Hao; Wang, Yide; Liu, Lei; Gao, Diju

    2016-01-01

    Thanks to reduced switch stress, high quality of load wave, easy packaging and good extensibility, the cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter is widely used in wind power system. To guarantee stable operation of system, a new fault diagnosis method, based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Relative Principle Component Analysis (RPCA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), is proposed for H-bridge multilevel inverter. To avoid the influence of load variation on fault diagnosis, the output voltages of the inverter is chosen as the fault characteristic signals. To shorten the time of diagnosis and improve the diagnostic accuracy, the main features of the fault characteristic signals are extracted by FFT. To further reduce the training time of SVM, the feature vector is reduced based on RPCA that can get a lower dimensional feature space. The fault classifier is constructed via SVM. An experimental prototype of the inverter is built to test the proposed method. Compared to other fault diagnosis methods, the experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Evolutionary and Neural Computing Based Decision Support System for Disease Diagnosis from Clinical Data Sets in Medical Practice.

    PubMed

    Sudha, M

    2017-09-27

    As a recent trend, various computational intelligence and machine learning approaches have been used for mining inferences hidden in the large clinical databases to assist the clinician in strategic decision making. In any target data the irrelevant information may be detrimental, causing confusion for the mining algorithm and degrades the prediction outcome. To address this issue, this study attempts to identify an intelligent approach to assist disease diagnostic procedure using an optimal set of attributes instead of all attributes present in the clinical data set. In this proposed Application Specific Intelligent Computing (ASIC) decision support system, a rough set based genetic algorithm is employed in pre-processing phase and a back propagation neural network is applied in training and testing phase. ASIC has two phases, the first phase handles outliers, noisy data, and missing values to obtain a qualitative target data to generate appropriate attribute reduct sets from the input data using rough computing based genetic algorithm centred on a relative fitness function measure. The succeeding phase of this system involves both training and testing of back propagation neural network classifier on the selected reducts. The model performance is evaluated with widely adopted existing classifiers. The proposed ASIC system for clinical decision support has been tested with breast cancer, fertility diagnosis and heart disease data set from the University of California at Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository. The proposed system outperformed the existing approaches attaining the accuracy rate of 95.33%, 97.61%, and 93.04% for breast cancer, fertility issue and heart disease diagnosis.

  20. Impact of the QOF and the NICE guideline in the diagnosis andmanagement of depression: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    Mitchell, Caroline; Dwyer, Rachel; Hagan, Teresa; Mathers, Nigel

    2011-01-01

    Background The National Institute for Health and clinical Excellence (NICE) depression guideline (2004) and the updated Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) ( 2006) in general practice have introduced the concepts of screening severity assessment, for example using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), and ‘stepped care’ for depression. Aim To explore primary care practitioner perspectives on the clinical utility of the NICE guideline and the impact of the QOF on diagnosis and management of depression in routine practice. Design and setting Qualitative study using focus groups from four multidisciplinary practice teams with diverse populations in south Yorkshire. Method Four focus groups were conducted, using a topic guide and audiotaping. There were 38 participants: GPs, nurses, doctors in training, mental health workers, and a manager. Data analysis was iterative and thematic. Results The NICE guideline, with its embedded principles of holism and evidence-based practice, was viewed positively but its impact was compromised by resource and practitioner barriers to implementation. The perceived imposition of the screening questions and severity assessments (PHQ-9) with no responsive training had required practitioners to work hard to minimise negative impacts on their work, for example: constantly adapting consultations to tick boxes; avoiding triggering open displays of distress without the time to offer appropriate care; positively managing how their patients were labelled. Further confusion was experienced around the evolving content of psychological interventions for depression. Conclusion Organisational barriers to the implementation of the NICE guideline and the limited scope of the QOF highlight the need for policy makers to work more effectively with the complex realities of general practice in order to systematically improve the quality and delivery of ‘managed’ care for depression. PMID:21619752

  1. Usability evaluation of a web-based support system for people with a schizophrenia diagnosis.

    PubMed

    van der Krieke, Lian; Emerencia, Ando C; Aiello, Marco; Sytema, Sjoerd

    2012-02-06

    Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) is a systematic way of assessing service users' health conditions for the purpose of better aiding their care. ROM consists of various measures used to assess a service user's physical, psychological, and social condition. While ROM is becoming increasingly important in the mental health care sector, one of its weaknesses is that ROM is not always sufficiently service user-oriented. First, clinicians tend to concentrate on those ROM results that provide information about clinical symptoms and functioning, whereas it has been suggested that a service user-oriented approach needs to focus on personal recovery. Second, service users have limited access to ROM results and they are often not equipped to interpret them. These problems need to be addressed, as access to resources and the opportunity to share decision making has been indicated as a prerequisite for service users to become a more equal partner in communication with their clinicians. Furthermore, shared decision making has been shown to improve the therapeutic alliance and to lead to better care. Our aim is to build a web-based support system which makes ROM results more accessible to service users and to provide them with more concrete and personalized information about their functioning (ie, symptoms, housing, social contacts) that they can use to discuss treatment options with their clinician. In this study, we will report on the usability of the web-based support system for service users with schizophrenia. First, we developed a prototype of a web-based support system in a multidisciplinary project team, including end-users. We then conducted a usability study of the support system consisting of (1) a heuristic evaluation, (2) a qualitative evaluation and (3) a quantitative evaluation. Fifteen service users with a schizophrenia diagnosis and four information and communication technology (ICT) experts participated in the study. The results show that people with a

  2. Event-related potentials in response to violations of content and temporal event knowledge.

    PubMed

    Drummer, Janna; van der Meer, Elke; Schaadt, Gesa

    2016-01-08

    Scripts that store knowledge of everyday events are fundamentally important for managing daily routines. Content event knowledge (i.e., knowledge about which events belong to a script) and temporal event knowledge (i.e., knowledge about the chronological order of events in a script) constitute qualitatively different forms of knowledge. However, there is limited information about each distinct process and the time course involved in accessing content and temporal event knowledge. Therefore, we analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to either correctly presented event sequences or event sequences that contained a content or temporal error. We found an N400, which was followed by a posteriorly distributed P600 in response to content errors in event sequences. By contrast, we did not find an N400 but an anteriorly distributed P600 in response to temporal errors in event sequences. Thus, the N400 seems to be elicited as a response to a general mismatch between an event and the established event model. We assume that the expectancy violation of content event knowledge, as indicated by the N400, induces the collapse of the established event model, a process indicated by the posterior P600. The expectancy violation of temporal event knowledge is assumed to induce an attempt to reorganize the event model in working memory, a process indicated by the frontal P600. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. 3-Dimensional Root Cause Diagnosis via Co-analysis

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

    Zheng, Ziming; Lan, Zhiling; Yu, Li

    2012-01-01

    With the growth of system size and complexity, reliability has become a major concern for large-scale systems. Upon the occurrence of failure, system administrators typically trace the events in Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) logs for root cause diagnosis. However, RAS log only contains limited diagnosis information. Moreover, the manual processing is time-consuming, error-prone, and not scalable. To address the problem, in this paper we present an automated root cause diagnosis mechanism for large-scale HPC systems. Our mechanism examines multiple logs to provide a 3-D fine-grained root cause analysis. Here, 3-D means that our analysis will pinpoint the failure layer,more » the time, and the location of the event that causes the problem. We evaluate our mechanism by means of real logs collected from a production IBM Blue Gene/P system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It successfully identifies failure layer information for 219 failures during 23-month period. Furthermore, it effectively identifies the triggering events with time and location information, even when the triggering events occur hundreds of hours before the resulting failures.« less

  4. Quantitative and qualitative 5-aminolevulinic acid–induced protoporphyrin IX fluorescence in skull base meningiomas

    PubMed Central

    Bekelis, Kimon; Valdés, Pablo A.; Erkmen, Kadir; Leblond, Frederic; Kim, Anthony; Wilson, Brian C.; Harris, Brent T.; Paulsen, Keith D.; Roberts, David W.

    2011-01-01

    Object Complete resection of skull base meningiomas provides patients with the best chance for a cure; however, surgery is frequently difficult given the proximity of lesions to vital structures, such as cranial nerves, major vessels, and venous sinuses. Accurate discrimination between tumor and normal tissue is crucial for optimal tumor resection. Qualitative assessment of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence following the exogenous administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has demonstrated utility in malignant glioma resection but limited use in meningiomas. Here the authors demonstrate the use of ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence guidance in resecting a skull base meningioma and elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages provided by both quantitative and qualitative fluorescence methodologies in skull base meningioma resection. Methods A 52-year-old patient with a sphenoid wing WHO Grade I meningioma underwent tumor resection as part of an institutional review board–approved prospective study of fluorescence-guided resection. A surgical microscope modified for fluorescence imaging was used for the qualitative assessment of visible fluorescence, and an intraoperative probe for in situ fluorescence detection was utilized for quantitative measurements of PpIX. The authors assessed the detection capabilities of both the qualitative and quantitative fluorescence approaches. Results The patient harboring a sphenoid wing meningioma with intraorbital extension underwent radical resection of the tumor with both visibly and nonvisibly fluorescent regions. The patient underwent a complete resection without any complications. Some areas of the tumor demonstrated visible fluorescence. The quantitative probe detected neoplastic tissue better than the qualitative modified surgical microscope. The intraoperative probe was particularly useful in areas that did not reveal visible fluorescence, and tissue from these areas was confirmed as tumor following histopathological

  5. Interview-based Qualitative Research in Emergency Care Part II: Data Collection, Analysis and Results Reporting.

    PubMed

    Ranney, Megan L; Meisel, Zachary F; Choo, Esther K; Garro, Aris C; Sasson, Comilla; Morrow Guthrie, Kate

    2015-09-01

    Qualitative methods are increasingly being used in emergency care research. Rigorous qualitative methods can play a critical role in advancing the emergency care research agenda by allowing investigators to generate hypotheses, gain an in-depth understanding of health problems or specific populations, create expert consensus, and develop new intervention and dissemination strategies. In Part I of this two-article series, we provided an introduction to general principles of applied qualitative health research and examples of its common use in emergency care research, describing study designs and data collection methods most relevant to our field (observation, individual interviews, and focus groups). Here in Part II of this series, we outline the specific steps necessary to conduct a valid and reliable qualitative research project, with a focus on interview-based studies. These elements include building the research team, preparing data collection guides, defining and obtaining an adequate sample, collecting and organizing qualitative data, and coding and analyzing the data. We also discuss potential ethical considerations unique to qualitative research as it relates to emergency care research. © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  6. Interview-Based Qualitative Research in Emergency Care Part II: Data Collection, Analysis and Results Reporting

    PubMed Central

    Ranney, Megan L.; Meisel, Zachary; Choo, Esther K.; Garro, Aris; Sasson, Comilla; Morrow, Kathleen

    2015-01-01

    Qualitative methods are increasingly being used in emergency care research. Rigorous qualitative methods can play a critical role in advancing the emergency care research agenda by allowing investigators to generate hypotheses, gain an in-depth understanding of health problems or specific populations, create expert consensus, and develop new intervention and dissemination strategies. In Part I of this two-article series, we provided an introduction to general principles of applied qualitative health research and examples of its common use in emergency care research, describing study designs and data collection methods most relevant to our field (observation, individual interviews, and focus groups). Here in Part II of this series, we outline the specific steps necessary to conduct a valid and reliable qualitative research project, with a focus on interview-based studies. These elements include building the research team, preparing data collection guides, defining and obtaining an adequate sample, collecting and organizing qualitative data, and coding and analyzing the data. We also discuss potential ethical considerations unique to qualitative research as it relates to emergency care research. PMID:26284572

  7. Intelligent Case Based Decision Support System for Online Diagnosis of Automated Production System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ben Rabah, N.; Saddem, R.; Ben Hmida, F.; Carre-Menetrier, V.; Tagina, M.

    2017-01-01

    Diagnosis of Automated Production System (APS) is a decision-making process designed to detect, locate and identify a particular failure caused by the control law. In the literature, there are three major types of reasoning for industrial diagnosis: the first is model-based, the second is rule-based and the third is case-based. The common and major limitation of the first and the second reasonings is that they do not have automated learning ability. This paper presents an interactive and effective Case Based Decision Support System for online Diagnosis (CB-DSSD) of an APS. It offers a synergy between the Case Based Reasoning (CBR) and the Decision Support System (DSS) in order to support and assist Human Operator of Supervision (HOS) in his/her decision process. Indeed, the experimental evaluation performed on an Interactive Training System for PLC (ITS PLC) that allows the control of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), simulating sensors or/and actuators failures and validating the control algorithm through a real time interactive experience, showed the efficiency of our approach.

  8. A Fast SVM-Based Tongue's Colour Classification Aided by k-Means Clustering Identifiers and Colour Attributes as Computer-Assisted Tool for Tongue Diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Kamarudin, Nur Diyana; Ooi, Chia Yee; Kawanabe, Tadaaki; Odaguchi, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Fuminori

    2017-01-01

    In tongue diagnosis, colour information of tongue body has kept valuable information regarding the state of disease and its correlation with the internal organs. Qualitatively, practitioners may have difficulty in their judgement due to the instable lighting condition and naked eye's ability to capture the exact colour distribution on the tongue especially the tongue with multicolour substance. To overcome this ambiguity, this paper presents a two-stage tongue's multicolour classification based on a support vector machine (SVM) whose support vectors are reduced by our proposed k -means clustering identifiers and red colour range for precise tongue colour diagnosis. In the first stage, k -means clustering is used to cluster a tongue image into four clusters of image background (black), deep red region, red/light red region, and transitional region. In the second-stage classification, red/light red tongue images are further classified into red tongue or light red tongue based on the red colour range derived in our work. Overall, true rate classification accuracy of the proposed two-stage classification to diagnose red, light red, and deep red tongue colours is 94%. The number of support vectors in SVM is improved by 41.2%, and the execution time for one image is recorded as 48 seconds.

  9. A Fast SVM-Based Tongue's Colour Classification Aided by k-Means Clustering Identifiers and Colour Attributes as Computer-Assisted Tool for Tongue Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Ooi, Chia Yee; Kawanabe, Tadaaki; Odaguchi, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Fuminori

    2017-01-01

    In tongue diagnosis, colour information of tongue body has kept valuable information regarding the state of disease and its correlation with the internal organs. Qualitatively, practitioners may have difficulty in their judgement due to the instable lighting condition and naked eye's ability to capture the exact colour distribution on the tongue especially the tongue with multicolour substance. To overcome this ambiguity, this paper presents a two-stage tongue's multicolour classification based on a support vector machine (SVM) whose support vectors are reduced by our proposed k-means clustering identifiers and red colour range for precise tongue colour diagnosis. In the first stage, k-means clustering is used to cluster a tongue image into four clusters of image background (black), deep red region, red/light red region, and transitional region. In the second-stage classification, red/light red tongue images are further classified into red tongue or light red tongue based on the red colour range derived in our work. Overall, true rate classification accuracy of the proposed two-stage classification to diagnose red, light red, and deep red tongue colours is 94%. The number of support vectors in SVM is improved by 41.2%, and the execution time for one image is recorded as 48 seconds. PMID:29065640

  10. Update on hepatitis B and C virus diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Villar, Livia Melo; Cruz, Helena Medina; Barbosa, Jakeline Ribeiro; Bezerra, Cristianne Sousa; Portilho, Moyra Machado; Scalioni, Letícia de Paula

    2015-01-01

    Viral hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) are responsible for the most of chronic liver disease worldwide and are transmitted by parenteral route, sexual and vertical transmission. One important measure to reduce the burden of these infections is the diagnosis of acute and chronic cases of HBV and HCV. In order to provide an effective diagnosis and monitoring of antiviral treatment, it is important to choose sensitive, rapid, inexpensive, and robust analytical methods. Primary diagnosis of HBV and HCV infection is made by using serological tests for detecting antigens and antibodies against these viruses. In order to confirm primary diagnosis, to quantify viral load, to determine genotypes and resistance mutants for antiviral treatment, qualitative and quantitative molecular tests are used. In this manuscript, we review the current serological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of hepatitis B and C. PMID:26568915

  11. Limitations imposed on fire PRA methods as the result of incomplete and uncertain fire event data.

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

    Nowlen, Steven Patrick; Hyslop, J. S.

    2010-04-01

    Fire probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods utilize data and insights gained from actual fire events in a variety of ways. For example, fire occurrence frequencies, manual fire fighting effectiveness and timing, and the distribution of fire events by fire source and plant location are all based directly on the historical experience base. Other factors are either derived indirectly or supported qualitatively based on insights from the event data. These factors include the general nature and intensity of plant fires, insights into operator performance, and insights into fire growth and damage behaviors. This paper will discuss the potential methodology improvements thatmore » could be realized if more complete fire event reporting information were available. Areas that could benefit from more complete event reporting that will be discussed in the paper include fire event frequency analysis, analysis of fire detection and suppression system performance including incipient detection systems, analysis of manual fire fighting performance, treatment of fire growth from incipient stages to fully-involved fires, operator response to fire events, the impact of smoke on plant operations and equipment, and the impact of fire-induced cable failures on plant electrical circuits.« less

  12. Evidence-Based Diagnosis: Incorporating Diagnostic Instruments into Clinical Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doss, Amanda Jensen

    2005-01-01

    This article is intended to serve as a practical guide for practitioners interested in incorporating evidence-based diagnosis (EBD) instruments into their clinical practices to refine the diagnostic process. Three measures are used to illustrate this process, the DISC-IV (Shaffer et al., 2000), the Schedule for Affective Disorders and…

  13. The Realization of Drilling Fault Diagnosis Based on Hybrid Programming with Matlab and VB

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jiangping; Hu, Yingcai

    This paper presents a method using hybrid programming with Matlab and VB based on ActiveX to design the system of drilling accident prediction and diagnosis. So that the powerful calculating function and graphical display function of Matlab and visual development interface of VB are combined fully. The main interface of the diagnosis system is compiled in VB,and the analysis and fault diagnosis are implemented by neural network tool boxes in Matlab.The system has favorable interactive interface,and the fault example validation shows that the diagnosis result is feasible and can meet the demands of drilling accident prediction and diagnosis.

  14. Detection of events of public health importance under the international health regulations: a toolkit to improve reporting of unusual events by frontline healthcare workers.

    PubMed

    MacDonald, Emily; Aavitsland, Preben; Bitar, Dounia; Borgen, Katrine

    2011-09-21

    The International Health Regulations (IHR (2005)) require countries to notify WHO of any event which may constitute a public health emergency of international concern. This notification relies on reports of events occurring at the local level reaching the national public health authorities. By June 2012 WHO member states are expected to have implemented the capacity to "detect events involving disease or death above expected levels for the particular time and place" on the local level and report essential information to the appropriate level of public health authority. Our objective was to develop tools to assist European countries improve the reporting of unusual events of public health significance from frontline healthcare workers to public health authorities. We investigated obstacles and incentives to event reporting through a systematic literature review and expert consultations with national public health officials from various European countries. Multi-day expert meetings and qualitative interviews were used to gather experiences and examples of public health event reporting. Feedback on specific components of the toolkit was collected from healthcare workers and public health officials throughout the design process. Evidence from 79 scientific publications, two multi-day expert meetings and seven qualitative interviews stressed the need to clarify concepts and expectations around event reporting in European countries between the frontline and public health authorities. An analytical framework based on three priority areas for improved event reporting (professional engagement, communication and infrastructure) was developed and guided the development of the various tools. We developed a toolkit adaptable to country-specific needs that includes a guidance document for IHR National Focal Points and nine tool templates targeted at clinicians and laboratory staff: five awareness campaign tools, three education and training tools, and an implementation plan. The

  15. A new hybrid case-based reasoning approach for medical diagnosis systems.

    PubMed

    Sharaf-El-Deen, Dina A; Moawad, Ibrahim F; Khalifa, M E

    2014-02-01

    Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) has been applied in many different medical applications. Due to the complexities and the diversities of this domain, most medical CBR systems become hybrid. Besides, the case adaptation process in CBR is often a challenging issue as it is traditionally carried out manually by domain experts. In this paper, a new hybrid case-based reasoning approach for medical diagnosis systems is proposed to improve the accuracy of the retrieval-only CBR systems. The approach integrates case-based reasoning and rule-based reasoning, and also applies the adaptation process automatically by exploiting adaptation rules. Both adaptation rules and reasoning rules are generated from the case-base. After solving a new case, the case-base is expanded, and both adaptation and reasoning rules are updated. To evaluate the proposed approach, a prototype was implemented and experimented to diagnose breast cancer and thyroid diseases. The final results show that the proposed approach increases the diagnosing accuracy of the retrieval-only CBR systems, and provides a reliable accuracy comparing to the current breast cancer and thyroid diagnosis systems.

  16. Cognitive load and task condition in event- and time-based prospective memory: an experimental investigation.

    PubMed

    Khan, Azizuddin; Sharma, Narendra K; Dixit, Shikha

    2008-09-01

    Prospective memory is memory for the realization of delayed intention. Researchers distinguish 2 kinds of prospective memory: event- and time-based (G. O. Einstein & M. A. McDaniel, 1990). Taking that distinction into account, the present authors explored participants' comparative performance under event- and time-based tasks. In an experimental study of 80 participants, the authors investigated the roles of cognitive load and task condition in prospective memory. Cognitive load (low vs. high) and task condition (event- vs. time-based task) were the independent variables. Accuracy in prospective memory was the dependent variable. Results showed significant differential effects under event- and time-based tasks. However, the effect of cognitive load was more detrimental in time-based prospective memory. Results also revealed that time monitoring is critical in successful performance of time estimation and so in time-based prospective memory. Similarly, participants' better performance on the event-based prospective memory task showed that they acted on the basis of environment cues. Event-based prospective memory was environmentally cued; time-based prospective memory required self-initiation.

  17. A semi-supervised learning framework for biomedical event extraction based on hidden topics.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Deyu; Zhong, Dayou

    2015-05-01

    Scientists have devoted decades of efforts to understanding the interaction between proteins or RNA production. The information might empower the current knowledge on drug reactions or the development of certain diseases. Nevertheless, due to the lack of explicit structure, literature in life science, one of the most important sources of this information, prevents computer-based systems from accessing. Therefore, biomedical event extraction, automatically acquiring knowledge of molecular events in research articles, has attracted community-wide efforts recently. Most approaches are based on statistical models, requiring large-scale annotated corpora to precisely estimate models' parameters. However, it is usually difficult to obtain in practice. Therefore, employing un-annotated data based on semi-supervised learning for biomedical event extraction is a feasible solution and attracts more interests. In this paper, a semi-supervised learning framework based on hidden topics for biomedical event extraction is presented. In this framework, sentences in the un-annotated corpus are elaborately and automatically assigned with event annotations based on their distances to these sentences in the annotated corpus. More specifically, not only the structures of the sentences, but also the hidden topics embedded in the sentences are used for describing the distance. The sentences and newly assigned event annotations, together with the annotated corpus, are employed for training. Experiments were conducted on the multi-level event extraction corpus, a golden standard corpus. Experimental results show that more than 2.2% improvement on F-score on biomedical event extraction is achieved by the proposed framework when compared to the state-of-the-art approach. The results suggest that by incorporating un-annotated data, the proposed framework indeed improves the performance of the state-of-the-art event extraction system and the similarity between sentences might be precisely

  18. Helpful and Hindering Multicultural Events in Group Supervision: Climate and Multicultural Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaduvettoor, Anju; O'Shaughnessy, Tiffany; Mori, Yoko; Beverly, Clyde, III; Weatherford, Ryan D.; Ladany, Nicholas

    2009-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between multicultural events in group supervision, group climate, and supervisee multicultural competence using a mixed qualitative/quantitative design. The discovery-oriented approach yielded 196 helpful and hindering multicultural events among 136 participants. The most common events included multicultural…

  19. [Diagnosis and treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) based on its atypical immunological features].

    PubMed

    Miyata, Shigeki; Maeda, Takuma

    2016-03-01

    Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a prothrombotic side effect of heparin therapy caused by HIT antibodies, i.e., anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4)/heparin IgG with platelet-activating properties. For serological diagnosis, antigen immunoassays are commonly used worldwide. However, such assays do not indicate their platelet-activating properties, leading to low specificity for the HIT diagnosis. Therefore, over-diagnosis is currently the most serious problem associated with HIT. The detection of platelet-activating antibodies using a washed platelet activation assay is crucial for appropriate HIT diagnosis. Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of HIT include it having several clinical features atypical for an immune-mediated disease. Heparin-naïve patients can develop IgG antibodies as early as day 4, as in a secondary immune response. Evidence for an anamnestic response on heparin re-exposure is lacking. In addition, HIT antibodies are relatively short-lived, unlike those in a secondary immune response. These lines of evidence suggest that the mechanisms underlying HIT antibody formation may be compatible with a non-T cell-dependent immune reaction. These atypical clinical and serological features should be carefully considered while endeavoring to accurately diagnose HIT, which leads to appropriate therapies such as immediate administration of an alternative anticoagulant to prevent thromboembolic events and re-administration of heparin during surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass when HIT antibodies are no longer detectable.

  20. EyeMIAS: a cloud-based ophthalmic image reading and auxiliary diagnosis system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Di; Zhao, Heming; Yu, Kai; Chen, Xinjian

    2018-03-01

    Relying solely on ophthalmic equipment is unable to meet the present health needs. It is urgent to find an efficient way to provide a quick screening and early diagnosis on diabetic retinopathy and other ophthalmic diseases. The purpose of this study is to develop a cloud-base system for medical image especially ophthalmic image to store, view and process and accelerate the screening and diagnosis. In this purpose the system with web application, upload client, storage dependency and algorithm support is implemented. After five alpha tests, the system bore the thousands of large traffic access and generated hundreds of reports with diagnosis.

  1. The Role of Web-Based Health Information in Help-Seeking Behavior Prior to a Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: A Mixed-Methods Study.

    PubMed

    Mueller, Julia; Jay, Caroline; Harper, Simon; Todd, Chris

    2017-06-08

    Delays to diagnosis in lung cancer can lead to reduced chance of survival, and patients often wait for several months before presenting symptoms. The time between first symptom recognition until diagnosis has been theorized into three intervals: symptom appraisal, help-seeking, and diagnostic interval (here: "pathway to diagnosis"). Interventions are needed to reduce delays to diagnosis in lung cancer. The Web has become an important lay health information source and could potentially play a role in this pathway to diagnosis. Our overall aim was to gain a preliminary insight into whether Web-based information plays a role in the pathway to diagnosis in lung cancer in order to assess whether it may be possible to leverage this information source to reduce delays to diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the 6 months before study entry completed a survey about whether (and how, if yes) they had used the Web to appraise their condition prior to diagnosis. Based on survey responses, we purposively sampled patients and their next-of-kin for semistructured interviews (24 interviews; 33 participants). Interview data were analyzed qualitatively using Framework Analysis in the context of the pathway to diagnosis model. A total of 113 patients completed the survey (age: mean 67.0, SD 8.8 years). In all, 20.4% (23/113) reported they or next-of-kin had researched their condition online before the diagnosis. The majority of searches (20/23, 87.0%) were conducted by or with the help of next-of-kin. Interview results suggest that patients and next-of-kin perceived an impact of the information found online on all three intervals in the time to diagnosis. In the appraisal interval, participants used online information to evaluate symptoms and possible causes. In the help-seeking interval, the Web was used to inform the decision of whether to present to health services. In the diagnostic interval, it was used to evaluate health care professionals' advice, to support

  2. [Managing patients with prostate cancer in Italy during the first year after diagnosis. A cost description based on a sample of 8 urological wards].

    PubMed

    Lazzaro, Carlo

    2003-09-01

    The aim of the paper is to report of an empirical retrospective study (1994-1999) on the cost of managing patient with prostate cancer (PC) during the first year after diagnosis in Italy. In January 2000, a questionnaire on qualitative, quantitative and economic data concerning the clinical path expected for patients with PC (diagnosis; staging; follow-up; drug; surgery; chemotherapy and radiotherapy) was sent to 14 Italian urological wards (UWs), 5 school of medicine-based (Northern Italy: 2; Central Italy: 1; Southern Italy: 2), 4 self-governing hospital-based (Northern Italy: 1; Southern Italy: 3), 5 Health Authorities hospital-based (Northern Italy: 2; Central Italy: 2; Southern Italy: 1). UWs were expected to contribute to analysis with 15 patients' records per year each, for a total amount of 1.260 filled questionnaires. Only medical costs related to patient management have been considered; hospitals and Health Authorities overheads were not taken into account. A cost description was performed considering the hospital viewpoint. We received 416 out of 1.260 expected questionnaires (redemption rate: 33%) from 8 out of 14 UWs: 2 school of medicine-based (Central Italy: 1; Southern Italy: 1); 2 self-governing hospital-based (Southern Italy: 2); 4 Health Authorities hospital-based (Northern Italy: 1; Central Italy: 3). Only 411 out of 416 questionnaires were included in data analysis. Patients' average age at the time of diagnosis was 74.1 years (range: 68.6-76.7). A moderate percentage of neoplasms in patients' relatives was reported (17.8%; 5.6% for PC). The average cost per patient with CP during the first year after diagnosis was Euro 6,575.31 (range: Euro 5,035.65-Euro 12,367.69). The cost-driver was drug therapy (43.07%), followed by surgery (26.41%), diagnosis (12.39%), staging (8.58%); follow-up (8.25%) and radiotherapy (1.30%); no data on chemotherapy was reported. Diagnosis, staging and follow-up tests and procedures were performed mainly in outpatient

  3. Diagnosis and treatment of simple acid-base disorders.

    PubMed

    Ayers, Phil; Warrington, Laurie

    2008-01-01

    The ability to diagnose and treat acid-base disorders is an important component in the practice of the nutrition support clinician. A complete understanding of the basic principles of metabolic and respiratory disorders allows the practitioner to formulate educated decisions regarding fluids, parenteral nutrition salts, and the management of electrolytes. This review will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of common metabolic and respiratory disorders encountered in nutrition support practice.

  4. Help-seeking Following Termination of Pregnancy after Diagnosis of Fetal Anomaly: Women's Intentions and Experiences 1 to 7 Years after the Event.

    PubMed

    Hanschmidt, Franz; Hoffmann, Rahel; Klingner, Johanna; Kersting, Anette; Stepan, Holger

    2018-02-01

    Diagnosis of fetal anomaly and the difficult circumstances involved in the decision to terminate an affected pregnancy can go along with severe psychological distress. However, little is known about women's help-seeking for emotional problems following an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. 148 women who had been treated for abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly at the University Hospital Leipzig responded to self-report questionnaires 1 to 7 years after the event. Main outcomes were help-seeking intentions and actual help-seeking behavior. Logistic regression was used to explore the associations between participants' sociodemographic characteristics and help-seeking intentions. Most women reported that they would seek help from their partner (91.7%), friends/family (82.8%) or the internet (62.2%). With regard to health services, 50.0% of women would seek help from gynecologists and between 43.8 and 47.9% from counseling services and mental health professionals. Intentions to seek help from support groups were lowest (21.7%). Age, income, region, and religion were associated with help-seeking intentions. Among participants with elevated levels of current psychological distress, 23.8% indicated that they had not discussed their emotional problems with a health service ever. Gynecologists are among the most preferred health professionals for women to discuss psychological problems in the aftermath of an abortion after diagnosis of fetal anomaly. They should be actively involved in screening, diagnostic assessment, and referral of affected women.

  5. Scattering transform and LSPTSVM based fault diagnosis of rotating machinery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Shangjun; Cheng, Bo; Shang, Zhaowei; Liu, Geng

    2018-05-01

    This paper proposes an algorithm for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery to overcome the shortcomings of classical techniques which are noise sensitive in feature extraction and time consuming for training. Based on the scattering transform and the least squares recursive projection twin support vector machine (LSPTSVM), the method has the advantages of high efficiency and insensitivity for noise signal. Using the energy of the scattering coefficients in each sub-band, the features of the vibration signals are obtained. Then, an LSPTSVM classifier is used for fault diagnosis. The new method is compared with other common methods including the proximal support vector machine, the standard support vector machine and multi-scale theory by using fault data for two systems, a motor bearing and a gear box. The results show that the new method proposed in this study is more effective for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery.

  6. Infections and apparent life-threatening events.

    PubMed

    Altman, Robin L; Li, Karl I; Brand, Donald A

    2008-05-01

    The need for routine sepsis evaluation in patients who have experienced an apparent life-threatening event but lack signs of infection remains controversial. To assess their risk of a serious occult bacterial infection, records were reviewed of 95 infants in whom infections were discovered during their inpatient evaluation after an apparent life-threatening event. Noted for each patient was the presence of any suggestive findings that would have prompted a physician to consider the given type of infection in the differential diagnosis. Thirty patients had bacterial infections; all but 5 had suggestive findings. The exceptions included 1 patient with pneumonia and 4 with urinary tract infections. None of the remaining 25 patients had occult bacterial infections. In patients with an apparent life-threatening event who appear well and lack signs suggestive of a serious bacterial infection, it may be possible to forego routine sepsis evaluation beyond a chest radiograph and urine culture without risking a serious missed diagnosis.

  7. A human factors systems approach to understanding team-based primary care: a qualitative analysis

    PubMed Central

    Mundt, Marlon P.; Swedlund, Matthew P.

    2016-01-01

    Background. Research shows that high-functioning teams improve patient outcomes in primary care. However, there is no consensus on a conceptual model of team-based primary care that can be used to guide measurement and performance evaluation of teams. Objective. To qualitatively understand whether the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model could serve as a framework for creating and evaluating team-based primary care. Methods. We evaluated qualitative interview data from 19 clinicians and staff members from 6 primary care clinics associated with a large Midwestern university. All health care clinicians and staff in the study clinics completed a survey of their communication connections to team members. Social network analysis identified key informants for interviews by selecting the respondents with the highest frequency of communication ties as reported by their teammates. Semi-structured interviews focused on communication patterns, team climate and teamwork. Results. Themes derived from the interviews lent support to the SEIPS model components, such as the work system (Team, Tools and Technology, Physical Environment, Tasks and Organization), team processes and team outcomes. Conclusions. Our qualitative data support the SEIPS model as a promising conceptual framework for creating and evaluating primary care teams. Future studies of team-based care may benefit from using the SEIPS model to shift clinical practice to high functioning team-based primary care. PMID:27578837

  8. Childhood adverse life events and parental psychopathology as risk factors for bipolar disorder.

    PubMed

    Bergink, V; Larsen, J T; Hillegers, M H J; Dahl, S K; Stevens, H; Mortensen, P B; Petersen, L; Munk-Olsen, T

    2016-10-25

    Childhood adverse events are risk factors for later bipolar disorder. We quantified the risks for a later diagnosis of bipolar disorder after exposure to adverse life events in children with and without parental psychopathology. This register-based population cohort study included all persons born in Denmark from 1980 to 1998 (980 554 persons). Adversities before age 15 years were: familial disruption; parental somatic illness; any parental psychopathology; parental labour market exclusion; parental imprisonment; placement in out-of-home care; and parental natural and unnatural death. We calculated risk estimates of each of these eight life events as single exposure and risk estimates for exposure to multiple life events. Main outcome variable was a diagnosis of bipolar disorder after the age of 15 years, analysed with Cox proportional hazard regression. Single exposure to most of the investigated adversities were associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder, exceptions were parental somatic illness and parental natural death. By far the strongest risk factor for bipolar disorder in our study was any mental disorder in the parent (hazard ratio 3.53; 95% confidence interval 2.73-4.53) and the additional effects of life events on bipolar risk were limited. An effect of early adverse life events on bipolar risk later in life was mainly observed in children without parental psychopathology. Our findings do not exclude early-life events as possible risk factors, but challenge the concept of adversities as important independent determinants of bipolar disorder in genetically vulnerable individuals.

  9. Measurement of skeletal related events in SEER-Medicare: a comparison of claims-based methods.

    PubMed

    Aly, Abdalla; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu; Woods, Corinne; Mullins, C Daniel; Kwok, Young; Qian, Yi; Arellano, Jorge; Balakumaran, Arun; Hussain, Arif

    2015-08-19

    Skeletal related events (SREs) are common in men with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC). Various methods have been used to identify SREs from claims data. The objective of this study was to provide a framework for measuring SREs from claims and compare SRE prevalence and cumulative incidence estimates based on alternative approaches in men with mPC. Several claims-based approaches for identifying SREs were developed and applied to data for men aged [greater than or equal to] 66 years newly diagnosed with mPC between 2000 and 2009 in the SEER-Medicare datasets and followed through 2010 or until censoring. Post-diagnosis SREs were identified using claims that indicated spinal cord compression (SCC), pathologic fracture (PF), surgery to bone (BS), or radiation (suggestive of bone palliative radiation, RAD). To measure SRE prevalence, two SRE definitions were created: 'base case' (most commonly used in the literature) and 'alternative' in which different claims were used to identify each type of SRE. To measure cumulative incidence, we used the 'base case' definition and applied three periods in which claims were clustered to episodes: 14-, 21-, and 28-day windows. Among 8997 mPC patients, 46 % experienced an SRE according to the 'base case' definition and 43 % patients experienced an SRE according to the 'alternative' definition. Varying the code definition from 'base case' to 'alternative' resulted in an 8 % increase in the overall SRE prevalence. Using the 21-day window, a total of 12,930 SRE episodes were observed during follow up. Varying the window length from 21 to 28 days resulted in an 8 % decrease in SRE cumulative incidence (RAD: 10 %, PF: 8 %, SCC: 6 %, BS: 0.2 %). SRE prevalence was affected by the codes used, with PF being most impacted. The overall SRE cumulative incidence was affected by the window length used, with RAD being most affected. These results underscore the importance of the baseline definitions used to study claims data when

  10. Perceptions of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: A qualitative study of families with a history of sudden life-threatening cardiac events and recommendations to improve care

    PubMed Central

    Linder, Jarrett; Hidayatallah, Nadia; Stolerman, Marina; McDonald, Thomas V.; Marion, Robert; Walsh, Christine; Dolan, Siobhan

    2014-01-01

    Objective To identify major concerns associated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and to provide recommendations to adult and pediatric physicians involved in the care of patients with ICDs. Background Cardiac ion channelopathies are a well-recognized cause of sudden cardiac death in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. ICDs are effective in preventing sudden death from fatal arrhythmias in patients with known cardiac channelopathies. There is a paucity of research on the effect of ICDs on quality of life in patients with cardiac channelopathy diagnoses, especially young patients. Methods A qualitative study interviewing patients and families affected by inherited arrhythmias was conducted. Fifty participants with personal or family histories of cardiac events or sudden death were interviewed individually or in focus groups by clinical psychologists. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed and coded based on current qualitative research theory to identify themes related to the research question. Twenty-four participants discussed ICDs in their interviews. Results Participants reported concerns about ICDs, and these concerns were categorized into six themes: (1) comprehension and physician-patient communication; (2) anxiety; (3) restrictions and fallacies; (4) complications; (5) utility; and (6) alternative therapy. Participants noted communication breakdowns between providers and their colleagues, and between providers and their patients. Participants and their families experienced many different forms of anxiety, including worry about the aesthetics of the ICDs and fears of being shocked. Multiple restrictions, fallacies, and complications were also cited. Conclusion Interview themes were used to formulate recommendations for counseling and educating patients with ICDs. PMID:25383067

  11. Competency Based Competitive Events. Integrating DECA into the DE Instructional Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cosgrove, Glenna; Moore, Harold W.

    Designed to be integrated into a competency-based distributive education program, these competitive DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) events were developed, utilized, and evaluated by distributive education and cooperative education coordinators in Arkansas. These events are organized under the following occupational categories: food…

  12. Psychometric Properties of the Life Events Checklist

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, Matt J.; Litz, Brett T.; Hsu, Julie L.; Lombardo, Thomas W.

    2004-01-01

    The Life Events Checklist (LEC), a measure of exposure to potentially traumatic events, was developed at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) concurrently with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) to facilitate the diagnosis of PTSD. Although the CAPS is recognized as the gold standard in PTSD symptom assessment,…

  13. Intelligent Condition Diagnosis Method Based on Adaptive Statistic Test Filter and Diagnostic Bayesian Network

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ke; Zhang, Qiuju; Wang, Kun; Chen, Peng; Wang, Huaqing

    2016-01-01

    A new fault diagnosis method for rotating machinery based on adaptive statistic test filter (ASTF) and Diagnostic Bayesian Network (DBN) is presented in this paper. ASTF is proposed to obtain weak fault features under background noise, ASTF is based on statistic hypothesis testing in the frequency domain to evaluate similarity between reference signal (noise signal) and original signal, and remove the component of high similarity. The optimal level of significance α is obtained using particle swarm optimization (PSO). To evaluate the performance of the ASTF, evaluation factor Ipq is also defined. In addition, a simulation experiment is designed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of ASTF. A sensitive evaluation method using principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed to evaluate the sensitiveness of symptom parameters (SPs) for condition diagnosis. By this way, the good SPs that have high sensitiveness for condition diagnosis can be selected. A three-layer DBN is developed to identify condition of rotation machinery based on the Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) theory. Condition diagnosis experiment for rolling element bearings demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. PMID:26761006

  14. Intelligent Condition Diagnosis Method Based on Adaptive Statistic Test Filter and Diagnostic Bayesian Network.

    PubMed

    Li, Ke; Zhang, Qiuju; Wang, Kun; Chen, Peng; Wang, Huaqing

    2016-01-08

    A new fault diagnosis method for rotating machinery based on adaptive statistic test filter (ASTF) and Diagnostic Bayesian Network (DBN) is presented in this paper. ASTF is proposed to obtain weak fault features under background noise, ASTF is based on statistic hypothesis testing in the frequency domain to evaluate similarity between reference signal (noise signal) and original signal, and remove the component of high similarity. The optimal level of significance α is obtained using particle swarm optimization (PSO). To evaluate the performance of the ASTF, evaluation factor Ipq is also defined. In addition, a simulation experiment is designed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of ASTF. A sensitive evaluation method using principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed to evaluate the sensitiveness of symptom parameters (SPs) for condition diagnosis. By this way, the good SPs that have high sensitiveness for condition diagnosis can be selected. A three-layer DBN is developed to identify condition of rotation machinery based on the Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) theory. Condition diagnosis experiment for rolling element bearings demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  15. Lived experiences of breast cancer survivors after diagnosis, treatment and beyond: qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Williams, Faustine; Jeanetta, Stephen C

    2016-06-01

    The number of breast cancer survivors has increased since 1990 due to advances in biomedical technology that lead to an increase in early diagnosis and treatment. Research on survivorship has focused on the psychological and treatment aspects of the disease. The goal of this study was focused on exploring the lived experiences of breast cancer survivors from diagnosis, treatment and beyond. To understand the lived experiences of women who are breast cancer survivors. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit participants from two Missouri cancer centres. A total of 15 women breast cancer survivors were interviewed. Three major themes emerged that described the lived experiences of the women. These were factors from the diagnosis and treatment management impacting survivorship, relationship and support system and implication of survivorship. Participants noted that coping with the diagnosis and treatment was a stressful journey and required lots of adjustment and changes. Some developed various techniques such as journaling their activities which provided comfort. In addition, support from family was shared as the key which gave them strength and courage through the different stages of treatment. However, they found it difficult to articulate what survivorship meant. Using in-depth interview techniques, this study shed light on the experiences of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and have completed treatment. They acknowledged frustration with their diagnosis and body changes. Support received from family and friends helped them cope through their treatment. However, they felt abandoned once the treatment phase was over and were uncertain what survivorhood meant to them. © 2015 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. WILBER and PyWEED: Event-based Seismic Data Request Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falco, N.; Clark, A.; Trabant, C. M.

    2017-12-01

    WILBER and PyWEED are two user-friendly tools for requesting event-oriented seismic data. Both tools provide interactive maps and other controls for browsing and filtering event and station catalogs, and downloading data for selected event/station combinations, where the data window for each event/station pair may be defined relative to the arrival time of seismic waves from the event to that particular station. Both tools allow data to be previewed visually, and can download data in standard miniSEED, SAC, and other formats, complete with relevant metadata for performing instrument correction. WILBER is a web application requiring only a modern web browser. Once the user has selected an event, WILBER identifies all data available for that time period, and allows the user to select stations based on criteria such as the station's distance and orientation relative to the event. When the user has finalized their request, the data is collected and packaged on the IRIS server, and when it is ready the user is sent a link to download. PyWEED is a downloadable, cross-platform (Macintosh / Windows / Linux) application written in Python. PyWEED allows a user to select multiple events and stations, and will download data for each event/station combination selected. PyWEED is built around the ObsPy seismic toolkit, and allows direct interaction and control of the application through a Python interactive console.

  17. The role of musical training in emergent and event-based timing.

    PubMed

    Baer, L H; Thibodeau, J L N; Gralnick, T M; Li, K Z H; Penhune, V B

    2013-01-01

    Musical performance is thought to rely predominantly on event-based timing involving a clock-like neural process and an explicit internal representation of the time interval. Some aspects of musical performance may rely on emergent timing, which is established through the optimization of movement kinematics, and can be maintained without reference to any explicit representation of the time interval. We predicted that musical training would have its largest effect on event-based timing, supporting the dissociability of these timing processes and the dominance of event-based timing in musical performance. We compared 22 musicians and 17 non-musicians on the prototypical event-based timing task of finger tapping and on the typically emergently timed task of circle drawing. For each task, participants first responded in synchrony with a metronome (Paced) and then responded at the same rate without the metronome (Unpaced). Analyses of the Unpaced phase revealed that non-musicians were more variable in their inter-response intervals for finger tapping compared to circle drawing. Musicians did not differ between the two tasks. Between groups, non-musicians were more variable than musicians for tapping but not for drawing. We were able to show that the differences were due to less timer variability in musicians on the tapping task. Correlational analyses of movement jerk and inter-response interval variability revealed a negative association for tapping and a positive association for drawing in non-musicians only. These results suggest that musical training affects temporal variability in tapping but not drawing. Additionally, musicians and non-musicians may be employing different movement strategies to maintain accurate timing in the two tasks. These findings add to our understanding of how musical training affects timing and support the dissociability of event-based and emergent timing modes.

  18. Florbetaben PET in the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease: A Discrete Event Simulation to Explore Its Potential Value and Key Data Gaps

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Shien; Getsios, Denis; Hernandez, Luis; Cho, Kelly; Lawler, Elizabeth; Altincatal, Arman; Lanes, Stephan; Blankenburg, Michael

    2012-01-01

    The growing understanding of the use of biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD) may enable physicians to make more accurate and timely diagnoses. Florbetaben, a beta-amyloid tracer used with positron emission tomography (PET), is one of these diagnostic biomarkers. This analysis was undertaken to explore the potential value of florbetaben PET in the diagnosis of AD among patients with suspected dementia and to identify key data that are needed to further substantiate its value. A discrete event simulation was developed to conduct exploratory analyses from both US payer and societal perspectives. The model simulates the lifetime course of disease progression for individuals, evaluating the impact of their patient management from initial diagnostic work-up to final diagnosis. Model inputs were obtained from specific analyses of a large longitudinal dataset from the New England Veterans Healthcare System and supplemented with data from public data sources and assumptions. The analyses indicate that florbetaben PET has the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs under certain scenarios. Key data on the use of florbetaben PET, such as its influence on time to confirmation of final diagnosis, treatment uptake, and treatment persistency, are unavailable and would be required to confirm its value. PMID:23326754

  19. The Role of Web-Based Health Information in Help-Seeking Behavior Prior to a Diagnosis of Lung Cancer: A Mixed-Methods Study

    PubMed Central

    Jay, Caroline; Harper, Simon; Todd, Chris

    2017-01-01

    Background Delays to diagnosis in lung cancer can lead to reduced chance of survival, and patients often wait for several months before presenting symptoms. The time between first symptom recognition until diagnosis has been theorized into three intervals: symptom appraisal, help-seeking, and diagnostic interval (here: “pathway to diagnosis”). Interventions are needed to reduce delays to diagnosis in lung cancer. The Web has become an important lay health information source and could potentially play a role in this pathway to diagnosis. Objective Our overall aim was to gain a preliminary insight into whether Web-based information plays a role in the pathway to diagnosis in lung cancer in order to assess whether it may be possible to leverage this information source to reduce delays to diagnosis. Methods Patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the 6 months before study entry completed a survey about whether (and how, if yes) they had used the Web to appraise their condition prior to diagnosis. Based on survey responses, we purposively sampled patients and their next-of-kin for semistructured interviews (24 interviews; 33 participants). Interview data were analyzed qualitatively using Framework Analysis in the context of the pathway to diagnosis model. Results A total of 113 patients completed the survey (age: mean 67.0, SD 8.8 years). In all, 20.4% (23/113) reported they or next-of-kin had researched their condition online before the diagnosis. The majority of searches (20/23, 87.0%) were conducted by or with the help of next-of-kin. Interview results suggest that patients and next-of-kin perceived an impact of the information found online on all three intervals in the time to diagnosis. In the appraisal interval, participants used online information to evaluate symptoms and possible causes. In the help-seeking interval, the Web was used to inform the decision of whether to present to health services. In the diagnostic interval, it was used to evaluate health

  20. Using Bayesian Networks for Candidate Generation in Consistency-based Diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Narasimhan, Sriram; Mengshoel, Ole

    2008-01-01

    Consistency-based diagnosis relies heavily on the assumption that discrepancies between model predictions and sensor observations can be detected accurately. When sources of uncertainty like sensor noise and model abstraction exist robust schemes have to be designed to make a binary decision on whether predictions are consistent with observations. This risks the occurrence of false alarms and missed alarms when an erroneous decision is made. Moreover when multiple sensors (with differing sensing properties) are available the degree of match between predictions and observations can be used to guide the search for fault candidates. In this paper we propose a novel approach to handle this problem using Bayesian networks. In the consistency- based diagnosis formulation, automatically generated Bayesian networks are used to encode a probabilistic measure of fit between predictions and observations. A Bayesian network inference algorithm is used to compute most probable fault candidates.

  1. Analysis of respiratory events in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Inter-relations and association to simple nocturnal features.

    PubMed

    Ghandeharioun, H; Rezaeitalab, F; Lotfi, R

    2016-01-01

    This study carefully evaluates the association of different respiration-related events to each other and to simple nocturnal features in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). The events include apneas, hypopneas, respiratory event-related arousals and snores. We conducted a statistical study on 158 adults who underwent polysomnography between July 2012 and May 2014. To monitor relevance, along with linear statistical strategies like analysis of variance and bootstrapping a correlation coefficient standard error, the non-linear method of mutual information is also applied to illuminate vague results of linear techniques. Based on normalized mutual information weights (NMIW), indices of apnea are 1.3 times more relevant to AHI values than those of hypopnea. NMIW for the number of blood oxygen desaturation below 95% is considerable (0.531). The next relevant feature is "respiratory arousals index" with NMIW of 0.501. Snore indices (0.314), and BMI (0.203) take the next place. Based on NMIW values, snoring events are nearly one-third (29.9%) more dependent to hypopneas than RERAs. 1. The more sever the OSAS is, the more frequently the apneic events happen. 2. The association of snore with hypopnea/RERA revealed which is routinely ignored in regression-based OSAS modeling. 3. The statistical dependencies of oximetry features potentially can lead to home-based screening of OSAS. 4. Poor ESS-AHI relevance in the database under study indicates its disability for the OSA diagnosis compared to oximetry. 5. Based on poor RERA-snore/ESS relevance, detailed history of the symptoms plus polysomnography is suggested for accurate diagnosis of RERAs. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. GPS-based PWV for precipitation forecasting and its application to a typhoon event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Qingzhi; Yao, Yibin; Yao, Wanqiang

    2018-01-01

    The temporal variability of precipitable water vapour (PWV) derived from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations can be used to forecast precipitation events. A number of case studies of precipitation events have been analysed in Zhejiang Province, and a forecasting method for precipitation events was proposed. The PWV time series retrieved from the Global Positioning System (GPS) observations was processed by using a least-squares fitting method, so as to obtain the line tendency of ascents and descents over PWV. The increment of PWV for a short time (two to six hours) and PWV slope for a longer time (a few hours to more than ten hours) during the PWV ascending period are considered as predictive factors with which to forecast the precipitation event. The numerical results show that about 80%-90% of precipitation events and more than 90% of heavy rain events can be forecasted two to six hours in advance of the precipitation event based on the proposed method. 5-minute PWV data derived from GPS observations based on real-time precise point positioning (RT-PPP) were used for the typhoon event that passed over Zhejiang Province between 10 and 12 July, 2015. A good result was acquired using the proposed method and about 74% of precipitation events were predicted at some ten to thirty minutes earlier than their onset with a false alarm rate of 18%. This study shows that the GPS-based PWV was promising for short-term and now-casting precipitation forecasting.

  3. Eosinophilic oesophagitis: Current evidence-based diagnosis and treatment.

    PubMed

    Lucendo, Alfredo J; Molina-Infante, Javier

    2018-04-01

    Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) is a disease caused by an immune response to food antigens in contact with the oesophageal mucosa. Its diagnosis is defined by the combination of oesophageal dysfunction symptoms and inflammation of the oesophageal mucosa predominantly by eosinophils. Its chronic course and frequent progression to subepithelial fibrosis and oesophageal strictures indicate the need for treatment. The information provided by recent clinical trials and systematic reviews has led to the development of new clinical guidelines, endorsed by several European scientific societies. This review includes the most relevant aspects of the new guidelines, updates the EoE concept and reports its epidemiology and risk factors, associated conditions and its natural history in children and adults. Diagnostic criteria are provided, and tests for EoE diagnosis and monitoring and therapeutic options are analysed based on the best scientific evidence and consensus opinion of experts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  4. Intelligence system based classification approach for medical disease diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sagir, Abdu Masanawa; Sathasivam, Saratha

    2017-08-01

    The prediction of breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease as well as survivability after undergone certain surgery has been a challenging problem for medical researchers. The decision about presence or absence of diseases depends on the physician's intuition, experience and skill for comparing current indicators with previous one than on knowledge rich data hidden in a database. This measure is a very crucial and challenging task. The goal is to predict patient condition by using an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) pre-processed by grid partitioning. To achieve an accurate diagnosis at this complex stage of symptom analysis, the physician may need efficient diagnosis system. A framework describes methodology for designing and evaluation of classification performances of two discrete ANFIS systems of hybrid learning algorithms least square estimates with Modified Levenberg-Marquardt and Gradient descent algorithms that can be used by physicians to accelerate diagnosis process. The proposed method's performance was evaluated based on training and test datasets with mammographic mass and Haberman's survival Datasets obtained from benchmarked datasets of University of California at Irvine's (UCI) machine learning repository. The robustness of the performance measuring total accuracy, sensitivity and specificity is examined. In comparison, the proposed method achieves superior performance when compared to conventional ANFIS based gradient descent algorithm and some related existing methods. The software used for the implementation is MATLAB R2014a (version 8.3) and executed in PC Intel Pentium IV E7400 processor with 2.80 GHz speed and 2.0 GB of RAM.

  5. Integrating Buprenorphine Treatment into Office-based Practice: a Qualitative Study

    PubMed Central

    Irwin, Kevin S.; Jones, Emlyn S.; Becker, William C.; Tetrault, Jeanette M.; Sullivan, Lynn E.; Hansen, Helena; O’Connor, Patrick G.; Schottenfeld, Richard S.; Fiellin, David A.

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND Despite the availability and demonstrated effectiveness of office-based buprenorphine maintenance treatment (BMT), the systematic examination of physicians’ attitudes towards this new medical practice has been largely neglected. OBJECTIVE To identify facilitators and barriers to the potential or actual implementation of BMT by office-based medical providers. DESIGN Qualitative study using individual and group semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-three practicing office-based physicians in New England. APPROACH Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and entered into a qualitative software program. The transcripts were thematically coded using the constant comparative method by a multidisciplinary team. RESULTS Eighty percent of the physicians were white; 55% were women. The mean number of years since graduating medical school was 14 (SD = 10). The primary areas of clinical specialization were internal medicine (50%), infectious disease (20%), and addiction medicine (15%). Physicians identified physician, patient, and logistical factors that would either facilitate or serve as a barrier to their integration of BMT into clinical practice. Physician facilitators included promoting continuity of patient care, positive perceptions of BMT, and viewing BMT as a positive alternative to methadone maintenance. Physician barriers included competing activities, lack of interest, and lack of expertise in addiction treatment. Physicians’ perceptions of patient-related barriers included concerns about confidentiality and cost, and low motivation for treatment. Perceived logistical barriers included lack of remuneration for BMT, limited ancillary support for physicians, not enough time, and a perceived low prevalence of opioid dependence in physicians’ practices. CONCLUSIONS Addressing physicians’ perceptions of facilitators and barriers to BMT is crucial to supporting the further expansion of BMT into primary care and office-based practices

  6. Central FPGA-based destination and load control in the LHCb MHz event readout

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacobsson, R.

    2012-10-01

    The readout strategy of the LHCb experiment is based on complete event readout at 1 MHz. A set of 320 sub-detector readout boards transmit event fragments at total rate of 24.6 MHz at a bandwidth usage of up to 70 GB/s over a commercial switching network based on Gigabit Ethernet to a distributed event building and high-level trigger processing farm with 1470 individual multi-core computer nodes. In the original specifications, the readout was based on a pure push protocol. This paper describes the proposal, implementation, and experience of a non-conventional mixture of a push and a pull protocol, akin to credit-based flow control. An FPGA-based central master module, partly operating at the LHC bunch clock frequency of 40.08 MHz and partly at a double clock speed, is in charge of the entire trigger and readout control from the front-end electronics up to the high-level trigger farm. One FPGA is dedicated to controlling the event fragment packing in the readout boards, the assignment of the farm node destination for each event, and controls the farm load based on an asynchronous pull mechanism from each farm node. This dynamic readout scheme relies on generic event requests and the concept of node credit allowing load control and trigger rate regulation as a function of the global farm load. It also allows the vital task of fast central monitoring and automatic recovery in-flight of failing nodes while maintaining dead-time and event loss at a minimum. This paper demonstrates the strength and suitability of implementing this real-time task for a very large distributed system in an FPGA where no random delays are introduced, and where extreme reliability and accurate event accounting are fundamental requirements. It was in use during the entire commissioning phase of LHCb and has been in faultless operation during the first two years of physics luminosity data taking.

  7. Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  8. Early, Accurate Diagnosis and Early Intervention in Cerebral Palsy: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment.

    PubMed

    Novak, Iona; Morgan, Cathy; Adde, Lars; Blackman, James; Boyd, Roslyn N; Brunstrom-Hernandez, Janice; Cioni, Giovanni; Damiano, Diane; Darrah, Johanna; Eliasson, Ann-Christin; de Vries, Linda S; Einspieler, Christa; Fahey, Michael; Fehlings, Darcy; Ferriero, Donna M; Fetters, Linda; Fiori, Simona; Forssberg, Hans; Gordon, Andrew M; Greaves, Susan; Guzzetta, Andrea; Hadders-Algra, Mijna; Harbourne, Regina; Kakooza-Mwesige, Angelina; Karlsson, Petra; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena; Latal, Beatrice; Loughran-Fowlds, Alison; Maitre, Nathalie; McIntyre, Sarah; Noritz, Garey; Pennington, Lindsay; Romeo, Domenico M; Shepherd, Roberta; Spittle, Alicia J; Thornton, Marelle; Valentine, Jane; Walker, Karen; White, Robert; Badawi, Nadia

    2017-09-01

    Cerebral palsy describes the most common physical disability in childhood and occurs in 1 in 500 live births. Historically, the diagnosis has been made between age 12 and 24 months but now can be made before 6 months' corrected age. To systematically review best available evidence for early, accurate diagnosis of cerebral palsy and to summarize best available evidence about cerebral palsy-specific early intervention that should follow early diagnosis to optimize neuroplasticity and function. This study systematically searched the literature about early diagnosis of cerebral palsy in MEDLINE (1956-2016), EMBASE (1980-2016), CINAHL (1983-2016), and the Cochrane Library (1988-2016) and by hand searching. Search terms included cerebral palsy, diagnosis, detection, prediction, identification, predictive validity, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. The study included systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses, criteria of diagnostic accuracy, and evidence-based clinical guidelines. Findings are reported according to the PRISMA statement, and recommendations are reported according to the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Six systematic reviews and 2 evidence-based clinical guidelines met inclusion criteria. All included articles had high methodological Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) ratings. In infants, clinical signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy emerge and evolve before age 2 years; therefore, a combination of standardized tools should be used to predict risk in conjunction with clinical history. Before 5 months' corrected age, the most predictive tools for detecting risk are term-age magnetic resonance imaging (86%-89% sensitivity), the Prechtl Qualitative Assessment of General Movements (98% sensitivity), and the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (90% sensitivity). After 5 months' corrected age, the most predictive tools for detecting risk are magnetic resonance imaging (86

  9. Shape-based diagnosis of the aortic valve

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ionasec, Razvan Ioan; Tsymbal, Alexey; Vitanovski, Dime; Georgescu, Bogdan; Zhou, S. Kevin; Navab, Nassir; Comaniciu, Dorin

    2009-02-01

    Disorders of the aortic valve represent a common cardiovascular disease and an important public-health problem worldwide. Pathological valves are currently determined from 2D images through elaborate qualitative evalu- ations and complex measurements, potentially inaccurate and tedious to acquire. This paper presents a novel diagnostic method, which identies diseased valves based on 3D geometrical models constructed from volumetric data. A parametric model, which includes relevant anatomic landmarks as well as the aortic root and lea ets, represents the morphology of the aortic valve. Recently developed robust segmentation methods are applied to estimate the patient specic model parameters from end-diastolic cardiac CT volumes. A discriminative distance function, learned from equivalence constraints in the product space of shape coordinates, determines the corresponding pathology class based on the shape information encoded by the model. Experiments on a heterogeneous set of 63 patients aected by various diseases demonstrated the performance of our method with 94% correctly classied valves.

  10. A review of critical in-flight events research methodology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giffin, W. C.; Rockwell, T. H.; Smith, P. E.

    1985-01-01

    Pilot's cognitive responses to critical in-flight events (CIFE's) were investigated, using pilots, who had on the average about 2540 flight hours each, in four experiments: (1) full-mission simulation in a general aviation trainer, (2) paper and pencil CIFE tests, (3) interactive computer-aided scenario testing, and (4) verbal protocols in fault diagnosis tasks. The results of both computer and paper and pencil tests showed only 50 percent efficiency in correct diagnosis of critical events. The efficiency in arriving at a diagnosis was also low: over 20 inquiries were made for 21 percent of the scenarios diagnosed. The information-seeking pattern was random, with frequent retracing over old inquiries. The measures for developing improved cognitive skills for CIFE's are discussed.

  11. A Novel Mittag-Leffler Kernel Based Hybrid Fault Diagnosis Method for Wheeled Robot Driving System.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Xianfeng; Song, Mumin; Zhou, Fengyu; Chen, Zhumin; Li, Yan

    2015-01-01

    The wheeled robots have been successfully applied in many aspects, such as industrial handling vehicles, and wheeled service robots. To improve the safety and reliability of wheeled robots, this paper presents a novel hybrid fault diagnosis framework based on Mittag-Leffler kernel (ML-kernel) support vector machine (SVM) and Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. Using sensor data sampled under different running conditions, the proposed approach initially establishes multiple principal component analysis (PCA) models for fault feature extraction. The fault feature vectors are then applied to train the probabilistic SVM (PSVM) classifiers that arrive at a preliminary fault diagnosis. To improve the accuracy of preliminary results, a novel ML-kernel based PSVM classifier is proposed in this paper, and the positive definiteness of the ML-kernel is proved as well. The basic probability assignments (BPAs) are defined based on the preliminary fault diagnosis results and their confidence values. Eventually, the final fault diagnosis result is archived by the fusion of the BPAs. Experimental results show that the proposed framework not only is capable of detecting and identifying the faults in the robot driving system, but also has better performance in stability and diagnosis accuracy compared with the traditional methods.

  12. Direct costs of emergency medical care: a diagnosis-based case-mix classification system.

    PubMed

    Baraff, L J; Cameron, J M; Sekhon, R

    1991-01-01

    To develop a diagnosis-based case mix classification system for emergency department patient visits based on direct costs of care designed for an outpatient setting. Prospective provider time study with collection of financial data from each hospital's accounts receivable system and medical information, including discharge diagnosis, from hospital medical records. Three community hospital EDs in Los Angeles County during selected times in 1984. Only direct costs of care were included: health care provider time, ED management and clerical personnel excluding registration, nonlabor ED expense including supplies, and ancillary hospital services. Indirect costs for hospitals and physicians, including depreciation and amortization, debt service, utilities, malpractice insurance, administration, billing, registration, and medical records were not included. Costs were derived by valuing provider time based on a formula using annual income or salary and fringe benefits, productivity and direct care factors, and using hospital direct cost to charge ratios. Physician costs were based on a national study of emergency physician income and excluded practice costs. Patients were classified into one of 216 emergency department groups (EDGs) on the basis of the discharge diagnosis, patient disposition, age, and the presence of a limited number of physician procedures. Total mean direct costs ranged from $23 for follow-up visit to $936 for trauma, admitted, with critical care procedure. The mean total direct costs for the 16,771 nonadmitted patients was $69. Of this, 34% was for ED costs, 45% was for ancillary service costs, and 21% was for physician costs. The mean total direct costs for the 1,955 admitted patients was $259. Of this, 23% was for ED costs, 63% was for ancillary service costs, and 14% was for physician costs. Laboratory and radiographic services accounted for approximately 85% of all ancillary service costs and 38% of total direct costs for nonadmitted patients

  13. Blight! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Plants and Plant Diseases Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school life science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  14. Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  15. Diagnosis of IBS: symptoms, symptom-based criteria, biomarkers or 'psychomarkers'?

    PubMed

    Sood, Ruchit; Law, Graham R; Ford, Alexander C

    2014-11-01

    IBS is estimated to have a prevalence of up to 20% in Western populations and results in substantial costs to health-care services worldwide, estimated to be US$1 billion per year in the USA. IBS remains difficult to diagnose due to its multifactorial aetiology, heterogeneous nature and overlap of symptoms with organic pathologies, such as coeliac disease and IBD. As a result, IBS often continues to be a diagnosis of exclusion, resulting in unnecessary investigations. Available methods for the diagnosis of IBS-including the current gold standard, the Rome III criteria-perform only moderately well. Visceral hypersensitivity and altered pain perception do not discriminate between IBS and other functional gastrointestinal diseases or health with any great accuracy. Attention has now turned to developing novel biomarkers and using psychological markers (so-called psychomarkers) to aid the diagnosis of IBS. This Review describes how useful symptoms, symptom-based criteria, biomarkers and psychomarkers, and indeed combinations of all these approaches, are in the diagnosis of IBS. Future directions in diagnosing IBS could include combining demographic data, gastrointestinal symptoms, biomarkers and psychomarkers using statistical methods. Latent class analysis to distinguish between IBS and non-IBS symptom profiles might also represent a promising avenue for future research.

  16. Comparison of event landslide inventories: the Pogliaschina catchment test case, Italy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mondini, A. C.; Viero, A.; Cavalli, M.; Marchi, L.; Herrera, G.; Guzzetti, F.

    2014-07-01

    Event landslide inventory maps document the extent of populations of landslides caused by a single natural trigger, such as an earthquake, an intense rainfall event, or a rapid snowmelt event. Event inventory maps are important for landslide susceptibility and hazard modelling, and prove useful to manage residual risk after a landslide-triggering event. Standards for the preparation of event landslide inventory maps are lacking. Traditional methods are based on the visual interpretation of stereoscopic aerial photography, aided by field surveys. New and emerging techniques exploit remotely sensed data and semi-automatic algorithms. We describe the production and comparison of two independent event inventories prepared for the Pogliaschina catchment, Liguria, Northwest Italy. The two inventories show landslides triggered by an intense rainfall event on 25 October 2011, and were prepared through the visual interpretation of digital aerial photographs taken 3 days and 33 days after the event, and by processing a very-high-resolution image taken by the WorldView-2 satellite 4 days after the event. We compare the two inventories qualitatively and quantitatively using established and new metrics, and we discuss reasons for the differences between the two landslide maps. We expect that the results of our work can help in deciding on the most appropriate method to prepare reliable event inventory maps, and outline the advantages and the limitations of the different approaches.

  17. A multiple distributed representation method based on neural network for biomedical event extraction.

    PubMed

    Wang, Anran; Wang, Jian; Lin, Hongfei; Zhang, Jianhai; Yang, Zhihao; Xu, Kan

    2017-12-20

    Biomedical event extraction is one of the most frontier domains in biomedical research. The two main subtasks of biomedical event extraction are trigger identification and arguments detection which can both be considered as classification problems. However, traditional state-of-the-art methods are based on support vector machine (SVM) with massive manually designed one-hot represented features, which require enormous work but lack semantic relation among words. In this paper, we propose a multiple distributed representation method for biomedical event extraction. The method combines context consisting of dependency-based word embedding, and task-based features represented in a distributed way as the input of deep learning models to train deep learning models. Finally, we used softmax classifier to label the example candidates. The experimental results on Multi-Level Event Extraction (MLEE) corpus show higher F-scores of 77.97% in trigger identification and 58.31% in overall compared to the state-of-the-art SVM method. Our distributed representation method for biomedical event extraction avoids the problems of semantic gap and dimension disaster from traditional one-hot representation methods. The promising results demonstrate that our proposed method is effective for biomedical event extraction.

  18. A human factors systems approach to understanding team-based primary care: a qualitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Mundt, Marlon P; Swedlund, Matthew P

    2016-12-01

    Research shows that high-functioning teams improve patient outcomes in primary care. However, there is no consensus on a conceptual model of team-based primary care that can be used to guide measurement and performance evaluation of teams. To qualitatively understand whether the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model could serve as a framework for creating and evaluating team-based primary care. We evaluated qualitative interview data from 19 clinicians and staff members from 6 primary care clinics associated with a large Midwestern university. All health care clinicians and staff in the study clinics completed a survey of their communication connections to team members. Social network analysis identified key informants for interviews by selecting the respondents with the highest frequency of communication ties as reported by their teammates. Semi-structured interviews focused on communication patterns, team climate and teamwork. Themes derived from the interviews lent support to the SEIPS model components, such as the work system (Team, Tools and Technology, Physical Environment, Tasks and Organization), team processes and team outcomes. Our qualitative data support the SEIPS model as a promising conceptual framework for creating and evaluating primary care teams. Future studies of team-based care may benefit from using the SEIPS model to shift clinical practice to high functioning team-based primary care. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. A case-oriented web-based training system for breast cancer diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Huang, Qinghua; Huang, Xianhai; Liu, Longzhong; Lin, Yidi; Long, Xingzhang; Li, Xuelong

    2018-03-01

    Breast cancer is still considered as the most common form of cancer as well as the leading causes of cancer deaths among women all over the world. We aim to provide a web-based breast ultrasound database for online training inexperienced radiologists and giving computer-assisted diagnostic information for detection and classification of the breast tumor. We introduce a web database which stores breast ultrasound images from breast cancer patients as well as their diagnostic information. A web-based training system using a feature scoring scheme based on Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) US lexicon was designed. A computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) subsystem was developed to assist the radiologists to make scores on the BI-RADS features for an input case. The training system possesses 1669 scored cases, where 412 cases are benign and 1257 cases are malignant. It was tested by 31 users including 12 interns, 11 junior radiologists, and 8 experienced senior radiologists. This online training system automatically creates case-based exercises to train and guide the newly employed or resident radiologists for the diagnosis of breast cancer using breast ultrasound images based on the BI-RADS. After the trainings, the interns and junior radiologists show significant improvement in the diagnosis of the breast tumor with ultrasound imaging (p-value < .05); meanwhile the senior radiologists show little improvement (p-value > .05). The online training system can improve the capabilities of early-career radiologists in distinguishing between the benign and malignant lesions and reduce the misdiagnosis of breast cancer in a quick, convenient and effective manner. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Contextualizing the findings of a systematic review on patient and carer experiences of dementia diagnosis and treatment: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Bunn, Frances; Sworn, Katie; Brayne, Carol; Iliffe, Steve; Robinson, Louise; Goodman, Claire

    2015-10-01

    Involving service users in the systematic review process is seen as increasingly important. As systematic reviews often include studies from diverse settings and covering a time span of several decades, involving service users in consideration of applicability to specific populations or settings might make reviews more useful to practitioners and policymakers. To test and contextualize the findings of a systematic review of qualitative studies looking at patient and carer experiences of diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Results from the systematic review were discussed in focus groups and semi-structured interviews with patient, public and professional participants in the South East of England. Analysis was guided by coding frameworks developed from the results of the systematic review. We recruited 27 participants, including three people with dementia, 12 carers, six service providers and five older people without dementia. Findings from the focus groups and interviews were consistent with those from the systematic review and suggest that our review findings were applicable to the local setting. We found some evidence that access to information and diagnostic services had improved but, as in the systematic review, post-diagnosis support was still often experienced as inadequate. Focus groups and interviews with service users and their representatives can provide useful contextual information. However, such strategies can require considerable investment of the part of the researcher in terms of time and resources, and more work is needed to refine strategies and establish the benefits for patients and the organization of services. © 2013 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Adaptation of the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire (RLCQ) to measure stressful life events in adults residing in an urban megapolis in Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Artani, Azmina; Bhamani, Shireen Shehzad; Azam, Iqbal; AbdulSultan, Moiz; Khoja, Adeel; Kamal, Ayeesha K

    2017-05-05

    Contextually relevant stressful life events are integral to the quantification of stress. None such measures have been adapted for the Pakistani population. The RLCQ developed by Richard Rahe measures stress of an individual through recording the experience of life changing events. We used qualitative methodology in order to identify contextually relevant stressors in an open ended format, using serial in-depth interviews until thematic saturation of reported stressful life events was achieved. In our next phase of adaptation, our objective was to scale each item on the questionnaire, so as to weigh each of these identified events, in terms of severity of stress. This scaling exercise was performed on 200 random participants residing in the four communities of Karachi namely Kharadar, Dhorajee, Gulshan and Garden. For analysis of the scaled tool, exploratory factor analysis was used to inform structuring. Finally, to complete the process of adaption, content and face validity exercises were performed. Content validity by subject expert review and face validity was performed by translation and back translation of the adapted RLCQ. This yielded our final adapted tool. Stressful life events emerging from the qualitative phase of the study reflect daily life stressors arising from the unstable socio-political environment. Some such events were public harassment, robbery/theft, missed life opportunities due to nepotism, extortion and threats, being a victim of state sponsored brutality, lack of electricity, water, sanitation, fuel, destruction due to natural disasters and direct or media based exposure to suicide bombing in the city. Personal or societal based relevant stressors included male child preference, having an unmarried middle aged daughter, lack of empowerment and respect reported by females. The finally adapted RLCQ incorporated "Environmental Stress" as a new category. The processes of qualitative methodology, in depth interview, community based scaling and

  2. Measuring pesticides in surface waters - continuous versus event-based sampling design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eyring, J.; Bach, M.; Frede, H.-G.

    2009-04-01

    Monitoring pesticides in surface waters is still a work- and cost-intensive procedure. Therefore, studies are normally carried out with a low monitoring frequency or with only a small selection of substances to be analyzed. In this case, it is not possible to picture the high temporal variability of pesticide concentrations, depending on application dates, weather conditions, cropping seasons and other factors. In 2007 the Institute of Landscape Ecology and Resource Management at Giessen University implemented a monitoring program during two pesticide application periods aiming to produce a detailed dataset of pesticide concentration for a wide range of substances, and which would also be suitable for the evaluation of catchment-scale pesticide exposure models. The Weida catchment in Thuringia (Eastern Germany) was selected as study area due to the availability of detailed pesticide application data for this region. The samples were taken from the river Weida at the gauge Zeulenroda, where it flows into a drinking water reservoir. The catchment area is 102 km². 67% of the area are in agricultural use, the main crops being winter wheat, maize, winter barley and winter rape. Dominant soil texture classes are loamy sand and loamy silt. About one third of the agricultural area is drained. The sampling was carried out in cooperation with the water supply agency of Thuringia (Fernwasserversorgung Thueringen). The sample analysis was done by the Institute of Environmental Research at Dortmund University. Two sampling schemes were carried out using two automatic samplers: continuous sampling with composite samples bottled two times per week and event-based sampling triggered by a discharge threshold. 53 samples from continuous sampling were collected. 19 discharge events were sampled with 45 individual samples (one to six per event). 34 pesticides and two metabolites were analyzed. 21 compounds were detected, nine of which having concentrations above the drinking water

  3. Learning-automaton-based online discovery and tracking of spatiotemporal event patterns.

    PubMed

    Yazidi, Anis; Granmo, Ole-Christoffer; Oommen, B John

    2013-06-01

    Discovering and tracking of spatiotemporal patterns in noisy sequences of events are difficult tasks that have become increasingly pertinent due to recent advances in ubiquitous computing, such as community-based social networking applications. The core activities for applications of this class include the sharing and notification of events, and the importance and usefulness of these functionalities increase as event sharing expands into larger areas of one's life. Ironically, instead of being helpful, an excessive number of event notifications can quickly render the functionality of event sharing to be obtrusive. Indeed, any notification of events that provides redundant information to the application/user can be seen to be an unnecessary distraction. In this paper, we introduce a new scheme for discovering and tracking noisy spatiotemporal event patterns, with the purpose of suppressing reoccurring patterns, while discerning novel events. Our scheme is based on maintaining a collection of hypotheses, each one conjecturing a specific spatiotemporal event pattern. A dedicated learning automaton (LA)--the spatiotemporal pattern LA (STPLA)--is associated with each hypothesis. By processing events as they unfold, we attempt to infer the correctness of each hypothesis through a real-time guided random walk. Consequently, the scheme that we present is computationally efficient, with a minimal memory footprint. Furthermore, it is ergodic, allowing adaptation. Empirical results involving extensive simulations demonstrate the superior convergence and adaptation speed of STPLA, as well as an ability to operate successfully with noise, including both the erroneous inclusion and omission of events. An empirical comparison study was performed and confirms the superiority of our scheme compared to a similar state-of-the-art approach. In particular, the robustness of the STPLA to inclusion as well as to omission noise constitutes a unique property compared to other related

  4. A Multinomial Model of Event-Based Prospective Memory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Rebekah E.; Bayen, Ute J.

    2004-01-01

    Prospective memory is remembering to perform an action in the future. The authors introduce the 1st formal model of event-based prospective memory, namely, a multinomial model that includes 2 separate parameters related to prospective memory processes. The 1st measures preparatory attentional processes, and the 2nd measures retrospective memory…

  5. Business Process Design Method Based on Business Event Model for Enterprise Information System Integration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, Takashi; Komoda, Norihisa

    The traditional business process design methods, in which the usecase is the most typical, have no useful framework to design the activity sequence with. Therefore, the design efficiency and quality vary widely according to the designer’s experience and skill. In this paper, to solve this problem, we propose the business events and their state transition model (a basic business event model) based on the language/action perspective, which is the result in the cognitive science domain. In the business process design, using this model, we decide event occurrence conditions so that every event synchronizes with each other. We also propose the design pattern to decide the event occurrence condition (a business event improvement strategy). Lastly, we apply the business process design method based on the business event model and the business event improvement strategy to the credit card issue process and estimate its effect.

  6. Toward a Typology of High-Risk Major Stressful Events and Situations in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Related Psychopathology

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was introduced in 1980 with the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Third Edition (DSM-III). DSM-III put forward a novel syndrome consisting of intrusive, avoidance/numbing, and arousal symptoms as distinctive psychopathology following exposure to traumatic events. The traumatic stressors, although expanded in later editions published in 1987 (DSM-III-R) and 1994 (DSM-IV), focus on life-threatening events and situations. However, at least 12 studies, most of them recent, have found associations between the PTSD symptoms and the PTSD symptom syndrome with stressors, such as unemployment and divorce that would not qualify, even in the broadened DSM-IV diagnosis, as traumatic stressors. These findings challenge the basic assumption on which the PTSD diagnosis is based, the assumption that exposure to life-threatening stressors is the primary cause of a unique set of stress response symptoms. The purpose of this paper is to show how to confront this challenge by developing a typology of stressful situations and events that can be tested systematically for their relation to the PTSD symptom syndrome and other relevant variables. The typology includes but is not limited to the types of situations and events defined as “traumatic” in the DSMs. PMID:20975984

  7. Short-Period Surface Wave Based Seismic Event Relocation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White-Gaynor, A.; Cleveland, M.; Nyblade, A.; Kintner, J. A.; Homman, K.; Ammon, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    Accurate and precise seismic event locations are essential for a broad range of geophysical investigations. Superior location accuracy generally requires calibration with ground truth information, but superb relative location precision is often achievable independently. In explosion seismology, low-yield explosion monitoring relies on near-source observations, which results in a limited number of observations that challenges our ability to estimate any locations. Incorporating more distant observations means relying on data with lower signal-to-noise ratios. For small, shallow events, the short-period (roughly 1/2 to 8 s period) fundamental-mode and higher-mode Rayleigh waves (including Rg) are often the most stable and visible portion of the waveform at local distances. Cleveland and Ammon [2013] have shown that teleseismic surface waves are valuable observations for constructing precise, relative event relocations. We extend the teleseismic surface wave relocation method, and apply them to near-source distances using Rg observations from the Bighorn Arche Seismic Experiment (BASE) and the Earth Scope USArray Transportable Array (TA) seismic stations. Specifically, we present relocation results using short-period fundamental- and higher-mode Rayleigh waves (Rg) in a double-difference relative event relocation for 45 delay-fired mine blasts and 21 borehole chemical explosions. Our preliminary efforts are to explore the sensitivity of the short-period surface waves to local geologic structure, source depth, explosion magnitude (yield), and explosion characteristics (single-shot vs. distributed source, etc.). Our results show that Rg and the first few higher-mode Rayleigh wave observations can be used to constrain the relative locations of shallow low-yield events.

  8. Track-based event recognition in a realistic crowded environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Huis, Jasper R.; Bouma, Henri; Baan, Jan; Burghouts, Gertjan J.; Eendebak, Pieter T.; den Hollander, Richard J. M.; Dijk, Judith; van Rest, Jeroen H.

    2014-10-01

    Automatic detection of abnormal behavior in CCTV cameras is important to improve the security in crowded environments, such as shopping malls, airports and railway stations. This behavior can be characterized at different time scales, e.g., by small-scale subtle and obvious actions or by large-scale walking patterns and interactions between people. For example, pickpocketing can be recognized by the actual snatch (small scale), when he follows the victim, or when he interacts with an accomplice before and after the incident (longer time scale). This paper focusses on event recognition by detecting large-scale track-based patterns. Our event recognition method consists of several steps: pedestrian detection, object tracking, track-based feature computation and rule-based event classification. In the experiment, we focused on single track actions (walk, run, loiter, stop, turn) and track interactions (pass, meet, merge, split). The experiment includes a controlled setup, where 10 actors perform these actions. The method is also applied to all tracks that are generated in a crowded shopping mall in a selected time frame. The results show that most of the actions can be detected reliably (on average 90%) at a low false positive rate (1.1%), and that the interactions obtain lower detection rates (70% at 0.3% FP). This method may become one of the components that assists operators to find threatening behavior and enrich the selection of videos that are to be observed.

  9. A Novel Local Learning based Approach With Application to Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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

    Xu, Songhua; Tourassi, Georgia

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a novel local learning-based approach for computer-assisted diagnosis of breast cancer. Our new local learning based algorithm using the linear logistic regression method as its base learner is described. Overall, our algorithm will perform its stochastic searching process until the total allowed computing time is used up by our random walk process in identifying the most suitable population subdivision scheme and their corresponding individual base learners. The proposed local learning-based approach was applied for the prediction of breast cancer given 11 mammographic and clinical findings reported by physicians using themore » BI-RADS lexicon. Our database consisted of 850 patients with biopsy confirmed diagnosis (290 malignant and 560 benign). We also compared the performance of our method with a collection of publicly available state-of-the-art machine learning methods. Predictive performance for all classifiers was evaluated using 10-fold cross validation and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis. Figure 1 reports the performance of 54 machine learning methods implemented in the machine learning toolkit Weka (version 3.0). We introduced a novel local learning-based classifier and compared it with an extensive list of other classifiers for the problem of breast cancer diagnosis. Our experiments show that the algorithm superior prediction performance outperforming a wide range of other well established machine learning techniques. Our conclusion complements the existing understanding in the machine learning field that local learning may capture complicated, non-linear relationships exhibited by real-world datasets.« less

  10. Building Partnerships through Classroom-Based Events

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zacarian, Debbie; Silverstone, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Building partnerships with families can be a challenge, especially in ethnically diverse classrooms. In this article, the authors describe how to create such partnerships with three kinds of classroom events: community-building events that deepen social relationships and make families feel welcome; curriculum showcase events that give families a…

  11. Screen-based entertainment time, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular events: population-based study with ongoing mortality and hospital events follow-up.

    PubMed

    Stamatakis, Emmanuel; Hamer, Mark; Dunstan, David W

    2011-01-18

    The aim of this study was to examine the independent relationships of television viewing or other screen-based entertainment ("screen time") with all-cause mortality and clinically confirmed cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. A secondary objective was to examine the extent to which metabolic (body mass index, high-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein) markers mediate the relationship between screen time and CVD events. Although some evidence suggests that prolonged sitting is linked to CVD risk factor development regardless of physical activity participation, studies with hard outcomes are scarce. A population sample of 4,512 (1,945 men) Scottish Health Survey 2003 respondents (≥35 years) were followed up to 2007 for all-cause mortality and CVD events (fatal and nonfatal combined). Main exposures were interviewer-assessed screen time (<2 h/day; 2 to <4 h/day; and ≥4 h/day) and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. Two hundred fifteen CVD events and 325 any-cause deaths occurred during 19,364 follow-up person-years. The covariable (age, sex, ethnicity, obesity, smoking, social class, long-standing illness, marital status, diabetes, hypertension)-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.52 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06 to 2.16) and for CVD events was 2.30 (95% CI: 1.33 to 3.96) for participants engaging in ≥4 h/day of screen time relative to <2 h/day. Adjusting for physical activity attenuated these associations only slightly (all-cause mortality: HR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.13; CVD events: HR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.30 to 3.89). Exclusion of participants with CVD events in the first 2 years of follow-up and previous cancer registrations did not change these results appreciably. Approximately 25% of the association between screen time and CVD events was explained collectively by C-reactive protein, body mass index, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Recreational sitting, as reflected

  12. Application of a diagnosis-based clinical decision guide in patients with low back pain.

    PubMed

    Murphy, Donald R; Hurwitz, Eric L

    2011-10-21

    Low back pain (LBP) is common and costly. Development of accurate and efficacious methods of diagnosis and treatment has been identified as a research priority. A diagnosis-based clinical decision guide (DBCDG; previously referred to as a diagnosis-based clinical decision rule) has been proposed which attempts to provide the clinician with a systematic, evidence-based means to apply the biopsychosocial model of care. The approach is based on three questions of diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to present the prevalence of findings using the DBCDG in consecutive patients with LBP. Demographic, diagnostic and baseline outcome measure data were gathered on a cohort of LBP patients examined by one of three examiners trained in the application of the DBCDG. Data were gathered on 264 patients. Signs of visceral disease or potentially serious illness were found in 2.7%. Centralization signs were found in 41%, lumbar and sacroiliac segmental signs in 23% and 27%, respectively and radicular signs were found in 24%. Clinically relevant myofascial signs were diagnosed in 10%. Dynamic instability was diagnosed in 63%, fear beliefs in 40%, central pain hypersensitivity in 5%, passive coping in 3% and depression in 3%. The DBCDG can be applied in a busy private practice environment. Further studies are needed to investigate clinically relevant means to identify central pain hypersensitivity, poor coping and depression, correlations and patterns among the diagnostic components of the DBCDG as well as inter-examiner reliability and efficacy of treatment based on the DBCDG.

  13. A Mid-Layer Model for Human Reliability Analysis: Understanding the Cognitive Causes of Human Failure Events

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

    Stacey M. L. Hendrickson; April M. Whaley; Ronald L. Boring

    The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) is sponsoring work in response to a Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) directing an effort to establish a single human reliability analysis (HRA) method for the agency or guidance for the use of multiple methods. As part of this effort an attempt to develop a comprehensive HRA qualitative approach is being pursued. This paper presents a draft of the method’s middle layer, a part of the qualitative analysis phase that links failure mechanisms to performance shaping factors. Starting with a Crew Response Tree (CRT) that has identified human failure events, analysts identify potential failuremore » mechanisms using the mid-layer model. The mid-layer model presented in this paper traces the identification of the failure mechanisms using the Information-Diagnosis/Decision-Action (IDA) model and cognitive models from the psychological literature. Each failure mechanism is grouped according to a phase of IDA. Under each phase of IDA, the cognitive models help identify the relevant performance shaping factors for the failure mechanism. The use of IDA and cognitive models can be traced through fault trees, which provide a detailed complement to the CRT.« less

  14. A mid-layer model for human reliability analysis : understanding the cognitive causes of human failure events.

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

    Shen, Song-Hua; Chang, James Y. H.; Boring,Ronald L.

    2010-03-01

    The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is sponsoring work in response to a Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) directing an effort to establish a single human reliability analysis (HRA) method for the agency or guidance for the use of multiple methods. As part of this effort an attempt to develop a comprehensive HRA qualitative approach is being pursued. This paper presents a draft of the method's middle layer, a part of the qualitative analysis phase that links failure mechanisms to performance shaping factors. Starting with a Crew Response Tree (CRT) that has identifiedmore » human failure events, analysts identify potential failure mechanisms using the mid-layer model. The mid-layer model presented in this paper traces the identification of the failure mechanisms using the Information-Diagnosis/Decision-Action (IDA) model and cognitive models from the psychological literature. Each failure mechanism is grouped according to a phase of IDA. Under each phase of IDA, the cognitive models help identify the relevant performance shaping factors for the failure mechanism. The use of IDA and cognitive models can be traced through fault trees, which provide a detailed complement to the CRT.« less

  15. 17 CFR 40.11 - Review of event contracts based upon certain excluded commodities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Review of event contracts... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION PROVISIONS COMMON TO REGISTERED ENTITIES § 40.11 Review of event...) [Reserved] (c) 90-day review and approval of certain event contracts. The Commission may determine, based...

  16. 17 CFR 40.11 - Review of event contracts based upon certain excluded commodities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Review of event contracts... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION PROVISIONS COMMON TO REGISTERED ENTITIES § 40.11 Review of event...) [Reserved] (c) 90-day review and approval of certain event contracts. The Commission may determine, based...

  17. A browser-based event display for the CMS experiment at the LHC

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

    Hategan, M.; McCauley, T.; Nguyen, P.

    2012-01-01

    The line between native and web applications is becoming increasingly blurred as modern web browsers are becoming powerful platforms on which applications can be run. Such applications are trivial to install and are readily extensible and easy to use. In an educational setting, web applications permit a way to deploy deploy tools in a highly-restrictive computing environment. The I2U2 collaboration has developed a browser-based event display for viewing events in data collected and released to the public by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The application itself reads a JSON event format and uses the JavaScript 3D rendering engine pre3d.more » The only requirement is a modern browser using HTML5 canvas. The event display has been used by thousands of high school students in the context of programs organized by I2U2, QuarkNet, and IPPOG. This browser-based approach to display of events can have broader usage and impact for experts and public alike.« less

  18. A Novel Mittag-Leffler Kernel Based Hybrid Fault Diagnosis Method for Wheeled Robot Driving System

    PubMed Central

    Yuan, Xianfeng; Song, Mumin; Chen, Zhumin; Li, Yan

    2015-01-01

    The wheeled robots have been successfully applied in many aspects, such as industrial handling vehicles, and wheeled service robots. To improve the safety and reliability of wheeled robots, this paper presents a novel hybrid fault diagnosis framework based on Mittag-Leffler kernel (ML-kernel) support vector machine (SVM) and Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. Using sensor data sampled under different running conditions, the proposed approach initially establishes multiple principal component analysis (PCA) models for fault feature extraction. The fault feature vectors are then applied to train the probabilistic SVM (PSVM) classifiers that arrive at a preliminary fault diagnosis. To improve the accuracy of preliminary results, a novel ML-kernel based PSVM classifier is proposed in this paper, and the positive definiteness of the ML-kernel is proved as well. The basic probability assignments (BPAs) are defined based on the preliminary fault diagnosis results and their confidence values. Eventually, the final fault diagnosis result is archived by the fusion of the BPAs. Experimental results show that the proposed framework not only is capable of detecting and identifying the faults in the robot driving system, but also has better performance in stability and diagnosis accuracy compared with the traditional methods. PMID:26229526

  19. Deep learning based beat event detection in action movie franchises

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ejaz, N.; Khan, U. A.; Martínez-del-Amor, M. A.; Sparenberg, H.

    2018-04-01

    Automatic understanding and interpretation of movies can be used in a variety of ways to semantically manage the massive volumes of movies data. "Action Movie Franchises" dataset is a collection of twenty Hollywood action movies from five famous franchises with ground truth annotations at shot and beat level of each movie. In this dataset, the annotations are provided for eleven semantic beat categories. In this work, we propose a deep learning based method to classify shots and beat-events on this dataset. The training dataset for each of the eleven beat categories is developed and then a Convolution Neural Network is trained. After finding the shot boundaries, key frames are extracted for each shot and then three classification labels are assigned to each key frame. The classification labels for each of the key frames in a particular shot are then used to assign a unique label to each shot. A simple sliding window based method is then used to group adjacent shots having the same label in order to find a particular beat event. The results of beat event classification are presented based on criteria of precision, recall, and F-measure. The results are compared with the existing technique and significant improvements are recorded.

  20. A Knowledge-Based System for the Computer Assisted Diagnosis of Endoscopic Images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kage, Andreas; Münzenmayer, Christian; Wittenberg, Thomas

    Due to the actual demographic development the use of Computer-Assisted Diagnosis (CAD) systems becomes a more important part of clinical workflows and clinical decision making. Because changes on the mucosa of the esophagus can indicate the first stage of cancerous developments, there is a large interest to detect and correctly diagnose any such lesion. We present a knowledge-based system which is able to support a physician with the interpretation and diagnosis of endoscopic images of the esophagus. Our system is designed to support the physician directly during the examination of the patient, thus prodving diagnostic assistence at the point of care (POC). Based on an interactively marked region in an endoscopic image of interest, the system provides a diagnostic suggestion, based on an annotated reference image database. Furthermore, using relevant feedback mechanisms, the results can be enhanced interactively.

  1. The Source of Adult Age Differences in Event-Based Prospective Memory: A Multinomial Modeling Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Rebekah E.; Bayen, Ute J.

    2006-01-01

    Event-based prospective memory involves remembering to perform an action in response to a particular future event. Normal younger and older adults performed event-based prospective memory tasks in 2 experiments. The authors applied a formal multinomial processing tree model of prospective memory (Smith & Bayen, 2004) to disentangle age differences…

  2. Women, Meaning Making and Lifestyle Change after a Cardiac Event

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shockley, Carrie

    2012-01-01

    Many US women have had or will experience a cardiac event and little is known about their learning experiences associated with subsequent lifestyle change. In this qualitative study, the researcher examined the experiential learning of 22 women who made lifestyle changes after a cardiac event. Meaning making experiences were examined for influence…

  3. Neuromorphic Event-Based 3D Pose Estimation

    PubMed Central

    Reverter Valeiras, David; Orchard, Garrick; Ieng, Sio-Hoi; Benosman, Ryad B.

    2016-01-01

    Pose estimation is a fundamental step in many artificial vision tasks. It consists of estimating the 3D pose of an object with respect to a camera from the object's 2D projection. Current state of the art implementations operate on images. These implementations are computationally expensive, especially for real-time applications. Scenes with fast dynamics exceeding 30–60 Hz can rarely be processed in real-time using conventional hardware. This paper presents a new method for event-based 3D object pose estimation, making full use of the high temporal resolution (1 μs) of asynchronous visual events output from a single neuromorphic camera. Given an initial estimate of the pose, each incoming event is used to update the pose by combining both 3D and 2D criteria. We show that the asynchronous high temporal resolution of the neuromorphic camera allows us to solve the problem in an incremental manner, achieving real-time performance at an update rate of several hundreds kHz on a conventional laptop. We show that the high temporal resolution of neuromorphic cameras is a key feature for performing accurate pose estimation. Experiments are provided showing the performance of the algorithm on real data, including fast moving objects, occlusions, and cases where the neuromorphic camera and the object are both in motion. PMID:26834547

  4. GIS-based rare events logistic regression for mineral prospectivity mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Yihui; Zuo, Renguang

    2018-02-01

    Mineralization is a special type of singularity event, and can be considered as a rare event, because within a specific study area the number of prospective locations (1s) are considerably fewer than the number of non-prospective locations (0s). In this study, GIS-based rare events logistic regression (RELR) was used to map the mineral prospectivity in the southwestern Fujian Province, China. An odds ratio was used to measure the relative importance of the evidence variables with respect to mineralization. The results suggest that formations, granites, and skarn alterations, followed by faults and aeromagnetic anomaly are the most important indicators for the formation of Fe-related mineralization in the study area. The prediction rate and the area under the curve (AUC) values show that areas with higher probability have a strong spatial relationship with the known mineral deposits. Comparing the results with original logistic regression (OLR) demonstrates that the GIS-based RELR performs better than OLR. The prospectivity map obtained in this study benefits the search for skarn Fe-related mineralization in the study area.

  5. A Computer-Based Nursing Diagnosis Consultant

    PubMed Central

    Evans, Steven

    1984-01-01

    This consultant permits a nurse to enter patient signs and symptoms which are then interpreted by the system in order to relate them to well-established nursing-related dysfunctional patterns. The system attempts to confirm the pattern by soliciting additional patient information from the nurse. This process provides an educational prompt to the nurse, and the suggestions of the system also provide a clinical support tool that can be of practical value. As our testing hones the system and subtlety is added to the weighing of the evidence the nurse provides, it is expected that this tool will be a useful adjunct to computer-based nursing services in support of health care. This Nursing Diagnosis Consultant is yet another element in the COMMES family of consultants for health professionals.

  6. How can mass participation physical activity events engage low-active people? A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Early, Frances; Corcoran, Paula

    2013-08-01

    Regular, moderate physical activity reduces the risk of mortality and morbidity; however increasing the physical activity levels of less active people is a public health challenge. This study explores the potential of mass participation physical activity events to engage less active people, through analyzing the accounts of participants in 2 events who identified themselves as low-active before entering. Seven participants in a sponsored run and 7 in a sponsored walk were interviewed and transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Participants had positive experiences encapsulated in 3 categories: Performing (physical completion of the event culminating in a sense of achievement); Relating (enjoying relationships); Soaking up the Atmosphere (enjoying the event ambience). The way in which these categories were manifested was affected by the event context. Mass participation events have potential to engage low-active people. The impact of participation resonated with factors that are positively associated with physical activity in other settings, and event characteristics matched key criteria for attracting low-active groups identified through social marketing research. Suggestions are given for how to capitalize on the findings for health promotion.

  7. Qualitative exploration of the benefits of group-based memory rehabilitation for people with neurological disabilities: implications for rehabilitation delivery and evaluation.

    PubMed

    Chouliara, Niki; Lincoln, Nadina B

    2016-09-19

    To identify patient-perceived benefits of memory rehabilitation and draw transferrable lessons for the delivery and evaluation of similar interventions for people with neurological disabilities. A qualitative study was conducted as part of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial comparing 2 memory rehabilitation approaches with a self-help control group. Postintervention interviews were conducted with 20 participants with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis or stroke. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis approach. Participants receiving memory rehabilitation reported that the sessions responded to previously unmet needs for information on brain injury and memory function and developed their insight along with a sense of self-efficacy and control over the management of their memory problems. Although they did not experience major improvements in their memory function per se, they reported that rehabilitation gave them the skills to effectively cope with the residual deficits. Respondents in the control groups did not report similar benefits. The opportunities for interaction offered by the group setting were greatly valued by all respondents. Mixed aetiology groups were received positively; however, marked differences in cognitive performance were frustrating for some participants. The study highlighted important patient-perceived outcomes that should be considered by researchers and rehabilitation professionals when evaluating the effects of memory rehabilitation. The use of domain-specific outcome measures which reflect these areas is recommended. Qualitative changes in the use of memory aids may be achieved which cannot be captured by frequency indices alone. The benefits of the group-based rehabilitation approach were stressed by participants, suggesting that a combination of group and individual sessions might be a good practice. ISRCTN92582254; Results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to

  8. Emotional and cognitive experiences during the time of diagnosis and decision-making following a prenatal diagnosis: a qualitative study of males presented with congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner.

    PubMed

    Carlsson, Tommy; Mattsson, Elisabet

    2018-01-12

    Expectant fathers consider the second-trimester obstetric ultrasound examination as an important step towards parenthood, but are ill prepared for a detection of a fetal anomaly. Inductive research is scarce concerning their experiences and needs for support. Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore the emotional and cognitive experiences, during the time of diagnosis and decision-making, among males presented with congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner. Twelve expectant fathers were consecutively recruited through two tertiary referral centers for fetal cardiology in Sweden, after they had been presented with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect in the fetus carried by their pregnant partner. The respondents were interviewed via telephone, and the interviews were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. The respondents experienced an intense emotional shock in connection with detection. However, they set their own needs aside to attend to the supportive needs of their pregnant partner, and stressed the importance of an informed joint decision regarding whether to continue or terminate the pregnancy. When terminating the pregnancy, they experienced a loss of a wanted child, an emotionally intense termination procedure, needs of support neglected by professionals, and worries about the risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. When continuing the pregnancy, they tried to keep a positive attitude about the coming birth, but were simultaneously worried about the postnatal situation. The findings illustrate the importance of inclusive care and adequate follow-up routines for both expectant parents following a prenatal diagnosis. This includes the initial emotional shock, the decisional process, and depending on decision reached, the termination or continuation of the pregnancy. Expectant fathers presented with a fetal anomaly need adequate follow-up routines to address worries about risk of recurrence

  9. [Definition of the Diagnosis Osteomyelitis-Osteomyelitis Diagnosis Score (ODS)].

    PubMed

    Schmidt, H G K; Tiemann, A H; Braunschweig, R; Diefenbeck, M; Bühler, M; Abitzsch, D; Haustedt, N; Walter, G; Schoop, R; Heppert, V; Hofmann, G O; Glombitza, M; Grimme, C; Gerlach, U-J; Flesch, I

    2011-08-01

    The disease "osteomyelitis" is characterised by different symptoms and parameters. Decisive roles in the development of the disease are played by the causative bacteria, the route of infection and the individual defense mechanisms of the host. The diagnosis is based on different symptoms and findings from the clinical history, clinical symptoms, laboratory results, diagnostic imaging, microbiological and histopathological analyses. While different osteomyelitis classifications have been published, there is to the best of our knowledge no score that gives information how sure the diagnosis "osteomyelitis" is in general. For any scientific study of a disease a valid definition is essential. We have developed a special osteomyelitis diagnosis score for the reliable classification of clinical, laboratory and technical findings. The score is based on five diagnostic procedures: 1) clinical history and risk factors, 2) clinical examination and laboratory results, 3) diagnostic imaging (ultrasound, radiology, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and hybrid methods), 4) microbiology, and 5) histopathology. Each diagnostic procedure is related to many individual findings, which are weighted by a score system, in order to achieve a relevant value for each assessment. If the sum of the five diagnostic criteria is 18 or more points, the diagnosis of osteomyelitis can be viewed as "safe" (diagnosis class A). Between 8-17 points the diagnosis is "probable" (diagnosis class B). Less than 8 points means that the diagnosis is "possible, but unlikely" (class C diagnosis). Since each parameter can score six points at a maximum, a reliable diagnosis can only be achieved if at least 3 parameters are scored with 6 points. The osteomyelitis diagnosis score should help to avoid the false description of a clinical presentation as "osteomyelitis". A safe diagnosis is essential for the aetiology, treatment and outcome studies of osteomyelitis. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  10. [Microbiological diagnosis of infections of the skin and soft tissues].

    PubMed

    Burillo, Almudena; Moreno, Antonio; Salas, Carlos

    2007-11-01

    Skin and soft tissue infections are often seen in clinical practice, yet their microbiological diagnosis is among the most complex of laboratory tasks. The diagnosis of a skin and a soft tissue infection is generally based on clinical criteria and not microbiological results. A microbiological diagnosis is reserved for cases in which the etiology of infection is required, e.g., when the infection is particularly severe, when less common microorganisms are suspected as the causative agent (e.g. in immunocompromised patients), when response to antimicrobial treatment is poor, or when a longstanding wound does not heal within a reasonable period of time. We report the indications, sampling and processing techniques, and interpretation criteria for various culture types, including quantitative cultures from biopsy or tissue specimens and semiquantitative and qualitative cultures performed on all types of samples. For non-invasive samples taken from open wounds, application of the Q index to Gram stains is a cost-effective way to standardize sample quality assessment and interpretation of the pathogenic involvement of the different microorganisms isolated from cultures. All these issues are covered in the SEIMC microbiological procedure number 22: Diagnóstico microbiológico de las infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos (Microbiological diagnosis of infections of the skin and soft tissues) (2nd ed., 2006, www.seimc.org/protocolos/microbiologia).

  11. Interactive Effect of Stressful Life Events and the Serotonin Transporter 5-HTTLPR Genotype on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis in 2 Independent Populations

    PubMed Central

    Xie, Pingxing; Kranzler, Henry R.; Poling, James; Stein, Murray B.; Anton, Raymond F.; Brady, Kathleen; Weiss, Roger D.; Farrer, Lindsay; Gelernter, Joel

    2010-01-01

    Context: The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has been found to moderate several categories of emotional response after stressful life events. Previous studies generally focused on its effect on depressive symptoms; little is known about its moderation of the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: To examine the effects of childhood adversity, adult traumatic events, 5-HTTLPR genotypes, and gene×environment interactions on the etiology of PTSD. Design: A cross-sectional study in which participants in several studies investigating the genetics of substance dependence were also screened for lifetime PTSD. The triallelic system of 5-HTTLPR was genotyped. Logistic regression modeling was used in the analyses. Setting: General community. Participants: Five hundred eighty-two European American and 670 African American individuals who reported experiences of childhood adversity, adult traumatic events, or both. Main Outcome Measure: Diagnosis of PTSD, defined by DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and assessed through the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism interview. Results: Childhood adversity and adult traumatic events both predicted PTSD. Although the 5-HTTLPR genotype alone did not predict the onset of PTSD, it interacted with adult traumatic events and childhood adversity to increase the risk for PTSD, especially for those with high rates of both types of trauma exposure (European American: odds ratio [OR], 2.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50-5.45; P=.002; African American: OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.04-3.40; P=.04; pooled: OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.50-3.56; P<.001). Conclusions: Participants who had both childhood adversity and adult traumatic events were more likely to develop lifetime PTSD compared with those who experienced either type of adverse event. The risk was increased in individuals with 1 or 2 copies of the S′ (S) allele compared with the L′ (L) homozygotes

  12. Iranian Nursing Students' Experiences of Case-Based Learning: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Gholami, Mohammad; Saki, Mandana; Toulabi, Tahereh; Kordestani Moghadam, Parastou; Hossein Pour, Amir Hossein; Dostizadeh, Reza

    The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of undergraduate nursing students of the implementation of case-based learning in an emergency nursing course. The present qualitative study was conducted using the qualitative content analysis method. Participants consisted of 18 third year undergraduate nursing students selected through purposive sampling, which continued until the saturation of the data. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and were analyzed concurrently with their collection through the constant comparison method. The process of data analysis led to the emergence of 4 main themes, including "the continuum of knowledge from production to transfer competence," "a positive atmosphere of interaction," "the process of stress relieving," "the sense of role-playing in professional life," and the emergence of 12 subthemes signifying participants' experiences and perceptions with regard to the implementation of case-based learning (CBL) in teaching the emergency nursing course. The results of the present study showed that CBL is a stressful but pleasant and empowering experience for Iranian nursing students that develops critical thinking and stress management skills, reinforces peers' potentials, improves diagnostic abilities, and helps acquire professional competencies for use in future practices through the creation of a positive environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Rule-based fault diagnosis of hall sensors and fault-tolerant control of PMSM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Ziyou; Li, Jianqiu; Ouyang, Minggao; Gu, Jing; Feng, Xuning; Lu, Dongbin

    2013-07-01

    Hall sensor is widely used for estimating rotor phase of permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM). And rotor position is an essential parameter of PMSM control algorithm, hence it is very dangerous if Hall senor faults occur. But there is scarcely any research focusing on fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control of Hall sensor used in PMSM. From this standpoint, the Hall sensor faults which may occur during the PMSM operating are theoretically analyzed. According to the analysis results, the fault diagnosis algorithm of Hall sensor, which is based on three rules, is proposed to classify the fault phenomena accurately. The rotor phase estimation algorithms, based on one or two Hall sensor(s), are initialized to engender the fault-tolerant control algorithm. The fault diagnosis algorithm can detect 60 Hall fault phenomena in total as well as all detections can be fulfilled in 1/138 rotor rotation period. The fault-tolerant control algorithm can achieve a smooth torque production which means the same control effect as normal control mode (with three Hall sensors). Finally, the PMSM bench test verifies the accuracy and rapidity of fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control strategies. The fault diagnosis algorithm can detect all Hall sensor faults promptly and fault-tolerant control algorithm allows the PMSM to face failure conditions of one or two Hall sensor(s). In addition, the transitions between health-control and fault-tolerant control conditions are smooth without any additional noise and harshness. Proposed algorithms can deal with the Hall sensor faults of PMSM in real applications, and can be provided to realize the fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control of PMSM.

  14. Low-Latency Line Tracking Using Event-Based Dynamic Vision Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Everding, Lukas; Conradt, Jörg

    2018-01-01

    In order to safely navigate and orient in their local surroundings autonomous systems need to rapidly extract and persistently track visual features from the environment. While there are many algorithms tackling those tasks for traditional frame-based cameras, these have to deal with the fact that conventional cameras sample their environment with a fixed frequency. Most prominently, the same features have to be found in consecutive frames and corresponding features then need to be matched using elaborate techniques as any information between the two frames is lost. We introduce a novel method to detect and track line structures in data streams of event-based silicon retinae [also known as dynamic vision sensors (DVS)]. In contrast to conventional cameras, these biologically inspired sensors generate a quasicontinuous stream of vision information analogous to the information stream created by the ganglion cells in mammal retinae. All pixels of DVS operate asynchronously without a periodic sampling rate and emit a so-called DVS address event as soon as they perceive a luminance change exceeding an adjustable threshold. We use the high temporal resolution achieved by the DVS to track features continuously through time instead of only at fixed points in time. The focus of this work lies on tracking lines in a mostly static environment which is observed by a moving camera, a typical setting in mobile robotics. Since DVS events are mostly generated at object boundaries and edges which in man-made environments often form lines they were chosen as feature to track. Our method is based on detecting planes of DVS address events in x-y-t-space and tracing these planes through time. It is robust against noise and runs in real time on a standard computer, hence it is suitable for low latency robotics. The efficacy and performance are evaluated on real-world data sets which show artificial structures in an office-building using event data for tracking and frame data for ground

  15. Predicting water table response to rainfall events, central Florida.

    PubMed

    van Gaalen, J F; Kruse, S; Lafrenz, W B; Burroughs, S M

    2013-01-01

    A rise in water table in response to a rainfall event is a complex function of permeability, specific yield, antecedent soil-water conditions, water table level, evapotranspiration, vegetation, lateral groundwater flow, and rainfall volume and intensity. Predictions of water table response, however, commonly assume a linear relationship between response and rainfall based on cumulative analysis of water level and rainfall logs. By identifying individual rainfall events and responses, we examine how the response/rainfall ratio varies as a function of antecedent water table level (stage) and rainfall event size. For wells in wetlands and uplands in central Florida, incorporating stage and event size improves forecasting of water table rise by more than 30%, based on 10 years of data. At the 11 sites studied, the water table is generally least responsive to rainfall at smallest and largest rainfall event sizes and at lower stages. At most sites the minimum amount of rainfall required to induce a rise in water table is fairly uniform when the water table is within 50 to 100 cm of land surface. Below this depth, the minimum typically gradually increases with depth. These observations can be qualitatively explained by unsaturated zone flow processes. Overall, response/rainfall ratios are higher in wetlands and lower in uplands, presumably reflecting lower specific yields and greater lateral influx in wetland sites. Pronounced depth variations in rainfall/response ratios appear to correlate with soil layer boundaries, where corroborating data are available. © 2012, The Author(s). Groundwater © 2012, National Ground Water Association.

  16. Statin use after esophageal cancer diagnosis and survival: A population based cohort study.

    PubMed

    Cardwell, Chris R; Spence, Andrew D; Hughes, Carmel M; Murray, Liam J

    2017-06-01

    A recent epidemiological study of esophageal cancer patients concluded statin use post-diagnosis was associated with large (38%) and significant reductions in cancer-specific mortality. We investigated statin use and cancer-specific mortality in a large population-based cohort of esophageal cancer patients. Newly diagnosed [2009-2012] esophageal cancer patients were identified from the Scottish Cancer Registry and linked with the Prescribing Information System and Scotland Death Records (to January 2015). Time-dependent Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) for cancer-specific mortality and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by post-diagnostic statin use (using a 6 month lag to reduce reverse causation) and to adjust these HRs for potential confounders. 1921 esophageal cancer patients were included in the main analysis, of whom 651 (34%) used statins after diagnosis. There was little evidence of a reduction in esophageal cancer-specific mortality in statin users compared with non-users after diagnosis (adjusted HR=0.93, 95% CI, 0.81, 1.07) and no dose response associations were seen. However, statin users compared with non-users in the year before diagnosis had a weak reduction in esophageal cancer-specific mortality (adjusted HR=0.88, 95% CI, 0.79, 0.99). In this large population-based esophageal cancer cohort, there was little evidence of a reduction in esophageal cancer-specific mortality with statin use after diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Validation of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Impedance Sensor for Respiratory Event Classification during Polysomnography in Children.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Anne G; Patwari, Pallavi P; Loghmanee, Darius A; Balog, Matthew J; Trosman, Irina; Sheldon, Stephen H

    2017-02-15

    Polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosis and characterization of severity of sleep-disordered breathing. Accuracy and reliability of the technology used are critical to the integrity of the study's interpretation. Strict criteria for obstructive sleep apnea in children are lacking and diagnosis often requires consideration of frequency of respiratory events in addition to other measures. Current American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations for pediatric patients includes use of respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) belts, whereas polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) belts are currently only acceptable for use in adults. We hypothesized that PVDF belts would be equally effective as RIP belts for detection of respiratory effort and events in children. Children ages 2-17 y were recruited from a large pediatric tertiary referral center after obtaining consent for participation. Fifty subjects were recruited (average age, 7.8 y). Clinically relevant limits of agreement were predetermined to be a difference in total count of obstructive or central apneas or hypopneas of ± 5 events. Scoring of respiratory events was not significantly different by belt type based on Bland-Altman plots of total apnea-hypopnea index and obstructive apneas. Obstructive hypopneas scoring ranged beyond our clinical limit of agreement. Findings in obese subjects were consistent with the larger sample with the exception of an increase in outliers. Artifact amount was comparable (RIP 10.9% ± 22.5% and PVDF 10.5% ± 19.5%). Based on these findings, PVDF belts appear to be as effective as RIP belts in detection of respiratory effort and events in children. A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 159. © 2017 American Academy of Sleep Medicine

  18. A Clinical Approach to the Diagnosis of Acid-Base Disorders

    PubMed Central

    Bear, Robert A.

    1986-01-01

    The ability to diagnose and manage acid-base disorders rapidly and effectively is essential to the care of critically ill patients. This article presents an approach to the diagnosis of pure and mixed acid-base disorders, metabolic or respiratory. The approach taken is based on using the law of mass-action equation as it applies to the bicarbonate buffer system (Henderson equation), using sub-classifications for diagnostic purposes of causes of metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis, and using a knowledge of the well-defined and predictable compensatory responses that attempt to limit the change in pH in each of the primary acid-base disorders. PMID:21267134

  19. Adverse life events and health: a population study in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Karatzias, Thanos; Yan, Elsie; Jowett, Sally

    2015-02-01

    Although the effects of adverse life events on mental health have been well documented in the literature, there has never been a population based study that investigated systematically the association between history of adverse life events and physical health (objective and subjective) in adults. Cross-sectional, face-to-face household population based survey of adults (18+) in Hong Kong (N=1147). Participants were asked if they had a diagnosis of six health conditions including hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, eyesight degeneration, and hearing loss. They were also asked if they had experienced five adverse life events including death of a partner or spouse, abuse, natural disaster, life threatening illness or injury, and family disruption. Interviews also included the Short-Form 12 Health Survey (SFHS-12) and the short version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Overall, results indicate that specific adverse life events may be associated with specific health conditions. However, all tested life events were associated with subjective physical and mental health. Death of partner or parent and life threatening illness or injury were found to have the strongest association with physical health problems. A dose-response relationship between adverse life events and physical health in general was evident but more so for heart disease and eyesight degeneration. Considering the high prevalence of traumatic events and how common the conditions associated with such events are in the general population, screening for adverse life events as part of comprehensive assessment will allow a deeper understanding of patients' needs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Event Management for Teacher-Coaches: Risk and Supervision Considerations for School-Based Sports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paiement, Craig A.; Payment, Matthew P.

    2011-01-01

    A professional sports event requires considerable planning in which years are devoted to the success of that single activity. School-based sports events do not have that luxury, because high schools across the country host athletic events nearly every day. It is not uncommon during the fall sports season for a combination of boys' and girls'…

  1. Event completion: event based inferences distort memory in a matter of seconds.

    PubMed

    Strickland, Brent; Keil, Frank

    2011-12-01

    We present novel evidence that implicit causal inferences distort memory for events only seconds after viewing. Adults watched videos of someone launching (or throwing) an object. However, the videos omitted the moment of contact (or release). Subjects falsely reported seeing the moment of contact when it was implied by subsequent footage but did not do so when the contact was not implied. Causal implications were disrupted either by replacing the resulting flight of the ball with irrelevant video or by scrambling event segments. Subjects in the different causal implication conditions did not differ on false alarms for other moments of the event, nor did they differ in general recognition accuracy. These results suggest that as people perceive events, they generate rapid conceptual interpretations that can have a powerful effect on how events are remembered. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Adverse life events increase risk for postpartum psychiatric episodes: A population-based epidemiologic study.

    PubMed

    Meltzer-Brody, S; Larsen, J T; Petersen, L; Guintivano, J; Florio, A Di; Miller, W C; Sullivan, P F; Munk-Olsen, T

    2018-02-01

    Trauma histories may increase risk of perinatal psychiatric episodes. We designed an epidemiological population-based cohort study to explore if adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in girls increases risk of later postpartum psychiatric episodes. Using Danish registers, we identified women born in Denmark between January 1980 and December 1998 (129,439 childbirths). Exposure variables were ACE between ages 0 and 15 including: (1) family disruption, (2) parental somatic illness, (3) parental labor market exclusion, (4) parental criminality, (5) parental death, (6) placement in out-of-home care, (7) parental psychopathology excluding substance use, and (8) parental substance use disorder. Primary outcome was first occurrence of in- or outpatient contact 0-6 months postpartum at a psychiatric treatment facility with any psychiatric diagnoses, ICD-10, F00-F99 (N = 651). We conducted survival analyses using Cox proportional hazard regressions of postpartum psychiatric episodes. Approximately 52% of the sample experienced ACE, significantly increasing risk of any postpartum psychiatric diagnosis. Highest risks were observed among women who experienced out-of-home placement, hazard ratio (HR) 2.57 (95% CI: 1.90-3.48). Women experiencing two adverse life events had higher risks of postpartum psychiatric diagnosis HR: 1.88 (95% CI: 1.51-2.36), compared to those with one ACE, HR: 1.24 (95% CI: 1.03-49) and no ACE, HR: 1.00 (reference group). ACE primarily due to parental psychopathology and disability contributes to increased risk of postpartum psychiatric episodes; and greater numbers of ACE increases risk for postpartum psychiatric illness with an observed dose-response effect. Future work should explore genetic and environmental factors that increase risk and/or confer resilience. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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

    PubMed

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

    2018-01-01

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

  4. The Implication of Using NVivo Software in Qualitative Data Analysis: Evidence-Based Reflections.

    PubMed

    Zamawe, F C

    2015-03-01

    For a long time, electronic data analysis has been associated with quantitative methods. However, Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) are increasingly being developed. Although the CAQDAS has been there for decades, very few qualitative health researchers report using it. This may be due to the difficulties that one has to go through to master the software and the misconceptions that are associated with using CAQDAS. While the issue of mastering CAQDAS has received ample attention, little has been done to address the misconceptions associated with CAQDAS. In this paper, the author reflects on his experience of interacting with one of the popular CAQDAS (NVivo) in order to provide evidence-based implications of using the software. The key message is that unlike statistical software, the main function of CAQDAS is not to analyse data but rather to aid the analysis process, which the researcher must always remain in control of. In other words, researchers must equally know that no software can analyse qualitative data. CAQDAS are basically data management packages, which support the researcher during analysis.

  5. Event-based soil loss models for construction sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trenouth, William R.; Gharabaghi, Bahram

    2015-05-01

    The elevated rates of soil erosion stemming from land clearing and grading activities during urban development, can result in excessive amounts of eroded sediments entering waterways and causing harm to the biota living therein. However, construction site event-based soil loss simulations - required for reliable design of erosion and sediment controls - are one of the most uncertain types of hydrologic models. This study presents models with improved degree of accuracy to advance the design of erosion and sediment controls for construction sites. The new models are developed using multiple linear regression (MLR) on event-based permutations of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and artificial neural networks (ANN). These models were developed using surface runoff monitoring datasets obtained from three sites - Greensborough, Cookstown, and Alcona - in Ontario and datasets mined from the literature for three additional sites - Treynor, Iowa, Coshocton, Ohio and Cordoba, Spain. The predictive MLR and ANN models can serve as both diagnostic and design tools for the effective sizing of erosion and sediment controls on active construction sites, and can be used for dynamic scenario forecasting when considering rapidly changing land use conditions during various phases of construction.

  6. Risk of cardiovascular events in people prescribed glucocorticoids with iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome: cohort study.

    PubMed

    Fardet, Laurence; Petersen, Irene; Nazareth, Irwin

    2012-07-30

    To investigate whether there is an increased risk of cardiovascular events in people who exhibit iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome during treatment with glucocorticoids. Cohort study. 424 UK general practices contributing to The Health Improvement Network database. People prescribed systemic glucocorticoids and with a diagnosis of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (n = 547) and two comparison groups: those prescribed glucocorticoids and with no diagnosis of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome (n = 3231) and those not prescribed systemic glucocorticoids (n = 3282). Incidence of cardiovascular events within a year after diagnosis of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome or after a randomly selected date, and association between iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and risk of cardiovascular events. 417 cardiovascular events occurred in 341 patients. Taking into account only the first event by patient (coronary heart disease n = 177, heart failure n = 101, ischaemic stroke n = 63), the incidence rates of cardiovascular events per 100 person years at risk were 15.1 (95% confidence interval 11.8 to 18.4) in those prescribed glucocorticoids and with a diagnosis of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome, 6.4 (5.5 to 7.3) in those prescribed glucocorticoids without a diagnosis of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome, and 4.1 (3.4 to 4.8) in those not prescribed glucocorticoids. In multivariate analyses adjusted for sex, age, intensity of glucocorticoid use, underlying disease, smoking status, and use of aspirin, diabetes drugs, antihypertensive drugs, lipid lowering drugs, or oral anticoagulant drugs, the relation between iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome and cardiovascular events was strong (adjusted hazard ratios 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.48 to 3.47) for coronary heart disease, 3.77 (2.41 to 5.90) for heart failure, and 2.23 (0.96 to 5.17) for ischaemic cerebrovascular events). The adjusted hazard ratio for any cardiovascular event was 4.16 (2.98 to 5.82) when the group prescribed glucocorticoids and with

  7. Event-based rainfall-runoff modelling of the Kelantan River Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basarudin, Z.; Adnan, N. A.; Latif, A. R. A.; Tahir, W.; Syafiqah, N.

    2014-02-01

    Flood is one of the most common natural disasters in Malaysia. According to hydrologists there are many causes that contribute to flood events. The two most dominant factors are the meteorology factor (i.e climate change) and change in land use. These two factors contributed to floods in recent decade especially in the monsoonal catchment such as Malaysia. This paper intends to quantify the influence of rainfall during extreme rainfall events on the hydrological model in the Kelantan River catchment. Therefore, two dynamic inputs were used in the study: rainfall and river discharge. The extreme flood events in 2008 and 2004 were compared based on rainfall data for both years. The events were modeled via a semi-distributed HEC-HMS hydrological model. Land use change was not incorporated in the study because the study only tries to quantify rainfall changes during these two events to simulate the discharge and runoff value. Therefore, the land use data representing the year 2004 were used as inputs in the 2008 runoff model. The study managed to demonstrate that rainfall change has a significant impact to determine the peak discharge and runoff depth for the study area.

  8. Research of converter transformer fault diagnosis based on improved PSO-BP algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Long, Qi; Guo, Shuyong; Li, Qing; Sun, Yong; Li, Yi; Fan, Youping

    2017-09-01

    To overcome those disadvantages that BP (Back Propagation) neural network and conventional Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) converge at the global best particle repeatedly in early stage and is easy trapped in local optima and with low diagnosis accuracy when being applied in converter transformer fault diagnosis, we come up with the improved PSO-BP neural network to improve the accuracy rate. This algorithm improves the inertia weight Equation by using the attenuation strategy based on concave function to avoid the premature convergence of PSO algorithm and Time-Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC) strategy was adopted to balance the local search and global search ability. At last the simulation results prove that the proposed approach has a better ability in optimizing BP neural network in terms of network output error, global searching performance and diagnosis accuracy.

  9. The qualitative scoring MMSE pentagon test (QSPT): a new method for differentiating dementia with Lewy Body from Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Caffarra, Paolo; Gardini, Simona; Dieci, Francesca; Copelli, Sandra; Maset, Laura; Concari, Letizia; Farina, Elisabetta; Grossi, Enzo

    2013-01-01

    The differential diagnosis across different variants of degenerative diseases is sometimes controversial. This study aimed to validate a qualitative scoring method for the pentagons copy test (QSPT) of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) based on the assessment of different parameters of the pentagons drawing, such as number of angles, distance/intersection, closure/opening, rotation, closing-in, and to verify its efficacy to differentiate dementia with Lewy Body (DLB) from Alzheimer's disease (AD). We established the reliability of the qualitative scoring method through the inter-raters and intra-subjects analysis. QSPT was then applied to forty-six AD and forty-six DLB patients, using two phases statistical approach, standard and artificial neural network respectively. DLB patients had significant lower total score in the copy of pentagons and number of angles, distance/intersection, closure/opening, rotation compared to AD. However the logistic regression did not allow to establish any suitable modeling, whereas using Auto-Contractive Map (Auto-CM) the DLB was more strongly associated with low scores in some qualitative parameters of pentagon copying, i.e. number of angles and opening/closure and, for the remaining subitems of the MMSE, in naming, repetition and written comprehension, and for demographic variables of gender (male) and education (6-13 years). Twist system modeling showed that the QSPT had a good sensitivity (70.29%) and specificity (78.67%) (ROC-AUC 0.74). The proposed qualitative method of assessment of pentagons copying used in combination with non-linear analysis, showed to be consistent and effective in the differential diagnosis between Lewy Body and Alzheimer's dementia.

  10. Event-based cluster synchronization of coupled genetic regulatory networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yue, Dandan; Guan, Zhi-Hong; Li, Tao; Liao, Rui-Quan; Liu, Feng; Lai, Qiang

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, the cluster synchronization of coupled genetic regulatory networks with a directed topology is studied by using the event-based strategy and pinning control. An event-triggered condition with a threshold consisting of the neighbors' discrete states at their own event time instants and a state-independent exponential decay function is proposed. The intra-cluster states information and extra-cluster states information are involved in the threshold in different ways. By using the Lyapunov function approach and the theories of matrices and inequalities, we establish the cluster synchronization criterion. It is shown that both the avoidance of continuous transmission of information and the exclusion of the Zeno behavior are ensured under the presented triggering condition. Explicit conditions on the parameters in the threshold are obtained for synchronization. The stability criterion of a single GRN is also given under the reduced triggering condition. Numerical examples are provided to validate the theoretical results.

  11. Computer-aided diagnosis workstation and network system for chest diagnosis based on multislice CT images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Satoh, Hitoshi; Niki, Noboru; Eguchi, Kenji; Moriyama, Noriyuki; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Masuda, Hideo; Machida, Suguru

    2008-03-01

    Mass screening based on multi-helical CT images requires a considerable number of images to be read. It is this time-consuming step that makes the use of helical CT for mass screening impractical at present. To overcome this problem, we have provided diagnostic assistance methods to medical screening specialists by developing a lung cancer screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected lung cancers in helical CT images, a coronary artery calcification screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected coronary artery calcification and a vertebra body analysis algorithm for quantitative evaluation of osteoporosis likelihood by using helical CT scanner for the lung cancer mass screening. The function to observe suspicious shadow in detail are provided in computer-aided diagnosis workstation with these screening algorithms. We also have developed the telemedicine network by using Web medical image conference system with the security improvement of images transmission, Biometric fingerprint authentication system and Biometric face authentication system. Biometric face authentication used on site of telemedicine makes "Encryption of file" and Success in login" effective. As a result, patients' private information is protected. Based on these diagnostic assistance methods, we have developed a new computer-aided workstation and a new telemedicine network that can display suspected lesions three-dimensionally in a short time. The results of this study indicate that our radiological information system without film by using computer-aided diagnosis workstation and our telemedicine network system can increase diagnostic speed, diagnostic accuracy and security improvement of medical information.

  12. A Physics-Based Vibrotactile Feedback Library for Collision Events.

    PubMed

    Park, Gunhyuk; Choi, Seungmoon

    2017-01-01

    We present PhysVib: a software solution on the mobile platform extending an open-source physics engine in a multi-rate rendering architecture for automatic vibrotactile feedback upon collision events. PhysVib runs concurrently with a physics engine at a low update rate and generates vibrotactile feedback commands at a high update rate based on the simulation results of the physics engine using an exponentially-decaying sinusoidal model. We demonstrate through a user study that this vibration model is more appropriate to our purpose in terms of perceptual quality than more complex models based on sound synthesis. We also evaluated the perceptual performance of PhysVib by comparing eight vibrotactile rendering methods. Experimental results suggested that PhysVib enables more realistic vibrotactile feedback than the other methods as to perceived similarity to the visual events. PhysVib is an effective solution for providing physically plausible vibrotactile responses while reducing application development time to great extent.

  13. Manageability, vulnerability and interaction: a qualitative analysis of acute myocardial infarction patients' conceptions of the event.

    PubMed

    Johansson, Ingela; Swahn, Eva; Strömberg, Anna

    2007-09-01

    Delay in seeking care remains a problem for many patients with myocardial infarction. There is a great deal of knowledge available about clinical factors contributing to this delay, while studies focusing on the patients' own experiences are few. Describe variations in how individuals perceived suffering symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction. A qualitative method using phenomenographic design was applied. Interviews were conducted with 15 strategically selected patients with myocardial infarction. Eight sub-categories in the pre-hospital phase were summarised into three categories: manageability, vulnerability, and interaction. To manage their situation, patients expressed a need to understand it and to have a similar situation to compare with. They also described coping with the arising threat to their lives by self-medication or denying their symptoms. Patients expressed vulnerability, with feelings of anxiety, both as triggers and barriers to seeking medical care. In interaction with others, psychosocial support and guidance from the environment, was fundamental in helping the patients to manage the situation. There were large variations in myocardial infarction patients' conceptions of the event. To improve disease management in the pre-hospital phase, the awareness of this large variation in conceptions about suffering symptoms of an myocardial infarction could be used in the dialogue between patients and health care professionals, in cardiac prevention programmes, as well as in health care education.

  14. Limits on the Efficiency of Event-Based Algorithms for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport

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

    Romano, Paul K.; Siegel, Andrew R.

    The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup duemore » to vectorization as a function of two parameters: the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size in order to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. When the execution times for events are allowed to vary, however, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration. For some problems, this implies that vector effciencies over 50% may not be attainable. While there are many factors impacting performance of an event-based algorithm that are not captured by our model, it nevertheless provides insights into factors that may be limiting in a real implementation.« less

  15. What would encourage help-seeking for memory problems among UK-based South Asians? A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Mukadam, Naaheed; Waugh, Amy; Cooper, Claudia; Livingston, Gill

    2015-09-11

    People from Minority Ethnic groups tend to present late to dementia services, often in crisis. Culture-specific barriers to help-seeking seem to underlie this. We sought to determine these barriers to timely help-seeking for dementia among people from South Asian backgrounds and what the features of an intervention to overcome them would be. Qualitative study to delineate barriers to and facilitators of help-seeking for South Asian adults with dementia through focus groups and individual interviews. Community settings in and around Greater London. To achieve a maximum variation sample, we purposively recruited 53 English or Bengali speaking South Asian adults without a known diagnosis of dementia through community centres and snowballing. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 83 years, were mostly female and were 60% Bangladeshi. We recruited people from different religions and occupational backgrounds and included those with experience of caring for someone with dementia as well as those without this experience. Participants identified four main barriers to timely diagnosis: barriers to help-seeking for memory problems; the threshold for seeking help for memory problems; ways to overcome barriers to help-seeking; what features an educational resource should have. We have identified the features of an intervention with the potential to improve timely dementia diagnosis in South Asians. The next steps are to devise and test such an intervention. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  16. Qualitative environmental health research: an analysis of the literature, 1991-2008.

    PubMed

    Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

    2011-10-01

    Qualitative research uses nonnumeric data to understand people's opinions, motives, understanding, and beliefs about events or phenomena. In this analysis, I report the use of qualitative methods and data in the study of the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. A primary search for peer-reviewed journal articles dated from 1991 through 2008 included the following three terms: qualitative, environ*, and health. Searches resulted in 3,155 records. Data were extracted and findings of articles analyzed to determine where and by whom qualitative environmental health research is conducted and published, the types of methods and analyses used in qualitative studies of environmental health, and the types of information qualitative data contribute to environmental health. The results highlight a diversity of disciplines and techniques among researchers who used qualitative methods to study environmental health. Nearly all of the studies identified increased scientific understanding of lay perceptions of environmental health exposures. This analysis demonstrates the potential of qualitative data to improve understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health, and health outcomes.

  17. Life review based on remembering specific positive events in active aging.

    PubMed

    Latorre, José M; Serrano, Juan P; Ricarte, Jorge; Bonete, Beatriz; Ros, Laura; Sitges, Esther

    2015-02-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of life review (LR) based on specific positive events in non-depressed older adults taking part in an active aging program. Fifty-five older adults were randomly assigned to an experimental group or an active control (AC) group. A six-session individual training of LR based on specific positive events was carried out with the experimental group. The AC group undertook a "media workshop" of six sessions focused on learning journalistic techniques. Pre-test and post-test measures included life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, experiencing the environment as rewarding, and autobiographical memory (AM) scales. LR intervention decreased depressive symptomatology, improved life satisfaction, and increased specific memories. The findings suggest that practice in AM for specific events is an effective component of LR that could be a useful tool in enhancing emotional well-being in active aging programs, thus reducing depressive symptoms. © The Author(s) 2014.

  18. A Power Transformers Fault Diagnosis Model Based on Three DGA Ratios and PSO Optimization SVM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Hongzhe; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Rongrong; Yang, Chunyan

    2018-03-01

    In order to make up for the shortcomings of existing transformer fault diagnosis methods in dissolved gas-in-oil analysis (DGA) feature selection and parameter optimization, a transformer fault diagnosis model based on the three DGA ratios and particle swarm optimization (PSO) optimize support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. Using transforming support vector machine to the nonlinear and multi-classification SVM, establishing the particle swarm optimization to optimize the SVM multi classification model, and conducting transformer fault diagnosis combined with the cross validation principle. The fault diagnosis results show that the average accuracy of test method is better than the standard support vector machine and genetic algorithm support vector machine, and the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of transformer fault diagnosis is proved.

  19. Computer-based rhythm diagnosis and its possible influence on nonexpert electrocardiogram readers.

    PubMed

    Hakacova, Nina; Trägårdh-Johansson, Elin; Wagner, Galen S; Maynard, Charles; Pahlm, Olle

    2012-01-01

    Systems providing computer-based analysis of the resting electrocardiogram (ECG) seek to improve the quality of health care by providing accurate and timely automatic diagnosis of, for example, cardiac rhythm to clinicians. The accuracy of these diagnoses, however, remains questionable. We tested the hypothesis that (a) 2 independent automated ECG systems have better accuracy in rhythm diagnosis than nonexpert clinicians and (b) both systems provide correct diagnostic suggestions in a large percentage of cases where the diagnosis of nonexpert clinicians is incorrect. Five hundred ECGs were manually analyzed by 2 senior experts, 3 nonexpert clinicians, and automatically by 2 automated systems. The accuracy of the nonexpert rhythm statements was compared with the accuracy of each system statement. The proportion of rhythm statements when the clinician's diagnoses were incorrect and the systems instead provided correct diagnosis was assessed. A total of 420 sinus rhythms and 156 rhythm disturbances were recognized by expert reading. Significance of the difference in accuracy between nonexperts and systems was P = .45 for system A and P = .11 for system B. The percentage of correct automated diagnoses in cases when the clinician was incorrect was 28% ± 10% for system A and 25% ± 11% for system B (P = .09). The rhythm diagnoses of automated systems did not reach better average accuracy than those of nonexpert readings. The computer diagnosis of rhythm can be incorrect in cases where the clinicians fail in reaching the correct ECG diagnosis. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Event-Based Control Strategy for Mobile Robots in Wireless Environments.

    PubMed

    Socas, Rafael; Dormido, Sebastián; Dormido, Raquel; Fabregas, Ernesto

    2015-12-02

    In this paper, a new event-based control strategy for mobile robots is presented. It has been designed to work in wireless environments where a centralized controller has to interchange information with the robots over an RF (radio frequency) interface. The event-based architectures have been developed for differential wheeled robots, although they can be applied to other kinds of robots in a simple way. The solution has been checked over classical navigation algorithms, like wall following and obstacle avoidance, using scenarios with a unique or multiple robots. A comparison between the proposed architectures and the classical discrete-time strategy is also carried out. The experimental results shows that the proposed solution has a higher efficiency in communication resource usage than the classical discrete-time strategy with the same accuracy.

  1. Event-Based Control Strategy for Mobile Robots in Wireless Environments

    PubMed Central

    Socas, Rafael; Dormido, Sebastián; Dormido, Raquel; Fabregas, Ernesto

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a new event-based control strategy for mobile robots is presented. It has been designed to work in wireless environments where a centralized controller has to interchange information with the robots over an RF (radio frequency) interface. The event-based architectures have been developed for differential wheeled robots, although they can be applied to other kinds of robots in a simple way. The solution has been checked over classical navigation algorithms, like wall following and obstacle avoidance, using scenarios with a unique or multiple robots. A comparison between the proposed architectures and the classical discrete-time strategy is also carried out. The experimental results shows that the proposed solution has a higher efficiency in communication resource usage than the classical discrete-time strategy with the same accuracy. PMID:26633412

  2. Online model-based diagnosis to support autonomous operation of an advanced life support system.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Gautam; Manders, Eric-Jan; Ramirez, John; Mahadevan, Nagabhusan; Abdelwahed, Sherif

    2004-01-01

    This article describes methods for online model-based diagnosis of subsystems of the advanced life support system (ALS). The diagnosis methodology is tailored to detect, isolate, and identify faults in components of the system quickly so that fault-adaptive control techniques can be applied to maintain system operation without interruption. We describe the components of our hybrid modeling scheme and the diagnosis methodology, and then demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology by building a detailed model of the reverse osmosis (RO) system of the water recovery system (WRS) of the ALS. This model is validated with real data collected from an experimental testbed at NASA JSC. A number of diagnosis experiments run on simulated faulty data are presented and the results are discussed.

  3. Online model-based diagnosis to support autonomous operation of an advanced life support system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Biswas, Gautam; Manders, Eric-Jan; Ramirez, John; Mahadevan, Nagabhusan; Abdelwahed, Sherif

    2004-01-01

    This article describes methods for online model-based diagnosis of subsystems of the advanced life support system (ALS). The diagnosis methodology is tailored to detect, isolate, and identify faults in components of the system quickly so that fault-adaptive control techniques can be applied to maintain system operation without interruption. We describe the components of our hybrid modeling scheme and the diagnosis methodology, and then demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology by building a detailed model of the reverse osmosis (RO) system of the water recovery system (WRS) of the ALS. This model is validated with real data collected from an experimental testbed at NASA JSC. A number of diagnosis experiments run on simulated faulty data are presented and the results are discussed.

  4. Image-based computer-assisted diagnosis system for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohigashi, Satoru; Nakamae, Koji; Fujioka, Hiromu

    2005-04-01

    We develop the image based computer assisted diagnosis system for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) that consists of the balance control system simulator, the 3D eye movement simulator, and the extraction method of nystagmus response directly from an eye movement image sequence. In the system, the causes and conditions of BPPV are estimated by searching the database for record matching with the nystagmus response for the observed eye image sequence of the patient with BPPV. The database includes the nystagmus responses for simulated eye movement sequences. The eye movement velocity is obtained by using the balance control system simulator that allows us to simulate BPPV under various conditions such as canalithiasis, cupulolithiasis, number of otoconia, otoconium size, and so on. Then the eye movement image sequence is displayed on the CRT by the 3D eye movement simulator. The nystagmus responses are extracted from the image sequence by the proposed method and are stored in the database. In order to enhance the diagnosis accuracy, the nystagmus response for a newly simulated sequence is matched with that for the observed sequence. From the matched simulation conditions, the causes and conditions of BPPV are estimated. We apply our image based computer assisted diagnosis system to two real eye movement image sequences for patients with BPPV to show its validity.

  5. A Hybrid Feature Model and Deep-Learning-Based Bearing Fault Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Sohaib, Muhammad; Kim, Cheol-Hong; Kim, Jong-Myon

    2017-01-01

    Bearing fault diagnosis is imperative for the maintenance, reliability, and durability of rotary machines. It can reduce economical losses by eliminating unexpected downtime in industry due to failure of rotary machines. Though widely investigated in the past couple of decades, continued advancement is still desirable to improve upon existing fault diagnosis techniques. Vibration acceleration signals collected from machine bearings exhibit nonstationary behavior due to variable working conditions and multiple fault severities. In the current work, a two-layered bearing fault diagnosis scheme is proposed for the identification of fault pattern and crack size for a given fault type. A hybrid feature pool is used in combination with sparse stacked autoencoder (SAE)-based deep neural networks (DNNs) to perform effective diagnosis of bearing faults of multiple severities. The hybrid feature pool can extract more discriminating information from the raw vibration signals, to overcome the nonstationary behavior of the signals caused by multiple crack sizes. More discriminating information helps the subsequent classifier to effectively classify data into the respective classes. The results indicate that the proposed scheme provides satisfactory performance in diagnosing bearing defects of multiple severities. Moreover, the results also demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms, i.e., support vector machines (SVMs) and backpropagation neural networks (BPNNs). PMID:29232908

  6. A process-based standard for the Solar Energetic Particle Event Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gabriel, Stephen

    For 10 years or more, there has been a lack of concensus on what the ISO standard model for the Solar Energetic Particle Event (SEPE) environment should be. Despite many technical discussions between the world experts in this field, it has been impossible to agree on which of the several models available should be selected as the standard. Most of these discussions at the ISO WG4 meetings and conferences, etc have centred around the differences in modelling approach between the MSU model and the several remaining models from elsewhere worldwide (mainly the USA and Europe). The topic is considered timely given the inclusion of a session on reference data sets at the Space Weather Workshop in Boulder in April 2014. The original idea of a ‘process-based’ standard was conceived by Dr Kent Tobiska as a way of getting round the problems associated with not only the presence of different models, which in themselves could have quite distinct modelling approaches but could also be based on different data sets. In essence, a process based standard approach overcomes these issues by allowing there to be more than one model and not necessarily a single standard model; however, any such model has to be completely transparent in that the data set and the modelling techniques used have to be not only to be clearly and unambiguously defined but also subject to peer review. If the model meets all of these requirements then it should be acceptable as a standard model. So how does this process-based approach resolve the differences between the existing modelling approaches for the SEPE environment and remove the impasse? In a sense, it does not remove all of the differences but only some of them; however, most importantly it will allow something which so far has been impossible without ambiguities and disagreement and that is a comparison of the results of the various models. To date one of the problems (if not the major one) in comparing the results of the various different SEPE

  7. The Response of Different Audiences to Place-based Communication about the Role of Climate Change in Extreme Weather Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halperin, A.; Walton, P.

    2015-12-01

    As the science of extreme event attribution grows, there is an increasing need to understand how the public responds to this type of climate change communication. Extreme event attribution has the unprecedented potential to locate the effects of climate change in the here and now, but there is little information about how different facets of the public might respond to these local framings of climate change. Drawing on theories of place attachment and psychological distance, this paper explores how people with different beliefs and values shift their willingness to mitigate and adapt to climate change in response to local or global communication of climate change impacts. Results will be presented from a recent survey of over 600 Californians who were each presented with one of three experimental conditions: 1) a local framing of the role of climate change in the California drought 2) a global framing of climate change and droughts worldwide, or 3) a control condition of no text. Participants were categorized into groups based on their prior beliefs about climate change according to the Six Americas classification scheme (Leiserowitz et al., 2011). The results from the survey in conjunction with qualitative results from follow-up interviews shed insight into the importance of place in communicating climate change for people in each of the Six Americas. Additional results examine the role of gender and political affiliation in mediating responses to climate change communication. Despite research that advocates unequivocally for local framing of climate change, this study offers a more nuanced perspective of under which circumstances extreme event attribution might be an effective tool for changing behaviors. These results could be useful for scientists who wish to gain a better understanding of how their event attribution research is perceived or for educators who want to target their message to audiences where it could have the most impact.

  8. A Case-Based Study with Radiologists Performing Diagnosis Tasks in Virtual Reality.

    PubMed

    Venson, José Eduardo; Albiero Berni, Jean Carlo; Edmilson da Silva Maia, Carlos; Marques da Silva, Ana Maria; Cordeiro d'Ornellas, Marcos; Maciel, Anderson

    2017-01-01

    In radiology diagnosis, medical images are most often visualized slice by slice. At the same time, the visualization based on 3D volumetric rendering of the data is considered useful and has increased its field of application. In this work, we present a case-based study with 16 medical specialists to assess the diagnostic effectiveness of a Virtual Reality interface in fracture identification over 3D volumetric reconstructions. We developed a VR volume viewer compatible with both the Oculus Rift and handheld-based head mounted displays (HMDs). We then performed user experiments to validate the approach in a diagnosis environment. In addition, we assessed the subjects' perception of the 3D reconstruction quality, ease of interaction and ergonomics, and also the users opinion on how VR applications can be useful in healthcare. Among other results, we have found a high level of effectiveness of the VR interface in identifying superficial fractures on head CTs.

  9. BCC skin cancer diagnosis based on texture analysis techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chuang, Shao-Hui; Sun, Xiaoyan; Chang, Wen-Yu; Chen, Gwo-Shing; Huang, Adam; Li, Jiang; McKenzie, Frederic D.

    2011-03-01

    In this paper, we present a texture analysis based method for diagnosing the Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) skin cancer using optical images taken from the suspicious skin regions. We first extracted the Run Length Matrix and Haralick texture features from the images and used a feature selection algorithm to identify the most effective feature set for the diagnosis. We then utilized a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) classifier to classify the images to BCC or normal cases. Experiments showed that detecting BCC cancer based on optical images is feasible. The best sensitivity and specificity we achieved on our data set were 94% and 95%, respectively.

  10. A meta-ethnographic synthesis of midwives' and nurses' experiences of adverse labour and birth events.

    PubMed

    Elmir, Rakime; Pangas, Jackie; Dahlen, Hannah; Schmied, Virginia

    2017-12-01

    Health professionals are frequently exposed to traumatic events due to the nature of their work. While traumatic and adverse labour and birth events experienced by women are well researched, less attention has been given to midwives' and nurses' experiences of these events and the impact it has on their lives. To undertake a meta-ethnographic study of midwives' and nurses' experiences of adverse labour and birth events. Scopus, CINHAL PLUS, MEDLINE and PUBMED databases were searched using subject headings and keywords. The search was limited to papers published in peer-reviewed journals from 2004-October 2016. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. Papers had to be qualitative or have a substantial qualitative component. Studies were included if they primarily focused on midwives' or nurses' perspectives or experiences of complicated, traumatic or adverse labour and birth events. A meta-ethnographic approach was used incorporating methods of reciprocal translation guided by the work of Noblit and Hare (1988, Meta-Ethnography: Synthesizing qualitative studies (Vol. 11). Newbury Park: Sage publications). Eleven qualitative studies were included in the final sample. Four major themes were (i) feeling the chaos; (ii) powerless, responsible and a failure; (iii) "It adds another scar to my soul"; and (iv) finding a way to deal with it. Midwives and nurses feel relatively unprepared when faced with a real-life labour and birth emergency event. While many of the midwives and nurses were traumatised by the experience, some were able to view their encounter as an opportunity to develop their emergency response skills. Witnessing and being involved in a complicated or adverse labour and birth event can be traumatic for nurses and midwives. Organisational and collegial support needs to be available to enable these health professionals to talk about their feelings and concerns. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Efficient method for events detection in phonocardiographic signals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez-Alajarin, Juan; Ruiz-Merino, Ramon

    2005-06-01

    The auscultation of the heart is still the first basic analysis tool used to evaluate the functional state of the heart, as well as the first indicator used to submit the patient to a cardiologist. In order to improve the diagnosis capabilities of auscultation, signal processing algorithms are currently being developed to assist the physician at primary care centers for adult and pediatric population. A basic task for the diagnosis from the phonocardiogram is to detect the events (main and additional sounds, murmurs and clicks) present in the cardiac cycle. This is usually made by applying a threshold and detecting the events that are bigger than the threshold. However, this method usually does not allow the detection of the main sounds when additional sounds and murmurs exist, or it may join several events into a unique one. In this paper we present a reliable method to detect the events present in the phonocardiogram, even in the presence of heart murmurs or additional sounds. The method detects relative maxima peaks in the amplitude envelope of the phonocardiogram, and computes a set of parameters associated with each event. Finally, a set of characteristics is extracted from each event to aid in the identification of the events. Besides, the morphology of the murmurs is also detected, which aids in the differentiation of different diseases that can occur in the same temporal localization. The algorithms have been applied to real normal heart sounds and murmurs, achieving satisfactory results.

  12. Missed opportunities for diagnosis: lessons learned from diagnostic errors in primary care.

    PubMed

    Goyder, Clare R; Jones, Caroline H D; Heneghan, Carl J; Thompson, Matthew J

    2015-12-01

    Because of the difficulties inherent in diagnosis in primary care, it is inevitable that diagnostic errors will occur. However, despite the important consequences associated with diagnostic errors and their estimated high prevalence, teaching and research on diagnostic error is a neglected area. To ascertain the key learning points from GPs' experiences of diagnostic errors and approaches to clinical decision making associated with these. Secondary analysis of 36 qualitative interviews with GPs in Oxfordshire, UK. Two datasets of semi-structured interviews were combined. Questions focused on GPs' experiences of diagnosis and diagnostic errors (or near misses) in routine primary care and out of hours. Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. Learning points include GPs' reliance on 'pattern recognition' and the failure of this strategy to identify atypical presentations; the importance of considering all potentially serious conditions using a 'restricted rule out' approach; and identifying and acting on a sense of unease. Strategies to help manage uncertainty in primary care were also discussed. Learning from previous examples of diagnostic errors is essential if these events are to be reduced in the future and this should be incorporated into GP training. At a practice level, learning points from experiences of diagnostic errors should be discussed more frequently; and more should be done to integrate these lessons nationally to understand and characterise diagnostic errors. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.

  13. A Fault Diagnosis Methodology for Gear Pump Based on EEMD and Bayesian Network

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Zengkai; Liu, Yonghong; Shan, Hongkai; Cai, Baoping; Huang, Qing

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a fault diagnosis methodology for a gear pump based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and the Bayesian network. Essentially, the presented scheme is a multi-source information fusion based methodology. Compared with the conventional fault diagnosis with only EEMD, the proposed method is able to take advantage of all useful information besides sensor signals. The presented diagnostic Bayesian network consists of a fault layer, a fault feature layer and a multi-source information layer. Vibration signals from sensor measurement are decomposed by the EEMD method and the energy of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are calculated as fault features. These features are added into the fault feature layer in the Bayesian network. The other sources of useful information are added to the information layer. The generalized three-layer Bayesian network can be developed by fully incorporating faults and fault symptoms as well as other useful information such as naked eye inspection and maintenance records. Therefore, diagnostic accuracy and capacity can be improved. The proposed methodology is applied to the fault diagnosis of a gear pump and the structure and parameters of the Bayesian network is established. Compared with artificial neural network and support vector machine classification algorithms, the proposed model has the best diagnostic performance when sensor data is used only. A case study has demonstrated that some information from human observation or system repair records is very helpful to the fault diagnosis. It is effective and efficient in diagnosing faults based on uncertain, incomplete information. PMID:25938760

  14. A Fault Diagnosis Methodology for Gear Pump Based on EEMD and Bayesian Network.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zengkai; Liu, Yonghong; Shan, Hongkai; Cai, Baoping; Huang, Qing

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a fault diagnosis methodology for a gear pump based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and the Bayesian network. Essentially, the presented scheme is a multi-source information fusion based methodology. Compared with the conventional fault diagnosis with only EEMD, the proposed method is able to take advantage of all useful information besides sensor signals. The presented diagnostic Bayesian network consists of a fault layer, a fault feature layer and a multi-source information layer. Vibration signals from sensor measurement are decomposed by the EEMD method and the energy of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are calculated as fault features. These features are added into the fault feature layer in the Bayesian network. The other sources of useful information are added to the information layer. The generalized three-layer Bayesian network can be developed by fully incorporating faults and fault symptoms as well as other useful information such as naked eye inspection and maintenance records. Therefore, diagnostic accuracy and capacity can be improved. The proposed methodology is applied to the fault diagnosis of a gear pump and the structure and parameters of the Bayesian network is established. Compared with artificial neural network and support vector machine classification algorithms, the proposed model has the best diagnostic performance when sensor data is used only. A case study has demonstrated that some information from human observation or system repair records is very helpful to the fault diagnosis. It is effective and efficient in diagnosing faults based on uncertain, incomplete information.

  15. Design a Learning-Oriented Fall Event Reporting System Based on Kirkpatrick Model.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Sicheng; Kang, Hong; Gong, Yang

    2017-01-01

    Patient fall has been a severe problem in healthcare facilities around the world due to its prevalence and cost. Routine fall prevention training programs are not as effective as expected. Using event reporting systems is the trend for reducing patient safety events such as falls, although some limitations of the systems exist at current stage. We summarized these limitations through literature review, and developed an improved web-based fall event reporting system. The Kirkpatrick model, widely used in the business area for training program evaluation, has been integrated during the design of our system. Different from traditional event reporting systems that only collect and store the reports, our system automatically annotates and analyzes the reported events, and provides users with timely knowledge support specific to the reported event. The paper illustrates the design of our system and how its features are intended to reduce patient falls by learning from previous errors.

  16. Crohn's disease: increased mortality 10 years after diagnosis in a Europe-wide population based cohort.

    PubMed

    Wolters, F L; Russel, M G; Sijbrandij, J; Schouten, L J; Odes, S; Riis, L; Munkholm, P; Bodini, P; O'Morain, C; Mouzas, I A; Tsianos, E; Vermeire, S; Monteiro, E; Limonard, C; Vatn, M; Fornaciari, G; Pereira, S; Moum, B; Stockbrügger, R W

    2006-04-01

    No previous correlation between phenotype at diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) and mortality has been performed. We assessed the predictive value of phenotype at diagnosis on overall and disease related mortality in a European cohort of CD patients. Overall and disease related mortality were recorded 10 years after diagnosis in a prospectively assembled, uniformly diagnosed European population based inception cohort of 380 CD patients diagnosed between 1991 and 1993. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for geographic and phenotypic subgroups at diagnosis. Thirty seven deaths were observed in the entire cohort whereas 21.5 deaths were expected (SMR 1.85 (95% CI 1.30-2.55)). Mortality risk was significantly increased in both females (SMR 1.93 (95% CI 1.10-3.14)) and males (SMR 1.79 (95% CI 1.11-2.73)). Patients from northern European centres had a significant overall increased mortality risk (SMR 2.04 (95% CI 1.32-3.01)) whereas a tendency towards increased overall mortality risk was also observed in the south (SMR 1.55 (95% CI 0.80-2.70)). Mortality risk was increased in patients with colonic disease location and with inflammatory disease behaviour at diagnosis. Mortality risk was also increased in the age group above 40 years at diagnosis for both total and CD related causes. Excess mortality was mainly due to gastrointestinal causes that were related to CD. This European multinational population based study revealed an increased overall mortality risk in CD patients 10 years after diagnosis, and age above 40 years at diagnosis was found to be the sole factor associated with increased mortality risk.

  17. Using Knowledge Base for Event-Driven Scheduling of Web Monitoring Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yang Sok; Kang, Sung Won; Kang, Byeong Ho; Compton, Paul

    Web monitoring systems report any changes to their target web pages by revisiting them frequently. As they operate under significant resource constraints, it is essential to minimize revisits while ensuring minimal delay and maximum coverage. Various statistical scheduling methods have been proposed to resolve this problem; however, they are static and cannot easily cope with events in the real world. This paper proposes a new scheduling method that manages unpredictable events. An MCRDR (Multiple Classification Ripple-Down Rules) document classification knowledge base was reused to detect events and to initiate a prompt web monitoring process independent of a static monitoring schedule. Our experiment demonstrates that the approach improves monitoring efficiency significantly.

  18. Traumatic events and depressive symptoms among youth in Southwest Nigeria: a qualitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Omigbodun, Olayinka; Bakare, Kofoworola; Yusuf, Bidemi

    2008-01-01

    Traumatic experiences have dire consequences for the mental health of young persons. Despite high rates of traumatic experiences in some African cities, there are no reports for Nigerian youth. To investigate the pattern of traumatic events and their association with depressive symptoms among youth in Southwest Nigeria. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of randomly selected youth in urban and rural schools in Southwest Nigeria. They completed self-reports on traumatic events and depressive symptoms using the Street Children's Project Questionnaire and the Youth DISC Predictive Scale (DPS). Of the 1,768 responses (88.4% response rate) entered into the analysis, 34% reported experiencing a traumatic situation. Following interpretative phenomenological analysis, 13 themes emerged. Frequently occurring traumatic events were 'road traffic accidents' (33.0%), 'sickness' (17.1%), 'lost or trapped' (11.2%) and 'armed robbery attack' (9.7%). A bad dream was described by 3.7%. Traumatic experiences were commoner in males (36.2%) than in females (31.6%) (x2 = 4.2; p = .041). Experiencing a traumatic event was associated with depressive symptoms (X2 = 37.98; p < .001), especially when the event directly affected the youth as in sexual assault or physical abuse. One-third of youth in Southwest Nigeria have described an experienced traumatic event. Road traffic accidents, armed robbery attacks, and communal disturbances depict the prevailing social environment, whereas 'bad dreams' revealed the influence of cultural beliefs. Policy makers must be aware of the social issues making an impact on the health of youth. Multi-agency interventions to improve the social environment and provide mental health services for traumatized young people are essential.

  19. A clinical decision support system for diagnosis of Allergic Rhinitis based on intradermal skin tests.

    PubMed

    Jabez Christopher, J; Khanna Nehemiah, H; Kannan, A

    2015-10-01

    Allergic Rhinitis is a universal common disease, especially in populated cities and urban areas. Diagnosis and treatment of Allergic Rhinitis will improve the quality of life of allergic patients. Though skin tests remain the gold standard test for diagnosis of allergic disorders, clinical experts are required for accurate interpretation of test outcomes. This work presents a clinical decision support system (CDSS) to assist junior clinicians in the diagnosis of Allergic Rhinitis. Intradermal Skin tests were performed on patients who had plausible allergic symptoms. Based on patient׳s history, 40 clinically relevant allergens were tested. 872 patients who had allergic symptoms were considered for this study. The rule based classification approach and the clinical test results were used to develop and validate the CDSS. Clinical relevance of the CDSS was compared with the Score for Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR). Tests were conducted for junior clinicians to assess their diagnostic capability in the absence of an expert. The class based Association rule generation approach provides a concise set of rules that is further validated by clinical experts. The interpretations of the experts are considered as the gold standard. The CDSS diagnoses the presence or absence of rhinitis with an accuracy of 88.31%. The allergy specialist and the junior clinicians prefer the rule based approach for its comprehendible knowledge model. The Clinical Decision Support Systems with rule based classification approach assists junior doctors and clinicians in the diagnosis of Allergic Rhinitis to make reliable decisions based on the reports of intradermal skin tests. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Feelings of Women With Strong Family Histories Who Subsequent to Their Breast Cancer Diagnosis Tested BRCA Positive.

    PubMed

    Joseph, Meera; Rab, Faiza; Panabaker, Karen; Nisker, Jeff

    2015-05-01

    Family physicians in Canada as reported in several studies do not recognize the importance of family history in relation to breast/ovarian cancer and thus Canadian women with strong family histories continue to develop early-onset breast cancer without the knowledge of or ability to make choices regarding increased surveillance or preventative strategies. This study explored the feelings of women who learned about their hereditary risk only after their diagnosis younger than 52 years and who eventually tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation. Thirty-four such women were mailed an invitation to participate in this research including a letter of information, consent form, and discussion prompts for their written narrative response. Rigorous mixed method analyses were performed using Charmaz-based qualitative analyses as well as quantitative analyses. Thirteen women (38.2%) responded with narratives for qualitative analysis from which 4 themes were coconstructed as follows: I, types of emotions; II, emotional response; III, coping with emotions; and IV, advice to women at similar risk. Women felt they should have learned about their hereditary risk from their family physician and through public education before their diagnosis. Although not experienced at the time of diagnosis, anger, frustration, and regret were experienced after receiving their BRCA results. These emotions arose from our research participants' lack of opportunity for prior genetic counseling and testing opportunity for genetic counseling and testing. With increased public and physician education, it is hoped that women with significant family histories of breast/ovarian cancer will be identified before diagnosis and given options regarding cancer surveillance and risk reduction strategies.

  1. Computer-Aided Characterization and Diagnosis of Diffuse Liver Diseases Based on Ultrasound Imaging: A Review.

    PubMed

    Bharti, Puja; Mittal, Deepti; Ananthasivan, Rupa

    2016-04-19

    Diffuse liver diseases, such as hepatitis, fatty liver, and cirrhosis, are becoming a leading cause of fatality and disability all over the world. Early detection and diagnosis of these diseases is extremely important to save lives and improve effectiveness of treatment. Ultrasound imaging, a noninvasive diagnostic technique, is the most commonly used modality for examining liver abnormalities. However, the accuracy of ultrasound-based diagnosis depends highly on expertise of radiologists. Computer-aided diagnosis systems based on ultrasound imaging assist in fast diagnosis, provide a reliable "second opinion" for experts, and act as an effective tool to measure response of treatment on patients undergoing clinical trials. In this review, we first describe appearance of liver abnormalities in ultrasound images and state the practical issues encountered in characterization of diffuse liver diseases that can be addressed by software algorithms. We then discuss computer-aided diagnosis in general with features and classifiers relevant to diffuse liver diseases. In later sections of this paper, we review the published studies and describe the key findings of those studies. A concise tabular summary comparing image database, features extraction, feature selection, and classification algorithms presented in the published studies is also exhibited. Finally, we conclude with a summary of key findings and directions for further improvements in the areas of accuracy and objectiveness of computer-aided diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2016.

  2. [Initial diagnosis of Parkinson's disease - neuroradiological diagnosis].

    PubMed

    Orimo, Satoshi

    2013-01-01

    Brain MRI is essential for differentiating Parkinson's disease (PD) from other parkinsonian syndromes. The purpose of performing brain MRI is not to make a diagnosis of PD but is to exclude other parkinsonian syndromes. Recently, several new MRI techniques such as voxel based morphometry, relaxometry, magnetization transfer, spectroscopy, tractography, and functional MRI have been introduced in the diagnosis of PD. Neuromelanin imaging is one of the new techniques and can be useful to make an initial diagnosis of PD. MIBG myocardial scintigraphy is a sensitive imaging tool to differentiate PD from other parkinsonian syndromes and is one of the good tools to make an initial diagnosis of PD. Brain perfusion imaging is sometimes useful to make an initial diagnosis of PD, because reduced brain perfusion area can be detected before brain MRI detects morphological changes of the brain. Dopamine transporter imaging, not available in Japan, is a sensitive tool to detect very early parkinsonism and is useful to make an initial diagnosis of PD. However, it is difficult to differentiate PD from other parkinsonian syndromes.

  3. On the Application of Different Event-Based Sampling Strategies to the Control of a Simple Industrial Process

    PubMed Central

    Sánchez, José; Guarnes, Miguel Ángel; Dormido, Sebastián

    2009-01-01

    This paper is an experimental study of the utilization of different event-based strategies for the automatic control of a simple but very representative industrial process: the level control of a tank. In an event-based control approach it is the triggering of a specific event, and not the time, that instructs the sensor to send the current state of the process to the controller, and the controller to compute a new control action and send it to the actuator. In the document, five control strategies based on different event-based sampling techniques are described, compared, and contrasted with a classical time-based control approach and a hybrid one. The common denominator in the time, the hybrid, and the event-based control approaches is the controller: a proportional-integral algorithm with adaptations depending on the selected control approach. To compare and contrast each one of the hybrid and the pure event-based control algorithms with the time-based counterpart, the two tasks that a control strategy must achieve (set-point following and disturbance rejection) are independently analyzed. The experimental study provides new proof concerning the ability of event-based control strategies to minimize the data exchange among the control agents (sensors, controllers, actuators) when an error-free control of the process is not a hard requirement. PMID:22399975

  4. The qualitative research proposal.

    PubMed

    Klopper, H

    2008-12-01

    Qualitative research in the health sciences has had to overcome many prejudices and a number of misunderstandings, but today qualitative research is as acceptable as quantitative research designs and is widely funded and published. Writing the proposal of a qualitative study, however, can be a challenging feat, due to the emergent nature of the qualitative research design and the description of the methodology as a process. Even today, many sub-standard proposals at post-graduate evaluation committees and application proposals to be considered for funding are still seen. This problem has led the researcher to develop a framework to guide the qualitative researcher in writing the proposal of a qualitative study based on the following research questions: (i) What is the process of writing a qualitative research proposal? and (ii) What does the structure and layout of a qualitative proposal look like? The purpose of this article is to discuss the process of writing the qualitative research proposal, as well as describe the structure and layout of a qualitative research proposal. The process of writing a qualitative research proposal is discussed with regards to the most important questions that need to be answered in your research proposal with consideration of the guidelines of being practical, being persuasive, making broader links, aiming for crystal clarity and planning before you write. While the structure of the qualitative research proposal is discussed with regards to the key sections of the proposal, namely the cover page, abstract, introduction, review of the literature, research problem and research questions, research purpose and objectives, research paradigm, research design, research method, ethical considerations, dissemination plan, budget and appendices.

  5. Livingstone Model-Based Diagnosis of Earth Observing One Infusion Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hayden, Sandra C.; Sweet, Adam J.; Christa, Scott E.

    2004-01-01

    The Earth Observing One satellite, launched in November 2000, is an active earth science observation platform. This paper reports on the progress of an infusion experiment in which the Livingstone 2 Model-Based Diagnostic engine is deployed on Earth Observing One, demonstrating the capability to monitor the nominal operation of the spacecraft under command of an on-board planner, and demonstrating on-board diagnosis of spacecraft failures. Design and development of the experiment, specification and validation of diagnostic scenarios, characterization of performance results and benefits of the model- based approach are presented.

  6. Rule Extracting based on MCG with its Application in Helicopter Power Train Fault Diagnosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, M.; Hu, N. Q.; Qin, G. J.

    2011-07-01

    In order to extract decision rules for fault diagnosis from incomplete historical test records for knowledge-based damage assessment of helicopter power train structure. A method that can directly extract the optimal generalized decision rules from incomplete information based on GrC was proposed. Based on semantic analysis of unknown attribute value, the granule was extended to handle incomplete information. Maximum characteristic granule (MCG) was defined based on characteristic relation, and MCG was used to construct the resolution function matrix. The optimal general decision rule was introduced, with the basic equivalent forms of propositional logic, the rules were extracted and reduction from incomplete information table. Combined with a fault diagnosis example of power train, the application approach of the method was present, and the validity of this method in knowledge acquisition was proved.

  7. Difficulties Faced in Social Club Activities: A Qualitative Study Based on Teacher Opinions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keçe, Murat

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the problems encountered in social club activities based on opinions of club advisors. This study was conducted in line with qualitative research methods using the interview technique to collect data. Therefore, interviews were held with 21 club advisors included in the study group. A category analysis, a…

  8. Trust index based fault tolerant multiple event localization algorithm for WSNs.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xianghua; Gao, Xueyong; Wan, Jian; Xiong, Naixue

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates the use of wireless sensor networks for multiple event source localization using binary information from the sensor nodes. The events could continually emit signals whose strength is attenuated inversely proportional to the distance from the source. In this context, faults occur due to various reasons and are manifested when a node reports a wrong decision. In order to reduce the impact of node faults on the accuracy of multiple event localization, we introduce a trust index model to evaluate the fidelity of information which the nodes report and use in the event detection process, and propose the Trust Index based Subtract on Negative Add on Positive (TISNAP) localization algorithm, which reduces the impact of faulty nodes on the event localization by decreasing their trust index, to improve the accuracy of event localization and performance of fault tolerance for multiple event source localization. The algorithm includes three phases: first, the sink identifies the cluster nodes to determine the number of events occurred in the entire region by analyzing the binary data reported by all nodes; then, it constructs the likelihood matrix related to the cluster nodes and estimates the location of all events according to the alarmed status and trust index of the nodes around the cluster nodes. Finally, the sink updates the trust index of all nodes according to the fidelity of their information in the previous reporting cycle. The algorithm improves the accuracy of localization and performance of fault tolerance in multiple event source localization. The experiment results show that when the probability of node fault is close to 50%, the algorithm can still accurately determine the number of the events and have better accuracy of localization compared with other algorithms.

  9. Trust Index Based Fault Tolerant Multiple Event Localization Algorithm for WSNs

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Xianghua; Gao, Xueyong; Wan, Jian; Xiong, Naixue

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates the use of wireless sensor networks for multiple event source localization using binary information from the sensor nodes. The events could continually emit signals whose strength is attenuated inversely proportional to the distance from the source. In this context, faults occur due to various reasons and are manifested when a node reports a wrong decision. In order to reduce the impact of node faults on the accuracy of multiple event localization, we introduce a trust index model to evaluate the fidelity of information which the nodes report and use in the event detection process, and propose the Trust Index based Subtract on Negative Add on Positive (TISNAP) localization algorithm, which reduces the impact of faulty nodes on the event localization by decreasing their trust index, to improve the accuracy of event localization and performance of fault tolerance for multiple event source localization. The algorithm includes three phases: first, the sink identifies the cluster nodes to determine the number of events occurred in the entire region by analyzing the binary data reported by all nodes; then, it constructs the likelihood matrix related to the cluster nodes and estimates the location of all events according to the alarmed status and trust index of the nodes around the cluster nodes. Finally, the sink updates the trust index of all nodes according to the fidelity of their information in the previous reporting cycle. The algorithm improves the accuracy of localization and performance of fault tolerance in multiple event source localization. The experiment results show that when the probability of node fault is close to 50%, the algorithm can still accurately determine the number of the events and have better accuracy of localization compared with other algorithms. PMID:22163972

  10. Teleradiology Via The Naval Remote Medical Diagnosis System (RMDS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rasmussen, Will; Stevens, Ilya; Gerber, F. H.; Kuhlman, Jayne A.

    1982-01-01

    Testing was conducted to obtain qualitative and quantitative (statistical) data on radiology performance using the Remote Medical Diagnosis System (RMDS) Advanced Development Models (ADMs)1. Based upon data collected during testing with professional radiologists, this analysis addresses the clinical utility of radiographic images transferred through six possible RMDS transmission modes. These radiographs were also viewed under closed-circuit television (CCTV) and lightbox conditions to provide a basis for comparison. The analysis indicates that the RMDS ADM terminals (with a system video resolution of 525 x 256 x 6) would provide satisfactory radiographic images for radiology consultations in emergency cases with gross pathological disorders. However, in cases involving more subtle findings, a system video resolution of 525 x 512 x 8 would be preferable.

  11. The interaction between lived experiences of older patients and their family caregivers confronted with a cancer diagnosis and treatment: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Senden, Cynthia; Vandecasteele, Tina; Vandenberghe, Evy; Versluys, Karen; Piers, Ruth; Grypdonck, Mieke; Van Den Noortgate, Nele

    2015-01-01

    Despite the growing incidence of cancer among older people, little is understood about how older patients and their family caregivers experience receiving a cancer diagnosis and treatment and how their experiences mutually influence each other. Such knowledge is needed to provide meaningful support for both the older person and family caregivers. Exploring lived experiences of older cancer patients, family caregivers and their interaction. Qualitative interview design. Six outpatient oncology departments at a University Hospital. Thirty-two patients (age range 70-86) and 19 family caregivers (age range 42-83). Semi-structured interviews with a fairly open framework were conducted and analyzed using the constant comparative method inspired by a grounded theory approach. Older patients and family caregivers experience important demands when confronted with cancer. Patients feel the inherent need to search for hope, and the majority are able to do so by employing coping strategies. Because of their older age, patients anticipate getting a serious illness such as a cancer diagnosis. Family caregivers become 'a family member of an older person with cancer' and feel responsible for the patient's well-being and for providing care. If patients are able to maintain a 'positive' story, family caregivers support this ability. If not, they search for a 'positive' story and point this out to the patient. Most family caregivers perceive their care-giving as a normal process and find it difficult to request professional help for themselves. Nevertheless, knowing that professional help is available whenever they need it reassures them. Overall, life continues during the illness experience: the interaction between patients and family caregivers goes on, their relationship proceeds, the coping and care patterns continue. The cancer diagnosis has a major impact on patients and family caregivers. This study offers a framework for understanding what is it like to have cancer in old age

  12. Creep-Fatigue Failure Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Holdsworth, Stuart

    2015-01-01

    Failure diagnosis invariably involves consideration of both associated material condition and the results of a mechanical analysis of prior operating history. This Review focuses on these aspects with particular reference to creep-fatigue failure diagnosis. Creep-fatigue cracking can be due to a spectrum of loading conditions ranging from pure cyclic to mainly steady loading with infrequent off-load transients. These require a range of mechanical analysis approaches, a number of which are reviewed. The microstructural information revealing material condition can vary with alloy class. In practice, the detail of the consequent cracking mechanism(s) can be camouflaged by oxidation at high temperatures, although the presence of oxide on fracture surfaces can be used to date events leading to failure. Routine laboratory specimen post-test examination is strongly recommended to characterise the detail of deformation and damage accumulation under known and well-controlled loading conditions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of failure diagnosis. PMID:28793676

  13. Computer-Based Image Analysis for Plus Disease Diagnosis in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Performance of the "i-ROP" System and Image Features Associated With Expert Diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Ataer-Cansizoglu, Esra; Bolon-Canedo, Veronica; Campbell, J Peter; Bozkurt, Alican; Erdogmus, Deniz; Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Patel, Samir; Jonas, Karyn; Chan, R V Paul; Ostmo, Susan; Chiang, Michael F

    2015-11-01

    We developed and evaluated the performance of a novel computer-based image analysis system for grading plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and identified the image features, shapes, and sizes that best correlate with expert diagnosis. A dataset of 77 wide-angle retinal images from infants screened for ROP was collected. A reference standard diagnosis was determined for each image by combining image grading from 3 experts with the clinical diagnosis from ophthalmoscopic examination. Manually segmented images were cropped into a range of shapes and sizes, and a computer algorithm was developed to extract tortuosity and dilation features from arteries and veins. Each feature was fed into our system to identify the set of characteristics that yielded the highest-performing system compared to the reference standard, which we refer to as the "i-ROP" system. Among the tested crop shapes, sizes, and measured features, point-based measurements of arterial and venous tortuosity (combined), and a large circular cropped image (with radius 6 times the disc diameter), provided the highest diagnostic accuracy. The i-ROP system achieved 95% accuracy for classifying preplus and plus disease compared to the reference standard. This was comparable to the performance of the 3 individual experts (96%, 94%, 92%), and significantly higher than the mean performance of 31 nonexperts (81%). This comprehensive analysis of computer-based plus disease suggests that it may be feasible to develop a fully-automated system based on wide-angle retinal images that performs comparably to expert graders at three-level plus disease discrimination. Computer-based image analysis, using objective and quantitative retinal vascular features, has potential to complement clinical ROP diagnosis by ophthalmologists.

  14. Parent-based diagnosis of ADHD is as accurate as a teacher-based diagnosis of ADHD.

    PubMed

    Bied, Adam; Biederman, Joseph; Faraone, Stephen

    2017-04-01

    To review the literature evaluating the psychometric properties of parent and teacher informants relative to a gold-standard ADHD diagnosis in pediatric populations. We included studies that included both a parent and teacher informant, a gold-standard diagnosis, and diagnostic accuracy metrics. Potential confounds were evaluated. We also assessed the 'OR' and the 'AND' rules for combining informant reports. Eight articles met inclusion criteria. The diagnostic accuracy for predicting gold standard ADHD diagnoses did not differ between parents and teachers. Sample size, sample type, participant drop-out, participant age, participant gender, geographic area of the study, and date of study publication were assessed as potential confounds. Parent and teachers both yielded moderate to good diagnostic accuracy for ADHD diagnoses. Parent reports were statistically indistinguishable from those of teachers. The predictive features of the 'OR' and 'AND' rules are useful in evaluating approaches to better integrating information from these informants.

  15. General practitioner diagnosis and management of acute knee injuries: summary of an evidence-based guideline.

    PubMed

    Robb, Gillian; Reid, Duncan; Arroll, Bruce; Jackson, Rod T; Goodyear-Smith, Felicity

    2007-02-16

    To summarise evidence and key recommendations for general practitioner diagnosis and management of acute soft-tissue knee injuries, based on the New Zealand guideline. A multidisciplinary team developed the guideline by critically appraising and grading retrieved literature using the Graphic Appraisal Tools for Epidemiology, Clinical decision rules and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network. Recommendations were derived from resulting evidence tables. For both diagnosis and management there is a paucity of good evidence to support diagnosis and treatment of internal derangements of the knee, hence some aspects of the guideline are guideline team consensus. Good evidence supports the use of the Ottawa Knee rules to guide decisions about the use of X-ray, and the Lachman test in diagnosing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Evidence supports inclusion of proprioceptive training in rehabilitation programmes following ACL reconstruction and in people with ACL-deficient knees. There is good evidence that ultrasound is of little benefit, and there is no evidence that physiotherapy be routinely advocated following meniscectomy. This guideline provides an evidence-based framework for diagnosis and management of internal derangements of the knee following acute injury. Moreover, its development highlights significant gaps in the evidence base and identifies priorities for new research.

  16. Localization and diagnosis framework for pediatric cataracts based on slit-lamp images using deep features of a convolutional neural network

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Kai; Long, Erping; Cui, Jiangtao; Zhu, Mingmin; An, Yingying; Zhang, Jia; Liu, Zhenzhen; Lin, Zhuoling; Li, Xiaoyan; Chen, Jingjing; Cao, Qianzhong; Li, Jing; Wu, Xiaohang; Wang, Dongni

    2017-01-01

    Slit-lamp images play an essential role for diagnosis of pediatric cataracts. We present a computer vision-based framework for the automatic localization and diagnosis of slit-lamp images by identifying the lens region of interest (ROI) and employing a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN). First, three grading degrees for slit-lamp images are proposed in conjunction with three leading ophthalmologists. The lens ROI is located in an automated manner in the original image using two successive applications of Candy detection and the Hough transform, which are cropped, resized to a fixed size and used to form pediatric cataract datasets. These datasets are fed into the CNN to extract high-level features and implement automatic classification and grading. To demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of the deep features extracted in the CNN, we investigate the features combined with support vector machine (SVM) and softmax classifier and compare these with the traditional representative methods. The qualitative and quantitative experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method offers exceptional mean accuracy, sensitivity and specificity: classification (97.07%, 97.28%, and 96.83%) and a three-degree grading area (89.02%, 86.63%, and 90.75%), density (92.68%, 91.05%, and 93.94%) and location (89.28%, 82.70%, and 93.08%). Finally, we developed and deployed a potential automatic diagnostic software for ophthalmologists and patients in clinical applications to implement the validated model. PMID:28306716

  17. Crohn's disease: increased mortality 10 years after diagnosis in a Europe‐wide population based cohort

    PubMed Central

    Wolters, F L; Russel, M G; Sijbrandij, J; Schouten, L J; Odes, S; Riis, L; Munkholm, P; Bodini, P; O'Morain, C; Mouzas, I A; Tsianos, E; Vermeire, S; Monteiro, E; Limonard, C; Vatn, M; Fornaciari, G; Pereira, S; Moum, B; Stockbrügger, R W

    2006-01-01

    Background No previous correlation between phenotype at diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) and mortality has been performed. We assessed the predictive value of phenotype at diagnosis on overall and disease related mortality in a European cohort of CD patients. Methods Overall and disease related mortality were recorded 10 years after diagnosis in a prospectively assembled, uniformly diagnosed European population based inception cohort of 380 CD patients diagnosed between 1991 and 1993. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for geographic and phenotypic subgroups at diagnosis. Results Thirty seven deaths were observed in the entire cohort whereas 21.5 deaths were expected (SMR 1.85 (95% CI 1.30–2.55)). Mortality risk was significantly increased in both females (SMR 1.93 (95% CI 1.10–3.14)) and males (SMR 1.79 (95% CI 1.11–2.73)). Patients from northern European centres had a significant overall increased mortality risk (SMR 2.04 (95% CI 1.32–3.01)) whereas a tendency towards increased overall mortality risk was also observed in the south (SMR 1.55 (95% CI 0.80–2.70)). Mortality risk was increased in patients with colonic disease location and with inflammatory disease behaviour at diagnosis. Mortality risk was also increased in the age group above 40 years at diagnosis for both total and CD related causes. Excess mortality was mainly due to gastrointestinal causes that were related to CD. Conclusions This European multinational population based study revealed an increased overall mortality risk in CD patients 10 years after diagnosis, and age above 40 years at diagnosis was found to be the sole factor associated with increased mortality risk. PMID:16150857

  18. The elementary events of Ca2+ release elicited by membrane depolarization in mammalian muscle

    PubMed Central

    Csernoch, L; Zhou, J; Stern, M D; Brum, G; Ríos, E

    2004-01-01

    Cytosolic [Ca2+] transients elicited by voltage clamp depolarization were examined by confocal line scanning of rat skeletal muscle fibres. Ca2+ sparks were observed in the fibres' membrane-permeabilized ends, but not in responses to voltage in the membrane-intact area. Elementary events of the depolarization-evoked response could be separated either at low voltages (near −50 mV) or at −20mV in partially inactivated cells. These were of lower amplitude, narrower and of much longer duration than sparks, similar to ‘lone embers’ observed in the permeabilized segments. Their average amplitude was 0.19 and spatial half-width 1.3 μm. Other parameters depended on voltage. At −50 mV average duration was 111 ms and latency 185 ms. At −20 mV duration was 203 ms and latency 24 ms. Ca2+ release current, calculated on an average of events, was nearly steady at 0.5–0.6 pA. Accordingly, simulations of the fluorescence event elicited by a subresolution source of 0.5 pA open for 100 ms had morphology similar to the experimental average. Because 0.5 pA is approximately the current measured for single RyR channels in physiological conditions, the elementary fluorescence events in rat muscle probably reflect opening of a single RyR channel. A reconstruction of cell-averaged release flux at −20 mV based on the observed distribution of latencies and calculated elementary release had qualitatively correct but slower kinetics than the release flux in prior whole-cell measurements. The qualitative agreement indicates that global Ca2+ release flux results from summation of these discrete events. The quantitative discrepancies suggest that the partial inactivation strategy may lead to events of greater duration than those occurring physiologically in fully polarized cells. PMID:14990680

  19. The elementary events of Ca2+ release elicited by membrane depolarization in mammalian muscle.

    PubMed

    Csernoch, L; Zhou, J; Stern, M D; Brum, G; Ríos, E

    2004-05-15

    Cytosolic [Ca(2+)] transients elicited by voltage clamp depolarization were examined by confocal line scanning of rat skeletal muscle fibres. Ca(2+) sparks were observed in the fibres' membrane-permeabilized ends, but not in responses to voltage in the membrane-intact area. Elementary events of the depolarization-evoked response could be separated either at low voltages (near -50 mV) or at -20 mV in partially inactivated cells. These were of lower amplitude, narrower and of much longer duration than sparks, similar to 'lone embers' observed in the permeabilized segments. Their average amplitude was 0.19 and spatial half-width 1.3 microm. Other parameters depended on voltage. At -50 mV average duration was 111 ms and latency 185 ms. At -20 mV duration was 203 ms and latency 24 ms. Ca(2+) release current, calculated on an average of events, was nearly steady at 0.5-0.6 pA. Accordingly, simulations of the fluorescence event elicited by a subresolution source of 0.5 pA open for 100 ms had morphology similar to the experimental average. Because 0.5 pA is approximately the current measured for single RyR channels in physiological conditions, the elementary fluorescence events in rat muscle probably reflect opening of a single RyR channel. A reconstruction of cell-averaged release flux at -20 mV based on the observed distribution of latencies and calculated elementary release had qualitatively correct but slower kinetics than the release flux in prior whole-cell measurements. The qualitative agreement indicates that global Ca(2+) release flux results from summation of these discrete events. The quantitative discrepancies suggest that the partial inactivation strategy may lead to events of greater duration than those occurring physiologically in fully polarized cells.

  20. Event-Based Sensing and Control for Remote Robot Guidance: An Experimental Case

    PubMed Central

    Santos, Carlos; Martínez-Rey, Miguel; Santiso, Enrique

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes the theoretical and practical foundations for remote control of a mobile robot for nonlinear trajectory tracking using an external localisation sensor. It constitutes a classical networked control system, whereby event-based techniques for both control and state estimation contribute to efficient use of communications and reduce sensor activity. Measurement requests are dictated by an event-based state estimator by setting an upper bound to the estimation error covariance matrix. The rest of the time, state prediction is carried out with the Unscented transformation. This prediction method makes it possible to select the appropriate instants at which to perform actuations on the robot so that guidance performance does not degrade below a certain threshold. Ultimately, we obtained a combined event-based control and estimation solution that drastically reduces communication accesses. The magnitude of this reduction is set according to the tracking error margin of a P3-DX robot following a nonlinear trajectory, remotely controlled with a mini PC and whose pose is detected by a camera sensor. PMID:28878144

  1. Diagnosis and treatment of dementia: 2. Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    Feldman, Howard H.; Jacova, Claudia; Robillard, Alain; Garcia, Angeles; Chow, Tiffany; Borrie, Michael; Schipper, Hyman M.; Blair, Mervin; Kertesz, Andrew; Chertkow, Howard

    2008-01-01

    Background Dementia can now be accurately diagnosed through clinical evaluation, cognitive screening, basic laboratory evaluation and structural imaging. A large number of ancillary techniques are also available to aid in diagnosis, but their role in the armamentarium of family physicians remains controversial. In this article, we provide physicians with practical guidance on the diagnosis of dementia based on recommendations from the Third Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia, held in March 2006. Methods We developed evidence-based guidelines using systematic literature searches, with specific criteria for study selection and quality assessment, and a clear and transparent decision-making process. We selected studies published from January 1996 to December 2005 that pertained to key diagnostic issues in dementia. We graded the strength of evidence using the criteria of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Results Of the 1591 articles we identified on all aspects of dementia diagnosis, 1095 met our inclusion criteria; 620 were deemed to be of good or fair quality. From a synthesis of the evidence in these studies, we made 32 recommendations related to the diagnosis of dementia. There are clinical criteria for diagnosing most forms of dementia. A standard diagnostic evaluation can be performd by family physicians over multiple visits. It involves a clinical history (from patient and caregiver), a physical examination and brief cognitive testing. A list of core laboratory tests is recommended. Structural imaging with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is recommended in selected cases to rule out treatable causes of dementia or to rule in cerebrovascular disease. There is insufficient evidence to recommend routine functional imaging, measurement of biomarkers or neuropsychologic testing. Interpretation The diagnosis of dementia remains clinically integrative based on history, physical examination and

  2. Brain medical image diagnosis based on corners with importance-values.

    PubMed

    Gao, Linlin; Pan, Haiwei; Li, Qing; Xie, Xiaoqin; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Han, Jinming; Zhai, Xiao

    2017-11-21

    Brain disorders are one of the top causes of human death. Generally, neurologists analyze brain medical images for diagnosis. In the image analysis field, corners are one of the most important features, which makes corner detection and matching studies essential. However, existing corner detection studies do not consider the domain information of brain. This leads to many useless corners and the loss of significant information. Regarding corner matching, the uncertainty and structure of brain are not employed in existing methods. Moreover, most corner matching studies are used for 3D image registration. They are inapplicable for 2D brain image diagnosis because of the different mechanisms. To address these problems, we propose a novel corner-based brain medical image classification method. Specifically, we automatically extract multilayer texture images (MTIs) which embody diagnostic information from neurologists. Moreover, we present a corner matching method utilizing the uncertainty and structure of brain medical images and a bipartite graph model. Finally, we propose a similarity calculation method for diagnosis. Brain CT and MRI image sets are utilized to evaluate the proposed method. First, classifiers are trained in N-fold cross-validation analysis to produce the best θ and K. Then independent brain image sets are tested to evaluate the classifiers. Moreover, the classifiers are also compared with advanced brain image classification studies. For the brain CT image set, the proposed classifier outperforms the comparison methods by at least 8% on accuracy and 2.4% on F1-score. Regarding the brain MRI image set, the proposed classifier is superior to the comparison methods by more than 7.3% on accuracy and 4.9% on F1-score. Results also demonstrate that the proposed method is robust to different intensity ranges of brain medical image. In this study, we develop a robust corner-based brain medical image classifier. Specifically, we propose a corner detection

  3. On Building an Ontological Knowledge Base for Managing Patient Safety Events.

    PubMed

    Liang, Chen; Gong, Yang

    2015-01-01

    Over the past decade, improving healthcare quality and safety through patient safety event reporting systems has drawn much attention. Unfortunately, such systems are suffering from low data quality, inefficient data entry and ineffective information retrieval. For improving the systems, we develop a semantic web ontology based on the WHO International Classification for Patient Safety (ICPS) and AHRQ Common Formats for patient safety event reporting. The ontology holds potential in enhancing knowledge management and information retrieval, as well as providing flexible data entry and case analysis for both reporters and reviewers of patient safety events. In this paper, we detailed our efforts in data acquisition, transformation, implementation and initial evaluation of the ontology.

  4. Limits on the Efficiency of Event-Based Algorithms for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport

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

    Romano, Paul K.; Siegel, Andrew R.

    The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup duemore » to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. Lastly, when the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.« less

  5. Limits on the Efficiency of Event-Based Algorithms for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport

    DOE PAGES

    Romano, Paul K.; Siegel, Andrew R.

    2017-07-01

    The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup duemore » to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. Lastly, when the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.« less

  6. Constructing An Event Based Aerosol Product Under High Aerosol Loading Conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, R. C.; Shi, Y.; Mattoo, S.; Remer, L. A.; Zhang, J.

    2016-12-01

    High aerosol loading events, such as the Indonesia's forest fire in Fall 2015 or the persistent wintertime haze near Beijing, gain tremendous interests due to their large impact on regional visibility and air quality. Understanding the optical properties of these events and further being able to simulate and predict these events are beneficial. However, it is a great challenge to consistently identify and then retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) from passive sensors during heavy aerosol events. Some reasons include:1). large differences between optical properties of high-loading aerosols and those under normal conditions, 2) spectral signals of optically thick aerosols can be mistaken with surface depending on aerosol types, and 3) Extremely optically thick aerosol plumes can also be misidentified as clouds due to its high optical thickness. Thus, even under clear-sky conditions, the global distribution of extreme aerosol events is not well captured in datasets such as the MODIS Dark-Target (DT) aerosol product. In this study, with the synthetic use of OMI Aerosol Index, MODIS cloud product, and operational DT product, the heavy smoke events over the seven sea region are identified and retrieved over the dry season. An event based aerosol product that would compensate the standard "global" aerosol retrieval will be created and evaluated. The impact of missing high AOD retrievals on the regional aerosol climatology will be studied using this newly developed research product.

  7. Microfluidic chip-based technologies: emerging platforms for cancer diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The development of early and personalized diagnostic protocols is considered the most promising avenue to decrease mortality from cancer and improve outcome. The emerging microfluidic-based analyzing platforms hold high promises to fulfill high-throughput and high-precision screening with reduced equipment cost and low analysis time, as compared to traditional bulky counterparts in bench-top laboratories. This article overviewed the potential applications of microfluidic technologies for detection and monitoring of cancer through nucleic acid and protein biomarker analysis. The implications of the technologies in cancer cytology that can provide functional personalized diagnosis were highlighted. Finally, the future niches for using microfluidic-based systems in tumor screening were briefly discussed. PMID:24070124

  8. Conceptual bases of Christian, faith-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs: qualitative analysis of staff interviews.

    PubMed

    McCoy, Lisa K; Hermos, John A; Bokhour, Barbara G; Frayne, Susan M

    2004-09-01

    Faith-based substance abuse rehabilitation programs provide residential treatment for many substance abusers. To determine key governing concepts of such programs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with sample of eleven clinical and administrative staff referred to us by program directors at six, Evangelical Christian, faith-based, residential rehabilitation programs representing two large, nationwide networks. Qualitative analysis using grounded theory methods examined how spirituality is incorporated into treatment and elicited key theories of addiction and recovery. Although containing comprehensive secular components, the core activities are strongly rooted in a Christian belief system that informs their understanding of addiction and recovery and drives the treatment format. These governing conceptions, that addiction stems from attempts to fill a spiritual void through substance use and recovery through salvation and a long-term relationship with God, provide an explicit, theory-driven model upon which they base their core treatment activities. Knowledge of these core concepts and practices should be helpful to clinicians in considering referrals to faith-based recovery programs.

  9. Diagnosing women with HPV: the impact of diagnosis disclosure methods.

    PubMed

    Harvey-Knowles, Jacquelyn A; Kosenko, Kami A

    2012-07-01

    Little data exists on women's HPV diagnosis encounters. This research focuses on impacts of the communicative medium used to inform women of their HPV status. We conducted a qualitative study to identify the mediums used to communicate HPV diagnoses and the impact of each medium on the diagnosis experience. Twenty-five women with HPV completed semi-structured interviews, which we recorded and transcribed. We relied on grounded theory techniques in both data collection and analysis. There are three primary mediums health care providers use to inform women of their HPV diagnosis: phone calls, mailed letters/email, and face-to-face interactions. Implications regarding each medium are identified and discussed. There are drawbacks associated with the use of each medium that healthcare practitioners should be aware of and seek to avoid. Healthcare providers can utilize descriptions of diagnosis encounters and the recommendations accompanying them to understand and modify ways they choose to inform individuals of an HPV diagnosis. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  10. Building a knowledge base of severe adverse drug events based on AERS reporting data using semantic web technologies.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guoqian; Wang, Liwei; Liu, Hongfang; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

    2013-01-01

    A semantically coded knowledge base of adverse drug events (ADEs) with severity information is critical for clinical decision support systems and translational research applications. However it remains challenging to measure and identify the severity information of ADEs. The objective of the study is to develop and evaluate a semantic web based approach for building a knowledge base of severe ADEs based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) reporting data. We utilized a normalized AERS reporting dataset and extracted putative drug-ADE pairs and their associated outcome codes in the domain of cardiac disorders. We validated the drug-ADE associations using ADE datasets from SIDe Effect Resource (SIDER) and the UMLS. We leveraged the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) grading system and classified the ADEs into the CTCAE in the Web Ontology Language (OWL). We identified and validated 2,444 unique Drug-ADE pairs in the domain of cardiac disorders, of which 760 pairs are in Grade 5, 775 pairs in Grade 4 and 2,196 pairs in Grade 3.

  11. Ensemble-based diagnosis of the large-scale processes associated with multiple high-impact weather events over North America during late October 2007

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, B. J.; Bosart, L. F.; Keyser, D.

    2013-12-01

    During late October 2007, the interaction between a deep polar trough and Tropical Cyclone (TC) Kajiki off the eastern Asian coast perturbed the North Pacific jet stream and resulted in the development of a high-amplitude Rossby wave train extending into North America, contributing to three concurrent high-impact weather events in North America: wildfires in southern California associated with strong Santa Ana winds, a cold surge into eastern Mexico, and widespread heavy rainfall (~150 mm) in the south-central United States. Observational analysis indicates that these high-impact weather events were all dynamically linked with the development of a major high-latitude ridge over the eastern North Pacific and western North America and a deep trough over central North America. In this study, global operational ensemble forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) obtained from The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) archive are used to characterize the medium-range predictability of the large-scale flow pattern associated with the three events and to diagnose the large-scale atmospheric processes favorable, or unfavorable, for the occurrence of the three events. Examination of the ECMWF forecasts leading up to the time period of the three high-impact weather events (~23-25 October 2007) indicates that ensemble spread (i.e., uncertainty) in the 500-hPa geopotential height field develops in connection with downstream baroclinic development (DBD) across the North Pacific, associated with the interaction between TC Kajiki and the polar trough along the eastern Asian coast, and subsequently moves downstream into North America, yielding considerable uncertainty with respect to the structure, amplitude, and position of the ridge-trough pattern over North America. Ensemble sensitivity analysis conducted for key sensible weather parameters corresponding to the three high

  12. Image of God, religion, spirituality, and life changes in breast cancer survivors: a qualitative approach.

    PubMed

    Schreiber, Judith A; Edward, Jean

    2015-04-01

    Religion and spirituality are much studied coping mechanisms; however, their relationship to changes in behaviors, relationships, and goals is unclear. This study explored the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on religion/faith and changes in behaviors, relationship, or goals. In this qualitative study, women, who participated in a larger, quantitative study, completed written responses to questions regarding the role of religion/faith in their lives, the impact of their diagnosis on their image of God and on faith/religious beliefs, and any changes in behaviors, relationships, or life goals were examined. Based on previous findings noting differences in psychological outcomes based on a higher (HE) or lesser (LE) engaged view of God, 28 (14 HE; 14 LE) women were included in the analysis. Awareness of life and its fleeting nature was common to all. Ensuing behaviors varied from a need to focus on self-improvement-egocentrism (LE)-to a need to focus on using their experiences to help others-altruism (HE). Study results suggest that seemingly small, but highly meaningful, differences based on one's worldview result in considerably different attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.

  13. Assessing the burden of treatment-emergent adverse events associated with atypical antipsychotic medications.

    PubMed

    Llorca, Pierre-Michel; Lançon, Christophe; Hartry, Ann; Brown, T Michelle; DiBenedetti, Dana B; Kamat, Siddhesh A; François, Clément

    2017-02-13

    Treatment of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD) with atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) show improved efficacy and reduced side effect burden compared with older antipsychotic medications. However, a risk of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) remains. TEAEs are hard to quantify and perspectives on the importance of TEAEs differ across patients and between patients and physicians. The current study is a qualitative assessment that investigates TEAEs of AAPs from both patient and physician perspectives to provide better understanding of the occurrence and burden of TEAEs associated with these medications. Focus groups comprised of patients with MDD and interviews with patients with schizophrenia were conducted at two qualitative research facilities, along with a physician focus group at one of the facilities. Information collected from patients included an exhaustive list of TEAEs experienced, and the frequency and level of bother of each TEAE; from psychiatrists, information included an exhaustive list of TEAEs based on personal observations and patient report, frequency of TEAEs, clinically important TEAEs, and levels of patient-perceived bother. Standard qualitative analysis methods were used to identify, quantify, characterize, and summarize patterns found in the data collected. A total of 42 patients (25 with MDD and 17 with schizophrenia) and 4 psychiatrists participated in the study. TEAEs reported as bothersome across both patients groups included cognitive issues, weight gain and/or increased appetite, low energy, extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), and need to sleep/excessive sleep/excessive sleepiness. TEAEs considered more bothersome by patients with schizophrenia were weight gain, low energy, EPS, mental anxiety, and increased positive symptoms; those considered more bothersome by patients with MDD were cognitive issues, somnolence/sedation, and flat/restricted affect. TEAEs considered most clinically important by psychiatrists included

  14. Mild traumatic brain injury screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Kathryn R; Holland, Sherray L; Meyer, Kimberly S; Martin, Elisabeth Moy; Wilmore, Michael; Grimes, Jamie B

    2012-08-01

    The majority of combat-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) within the U.S. Armed Forces is mild TBI (mTBI). This article focuses specifically on the screening, diagnosis, and treatment aspects of mTBI within the military community. Aggressive screening measures were instituted in 2006 to ensure that the mTBI population is identified and treated. Screenings occur in-theater, outside the contiguous United States, and in-garrison. We discuss specific screening procedures at each screening setting. Current diagnosis of mTBI is based upon self-report or through witnesses to the event. TBI severity is determined by specific Department of Defense criteria. Abundant clinician resources are available for mTBI in the military health care setting. Education resources for both the patient and the clinician are discussed in detail. An evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the care of mTBI was created through collaborative efforts of the DoD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Although symptoms following mTBI generally resolve with time, active treatment is centered on symptom management, supervised rest, recovery, and patient education. Medical specialty care, ancillary services, and other therapeutic services may be required.

  15. An Intelligent Learning Diagnosis System for Web-Based Thematic Learning Platform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Chenn-Jung; Liu, Ming-Chou; Chu, San-Shine; Cheng, Chih-Lun

    2007-01-01

    This work proposes an intelligent learning diagnosis system that supports a Web-based thematic learning model, which aims to cultivate learners' ability of knowledge integration by giving the learners the opportunities to select the learning topics that they are interested, and gain knowledge on the specific topics by surfing on the Internet to…

  16. Review of Diagnosis-Related Group-Based Financing of Hospital Care

    PubMed Central

    Kocic, Sanja; Jakovljevic, Mihajlo

    2016-01-01

    Since the 1990s, diagnosis-related group (DRG)-based payment systems were gradually introduced in many countries. The main design characteristics of a DRG-based payment system are an exhaustive patient case classification system (ie, the system of diagnosis-related groupings) and the payment formula, which is based on the base rate multiplied by a relative cost weight specific for each DRG. Cases within the same DRG code group are expected to undergo similar clinical evolution. Consecutively, they should incur the costs of diagnostics and treatment within a predefined scale. Such predictability was proven in a number of cost-of-illness studies conducted on major prosperity diseases alongside clinical trials on efficiency. This was the case with risky pregnancies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, alcohol addiction, hepatitis, and cancer. This article presents experience of introduced DRG-based payments in countries of western and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, United States, Canada, and Australia. This article presents the results of few selected reviews and systematic reviews of the following evidence: published reports on health system reforms by World Health Organization, World Bank, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, and Centre for Health Economics University of York. Diverse payment systems have different strengths and weaknesses in relation to the various objectives. The advantages of the DRG payment system are reflected in the increased efficiency and transparency and reduced average length of stay. The disadvantage of DRG is creating financial incentives toward earlier hospital discharges. Occasionally, such polices are not in full accordance with the clinical benefit priorities. PMID:28462278

  17. Biomarkers in Prodromal Parkinson Disease: a Qualitative Review.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Christine A; Chahine, Lama M

    2016-11-01

    Over the past several years, the concept of prodromal Parkinson disease (PD) has been increasingly recognized. This term refers to individuals who do not fulfill motor diagnostic criteria for PD, but who have clinical, genetic, or biomarker characteristics suggesting risk of developing PD in the future. Clinical diagnosis of prodromal PD has low specificity, prompting the need for objective biomarkers with higher specificity. In this qualitative review, we discuss objectively defined putative biomarkers for PD and prodromal PD. We searched Pubmed and Embase for articles pertaining to objective biomarkers for PD and their application in prodromal cohorts. Articles were selected based on relevance and methodology. Objective biomarkers of demonstrated utility in prodromal PD include ligand-based imaging and transcranial sonography. Development of serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissue-based biomarkers is underway, but their application in prodromal PD has yet to meaningfully occur. Combining objective biomarkers with clinical or genetic prodromal features increases the sensitivity and specificity for identifying prodromal PD. Several objective biomarkers for prodromal PD show promise but require further study, including their application to and validation in prodromal cohorts followed longitudinally. Accurate identification of prodromal PD will likely require a multimodal approach. (JINS, 2016, 22, 956-967).

  18. Diagnostic outcomes of inpatient video electroencephalography: nonepileptic events in South Carolina.

    PubMed

    Koontz, Elizabeth H; Hanson, Jarom; Pritchard, Paul B

    2013-09-01

    The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) was established at the Medical University Hospital to assist in the diagnosis of epilepsy and the evaluation of other paroxysmal neurological symptoms, including non-epileptic events (NEEs), which are often confused with epileptic seizures. Correct diagnosis can prevent inappropriate treatment with antiepileptic drugs, avoid some of the restrictions imposed by epileptic seizures, and facilitate appropriate treatment for NEEs. A retrospective review of patients admitted to the EMU over a two year period showed the percentage of patients diagnosed with NEEs (39%) is greater than those diagnosed with epilepsy alone (36%). This incidence of NEE is higher than in other academic medical centers. The explanations for this disparity are not fully defined, but warrant further study as to patient demographics, risk factors, and referral patterns in South Carolina. The average time from when patients began having events to accurate diagnosis of NEEs was 4.5 years, and 21 patients had NEEs for at least 10 years prior to diagnosis.

  19. What, who, when, where and how to inform patients after an adverse event: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Mira, José Joaquín; Ferrús, Lena; Silvestre, Carmen; Olivera, Guadalupe

    To explore suggestions and recommendations for conducting open disclosure with a patient after an adverse event in a setting without professionals' legal privileges. Qualitative study conducting focus groups/Metaplan. This study was conducted with physicians and nurses from Primary Care and Hospitals working in the public health system in Spain. Twenty-seven professionals were involved 8-30 years of experience, 15 (56%) medical and 12 (44%) nurses, 13 (48%) worked in hospitals. Consensus was obtained on: how (honesty and open and direct language), where (avoid corridors, with privacy), and when to disclose (with agility but without precipitation, once information is obtained, and after reflecting on the most suitable according to the nature of the AE). There was controversy as to what to say to the patient when the AE had serious consequences and doubts about what type of incidents must be reported; who should be required to disclose (the professional involved in the AE or other professional related to the patient, the role of the staff and the management team); and in which cases an apology can be a problem. The severity of the AE determines who should talk with the patient in both hospital and primary care. The most appropriate way to convey an apology to the patient depends of the AE. An early, direct, empathetic and proactive action accompanied by information about compensation for the harm suffered could reduce the litigation intention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  20. A fuzzy Petri-net-based mode identification algorithm for fault diagnosis of complex systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Propes, Nicholas C.; Vachtsevanos, George

    2003-08-01

    Complex dynamical systems such as aircraft, manufacturing systems, chillers, motor vehicles, submarines, etc. exhibit continuous and event-driven dynamics. These systems undergo several discrete operating modes from startup to shutdown. For example, a certain shipboard system may be operating at half load or full load or may be at start-up or shutdown. Of particular interest are extreme or "shock" operating conditions, which tend to severely impact fault diagnosis or the progression of a fault leading to a failure. Fault conditions are strongly dependent on the operating mode. Therefore, it is essential that in any diagnostic/prognostic architecture, the operating mode be identified as accurately as possible so that such functions as feature extraction, diagnostics, prognostics, etc. can be correlated with the predominant operating conditions. This paper introduces a mode identification methodology that incorporates both time- and event-driven information about the process. A fuzzy Petri net is used to represent the possible successive mode transitions and to detect events from processed sensor signals signifying a mode change. The operating mode is initialized and verified by analysis of the time-driven dynamics through a fuzzy logic classifier. An evidence combiner module is used to combine the results from both the fuzzy Petri net and the fuzzy logic classifier to determine the mode. Unlike most event-driven mode identifiers, this architecture will provide automatic mode initialization through the fuzzy logic classifier and robustness through the combining of evidence of the two algorithms. The mode identification methodology is applied to an AC Plant typically found as a component of a shipboard system.