Spatial Visualization Learning in Engineering: Traditional Methods vs. a Web-Based Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedrosa, Carlos Melgosa; Barbero, Basilio Ramos; Miguel, Arturo Román

2014-01-01

This study compares an interactive learning manager for graphic engineering to develop spatial vision (ILMAGE_SV) to traditional methods. ILMAGE_SV is an asynchronous web-based learning tool that allows the manipulation of objects with a 3D viewer, self-evaluation, and continuous assessment. In addition, student learning may be monitored, which…

The Feasibility of Applying PBL Teaching Method to Surgery Teaching of Chinese Medicine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Qianli; Yu, Yuan; Jiang, Qiuyan; Zhang, Li; Wang, Qingjian; Huang, Mingwei

2008-01-01

The traditional classroom teaching mode is based on the content of the subject, takes the teacher as the center and gives priority to classroom instruction. While PBL (Problem Based Learning) teaching method breaches the traditional mode, combining the basic science with clinical practice and covering the process from discussion to self-study to…

A comparison of interteaching and lecture in the college classroom.

PubMed

Saville, Bryan K; Zinn, Tracy E; Neef, Nancy A; Van Norman, Renee; Ferreri, Summer J

2006-01-01

Interteaching is a new method of classroom instruction that is based on behavioral principles but offers more flexibility than other behaviorally based methods. We examined the effectiveness of interteaching relative to a traditional form of classroom instruction-the lecture. In Study 1, participants in a graduate course in special education took short quizzes after alternating conditions of interteaching and lecture. Quiz scores following interteaching were higher than quiz scores following lecture, although both methods improved performance relative to pretest measures. In Study 2, we also alternated interteaching and lecture but counterbalanced the conditions across two sections of an undergraduate research methods class. After each unit of information, participants from both sections took the same test. Again, test scores following interteaching were higher than test scores following lecture. In addition, students correctly answered more interteaching-based questions than lecture-based questions on a cumulative final test. In both studies, the majority of students reported a preference for interteaching relative to traditional lecture. In sum, the results suggest that interteaching may be an effective alternative to traditional lecture-based methods of instruction.

Traditional use of indigenous mosquito-repellents to protect humans against mosquitoes and other insect bites in a rural community of Cameroon.

PubMed

Ntonifor, N N; Ngufor, C A; Kimbi, H K; Oben, B O

2006-10-01

To document and test the efficacy of indigenous traditional personal protection methods against mosquito bites and general nuisance. A prospective study based on a survey and field evaluation of selected plant-based personal protection methods against mosquito bites. Bolifamba, a rural setting of the Mount Cameroon region. A structured questionnaire was administered to 179 respondents and two anti-mosquito measures were tested under field conditions. Identified traditional anti-mosquito methods used by indigenes of Bolifamba. Two plants tested under field conditions were found to be effective. Of the 179 respondents, 88 (49.16%) used traditional anti-mosquito methods; 57 (64.77%) used plant-based methods while 31 (35.2%) used various petroleum oils. The rest of the respondents, 91 (50.8%) used conventional personal protection methods. Reasons for using traditional methods were because they were available, affordable and lack of known more effective alternatives. The demerits of these methods were: labourious to implement, stain dresses, produce a lot of smoke/ repulsive odours when used; those of conventional methods were lack of adequate information about them, high cost and non-availability. When the two most frequently used plants, Saccharum officinarium and Ocimum basilicum were evaluated under field conditions, each gave a better protection than the control. Most plants used against mosquitoes in the area are known potent mosquito repellents but others identified in the study warrant further research. The two tested under field conditions were effective though less than the commonly used commercial diethyltoluamide.

Advantages of virulotyping foodborne pathogens over traditional identification and characterization methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This chapter provides an overview regarding the advantages of virulotyping over historic serology-based, PCR-based on genes that identify an organism, or enzymatic and biochemical-based analyses of foodborne pathogens in clinical diagnostics and food industry microbiology testing. Traditional ident...

Neural network based chemical structure indexing.

PubMed

Rughooputh, S D; Rughooputh, H C

2001-01-01

Searches on chemical databases are presently dominated by the text-based content of a paper which can be indexed into a keyword searchable form. Such traditional searches can prove to be very time-consuming and discouraging to the less frequent scientist. We report a simple chemical indexing based on the molecular structure alone. The method used is based on a one-to-one correspondence between the chemical structure presented as an image to a neural network and the corresponding binary output. The method is direct and less cumbersome (compared with traditional methods) and proves to be robust, elegant, and very versatile.

Web-based versus traditional lecture: are they equally effective as a flexible bronchoscopy teaching method?

PubMed

Mata, Caio Augusto Sterse; Ota, Luiz Hirotoshi; Suzuki, Iunis; Telles, Adriana; Miotto, Andre; Leão, Luiz Eduardo Vilaça

2012-01-01

This study compares the traditional live lecture to a web-based approach in the teaching of bronchoscopy and evaluates the positive and negative aspects of both methods. We developed a web-based bronchoscopy curriculum, which integrates texts, images and animations. It was applied to first-year interns, who were later administered a multiple-choice test. Another group of eight first-year interns received the traditional teaching method and the same test. The two groups were compared using the Student's t-test. The mean scores (± SD) of students who used the website were 14.63 ± 1.41 (range 13-17). The test scores of the other group had the same range, with a mean score of 14.75 ± 1. The Student's t-test showed no difference between the test results. The common positive point noted was the presence of multimedia content. The web group cited as positive the ability to review the pages, and the other one the role of the teacher. Web-based bronchoscopy education showed results similar to the traditional live lecture in effectiveness.

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.

Comparison of immunomagnetic separation/adenosine triphosphate rapid method to traditional culture-based method for E. coli and enterococci enumeration in wastewater

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bushon, R.N.; Likirdopulos, C.A.; Brady, A.M.G.

2009-01-01

Untreated wastewater samples from California, North Carolina, and Ohio were analyzed by the immunomagnetic separation/adenosine triphosphate (IMS/ATP) method and the traditional culture-based method for E. coli and enterococci concentrations. The IMS/ATP method concentrates target bacteria by immunomagnetic separation and then quantifies captured bacteria by measuring bioluminescence induced by release of ATP from the bacterial cells. Results from this method are available within 1 h from the start of sample processing. Significant linear correlations were found between the IMS/ATP results and results from traditional culture-based methods for E. coli and enterococci enumeration for one location in California, two locations in North Carolina, and one location in Ohio (r??values ranged from 0.87 to 0.97). No significant linear relation was found for a second location in California that treats a complex mixture of residential and industrial wastewater. With the exception of one location, IMS/ATP showed promise as a rapid method for the quantification of faecal-indicator organisms in wastewater.

[Applications of mathematical statistics methods on compatibility researches of traditional Chinese medicines formulae].

PubMed

Mai, Lan-Yin; Li, Yi-Xuan; Chen, Yong; Xie, Zhen; Li, Jie; Zhong, Ming-Yu

2014-05-01

The compatibility of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) formulae containing enormous information, is a complex component system. Applications of mathematical statistics methods on the compatibility researches of traditional Chinese medicines formulae have great significance for promoting the modernization of traditional Chinese medicines and improving clinical efficacies and optimizations of formulae. As a tool for quantitative analysis, data inference and exploring inherent rules of substances, the mathematical statistics method can be used to reveal the working mechanisms of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicines formulae in qualitatively and quantitatively. By reviewing studies based on the applications of mathematical statistics methods, this paper were summarized from perspective of dosages optimization, efficacies and changes of chemical components as well as the rules of incompatibility and contraindication of formulae, will provide the references for further studying and revealing the working mechanisms and the connotations of traditional Chinese medicines.

Comprehensive reliability allocation method for CNC lathes based on cubic transformed functions of failure mode and effects analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhou; Zhu, Yunpeng; Ren, Hongrui; Zhang, Yimin

2015-03-01

Reliability allocation of computerized numerical controlled(CNC) lathes is very important in industry. Traditional allocation methods only focus on high-failure rate components rather than moderate failure rate components, which is not applicable in some conditions. Aiming at solving the problem of CNC lathes reliability allocating, a comprehensive reliability allocation method based on cubic transformed functions of failure modes and effects analysis(FMEA) is presented. Firstly, conventional reliability allocation methods are introduced. Then the limitations of direct combination of comprehensive allocation method with the exponential transformed FMEA method are investigated. Subsequently, a cubic transformed function is established in order to overcome these limitations. Properties of the new transformed functions are discussed by considering the failure severity and the failure occurrence. Designers can choose appropriate transform amplitudes according to their requirements. Finally, a CNC lathe and a spindle system are used as an example to verify the new allocation method. Seven criteria are considered to compare the results of the new method with traditional methods. The allocation results indicate that the new method is more flexible than traditional methods. By employing the new cubic transformed function, the method covers a wider range of problems in CNC reliability allocation without losing the advantages of traditional methods.

Improving the Teaching of Microsoft Excel: Traditional Book versus Online Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Stoney; Taylor, Joseph

2016-01-01

The authors explore the differences between traditional, book-based methods of teaching Excel and online, platform-supported methods by comparing teaching students in different locations, with and without online support. As Excel is a critical skill for business majors, the authors investigate which methods and locations provide the highest…

From Symbols to Movement: "LANTD", the Design and Implementation of a Laban Notation-Based Method for Teaching Dance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dania, Aspasia; Tyrovola, Vasiliki; Koutsouba, Maria

2017-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the design and evaluate the impact of a Laban Notation-based method for Teaching Dance (LANTD) on novice dancers' performance, in the case of Greek traditional dance. In this research, traditional dance is conceived in its "second existence" as a kind of presentational activity performed outside its…

A Safety Program that Integrated Behavior-Based Safety and Traditional Safety Methods and Its Effects on Injury Rates of Manufacturing Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hermann, Jaime A.; Ibarra, Guillermo V.; Hopkins, B. L.

2010-01-01

The present research examines the effects of a complex safety program that combined Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) and traditional safety methods. The study was conducted in an automobile parts plant in Mexico. Two sister plants served as comparison. Some of the components of the safety programs addressed behaviors of managers and included methods…

Adding Personality to Gifted Identification: Relationships among Traditional and Personality-Based Constructs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carman, Carol A.

2011-01-01

One of the underutilized tools in gifted identification is personality-based measures. A multiple confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between traditional identification methods and personality-based measures. The pattern of correlations indicated this model could be measuring two constructs, one related to…

Cloud and Traditional Videoconferencing Technology for Telemedicine and Distance Learning

PubMed Central

Zhang, Kai; Locatis, Craig; Ackerman, Michael

2015-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Cloud-based videoconferencing versus traditional systems are described for possible use in telemedicine and distance learning. Materials and Methods: Differences between traditional and cloud-based videoconferencing systems are examined, and the methods for identifying and testing systems are explained. Findings are presented characterizing the cloud conferencing genre and its attributes versus traditional H.323 conferencing. Results: Because the technology is rapidly evolving and needs to be evaluated in reference to local needs, it is strongly recommended that this or other reviews not be considered substitutes for personal hands-on experience. Conclusions: This review identifies key attributes of the technology that can be used to appraise the relevance of cloud conferencing technology and to determine whether migration from traditional technology to a cloud environment is warranted. An evaluation template is provided for assessing systems appropriateness. PMID:25785761

Traditional learning and problem-based learning: self-perception of preparedness for internship.

PubMed

Millan, Laís Pereira Bueno; Semer, Beatriz; Rodrigues, José Mauro da Silva; Gianini, Reinaldo José

2012-01-01

This study aims to evaluate Pontificia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) medical students' perception of their preparedness to attend the internship course by comparing students who entered the internship in 2009, who were taught according to the traditional learning method, and those who entered the internship in 2010, who were taught according to the new method, i.e. problem-based learning (PBL). 50 traditional learning method students answered a standard Lickert scale questionnaire upon entering internship in 2009. In 2010, the process was repeated with PBL students. The questionnaire was based upon the Preparation for Hospital Practice Questionnaire. This questionnaire was evaluated by professors from three medical schools in Brazil regarding its applicability. The original questions were classified according to the importance these professors attributed to them, and less important questions were removed. Scores obtained from the Student's t-test were considered significant with p < 0.05. A significant statistical difference was observed in 16 questions, and the traditional learning method students reported higher average scores. When questions were divided into dimensions, a significant statistical difference appeared in the dimensions " social aspects of health", "medical skills", and "ethical concepts"; traditional learning method students again reported higher scores (p < 0.001 for all dimensions). Higher scores were also reported when the average of the answers to the whole questionnaire was calculated. Traditional learning method students consider themselves to be better prepared for internship activities than PBL students, according to the following three comparative means: by analyzing the answers to each question, by grouping these answers into dimensions, and by calculating the means of answers to the whole questionnaire.

Fast Reduction Method in Dominance-Based Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan; Zhou, Qinghua; Wen, Yongchuan

2018-01-01

In real world applications, there are often some data with continuous values or preference-ordered values. Rough sets based on dominance relations can effectively deal with these kinds of data. Attribute reduction can be done in the framework of dominance-relation based approach to better extract decision rules. However, the computational cost of the dominance classes greatly affects the efficiency of attribute reduction and rule extraction. This paper presents an efficient method of computing dominance classes, and further compares it with traditional method with increasing attributes and samples. Experiments on UCI data sets show that the proposed algorithm obviously improves the efficiency of the traditional method, especially for large-scale data.

Handwritten digits recognition using HMM and PSO based on storks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Liao; Jia, Zhenhong; Yang, Jie; Pang, Shaoning

2010-07-01

A new method for handwritten digits recognition based on hidden markov model (HMM) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) is proposed. This method defined 24 strokes with the sense of directional, to make up for the shortage that is sensitive in choice of stating point in traditional methods, but also reduce the ambiguity caused by shakes. Make use of excellent global convergence of PSO; improving the probability of finding the optimum and avoiding local infinitesimal obviously. Experimental results demonstrate that compared with the traditional methods, the proposed method can make most of the recognition rate of handwritten digits improved.

Correlation of Simulation Examination to Written Test Scores for Advanced Cardiac Life Support Testing: Prospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Strom, Suzanne L; Anderson, Craig L; Yang, Luanna; Canales, Cecilia; Amin, Alpesh; Lotfipour, Shahram; McCoy, C Eric; Osborn, Megan Boysen; Langdorf, Mark I

2015-11-01

Traditional Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses are evaluated using written multiple-choice tests. High-fidelity simulation is a widely used adjunct to didactic content, and has been used in many specialties as a training resource as well as an evaluative tool. There are no data to our knowledge that compare simulation examination scores with written test scores for ACLS courses. To compare and correlate a novel high-fidelity simulation-based evaluation with traditional written testing for senior medical students in an ACLS course. We performed a prospective cohort study to determine the correlation between simulation-based evaluation and traditional written testing in a medical school simulation center. Students were tested on a standard acute coronary syndrome/ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest scenario. Our primary outcome measure was correlation of exam results for 19 volunteer fourth-year medical students after a 32-hour ACLS-based Resuscitation Boot Camp course. Our secondary outcome was comparison of simulation-based vs. written outcome scores. The composite average score on the written evaluation was substantially higher (93.6%) than the simulation performance score (81.3%, absolute difference 12.3%, 95% CI [10.6-14.0%], p<0.00005). We found a statistically significant moderate correlation between simulation scenario test performance and traditional written testing (Pearson r=0.48, p=0.04), validating the new evaluation method. Simulation-based ACLS evaluation methods correlate with traditional written testing and demonstrate resuscitation knowledge and skills. Simulation may be a more discriminating and challenging testing method, as students scored higher on written evaluation methods compared to simulation.

Comparing microscopic activity-based and traditional models of travel demand : an Austin area case study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-09-01

Two competing approaches to travel demand modeling exist today. The more traditional 4-step travel demand models rely on aggregate demographic data at a traffic analysis zone (TAZ) level. Activity-based microsimulation methods employ more robus...

Optimal back-extrapolation method for estimating plasma volume in humans using the indocyanine green dilution method.

PubMed

Polidori, David; Rowley, Clarence

2014-07-22

The indocyanine green dilution method is one of the methods available to estimate plasma volume, although some researchers have questioned the accuracy of this method. We developed a new, physiologically based mathematical model of indocyanine green kinetics that more accurately represents indocyanine green kinetics during the first few minutes postinjection than what is assumed when using the traditional mono-exponential back-extrapolation method. The mathematical model is used to develop an optimal back-extrapolation method for estimating plasma volume based on simulated indocyanine green kinetics obtained from the physiological model. Results from a clinical study using the indocyanine green dilution method in 36 subjects with type 2 diabetes indicate that the estimated plasma volumes are considerably lower when using the traditional back-extrapolation method than when using the proposed back-extrapolation method (mean (standard deviation) plasma volume = 26.8 (5.4) mL/kg for the traditional method vs 35.1 (7.0) mL/kg for the proposed method). The results obtained using the proposed method are more consistent with previously reported plasma volume values. Based on the more physiological representation of indocyanine green kinetics and greater consistency with previously reported plasma volume values, the new back-extrapolation method is proposed for use when estimating plasma volume using the indocyanine green dilution method.

Some Considerations in Combining Traditional and Non-Traditional Methods of Instruction in a Mathematics Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gormley, Tyrone D.

Based on the assumption that each student learns in a unique way, this paper outlines the factors to be considered before selecting the methods of instruction for particular mathematics courses and their students. The advantages and disadvantages of the lecture/textbook and question/answer method, individualized instruction, self-pacing,…

Examining the Implementation of a Problem-Based Learning and Traditional Hybrid Model of Instruction in Remedial Mathematics Classes Designed for State Testing Preparation of Eleventh Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Lindsay D.

2011-01-01

The following paper examined the effects of a new method of teaching for remedial mathematics, named the hybrid model of instruction. Due to increasing importance of high stakes testing, the study sought to determine if this method of instruction, that blends traditional teaching and problem-based learning, had different learning effects on…

The Effect of Virtual versus Traditional Learning in Achieving Competency-Based Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosalanejad, Leili; Shahsavari, Sakine; Sobhanian, Saeed; Dastpak, Mehdi

2012-01-01

Background: By rapid developing of the network technology, the internet-based learning methods are substituting the traditional classrooms making them expand to the virtual network learning environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of virtual systems on competency-based skills of first-year nursing students.…

Leadership Preparation Program's Effects on Principals' Preparedness: Traditional University-Based vs. Alternative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagliardi, Karen M.

2012-01-01

In this mixed-method causal comparative and interview-based study, I developed an understanding of the way in which school principals perceived their level of preparedness. The effectiveness of two types of leadership preparation programs, traditional-university based and alternative, were considered on principal preparedness. One hundred and…

Moving beyond Traditional Methods of Survey Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maul, Andrew

2017-01-01

In his focus article, "Rethinking Traditional Methods of Survey Validation," published in this issue of "Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives," Andrew Maul wrote that it is commonly believed that self-report, survey-based instruments can be used to measure a wide range of psychological attributes, such as…

A voxel-based approach to gray matter asymmetries.

PubMed

Luders, E; Gaser, C; Jancke, L; Schlaug, G

2004-06-01

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to analyze gray matter (GM) asymmetries in a large sample (n = 60) of male and female professional musicians with and without absolute pitch (AP). We chose to examine these particular groups because previous studies using traditional region-of-interest (ROI) analyses have shown differences in hemispheric asymmetry related to AP and gender. Voxel-based methods may have advantages over traditional ROI-based methods since the analysis can be performed across the whole brain with minimal user bias. After determining that the VBM method was sufficiently sensitive for the detection of differences in GM asymmetries between groups, we found that male AP musicians were more leftward lateralized in the anterior region of the planum temporale (PT) than male non-AP musicians. This confirmed the results of previous studies using ROI-based methods that showed an association between PT asymmetry and the AP phenotype. We further observed that male non-AP musicians revealed an increased leftward GM asymmetry in the postcentral gyrus compared to female non-AP musicians, again corroborating results of a previously published study using ROI-based methods. By analyzing hemispheric GM differences across our entire sample, we were able to partially confirm findings of previous studies using traditional morphometric techniques, as well as more recent, voxel-based analyses. In addition, we found some unusually pronounced GM asymmetries in our musician sample not previously detected in subjects unselected for musical training. Since we were able to validate gender- and AP-related brain asymmetries previously described using traditional ROI-based morphometric techniques, the results of our analyses support the use of VBM for examinations of GM asymmetries.

Community-based Inquiry Improves Critical Thinking in General Education Biology

PubMed Central

Faiola, Celia L.; Johnson, James E.; Kurtz, Martha J.

2008-01-01

National stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of college graduates to think critically. Research shows that, while both faculty and students deem critical thinking essential, only a small fraction of graduates can demonstrate the thinking skills necessary for academic and professional success. Many faculty are considering nontraditional teaching methods that incorporate undergraduate research because they more closely align with the process of doing investigative science. This study compared a research-focused teaching method called community-based inquiry (CBI) with traditional lecture/laboratory in general education biology to discover which method would elicit greater gains in critical thinking. Results showed significant critical-thinking gains in the CBI group but decreases in a traditional group and a mixed CBI/traditional group. Prior critical-thinking skill, instructor, and ethnicity also significantly influenced critical-thinking gains, with nearly all ethnicities in the CBI group outperforming peers in both the mixed and traditional groups. Females, who showed decreased critical thinking in traditional courses relative to males, outperformed their male counterparts in CBI courses. Through the results of this study, it is hoped that faculty who value both research and critical thinking will consider using the CBI method. PMID:18765755

Comparison of traditional advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) course instruction vs. a scenario-based, performance oriented team instruction (SPOTI) method for Korean paramedic students.

PubMed

Lee, Christopher C; Im, Mark; Kim, Tae Min; Stapleton, Edward R; Kim, Kyuseok; Suh, Gil Joon; Singer, Adam J; Henry, Mark C

2010-01-01

Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course instruction involves a 2-day course with traditional lectures and limited team interaction. We wish to explore the advantages of a scenario-based performance-oriented team instruction (SPOTI) method to implement core ACLS skills for non-English-speaking international paramedic students. The objective of this study was to determine if scenario-based, performance-oriented team instruction (SPOTI) improves educational outcomes for the ACLS instruction of Korean paramedic students. Thirty Korean paramedic students were randomly selected into two groups. One group of 15 students was taught the traditional ACLS course. The other 15 students were instructed using a SPOTI method. Each group was tested using ACLS megacode examinations endorsed by the American Heart Association. All 30 students passed the ACLS megacode examination. In the traditional ACLS study group an average of 85% of the core skills were met. In the SPOTI study group an average of 93% of the core skills were met. In particular, the SPOTI study group excelled at physical examination skills such as airway opening, assessment of breathing, signs of circulation, and compression rates. In addition, the SPOTI group performed with higher marks on rhythm recognition compared to the traditional group. The traditional group performed with higher marks at providing proper drug dosages compared to the SPOTI students. However, the students enrolled in the SPOTI method resulted in higher megacode core compliance scores compared to students trained in traditional ACLS course instruction. These differences did not achieve statistical significance due to the small sample size. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparative study of traditional lecture methods and interactive lecture methods in introductory geology courses for non-science majors at the college level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hundley, Stacey A.

In recent years there has been a national call for reform in undergraduate science education. The goal of this reform movement in science education is to develop ways to improve undergraduate student learning with an emphasis on developing more effective teaching practices. Introductory science courses at the college level are generally taught using a traditional lecture format. Recent studies have shown incorporating active learning strategies within the traditional lecture classroom has positive effects on student outcomes. This study focuses on incorporating interactive teaching methods into the traditional lecture classroom to enhance student learning for non-science majors enrolled in introductory geology courses at a private university. Students' experience and instructional preferences regarding introductory geology courses were identified from survey data analysis. The information gained from responses to the questionnaire was utilized to develop an interactive lecture introductory geology course for non-science majors. Student outcomes were examined in introductory geology courses based on two teaching methods: interactive lecture and traditional lecture. There were no significant statistical differences between the groups based on the student outcomes and teaching methods. Incorporating interactive lecture methods did not statistically improve student outcomes when compared to traditional lecture teaching methods. However, the responses to the survey revealed students have a preference for introductory geology courses taught with lecture and instructor-led discussions and students prefer to work independently or in small groups. The results of this study are useful to individuals who teach introductory geology courses and individuals who teach introductory science courses for non-science majors at the college level.

A Recipe for Inquiry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Jesse

2003-01-01

Explains the difference between traditional and inquiry-based chemistry experiments. Modifies a traditional cookbook laboratory for determining molar volume of gas to include inquiry. Also discusses methods for assessment. (Author/NB)

Detecting spatial regimes in ecosystems | Science Inventory ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Research on early warning indicators has generally focused on assessing temporal transitions with limited application of these methods to detecting spatial regimes. Traditional spatial boundary detection procedures that result in ecoregion maps are typically based on ecological potential (i.e. potential vegetation), and often fail to account for ongoing changes due to stressors such as land use change and climate change and their effects on plant and animal communities. We use Fisher information, an information theory based method, on both terrestrial and aquatic animal data (US Breeding Bird Survey and marine zooplankton) to identify ecological boundaries, and compare our results to traditional early warning indicators, conventional ecoregion maps, and multivariate analysis such as nMDS (non-metric Multidimensional Scaling) and cluster analysis. We successfully detect spatial regimes and transitions in both terrestrial and aquatic systems using Fisher information. Furthermore, Fisher information provided explicit spatial information about community change that is absent from other multivariate approaches. Our results suggest that defining spatial regimes based on animal communities may better reflect ecological reality than do traditional ecoregion maps, especially in our current era of rapid and unpredictable ecological change. Use an information theory based method to identify ecological boundaries and compare our results to traditional early warning

[Advances of studies on new technology and method for identifying traditional Chinese medicinal materials].

PubMed

Chen, Shilin; Guo, Baolin; Zhang, Guijun; Yan, Zhuyun; Luo, Guangming; Sun, Suqin; Wu, Hezhen; Huang, Linfang; Pang, Xiaohui; Chen, Jianbo

2012-04-01

In this review, the authors summarized the new technologies and methods for identifying traditional Chinese medicinal materials, including molecular identification, chemical identification, morphological identification, microscopic identification and identification based on biological effects. The authors introduced the principle, characteristics, application and prospect on each new technology or method and compared their advantages and disadvantages. In general, new methods make the result more objective and accurate. DNA barcoding technique and spectroscopy identification have their owner obvious strongpoint in universality and digitalization. In the near future, the two techniques are promising to be the main trend for identifying traditional Chinese medicinal materials. The identification techniques based on microscopy, liquid chromatography, PCR, biological effects and DNA chip will be indispensable supplements. However, the bionic identification technology is just placed in the developing stage at present.

A Method of Classifying Tongue Colors for Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis Based on the CIELAB Color Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bocong; Huang, Qingmei; Lu, Yan; Chen, Songhe; Liang, Rong; Wang, Zhaoping

Objective tongue color analysis is an important research point for tongue diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In this paper a research based on the clinical process of diagnosing tongue color is reported. The color data in RGB color space were first transformed into the data in CIELAB color space, and the color gamut of the displayed tongue was obtained. Then a numerical method of tongue color classification based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (for example: light white tongue, light red tongue, red tongue) was developed. The conclusion is that this research can give the description and classification of the tongue color close to those given by human vision and may be carried out in clinical diagnosis.

The Use Potential of Traditional Building Materials for the Realization of Structures by Modern Methods of Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spišáková, Marcela; Mačková, Daniela

2015-11-01

The sustainable building has taken off in recent years with many investors looking for new and different methods of construction. The traditional building materials can be made out of natural materials, while others can help to lower energy costs of the occupant once built. Regardless of what the goal of the investor is, traditional building materials and their use is on the rise. The submitted paper provides an overview of natural building materials and possible modern building systems using these construction materials. Based on the questionnaire survey is defined the use potential of traditional building materials for the realization of the construction by methods of modern constructions and then are determined the drivers and barriers of traditional materials through using modern methods of construction. Considering the analysis of the achieved results, we can identify the gaps in the construction market in Slovakia and also to assess the perception of potential investors in the field of traditional building materials use, which is the purpose of submitted paper.

DNA Barcoding for the Identification and Authentication of Animal Species in Traditional Medicine.

PubMed

Yang, Fan; Ding, Fei; Chen, Hong; He, Mingqi; Zhu, Shixin; Ma, Xin; Jiang, Li; Li, Haifeng

2018-01-01

Animal-based traditional medicine not only plays a significant role in therapeutic practices worldwide but also provides a potential compound library for drug discovery. However, persistent hunting and illegal trade markedly threaten numerous medicinal animal species, and increasing demand further provokes the emergence of various adulterants. As the conventional methods are difficult and time-consuming to detect processed products or identify animal species with similar morphology, developing novel authentication methods for animal-based traditional medicine represents an urgent need. During the last decade, DNA barcoding offers an accurate and efficient strategy that can identify existing species and discover unknown species via analysis of sequence variation in a standardized region of DNA. Recent studies have shown that DNA barcoding as well as minibarcoding and metabarcoding is capable of identifying animal species and discriminating the authentics from the adulterants in various types of traditional medicines, including raw materials, processed products, and complex preparations. These techniques can also be used to detect the unlabelled and threatened animal species in traditional medicine. Here, we review the recent progress of DNA barcoding for the identification and authentication of animal species used in traditional medicine, which provides a reference for quality control and trade supervision of animal-based traditional medicine.

DNA Barcoding for the Identification and Authentication of Animal Species in Traditional Medicine

PubMed Central

Yang, Fan; Ding, Fei; Chen, Hong; He, Mingqi; Zhu, Shixin; Ma, Xin; Jiang, Li

2018-01-01

Animal-based traditional medicine not only plays a significant role in therapeutic practices worldwide but also provides a potential compound library for drug discovery. However, persistent hunting and illegal trade markedly threaten numerous medicinal animal species, and increasing demand further provokes the emergence of various adulterants. As the conventional methods are difficult and time-consuming to detect processed products or identify animal species with similar morphology, developing novel authentication methods for animal-based traditional medicine represents an urgent need. During the last decade, DNA barcoding offers an accurate and efficient strategy that can identify existing species and discover unknown species via analysis of sequence variation in a standardized region of DNA. Recent studies have shown that DNA barcoding as well as minibarcoding and metabarcoding is capable of identifying animal species and discriminating the authentics from the adulterants in various types of traditional medicines, including raw materials, processed products, and complex preparations. These techniques can also be used to detect the unlabelled and threatened animal species in traditional medicine. Here, we review the recent progress of DNA barcoding for the identification and authentication of animal species used in traditional medicine, which provides a reference for quality control and trade supervision of animal-based traditional medicine. PMID:29849709

Traditional and modern plant breeding methods with examples in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Breseghello, Flavio; Coelho, Alexandre Siqueira Guedes

2013-09-04

Plant breeding can be broadly defined as alterations caused in plants as a result of their use by humans, ranging from unintentional changes resulting from the advent of agriculture to the application of molecular tools for precision breeding. The vast diversity of breeding methods can be simplified into three categories: (i) plant breeding based on observed variation by selection of plants based on natural variants appearing in nature or within traditional varieties; (ii) plant breeding based on controlled mating by selection of plants presenting recombination of desirable genes from different parents; and (iii) plant breeding based on monitored recombination by selection of specific genes or marker profiles, using molecular tools for tracking within-genome variation. The continuous application of traditional breeding methods in a given species could lead to the narrowing of the gene pool from which cultivars are drawn, rendering crops vulnerable to biotic and abiotic stresses and hampering future progress. Several methods have been devised for introducing exotic variation into elite germplasm without undesirable effects. Cases in rice are given to illustrate the potential and limitations of different breeding approaches.

Research on the selection of innovation compound using Possibility Construction Space Theory and fuzzy pattern recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Songhua; Li, Dehua; Nie, Hui

2009-10-01

There are a large number of fuzzy concepts and fuzzy phenomena in traditional Chinese medicine, which have led to great difficulties for study of traditional Chinese medicine. In this paper, the mathematical methods are used to quantify fuzzy concepts of drugs and prescription. We put forward the process of innovation formulations and selection method in Chinese medicine based on the Possibility Construction Space Theory (PCST) and fuzzy pattern recognition. Experimental results show that the method of selecting medicines from a number of characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine is consistent with the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine. The results also reflect the integrated effects of the innovation compound. Through the use of the innovation formulations system, we expect to provide software tools for developing new traditional Chinese medicine and to inspire traditional Chinese medicine researchers to develop novel drugs.

Comparing Methods for Assessing Reliability Uncertainty Based on Pass/Fail Data Collected Over Time

DOE PAGES

Abes, Jeff I.; Hamada, Michael S.; Hills, Charles R.

2017-12-20

In this paper, we compare statistical methods for analyzing pass/fail data collected over time; some methods are traditional and one (the RADAR or Rationale for Assessing Degradation Arriving at Random) was recently developed. These methods are used to provide uncertainty bounds on reliability. We make observations about the methods' assumptions and properties. Finally, we illustrate the differences between two traditional methods, logistic regression and Weibull failure time analysis, and the RADAR method using a numerical example.

Comparing Methods for Assessing Reliability Uncertainty Based on Pass/Fail Data Collected Over Time

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

Abes, Jeff I.; Hamada, Michael S.; Hills, Charles R.

In this paper, we compare statistical methods for analyzing pass/fail data collected over time; some methods are traditional and one (the RADAR or Rationale for Assessing Degradation Arriving at Random) was recently developed. These methods are used to provide uncertainty bounds on reliability. We make observations about the methods' assumptions and properties. Finally, we illustrate the differences between two traditional methods, logistic regression and Weibull failure time analysis, and the RADAR method using a numerical example.

Field calibration of blowfly-derived DNA against traditional methods for assessing mammal diversity in tropical forests.

PubMed

Lee, Ping-Shin; Gan, Han Ming; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Wilson, John-James

2016-11-01

Mammal diversity assessments based on DNA derived from invertebrates have been suggested as alternatives to assessments based on traditional methods; however, no study has field-tested both approaches simultaneously. In Peninsular Malaysia, we calibrated the performance of mammal DNA derived from blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) against traditional methods used to detect species. We first compared five methods (cage trapping, mist netting, hair trapping, scat collection, and blowfly-derived DNA) in a forest reserve with no recent reports of megafauna. Blowfly-derived DNA and mist netting detected the joint highest number of species (n = 6). Only one species was detected by multiple methods. Compared to the other methods, blowfly-derived DNA detected both volant and non-volant species. In another forest reserve, rich in megafauna, we calibrated blowfly-derived DNA against camera traps. Blowfly-derived DNA detected more species (n = 11) than camera traps (n = 9), with only one species detected by both methods. The rarefaction curve indicated that blowfly-derived DNA would continue to detect more species with greater sampling effort. With further calibration, blowfly-derived DNA may join the list of traditional field methods. Areas for further investigation include blowfly feeding and dispersal biology, primer biases, and the assembly of a comprehensive and taxonomically-consistent DNA barcode reference library.

Optimal back-extrapolation method for estimating plasma volume in humans using the indocyanine green dilution method

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The indocyanine green dilution method is one of the methods available to estimate plasma volume, although some researchers have questioned the accuracy of this method. Methods We developed a new, physiologically based mathematical model of indocyanine green kinetics that more accurately represents indocyanine green kinetics during the first few minutes postinjection than what is assumed when using the traditional mono-exponential back-extrapolation method. The mathematical model is used to develop an optimal back-extrapolation method for estimating plasma volume based on simulated indocyanine green kinetics obtained from the physiological model. Results Results from a clinical study using the indocyanine green dilution method in 36 subjects with type 2 diabetes indicate that the estimated plasma volumes are considerably lower when using the traditional back-extrapolation method than when using the proposed back-extrapolation method (mean (standard deviation) plasma volume = 26.8 (5.4) mL/kg for the traditional method vs 35.1 (7.0) mL/kg for the proposed method). The results obtained using the proposed method are more consistent with previously reported plasma volume values. Conclusions Based on the more physiological representation of indocyanine green kinetics and greater consistency with previously reported plasma volume values, the new back-extrapolation method is proposed for use when estimating plasma volume using the indocyanine green dilution method. PMID:25052018

Problem Based Learning: An Alternative to Traditional Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rouse, Michael W.

1990-01-01

A growing number of health care educators are concerned with the effectiveness of the traditional approach for educating health care practitioners. The problem-based learning approach has been advocated as an effective alternative method for addressing many current concerns and for producing a more effective doctor. (Author/MSE)

Connecting Theory to Practice: Evaluating a Brain-Based Writing Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffee, Dale T.

2007-01-01

This 10 week longitudinal evaluation study evaluated a brain-based learning curriculum proposed by Smilkstein (2003) by comparing student performance in a traditional basic writing curriculum with NHLP-oriented basic writing curriculum. The study included two classes each of experimental and traditional methods. Results of the data, gathered by…

Traditional healers and the potential for collaboration with the national tuberculosis programme in Vanuatu: results from a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background This study was conducted in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Our objective was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice of traditional healers who treat lung diseases and tuberculosis (TB), including their willingness to collaborate with the national TB programme. Methods This was a descriptive study using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative analysis was based on the responses provided to closed-ended questions, and we used descriptive analysis (frequencies) to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practice of the traditional healers towards TB. Qualitative analysis was based on open-ended questions permitting fuller explanations. We used thematic analysis and developed a posteriori inductive categories to draw original and unbiased conclusions. Results Nineteen traditional healers were interviewed; 18 were male. Fifteen of the healers reported treating short wind (a local term to describe lung, chest or breathing illnesses) which they attributed to food, alcohol, smoking or pollution from contact with menstrual blood, and a range of other physical and spiritual causes. Ten said that they would treat TB with leaf medicine. Four traditional healers said that they would not treat TB. Twelve of the healers had referred someone to a hospital for a strong wet-cough and just over half of the healers (9) reported a previous collaboration with the Government health care system. Eighteen of the traditional healers would be willing to collaborate with the national TB programme, with or without compensation. Conclusions Traditional healers in Vanuatu treat lung diseases including TB. Many have previously collaborated with the Government funded health care system, and almost all of them indicated a willingness to collaborate with the national TB programme. The engagement of traditional healers in TB management should be considered, using an evidence based and culturally sensitive approach. PMID:24758174

Eyeball Position in Facial Approximation: Accuracy of Methods for Predicting Globe Positioning in Lateral View.

PubMed

Zednikova Mala, Pavla; Veleminska, Jana

2018-01-01

This study measured the accuracy of traditional and validated newly proposed methods for globe positioning in lateral view. Eighty lateral head cephalograms of adult subjects from Central Europe were taken, and the actual and predicted dimensions were compared. The anteroposterior eyeball position was estimated as the most accurate method based on the proportion of the orbital height (SEE = 1.9 mm) and was followed by the "tangent to the iris method" showing SEE = 2.4 mm. The traditional "tangent to the cornea method" underestimated the eyeball projection by SEE = 5.8 mm. Concerning the superoinferior eyeball position, the results showed a deviation from a central to a more superior position by 0.3 mm, on average, and the traditional method of central positioning of the globe could not be rejected as inaccurate (SEE = 0.3 mm). Based on regression analyzes or proportionality of the orbital height, the SEE = 2.1 mm. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

To Infinity and Beyond: Using a Narrative Approach to Identify Training Needs for Unknown and Dynamic Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dachner, Alison M.; Saxton, Brian M.; Noe, Raymond A.; Keeton, Kathryn E.

2013-01-01

Training effectiveness depends on conducting a thorough needs assessment. Traditional needs assessment methods are insufficient for today's business environment characterized by rapid pace, risk, and uncertainty. To overcome the deficiencies of traditional needs assessment methods, a narrative-based unstructured interview approach with subject…

Towards a formal genealogical classification of the Lezgian languages (North Caucasus): testing various phylogenetic methods on lexical data.

PubMed

Kassian, Alexei

2015-01-01

A lexicostatistical classification is proposed for 20 languages and dialects of the Lezgian group of the North Caucasian family, based on meticulously compiled 110-item wordlists, published as part of the Global Lexicostatistical Database project. The lexical data have been subsequently analyzed with the aid of the principal phylogenetic methods, both distance-based and character-based: Starling neighbor joining (StarlingNJ), Neighbor joining (NJ), Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), Unweighted maximum parsimony (UMP). Cognation indexes within the input matrix were marked by two different algorithms: traditional etymological approach and phonetic similarity, i.e., the automatic method of consonant classes (Levenshtein distances). Due to certain reasons (first of all, high lexicographic quality of the wordlists and a consensus about the Lezgian phylogeny among Caucasologists), the Lezgian database is a perfect testing area for appraisal of phylogenetic methods. For the etymology-based input matrix, all the phylogenetic methods, with the possible exception of UMP, have yielded trees that are sufficiently compatible with each other to generate a consensus phylogenetic tree of the Lezgian lects. The obtained consensus tree agrees with the traditional expert classification as well as some of the previously proposed formal classifications of this linguistic group. Contrary to theoretical expectations, the UMP method has suggested the least plausible tree of all. In the case of the phonetic similarity-based input matrix, the distance-based methods (StarlingNJ, NJ, UPGMA) have produced the trees that are rather close to the consensus etymology-based tree and the traditional expert classification, whereas the character-based methods (Bayesian MCMC, UMP) have yielded less likely topologies.

Towards a Formal Genealogical Classification of the Lezgian Languages (North Caucasus): Testing Various Phylogenetic Methods on Lexical Data

PubMed Central

Kassian, Alexei

2015-01-01

A lexicostatistical classification is proposed for 20 languages and dialects of the Lezgian group of the North Caucasian family, based on meticulously compiled 110-item wordlists, published as part of the Global Lexicostatistical Database project. The lexical data have been subsequently analyzed with the aid of the principal phylogenetic methods, both distance-based and character-based: Starling neighbor joining (StarlingNJ), Neighbor joining (NJ), Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), Unweighted maximum parsimony (UMP). Cognation indexes within the input matrix were marked by two different algorithms: traditional etymological approach and phonetic similarity, i.e., the automatic method of consonant classes (Levenshtein distances). Due to certain reasons (first of all, high lexicographic quality of the wordlists and a consensus about the Lezgian phylogeny among Caucasologists), the Lezgian database is a perfect testing area for appraisal of phylogenetic methods. For the etymology-based input matrix, all the phylogenetic methods, with the possible exception of UMP, have yielded trees that are sufficiently compatible with each other to generate a consensus phylogenetic tree of the Lezgian lects. The obtained consensus tree agrees with the traditional expert classification as well as some of the previously proposed formal classifications of this linguistic group. Contrary to theoretical expectations, the UMP method has suggested the least plausible tree of all. In the case of the phonetic similarity-based input matrix, the distance-based methods (StarlingNJ, NJ, UPGMA) have produced the trees that are rather close to the consensus etymology-based tree and the traditional expert classification, whereas the character-based methods (Bayesian MCMC, UMP) have yielded less likely topologies. PMID:25719456

Traditional methods v. new technologies - dilemmas for dietary assessment in large-scale nutrition surveys and studies: a report following an international panel discussion at the 9th International Conference on Diet and Activity Methods (ICDAM9), Brisbane, 3 September 2015.

PubMed

Amoutzopoulos, B; Steer, T; Roberts, C; Cade, J E; Boushey, C J; Collins, C E; Trolle, E; de Boer, E J; Ziauddeen, N; van Rossum, C; Buurma, E; Coyle, D; Page, P

2018-01-01

The aim of the present paper is to summarise current and future applications of dietary assessment technologies in nutrition surveys in developed countries. It includes the discussion of key points and highlights of subsequent developments from a panel discussion to address strengths and weaknesses of traditional dietary assessment methods (food records, FFQ, 24 h recalls, diet history with interviewer-assisted data collection) v. new technology-based dietary assessment methods (web-based and mobile device applications). The panel discussion 'Traditional methods v. new technologies: dilemmas for dietary assessment in population surveys', was held at the 9th International Conference on Diet and Activity Methods (ICDAM9), Brisbane, September 2015. Despite respondent and researcher burden, traditional methods have been most commonly used in nutrition surveys. However, dietary assessment technologies offer potential advantages including faster data processing and better data quality. This is a fast-moving field and there is evidence of increasing demand for the use of new technologies amongst the general public and researchers. There is a need for research and investment to support efforts being made to facilitate the inclusion of new technologies for rapid, accurate and representative data.

Eventogram: A Visual Representation of Main Events in Biomedical Signals.

PubMed

Elgendi, Mohamed

2016-09-22

Biomedical signals carry valuable physiological information and many researchers have difficulty interpreting and analyzing long-term, one-dimensional, quasi-periodic biomedical signals. Traditionally, biomedical signals are analyzed and visualized using periodogram, spectrogram, and wavelet methods. However, these methods do not offer an informative visualization of main events within the processed signal. This paper attempts to provide an event-related framework to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional visualization methods and describe the main events within the biomedical signal in terms of duration and morphology. Electrocardiogram and photoplethysmogram signals are used in the analysis to demonstrate the differences between the traditional visualization methods, and their performance is compared against the proposed method, referred to as the " eventogram " in this paper. The proposed method is based on two event-related moving averages that visualizes the main time-domain events in the processed biomedical signals. The traditional visualization methods were unable to find dominant events in processed signals while the eventogram was able to visualize dominant events in signals in terms of duration and morphology. Moreover, eventogram -based detection algorithms succeeded with detecting main events in different biomedical signals with a sensitivity and positive predictivity >95%. The output of the eventogram captured unique patterns and signatures of physiological events, which could be used to visualize and identify abnormal waveforms in any quasi-periodic signal.

Comparing the Effects of Simulation-Based and Traditional Teaching Methods on the Critical Thinking Abilities and Self-Confidence of Nursing Students.

PubMed

Alamrani, Mashael Hasan; Alammar, Kamila Ahmad; Alqahtani, Sarah Saad; Salem, Olfat A

2018-06-01

Critical thinking and self-confidence are imperative to success in clinical practice. Educators should use teaching strategies that will help students enhance their critical thinking and self-confidence in complex content such as electrocardiogram interpretation. Therefore, teaching electrocardiogram interpretation to students is important for nurse educators. This study compares the effect of simulation-based and traditional teaching methods on the critical thinking and self-confidence of students during electrocardiogram interpretation sessions. Thirty undergraduate nursing students volunteered to participate in this study. The participants were divided into intervention and control groups, which were taught respectively using the simulation-based and traditional teaching programs. All of the participants were asked to complete the study instrumentpretest and posttest to measure their critical thinking and self-confidence. Improvement was observed in the control and experimental groups with respect to critical thinking and self-confidence, as evidenced by the results of the paired samples t test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p < .05). However, the independent t test and Mann-Whitney U test indicate that the difference between the two groups was not significant (p > .05). This study evaluated an innovative simulation-based teaching method for nurses. No significant differences in outcomes were identified between the simulator-based and traditional teaching methods, indicating that well-implemented educational programs that use either teaching method effectively promote critical thinking and self-confidence in nursing students. Nurse educators are encouraged to design educational plans with clear objectives to improve the critical thinking and self-confidence of their students. Future research should compare the effects of several teaching sessions using each method in a larger sample.

Development of a novel and highly efficient method of isolating bacteriophages from water.

PubMed

Liu, Weili; Li, Chao; Qiu, Zhi-Gang; Jin, Min; Wang, Jing-Feng; Yang, Dong; Xiao, Zhong-Hai; Yuan, Zhao-Kang; Li, Jun-Wen; Xu, Qun-Ying; Shen, Zhi-Qiang

2017-08-01

Bacteriophages are widely used to the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria and the improvement of food safety through bacterial lysis. However, the limited investigations on bacteriophage restrict their further application. In this study, a novel and highly efficient method was developed for isolating bacteriophage from water based on the electropositive silica gel particles (ESPs) method. To optimize the ESPs method, we evaluated the eluent type, flow rate, pH, temperature, and inoculation concentration of bacteriophage using bacteriophage f2. The quantitative detection reported that the recovery of the ESPs method reached over 90%. The qualitative detection demonstrated that the ESPs method effectively isolated 70% of extremely low-concentration bacteriophage (10 0 PFU/100L). Based on the host bacteria composed of 33 standard strains and 10 isolated strains, the bacteriophages in 18 water samples collected from the three sites in the Tianjin Haihe River Basin were isolated by the ESPs and traditional methods. Results showed that the ESPs method was significantly superior to the traditional method. The ESPs method isolated 32 strains of bacteriophage, whereas the traditional method isolated 15 strains. The sample isolation efficiency and bacteriophage isolation efficiency of the ESPs method were 3.28 and 2.13 times higher than those of the traditional method. The developed ESPs method was characterized by high isolation efficiency, efficient handling of large water sample size and low requirement on water quality. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of traditional and interactive teaching methods in a UK emergency department.

PubMed

Armstrong, Peter; Elliott, Tim; Ronald, Julie; Paterson, Brodie

2009-12-01

Didactic teaching remains a core component of undergraduate education, but developing computer assisted learning (CAL) packages may provide useful alternatives. We compared the effectiveness of interactive multimedia-based tutorials with traditional, lecture-based models for teaching arterial blood gas interpretation to fourth year medical students. Participants were randomized to complete a tutorial in either lecture or multimedia format containing identical content. Upon completion, students answered five multiple choice questions assessing post-tutorial knowledge, and provided feedback on their allocated learning method. Marks revealed no significant difference between either group. All lecture candidates rated their teaching as good, compared with 89% of the CAL group. All CAL users found multiple choice questions assessment useful, compared with 83% of lecture participants. Both groups highlighted the importance of interaction. CAL complements other teaching methods, but should be seen as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, traditional methods, thus offering students a blended learning environment.

Learning outcomes of "The Oncology Patient" study among nursing students: A comparison of teaching strategies.

PubMed

Roca, Judith; Reguant, Mercedes; Canet, Olga

2016-11-01

Teaching strategies are essential in order to facilitate meaningful learning and the development of high-level thinking skills in students. To compare three teaching methodologies (problem-based learning, case-based teaching and traditional methods) in terms of the learning outcomes achieved by nursing students. This quasi-experimental research was carried out in the Nursing Degree programme in a group of 74 students who explored the subject of The Oncology Patient through the aforementioned strategies. A performance test was applied based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. A significant correlation was found between the intragroup theoretical and theoretical-practical dimensions. Likewise, intergroup differences were related to each teaching methodology. Hence, significant differences were estimated between the traditional methodology (x-=9.13), case-based teaching (x-=12.96) and problem-based learning (x-=14.84). Problem-based learning was shown to be the most successful learning method, followed by case-based teaching and the traditional methodology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Estimating medicinal yield of Seutellaria baicalensis in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region based on 3S technology].

PubMed

Liu, Jin-xinp; Lu, Heng; Zeng, Yan; Yue, Jian-wei; Meng, Fan-yun; Zhang, Yi-guang

2012-09-01

Resources survey of traditional Chinese medicine and reserves estimation are found to be the most important issues for the protection and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources, this paper used multi-spatial resolution remote sensing images (RS) , geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) , to establish Scutellaria resources survey of 3S data platform. Combined with the traditional field survey methods, small-scale habitat types were established based on different skullcap reserve estimation model, which can estimate reserves of the wild Scutellaria in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and improve the estimation accuracy. It can provide an important parameter for the fourth national survey of traditional Chinese medicine resources and traditional Chinese medicine reserves estimates based on 3S technology by multiple spatial scales model.

Evaluation of team-based learning in a doctor of physical therapy curriculum in the United States.

PubMed

Lein, Donald H; Lowman, John D; Eidson, Christopher A; Yuen, Hon K

2017-01-01

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate students' academic outcomes after implementation of the team-based learning (TBL) approach in patient/client management courses in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curriculum. The research design of this study involved comparing written and practical exam scores from DPT student cohorts taught with the traditional instructional methods (lecture-based) to those of students from subsequent cohorts taught using the TBL approach in two patient/client management courses: basic skills and cardiopulmonary. For this comparison, the exams used, the number of contact hours and labs, and the instructors who taught these courses remained the same during the transition between these two instructional methods (traditional vs. TBL). The average of all individual course exam scores was used for data analysis. In both courses, there were no meaningful differences in the mean exam scores among students across years of cohorts receiving the same instructional method, which allowed clustering students from different years of cohorts in each course receiving the same instructional method into one group. For both courses, the mean exam score was significantly higher in the TBL group than in the traditional instruction group: basic skills course (P<0.001) and cardiopulmonary course (P<0.001). Student cohorts taught using the TBL approach academically outperformed those who received the traditional instructional method in both entry-level DPT patient/client management courses.

Traditional Indian medicine (TIM) and traditional Korean medicine (TKM): aconstitutional-based concept and comparison.

PubMed

Kang, Young Min; Komakech, Richard; Karigar, Chandrakant Shivappa; Saqib, Asma

2017-06-01

Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) plays an integral role in providing health care worldwide. It is based on sound fundamental principles and centuries of practices. This study compared traditional Indian medicine (TIM) and traditional Korean medicine (TKM) basing on data obtained from peer reviewed articles, respective government institutional reports and World Health Organization reports. Despite the fact that TIM and TKM have individual qualities that are unique from each other including different histories of origin, they share a lot in common. Apart from Homeopathy in TIM, both systems are hinged on similar principle of body constitutional-based concept and similar disease diagnosis methods of mainly auscultation, palpation, visual inspection, and interrogation. Similarly, the treatment methods of TIM and TKM follow similar patterns involving use of medicinal herbs, moxibustion, acupuncture, cupping, and manual therapy. Both T&CM are majorly practiced in well-established hospitals by T&CM doctors who have undergone an average of 6-7 years of specialized trainings. However, unlike TIM which has less insurance coverage, the popularity of TKM is majorly due to its wide national insurance coverage. These two medical traditions occupy increasingly greater portion of the global market. However, TIM especially Ayurveda has gained more global recognition than TKM although the emergence of Sasang Constitutional Medicine in TKM is beginning to become more popular. This comparative analysis between TIM and TKM may provide vital and insightful contribution towards constitutional-based concept for further development and future studies in T&CM.

Differences in Characteristics of Online versus Traditional Students: Implications for Target Marketing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pentina, Iryna; Neeley, Concha

2007-01-01

This study provides insight for educators and administrators into differences between students enrolled in Web-based and traditional classes as online learning enters the growth stage of its product life cycle. We identify characteristics that differentiate online students from those who prefer traditional education methods in order to offer more…

Comparative Effectiveness of Context-Based and Traditional Approaches in Teaching Genetics: Student Views and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazeni, Monde; Onwu, Gilbert

2013-01-01

The study aimed to determine the comparative effectiveness of context-based and traditional teaching approaches in enhancing student achievement in genetics, problem-solving, science inquiry and decision-making skills, and attitude towards the study of life sciences. A mixed method but essentially quantitative research approach involving a…

Improving Nursing Students' Learning Outcomes in Fundamentals of Nursing Course through Combination of Traditional and e-Learning Methods

PubMed Central

Sheikhaboumasoudi, Rouhollah; Bagheri, Maryam; Hosseini, Sayed Abbas; Ashouri, Elaheh; Elahi, Nasrin

2018-01-01

Background: Fundamentals of nursing course are prerequisite to providing comprehensive nursing care. Despite development of technology on nursing education, effectiveness of using e-learning methods in fundamentals of nursing course is unclear in clinical skills laboratory for nursing students. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of blended learning (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) with traditional learning alone on nursing students' scores. Materials and Methods: A two-group post-test experimental study was administered from February 2014 to February 2015. Two groups of nursing students who were taking the fundamentals of nursing course in Iran were compared. Sixty nursing students were selected as control group (just traditional learning methods) and experimental group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) for two consecutive semesters. Both groups participated in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and were evaluated in the same way using a prepared checklist and questionnaire of satisfaction. Statistical analysis was conducted through SPSS software version 16. Results: Findings of this study reflected that mean of midterm (t = 2.00, p = 0.04) and final score (t = 2.50, p = 0.01) of the intervention group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) were significantly higher than the control group (traditional learning methods). The satisfaction of male students in intervention group was higher than in females (t = 2.60, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Based on the findings, this study suggests that the use of combining traditional learning methods with e-learning methods such as applying educational website and interactive online resources for fundamentals of nursing course instruction can be an effective supplement for improving nursing students' clinical skills. PMID:29861761

Pre-Nursing Students Perceptions of Traditional and Inquiry Based Chemistry Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Jessica

This paper describes a process that attempted to meet the needs of undergraduate students in a pre-nursing chemistry class. The laboratory was taught in traditional verification style and students were surveyed to assess their perceptions of the educational goals of the laboratory. A literature review resulted in an inquiry based method and analysis of the needs of nurses resulted in more application based activities. This new inquiry format was implemented the next semester, the students were surveyed at the end of the semester and results were compared to the previous method. Student and instructor response to the change in format was positive. Students in the traditional format placed goals concerning technique above critical thinking and felt the lab was easy to understand and carry out. Students in the inquiry based lab felt they learned more critical thinking skills and enjoyed the independence of designing experiments and answering their own questions.

A new route for dental graduates.

PubMed

Pocock, Ian

2007-01-01

The two dental faculties believe that the new examination will provide a modern, fit-for-purpose, innovative assessment for today's young dentist. The introduction of a workplace-based portfolio removes the reliance on traditional tests of knowledge and, together with the OSCE elements, allows for triangulation of methods to test the areas set out in the GPT Curriculum. Furthermore, the faculties hope that the evaluation of workplace-based experience, and decreased reliance on traditional examination methods, will also have greater meaning for young dental graduates.

Indian medical students' perspectives on problem-based learning experiences in the undergraduate curriculum: One size does not fit all.

PubMed

Nanda, Bijli; Manjunatha, Shankarappa

2013-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a well-established method for facilitating the learning of basic science concepts in the context of clinical cases. Relevant evidence is lacking regarding PBL's effectiveness and acceptability as perceived by students accustomed to classical traditional teaching in India. Hence, this study gathered students' opinions on PBL versus Traditional teaching methods to generate a foundation for institutional policymaking and ultimately, changes in the policy of regulatory bodies. A total of 773 first year medical students admitted from 2007-2010 in Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal University, India were asked to respond to a 15-item questionnaire evaluating their preferences for PBL or traditional methods such as lectures after undergoing a systematically conducted PBL session in physiology. Their responses were analyzed with an unpaired t-test. Their comments were also collected. PBL scored significantly higher for most items in the questionnaire for "learning efficiency" and "student-teacher relationship". The students' comments highlighted the importance of a trained tutor/facilitator to enhance the learning process. Our students are willing to adapt to the PBL method, although they recognize certain benefits of traditional pedagogy. For learning efficiency and the student-teacher relationship, the students feel that neither method holds an advantage. We recommend that the future medical curriculum in India be a hybrid form of PBL and traditional methods with specific training on the unfamiliar PBL approach for both faculty and students.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-02-01

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

The Impact of Social Media on Dissemination and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Longitudinal Observational Study

PubMed Central

Gronseth, Gary; Dubinsky, Richard; Penfold-Murray, Rebecca; Cox, Julie; Bever Jr, Christopher; Martins, Yolanda; Rheaume, Carol; Shouse, Denise; Getchius, Thomas SD

2015-01-01

Background Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are statements that provide recommendations to optimize patient care for a specific clinical problem or question. Merely reading a guideline rarely leads to implementation of recommendations. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has a formal process of guideline development and dissemination. The last few years have seen a burgeoning of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and newer methods of dissemination such as podcasts and webinars. The role of these media in guideline dissemination has not been studied. Systematic evaluation of dissemination methods and comparison of the effectiveness of newer methods with traditional methods is not available. It is also not known whether specific dissemination methods may be more effectively targeted to specific audiences. Objective Our aim was to (1) develop an innovative dissemination strategy by adding social media-based dissemination methods to traditional methods for the AAN clinical practice guidelines “Complementary and alternative medicine in multiple sclerosis” (“CAM in MS”) and (2) evaluate whether the addition of social media outreach improves awareness of the CPG and knowledge of CPG recommendations, and affects implementation of those recommendations. Methods Outcomes were measured by four surveys in each of the two target populations: patients and physicians/clinicians (“physicians”). The primary outcome was the difference in participants’ intent to discuss use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with their physicians or patients, respectively, after novel dissemination, as compared with that after traditional dissemination. Secondary outcomes were changes in awareness of the CPG, knowledge of CPG content, and behavior regarding CAM use in multiple sclerosis (MS). Results Response rates were 25.08% (622/2480) for physicians and 43.5% (348/800) for patients. Awareness of the CPG increased after traditional dissemination (absolute difference, 95% confidence interval: physicians 36%, 95% CI 25-46, and patients 10%, 95% CI 1-11) but did not increase further after novel dissemination (physicians 0%, 95% CI -11 to 11, and patients -4%, 95% CI -6 to 14). Intent to discuss CAM also increased after traditional dissemination but did not change after novel dissemination (traditional: physicians 12%, 95% CI 2-22, and patients 19%, 95% CI 3-33; novel: physicians 11%, 95% CI -1 to -21, and patients -8%, 95% CI -22 to 8). Knowledge of CPG recommendations and behavior regarding CAM use in MS did not change after either traditional dissemination or novel dissemination. Conclusions Social media-based dissemination methods did not confer additional benefit over print-, email-, and Internet-based methods in increasing CPG awareness and changing intent in physicians or patients. Research on audience selection, message formatting, and message delivery is required to utilize Web 2.0 technologies optimally for dissemination. PMID:26272267

Competency-Based Instruction for Marketing Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heath, Betty; Williams, Terry M.

1982-01-01

Which method of instruction is more effective for postsecondary students: competency-based or traditional? This study reveals that the effectiveness of one method over the other depends on work experience of the student. (Author)

Computed tomography landmark-based semi-automated mesh morphing and mapping techniques: generation of patient specific models of the human pelvis without segmentation.

PubMed

Salo, Zoryana; Beek, Maarten; Wright, David; Whyne, Cari Marisa

2015-04-13

Current methods for the development of pelvic finite element (FE) models generally are based upon specimen specific computed tomography (CT) data. This approach has traditionally required segmentation of CT data sets, which is time consuming and necessitates high levels of user intervention due to the complex pelvic anatomy. The purpose of this research was to develop and assess CT landmark-based semi-automated mesh morphing and mapping techniques to aid the generation and mechanical analysis of specimen-specific FE models of the pelvis without the need for segmentation. A specimen-specific pelvic FE model (source) was created using traditional segmentation methods and morphed onto a CT scan of a different (target) pelvis using a landmark-based method. The morphed model was then refined through mesh mapping by moving the nodes to the bone boundary. A second target model was created using traditional segmentation techniques. CT intensity based material properties were assigned to the morphed/mapped model and to the traditionally segmented target models. Models were analyzed to evaluate their geometric concurrency and strain patterns. Strains generated in a double-leg stance configuration were compared to experimental strain gauge data generated from the same target cadaver pelvis. CT landmark-based morphing and mapping techniques were efficiently applied to create a geometrically multifaceted specimen-specific pelvic FE model, which was similar to the traditionally segmented target model and better replicated the experimental strain results (R(2)=0.873). This study has shown that mesh morphing and mapping represents an efficient validated approach for pelvic FE model generation without the need for segmentation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clean and Green: Saving Water in the Operating Theatre

PubMed Central

Jehle, Karlheinz; Jarrett, Nick; Matthews, Shaun

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION There is a growing trend to use alcohol-based hand disinfectants in clinical practice. In addition to their antibacterial efficacy, these disinfectants offer an alternative to traditional surgical hand disinfection agents that can save water in the operating theatre. MATERIALS AND METHODS The amounts of water and soap used during traditional surgical hand disinfection with antiseptic soap preparations were measured and water usage over a 1-year period was estimated. Costs of traditional disinfection agents were compared with alcohol-based agents. RESULTS One surgical hand disinfection episode with traditional agents used 18.5 l of water. During 15,500 procedures performed at our institution over a 1-year period, 931,938 l of water were used which could have been saved had alcohol-based agents been used. Cost per episode of hand disinfection depends on the amounts used and is not higher compared to traditional agents. CONCLUSIONS The benefits of using an alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectant may include significant water savings, in addition to previously published advantages of improved efficacy. When deciding on the method of surgical hand disinfection, careful thought should be given to the use of water as a resource. Surgeons should be aware of the environmental impact of their profession. PMID:18201493

Improving Nursing Students' Learning Outcomes in Fundamentals of Nursing Course through Combination of Traditional and e-Learning Methods.

PubMed

Sheikhaboumasoudi, Rouhollah; Bagheri, Maryam; Hosseini, Sayed Abbas; Ashouri, Elaheh; Elahi, Nasrin

2018-01-01

Fundamentals of nursing course are prerequisite to providing comprehensive nursing care. Despite development of technology on nursing education, effectiveness of using e-learning methods in fundamentals of nursing course is unclear in clinical skills laboratory for nursing students. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of blended learning (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) with traditional learning alone on nursing students' scores. A two-group post-test experimental study was administered from February 2014 to February 2015. Two groups of nursing students who were taking the fundamentals of nursing course in Iran were compared. Sixty nursing students were selected as control group (just traditional learning methods) and experimental group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) for two consecutive semesters. Both groups participated in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and were evaluated in the same way using a prepared checklist and questionnaire of satisfaction. Statistical analysis was conducted through SPSS software version 16. Findings of this study reflected that mean of midterm (t = 2.00, p = 0.04) and final score (t = 2.50, p = 0.01) of the intervention group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) were significantly higher than the control group (traditional learning methods). The satisfaction of male students in intervention group was higher than in females (t = 2.60, p = 0.01). Based on the findings, this study suggests that the use of combining traditional learning methods with e-learning methods such as applying educational website and interactive online resources for fundamentals of nursing course instruction can be an effective supplement for improving nursing students' clinical skills.

GIS Based Distributed Runoff Predictions in Variable Source Area Watersheds Employing the SCS-Curve Number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenhuis, T. S.; Mendoza, G.; Lyon, S. W.; Gerard Marchant, P.; Walter, M. T.; Schneiderman, E.

2003-04-01

Because the traditional Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) approach continues to be ubiquitously used in GIS-BASED water quality models, new application methods are needed that are consistent with variable source area (VSA) hydrological processes in the landscape. We developed within an integrated GIS modeling environment a distributed approach for applying the traditional SCS-CN equation to watersheds where VSA hydrology is a dominant process. Spatial representation of hydrologic processes is important for watershed planning because restricting potentially polluting activities from runoff source areas is fundamental to controlling non-point source pollution. The methodology presented here uses the traditional SCS-CN method to predict runoff volume and spatial extent of saturated areas and uses a topographic index to distribute runoff source areas through watersheds. The resulting distributed CN-VSA method was incorporated in an existing GWLF water quality model and applied to sub-watersheds of the Delaware basin in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State. We found that the distributed CN-VSA approach provided a physically-based method that gives realistic results for watersheds with VSA hydrology.

[Construction of biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica].

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Wei, Li; Dong, Ling; Zhu, Mei-Ling; Tang, Ming-Min; Zhang, Lei

2014-12-01

Based on the characteristics of multicomponent of traditional Chinese medicine and drawing lessons from the concepts, methods and techniques of biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) in chemical field, this study comes up with the science framework of biopharmaceutics classification system of Chinese materia medica (CMMBCS). Using the different comparison method of multicomponent level and the CMMBCS method of overall traditional Chinese medicine, the study constructs the method process while setting forth academic thoughts and analyzing theory. The basic role of this system is clear to reveal the interaction and the related absorption mechanism of multicomponent in traditional Chinese medicine. It also provides new ideas and methods for improving the quality of Chinese materia medica and the development of new drug research.

[Method of traditional Chinese medicine formula design based on 3D-database pharmacophore search and patent retrieval].

PubMed

He, Yu-su; Sun, Zhi-yi; Zhang, Yan-ling

2014-11-01

By using the pharmacophore model of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists as a starting point, the experiment stud- ies the method of traditional Chinese medicine formula design for anti-hypertensive. Pharmacophore models were generated by 3D-QSAR pharmacophore (Hypogen) program of the DS3.5, based on the training set composed of 33 mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The best pharmacophore model consisted of two Hydrogen-bond acceptors, three Hydrophobic and four excluded volumes. Its correlation coefficient of training set and test set, N, and CAI value were 0.9534, 0.6748, 2.878, and 1.119. According to the database screening, 1700 active compounds from 86 source plant were obtained. Because of lacking of available anti-hypertensive medi cation strategy in traditional theory, this article takes advantage of patent retrieval in world traditional medicine patent database, in order to design drug formula. Finally, two formulae was obtained for antihypertensive.

Reformulation of Traditional Chamomile Oil: Quality Controls and Fingerprint Presentation Based on Cluster Analysis of Attenuated Total Reflectance–Infrared Spectral Data

PubMed Central

Sakhteman, Amirhossein; Faridi, Pouya; Daneshamouz, Saeid; Akbarizadeh, Amin Reza; Borhani-Haghighi, Afshin; Mohagheghzadeh, Abdolali

2017-01-01

Herbal oils have been widely used in Iran as medicinal compounds dating back to thousands of years in Iran. Chamomile oil is widely used as an example of traditional oil. We remade chamomile oils and tried to modify it with current knowledge and facilities. Six types of oil (traditional and modified) were prepared. Microbial limit tests and physicochemical tests were performed on them. Also, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis were done on the spectral data of attenuated total reflectance–infrared in order to obtain insight based on classification pattern of the samples. The results show that we can use modified versions of the chamomile oils (modified Clevenger-type apparatus method and microwave method) with the same content of traditional ones and with less microbial contaminations and better physicochemical properties. PMID:28585466

Reformulation of Traditional Chamomile Oil: Quality Controls and Fingerprint Presentation Based on Cluster Analysis of Attenuated Total Reflectance-Infrared Spectral Data.

PubMed

Zargaran, Arman; Sakhteman, Amirhossein; Faridi, Pouya; Daneshamouz, Saeid; Akbarizadeh, Amin Reza; Borhani-Haghighi, Afshin; Mohagheghzadeh, Abdolali

2017-10-01

Herbal oils have been widely used in Iran as medicinal compounds dating back to thousands of years in Iran. Chamomile oil is widely used as an example of traditional oil. We remade chamomile oils and tried to modify it with current knowledge and facilities. Six types of oil (traditional and modified) were prepared. Microbial limit tests and physicochemical tests were performed on them. Also, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis were done on the spectral data of attenuated total reflectance-infrared in order to obtain insight based on classification pattern of the samples. The results show that we can use modified versions of the chamomile oils (modified Clevenger-type apparatus method and microwave method) with the same content of traditional ones and with less microbial contaminations and better physicochemical properties.

Analysis of preparation of Chinese traditional medicine based on the fiber fingerprint drop trace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhilin; Wang, Jialu; Sun, Weimin; Yan, Qi

2010-11-01

The purpose of the fiber micro-drop analyzing technique is to measure the characteristics of liquids using optical methods. The fiber fingerprint drop trace (FFDT) is a curve of light intensity vs. time. This curve indicates the forming, growing and dripping processes of the liquid drops. A pair of fibers was used to monitor the dripping process. The FFDTs are acquired and analyzed by a computer. Different liquid samples of many kinds of preparation of Chinese traditional medicines were tested by using the fiber micro-drop sensor in the experiments. The FFDTs of preparation of Chinese traditional medicines with different concentrations were analyzed in different ways. Considering the characters of the FFDTs, a novel method is proposed to measure the different preparation of Chinese traditional medicines and its concentration based on the corresponding relationship of FFDTs and the physical and chemical parameters of the liquids.

Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample preparation approach for pesticide residue analysis using traditional detectors in chromatography: A review.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Musfiqur; Abd El-Aty, A M; Kim, Sung-Woo; Shin, Sung Chul; Shin, Ho-Chul; Shim, Jae-Han

2017-01-01

In pesticide residue analysis, relatively low-sensitivity traditional detectors, such as UV, diode array, electron-capture, flame photometric, and nitrogen-phosphorus detectors, have been used following classical sample preparation (liquid-liquid extraction and open glass column cleanup); however, the extraction method is laborious, time-consuming, and requires large volumes of toxic organic solvents. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method was introduced in 2003 and coupled with selective and sensitive mass detectors to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Compared to traditional detectors, mass spectrometers are still far more expensive and not available in most modestly equipped laboratories, owing to maintenance and cost-related issues. Even available, traditional detectors are still being used for analysis of residues in agricultural commodities. It is widely known that the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method is incompatible with conventional detectors owing to matrix complexity and low sensitivity. Therefore, modifications using column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction instead of dispersive solid-phase extraction for cleanup have been applied in most cases to compensate and enable the adaptation of the extraction method to conventional detectors. In gas chromatography, the matrix enhancement effect of some analytes has been observed, which lowers the limit of detection and, therefore, enables gas chromatography to be compatible with the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method. For liquid chromatography with a UV detector, a combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction was found to reduce the matrix interference and increase the sensitivity. A suitable double-layer column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction might be the perfect solution, instead of a time-consuming combination of column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction and dispersive solid-phase extraction. Therefore, replacing dispersive solid-phase extraction with column/cartridge-based solid-phase extraction in the cleanup step can make the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method compatible with traditional detectors for more sensitive, effective, and green analysis. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Object-oriented feature extraction approach for mapping supraglacial debris in Schirmacher Oasis using very high-resolution satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawak, Shridhar D.; Jadhav, Ajay; Luis, Alvarinho J.

2016-05-01

Supraglacial debris was mapped in the Schirmacher Oasis, east Antarctica, by using WorldView-2 (WV-2) high resolution optical remote sensing data consisting of 8-band calibrated Gram Schmidt (GS)-sharpened and atmospherically corrected WV-2 imagery. This study is a preliminary attempt to develop an object-oriented rule set to extract supraglacial debris for Antarctic region using 8-spectral band imagery. Supraglacial debris was manually digitized from the satellite imagery to generate the ground reference data. Several trials were performed using few existing traditional pixel-based classification techniques and color-texture based object-oriented classification methods to extract supraglacial debris over a small domain of the study area. Multi-level segmentation and attributes such as scale, shape, size, compactness along with spectral information from the data were used for developing the rule set. The quantitative analysis of error was carried out against the manually digitized reference data to test the practicability of our approach over the traditional pixel-based methods. Our results indicate that OBIA-based approach (overall accuracy: 93%) for extracting supraglacial debris performed better than all the traditional pixel-based methods (overall accuracy: 80-85%). The present attempt provides a comprehensive improved method for semiautomatic feature extraction in supraglacial environment and a new direction in the cryospheric research.

Assessing Response Bias in a Web Survey at a University Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menachemi, Nir

2011-01-01

Online surveys are increasingly common due to the myriad of benefits they offer over traditional survey methods. However, research has shown that response rates to web-based surveys are typically lower than to traditional surveys and can possibly yield biased results. University-based faculty members are a unique cohort that may be ideally suited…

The Impact of Social Media on Dissemination and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Longitudinal Observational Study.

PubMed

Narayanaswami, Pushpa; Gronseth, Gary; Dubinsky, Richard; Penfold-Murray, Rebecca; Cox, Julie; Bever, Christopher; Martins, Yolanda; Rheaume, Carol; Shouse, Denise; Getchius, Thomas S D

2015-08-13

Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are statements that provide recommendations to optimize patient care for a specific clinical problem or question. Merely reading a guideline rarely leads to implementation of recommendations. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has a formal process of guideline development and dissemination. The last few years have seen a burgeoning of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and newer methods of dissemination such as podcasts and webinars. The role of these media in guideline dissemination has not been studied. Systematic evaluation of dissemination methods and comparison of the effectiveness of newer methods with traditional methods is not available. It is also not known whether specific dissemination methods may be more effectively targeted to specific audiences. Our aim was to (1) develop an innovative dissemination strategy by adding social media-based dissemination methods to traditional methods for the AAN clinical practice guidelines "Complementary and alternative medicine in multiple sclerosis" ("CAM in MS") and (2) evaluate whether the addition of social media outreach improves awareness of the CPG and knowledge of CPG recommendations, and affects implementation of those recommendations. Outcomes were measured by four surveys in each of the two target populations: patients and physicians/clinicians ("physicians"). The primary outcome was the difference in participants' intent to discuss use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with their physicians or patients, respectively, after novel dissemination, as compared with that after traditional dissemination. Secondary outcomes were changes in awareness of the CPG, knowledge of CPG content, and behavior regarding CAM use in multiple sclerosis (MS). Response rates were 25.08% (622/2480) for physicians and 43.5% (348/800) for patients. Awareness of the CPG increased after traditional dissemination (absolute difference, 95% confidence interval: physicians 36%, 95% CI 25-46, and patients 10%, 95% CI 1-11) but did not increase further after novel dissemination (physicians 0%, 95% CI -11 to 11, and patients -4%, 95% CI -6 to 14). Intent to discuss CAM also increased after traditional dissemination but did not change after novel dissemination (traditional: physicians 12%, 95% CI 2-22, and patients 19%, 95% CI 3-33; novel: physicians 11%, 95% CI -1 to -21, and patients -8%, 95% CI -22 to 8). Knowledge of CPG recommendations and behavior regarding CAM use in MS did not change after either traditional dissemination or novel dissemination. Social media-based dissemination methods did not confer additional benefit over print-, email-, and Internet-based methods in increasing CPG awareness and changing intent in physicians or patients. Research on audience selection, message formatting, and message delivery is required to utilize Web 2.0 technologies optimally for dissemination.

Promotion of Physical Activity of Adolescents by Skill-Based Health Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simbar, Masoumeh; Aarabi, Zeinab; Keshavarz, Zohreh; Ramezani-Tehrani, Fahimeh; Baghestani, Ahmad Reza

2017-01-01

Purpose: Insufficient physical activity leads to an increase in chronic diseases. Skills-based health education methods are supposed to be more successful than traditional methods to promote healthy behaviors. Skills-based health education is an approach to create healthy lifestyles and skills using participatory methods. The purpose of this paper…

Evaluation of Team-Based Learning and Traditional Instruction in Teaching Removable Partial Denture Concepts.

PubMed

Echeto, Luisa F; Sposetti, Venita; Childs, Gail; Aguilar, Maria L; Behar-Horenstein, Linda S; Rueda, Luis; Nimmo, Arthur

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) methodology on dental students' retention of knowledge regarding removable partial denture (RPD) treatment. The process of learning RPD treatment requires that students first acquire foundational knowledge and then use critical thinking skills to apply that knowledge to a variety of clinical situations. The traditional approach to teaching, characterized by a reliance on lectures, is not the most effective method for learning clinical applications. To address the limitations of that approach, the teaching methodology of the RPD preclinical course at the University of Florida was changed to TBL, which has been shown to motivate student learning and improve clinical performance. A written examination was constructed to compare the impact of TBL with that of traditional teaching regarding students' retention of knowledge and their ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treatment plan a partially edentulous patient with an RPD prosthesis. Students taught using traditional and TBL methods took the same examination. The response rate (those who completed the examination) for the class of 2013 (traditional method) was 94% (79 students of 84); for the class of 2014 (TBL method), it was 95% (78 students of 82). The results showed that students who learned RPD with TBL scored higher on the examination than those who learned RPD with traditional methods. Compared to the students taught with the traditional method, the TBL students' proportion of passing grades was statistically significantly higher (p=0.002), and 23.7% more TBL students passed the examination. The mean score for the TBL class (0.758) compared to the conventional class (0.700) was statistically significant with a large effect size, also demonstrating the practical significance of the findings. The results of the study suggest that TBL methodology is a promising approach to teaching RPD with successful outcomes.

A Comparative Study on Electronic versus Traditional Data Collection in a Special Education Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruf, Hernan Dennis

2012-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to determine the efficiency of an electronic data collection method compared to a traditional paper-based method in the educational field, in terms of the accuracy of data collected and the time required to do it. In addition, data were collected to assess users' preference and system usability. The study…

Android malware detection based on evolutionary super-network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Haisheng; Peng, Lingling

2018-04-01

In the paper, an android malware detection method based on evolutionary super-network is proposed in order to improve the precision of android malware detection. Chi square statistics method is used for selecting characteristics on the basis of analyzing android authority. Boolean weighting is utilized for calculating characteristic weight. Processed characteristic vector is regarded as the system training set and test set; hyper edge alternative strategy is used for training super-network classification model, thereby classifying test set characteristic vectors, and it is compared with traditional classification algorithm. The results show that the detection method proposed in the paper is close to or better than traditional classification algorithm. The proposed method belongs to an effective Android malware detection means.

Maintenance Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, J. McCree

Three methods for the preparation of maintenance budgets are discussed--(1) a traditional method, inconclusive and obsolete, based on gross square footage, (2) the formula approach method based on building classification (wood-frame, masonry-wood, masonry-concrete) with maintenance cost factors for each type plus custodial service rates by type of…

Students' satisfaction to hybrid problem-based learning format for basic life support/advanced cardiac life support teaching.

PubMed

Chilkoti, Geetanjali; Mohta, Medha; Wadhwa, Rachna; Saxena, Ashok Kumar; Sharma, Chhavi Sarabpreet; Shankar, Neelima

2016-11-01

Students are exposed to basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) training in the first semester in some medical colleges. The aim of this study was to compare students' satisfaction between lecture-based traditional method and hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) in BLS/ACLS teaching to undergraduate medical students. We conducted a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey among 118 1 st -year medical students from a university medical college in the city of New Delhi, India. We aimed to assess the students' satisfaction between lecture-based and hybrid-PBL method in BLS/ACLS teaching. Likert 5-point scale was used to assess students' satisfaction levels between the two teaching methods. Data were collected and scores regarding the students' satisfaction levels between these two teaching methods were analysed using a two-sided paired t -test. Most students preferred hybrid-PBL format over traditional lecture-based method in the following four aspects; learning and understanding, interest and motivation, training of personal abilities and being confident and satisfied with the teaching method ( P < 0.05). Implementation of hybrid-PBL format along with the lecture-based method in BLS/ACLS teaching provided high satisfaction among undergraduate medical students.

Econometric analysis to evaluate the effect of community-based health insurance on reducing informal self-care in Burkina Faso

PubMed Central

Robyn, Paul Jacob; Hill, Allan; Liu, Yuanli; Souares, Aurélia; Savadogo, Germain; Sié, Ali; Sauerborn, Rainer

2012-01-01

Objective This study examines the role of community-based health insurance (CBHI) in influencing health-seeking behaviour in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Community-based health insurance was introduced in Nouna district, Burkina Faso, in 2004 with the goal to improve access to contracted providers based at primary- and secondary-level facilities. The paper specifically examines the effect of CBHI enrolment on reducing the prevalence of seeking modern and traditional methods of self-treatment as the first choice in care among the insured population. Methods Three stages of analysis were adopted to measure this effect. First, propensity score matching was used to minimize the observed baseline differences between the insured and uninsured populations. Second, through matching the average treatment effect on the treated, the effect of insurance enrolment on health-seeking behaviour was estimated. Finally, multinomial logistic regression was applied to model demand for available health care options, including no treatment, traditional self-treatment, modern self-treatment, traditional healers and facility-based care. Results For the first choice in care sought, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of self-treatment among the insured and uninsured populations, reaching over 55% for each group. When comparing the alternative option of no treatment, CBHI played no significant role in reducing the demand for self-care (either traditional or modern) or utilization of traditional healers, while it did significantly increase consumption of facility-based care. The average treatment effect on the treated was insignificant for traditional self-care, modern self-care and traditional healer, but was significant with a positive effect for use of facility care. Discussion While CBHI does have a positive impact on facility care utilization, its effect on reducing the prevalence of self-care is limited. The policy recommendations for improving the CBHI scheme’s responsiveness to population health care demand should incorporate community-based initiatives that offer attractive and appropriate alternatives to self-care. PMID:21414993

Using the Flipped Classroom to Bridge the Gap to Generation Y

PubMed Central

Gillispie, Veronica

2016-01-01

Background: The flipped classroom is a student-centered approach to learning that increases active learning for the student compared to traditional classroom-based instruction. In the flipped classroom model, students are first exposed to the learning material through didactics outside of the classroom, usually in the form of written material, voice-over lectures, or videos. During the formal teaching time, an instructor facilitates student-driven discussion of the material via case scenarios, allowing for complex problem solving, peer interaction, and a deep understanding of the concepts. A successful flipped classroom should have three goals: (1) allow the students to become critical thinkers, (2) fully engage students and instructors, and (3) stimulate the development of a deep understanding of the material. The flipped classroom model includes teaching and learning methods that can appeal to all four generations in the academic environment. Methods: During the 2015 academic year, we implemented the flipped classroom in the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship for the Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans, LA. Voice-over presentations of the lectures that had been given to students in prior years were recorded and made available to the students through an online classroom. Weekly problem-based learning sessions matched to the subjects of the traditional lectures were held, and the faculty who had previously presented the information in the traditional lecture format facilitated the problem-based learning sessions. The knowledge base of students was evaluated at the end of the rotation via a multiple-choice question examination and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as had been done in previous years. We compared demographic information and examination scores for traditional teaching and flipped classroom groups of students. The traditional teaching group consisted of students from Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 of the 2014 academic year who received traditional classroom-based instruction. The flipped classroom group consisted of students from Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 of the 2015 academic year who received formal didactics via voice-over presentation and had the weekly problem-based learning sessions. Results: When comparing the students taught by traditional methods to those taught in the flipped classroom model, we saw a statistically significant increase in test scores on the multiple-choice question examination in both the obstetrics and gynecology sections in Rotation 2. While the average score for the flipped classroom group increased in Rotation 3 on the obstetrics section of the multiple-choice question examination, the difference was not statistically significant. Unexpectedly, the average score on the gynecology portion of the multiple-choice question examination decreased among the flipped classroom group compared to the traditional teaching group, and this decrease was statistically significant. For both the obstetrics and the gynecology portions of the OSCE, we saw statistically significant increases in the scores for the flipped classroom group in both Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 compared to the traditional teaching group. With the exception of the gynecology portion of the multiple-choice question examination in Rotation 3, we saw improvement in scores after the implementation of the flipped classroom. Conclusion: The flipped classroom is a feasible and useful alternative to the traditional classroom. It is a method that embraces Generation Y's need for active learning in a group setting while maintaining a traditional classroom method for introducing the information. Active learning increases student engagement and can lead to improved retention of material as demonstrated on standard examinations. PMID:27046401

A Pilot Study to Investigate the Effectiveness of Multimedia CD-ROM vis-a-vis Traditional Print-Based Technology in Teaching Fourth-Grade Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shana, Zuhrieh A.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of effectiveness of multimedia technology in teaching in comparison to the traditional print-based teaching methods. Multimedia CD was designed to teach the second semester unit of science and Islamic studies for the fourth graders. The unit's content was the same in the print-based teaching…

[Study on material base of Carthamus tinctorius with antioxidant effect based on selective knock-out].

PubMed

Wang, Lin-Yan; Tang, Yu-Ping; Liu, Xin; Ge, Ya-Hui; Li, Shu-Jiao; Shang, Er-Xin; Duan, Jin-Ao

2014-04-01

To establish a method for studying efficacious materials of traditional Chinese medicines from an overall perspective. Carthamus tinctorius was taken the example. Its major components were depleted by preparing liquid chromatography. Afterwards, the samples with major components depleted were evaluated for their antioxidant effect, so as to compare and analyze the major efficacious materials of C. tinctorius with antioxidant activity and the contributions. Seven major components were depleted from C. tinctorius samples, and six of them were identified with MS data and control comparison. After all of the samples including depleted materials are compared and evaluated for their antioxidant effect, the findings showed that hydroxysafflor yellow A, anhydrosafflor yellow B and 6-hydroxykaempferol-3, 6-di-O-glucoside-7-O-glucuronide were the major efficacious materials. This study explored a novel and effective method for studying efficacious materials of traditional Chinese medicines. Through this method, we could explain the direct and indirect contributions of different components to the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicines, and make the efficacious material expression of traditional Chinese medicines clearer.

Comparison of DGT with traditional extraction methods for assessing arsenic bioavailability to Brassica chinensis in different soils.

PubMed

Dai, Yunchao; Nasir, Mubasher; Zhang, Yulin; Gao, Jiakai; Lv, Yamin; Lv, Jialong

2018-01-01

Several predictive models and methods have been used for heavy metals bioavailability, but there is no universally accepted approach in evaluating the bioavailability of arsenic (As) in soil. The technique of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) is a promising tool, but there is a considerable debate with respect to its suitability. The DGT method was compared with other traditional chemical extractions techniques (soil solution, NaHCO 3 , NH 4 Cl, HCl, and total As method) for estimating As bioavailability in soil based on a greenhouse experiment using Brassica chinensis grown in various soils from 15 provinces in China. In addition, we assessed whether these methods are independent of soil properties. The correlations between plant and soil As concentration measured with traditional extraction techniques were pH and iron oxide (Fe ox ) dependent, indicating that these methods are influenced by soil properties. In contrast, DGT measurements were independent of soil properties and also showed a better correlation coefficient than other traditional techniques. Thus, DGT technique is superior to traditional techniques and should be preferable for evaluating As bioavailability in different type of soils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of statistical education in Indonesia: Preliminary results and initiation to simulation-based inference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saputra, K. V. I.; Cahyadi, L.; Sembiring, U. A.

2018-01-01

Start in this paper, we assess our traditional elementary statistics education and also we introduce elementary statistics with simulation-based inference. To assess our statistical class, we adapt the well-known CAOS (Comprehensive Assessment of Outcomes in Statistics) test that serves as an external measure to assess the student’s basic statistical literacy. This test generally represents as an accepted measure of statistical literacy. We also introduce a new teaching method on elementary statistics class. Different from the traditional elementary statistics course, we will introduce a simulation-based inference method to conduct hypothesis testing. From the literature, it has shown that this new teaching method works very well in increasing student’s understanding of statistics.

Acoustics based assessment of respiratory diseases using GMM classification.

PubMed

Mayorga, P; Druzgalski, C; Morelos, R L; Gonzalez, O H; Vidales, J

2010-01-01

The focus of this paper is to present a method utilizing lung sounds for a quantitative assessment of patient health as it relates to respiratory disorders. In order to accomplish this, applicable traditional techniques within the speech processing domain were utilized to evaluate lung sounds obtained with a digital stethoscope. Traditional methods utilized in the evaluation of asthma involve auscultation and spirometry, but utilization of more sensitive electronic stethoscopes, which are currently available, and application of quantitative signal analysis methods offer opportunities of improved diagnosis. In particular we propose an acoustic evaluation methodology based on the Gaussian Mixed Models (GMM) which should assist in broader analysis, identification, and diagnosis of asthma based on the frequency domain analysis of wheezing and crackles.

Tensor-GMRES method for large sparse systems of nonlinear equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feng, Dan; Pulliam, Thomas H.

1994-01-01

This paper introduces a tensor-Krylov method, the tensor-GMRES method, for large sparse systems of nonlinear equations. This method is a coupling of tensor model formation and solution techniques for nonlinear equations with Krylov subspace projection techniques for unsymmetric systems of linear equations. Traditional tensor methods for nonlinear equations are based on a quadratic model of the nonlinear function, a standard linear model augmented by a simple second order term. These methods are shown to be significantly more efficient than standard methods both on nonsingular problems and on problems where the Jacobian matrix at the solution is singular. A major disadvantage of the traditional tensor methods is that the solution of the tensor model requires the factorization of the Jacobian matrix, which may not be suitable for problems where the Jacobian matrix is large and has a 'bad' sparsity structure for an efficient factorization. We overcome this difficulty by forming and solving the tensor model using an extension of a Newton-GMRES scheme. Like traditional tensor methods, we show that the new tensor method has significant computational advantages over the analogous Newton counterpart. Consistent with Krylov subspace based methods, the new tensor method does not depend on the factorization of the Jacobian matrix. As a matter of fact, the Jacobian matrix is never needed explicitly.

Comparing Task-Based Instruction and Traditional Instruction on Task Engagement and Vocabulary Development in Secondary Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halici Page, Merve; Mede, Enisa

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of task-based instruction (TBI) and traditional instruction (TI) on the motivation and vocabulary development in secondary language education. The focus of the study was to also find out the perceptions of teachers about implementing these two instructional methods in their…

A Comparative Study of a Kodaly-Based Developmental Music Program and a Traditional Public School Music Program at the Kindergarten Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beatty, Rodger James

A 9-month longitudinal study of two kindergarten classes compared two types of music instruction: a Kodaly-based developmental music program and a traditional public school music program. The class taught through the Kodaly method received instruction that emphasized the development of rhythmic and melodic perception through visual, aural, and…

Online selective kernel-based temporal difference learning.

PubMed

Chen, Xingguo; Gao, Yang; Wang, Ruili

2013-12-01

In this paper, an online selective kernel-based temporal difference (OSKTD) learning algorithm is proposed to deal with large scale and/or continuous reinforcement learning problems. OSKTD includes two online procedures: online sparsification and parameter updating for the selective kernel-based value function. A new sparsification method (i.e., a kernel distance-based online sparsification method) is proposed based on selective ensemble learning, which is computationally less complex compared with other sparsification methods. With the proposed sparsification method, the sparsified dictionary of samples is constructed online by checking if a sample needs to be added to the sparsified dictionary. In addition, based on local validity, a selective kernel-based value function is proposed to select the best samples from the sample dictionary for the selective kernel-based value function approximator. The parameters of the selective kernel-based value function are iteratively updated by using the temporal difference (TD) learning algorithm combined with the gradient descent technique. The complexity of the online sparsification procedure in the OSKTD algorithm is O(n). In addition, two typical experiments (Maze and Mountain Car) are used to compare with both traditional and up-to-date O(n) algorithms (GTD, GTD2, and TDC using the kernel-based value function), and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. In the Maze problem, OSKTD converges to an optimal policy and converges faster than both traditional and up-to-date algorithms. In the Mountain Car problem, OSKTD converges, requires less computation time compared with other sparsification methods, gets a better local optima than the traditional algorithms, and converges much faster than the up-to-date algorithms. In addition, OSKTD can reach a competitive ultimate optima compared with the up-to-date algorithms.

Comparing the long-term retention of a physiology course for medical students with the traditional and problem-based learning.

PubMed

Pourshanazari, A A; Roohbakhsh, A; Khazaei, M; Tajadini, H

2013-03-01

The rapid improvements in medical sciences and the ever-increasing related data, however, require novel methods of instruction. One such method, which has been given less than due attention in Iran, is problem-based learning (PBL). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of study skills and the PBL methods on short and long-term retention of information provided for medical students in the course of respiratory physiology and compare it with traditional learning method. In this study, 39 medical students from Medical School of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran (2006-2010) were enrolled in the study and allocated randomly in three equal groups (13 in each group). All groups underwent a pre-test to be assessed for their basic information regarding respiratory physiology. Two groups were instructed using the traditional method, and one group used PBL. Among the two groups of the traditional method, one was instructed about study skills and the other was not. Once the PBL group took the study skill workshop, they were aided by tutors for their education. In the final term test, those students who had learned study skills and were instructed with the traditional method scored higher compared to other groups (p < 0.05). However, in the 1 year (p < 0.05) and 4 year (p < 0.01) interval examinations, the PBL group achieved significantly higher scores. Despite the fact that PBL had no positive effect on the final term exam of our students, it yielded a more profound and retained understanding of the subject course. Moreover, considering the positive effect of study skills on long-term student scores, we recommend students to receive instructions regarding the appropriate study skills when initiated into universities.

Exercise in Inquiry: Critical Thinking in an Inquiry-Based Exercise Physiology Laboratory Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiPasquale, Dana M.; Mason, Cheryl L.; Kolkhorst, Fred W.

2003-01-01

Describes an inquiry-based teaching method implemented in an undergraduate exercise physiology laboratory course. Indicates students' strong, positive feelings about the inquiry-based teaching method and shows that inquiry-based learning results in a higher order of learning not typically observed in traditional style classes. This teaching method…

Optimal methodologies for terahertz time-domain spectroscopic analysis of traditional pigments in powder form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Taewoo; Lee, Howon; Sim, Kyung Ik; Kim, Jonghyeon; Jo, Young Chan; Kim, Jae Hoon; Baek, Na Yeon; Kang, Dai-ill; Lee, Han Hyoung

2017-05-01

We have established optimal methods for terahertz time-domain spectroscopic analysis of highly absorbing pigments in powder form based on our investigation of representative traditional Chinese pigments, such as azurite [blue-based color pigment], Chinese vermilion [red-based color pigment], and arsenic yellow [yellow-based color pigment]. To accurately extract the optical constants in the terahertz region of 0.1 - 3 THz, we carried out transmission measurements in such a way that intense absorption peaks did not completely suppress the transmission level. This required preparation of pellet samples with optimized thicknesses and material densities. In some cases, mixing the pigments with polyethylene powder was required to minimize absorption due to certain peak features. The resulting distortion-free terahertz spectra of the investigated set of pigment species exhibited well-defined unique spectral fingerprints. Our study will be useful to future efforts to establish non-destructive analysis methods of traditional pigments, to construct their spectral databases, and to apply these tools to restoration of cultural heritage materials.

Learning style-based teaching harvests a superior comprehension of respiratory physiology.

PubMed

Anbarasi, M; Rajkumar, G; Krishnakumar, S; Rajendran, P; Venkatesan, R; Dinesh, T; Mohan, J; Venkidusamy, S

2015-09-01

Students entering medical college generally show vast diversity in their school education. It becomes the responsibility of teachers to motivate students and meet the needs of all diversities. One such measure is teaching students in their own preferred learning style. The present study was aimed to incorporate a learning style-based teaching-learning program for medical students and to reveal its significance and utility. Learning styles of students were assessed online using the visual-auditory-kinesthetic (VAK) learning style self-assessment questionnaire. When respiratory physiology was taught, students were divided into three groups, namely, visual (n = 34), auditory (n = 44), and kinesthetic (n = 28), based on their learning style. A fourth group (the traditional group; n = 40) was formed by choosing students randomly from the above three groups. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic groups were taught following the appropriate teaching-learning strategies. The traditional group was taught via the routine didactic lecture method. The effectiveness of this intervention was evaluated by a pretest and two posttests, posttest 1 immediately after the intervention and posttest 2 after a month. In posttest 1, one-way ANOVA showed a significant statistical difference (P=0.005). Post hoc analysis showed significance between the kinesthetic group and traditional group (P=0.002). One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in posttest 2 scores (P < 0.0001). Post hoc analysis showed significance between the three learning style-based groups compared with the traditional group [visual vs. traditional groups (p=0.002), auditory vs. traditional groups (p=0.03), and Kinesthetic vs. traditional groups (p=0.001)]. This study emphasizes that teaching methods tailored to students' style of learning definitely improve their understanding, performance, and retrieval of the subject. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Utility and potential of rapid epidemic intelligence from internet-based sources.

PubMed

Yan, S J; Chughtai, A A; Macintyre, C R

2017-10-01

Rapid epidemic detection is an important objective of surveillance to enable timely intervention, but traditional validated surveillance data may not be available in the required timeframe for acute epidemic control. Increasing volumes of data on the Internet have prompted interest in methods that could use unstructured sources to enhance traditional disease surveillance and gain rapid epidemic intelligence. We aimed to summarise Internet-based methods that use freely-accessible, unstructured data for epidemic surveillance and explore their timeliness and accuracy outcomes. Steps outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist were used to guide a systematic review of research related to the use of informal or unstructured data by Internet-based intelligence methods for surveillance. We identified 84 articles published between 2006-2016 relating to Internet-based public health surveillance methods. Studies used search queries, social media posts and approaches derived from existing Internet-based systems for early epidemic alerts and real-time monitoring. Most studies noted improved timeliness compared to official reporting, such as in the 2014 Ebola epidemic where epidemic alerts were generated first from ProMED-mail. Internet-based methods showed variable correlation strength with official datasets, with some methods showing reasonable accuracy. The proliferation of publicly available information on the Internet provided a new avenue for epidemic intelligence. Methodologies have been developed to collect Internet data and some systems are already used to enhance the timeliness of traditional surveillance systems. To improve the utility of Internet-based systems, the key attributes of timeliness and data accuracy should be included in future evaluations of surveillance systems. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Virtual reality and the traditional method for phlebotomy training among college of nursing students in Kuwait: implications for nursing education and practice.

PubMed

Vidal, Victoria L; Ohaeri, Beatrice M; John, Pamela; Helen, Delles

2013-01-01

This quasi-experimental study, with a control group and experimental group, compares the effectiveness of virtual reality simulators on developing phlebotomy skills of nursing students with the effectiveness of traditional methods of teaching. Performance of actual phlebotomy on a live client was assessed after training, using a standardized form. Findings showed that students who were exposed to the virtual reality simulator performed better in the following performance metrics: pain factor, hematoma formation, and number of reinsertions. This study confirms that the use of the virtual reality-based system to supplement the traditional method may be the optimal program for training.

Improving the performances of autofocus based on adaptive retina-like sampling model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Qun; Xiao, Yuqing; Cao, Jie; Cheng, Yang; Sun, Ce

2018-03-01

An adaptive retina-like sampling model (ARSM) is proposed to balance autofocusing accuracy and efficiency. Based on the model, we carry out comparative experiments between the proposed method and the traditional method in terms of accuracy, the full width of the half maxima (FWHM) and time consumption. Results show that the performances of our method are better than that of the traditional method. Meanwhile, typical autofocus functions, including sum-modified-Laplacian (SML), Laplacian (LAP), Midfrequency-DCT (MDCT) and Absolute Tenengrad (ATEN) are compared through comparative experiments. The smallest FWHM is obtained by the use of LAP, which is more suitable for evaluating accuracy than other autofocus functions. The autofocus function of MDCT is most suitable to evaluate the real-time ability.

[Study thought of material basis of secondary development of major traditional Chinese medicine varieties on basis of combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments].

PubMed

Cheng, Xu-Dong; Jia, Xiao-Bin; Feng, Liang; Jiang, Jun

2013-12-01

The secondary development of major traditional Chinese medicine varieties is one of important links during the modernization, scientification and standardization of traditional Chinese medicines. How to accurately and effectively identify the pharmacodynamic material basis of original formulae becomes the primary problem in the secondary development, as well as the bottleneck in the modernization development of traditional Chinese medicines. On the basis of the existing experimental methods, and according to the study thought that the multi-component and complex effects of traditional Chinese medicine components need to combine multi-disciplinary methods and technologies, we propose the study thought of the material basis of secondary development of major traditional Chinese medicine varieties based on the combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments. It is believed that studies on material basis needs three links, namely identification, screening and verification, and in vivo and in vitro study method corresponding to each link is mutually complemented and verified. Finally, the accurate and reliable material basis is selected. This thought provides reference for the secondary development of major traditional Chinese medicine varieties and studies on compound material basis.

Web-Based Instruction on Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Fraction Operations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Cheng-Yao

2010-01-01

This study determines whether web-based instruction (WBI) represents an improved method for helping preservice teachers learn procedural and conceptual knowledge of fractions.. The purpose was to compare the effectiveness of web-based instruction (WBI) with the traditional lecture in mathematics content and methods for the elementary school…

Cloud and traditional videoconferencing technology for telemedicine and distance learning.

PubMed

Liu, Wei-Li; Zhang, Kai; Locatis, Craig; Ackerman, Michael

2015-05-01

Cloud-based videoconferencing versus traditional systems are described for possible use in telemedicine and distance learning. Differences between traditional and cloud-based videoconferencing systems are examined, and the methods for identifying and testing systems are explained. Findings are presented characterizing the cloud conferencing genre and its attributes versus traditional H.323 conferencing. Because the technology is rapidly evolving and needs to be evaluated in reference to local needs, it is strongly recommended that this or other reviews not be considered substitutes for personal hands-on experience. This review identifies key attributes of the technology that can be used to appraise the relevance of cloud conferencing technology and to determine whether migration from traditional technology to a cloud environment is warranted. An evaluation template is provided for assessing systems appropriateness.

Sea Ice Detection Based on an Improved Similarity Measurement Method Using Hyperspectral Data.

PubMed

Han, Yanling; Li, Jue; Zhang, Yun; Hong, Zhonghua; Wang, Jing

2017-05-15

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology can acquire nearly continuous spectrum information and rich sea ice image information, thus providing an important means of sea ice detection. However, the correlation and redundancy among hyperspectral bands reduce the accuracy of traditional sea ice detection methods. Based on the spectral characteristics of sea ice, this study presents an improved similarity measurement method based on linear prediction (ISMLP) to detect sea ice. First, the first original band with a large amount of information is determined based on mutual information theory. Subsequently, a second original band with the least similarity is chosen by the spectral correlation measuring method. Finally, subsequent bands are selected through the linear prediction method, and a support vector machine classifier model is applied to classify sea ice. In experiments performed on images of Baffin Bay and Bohai Bay, comparative analyses were conducted to compare the proposed method and traditional sea ice detection methods. Our proposed ISMLP method achieved the highest classification accuracies (91.18% and 94.22%) in both experiments. From these results the ISMLP method exhibits better performance overall than other methods and can be effectively applied to hyperspectral sea ice detection.

Sea Ice Detection Based on an Improved Similarity Measurement Method Using Hyperspectral Data

PubMed Central

Han, Yanling; Li, Jue; Zhang, Yun; Hong, Zhonghua; Wang, Jing

2017-01-01

Hyperspectral remote sensing technology can acquire nearly continuous spectrum information and rich sea ice image information, thus providing an important means of sea ice detection. However, the correlation and redundancy among hyperspectral bands reduce the accuracy of traditional sea ice detection methods. Based on the spectral characteristics of sea ice, this study presents an improved similarity measurement method based on linear prediction (ISMLP) to detect sea ice. First, the first original band with a large amount of information is determined based on mutual information theory. Subsequently, a second original band with the least similarity is chosen by the spectral correlation measuring method. Finally, subsequent bands are selected through the linear prediction method, and a support vector machine classifier model is applied to classify sea ice. In experiments performed on images of Baffin Bay and Bohai Bay, comparative analyses were conducted to compare the proposed method and traditional sea ice detection methods. Our proposed ISMLP method achieved the highest classification accuracies (91.18% and 94.22%) in both experiments. From these results the ISMLP method exhibits better performance overall than other methods and can be effectively applied to hyperspectral sea ice detection. PMID:28505135

Comparison between Flow Cytometry and Traditional Culture Methods for Efficacy Assessment of Six Disinfectant Agents against Nosocomial Bacterial Species

PubMed Central

Massicotte, Richard; Mafu, Akier A.; Ahmad, Darakhshan; Deshaies, Francis; Pichette, Gilbert; Belhumeur, Pierre

2017-01-01

The present study was undertaken to compare the use of flow cytometry (FCM) and traditional culture methods for efficacy assessment of six disinfectants used in Quebec hospitals including: two quaternary ammonium-based, two activated hydrogen peroxide-based, one phenol-based, and one sodium hypochlorite-based. Four nosocomial bacterial species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci faecalis, were exposed to minimum lethal concentrations (MLCs) and sublethal concentrations (1/2 MLCs) of disinfectants under study. The results showed a strong correlation between the two techniques for the presence of dead and live cell populations, as well as, evidence of injured populations with the FCM. The only exception was observed with sodium hypochlorite at higher concentrations where fluorescence was diminished and underestimating dead cell population. The results also showed that FCM can replace traditional microbiological methods to study disinfectant efficacy on bacteria. Furthermore, FCM profiles for E. coli and E. faecalis cells exposed to sublethal concentrations exhibited distinct populations of injured cells, opening a new aspect for future research and investigation to elucidate the role of injured, cultural/noncuturable/resuscitable cell populations in infection control. PMID:28217115

High correlations between MRI brain volume measurements based on NeuroQuant® and FreeSurfer.

PubMed

Ross, David E; Ochs, Alfred L; Tate, David F; Tokac, Umit; Seabaugh, John; Abildskov, Tracy J; Bigler, Erin D

2018-05-30

NeuroQuant ® (NQ) and FreeSurfer (FS) are commonly used computer-automated programs for measuring MRI brain volume. Previously they were reported to have high intermethod reliabilities but often large intermethod effect size differences. We hypothesized that linear transformations could be used to reduce the large effect sizes. This study was an extension of our previously reported study. We performed NQ and FS brain volume measurements on 60 subjects (including normal controls, patients with traumatic brain injury, and patients with Alzheimer's disease). We used two statistical approaches in parallel to develop methods for transforming FS volumes into NQ volumes: traditional linear regression, and Bayesian linear regression. For both methods, we used regression analyses to develop linear transformations of the FS volumes to make them more similar to the NQ volumes. The FS-to-NQ transformations based on traditional linear regression resulted in effect sizes which were small to moderate. The transformations based on Bayesian linear regression resulted in all effect sizes being trivially small. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing a method for transforming FS to NQ data so as to achieve high reliability and low effect size differences. Machine learning methods like Bayesian regression may be more useful than traditional methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Coarse-Alignment Method Based on the Optimal-REQUEST Algorithm

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yongyun

2018-01-01

In this paper, we proposed a coarse-alignment method for strapdown inertial navigation systems based on attitude determination. The observation vectors, which can be obtained by inertial sensors, usually contain various types of noise, which affects the convergence rate and the accuracy of the coarse alignment. Given this drawback, we studied an attitude-determination method named optimal-REQUEST, which is an optimal method for attitude determination that is based on observation vectors. Compared to the traditional attitude-determination method, the filtering gain of the proposed method is tuned autonomously; thus, the convergence rate of the attitude determination is faster than in the traditional method. Within the proposed method, we developed an iterative method for determining the attitude quaternion. We carried out simulation and turntable tests, which we used to validate the proposed method’s performance. The experiment’s results showed that the convergence rate of the proposed optimal-REQUEST algorithm is faster and that the coarse alignment’s stability is higher. In summary, the proposed method has a high applicability to practical systems. PMID:29337895

Ideas, properties, and standards of fracture repositioning with osteopathy in traditional Mongolian medicine in China.

PubMed

Wang, Mei; Wang, Hongxia; Zhao, Namula

2015-02-01

To explore the unique ideas, properties, and standards of fracture repositioning with osteopathy in traditional Mongolian medicine in China. Based on the natural life concept of "integration of universe and man", osteopathy in traditional Mongolian medicine in China uses the modern principles and methods of physiology, psychology, and biomechanics. Against this background, we explored the unique ideas, properties, and stan- dards of fracture repositioning in traditional Mongolian medicine. Fracture treatment with osteopathy in traditional Mongolian medicine in China is based on (a) the ideas of natural, sealed, self and dynamic repositioning of fractures; (b) the properties of structural continuity and functional completeness; (c) the standards of "integration of movement and stillness" and "force to force". The unique ideas, properties, and standards of fracture repositioning with osteopathy in traditional Mongolian medicine in China have resulted in the widespread use of such techniques and represents the future direction of the development of fracture repositioning.

A comparison of student characteristics in traditional and Web-based college science courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrikanich, Meghan

Distance learning options at colleges and universities are increasing dramatically (e.g. National Center for Educational Statistics [NCES], 1998; NCES, 2001). Web-based courses create an interesting learning environment for study (e.g., Dupin-Bryant, 2004; Maki & Maki, 2003). Because science is a topic that induces anxiety for many students (e.g., Brownlow, et al., 2000; Greenburg & Mallow, 1982), and test anxiety has been linked to reduced academic performance (e.g., Bruch, 1981; Spielberger, 1979), the intersection of course format, science, and test anxiety is an area in need of research. This study used an explanatory mixed method design. One hundred and seven web-based science students and 110 students enrolled in traditional courses completed a questionnaire regarding demographic and personal factors, the Reduced Reaction to Tests (RTT) (Benson & Bandalos, 1992) and the Locus of Control of Behavior Scale (Craig, Franklin, & Andrews, 1984). Ten students participated in a follow-up interview. Quantitative results found no significant difference between age, racial/ethnic background, student status (full-time or part-time), or degree program being pursued between traditional and web-based science courses. Significantly more females, more students employed full-time, and with an external locus of control enrolled in web-based courses. Students in traditional courses experienced more test anxiety due to test-irrelevant thoughts. Traditional students experienced more anxiety in traditional science courses, while nontraditional students experienced more anxiety in web-based science courses. Expected course grade and locus of control predicted test anxiety in traditional courses, and previous web experience, expected grade, and locus of control predicted test anxiety for web-based courses. Qualitative data indicated that students in both formats expressed opinions regarding course format, studying and test preparation methods, test-taking, communication with instructors in general, and specifically related to testing. Opinions indicated students prefer a comfortable course environment, whether that involves technology or not. Several recommendations can be made. A continued increase in the type and variety of web-based courses will allow students continued flexibility in course scheduling. Multiple-choice tests should be considered to reduce student anxiety. Instructors should strive towards creating comfortable classroom environments and communicate clearly with their students.

Reliability-based trajectory optimization using nonintrusive polynomial chaos for Mars entry mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yuechen; Li, Haiyang

2018-06-01

This paper presents the reliability-based sequential optimization (RBSO) method to settle the trajectory optimization problem with parametric uncertainties in entry dynamics for Mars entry mission. First, the deterministic entry trajectory optimization model is reviewed, and then the reliability-based optimization model is formulated. In addition, the modified sequential optimization method, in which the nonintrusive polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) method and the most probable point (MPP) searching method are employed, is proposed to solve the reliability-based optimization problem efficiently. The nonintrusive PCE method contributes to the transformation between the stochastic optimization (SO) and the deterministic optimization (DO) and to the approximation of trajectory solution efficiently. The MPP method, which is used for assessing the reliability of constraints satisfaction only up to the necessary level, is employed to further improve the computational efficiency. The cycle including SO, reliability assessment and constraints update is repeated in the RBSO until the reliability requirements of constraints satisfaction are satisfied. Finally, the RBSO is compared with the traditional DO and the traditional sequential optimization based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulation in a specific Mars entry mission to demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed method.

Multidisciplinary Design Techniques Applied to Conceptual Aerospace Vehicle Design. Ph.D. Thesis Final Technical Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olds, John Robert; Walberg, Gerald D.

1993-01-01

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is an emerging discipline within aerospace engineering. Its goal is to bring structure and efficiency to the complex design process associated with advanced aerospace launch vehicles. Aerospace vehicles generally require input from a variety of traditional aerospace disciplines - aerodynamics, structures, performance, etc. As such, traditional optimization methods cannot always be applied. Several multidisciplinary techniques and methods were proposed as potentially applicable to this class of design problem. Among the candidate options are calculus-based (or gradient-based) optimization schemes and parametric schemes based on design of experiments theory. A brief overview of several applicable multidisciplinary design optimization methods is included. Methods from the calculus-based class and the parametric class are reviewed, but the research application reported focuses on methods from the parametric class. A vehicle of current interest was chosen as a test application for this research. The rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) launch vehicle combines elements of rocket and airbreathing propulsion in an attempt to produce an attractive option for launching medium sized payloads into low earth orbit. The RBCC SSTO presents a particularly difficult problem for traditional one-variable-at-a-time optimization methods because of the lack of an adequate experience base and the highly coupled nature of the design variables. MDO, however, with it's structured approach to design, is well suited to this problem. The result of the application of Taguchi methods, central composite designs, and response surface methods to the design optimization of the RBCC SSTO are presented. Attention is given to the aspect of Taguchi methods that attempts to locate a 'robust' design - that is, a design that is least sensitive to uncontrollable influences on the design. Near-optimum minimum dry weight solutions are determined for the vehicle. A summary and evaluation of the various parametric MDO methods employed in the research are included. Recommendations for additional research are provided.

Comparing the Effects of Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and Traditional Method on Learning of Students.

PubMed

Mansoorian, Mohammad Reza; Hosseiny, Marzeih Sadat; Khosravan, Shahla; Alami, Ali; Alaviani, Mehri

2015-06-01

Despite the benefits of the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and it appropriateness for evaluating clinical abilities of nursing students , few studies are available on the application of this method in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of using OSATS and traditional methods on the students' learning. We also aimed to signify students' views about these two methods and their views about the scores they received in these methods in a medical emergency course. A quasi-experimental study was performed on 45 first semester students in nursing and medical emergencies passing a course on fundamentals of practice. The students were selected by a census method and evaluated by both the OSATS and traditional methods. Data collection was performed using checklists prepared based on the 'text book of nursing procedures checklists' published by Iranian nursing organization and a questionnaire containing learning rate and students' estimation of their received scores. Descriptive statistics as well as paired t-test and independent samples t-test were used in data analysis. The mean of students' score in OSATS was significantly higher than their mean score in traditional method (P = 0.01). Moreover, the mean of self-evaluation score after the traditional method was relatively the same as the score the students received in the exam. However, the mean of self-evaluation score after the OSATS was relatively lower than the scores the students received in the OSATS exam. Most students believed that OSATS can evaluate a wide range of students' knowledge and skills compared to traditional method. Results of this study indicated the better effect of OSATS on learning and its relative superiority in precise assessment of clinical skills compared with the traditional evaluation method. Therefore, we recommend using this method in evaluation of students in practical courses.

The Efficacy of Three Learning Methods Collaborative, Context-Based Learning and Traditional, on Learning, Attitude and Behaviour of Undergraduate Nursing Students: Integrating Theory and Practice

PubMed Central

Hasanpour-Dehkordi, Ali

2016-01-01

Introduction Communication skills training, responsibility, respect, and self-awareness are important indexes of changing learning behaviours in modern approaches. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of three learning approaches, collaborative, context-based learning (CBL), and traditional, on learning, attitude, and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students. Materials and Methods This study was a clinical trial with pretest and post-test of control group. The participants were senior nursing students. The samples were randomly assigned to three groups; CBL, collaborative, and traditional. To gather data a standard questionnaire of students’ behaviour and attitude was administered prior to and after the intervention. Also, the rate of learning was investigated by a researcher-developed questionnaire prior to and after the intervention in the three groups. Results In CBL and collaborative training groups, the mean score of behaviour and attitude increased after the intervention. But no significant association was obtained between the mean scores of behaviour and attitude prior to and after the intervention in the traditional group. However, the mean learning score increased significantly in the CBL, collaborative, and traditional groups after the study in comparison to before the study. Conclusion Both CBL and collaborative approaches were useful in terms of increased respect, self-awareness, self-evaluation, communication skills and responsibility as well as increased motivation and learning score in comparison to traditional method. PMID:27190926

Techniques for cesarean section.

PubMed

Hofmeyr, Justus G; Novikova, Natalia; Mathai, Matthews; Shah, Archana

2009-11-01

The effects of complete methods of cesarean section (CS) were compared. Metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials of intention to perform CS using different techniques was carried out. Joel-Cohen-based CS compared with Pfannenstiel CS was associated with reduced blood loss, operating time, time to oral intake, fever, duration of postoperative pain, analgesic injections, and time from skin incision to birth of the baby. Misgav-Ladach compared with the traditional method was associated with reduced blood loss, operating time, time to mobilization, and length of postoperative stay for the mother. Joel-Cohen-based methods have advantages compared with Pfannenstiel and traditional (lower midline) CS techniques. However, these trials do not provide information on serious and long-term outcomes.

Resource Letter ALIP-1: Active-Learning Instruction in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, David E.; Thornton, Ronald K.

2012-06-01

This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on research-based active-learning instruction in physics. These are instructional methods that are based on, assessed by, and validated through research on the teaching and learning of physics. They involve students in their own learning more deeply and more intensely than does traditional instruction, particularly during class time. The instructional methods and supporting body of research reviewed here offer potential for significantly improved learning in comparison to traditional lecture-based methods of college and university physics instruction. We begin with an introduction to the history of active learning in physics in the United States, and then discuss some methods for and outcomes of assessing pedagogical effectiveness. We enumerate and describe common characteristics of successful active-learning instructional strategies in physics. We then discuss a range of methods for introducing active-learning instruction in physics and provide references to those methods for which there is published documentation of student learning gains.

Screening of the key volatile organic compounds of Tuber melanosporum fermentation by aroma sensory evaluation combination with principle component analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Rui-Sang; Jin, Guang-Huai; Xiao, Deng-Rong; Li, Hong-Mei; Bai, Feng-Wu; Tang, Ya-Jie

2015-01-01

Aroma results from the interplay of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the attributes of microbial-producing aromas are significantly affected by fermentation conditions. Among the VOCs, only a few of them contribute to aroma. Thus, screening and identification of the key VOCs is critical for microbial-producing aroma. The traditional method is based on gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), which is time-consuming and laborious. Considering the Tuber melanosporum fermentation system as an example, a new method to screen and identify the key VOCs by combining the aroma evaluation method with principle component analysis (PCA) was developed in this work. First, an aroma sensory evaluation method was developed to screen 34 potential favorite aroma samples from 504 fermentation samples. Second, PCA was employed to screen nine common key VOCs from these 34 samples. Third, seven key VOCs were identified by the traditional method. Finally, all of the seven key VOCs identified by the traditional method were also identified, along with four others, by the new strategy. These results indicate the reliability of the new method and demonstrate it to be a viable alternative to the traditional method. PMID:26655663

From molecules to management: adopting DNA-based methods for monitoring biological invasions in aquatic environments

EPA Science Inventory

Recent technological advances have driven rapid development of DNA-based methods designed to facilitate detection and monitoring of invasive species in aquatic environments. These tools promise to significantly alleviate difficulties associated with traditional monitoring approac...

Problem-Based Learning Method: Secondary Education 10th Grade Chemistry Course Mixtures Topic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Üce, Musa; Ates, Ismail

2016-01-01

In this research; aim was determining student achievement by comparing problem-based learning method with teacher-centered traditional method of teaching 10th grade chemistry lesson mixtures topic. Pretest-posttest control group research design is implemented. Research sample includes; two classes of (total of 48 students) an Anatolian High School…

A Modified Magnetic Gradient Contraction Based Method for Ferromagnetic Target Localization

PubMed Central

Wang, Chen; Zhang, Xiaojuan; Qu, Xiaodong; Pan, Xiao; Fang, Guangyou; Chen, Luzhao

2016-01-01

The Scalar Triangulation and Ranging (STAR) method, which is based upon the unique properties of magnetic gradient contraction, is a high real-time ferromagnetic target localization method. Only one measurement point is required in the STAR method and it is not sensitive to changes in sensing platform orientation. However, the localization accuracy of the method is limited by the asphericity errors and the inaccurate value of position leads to larger errors in the estimation of magnetic moment. To improve the localization accuracy, a modified STAR method is proposed. In the proposed method, the asphericity errors of the traditional STAR method are compensated with an iterative algorithm. The proposed method has a fast convergence rate which meets the requirement of high real-time localization. Simulations and field experiments have been done to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results indicate that target parameters estimated by the modified STAR method are more accurate than the traditional STAR method. PMID:27999322

Randomized evaluation of a web based interview process for urology resident selection.

PubMed

Shah, Satyan K; Arora, Sanjeev; Skipper, Betty; Kalishman, Summers; Timm, T Craig; Smith, Anthony Y

2012-04-01

We determined whether a web based interview process for resident selection could effectively replace the traditional on-site interview. For the 2010 to 2011 match cycle, applicants to the University of New Mexico urology residency program were randomized to participate in a web based interview process via Skype or a traditional on-site interview process. Both methods included interviews with the faculty, a tour of facilities and the opportunity to ask current residents any questions. To maintain fairness the applicants were then reinterviewed via the opposite process several weeks later. We assessed comparative effectiveness, cost, convenience and satisfaction using anonymous surveys largely scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Of 39 total participants (33 applicants and 6 faculty) 95% completed the surveys. The web based interview was less costly to applicants (mean $171 vs $364, p=0.05) and required less time away from school (10% missing 1 or more days vs 30%, p=0.04) compared to traditional on-site interview. However, applicants perceived the web based interview process as less effective than traditional on-site interview, with a mean 6-item summative effectiveness score of 21.3 vs 25.6 (p=0.003). Applicants and faculty favored continuing the web based interview process in the future as an adjunct to on-site interviews. Residency interviews can be successfully conducted via the Internet. The web based interview process reduced costs and improved convenience. The findings of this study support the use of videoconferencing as an adjunct to traditional interview methods rather than as a replacement. Copyright © 2012 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of Carbonyl Groups in Pyrolysis Bio-oils Using Potentiometric Titration: Review and Comparison of Methods

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

Black, Stuart; Ferrell, Jack R.

Carbonyl compounds present in bio-oils are known to be responsible for bio-oil property changes upon storage and during upgrading. As such, carbonyl content has previously been used as a method of tracking bio-oil aging and condensation reactions with less variability than viscosity measurements. Given the importance of carbonyls in bio-oils, accurate analytical methods for their quantification are very important for the bio-oil community. Potentiometric titration methods based on carbonyl oximation have long been used for the determination of carbonyl content in pyrolysis bio-oils. Here in this study, we present a modification of the traditional carbonyl oximation procedures that results inmore » less reaction time, smaller sample size, higher precision, and more accurate carbonyl determinations. Some compounds such as carbohydrates are not measured by the traditional method (modified Nicolaides method), resulting in low estimations of the carbonyl content. Furthermore, we have shown that reaction completion for the traditional method can take up to 300 hours. The new method presented here (the modified Faix method) reduces the reaction time to 2 hours, uses triethanolamine (TEA) in the place of pyridine, and requires a smaller sample size for the analysis. Carbonyl contents determined using this new method are consistently higher than when using the traditional titration methods.« less

Determination of Carbonyl Groups in Pyrolysis Bio-oils Using Potentiometric Titration: Review and Comparison of Methods

DOE PAGES

Black, Stuart; Ferrell, Jack R.

2016-01-06

Carbonyl compounds present in bio-oils are known to be responsible for bio-oil property changes upon storage and during upgrading. As such, carbonyl content has previously been used as a method of tracking bio-oil aging and condensation reactions with less variability than viscosity measurements. Given the importance of carbonyls in bio-oils, accurate analytical methods for their quantification are very important for the bio-oil community. Potentiometric titration methods based on carbonyl oximation have long been used for the determination of carbonyl content in pyrolysis bio-oils. Here in this study, we present a modification of the traditional carbonyl oximation procedures that results inmore » less reaction time, smaller sample size, higher precision, and more accurate carbonyl determinations. Some compounds such as carbohydrates are not measured by the traditional method (modified Nicolaides method), resulting in low estimations of the carbonyl content. Furthermore, we have shown that reaction completion for the traditional method can take up to 300 hours. The new method presented here (the modified Faix method) reduces the reaction time to 2 hours, uses triethanolamine (TEA) in the place of pyridine, and requires a smaller sample size for the analysis. Carbonyl contents determined using this new method are consistently higher than when using the traditional titration methods.« less

Using the Flipped Classroom to Bridge the Gap to Generation Y.

PubMed

Gillispie, Veronica

2016-01-01

The flipped classroom is a student-centered approach to learning that increases active learning for the student compared to traditional classroom-based instruction. In the flipped classroom model, students are first exposed to the learning material through didactics outside of the classroom, usually in the form of written material, voice-over lectures, or videos. During the formal teaching time, an instructor facilitates student-driven discussion of the material via case scenarios, allowing for complex problem solving, peer interaction, and a deep understanding of the concepts. A successful flipped classroom should have three goals: (1) allow the students to become critical thinkers, (2) fully engage students and instructors, and (3) stimulate the development of a deep understanding of the material. The flipped classroom model includes teaching and learning methods that can appeal to all four generations in the academic environment. During the 2015 academic year, we implemented the flipped classroom in the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship for the Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans, LA. Voice-over presentations of the lectures that had been given to students in prior years were recorded and made available to the students through an online classroom. Weekly problem-based learning sessions matched to the subjects of the traditional lectures were held, and the faculty who had previously presented the information in the traditional lecture format facilitated the problem-based learning sessions. The knowledge base of students was evaluated at the end of the rotation via a multiple-choice question examination and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as had been done in previous years. We compared demographic information and examination scores for traditional teaching and flipped classroom groups of students. The traditional teaching group consisted of students from Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 of the 2014 academic year who received traditional classroom-based instruction. The flipped classroom group consisted of students from Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 of the 2015 academic year who received formal didactics via voice-over presentation and had the weekly problem-based learning sessions. When comparing the students taught by traditional methods to those taught in the flipped classroom model, we saw a statistically significant increase in test scores on the multiple-choice question examination in both the obstetrics and gynecology sections in Rotation 2. While the average score for the flipped classroom group increased in Rotation 3 on the obstetrics section of the multiple-choice question examination, the difference was not statistically significant. Unexpectedly, the average score on the gynecology portion of the multiple-choice question examination decreased among the flipped classroom group compared to the traditional teaching group, and this decrease was statistically significant. For both the obstetrics and the gynecology portions of the OSCE, we saw statistically significant increases in the scores for the flipped classroom group in both Rotation 2 and Rotation 3 compared to the traditional teaching group. With the exception of the gynecology portion of the multiple-choice question examination in Rotation 3, we saw improvement in scores after the implementation of the flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is a feasible and useful alternative to the traditional classroom. It is a method that embraces Generation Y's need for active learning in a group setting while maintaining a traditional classroom method for introducing the information. Active learning increases student engagement and can lead to improved retention of material as demonstrated on standard examinations.

Methods for Automating Analysis of Glacier Morphology for Regional Modelling: Centerlines, Extensions, and Elevation Bands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viger, R. J.; Van Beusekom, A. E.

2016-12-01

The treatment of glaciers in modeling requires information about their shape and extent. This presentation discusses new methods and their application in a new glacier-capable variant of the USGS PRMS model, a physically-based, spatially distributed daily time-step model designed to simulate the runoff and evolution of glaciers through time. In addition to developing parameters describing PRMS land surfaces (hydrologic response units, HRUs), several of the analyses and products are likely of interest to cryospheric science community in general. The first method is a (fully automated) variation of logic previously presented in the literature for definition of the glacier centerline. Given that the surface of a glacier might be convex, using traditional topographic analyses based on a DEM to trace a path down the glacier is not reliable. Instead a path is derived based on a cost function. Although only a single path is presented in our results, the method can be easily modified to delineate a branched network of centerlines for each glacier. The second method extends the glacier terminus downslope by an arbitrary distance, according to local surface topography. This product is can be used to explore possible, if unlikely, scenarios under which glacier area grows. More usefully, this method can be used to approximate glacier extents from previous years without needing historical imagery. The final method presents an approach for segmenting the glacier into altitude-based HRUs. Successful integration of this information with traditional approaches for discretizing the non-glacierized portions of a basin requires several additional steps. These include synthesizing the glacier centerline network with one developed with a traditional DEM analysis, ensuring that flow can be routed under and beyond glaciers to a basin outlet. Results are presented based on analysis of the Copper River Basin, Alaska.

Comparing student achievement in the problem-based learning classroom and traditional teaching methods classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobbs, Vicki

Significant numbers of students fail high school chemistry, preventing them from graduating. Starting in the 2013-2014 school year, 100% of the students must pass a science assessment for schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in accordance to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Failure to meet AYP results in sanctions, such as state management or closure of a school or replacing a school staff. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the teaching strategy, Problem Based Learning (PBL), will improve student achievement in high school chemistry to a greater degree than traditional teaching methods. PBL is a student-centered, inquiry-based teaching method based on the constructivist learning theory. The research question looked at whether there was a difference in student achievement between students a high school chemistry classroom using PBL and students in a classroom using traditional teaching methods as measured by scores on a 20-question quiz. The research study used a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design. An independent samples t-test compared gains scores between the pretest and posttest. Analysis of quiz scores indicated that there was not a significant difference (t(171) = 1.001, p = .318) in student achievement between the teaching methods. Because there was not a significant difference, each teacher can decide which teaching method best suites the subject matter and the learning styles of the students. This study adds research based data to help teachers and schools choose one teaching method over another so that students may gain knowledge, develop problem-solving skills, and life-long learning skills that will bring about social change in the form of a higher quality of life for the students and community as a whole.

Source-based neurofeedback methods using EEG recordings: training altered brain activity in a functional brain source derived from blind source separation

PubMed Central

White, David J.; Congedo, Marco; Ciorciari, Joseph

2014-01-01

A developing literature explores the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of a range of clinical conditions, particularly ADHD and epilepsy, whilst neurofeedback also provides an experimental tool for studying the functional significance of endogenous brain activity. A critical component of any neurofeedback method is the underlying physiological signal which forms the basis for the feedback. While the past decade has seen the emergence of fMRI-based protocols training spatially confined BOLD activity, traditional neurofeedback has utilized a small number of electrode sites on the scalp. As scalp EEG at a given electrode site reflects a linear mixture of activity from multiple brain sources and artifacts, efforts to successfully acquire some level of control over the signal may be confounded by these extraneous sources. Further, in the event of successful training, these traditional neurofeedback methods are likely influencing multiple brain regions and processes. The present work describes the use of source-based signal processing methods in EEG neurofeedback. The feasibility and potential utility of such methods were explored in an experiment training increased theta oscillatory activity in a source derived from Blind Source Separation (BSS) of EEG data obtained during completion of a complex cognitive task (spatial navigation). Learned increases in theta activity were observed in two of the four participants to complete 20 sessions of neurofeedback targeting this individually defined functional brain source. Source-based EEG neurofeedback methods using BSS may offer important advantages over traditional neurofeedback, by targeting the desired physiological signal in a more functionally and spatially specific manner. Having provided preliminary evidence of the feasibility of these methods, future work may study a range of clinically and experimentally relevant brain processes where individual brain sources may be targeted by source-based EEG neurofeedback. PMID:25374520

DisArticle: a web server for SVM-based discrimination of articles on traditional medicine.

PubMed

Kim, Sang-Kyun; Nam, SeJin; Kim, SangHyun

2017-01-28

Much research has been done in Northeast Asia to show the efficacy of traditional medicine. While MEDLINE contains many biomedical articles including those on traditional medicine, it does not categorize those articles by specific research area. The aim of this study was to provide a method that searches for articles only on traditional medicine in Northeast Asia, including traditional Chinese medicine, from among the articles in MEDLINE. This research established an SVM-based classifier model to identify articles on traditional medicine. The TAK + HM classifier, trained with the features of title, abstract, keywords, herbal data, and MeSH, has a precision of 0.954 and a recall of 0.902. In particular, the feature of herbal data significantly increased the performance of the classifier. By using the TAK + HM classifier, a total of about 108,000 articles were discriminated as articles on traditional medicine from among all articles in MEDLINE. We also built a web server called DisArticle ( http://informatics.kiom.re.kr/disarticle ), in which users can search for the articles and obtain statistical data. Because much evidence-based research on traditional medicine has been published in recent years, it has become necessary to search for articles on traditional medicine exclusively in literature databases. DisArticle can help users to search for and analyze the research trends in traditional medicine.

Interteaching: An Evidence-Based Approach to Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Thomas Wade; Killingsworth, Kenneth; Alavosius, Mark P.

2014-01-01

This paper describes "interteaching" as an evidence-based method of instruction. Instructors often rely on more traditional approaches, such as lectures, as means to deliver instruction. Despite high usage, these methods are ineffective at achieving desirable academic outcomes. We discuss an innovative approach to delivering instruction…

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.

Failure mode and effects analysis: a comparison of two common risk prioritisation methods.

PubMed

McElroy, Lisa M; Khorzad, Rebeca; Nannicelli, Anna P; Brown, Alexandra R; Ladner, Daniela P; Holl, Jane L

2016-05-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a method of risk assessment increasingly used in healthcare over the past decade. The traditional method, however, can require substantial time and training resources. The goal of this study is to compare a simplified scoring method with the traditional scoring method to determine the degree of congruence in identifying high-risk failures. An FMEA of the operating room (OR) to intensive care unit (ICU) handoff was conducted. Failures were scored and ranked using both the traditional risk priority number (RPN) and criticality-based method, and a simplified method, which designates failures as 'high', 'medium' or 'low' risk. The degree of congruence was determined by first identifying those failures determined to be critical by the traditional method (RPN≥300), and then calculating the per cent congruence with those failures designated critical by the simplified methods (high risk). In total, 79 process failures among 37 individual steps in the OR to ICU handoff process were identified. The traditional method yielded Criticality Indices (CIs) ranging from 18 to 72 and RPNs ranging from 80 to 504. The simplified method ranked 11 failures as 'low risk', 30 as medium risk and 22 as high risk. The traditional method yielded 24 failures with an RPN ≥300, of which 22 were identified as high risk by the simplified method (92% agreement). The top 20% of CI (≥60) included 12 failures, of which six were designated as high risk by the simplified method (50% agreement). These results suggest that the simplified method of scoring and ranking failures identified by an FMEA can be a useful tool for healthcare organisations with limited access to FMEA expertise. However, the simplified method does not result in the same degree of discrimination in the ranking of failures offered by the traditional method. 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/

Bat Species Comparisons Based on External Morphology: A Test of Traditional versus Geometric Morphometric Approaches

PubMed Central

Schmieder, Daniela A.; Benítez, Hugo A.; Borissov, Ivailo M.; Fruciano, Carmelo

2015-01-01

External morphology is commonly used to identify bats as well as to investigate flight and foraging behavior, typically relying on simple length and area measures or ratios. However, geometric morphometrics is increasingly used in the biological sciences to analyse variation in shape and discriminate among species and populations. Here we compare the ability of traditional versus geometric morphometric methods in discriminating between closely related bat species – in this case European horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera) – based on morphology of the wing, body and tail. In addition to comparing morphometric methods, we used geometric morphometrics to detect interspecies differences as shape changes. Geometric morphometrics yielded improved species discrimination relative to traditional methods. The predicted shape for the variation along the between group principal components revealed that the largest differences between species lay in the extent to which the wing reaches in the direction of the head. This strong trend in interspecific shape variation is associated with size, which we interpret as an evolutionary allometry pattern. PMID:25965335

An aggregate method to calibrate the reference point of cumulative prospect theory-based route choice model for urban transit network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yufeng; Long, Man; Luo, Sida; Bao, Yu; Shen, Hanxia

2015-12-01

Transit route choice model is the key technology of public transit systems planning and management. Traditional route choice models are mostly based on expected utility theory which has an evident shortcoming that it cannot accurately portray travelers' subjective route choice behavior for their risk preferences are not taken into consideration. Cumulative prospect theory (CPT), a brand new theory, can be used to describe travelers' decision-making process under the condition of uncertainty of transit supply and risk preferences of multi-type travelers. The method to calibrate the reference point, a key parameter to CPT-based transit route choice model, determines the precision of the model to a great extent. In this paper, a new method is put forward to obtain the value of reference point which combines theoretical calculation and field investigation results. Comparing the proposed method with traditional method, it shows that the new method can promote the quality of CPT-based model by improving the accuracy in simulating travelers' route choice behaviors based on transit trip investigation from Nanjing City, China. The proposed method is of great significance to logical transit planning and management, and to some extent makes up the defect that obtaining the reference point is solely based on qualitative analysis.

Student Perceptions of Team-based Learning vs Traditional Lecture-based Learning

PubMed Central

Frame, Tracy R.; Cailor, Stephanie M.; Chen, Aleda M.; Kiersma, Mary E.; Sheppard, Lorin

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy student perceptions of team-based learning (TBL) vs traditional lecture-based learning formats. Methods. First professional year pharmacy students (N=111) at two universities used TBL in different courses during different semesters (fall vs spring). Students completed a 22-item team perceptions instrument before and after the fall semester. A 14-item teaching style preference instrument was completed at the end of the spring semester. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Students who experienced TBL in the fall and went back to traditional format in the spring reported improved perceptions of teams and preferred TBL format over a traditional format more than students who experienced a traditional format followed by TBL. Students at both universities agreed that the TBL format assists with critical-thinking, problem-solving, and examination preparation. Students also agreed that teams should consist of individuals with different personalities and learning styles. Conclusion. When building teams, faculty members should consider ways to diversify teams by considering different views, perspectives, and strengths. Offering TBL early in the curriculum prior to traditional lecture-based formats is better received by students, as evidenced by anecdotal reports from students possibly because it allows students time to realize the benefits and assist them in building teamwork-related skills. PMID:26089560

How Many Batches Are Needed for Process Validation under the New FDA Guidance?

PubMed

Yang, Harry

2013-01-01

The newly updated FDA Guidance for Industry on Process Validation: General Principles and Practices ushers in a life cycle approach to process validation. While the guidance no longer considers the use of traditional three-batch validation appropriate, it does not prescribe the number of validation batches for a prospective validation protocol, nor does it provide specific methods to determine it. This potentially could leave manufacturers in a quandary. In this paper, I develop a Bayesian method to address the issue. By combining process knowledge gained from Stage 1 Process Design (PD) with expected outcomes of Stage 2 Process Performance Qualification (PPQ), the number of validation batches for PPQ is determined to provide a high level of assurance that the process will consistently produce future batches meeting quality standards. Several examples based on simulated data are presented to illustrate the use of the Bayesian method in helping manufacturers make risk-based decisions for Stage 2 PPQ, and they highlight the advantages of the method over traditional Frequentist approaches. The discussions in the paper lend support for a life cycle and risk-based approach to process validation recommended in the new FDA guidance. The newly updated FDA Guidance for Industry on Process Validation: General Principles and Practices ushers in a life cycle approach to process validation. While the guidance no longer considers the use of traditional three-batch validation appropriate, it does not prescribe the number of validation batches for a prospective validation protocol, nor does it provide specific methods to determine it. This potentially could leave manufacturers in a quandary. In this paper, I develop a Bayesian method to address the issue. By combining process knowledge gained from Stage 1 Process Design (PD) with expected outcomes of Stage 2 Process Performance Qualification (PPQ), the number of validation batches for PPQ is determined to provide a high level of assurance that the process will consistently produce future batches meeting quality standards. Several examples based on simulated data are presented to illustrate the use of the Bayesian method in helping manufacturers make risk-based decisions for Stage 2 PPQ, and THEY highlight the advantages of the method over traditional Frequentist approaches. The discussions in the paper lend support for a life cycle and risk-based approach to process validation recommended in the new FDA guidance.

Traditional plant-based therapies for respiratory diseases found in North Jeolla Province, Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun; Song, Mi-Jang

2012-03-01

This study aims to record and conserve orally transmitted traditional plant-based therapies for respiratory diseases in North Jeolla Province, Korea. Data were collected with semistructured questionnaires through the participatory rural appraisal method. This study reveals that overall, 14 respiratory diseases have been treated with a total of 43 species of medicinal plants belonging to 40 genera in 26 families. This study also reports 149 different modes of plant-based therapeutic application of medicinal material. The informant consensus factor for the common cold is 0.84, the highest among 14 different respiratory ailments, followed by whooping cough, asthma, nosebleed, bronchitis, cough, and so on. Medicinal plants used to treat seven respiratory ailments had a 100% fidelity level. This study can help to preserve the traditional knowledge and local health traditions of North Jeolla Province amid rapid industrialization and urbanization. The findings of this study warrant follow-up clinical research to determine the most effective traditional remedies toward development of herbal medicinal products for integration into the Korean health care system.

Middle School Engineering Problem Solving Using Traditional vs. E-PBL Module Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baele, Loren C.

2017-01-01

This multiple methods (Denzin, 1978) study investigated two instructional approaches, traditional module and electronic Problem-Based Learning instruction (e-PBL), used within a middle school engineering classroom focused on the variables of engagement, content knowledge, student self-assessment and teacher assessment of problem solving solutions.…

Cohesion in Online Student Teams versus Traditional Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, David E.

2016-01-01

Researchers have found that the electronic methods in use for online team communication today increase communication quality in project-based work situations. Because communication quality is known to influence group cohesion, the present research examined whether online student project teams are more cohesive than traditional teams. We tested…

Multilocus sequence typing of total-genome-sequenced bacteria.

PubMed

Larsen, Mette V; Cosentino, Salvatore; Rasmussen, Simon; Friis, Carsten; Hasman, Henrik; Marvig, Rasmus Lykke; Jelsbak, Lars; Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas; Ussery, David W; Aarestrup, Frank M; Lund, Ole

2012-04-01

Accurate strain identification is essential for anyone working with bacteria. For many species, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is considered the "gold standard" of typing, but it is traditionally performed in an expensive and time-consuming manner. As the costs of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) continue to decline, it becomes increasingly available to scientists and routine diagnostic laboratories. Currently, the cost is below that of traditional MLST. The new challenges will be how to extract the relevant information from the large amount of data so as to allow for comparison over time and between laboratories. Ideally, this information should also allow for comparison to historical data. We developed a Web-based method for MLST of 66 bacterial species based on WGS data. As input, the method uses short sequence reads from four sequencing platforms or preassembled genomes. Updates from the MLST databases are downloaded monthly, and the best-matching MLST alleles of the specified MLST scheme are found using a BLAST-based ranking method. The sequence type is then determined by the combination of alleles identified. The method was tested on preassembled genomes from 336 isolates covering 56 MLST schemes, on short sequence reads from 387 isolates covering 10 schemes, and on a small test set of short sequence reads from 29 isolates for which the sequence type had been determined by traditional methods. The method presented here enables investigators to determine the sequence types of their isolates on the basis of WGS data. This method is publicly available at www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/MLST.

High-efficiency non-uniformity correction for wide dynamic linear infrared radiometry system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhou; Yu, Yi; Tian, Qi-Jie; Chang, Song-Tao; He, Feng-Yun; Yin, Yan-He; Qiao, Yan-Feng

2017-09-01

Several different integration times are always set for a wide dynamic linear and continuous variable integration time infrared radiometry system, therefore, traditional calibration-based non-uniformity correction (NUC) are usually conducted one by one, and furthermore, several calibration sources required, consequently makes calibration and process of NUC time-consuming. In this paper, the difference of NUC coefficients between different integration times have been discussed, and then a novel NUC method called high-efficiency NUC, which combines the traditional calibration-based non-uniformity correction, has been proposed. It obtains the correction coefficients of all integration times in whole linear dynamic rangesonly by recording three different images of a standard blackbody. Firstly, mathematical procedure of the proposed non-uniformity correction method is validated and then its performance is demonstrated by a 400 mm diameter ground-based infrared radiometry system. Experimental results show that the mean value of Normalized Root Mean Square (NRMS) is reduced from 3.78% to 0.24% by the proposed method. In addition, the results at 4 ms and 70 °C prove that this method has a higher accuracy compared with traditional calibration-based NUC. In the meantime, at other integration time and temperature there is still a good correction effect. Moreover, it greatly reduces the number of correction time and temperature sampling point, and is characterized by good real-time performance and suitable for field measurement.

Peltier-based cloud chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nar, Sevda Yeliz; Cakir, Altan

2018-02-01

Particles produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation and reactions can be identified through various methods. One of these methods that has been effective in the last century is the cloud chamber. The chamber makes visible cosmic particles that we are exposed to radiation per second. Diffusion cloud chamber is a kind of cloud chamber that is cooled by dry ice. This traditional model has some application difficulties. In this work, Peltier-based cloud chamber cooled by thermoelectric modules is studied. The new model provided uniformly cooled base of the chamber, moreover, it has longer lifetime than the traditional chamber in terms of observation time. This gain has reduced the costs which spent each time for cosmic particle observation. The chamber is an easy-to-use system according to traditional diffusion cloud chamber. The new model is portable, easier to make, and can be used in the nuclear physics experiments. In addition, it would be very useful to observe Muons which are the direct evidence for Lorentz contraction and time expansion predicted by Einsteins special relativity principle.

Color adjustable LED driver design based on PWM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Yiying; Yu, Caideng; Que, Longcheng; Zhou, Yun; Lv, Jian

2012-10-01

Light-emitting diode (LED) is a liquid cold source light source that rapidly develops in recent years. The merits of high brightness efficiency, long duration, high credibility and no pollution make it satisfy our demands for consumption and natural life, and gradually replace the traditional lamp-house-incandescent light and fluorescent light. However, because of the high cost and unstable drive circuit, the application range is restricted. To popularize the applications of the LED, we focus on improving the LED driver circuit to change this phenomenon. Basing on the traditional LED drive circuit, we adopt pre-setup constant current model and introduce pulse width modulation (PWM) control method to realize adjustable 256 level-grays display. In this paper, basing on human visual characteristics and the traditional PWM control method, we propose a new PWM control timing clock to alter the duty cycle of PWM signal to realize the simple gamma correction. Consequently, the brightness can accord with our visual characteristics.

Diagnosing Cartman: Psychology Students' Use of Symptoms and Traits to Assess Child Antisocial Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yalch, Matthew M.; Vitale, Erika M.; Ford, J. Kevin

2016-01-01

Recent changes to the diagnosis of child antisocial behavior provide different methods of conceptualizing it (e.g., traditional symptom-based diagnoses and alternative trait-based methods). However, there is little research on how psychology students might use these different methods and what kind of instructional formats might be amenable to…

Combining Land Use Information and Small Stream Sampling with PCR-Based Methods for Better Characterization of Diffuse Sources of Human Fecal Pollution

EPA Science Inventory

Diffuse sources of human fecal pollution allow for the direct discharge of waste into receiving waters with minimal or no treatment. Traditional culture-based methods are commonly used to characterize fecal pollution in ambient waters, however these methods do not discern between...

The Cost of Joint Replacement: Comparing Two Approaches to Evaluating Costs of Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Palsis, John A; Brehmer, Thomas S; Pellegrini, Vincent D; Drew, Jacob M; Sachs, Barton L

2018-02-21

In an era of mandatory bundled payments for total joint replacement, accurate analysis of the cost of procedures is essential for orthopaedic surgeons and their institutions to maintain viable practices. The purpose of this study was to compare traditional accounting and time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) methods for estimating the total costs of total hip and knee arthroplasty care cycles. We calculated the overall costs of elective primary total hip and total knee replacement care cycles at our academic medical center using traditional and TDABC accounting methods. We compared the methods with respect to the overall costs of hip and knee replacement and the costs for each major cost category. The traditional accounting method resulted in higher cost estimates. The total cost per hip replacement was $22,076 (2014 USD) using traditional accounting and was $12,957 using TDABC. The total cost per knee replacement was $29,488 using traditional accounting and was $16,981 using TDABC. With respect to cost categories, estimates using traditional accounting were greater for hip and knee replacement, respectively, by $3,432 and $5,486 for personnel, by $3,398 and $3,664 for space and equipment, and by $2,289 and $3,357 for indirect costs. Implants and consumables were derived from the actual hospital purchase price; accordingly, both methods produced equivalent results. Substantial cost differences exist between accounting methods. The focus of TDABC only on resources used directly by the patient contrasts with the allocation of all operating costs, including all indirect costs and unused capacity, with traditional accounting. We expect that the true costs of hip and knee replacement care cycles are likely somewhere between estimates derived from traditional accounting methods and TDABC. TDABC offers patient-level granular cost information that better serves in the redesign of care pathways and may lead to more strategic resource-allocation decisions to optimize actual operating margins.

Real-Time GNSS-Based Attitude Determination in the Measurement Domain.

PubMed

Zhao, Lin; Li, Na; Li, Liang; Zhang, Yi; Cheng, Chun

2017-02-05

A multi-antenna-based GNSS receiver is capable of providing high-precision and drift-free attitude solution. Carrier phase measurements need be utilized to achieve high-precision attitude. The traditional attitude determination methods in the measurement domain and the position domain resolve the attitude and the ambiguity sequentially. The redundant measurements from multiple baselines have not been fully utilized to enhance the reliability of attitude determination. A multi-baseline-based attitude determination method in the measurement domain is proposed to estimate the attitude parameters and the ambiguity simultaneously. Meanwhile, the redundancy of attitude resolution has also been increased so that the reliability of ambiguity resolution and attitude determination can be enhanced. Moreover, in order to further improve the reliability of attitude determination, we propose a partial ambiguity resolution method based on the proposed attitude determination model. The static and kinematic experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed method. When compared with the traditional attitude determination methods, the static experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy by at least 0.03° and enhance the continuity by 18%, at most. The kinematic result has shown that the proposed method can obtain an optimal balance between accuracy and reliability performance.

Comparison of student outcomes and preferences in a traditional vs. World Wide Web-based baccalaureate nursing research course.

PubMed

Leasure, A R; Davis, L; Thievon, S L

2000-04-01

The purpose of this project was to compare student outcomes in an undergraduate research course taught using both World Wide Web-based distance learning technology and traditional pedagogy. Reasons given for enrolling in the traditional classroom section included the perception of increased opportunity for interaction, decreased opportunity to procrastinate, immediate feedback, and more meaningful learning activities. Reasons for selecting the Web group section included cost, convenience, and flexibility. Overall, there was no significant difference in examination scores between the two groups on the three multiple-choice examinations or for the course grades (t = -.96, P = .343). Students who reported that they were self-directed and had the ability to maintain their own pace and avoid procrastination were most suited to Web-based courses. The Web-based classes can help provide opportunities for methods of communication that are not traditionally nurtured in traditional classroom settings. Secondary benefits of the World Wide Web-based course were to increase student confidence with the computer, and introduce them to skills and opportunities they would not have had in the classroom. Additionally, over time and with practice, student's writing skills improved.

A cloud-based framework for large-scale traditional Chinese medical record retrieval.

PubMed

Liu, Lijun; Liu, Li; Fu, Xiaodong; Huang, Qingsong; Zhang, Xianwen; Zhang, Yin

2018-01-01

Electronic medical records are increasingly common in medical practice. The secondary use of medical records has become increasingly important. It relies on the ability to retrieve the complete information about desired patient populations. How to effectively and accurately retrieve relevant medical records from large- scale medical big data is becoming a big challenge. Therefore, we propose an efficient and robust framework based on cloud for large-scale Traditional Chinese Medical Records (TCMRs) retrieval. We propose a parallel index building method and build a distributed search cluster, the former is used to improve the performance of index building, and the latter is used to provide high concurrent online TCMRs retrieval. Then, a real-time multi-indexing model is proposed to ensure the latest relevant TCMRs are indexed and retrieved in real-time, and a semantics-based query expansion method and a multi- factor ranking model are proposed to improve retrieval quality. Third, we implement a template-based visualization method for displaying medical reports. The proposed parallel indexing method and distributed search cluster can improve the performance of index building and provide high concurrent online TCMRs retrieval. The multi-indexing model can ensure the latest relevant TCMRs are indexed and retrieved in real-time. The semantics expansion method and the multi-factor ranking model can enhance retrieval quality. The template-based visualization method can enhance the availability and universality, where the medical reports are displayed via friendly web interface. In conclusion, compared with the current medical record retrieval systems, our system provides some advantages that are useful in improving the secondary use of large-scale traditional Chinese medical records in cloud environment. The proposed system is more easily integrated with existing clinical systems and be used in various scenarios. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Web-based vs. traditional classroom instruction in gerontology: a pilot study.

PubMed

Gallagher, Judith E; Dobrosielski-Vergona, Kathleen A; Wingard, Robin G; Williams, Theresa M

2005-01-01

Numerous studies have documented comparable outcomes from Web-based and traditional classroom instruction. However, there is a paucity of literature comparing these two delivery formats for gerontology courses in dental hygiene curricula. This study examines the effectiveness of alternative methods of course delivery by comparing student profiles and instructional outcomes from a dental hygiene gerontology course offered both on the Web and in a traditional classroom setting. Questionnaires were sent to both groups of students completing the course. The instrument was designed to establish profiles of the participating students. The data collected included familiarity with Web-based instruction, extent of prior computer training, previous interaction with the elderly, and student evaluations of course effectiveness. Traditional instructional outcomes from evaluated course work were compared, as were post-course exam outcomes that assessed retention of course information six months after course completion. The statistical significance of these data was determined using Statistical Package for Social Scientists software (SPSS, Inc., version 12.0, Chicago, IL). A comparison of student characteristics enrolled in the two course formats revealed marked differences. The Web-based group (n=12) included dental hygiene students (67%) and other health care providers (25%). All participants in the traditional classroom format (n=32) were dental hygiene students. Half of the Web-based respondents were over 25 years of age, and the majority (n=8) had previously taken an online course. The majority of traditional classroom students were 25 years of age or younger (n=21) and had never taken a Web-based course (n=20). Statistically significant differences in instructional outcomes were observed between students enrolled in these two formats. Student retention of course material six months after completion of the course was greater in the Web-based format. Students selecting a Web-based course format demonstrated greater motivation and learning success based on final course grades, completion of assignments, and knowledge retention over time. Age, previous experience with online courses, and selection of teaching mode are factors that may confound course delivery method to influence instructional outcomes in a gerontology course within a dental hygiene curriculum.

Is Student Knowledge of Anatomy Affected by a Problem-Based Learning Approach? A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jonathan M.

2014-01-01

A fundamental understanding of anatomy is critical for students on many health science courses. It has been suggested that a problem-based approach to learning anatomy may result in deficits in foundation knowledge. The aim of this review is to compare traditional didactic methods with problem-based learning methods for obtaining anatomy…

Promoting new concepts of skincare via skinomics and systems biology-From traditional skincare and efficacy-based skincare to precision skincare.

PubMed

Jiang, Biao; Jia, Yan; He, Congfen

2018-05-11

Traditional skincare involves the subjective classification of skin into 4 categories (oily, dry, mixed, and neutral) prior to skin treatment. Following the development of noninvasive methods in skin and skin imaging technology, scientists have developed efficacy-based skincare products based on the physiological characteristics of skin under different conditions. Currently, the emergence of skinomics and systems biology has facilitated the development of precision skincare. In this article, the evolution of skincare based on the physiological states of the skin (from traditional skincare and efficacy-based skincare to precision skincare) is described. In doing so, we highlight skinomics and systems biology, with particular emphasis on the importance of skin lipidomics and microbiomes in precision skincare. The emerging trends of precision skincare are anticipated. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Study on spatial distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine resource species richness based on national census of Chinese medicine resources (pilot)].

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Wang, Hui; Jing, Zhi-Xian; Li, Meng; Guo, Lan-Ping; Huang, Lu-Qi

2017-11-01

Based on the data collected by the census team in the national census information management system, the spatial autocorrelation analysis method was used to analyze the similarity of the richness of Chinese herbal medicine resources in the investigated counties. The results showed that the species richness in the investigated counties appeared a tendency to focus on the distribution of the characteristics. Among them, the areas with sparse resources are concentrated in most areas of the north of the Yangtze River, northwest and most areas of Tibet. The areas with abundant resources are concentrated in the areas south of the Yangtze River. The results showed that there were significant differences in the abundance of traditional Chinese medicine resources between regions. The results showed that there were significant differences in the abundance of traditional Chinese medicine resources between regions. Due to the large differences in the land area between the county and the richness of the types of traditional Chinese medicine resources, it is proposed to increase the land area of the traditional Chinese medicine resource census when allocating the fourth national census of Chinese medicine resources by the "factor method", and the richness of traditional Chinese medicine and other indicators, in order to give full play to the efficiency of transfer payment system. Based on the county area and the rich variety of traditional Chinese medicine resources, combined with the national drug resources census pilot work carried out, it is recommended to focus on attention and support in the national medicine resources census work, personnel team, funding, summary of results on the western and southern provinces. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

[Study on extraction method of Panax notoginseng plots in Wenshan of Yunnan province based on decision tree model].

PubMed

Shi, Ting-Ting; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Guo, Lan-Ping; Huang, Lu-Qi

2017-11-01

The herbs used as the material for traditional Chinese medicine are always planted in the mountainous area where the natural environment is suitable. As the mountain terrain is complex and the distribution of planting plots is scattered, the traditional survey method is difficult to obtain accurate planting area. It is of great significance to provide decision support for the conservation and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine resources by studying the method of extraction of Chinese herbal medicine planting area based on remote sensing and realizing the dynamic monitoring and reserve estimation of Chinese herbal medicines. In this paper, taking the Panax notoginseng plots in Wenshan prefecture of Yunnan province as an example, the China-made GF-1multispectral remote sensing images with a 16 m×16 m resolution were obtained. Then, the time series that can reflect the difference of spectrum of P. notoginseng shed and the background objects were selected to the maximum extent, and the decision tree model of extraction the of P. notoginseng plots was constructed according to the spectral characteristics of the surface features. The results showed that the remote sensing classification method based on the decision tree model could extract P. notoginseng plots in the study area effectively. The method can provide technical support for extraction of P. notoginseng plots at county level. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Hydrologic impacts of climate change and urbanization in Las Vegas Wash Watershed, Nevada

EPA Science Inventory

In this study, a cell-based model for the Las Vegas Wash (LVW) Watershed in Clark County, Nevada, was developed by combining the traditional hydrologic modeling methods (Thornthwaite’s water balance model and the Soil Conservation Survey’s Curve Number method) with the pixel-base...

Preparing Students for Flipped or Team-Based Learning Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balan, Peter; Clark, Michele; Restall, Gregory

2015-01-01

Purpose: Teaching methods such as Flipped Learning and Team-Based Learning require students to pre-learn course materials before a teaching session, because classroom exercises rely on students using self-gained knowledge. This is the reverse to "traditional" teaching when course materials are presented during a lecture, and students are…

Achieving real-time capsule endoscopy (CE) video visualization through panoramic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Steven; Xie, Jean; Mui, Peter; Leighton, Jonathan A.

2013-02-01

In this paper, we mainly present a novel and real-time capsule endoscopy (CE) video visualization concept based on panoramic imaging. Typical CE videos run about 8 hours and are manually reviewed by physicians to locate diseases such as bleedings and polyps. To date, there is no commercially available tool capable of providing stabilized and processed CE video that is easy to analyze in real time. The burden on physicians' disease finding efforts is thus big. In fact, since the CE camera sensor has a limited forward looking view and low image frame rate (typical 2 frames per second), and captures very close range imaging on the GI tract surface, it is no surprise that traditional visualization method based on tracking and registration often fails to work. This paper presents a novel concept for real-time CE video stabilization and display. Instead of directly working on traditional forward looking FOV (field of view) images, we work on panoramic images to bypass many problems facing traditional imaging modalities. Methods on panoramic image generation based on optical lens principle leading to real-time data visualization will be presented. In addition, non-rigid panoramic image registration methods will be discussed.

COMPARISON OF TAXONOMIC, COLONY MORPHOTYPE AND PCR-RFLP METHODS TO CHARACTERIZE MICROFUNGAL DIVERSITY

EPA Science Inventory

We compared three methods for estimating fungal species diversity in soil samples. A rapid screening method based on gross colony morphological features and color reference standards was compared with traditional fungal taxonomic methods and PCR-RFLP for estimation of ecological ...

A Spatial Division Clustering Method and Low Dimensional Feature Extraction Technique Based Indoor Positioning System

PubMed Central

Mo, Yun; Zhang, Zhongzhao; Meng, Weixiao; Ma, Lin; Wang, Yao

2014-01-01

Indoor positioning systems based on the fingerprint method are widely used due to the large number of existing devices with a wide range of coverage. However, extensive positioning regions with a massive fingerprint database may cause high computational complexity and error margins, therefore clustering methods are widely applied as a solution. However, traditional clustering methods in positioning systems can only measure the similarity of the Received Signal Strength without being concerned with the continuity of physical coordinates. Besides, outage of access points could result in asymmetric matching problems which severely affect the fine positioning procedure. To solve these issues, in this paper we propose a positioning system based on the Spatial Division Clustering (SDC) method for clustering the fingerprint dataset subject to physical distance constraints. With the Genetic Algorithm and Support Vector Machine techniques, SDC can achieve higher coarse positioning accuracy than traditional clustering algorithms. In terms of fine localization, based on the Kernel Principal Component Analysis method, the proposed positioning system outperforms its counterparts based on other feature extraction methods in low dimensionality. Apart from balancing online matching computational burden, the new positioning system exhibits advantageous performance on radio map clustering, and also shows better robustness and adaptability in the asymmetric matching problem aspect. PMID:24451470

Research on tactical information display technology for interactive virtual cockpit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhongyun; Tian, Tao; Su, Feng

2018-04-01

Based on a fact that traditional tactical information display technology suffers from disadvantages of a large number of data to be transferred and low plotting efficiency in an interactive virtual cockpit, a GID protocol-based simulation has been designed. This method dissolves complex tactical information screens into basic plotting units. The indication of plotting units is controlled via the plotting commands, which solves the incompatibility between the tactical information display in traditional simulation and the desktop-based virtual simulation training system. Having been used in desktop systems for helicopters, fighters, and transporters, this method proves to be scientific and reasonable in design and simple and efficient in usage, which exerts a significant value in establishing aviation equipment technology support training products.

Affordable non-traditional source data mining for context assessment to improve distributed fusion system robustness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, Christopher; Haith, Gary; Steinberg, Alan; Morefield, Charles; Morefield, Michael

2013-05-01

This paper describes methods to affordably improve the robustness of distributed fusion systems by opportunistically leveraging non-traditional data sources. Adaptive methods help find relevant data, create models, and characterize the model quality. These methods also can measure the conformity of this non-traditional data with fusion system products including situation modeling and mission impact prediction. Non-traditional data can improve the quantity, quality, availability, timeliness, and diversity of the baseline fusion system sources and therefore can improve prediction and estimation accuracy and robustness at all levels of fusion. Techniques are described that automatically learn to characterize and search non-traditional contextual data to enable operators integrate the data with the high-level fusion systems and ontologies. These techniques apply the extension of the Data Fusion & Resource Management Dual Node Network (DNN) technical architecture at Level 4. The DNN architecture supports effectively assessment and management of the expanded portfolio of data sources, entities of interest, models, and algorithms including data pattern discovery and context conformity. Affordable model-driven and data-driven data mining methods to discover unknown models from non-traditional and `big data' sources are used to automatically learn entity behaviors and correlations with fusion products, [14 and 15]. This paper describes our context assessment software development, and the demonstration of context assessment of non-traditional data to compare to an intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance fusion product based upon an IED POIs workflow.

A method based on IHS cylindrical transform model for quality assessment of image fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaokun; Jia, Yonghong

2005-10-01

Image fusion technique has been widely applied to remote sensing image analysis and processing, and methods for quality assessment of image fusion in remote sensing have also become the research issues at home and abroad. Traditional assessment methods combine calculation of quantitative indexes and visual interpretation to compare fused images quantificationally and qualitatively. However, in the existing assessment methods, there are two defects: on one hand, most imdexes lack the theoretic support to compare different fusion methods. On the hand, there is not a uniform preference for most of the quantitative assessment indexes when they are applied to estimate the fusion effects. That is, the spatial resolution and spectral feature could not be analyzed synchronously by these indexes and there is not a general method to unify the spatial and spectral feature assessment. So in this paper, on the basis of the approximate general model of four traditional fusion methods, including Intensity Hue Saturation(IHS) triangle transform fusion, High Pass Filter(HPF) fusion, Principal Component Analysis(PCA) fusion, Wavelet Transform(WT) fusion, a correlation coefficient assessment method based on IHS cylindrical transform is proposed. By experiments, this method can not only get the evaluation results of spatial and spectral features on the basis of uniform preference, but also can acquire the comparison between fusion image sources and fused images, and acquire differences among fusion methods. Compared with the traditional assessment methods, the new methods is more intuitionistic, and in accord with subjective estimation.

The Application of Linear and Nonlinear Water Tanks Case Study in Teaching of Process Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiangshun; Li, Zhiang

2018-02-01

In the traditional process control teaching, the importance of passing knowledge is emphasized while the development of creative and practical abilities of students is ignored. Traditional teaching methods are not very helpful to breed a good engineer. Case teaching is a very useful way to improve students’ innovative and practical abilities. In the traditional case teaching, knowledge points are taught separately based on different examples or no examples, thus it is very hard to setup the whole knowledge structure. Though all the knowledge is learned, how to use the knowledge to solve engineering problems keeps challenging for students. In this paper, the linear and nonlinear tanks are taken as illustrative examples which involves several knowledge points of process control. The application method of each knowledge point is discussed in detail and simulated. I believe the case-based study will be helpful for students.

Leaking in history space: A way to analyze systems subjected to arbitrary driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaszás, Bálint; Feudel, Ulrike; Tél, Tamás

2018-03-01

Our aim is to unfold phase space structures underlying systems with a drift in their parameters. Such systems are non-autonomous and belong to the class of non-periodically driven systems where the traditional theory of chaos (based e.g., on periodic orbits) does not hold. We demonstrate that even such systems possess an underlying topological horseshoe-like structure at least for a finite period of time. This result is based on a specifically developed method which allows to compute the corresponding time-dependent stable and unstable foliations. These structures can be made visible by prescribing a certain type of history for an ensemble of trajectories in phase space and by analyzing the trajectories fulfilling this constraint. The process can be considered as a leaking in history space—a generalization of traditional leaking, a method that has become widespread in traditional chaotic systems, to leaks depending on time.

Adaboost multi-view face detection based on YCgCr skin color model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Qi; Xu, Zhiyong

2016-09-01

Traditional Adaboost face detection algorithm uses Haar-like features training face classifiers, whose detection error rate is low in the face region. While under the complex background, the classifiers will make wrong detection easily to the background regions with the similar faces gray level distribution, which leads to the error detection rate of traditional Adaboost algorithm is high. As one of the most important features of a face, skin in YCgCr color space has good clustering. We can fast exclude the non-face areas through the skin color model. Therefore, combining with the advantages of the Adaboost algorithm and skin color detection algorithm, this paper proposes Adaboost face detection algorithm method that bases on YCgCr skin color model. Experiments show that, compared with traditional algorithm, the method we proposed has improved significantly in the detection accuracy and errors.

Prediction of air pollutant concentration based on sparse response back-propagation training feedforward neural networks.

PubMed

Ding, Weifu; Zhang, Jiangshe; Leung, Yee

2016-10-01

In this paper, we predict air pollutant concentration using a feedforward artificial neural network inspired by the mechanism of the human brain as a useful alternative to traditional statistical modeling techniques. The neural network is trained based on sparse response back-propagation in which only a small number of neurons respond to the specified stimulus simultaneously and provide a high convergence rate for the trained network, in addition to low energy consumption and greater generalization. Our method is evaluated on Hong Kong air monitoring station data and corresponding meteorological variables for which five air quality parameters were gathered at four monitoring stations in Hong Kong over 4 years (2012-2015). Our results show that our training method has more advantages in terms of the precision of the prediction, effectiveness, and generalization of traditional linear regression algorithms when compared with a feedforward artificial neural network trained using traditional back-propagation.

A clustering method of Chinese medicine prescriptions based on modified firefly algorithm.

PubMed

Yuan, Feng; Liu, Hong; Chen, Shou-Qiang; Xu, Liang

2016-12-01

This paper is aimed to study the clustering method for Chinese medicine (CM) medical cases. The traditional K-means clustering algorithm had shortcomings such as dependence of results on the selection of initial value, trapping in local optimum when processing prescriptions form CM medical cases. Therefore, a new clustering method based on the collaboration of firefly algorithm and simulated annealing algorithm was proposed. This algorithm dynamically determined the iteration of firefly algorithm and simulates sampling of annealing algorithm by fitness changes, and increased the diversity of swarm through expansion of the scope of the sudden jump, thereby effectively avoiding premature problem. The results from confirmatory experiments for CM medical cases suggested that, comparing with traditional K-means clustering algorithms, this method was greatly improved in the individual diversity and the obtained clustering results, the computing results from this method had a certain reference value for cluster analysis on CM prescriptions.

A three dimensional point cloud registration method based on rotation matrix eigenvalue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chao; Zhou, Xiang; Fei, Zixuan; Gao, Xiaofei; Jin, Rui

2017-09-01

We usually need to measure an object at multiple angles in the traditional optical three-dimensional measurement method, due to the reasons for the block, and then use point cloud registration methods to obtain a complete threedimensional shape of the object. The point cloud registration based on a turntable is essential to calculate the coordinate transformation matrix between the camera coordinate system and the turntable coordinate system. We usually calculate the transformation matrix by fitting the rotation center and the rotation axis normal of the turntable in the traditional method, which is limited by measuring the field of view. The range of exact feature points used for fitting the rotation center and the rotation axis normal is approximately distributed within an arc less than 120 degrees, resulting in a low fit accuracy. In this paper, we proposes a better method, based on the invariant eigenvalue principle of rotation matrix in the turntable coordinate system and the coordinate transformation matrix of the corresponding coordinate points. First of all, we control the rotation angle of the calibration plate with the turntable to calibrate the coordinate transformation matrix of the corresponding coordinate points by using the least squares method. And then we use the feature decomposition to calculate the coordinate transformation matrix of the camera coordinate system and the turntable coordinate system. Compared with the traditional previous method, it has a higher accuracy, better robustness and it is not affected by the camera field of view. In this method, the coincidence error of the corresponding points on the calibration plate after registration is less than 0.1mm.

RRCRank: a fusion method using rank strategy for residue-residue contact prediction.

PubMed

Jing, Xiaoyang; Dong, Qiwen; Lu, Ruqian

2017-09-02

In structural biology area, protein residue-residue contacts play a crucial role in protein structure prediction. Some researchers have found that the predicted residue-residue contacts could effectively constrain the conformational search space, which is significant for de novo protein structure prediction. In the last few decades, related researchers have developed various methods to predict residue-residue contacts, especially, significant performance has been achieved by using fusion methods in recent years. In this work, a novel fusion method based on rank strategy has been proposed to predict contacts. Unlike the traditional regression or classification strategies, the contact prediction task is regarded as a ranking task. First, two kinds of features are extracted from correlated mutations methods and ensemble machine-learning classifiers, and then the proposed method uses the learning-to-rank algorithm to predict contact probability of each residue pair. First, we perform two benchmark tests for the proposed fusion method (RRCRank) on CASP11 dataset and CASP12 dataset respectively. The test results show that the RRCRank method outperforms other well-developed methods, especially for medium and short range contacts. Second, in order to verify the superiority of ranking strategy, we predict contacts by using the traditional regression and classification strategies based on the same features as ranking strategy. Compared with these two traditional strategies, the proposed ranking strategy shows better performance for three contact types, in particular for long range contacts. Third, the proposed RRCRank has been compared with several state-of-the-art methods in CASP11 and CASP12. The results show that the RRCRank could achieve comparable prediction precisions and is better than three methods in most assessment metrics. The learning-to-rank algorithm is introduced to develop a novel rank-based method for the residue-residue contact prediction of proteins, which achieves state-of-the-art performance based on the extensive assessment.

MindEdit: A P300-based text editor for mobile devices.

PubMed

Elsawy, Amr S; Eldawlatly, Seif; Taher, Mohamed; Aly, Gamal M

2017-01-01

Practical application of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) requires that the whole BCI system be portable. The mobility of BCI systems involves two aspects: making the electroencephalography (EEG) recording devices portable, and developing software applications with low computational complexity to be able to run on low computational-power devices such as tablets and smartphones. This paper addresses the development of MindEdit; a P300-based text editor for Android-based devices. Given the limited resources of mobile devices and their limited computational power, a novel ensemble classifier is utilized that uses Principal Component Analysis (PCA) features to identify P300 evoked potentials from EEG recordings. PCA computations in the proposed method are channel-based as opposed to concatenating all channels as in traditional feature extraction methods; thus, this method has less computational complexity compared to traditional P300 detection methods. The performance of the method is demonstrated on data recorded from MindEdit on an Android tablet using the Emotiv wireless neuroheadset. Results demonstrate the capability of the introduced PCA ensemble classifier to classify P300 data with maximum average accuracy of 78.37±16.09% for cross-validation data and 77.5±19.69% for online test data using only 10 trials per symbol and a 33-character training dataset. Our analysis indicates that the introduced method outperforms traditional feature extraction methods. For a faster operation of MindEdit, a variable number of trials scheme is introduced that resulted in an online average accuracy of 64.17±19.6% and a maximum bitrate of 6.25bit/min. These results demonstrate the efficacy of using the developed BCI application with mobile devices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrative vs. Traditional Learning from the Student Perspective

PubMed Central

Kadmon, Guni; Schmidt, Jan; De Cono, Nicola; Kadmon, Martina

2011-01-01

Background: The interdisciplinary surgery block of the reformed undergraduate curriculum HeiCuMed includes daily cycles of interactive case-based seminars, problem-based tutorials, case presentation by students, skills and communication training, and bedside teaching. The teaching doctors receive didactic training. In contrast, the previous traditional course was based on lectures with only two weekly hours of bedside teaching. Didactic training was not available. Objective: The present work aims at analysing the importance of active participation of students and the didactic components of the reformed and traditional curricula, which contribute to successful learning as evaluated by the students. Method: Differentiated student evaluations of the undergraduate surgical courses between 1999 and 2008 were examined by correlation and regression analyses. Results: The evaluation scores for organisation, dedication of the teaching staff, their ability to make lessons interesting and complex topics easily understandable, and the subjective gain of knowledge were significantly better in HeiCuMed than in the traditional curriculum. However, the dependence of knowledge gain on the didactic quality was the same in both curricula. The quality of discussions and the ability of the teaching doctors to promote active student participation were important to the subjective gain of knowledge in both seminars and practical courses of the reformed curriculum as well as for the overall evaluation of the practical courses but not the gain of knowledge in the traditional curriculum. Conclusion: The findings confirm psychological-educational perceptions, that competent implementation of integrative didactical methods is more important to successful teaching and the subjective gain of knowledge than knowledge transfer by traditional classroom teaching. PMID:21818238

Successful Developmental Math Students in Traditional Format and Online Delivery: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jeremy Lloyd

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare student performance in online and traditional classroom based developmental math courses at Texas community colleges. This study specifically examined: (a) student performance in both delivery methods, (b) students who successfully completed the developmental math course, and (c) student performance in the…

Factors Affecting the Successful Use of Web Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matheus, Anne

2009-01-01

Every second of every minute of every day, many people search the World Wide Web for information. People are less likely to use hard copy telephone books, encyclopedias, libraries, or other traditional methods of research. They access these traditional resources through web based portals. People use the web to find restaurants, go on vacation, to…

Comparing Traditional versus Alternative Sequencing of Instruction When Using Simulation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Bradley; DeLuca, William

2015-01-01

Many engineering and technology education classrooms incorporate simulation modeling as part of curricula to teach engineering and STEM-based concepts. The traditional method of the learning process has students first learn the content from the classroom teacher and then may have the opportunity to apply the learned content through simulation…

Examination of the Equivalence of Self-Report Survey-Based Paper-and-Pencil and Internet Data Collection Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigold, Arne; Weigold, Ingrid K.; Russell, Elizabeth J.

2013-01-01

Self-report survey-based data collection is increasingly carried out using the Internet, as opposed to the traditional paper-and-pencil method. However, previous research on the equivalence of these methods has yielded inconsistent findings. This may be due to methodological and statistical issues present in much of the literature, such as…

Dental Students' Perceived Clinical Competence in Prosthodontics: Comparison of Traditional and Problem-Based Learning Methodologies.

PubMed

Montero, Javier; Dib, Abraham; Guadilla, Yasmina; Flores, Javier; Santos, Juan Antonio; Aguilar, Rosa Anaya; Gómez-Polo, Cristina

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to compare the perceived competence for treating prosthodontic patients of two samples of fourth-year dental students: those educated using traditional methodologies and those educated using problem-based learning (PBL). Two cohorts of fourth-year dental students at a dental school in Spain were surveyed: the traditional methods cohort (n=46) was comprised of all students in academic years 2012 and 2013, and the PBL cohort (n=57) was comprised of all students in academic years 2014 and 2015. Students in both cohorts reported the number of prosthodontic treatments they carried out per year and their perceived level of competence in performing such treatments. The results showed that the average number of treatments performed was similar for the two cohorts, except the number of metal-based removable partial dentures was significantly higher for students in the traditional (0.8±1.0) than the PBL (0.4±0.6) cohort. The level of perceived competence to treat complete denture patients for the combined cohorts was significantly higher (7.3±1.1) than that for partial acrylic dentures (6.7±1.5) and combined dentures (5.7±1.3). Students' clinical competence in prosthodontics mainly depended on number of treatments performed as the operator as well as the assistant. Students in the traditional methods cohort considered themselves to be significantly more competent at treating patients for removable partial and fixed prostheses (7.8±1.1 and 7.6±1.1, respectively) than did students in the PBL cohort (6.4±1.5 and 6.6±1.5, respectively). Overall, however, the study found that practical experiences were more important than the teaching method used to achieve students' perceived competence.

Improvement in the traditional processing method and nutritional quality of traditional extruded cassava-based snack (modified Ajogun).

PubMed

Obadina, Adewale O; Oyewole, Olusola B; Williams, Oluwasolabomi E

2013-07-01

This study was carried out to investigate and improve the traditional processing method and nutritional quality of the traditional cassava snack (Ajogun). Cassava root (Manihot esculenta Crantz L.) of TME 419 variety was processed into mash (40% moisture content). The cassava mash was mixed into different blends to produce fried traditional "Ajogun", fried and baked extrudates (modified Ajogun) as snacks. These products were analyzed to determine the proximate composition including carbohydrate, fat, protein, fiber, ash, and moisture contents and functional properties such as bulk density. The results obtained for the moisture, fat, protein, and ash contents showed significant difference (P < 0.05) between the control sample and the extrudates. However, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the carbohydrate and fiber contents between the three samples. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the bulk density of the snacks. Also, sensory evaluation was carried out on the cassava-based snacks using the 9-point hedonic scale to determine the degree of acceptability. Results obtained showed significant difference (P < 0.05) between the extrudates and control sample in terms of appearance, taste, flavor, color, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability. The highest acceptability level of the product was at 8.04 for the control sample (traditional Ajogun). This study has shown that "Ajogun", which is a lesser known cassava product, is rich in protein and fat.

The Efficacy of Three Learning Methods Collaborative, Context-Based Learning and Traditional, on Learning, Attitude and Behaviour of Undergraduate Nursing Students: Integrating Theory and Practice.

PubMed

Hasanpour-Dehkordi, Ali; Solati, Kamal

2016-04-01

Communication skills training, responsibility, respect, and self-awareness are important indexes of changing learning behaviours in modern approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of three learning approaches, collaborative, context-based learning (CBL), and traditional, on learning, attitude, and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students. This study was a clinical trial with pretest and post-test of control group. The participants were senior nursing students. The samples were randomly assigned to three groups; CBL, collaborative, and traditional. To gather data a standard questionnaire of students' behaviour and attitude was administered prior to and after the intervention. Also, the rate of learning was investigated by a researcher-developed questionnaire prior to and after the intervention in the three groups. In CBL and collaborative training groups, the mean score of behaviour and attitude increased after the intervention. But no significant association was obtained between the mean scores of behaviour and attitude prior to and after the intervention in the traditional group. However, the mean learning score increased significantly in the CBL, collaborative, and traditional groups after the study in comparison to before the study. Both CBL and collaborative approaches were useful in terms of increased respect, self-awareness, self-evaluation, communication skills and responsibility as well as increased motivation and learning score in comparison to traditional method.

Developing indicators of pattern identification in patients with stroke using traditional Korean medicine

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The traditional Korean medical diagnoses employ pattern identification (PI), a diagnostic system that entails the comprehensive analysis of symptoms and signs. The PI needs to be standardized due to its ambiguity. Therefore, this study was performed to establish standard indicators of the PI for stroke through the traditional Korean medical literature, expert consensus and a clinical field test. Methods We sorted out stroke patterns with an expert committee organized by the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine. The expert committee composed a document for a standardized pattern of identification for stroke based on the traditional Korean medical literature, and we evaluated the clinical significance of the document through a field test. Results We established five stroke patterns from the traditional Korean medical literature and extracted 117 indicators required for diagnosis. The indicators were evaluated by a field test and verified by the expert committee. Conclusions This study sought to develop indicators of PI based on the traditional Korean medical literature. This process contributed to the standardization of traditional Korean medical diagnoses. PMID:22410195

Introduction to the history and current status of evidence-based korean medicine: a unique integrated system of allopathic and holistic medicine.

PubMed

Yin, Chang Shik; Ko, Seong-Gyu

2014-01-01

Objectives. Korean medicine, an integrated allopathic and traditional medicine, has developed unique characteristics and has been active in contributing to evidence-based medicine. Recent developments in Korean medicine have not been as well disseminated as traditional Chinese medicine. This introduction to recent developments in Korean medicine will draw attention to, and facilitate, the advancement of evidence-based complementary alternative medicine (CAM). Methods and Results. The history of and recent developments in Korean medicine as evidence-based medicine are explored through discussions on the development of a national standard classification of diseases and study reports, ranging from basic research to newly developed clinical therapies. A national standard classification of diseases has been developed and revised serially into an integrated classification of Western allopathic and traditional holistic medicine disease entities. Standard disease classifications offer a starting point for the reliable gathering of evidence and provide a representative example of the unique status of evidence-based Korean medicine as an integration of Western allopathic medicine and traditional holistic medicine. Conclusions. Recent developments in evidence-based Korean medicine show a unique development in evidence-based medicine, adopting both Western allopathic and holistic traditional medicine. It is expected that Korean medicine will continue to be an important contributor to evidence-based medicine, encompassing conventional and complementary approaches.

Improved collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm of similarity measure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Baofu; Yuan, Baoping

2017-05-01

The Collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm is one of the most widely used recommendation algorithm in personalized recommender systems. The key is to find the nearest neighbor set of the active user by using similarity measure. However, the methods of traditional similarity measure mainly focus on the similarity of user common rating items, but ignore the relationship between the user common rating items and all items the user rates. And because rating matrix is very sparse, traditional collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm is not high efficiency. In order to obtain better accuracy, based on the consideration of common preference between users, the difference of rating scale and score of common items, this paper presents an improved similarity measure method, and based on this method, a collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm based on similarity improvement is proposed. Experimental results show that the algorithm can effectively improve the quality of recommendation, thus alleviate the impact of data sparseness.

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%.

Electric potential calculation in molecular simulation of electric double layer capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenxing; Olmsted, David L.; Asta, Mark; Laird, Brian B.

2016-11-01

For the molecular simulation of electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs), a number of methods have been proposed and implemented to determine the one-dimensional electric potential profile between the two electrodes at a fixed potential difference. In this work, we compare several of these methods for a model LiClO4-acetonitrile/graphite EDLC simulated using both the traditional fixed-charged method (FCM), in which a fixed charge is assigned a priori to the electrode atoms, or the recently developed constant potential method (CPM) (2007 J. Chem. Phys. 126 084704), where the electrode charges are allowed to fluctuate to keep the potential fixed. Based on an analysis of the full three-dimensional electric potential field, we suggest a method for determining the averaged one-dimensional electric potential profile that can be applied to both the FCM and CPM simulations. Compared to traditional methods based on numerically solving the one-dimensional Poisson’s equation, this method yields better accuracy and no supplemental assumptions.

Resolution Enhancement Algorithm for Spaceborn SAR Based on Hanning Function Weighted Sidelobe Suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C.; Zhou, X.; Tang, D.; Zhu, Z.

2018-04-01

Resolution and sidelobe are mutual restrict for SAR image. Usually sidelobe suppression is based on resolution reduction. This paper provide a method for resolution enchancement using sidelobe opposition speciality of hanning window and SAR image. The method can keep high resolution on the condition of sidelobe suppression. Compare to traditional method, this method can enchance 50 % resolution when sidelobe is -30dB.

Improving temporal bone dissection using self-directed virtual reality simulation: results of a randomized blinded control trial.

PubMed

Zhao, Yi Chen; Kennedy, Gregor; Yukawa, Kumiko; Pyman, Brian; O'Leary, Stephen

2011-03-01

A significant benefit of virtual reality (VR) simulation is the ability to provide self-direct learning for trainees. This study aims to determine whether there are any differences in performance of cadaver temporal bone dissections between novices who received traditional teaching methods and those who received unsupervised self-directed learning in a VR temporal bone simulator. Randomized blinded control trial. Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Twenty novice trainees. After receiving an hour lecture, participants were randomized into 2 groups to receive an additional 2 hours of training via traditional teaching methods or self-directed learning using a VR simulator with automated guidance. The simulation environment presented participants with structured training tasks, which were accompanied by real-time computer-generated feedback as well as real operative videos and photos. After the training, trainees were asked to perform a cortical mastoidectomy on a cadaveric temporal bone. The dissection was videotaped and assessed by 3 otologists blinded to participants' teaching group. The overall performance scores of the simulator-based training group were significantly higher than those of the traditional training group (67% vs 29%; P < .001), with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.93, indicating excellent interrater reliability. Using other assessments of performance, such as injury size, the VR simulator-based training group also performed better than the traditional group. This study indicates that self-directed learning on VR simulators can be used to improve performance on cadaver dissection in novice trainees compared with traditional teaching methods alone.

Collaborative identification method for sea battlefield target based on deep convolutional neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Guangdi; Pan, Mingbo; Liu, Wei; Wu, Xuetong

2018-03-01

The target identification of the sea battlefield is the prerequisite for the judgment of the enemy in the modern naval battle. In this paper, a collaborative identification method based on convolution neural network is proposed to identify the typical targets of sea battlefields. Different from the traditional single-input/single-output identification method, the proposed method constructs a multi-input/single-output co-identification architecture based on optimized convolution neural network and weighted D-S evidence theory. The simulation results show that

FEM-based strain analysis study for multilayer sheet forming process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rongjing; Lang, Lihui; Zafar, Rizwan

2015-12-01

Fiber metal laminates have many advantages over traditional laminates (e.g., any type of fiber and resin material can be placed anywhere between the metallic layers without risk of failure of the composite fabric sheets). Furthermore, the process requirements to strictly control the temperature and punch force in fiber metal laminates are also less stringent than those in traditional laminates. To further explore the novel method, this study conducts a finite element method-based (FEM-based) strain analysis on multilayer blanks by using the 3A method. Different forming modes such as wrinkling and fracture are discussed by using experimental and numerical studies. Hydroforming is used for multilayer forming. The Barlat 2000 yield criteria and DYNAFORM/LS-DYNA are used for the simulations. Optimal process parameters are determined on the basis of fixed die-binder gap and variable cavity pressure. The results of this study will enhance the knowledge on the mechanics of multilayer structures formed by using the 3A method and expand its commercial applications.

Case-Based Web Learning Versus Face-to-Face Learning: A Mixed-Method Study on University Nursing Students.

PubMed

Chan, Aileen Wai-Kiu; Chair, Sek-Ying; Sit, Janet Wing-Hung; Wong, Eliza Mi-Ling; Lee, Diana Tze-Fun; Fung, Olivia Wai-Man

2016-03-01

Case-based learning (CBL) is an effective educational method for improving the learning and clinical reasoning skills of students. Advances in e-learning technology have supported the development of the Web-based CBL approach to teaching as an alternative or supplement to the traditional classroom approach. This study aims to examine the CBL experience of Hong Kong students using both traditional classroom and Web-based approaches in undergraduate nursing education. This experience is examined in terms of the perceived self-learning ability, clinical reasoning ability, and satisfaction in learning of these students. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches was adopted. All Year-3 undergraduate nursing students were recruited. CBL was conducted using the traditional classroom approach in Semester 1, and the Web-based approach was conducted in Semester 2. Student evaluations were collected at the end of each semester using a self-report questionnaire. In-depth, focus-group interviews were conducted at the end of Semester 2. One hundred twenty-two students returned their questionnaires. No difference between the face-to-face and Web-based approaches was found in terms of self-learning ability (p = .947), clinical reasoning ability (p = .721), and satisfaction (p = .083). Focus group interview findings complemented survey findings and revealed five themes that reflected the CBL learning experience of Hong Kong students. These themes were (a) the structure of CBL, (b) the learning environment of Web-based CBL, (c) critical thinking and problem solving, (d) cultural influence on CBL learning experience, and (e) student-centered and teacher-centered learning. The Web-based CBL approach was comparable but not superior to the traditional classroom CBL approach. The Web-based CBL experience of these students sheds light on the impact of Chinese culture on student learning behavior and preferences.

Undergraduate medical student's perceptions on traditional and problem based curricula: pilot study.

PubMed

Meo, Sultan Ayoub

2014-07-01

To evaluate and compare students' perceptions about teaching and learning, knowledge and skills, outcomes of course materials and their satisfaction in traditional Lecture Based learning versus Problem-Based Learning curricula in two different medical schools. The comparative cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 2009 to January 2011. Two different undergraduate medical schools were selected; one followed the traditional curriculum, while the other followed the problem-based learning curriculum. Two equal groups of first year medical students were selected. They were taught in respiratory physiology and lung function lab according to their curriculum for a period of two weeks. At the completion of the study period, a five-point Likert scale was used to assess students' perceptions on satisfaction, academic environment, teaching and learning, knowledge and skills and outcomes of course materials about effectiveness of problem-based learning compared to traditional methods. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis. Students used to problem-based learning curriculum obtained marginally higher scores in their perceptions (24.10 +/- 3.63) compared to ones following the traditional curriculum (22.67 +/- 3.74). However, the difference in perceptions did not achieve a level of statistical significance. Students following problem-based learning curriculum have more positive perceptions on teaching and learning, knowledge and skills, outcomes of their course materials and satisfaction compared to the students belonging to the traditional style of medical school. However, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

[Sulfur dioxide limit standard and residues in Chinese medicinal materials].

PubMed

Kang, Chuan-Zhi; Yang, Wan-Zhen; Mo, Ge; Zhou, Li; Jiang, Jing-Yi; Lv, Chao-Geng; Wang, Sheng; Zhou, Tao; Yang, Ye; Guo, Lan-Ping

2018-01-01

The traditional sulfur fumigation processing method has been widely used in the initial processing and storage of traditional Chinese medicinal materials due to its economy, efficiency, convenience, high operability and effect on mold and insect prevention. However, excessive sulfur fumigation of traditional Chinese medicinal materials would lead to the changes in chemical compositions, and even endanger human health. This study showed that traditional Chinese medicinal materials were sulfur fumigated directly after being harvested for quick drying, or fumigated after being weted in the storage process for preventing mold and insects. We found that the sulfur dioxide limits for traditional Chinese medicinal materials were stricter than those for foods. Based on the existing limit standards, we obtained the data of sulfur dioxide residues for 35 types of traditional Chinese medicinal materials in a total of 862 batches. According to the limit standard in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (150， 400 mg·kg⁻¹), the average over-standard rate of sulfur dioxide was as high as 52.43%, but it was reduced to 29.47% if calculated based on the limit for vegetable additive standard (500 mg·kg⁻¹). Sulfur fumigation issue shall be considered correctly: sulfur dioxide is a type of low toxic substance and less dangerous than aflatoxin and other highly toxic substances, and a small amount of residue would not increase the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicinal materials. However, sulfur fumigation might change the content of chemical substances and affect the quality of traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Furthermore, the exposure hazards of toxic substances are comprehensively correlated with exposure cycle, exposure frequency, and application method. In conclusion, it is suggested to strengthen the studies on the limit standard of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, formulate practical and feasible limit standard for sulfur dioxide residues in traditional Chinese medicinal materials that are consistent with the medication characteristics of traditional Chinese medicinal materials and can guarantee people's demand for safe medication. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

[Ideas and methods on efficient screening of traditional medicines for anti-osteoporosis activity based on M-Act/Tox integrated evaluation using zebrafish].

PubMed

Wang, Mo; Ling, Jie; Chen, Ying; Song, Jie; Sun, E; Shi, Zi-Qi; Feng, Liang; Jia, Xiao-Bin; Wei, Ying-Jie

2017-11-01

The increasingly apparent liver injury problems of bone strengthening Chinese medicines have brought challenges for clinical application, and it is necessary to consider both effectiveness and safety in screening anti-osteoporosis Chinese medicines. Metabolic transformation is closely related to drug efficacy and toxicity, so it is significant to comprehensively consider metabolism-action/toxicity(M-Act/Tox) for screening anti-osteoporosis Chinese medicines. The current evaluation models and the number of compounds(including metabolites) severely restrict efficient screening in vivo. By referring to previous relevant research and domestic and abroad literature, zebrafish M-Act/Tox integrative method was put forward for efficiently screening anti-osteoporosis herb medicines, which has organically integrated zebrafish metabolism model, osteoporosis model and toxicity evaluation method. This method can break through the bottleneck and blind spots that trace compositions can't achieve efficient and integrated in vivo evaluation, and realize both efficient and comprehensive screening on anti-osteoporosis traditional medicines based on in vivo process taking both safety and effectiveness into account, which is significant to accelerate discovery of effective and safe innovative traditional Chinese medicines for osteoporosis. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Assessing Health Promotion Interventions: Limitations of Traditional Research Methods in Community-Based Studies.

PubMed

Dressel, Anne; Schneider, Robert; DeNomie, Melissa; Kusch, Jennifer; Welch, Whitney; Sosa, Mirtha; Yeldell, Sally; Maida, Tatiana; Wineberg, Jessica; Holt, Keith; Bernstein, Rebecca

2017-09-01

Most low-income Americans fail to meet physical activity recommendations. Inactivity and poor diet contribute to obesity, a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases. Health promotion activities have the potential to improve health outcomes for low-income populations. Measuring the effectiveness of these activities, however, can be challenging in community settings. A "Biking for Health" study tested the impact of a bicycling intervention on overweight or obese low-income Latino and African American adults to reduce barriers to cycling and increase physical activity and fitness. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in summer 2015. A 12-week bicycling intervention was implemented at two sites with low-income, overweight, or obese Latino and African American adults. We found that randomized controlled trial methodology was suboptimal for use in this small pilot study and that it negatively affected participation. More discussion is needed about the effectiveness of using traditional research methods in community settings to assess the effectiveness of health promotion interventions. Modifications or alternative methods may yield better results. The aim of this article is to discuss the effectiveness and feasibility of using traditional research methods to assess health promotion interventions in community-based settings.

Land Cover Classification in a Complex Urban-Rural Landscape with Quickbird Imagery

PubMed Central

Moran, Emilio Federico.

2010-01-01

High spatial resolution images have been increasingly used for urban land use/cover classification, but the high spectral variation within the same land cover, the spectral confusion among different land covers, and the shadow problem often lead to poor classification performance based on the traditional per-pixel spectral-based classification methods. This paper explores approaches to improve urban land cover classification with Quickbird imagery. Traditional per-pixel spectral-based supervised classification, incorporation of textural images and multispectral images, spectral-spatial classifier, and segmentation-based classification are examined in a relatively new developing urban landscape, Lucas do Rio Verde in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. This research shows that use of spatial information during the image classification procedure, either through the integrated use of textural and spectral images or through the use of segmentation-based classification method, can significantly improve land cover classification performance. PMID:21643433

Research on frequency control strategy of interconnected region based on fuzzy PID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yan; Li, Chunlan

2018-05-01

In order to improve the frequency control performance of the interconnected power grid, overcome the problems of poor robustness and slow adjustment of traditional regulation, the paper puts forward a frequency control method based on fuzzy PID. The method takes the frequency deviation and tie-line deviation of each area as the control objective, takes the regional frequency deviation and its deviation as input, and uses fuzzy mathematics theory, adjusts PID control parameters online. By establishing the regional frequency control model of water-fire complementary power generation in MATLAB, the regional frequency control strategy is given, and three control modes (TBC-FTC, FTC-FTC, FFC-FTC) are simulated and analyzed. The simulation and experimental results show that, this method has better control performance compared with the traditional regional frequency regulation.

Online Estimation of Allan Variance Coefficients Based on a Neural-Extended Kalman Filter

PubMed Central

Miao, Zhiyong; Shen, Feng; Xu, Dingjie; He, Kunpeng; Tian, Chunmiao

2015-01-01

As a noise analysis method for inertial sensors, the traditional Allan variance method requires the storage of a large amount of data and manual analysis for an Allan variance graph. Although the existing online estimation methods avoid the storage of data and the painful procedure of drawing slope lines for estimation, they require complex transformations and even cause errors during the modeling of dynamic Allan variance. To solve these problems, first, a new state-space model that directly models the stochastic errors to obtain a nonlinear state-space model was established for inertial sensors. Then, a neural-extended Kalman filter algorithm was used to estimate the Allan variance coefficients. The real noises of an ADIS16405 IMU and fiber optic gyro-sensors were analyzed by the proposed method and traditional methods. The experimental results show that the proposed method is more suitable to estimate the Allan variance coefficients than the traditional methods. Moreover, the proposed method effectively avoids the storage of data and can be easily implemented using an online processor. PMID:25625903

Development of a Computer-Based Visualised Quantitative Learning System for Playing Violin Vibrato

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Tracy Kwei-Liang; Lin, Huann-shyang; Chen, Ching-Kong; Tsai, Jih-Long

2015-01-01

Traditional methods of teaching music are largely subjective, with the lack of objectivity being particularly challenging for violin students learning vibrato because of the existence of conflicting theories. By using a computer-based analysis method, this study found that maintaining temporal coincidence between the intensity peak and the target…

A user-friendly SSVEP-based brain-computer interface using a time-domain classifier.

PubMed

Luo, An; Sullivan, Thomas J

2010-04-01

We introduce a user-friendly steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system. Single-channel EEG is recorded using a low-noise dry electrode. Compared to traditional gel-based multi-sensor EEG systems, a dry sensor proves to be more convenient, comfortable and cost effective. A hardware system was built that displays four LED light panels flashing at different frequencies and synchronizes with EEG acquisition. The visual stimuli have been carefully designed such that potential risk to photosensitive people is minimized. We describe a novel stimulus-locked inter-trace correlation (SLIC) method for SSVEP classification using EEG time-locked to stimulus onsets. We studied how the performance of the algorithm is affected by different selection of parameters. Using the SLIC method, the average light detection rate is 75.8% with very low error rates (an 8.4% false positive rate and a 1.3% misclassification rate). Compared to a traditional frequency-domain-based method, the SLIC method is more robust (resulting in less annoyance to the users) and is also suitable for irregular stimulus patterns.

Time-domain least-squares migration using the Gaussian beam summation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jidong; Zhu, Hejun; McMechan, George; Yue, Yubo

2018-04-01

With a finite recording aperture, a limited source spectrum and unbalanced illumination, traditional imaging methods are insufficient to generate satisfactory depth profiles with high resolution and high amplitude fidelity. This is because traditional migration uses the adjoint operator of the forward modeling rather than the inverse operator. We propose a least-squares migration approach based on the time-domain Gaussian beam summation, which helps to balance subsurface illumination and improve image resolution. Based on the Born approximation for the isotropic acoustic wave equation, we derive a linear time-domain Gaussian beam modeling operator, which significantly reduces computational costs in comparison with the spectral method. Then, we formulate the corresponding adjoint Gaussian beam migration, as the gradient of an L2-norm waveform misfit function. An L1-norm regularization is introduced to the inversion to enhance the robustness of least-squares migration, and an approximated diagonal Hessian is used as a preconditioner to speed convergence. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that the proposed approach improves imaging resolution and amplitude fidelity in comparison with traditional Gaussian beam migration.

Time-domain least-squares migration using the Gaussian beam summation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jidong; Zhu, Hejun; McMechan, George; Yue, Yubo

2018-07-01

With a finite recording aperture, a limited source spectrum and unbalanced illumination, traditional imaging methods are insufficient to generate satisfactory depth profiles with high resolution and high amplitude fidelity. This is because traditional migration uses the adjoint operator of the forward modelling rather than the inverse operator. We propose a least-squares migration approach based on the time-domain Gaussian beam summation, which helps to balance subsurface illumination and improve image resolution. Based on the Born approximation for the isotropic acoustic wave equation, we derive a linear time-domain Gaussian beam modelling operator, which significantly reduces computational costs in comparison with the spectral method. Then, we formulate the corresponding adjoint Gaussian beam migration, as the gradient of an L2-norm waveform misfit function. An L1-norm regularization is introduced to the inversion to enhance the robustness of least-squares migration, and an approximated diagonal Hessian is used as a pre-conditioner to speed convergence. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that the proposed approach improves imaging resolution and amplitude fidelity in comparison with traditional Gaussian beam migration.

Algorithms for Efficient Computation of Transfer Functions for Large Order Flexible Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, Peiman G.; Giesy, Daniel P.

1998-01-01

An efficient and robust computational scheme is given for the calculation of the frequency response function of a large order, flexible system implemented with a linear, time invariant control system. Advantage is taken of the highly structured sparsity of the system matrix of the plant based on a model of the structure using normal mode coordinates. The computational time per frequency point of the new computational scheme is a linear function of system size, a significant improvement over traditional, still-matrix techniques whose computational times per frequency point range from quadratic to cubic functions of system size. This permits the practical frequency domain analysis of systems of much larger order than by traditional, full-matrix techniques. Formulations are given for both open- and closed-loop systems. Numerical examples are presented showing the advantages of the present formulation over traditional approaches, both in speed and in accuracy. Using a model with 703 structural modes, the present method was up to two orders of magnitude faster than a traditional method. The present method generally showed good to excellent accuracy throughout the range of test frequencies, while traditional methods gave adequate accuracy for lower frequencies, but generally deteriorated in performance at higher frequencies with worst case errors being many orders of magnitude times the correct values.

A Fast Method for Embattling Optimization of Ground-Based Radar Surveillance Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, H.; Cheng, H.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, J.

A growing number of space activities have created an orbital debris environment that poses increasing impact risks to existing space systems and human space flight. For the safety of in-orbit spacecraft, a lot of observation facilities are needed to catalog space objects, especially in low earth orbit. Surveillance of Low earth orbit objects are mainly rely on ground-based radar, due to the ability limitation of exist radar facilities, a large number of ground-based radar need to build in the next few years in order to meet the current space surveillance demands. How to optimize the embattling of ground-based radar surveillance network is a problem to need to be solved. The traditional method for embattling optimization of ground-based radar surveillance network is mainly through to the detection simulation of all possible stations with cataloged data, and makes a comprehensive comparative analysis of various simulation results with the combinational method, and then selects an optimal result as station layout scheme. This method is time consuming for single simulation and high computational complexity for the combinational analysis, when the number of stations increases, the complexity of optimization problem will be increased exponentially, and cannot be solved with traditional method. There is no better way to solve this problem till now. In this paper, target detection procedure was simplified. Firstly, the space coverage of ground-based radar was simplified, a space coverage projection model of radar facilities in different orbit altitudes was built; then a simplified objects cross the radar coverage model was established according to the characteristics of space objects orbit motion; after two steps simplification, the computational complexity of the target detection was greatly simplified, and simulation results shown the correctness of the simplified results. In addition, the detection areas of ground-based radar network can be easily computed with the simplified model, and then optimized the embattling of ground-based radar surveillance network with the artificial intelligent algorithm, which can greatly simplifies the computational complexities. Comparing with the traditional method, the proposed method greatly improved the computational efficiency.

Using a topographic index to distribute variable source area runoff predicted with the SCS curve-number equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, Steve W.; Walter, M. Todd; Gérard-Marchant, Pierre; Steenhuis, Tammo S.

2004-10-01

Because the traditional Soil Conservation Service curve-number (SCS-CN) approach continues to be used ubiquitously in water quality models, new application methods are needed that are consistent with variable source area (VSA) hydrological processes in the landscape. We developed and tested a distributed approach for applying the traditional SCS-CN equation to watersheds where VSA hydrology is a dominant process. Predicting the location of source areas is important for watershed planning because restricting potentially polluting activities from runoff source areas is fundamental to controlling non-point-source pollution. The method presented here used the traditional SCS-CN approach to predict runoff volume and spatial extent of saturated areas and a topographic index, like that used in TOPMODEL, to distribute runoff source areas through watersheds. The resulting distributed CN-VSA method was applied to two subwatersheds of the Delaware basin in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State and one watershed in south-eastern Australia to produce runoff-probability maps. Observed saturated area locations in the watersheds agreed with the distributed CN-VSA method. Results showed good agreement with those obtained from the previously validated soil moisture routing (SMR) model. When compared with the traditional SCS-CN method, the distributed CN-VSA method predicted a similar total volume of runoff, but vastly different locations of runoff generation. Thus, the distributed CN-VSA approach provides a physically based method that is simple enough to be incorporated into water quality models, and other tools that currently use the traditional SCS-CN method, while still adhering to the principles of VSA hydrology.

A mathematical method for precisely calculating the radiographic angles of the cup after total hip arthroplasty.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing-Xin; Su, Xiu-Yun; Xiao, Ruo-Xiu; Zhao, Zhe; Zhang, Li-Hai; Zhang, Li-Cheng; Tang, Pei-Fu

2016-11-01

We established a mathematical method to precisely calculate the radiographic anteversion (RA) and radiographic inclination (RI) angles of the acetabular cup based on anterior-posterior (AP) pelvic radiographs after total hip arthroplasty. Using Mathematica software, a mathematical model for an oblique cone was established to simulate how AP pelvic radiographs are obtained and to address the relationship between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometry of the opening circle of the cup. In this model, the vertex was the X-ray beam source, and the generatrix was the ellipse in radiographs projected from the opening circle of the acetabular cup. Using this model, we established a series of mathematical formulas to reveal the differences between the true RA and RI cup angles and the measurements results achieved using traditional methods and AP pelvic radiographs and to precisely calculate the RA and RI cup angles based on post-operative AP pelvic radiographs. Statistical analysis indicated that traditional methods should be used with caution if traditional measurements methods are used to calculate the RA and RI cup angles with AP pelvic radiograph. The entire calculation process could be performed by an orthopedic surgeon with mathematical knowledge of basic matrix and vector equations. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical students preference of problem-based learning or traditional lectures in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Nahla Khamis; Banjar, Shorooq; Al-Ghamdi, Amal; Al-Darmasi, Moroj; Khoja, Abeer; Turkistani, Jamela; Arif, Rwan; Al-Sebyani, Awatif; Musawa, Al-Anoud; Basfar, Wijdan

2014-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is the most important educational innovations in the past 4 decades. The objective of the study was to compare between the preference of medical students for PBL and the preference for traditional lectures regarding learning outcomes (e.g., knowledge, attitude, and skills) gained from both methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students who studied the hybrid curriculum (PBL and traditional lectures) in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, in 2011. Data was collected through a pre-constructed, validated, confidentially anonymous, and self-administered questionnaire. Students' perceptions toward PBL and traditional lectures were assessed through their response to 20 statements inquired about both methods of learning using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed using SPSS, version 21 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill., USA). Learners preferred PBL more to traditional lectures for better linking the knowledge of basic and clinical sciences (t test=10.15, P < .001). However, no statistical significant difference (P > .05) was observed regarding the amount of basic knowledge recalled from both methods. Students preferred PBL more to lectures for better learning attitudes, skills, future outcomes, and learning satisfaction (P < .05). PBL motivates students to learn better than lecturing (P < .05). From students' opinion, the mean total skill gained from PBL (47.2 [10.6]) was much higher than that of lectures (33.0 [9.9]), and a highly statistical significant difference was observed (t test=20.9, P < .001). Students preferred PBL more to traditional lectures for improving most of learning outcome domains, especially, learning attitudes and skills. Introducing hybrid-PBL curriculum in all Saudi universities is highly recommended.

Robust digital image watermarking using distortion-compensated dither modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mianjie; Yuan, Xiaochen

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose a robust feature extraction based digital image watermarking method using Distortion- Compensated Dither Modulation (DC-DM). Our proposed local watermarking method provides stronger robustness and better flexibility than traditional global watermarking methods. We improve robustness by introducing feature extraction and DC-DM method. To extract the robust feature points, we propose a DAISY-based Robust Feature Extraction (DRFE) method by employing the DAISY descriptor and applying the entropy calculation based filtering. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves satisfactory robustness under the premise of ensuring watermark imperceptibility quality compared to other existing methods.

Cross-Cultural Equivalence and Psychometric Properties of the Traditional Chinese Version of the Inviting School Survey-Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kenneth H.

2011-01-01

The Inviting School Survey-Revised (ISS-R) was adapted and translated into Traditional Chinese (ISS-RC), using a five-step process, based on international test administration guidelines, involving judgmental, logical, and empirical methods. Both versions were administered to a convenience sample of Chinese-English fluent Hong Kong school community…

The New Emerging Adult in Chiapas, Mexico: Perceptions of Traditional Values and Value Change among First-Generation Maya University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manago, Adriana M.

2012-01-01

Social changes in indigenous Maya communities in Chiapas, Mexico toward increasing levels of formal education, commercialization, and urbanization are transforming traditional Maya developmental pathways toward adulthood. This mixed-methods study is based on interviews with a sample of 14 first-generation Maya university students who have also…

The Effects of Sex and Gender Role Identity on Perceived Stress and Coping among Traditional and Nontraditional Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Kayla; Mendenhall, Sarah; Myers, Charlsie A.

2016-01-01

Objective: This study examined differences in perceived stress and coping strategies based on gender role identity (GRI) and sex among traditional and nontraditional college students. Participants and Methods: Online surveys that assessed demographic information, GRI, and perceived stress were completed between October 2013 and March 2014 by 197…

Ecological risk assessment of bisphenol A in surface waters of China based on both traditional and reproductive endpoints.

PubMed

Guo, Lei; Li, Zhengyan; Gao, Pei; Hu, Hong; Gibson, Mark

2015-11-01

Bisphenol A (BPA) occurs widely in natural waters with both traditional and reproductive toxicity to various aquatic species. The water quality criteria (WQC), however, have not been established in China, which hinders the ecological risk assessment for the pollutant. This study therefore aims to derive the water quality criteria for BPA based on both acute and chronic toxicity endpoints and to assess the ecological risk in surface waters of China. A total of 15 acute toxicity values tested with aquatic species resident in China were found in published literature, which were simulated with the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) model for the derivation of criterion maximum concentration (CMC). 18 chronic toxicity values with traditional endpoints were simulated for the derivation of traditional criterion continuous concentration (CCC) and 12 chronic toxicity values with reproductive endpoints were for reproductive CCC. Based on the derived WQC, the ecological risk of BPA in surface waters of China was assessed with risk quotient (RQ) method. The results showed that the CMC, traditional CCC and reproductive CCC were 1518μgL(-1), 2.19μgL(-1) and 0.86μgL(-1), respectively. The acute risk of BPA was negligible with RQ values much lower than 0.1. The chronic risk was however much higher with RQ values of between 0.01-3.76 and 0.03-9.57 based on traditional and reproductive CCC, respectively. The chronic RQ values on reproductive endpoints were about threefold as high as those on traditional endpoints, indicating that ecological risk assessment based on traditional effects may not guarantee the safety of aquatic biota. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Big data mining analysis method based on cloud computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Qing Qiu; Cui, Hong Gang; Tang, Hao

2017-08-01

Information explosion era, large data super-large, discrete and non-(semi) structured features have gone far beyond the traditional data management can carry the scope of the way. With the arrival of the cloud computing era, cloud computing provides a new technical way to analyze the massive data mining, which can effectively solve the problem that the traditional data mining method cannot adapt to massive data mining. This paper introduces the meaning and characteristics of cloud computing, analyzes the advantages of using cloud computing technology to realize data mining, designs the mining algorithm of association rules based on MapReduce parallel processing architecture, and carries out the experimental verification. The algorithm of parallel association rule mining based on cloud computing platform can greatly improve the execution speed of data mining.

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

PubMed

Yang, Wei; Xie, Yanming; Zhuang, Yan

2011-10-01

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

Fractal Clustering and Knowledge-driven Validation Assessment for Gene Expression Profiling.

PubMed

Wang, Lu-Yong; Balasubramanian, Ammaiappan; Chakraborty, Amit; Comaniciu, Dorin

2005-01-01

DNA microarray experiments generate a substantial amount of information about the global gene expression. Gene expression profiles can be represented as points in multi-dimensional space. It is essential to identify relevant groups of genes in biomedical research. Clustering is helpful in pattern recognition in gene expression profiles. A number of clustering techniques have been introduced. However, these traditional methods mainly utilize shape-based assumption or some distance metric to cluster the points in multi-dimension linear Euclidean space. Their results shows poor consistence with the functional annotation of genes in previous validation study. From a novel different perspective, we propose fractal clustering method to cluster genes using intrinsic (fractal) dimension from modern geometry. This method clusters points in such a way that points in the same clusters are more self-affine among themselves than to the points in other clusters. We assess this method using annotation-based validation assessment for gene clusters. It shows that this method is superior in identifying functional related gene groups than other traditional methods.

Real-Time GNSS-Based Attitude Determination in the Measurement Domain

PubMed Central

Zhao, Lin; Li, Na; Li, Liang; Zhang, Yi; Cheng, Chun

2017-01-01

A multi-antenna-based GNSS receiver is capable of providing high-precision and drift-free attitude solution. Carrier phase measurements need be utilized to achieve high-precision attitude. The traditional attitude determination methods in the measurement domain and the position domain resolve the attitude and the ambiguity sequentially. The redundant measurements from multiple baselines have not been fully utilized to enhance the reliability of attitude determination. A multi-baseline-based attitude determination method in the measurement domain is proposed to estimate the attitude parameters and the ambiguity simultaneously. Meanwhile, the redundancy of attitude resolution has also been increased so that the reliability of ambiguity resolution and attitude determination can be enhanced. Moreover, in order to further improve the reliability of attitude determination, we propose a partial ambiguity resolution method based on the proposed attitude determination model. The static and kinematic experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed method. When compared with the traditional attitude determination methods, the static experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy by at least 0.03° and enhance the continuity by 18%, at most. The kinematic result has shown that the proposed method can obtain an optimal balance between accuracy and reliability performance. PMID:28165434

Using video-based observation research methods in primary care health encounters to evaluate complex interactions.

PubMed

Asan, Onur; Montague, Enid

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of video-based observation research methods in primary care environment and highlight important methodological considerations and provide practical guidance for primary care and human factors researchers conducting video studies to understand patient-clinician interaction in primary care settings. We reviewed studies in the literature which used video methods in health care research, and we also used our own experience based on the video studies we conducted in primary care settings. This paper highlighted the benefits of using video techniques, such as multi-channel recording and video coding, and compared "unmanned" video recording with the traditional observation method in primary care research. We proposed a list that can be followed step by step to conduct an effective video study in a primary care setting for a given problem. This paper also described obstacles, researchers should anticipate when using video recording methods in future studies. With the new technological improvements, video-based observation research is becoming a promising method in primary care and HFE research. Video recording has been under-utilised as a data collection tool because of confidentiality and privacy issues. However, it has many benefits as opposed to traditional observations, and recent studies using video recording methods have introduced new research areas and approaches.

[Construction of research system for processing mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine based on chemical composition transformation combined with intestinal absorption barrier].

PubMed

Sun, E; Xu, Feng-Juan; Zhang, Zhen-Hai; Wei, Ying-Jie; Tan, Xiao-Bin; Cheng, Xu-Dong; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2014-02-01

Based on practice of Epimedium processing mechanism for many years and integrated multidisciplinary theory and technology, this paper initially constructs the research system for processing mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine based on chemical composition transformation combined with intestinal absorption barrier, which to form an innovative research mode of the " chemical composition changes-biological transformation-metabolism in vitro and in vivo-intestinal absorption-pharmacokinetic combined pharmacodynamic-pharmacodynamic mechanism". Combined with specific examples of Epimedium and other Chinese herbal medicine processing mechanism, this paper also discusses the academic thoughts, research methods and key technologies of this research system, which will be conducive to systematically reveal the modem scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine processing, and enrich the theory of Chinese herbal medicine processing.

Ultrasound image edge detection based on a novel multiplicative gradient and Canny operator.

PubMed

Zheng, Yinfei; Zhou, Yali; Zhou, Hao; Gong, Xiaohong

2015-07-01

To achieve the fast and accurate segmentation of ultrasound image, a novel edge detection method for speckle noised ultrasound images was proposed, which was based on the traditional Canny and a novel multiplicative gradient operator. The proposed technique combines a new multiplicative gradient operator of non-Newtonian type with the traditional Canny operator to generate the initial edge map, which is subsequently optimized by the following edge tracing step. To verify the proposed method, we compared it with several other edge detection methods that had good robustness to noise, with experiments on the simulated and in vivo medical ultrasound image. Experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm has higher speed for real-time processing, and the edge detection accuracy could be 75% or more. Thus, the proposed method is very suitable for fast and accurate edge detection of medical ultrasound images. © The Author(s) 2014.

Detecting spatial regimes in ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sundstrom, Shana M.; Eason, Tarsha; Nelson, R. John; Angeler, David G.; Barichievy, Chris; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Graham, Nicholas A.J.; Granholm, Dean; Gunderson, Lance; Knutson, Melinda; Nash, Kirsty L.; Spanbauer, Trisha; Stow, Craig A.; Allen, Craig R.

2017-01-01

Research on early warning indicators has generally focused on assessing temporal transitions with limited application of these methods to detecting spatial regimes. Traditional spatial boundary detection procedures that result in ecoregion maps are typically based on ecological potential (i.e. potential vegetation), and often fail to account for ongoing changes due to stressors such as land use change and climate change and their effects on plant and animal communities. We use Fisher information, an information theory-based method, on both terrestrial and aquatic animal data (U.S. Breeding Bird Survey and marine zooplankton) to identify ecological boundaries, and compare our results to traditional early warning indicators, conventional ecoregion maps and multivariate analyses such as nMDS and cluster analysis. We successfully detected spatial regimes and transitions in both terrestrial and aquatic systems using Fisher information. Furthermore, Fisher information provided explicit spatial information about community change that is absent from other multivariate approaches. Our results suggest that defining spatial regimes based on animal communities may better reflect ecological reality than do traditional ecoregion maps, especially in our current era of rapid and unpredictable ecological change.

a New Approach for Accuracy Improvement of Pulsed LIDAR Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, G.; Huang, W.; Zhou, X.; He, C.; Li, X.; Huang, Y.; Zhang, L.

2018-05-01

In remote sensing applications, the accuracy of time interval measurement is one of the most important parameters that affect the quality of pulsed lidar data. The traditional time interval measurement technique has the disadvantages of low measurement accuracy, complicated circuit structure and large error. A high-precision time interval data cannot be obtained in these traditional methods. In order to obtain higher quality of remote sensing cloud images based on the time interval measurement, a higher accuracy time interval measurement method is proposed. The method is based on charging the capacitance and sampling the change of capacitor voltage at the same time. Firstly, the approximate model of the capacitance voltage curve in the time of flight of pulse is fitted based on the sampled data. Then, the whole charging time is obtained with the fitting function. In this method, only a high-speed A/D sampler and capacitor are required in a single receiving channel, and the collected data is processed directly in the main control unit. The experimental results show that the proposed method can get error less than 3 ps. Compared with other methods, the proposed method improves the time interval accuracy by at least 20 %.

A simple and rapid method to isolate purer M13 phage by isoelectric precipitation.

PubMed

Dong, Dexian; Sutaria, Sanjana; Hwangbo, Je Yeol; Chen, P

2013-09-01

M13 virus (phage) has been extensively used in phage display technology and nanomaterial templating. Our research aimed to use M13 phage to template sulfur nanoparticles for making lithium ion batteries. Traditional methods for harvesting M13 phage from Escherichia coli employ polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based precipitation, and the yield is usually measured by plaque counting. With this method, PEG residue is present in the M13 phage pellet and is difficult to eliminate. To resolve this issue, a method based on isoelectric precipitation was introduced and tested. The isoelectric method resulted in the production of purer phage with a higher yield, compared to the traditional PEG-based method. There is no significant variation in infectivity of the phage prepared using isoelectric precipitation, and the dynamic light scattering data indirectly prove that the phage structure is not damaged by pH adjustment. To maximize phage production, a dry-weight yield curve of M13 phage for various culture times was produced. The yield curve is proportional to the growth curve of E. coli. On a 200-mL culture scale, 0.2 g L(-1) M13 phage (dry-weight) was produced by the isoelectric precipitation method.

Feasibility of scenario-based simulation training versus traditional workshops in continuing medical education: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Kerr, Brendan; Hawkins, Trisha Lee-Ann; Herman, Robert; Barnes, Sue; Kaufmann, Stephanie; Fraser, Kristin; Ma, Irene W. Y.

2013-01-01

Introduction Although simulation-based training is increasingly used for medical education, its benefits in continuing medical education (CME) are less established. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating simulation-based training into a CME conference and compare its effectiveness with the traditional workshop in improving knowledge and self-reported confidence. Methods Participants (N=27) were group randomized to either a simulation-based workshop or a traditional case-based workshop. Results Post-training, knowledge assessment score neither did increase significantly in the traditional group (d=0.13; p=0.76) nor did significantly decrease in the simulation group (d= − 0.44; p=0.19). Self-reported comfort in patient assessment parameters increased in both groups (p<0.05 in all). However, only the simulation group reported an increase in comfort in patient management (d=1.1, p=0.051 for the traditional group and d=1.3; p= 0.0003 for the simulation group). At 1 month, comfort measures in the traditional group increased consistently over time while these measures in the simulation group increased post-workshop but decreased by 1 month, suggesting that some of the effects of training with simulation may be short lived. Discussion The use of simulation-based training was not associated with benefits in knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, or comfort in patient assessment. It was associated with superior outcomes in comfort in patient management, but this benefit may be short-lived. Further studies are required to better define the conditions under which simulation-based training is beneficial. PMID:23870304

Feasibility of scenario-based simulation training versus traditional workshops in continuing medical education: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Kerr, Brendan; Lee-Ann Hawkins, Trisha; Herman, Robert; Barnes, Sue; Kaufmann, Stephanie; Fraser, Kristin; Ma, Irene W Y

2013-01-01

Introduction Although simulation-based training is increasingly used for medical education, its benefits in continuing medical education (CME) are less established. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating simulation-based training into a CME conference and compare its effectiveness with the traditional workshop in improving knowledge and self-reported confidence. Methods Participants (N=27) were group randomized to either a simulation-based workshop or a traditional case-based workshop. Results Post-training, knowledge assessment score neither did increase significantly in the traditional group (d=0.13; p=0.76) nor did significantly decrease in the simulation group (d= - 0.44; p=0.19). Self-reported comfort in patient assessment parameters increased in both groups (p<0.05 in all). However, only the simulation group reported an increase in comfort in patient management (d=1.1, p=0.051 for the traditional group and d=1.3; p= 0.0003 for the simulation group). At 1 month, comfort measures in the traditional group increased consistently over time while these measures in the simulation group increased post-workshop but decreased by 1 month, suggesting that some of the effects of training with simulation may be short lived. Discussion The use of simulation-based training was not associated with benefits in knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention, or comfort in patient assessment. It was associated with superior outcomes in comfort in patient management, but this benefit may be short-lived. Further studies are required to better define the conditions under which simulation-based training is beneficial.

An information hiding method based on LSB and tent chaotic map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jianhua; Ding, Qun

2011-06-01

In order to protect information security more effectively, a novel information hiding method based on LSB and Tent chaotic map was proposed, first the secret message is Tent chaotic encrypted, and then LSB steganography is executed for the encrypted message in the cover-image. Compared to the traditional image information hiding method, the simulation results indicate that the method greatly improved in imperceptibility and security, and acquired good results.

Key Spatial Relations-based Focused Crawling (KSRs-FC) for Borderlands Situation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, D. Y.; Wu, H.; Chen, J.; Li, R.

2013-11-01

Place names play an important role in Borderlands Situation topics, while current focused crawling methods treat them in the same way as other common keywords, which may lead to the omission of many useful web pages. In the paper, place names in web pages and their spatial relations were firstly discussed. Then, a focused crawling method named KSRs-FC was proposed to deal with the collection of situation information about borderlands. In this method, place names and common keywords were represented separately, and some of the spatial relations related to web pages crawling were used in the relevance calculation between the given topic and web pages. Furthermore, an information collection system for borderlands situation analysis was developed based on KSRs-FC. Finally, F-Score method was adopted to quantitatively evaluate this method by comparing with traditional method. Experimental results showed that the F-Score value of the proposed method increased by 11% compared to traditional method with the same sample data. Obviously, KSRs-FC method can effectively reduce the misjudgement of relevant webpages.

Enhancing requirements engineering for patient registry software systems with evidence-based components.

PubMed

Lindoerfer, Doris; Mansmann, Ulrich

2017-07-01

Patient registries are instrumental for medical research. Often their structures are complex and their implementations use composite software systems to meet the wide spectrum of challenges. Commercial and open-source systems are available for registry implementation, but many research groups develop their own systems. Methodological approaches in the selection of software as well as the construction of proprietary systems are needed. We propose an evidence-based checklist, summarizing essential items for patient registry software systems (CIPROS), to accelerate the requirements engineering process. Requirements engineering activities for software systems follow traditional software requirements elicitation methods, general software requirements specification (SRS) templates, and standards. We performed a multistep procedure to develop a specific evidence-based CIPROS checklist: (1) A systematic literature review to build a comprehensive collection of technical concepts, (2) a qualitative content analysis to define a catalogue of relevant criteria, and (3) a checklist to construct a minimal appraisal standard. CIPROS is based on 64 publications and covers twelve sections with a total of 72 items. CIPROS also defines software requirements. Comparing CIPROS with traditional software requirements elicitation methods, SRS templates and standards show a broad consensus but differences in issues regarding registry-specific aspects. Using an evidence-based approach to requirements engineering for registry software adds aspects to the traditional methods and accelerates the software engineering process for registry software. The method we used to construct CIPROS serves as a potential template for creating evidence-based checklists in other fields. The CIPROS list supports developers in assessing requirements for existing systems and formulating requirements for their own systems, while strengthening the reporting of patient registry software system descriptions. It may be a first step to create standards for patient registry software system assessments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in an undergraduate exercise physiology course.

PubMed

Nybo, Lars; May, Michael

2015-06-01

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of changing a laboratory physiology course for undergraduate students from a traditional step-by-step guided structure to an inquiry-based approach. With this aim in mind, quantitative and qualitative evaluations of learning outcomes (individual subject-specific tests and group interviews) were performed for a laboratory course in cardiorespiratory exercise physiology that was conducted in one year with a traditional step-by-step guided manual (traditional course) and the next year completed with an inquiry-based structure (I-based course). The I-based course was a guided inquiry course where students had to design the experimental protocol and conduct their own study on the basis of certain predefined criteria (i.e., they should evaluate respiratory responses to submaximal and maximal exercise and provide indirect and direct measures of aerobic exercise capacity). The results indicated that the overall time spent on the experimental course as well as self-evaluated learning outcomes were similar across groups. However, students in the I-based course used more time in preparation (102 ± 5 min) than students in the traditional course (42 ± 3 min, P < 0.05), and 65 ± 5% students in the I-based course searched for additional literature before experimentation compared with only 2 ± 1% students in the traditional course. Furthermore, students in the I-based course achieved a higher (P < 0.05) average score on the quantitative test (45 ± 3%) compared with students in the traditional course (31 ± 4%). Although students were unfamiliar with cardiorespiratory exercise physiology and the experimental methods before the course, it appears that an inquiry-based approach rather than one that provides students with step-by-step instructions may benefit learning outcomes in a laboratory physiology course. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

Transfer of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotyping method, Spoligotyping, from a reverse line-blot hybridization, membrane-based assay to the Luminex multianalyte profiling system.

PubMed

Cowan, Lauren S; Diem, Lois; Brake, Mary Catherine; Crawford, Jack T

2004-01-01

Spoligotyping using Luminex technology was shown to be a highly reproducible method suitable for high-throughput analysis. Spoligotyping of 48 isolates using the traditional membrane-based assay and the Luminex assay yielded concordant results for all isolates. The Luminex platform provides greater flexibility and cost effectiveness than the membrane-based assay.

How Accurate Are Transition States from Simulations of Enzymatic Reactions?

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The rate expression of traditional transition state theory (TST) assumes no recrossing of the transition state (TS) and thermal quasi-equilibrium between the ground state and the TS. Currently, it is not well understood to what extent these assumptions influence the nature of the activated complex obtained in traditional TST-based simulations of processes in the condensed phase in general and in enzymes in particular. Here we scrutinize these assumptions by characterizing the TSs for hydride transfer catalyzed by the enzyme Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase obtained using various simulation approaches. Specifically, we compare the TSs obtained with common TST-based methods and a dynamics-based method. Using a recently developed accurate hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics potential, we find that the TST-based and dynamics-based methods give considerably different TS ensembles. This discrepancy, which could be due equilibrium solvation effects and the nature of the reaction coordinate employed and its motion, raises major questions about how to interpret the TSs determined by common simulation methods. We conclude that further investigation is needed to characterize the impact of various TST assumptions on the TS phase-space ensemble and on the reaction kinetics. PMID:24860275

The importance of activity-based methods in radiology and the technology that now makes this possible.

PubMed

Monge, Paul

2006-01-01

Activity-based methods serve as a dynamic process that has allowed many other industries to reduce and control their costs, increase productivity, and streamline their processes while improving product quality and service. The method could serve the healthcare industry in an equally beneficial way. Activity-based methods encompass both activity based costing (ABC) and activity-based management (ABM). ABC is a cost management approach that links resource consumption to activities that an enterprise performs, and then assigns those activities and their associated costs to customers, products, or product lines. ABM uses the resource assignments derived in ABC so that operation managers can improve their departmental processes and workflows. There are three fundamental problems with traditional cost systems. First, traditional systems fail to reflect the underlying diversity of work taking place within an enterprise. Second, it uses allocations that are, for the most part, arbitrary Single step allocations fail to reflect the real work-the activities being performed and the associate resources actually consumed. Third, they only provide a cost number that, standing alone, does not provide any guidance on how to improve performance by lowering cost or enhancing throughput.

[Development ideas of fine pharmaceutical materials of traditional Chinese medicine preparations based on active cluster theory].

PubMed

Ke, Zhong-Cheng; Hou, Xue-Feng; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2016-07-01

The pharmaceutical materials are divided into coarse and fine types in the development of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Fine materials with clear composition, stable content and high quality control conform to the international development trend of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. In this paper, the status of fine materials was analyzed, and the development ideas were tentatively put forward. On the one hand, the study on simple methods and efficient equipment shall be strengthened for the simultaneous separation of multiple components of traditional Chinese medicine; on the other hand, the knowledge for traditional Chinese medicine shall be broadened to further develop the scientific compatibility of monomers under the guidance of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Chinese wine classification system based on micrograph using combination of shape and structure features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Yi

2011-06-01

Chinese wines can be classification or graded by the micrographs. Micrographs of Chinese wines show floccules, stick and granule of variant shape and size. Different wines have variant microstructure and micrographs, we study the classification of Chinese wines based on the micrographs. Shape and structure of wines' particles in microstructure is the most important feature for recognition and classification of wines. So we introduce a feature extraction method which can describe the structure and region shape of micrograph efficiently. First, the micrographs are enhanced using total variation denoising, and segmented using a modified Otsu's method based on the Rayleigh Distribution. Then features are extracted using proposed method in the paper based on area, perimeter and traditional shape feature. Eight kinds total 26 features are selected. Finally, Chinese wine classification system based on micrograph using combination of shape and structure features and BP neural network have been presented. We compare the recognition results for different choices of features (traditional shape features or proposed features). The experimental results show that the better classification rate have been achieved using the combinational features proposed in this paper.

[Establishment of prescription research technology system in Chinese medicine secondary exploitation based on "component structure" theory].

PubMed

Cheng, Xu-Dong; Feng, Liang; Gu, Jun-Fei; Zhang, Ming-Hua; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2014-11-01

Chinese medicine prescriptions are the wisdom outcomes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical treatment determinations which based on differentiation of symptoms and signs. Chinese medicine prescriptions are also the basis of secondary exploitation of TCM. The study on prescription helps to understand the material basis of its efficacy, pharmacological mechanism, which is an important guarantee for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Currently, there is not yet dissertation n the method and technology system of basic research on the prescription of Chinese medicine. This paper focuses on how to build an effective system of prescription research technology. Based on "component structure" theory, a technology system contained four-step method that "prescription analysis, the material basis screening, the material basis of analysis and optimization and verify" was proposed. The technology system analyzes the material basis of the three levels such as Chinese medicine pieces, constituents and the compounds which could respect the overall efficacy of Chinese medicine. Ideas of prescription optimization, remodeling are introduced into the system. The technology system is the combination of the existing research and associates with new techniques and methods, which used for explore the research thought suitable for material basis research and prescription remodeling. The system provides a reference for the secondary development of traditional Chinese medicine, and industrial upgrading.

Integrating rangeland and pastureland assessment methods into a national grazingland assessment approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grazingland resource allocation and decision making at the national scale need to be based on comparable metrics. However, in the USA, rangelands and pasturelands have traditionally been assessed using different methods and indicators. These differences in assessment methods limit the ability to con...

A propagation method with adaptive mesh grid based on wave characteristics for wave optics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Qiuyan; Wang, Jing; Lv, Pin; Sun, Quan

2015-10-01

Propagation simulation method and choosing mesh grid are both very important to get the correct propagation results in wave optics simulation. A new angular spectrum propagation method with alterable mesh grid based on the traditional angular spectrum method and the direct FFT method is introduced. With this method, the sampling space after propagation is not limited to propagation methods no more, but freely alterable. However, choosing mesh grid on target board influences the validity of simulation results directly. So an adaptive mesh choosing method based on wave characteristics is proposed with the introduced propagation method. We can calculate appropriate mesh grids on target board to get satisfying results. And for complex initial wave field or propagation through inhomogeneous media, we can also calculate and set the mesh grid rationally according to above method. Finally, though comparing with theoretical results, it's shown that the simulation result with the proposed method coinciding with theory. And by comparing with the traditional angular spectrum method and the direct FFT method, it's known that the proposed method is able to adapt to a wider range of Fresnel number conditions. That is to say, the method can simulate propagation results efficiently and correctly with propagation distance of almost zero to infinity. So it can provide better support for more wave propagation applications such as atmospheric optics, laser propagation and so on.

Information Literacy of Medical Students Studying in the Problem-Based and Traditional Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eskola, Eeva-Liisa

2005-01-01

Introduction: This paper reports on part of a research project on relationships between learning methods and students' information behaviour in Finland. It has been suggested that student-centred learning methods, such as problem-based learning, influence students' information needs, seeking and use. The focus of this paper is on the concept of…

Administering the Business School Case Method with a Goal-Based Scenario.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, David A.; Bareiss, Ray

This paper discusses some of the shortcomings of the business case method of undergraduate and graduate business education and examines the merits of a multimedia software system that is designed to teach topics and skills in financial accounting. It argues that the traditional case-based approach provides only limited assistance to students as…

Study of activity based costing implementation for palm oil production using value-added and non-value-added activity consideration in PT XYZ palm oil mill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sembiring, M. T.; Wahyuni, D.; Sinaga, T. S.; Silaban, A.

2018-02-01

Cost allocation at manufacturing industry particularly in Palm Oil Mill still widely practiced based on estimation. It leads to cost distortion. Besides, processing time determined by company is not in accordance with actual processing time in work station. Hence, the purpose of this study is to eliminates non-value-added activities therefore processing time could be shortened and production cost could be reduced. Activity Based Costing Method is used in this research to calculate production cost with Value Added and Non-Value-Added Activities consideration. The result of this study is processing time decreasing for 35.75% at Weighting Bridge Station, 29.77% at Sorting Station, 5.05% at Loading Ramp Station, and 0.79% at Sterilizer Station. Cost of Manufactured for Crude Palm Oil are IDR 5.236,81/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.583,37/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.581,71/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement Meanwhile Cost of Manufactured for Palm Kernel are IDR 2.159,50/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.584,63/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.582,97/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement.

Improvement in the traditional processing method and nutritional quality of traditional extruded cassava-based snack (modified Ajogun)

PubMed Central

Obadina, Adewale O; Oyewole, Olusola B; Williams, Oluwasolabomi E

2013-01-01

This study was carried out to investigate and improve the traditional processing method and nutritional quality of the traditional cassava snack (Ajogun). Cassava root (Manihot esculenta Crantz L.) of TME 419 variety was processed into mash (40% moisture content). The cassava mash was mixed into different blends to produce fried traditional “Ajogun”, fried and baked extrudates (modified Ajogun) as snacks. These products were analyzed to determine the proximate composition including carbohydrate, fat, protein, fiber, ash, and moisture contents and functional properties such as bulk density. The results obtained for the moisture, fat, protein, and ash contents showed significant difference (P < 0.05) between the control sample and the extrudates. However, there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the carbohydrate and fiber contents between the three samples. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the bulk density of the snacks. Also, sensory evaluation was carried out on the cassava-based snacks using the 9-point hedonic scale to determine the degree of acceptability. Results obtained showed significant difference (P < 0.05) between the extrudates and control sample in terms of appearance, taste, flavor, color, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability. The highest acceptability level of the product was at 8.04 for the control sample (traditional Ajogun). This study has shown that “Ajogun”, which is a lesser known cassava product, is rich in protein and fat. PMID:24804039

A location-based multiple point statistics method: modelling the reservoir with non-stationary characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yanshu; Feng, Wenjie

2017-12-01

In this paper, a location-based multiple point statistics method is developed to model a non-stationary reservoir. The proposed method characterizes the relationship between the sedimentary pattern and the deposit location using the relative central position distance function, which alleviates the requirement that the training image and the simulated grids have the same dimension. The weights in every direction of the distance function can be changed to characterize the reservoir heterogeneity in various directions. The local integral replacements of data events, structured random path, distance tolerance and multi-grid strategy are applied to reproduce the sedimentary patterns and obtain a more realistic result. This method is compared with the traditional Snesim method using a synthesized 3-D training image of Poyang Lake and a reservoir model of Shengli Oilfield in China. The results indicate that the new method can reproduce the non-stationary characteristics better than the traditional method and is more suitable for simulation of delta-front deposits. These results show that the new method is a powerful tool for modelling a reservoir with non-stationary characteristics.

Teaching strategies and student achievement in high school block scheduled biology classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louden, Cynthia Knapp

The objectives of this study included determining whether teachers in block or traditionally scheduled biology classes (1) implement inquiry-based instruction more often or with different methods, (2) understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as it is described in the National Science Standards, (3) have classes with significantly different student achievement, and (4) believe that their school schedule facilitates their use of inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. Biology teachers in block and non-block scheduled classes were interviewed, surveyed, and observed to determine the degree to which they implement inquiry-based instructional practices in their classrooms. State biology exams were used to indicate student achievement. Teachers in block scheduled and traditional classes used inquiry-based instruction with nearly the same frequency. Approximately 30% of all teachers do not understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as described by the National Science Standards. No significant achievement differences between block and traditionally scheduled biology classes were found using ANCOVA analyses and a nonequivalent control-group quasi-experimental design. Using the same analysis techniques, significant achievement differences were found between biology classes with teachers who used inquiry-based instruction frequently and infrequently. Teachers in block schedules believed that their schedules facilitated inquiry-based instruction more than teachers in traditional schedules.

Adoption, reach, and implementation of a cancer education intervention in African American churches.

PubMed

Santos, Sherie Lou Zara; Tagai, Erin K; Scheirer, Mary Ann; Bowie, Janice; Haider, Muhiuddin; Slade, Jimmie; Wang, Min Qi; Holt, Cheryl L

2017-03-14

Use of technology is increasing in health promotion and has continued growth potential in intervention research. Guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, this paper reports on the adoption, reach, and implementation of Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning)-a community-based implementation trial of a cancer educational intervention in 14 African American churches. We compare adoption, reach, and implementation at the organizational and participant level for churches in which lay peer community health advisors (CHAs) were trained using traditional classroom didactic methods compared with a new online system. Fifteen churches were randomized to one of two study groups in which two CHAs per church were trained through either classroom ("Traditional"; n = 16 CHAs in 8 churches) or web-based ("Technology"; n = 14 CHAs in 7 churches) training methods. Once trained and certified, all CHAs conducted a series of three group educational workshops in their churches on cancer early detection (breast, prostate, and colorectal). Adoption, reach, and implementation were assessed using multiple data sources including church-level data, participant engagement in the workshops, and study staff observations of CHA performance. The project had a 41% overall adoption rate at the church level. In terms of reach, a total of 375 participants enrolled in Project HEAL-226 participants in the Traditional group (43% reach) and 149 in the Technology group (21% reach; p < .10). Implementation was evaluated in terms of adherence, dosage, and quality. All churches fully completed the three workshops; however, the Traditional churches took somewhat longer (M = 84 days) to complete the workshop series than churches in the Technology group (M = 64 days). Other implementation outcomes were comparable between both the Traditional and Technology groups (p > .05). Overall, the Project HEAL intervention had reasonable adoption, though reach could have been better. Implementation was strong across both study groups, suggesting the promise of using web-based methods to disseminate and implement evidence-based interventions in faith-based settings and other areas where community health educators work to eliminate health disparities.

The use of a resource-based relative value scale (RBRVS) to determine practice expense costs: a novel technique of practice management for the vascular surgeon.

PubMed

Mabry, C D

2001-03-01

Vascular surgeons have had to contend with rising costs while their reimbursements have undergone steady reductions. The use of newer accounting techniques can help vascular surgeons better manage their practices, plan for future expansion, and control costs. This article reviews traditional accounting methods, together with activity-based costing (ABC) principles that have been used in the past for practice expense analysis. The main focus is on a new technique-resource-based costing (RBC)-which uses the widely available Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) as its basis. The RBC technique promises easier implementation as well as more flexibility in determining true costs of performing various procedures, as opposed to more traditional accounting methods. It is hoped that RBC will assist vascular surgeons in coping with decreasing reimbursement. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company

Comparison of answer-until-correct and full-credit assessments in a team-based learning course.

PubMed

Farland, Michelle Z; Barlow, Patrick B; Levi Lancaster, T; Franks, Andrea S

2015-03-25

To assess the impact of awarding partial credit to team assessments on team performance and on quality of team interactions using an answer-until-correct method compared to traditional methods of grading (multiple-choice, full-credit). Subjects were students from 3 different offerings of an ambulatory care elective course, taught using team-based learning. The control group (full-credit) consisted of those enrolled in the course when traditional methods of assessment were used (2 course offerings). The intervention group consisted of those enrolled in the course when answer-until-correct method was used for team assessments (1 course offering). Study outcomes included student performance on individual and team readiness assurance tests (iRATs and tRATs), individual and team final examinations, and student assessment of quality of team interactions using the Team Performance Scale. Eighty-four students enrolled in the courses were included in the analysis (full-credit, n=54; answer-until-correct, n=30). Students who used traditional methods of assessment performed better on iRATs (full-credit mean 88.7 (5.9), answer-until-correct mean 82.8 (10.7), p<0.001). Students who used answer-until-correct method of assessment performed better on the team final examination (full-credit mean 45.8 (1.5), answer-until-correct 47.8 (1.4), p<0.001). There was no significant difference in performance on tRATs and the individual final examination. Students who used the answer-until-correct method had higher quality of team interaction ratings (full-credit 97.1 (9.1), answer-until-correct 103.0 (7.8), p=0.004). Answer-until-correct assessment method compared to traditional, full-credit methods resulted in significantly lower scores for iRATs, similar scores on tRATs and individual final examinations, improved scores on team final examinations, and improved perceptions of the quality of team interactions.

Fast and Accurate Microplate Method (Biolog MT2) for Detection of Fusarium Fungicides Resistance/Sensitivity.

PubMed

Frąc, Magdalena; Gryta, Agata; Oszust, Karolina; Kotowicz, Natalia

2016-01-01

The need for finding fungicides against Fusarium is a key step in the chemical plant protection and using appropriate chemical agents. Existing, conventional methods of evaluation of Fusarium isolates resistance to fungicides are costly, time-consuming and potentially environmentally harmful due to usage of high amounts of potentially toxic chemicals. Therefore, the development of fast, accurate and effective detection methods for Fusarium resistance to fungicides is urgently required. MT2 microplates (Biolog(TM)) method is traditionally used for bacteria identification and the evaluation of their ability to utilize different carbon substrates. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no reports concerning the use of this technical tool to determine fungicides resistance of the Fusarium isolates. For this reason, the objectives of this study are to develop a fast method for Fusarium resistance to fungicides detection and to validate the effectiveness approach between both traditional hole-plate and MT2 microplates assays. In presented study MT2 microplate-based assay was evaluated for potential use as an alternative resistance detection method. This was carried out using three commercially available fungicides, containing following active substances: triazoles (tebuconazole), benzimidazoles (carbendazim) and strobilurins (azoxystrobin), in six concentrations (0, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2%), for nine selected Fusarium isolates. In this study, the particular concentrations of each fungicides was loaded into MT2 microplate wells. The wells were inoculated with the Fusarium mycelium suspended in PM4-IF inoculating fluid. Before inoculation the suspension was standardized for each isolates into 75% of transmittance. Traditional hole-plate method was used as a control assay. The fungicides concentrations in control method were the following: 0, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50%. Strong relationships between MT2 microplate and traditional hole-plate methods were observed regarding to the detection of Fusarium resistance to various fungicides and their concentrations. The tebuconazole was most potent, providing increased efficiency in the growth inhibition of all tested isolates. Almost all among tested isolates were resistant to azoxystrobin-based fungicide. Overall, the MT2 microplates method was effective and timesaving, alternative method for determining Fusarium resistance/sensitivity to fungicides, compering to traditional hole-plate approach.

Fast and Accurate Microplate Method (Biolog MT2) for Detection of Fusarium Fungicides Resistance/Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Frąc, Magdalena; Gryta, Agata; Oszust, Karolina; Kotowicz, Natalia

2016-01-01

The need for finding fungicides against Fusarium is a key step in the chemical plant protection and using appropriate chemical agents. Existing, conventional methods of evaluation of Fusarium isolates resistance to fungicides are costly, time-consuming and potentially environmentally harmful due to usage of high amounts of potentially toxic chemicals. Therefore, the development of fast, accurate and effective detection methods for Fusarium resistance to fungicides is urgently required. MT2 microplates (BiologTM) method is traditionally used for bacteria identification and the evaluation of their ability to utilize different carbon substrates. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no reports concerning the use of this technical tool to determine fungicides resistance of the Fusarium isolates. For this reason, the objectives of this study are to develop a fast method for Fusarium resistance to fungicides detection and to validate the effectiveness approach between both traditional hole-plate and MT2 microplates assays. In presented study MT2 microplate-based assay was evaluated for potential use as an alternative resistance detection method. This was carried out using three commercially available fungicides, containing following active substances: triazoles (tebuconazole), benzimidazoles (carbendazim) and strobilurins (azoxystrobin), in six concentrations (0, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2%), for nine selected Fusarium isolates. In this study, the particular concentrations of each fungicides was loaded into MT2 microplate wells. The wells were inoculated with the Fusarium mycelium suspended in PM4-IF inoculating fluid. Before inoculation the suspension was standardized for each isolates into 75% of transmittance. Traditional hole-plate method was used as a control assay. The fungicides concentrations in control method were the following: 0, 0.0005, 0.005, 0.05, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50%. Strong relationships between MT2 microplate and traditional hole-plate methods were observed regarding to the detection of Fusarium resistance to various fungicides and their concentrations. The tebuconazole was most potent, providing increased efficiency in the growth inhibition of all tested isolates. Almost all among tested isolates were resistant to azoxystrobin-based fungicide. Overall, the MT2 microplates method was effective and timesaving, alternative method for determining Fusarium resistance/sensitivity to fungicides, compering to traditional hole-plate approach. PMID:27092136

Evidence-Based Medicine in the Education of Psychiatrists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srihari, Vinod

2008-01-01

Objective: Evidence-based medicine has an important place in the teaching and practice of psychiatry. Attempts to teach evidence-based medicine skills can be weakened by conceptual confusions feeding a false polarization between traditional clinical skills and evidence-based medicine. Methods: The author develops a broader conception of clinical…

Student preparation time for traditional lecture versus team-based learning in a pharmacotherapy course.

PubMed

DeJongh, Beth; Lemoine, Nicia; Buckley, Elizabeth; Traynor, Laura

2018-03-01

Determine how much time students spent preparing for traditional lecture versus team-based learning (TBL) for a pharmacotherapy course and determine if time spent in each pedagogy was within stated expectations for the course. Instructors used a combination of traditional lecture and TBL to deliver material. Before each lecture, instructors recorded the amount of time students spent preparing for each method using a one-question clicker-response survey. Instructors delivered 16 hours of TBL, 32 hours of traditional lecture, and eight hours of a mix of TBL and traditional lecture. The median of students completing the survey each week was 89. A large percentage of the class (40.9%) did not prepare for traditional lecture while only 3.4% did not prepare for TBL. About 61% of students spent between 30 min and two hours preparing for a two-hour TBL session and only 10% spent more than three hours preparing. Results of this project show students spend little time preparing for traditional lectures without in-class accountability, which may give students the perception that TBL requires too much preparation time. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

[Research on K-means clustering segmentation method for MRI brain image based on selecting multi-peaks in gray histogram].

PubMed

Chen, Zhaoxue; Yu, Haizhong; Chen, Hao

2013-12-01

To solve the problem of traditional K-means clustering in which initial clustering centers are selected randomly, we proposed a new K-means segmentation algorithm based on robustly selecting 'peaks' standing for White Matter, Gray Matter and Cerebrospinal Fluid in multi-peaks gray histogram of MRI brain image. The new algorithm takes gray value of selected histogram 'peaks' as the initial K-means clustering center and can segment the MRI brain image into three parts of tissue more effectively, accurately, steadily and successfully. Massive experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm can overcome many shortcomings caused by traditional K-means clustering method such as low efficiency, veracity, robustness and time consuming. The histogram 'peak' selecting idea of the proposed segmentootion method is of more universal availability.

[The estimation method of compounds opiate activity based on universal three-dimensional model of the nonselective opiate pharmacophore].

PubMed

Kuz'mina, N E; Iashkir, V A; Merkulov, V A; Osipova, E S

2012-01-01

Created by means alternative strategy of structural similarity search universal three-dimensional model of the nonselective opiate pharmacophore and the estimation method of agonistic and antagonistic properties of opiate receptors ligands based on its were described. The examples of the present method use are given for opiate activity estimation of compounds essentially distinguished on the structure from opiates and traditional opioids.

Comparing In-Class and Out-of-Class Computer-Based Tests to Traditional Paper-and-Pencil Tests in Introductory Psychology Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frein, Scott T.

2011-01-01

This article describes three experiments comparing paper-and-pencil tests (PPTs) to computer-based tests (CBTs) in terms of test method preferences and student performance. In Experiment 1, students took tests using three methods: PPT in class, CBT in class, and CBT at the time and place of their choosing. Results indicate that test method did not…

Comparing the Long-Term Retention of a Physiology Course for Medical Students with the Traditional and Problem-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pourshanazari, A. A.; Roohbakhsh, A.; Khazaei, M.; Tajadini, H.

2013-01-01

The rapid improvements in medical sciences and the ever-increasing related data, however, require novel methods of instruction. One such method, which has been given less than due attention in Iran, is problem-based learning (PBL). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of study skills and the PBL methods on short and long-term retention…

The performance evaluation model of mining project founded on the weight optimization entropy value method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Chao; Chen, Shou

2017-01-01

According to the traditional entropy value method still have low evaluation accuracy when evaluating the performance of mining projects, a performance evaluation model of mineral project founded on improved entropy is proposed. First establish a new weight assignment model founded on compatible matrix analysis of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy value method, when the compatibility matrix analysis to achieve consistency requirements, if it has differences between subjective weights and objective weights, moderately adjust both proportions, then on this basis, the fuzzy evaluation matrix for performance evaluation. The simulation experiments show that, compared with traditional entropy and compatible matrix analysis method, the proposed performance evaluation model of mining project based on improved entropy value method has higher accuracy assessment.

AUPress: A Comparison of an Open Access University Press with Traditional Presses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGreal, Rory; Chen, Nian-Shing

2011-01-01

This study is a comparison of AUPress with three other traditional (non-open access) Canadian university presses. The analysis is based on the rankings that are correlated with book sales on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Statistical methods include the sampling of the sales ranking of randomly selected books from each press. The results of one-way…

Comparing Outcomes between a Traditional F2F Course and a Blended ITV Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerlich, R. Nicholas; Sollosy, Marc

2011-01-01

Two sections of the Principles of Management course were examined to compare student outcomes based on course delivery method. The first section was a traditional F2F class, while the second section was parallel cohorts of students meeting in two separate locations, but linked by ITV (Interactive Television). The professor appeared once per week…

Novel DNPH-based method for determination of protein carbonylation in muscle and meat.

PubMed

Soglia, Francesca; Petracci, Massimiliano; Ertbjerg, Per

2016-04-15

Protein oxidation is considered an ongoing deteriorative process during storage of fresh and processed meat. Carbonyl compounds have traditionally been detected spectrophotometrically after derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) to form protein-bound hydrazones with absorbance at 370 nm. Here we describe a novel DNPH-based method to quantify protein carbonylation in muscle and meat. The additional steps of the novel method aimed at increasing the protein solubility and inducing protein unfolding before labeling with DNPH. Compared to the traditional method, the new procedure reflected an increased protein carbonylation level measuring overall two to fourfold more carbonyls in muscles from different species as well as in soluble, salt-soluble and insoluble protein fractions. The study suggested that protein unfolding is a more important phenomenon than solubilization for increased DNPH labeling. The novel method resulted in three to fourfold larger carbonyl content determined in chicken, pork and beef (2.8, 3.6 and 3.1 nmol/mg of protein, respectively). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simplified Microarray Technique for Identifying mRNA in Rare Samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almeida, Eduardo; Kadambi, Geeta

2007-01-01

Two simplified methods of identifying messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and compact, low-power apparatuses to implement the methods, are at the proof-of-concept stage of development. These methods are related to traditional methods based on hybridization of nucleic acid, but whereas the traditional methods must be practiced in laboratory settings, these methods could be practiced in field settings. Hybridization of nucleic acid is a powerful technique for detection of specific complementary nucleic acid sequences, and is increasingly being used for detection of changes in gene expression in microarrays containing thousands of gene probes. A traditional microarray study entails at least the following six steps: 1. Purification of cellular RNA, 2. Amplification of complementary deoxyribonucleic acid [cDNA] by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 3. Labeling of cDNA with fluorophores of Cy3 (a green cyanine dye) and Cy5 (a red cyanine dye), 4. Hybridization to a microarray chip, 5. Fluorescence scanning the array(s) with dual excitation wavelengths, and 6. Analysis of the resulting images. This six-step procedure must be performed in a laboratory because it requires bulky equipment.

Using video-based observation research methods in primary care health encounters to evaluate complex interactions

PubMed Central

Asan, Onur; Montague, Enid

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of video-based observation research methods in primary care environment and highlight important methodological considerations and provide practical guidance for primary care and human factors researchers conducting video studies to understand patient-clinician interaction in primary care settings. Methods We reviewed studies in the literature which used video methods in health care research and, we also used our own experience based on the video studies we conducted in primary care settings. Results This paper highlighted the benefits of using video techniques such as multi-channel recording and video coding and compared “unmanned” video recording with the traditional observation method in primary care research. We proposed a list, which can be followed step by step to conduct an effective video study in a primary care setting for a given problem. This paper also described obstacles researchers should anticipate when using video recording methods in future studies. Conclusion With the new technological improvements, video-based observation research is becoming a promising method in primary care and HFE research. Video recording has been under-utilized as a data collection tool because of confidentiality and privacy issues. However, it has many benefits as opposed to traditional observations, and recent studies using video recording methods have introduced new research areas and approaches. PMID:25479346

A parallel orbital-updating based plane-wave basis method for electronic structure calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Yan; Dai, Xiaoying; de Gironcoli, Stefano; Gong, Xin-Gao; Rignanese, Gian-Marco; Zhou, Aihui

2017-11-01

Motivated by the recently proposed parallel orbital-updating approach in real space method [1], we propose a parallel orbital-updating based plane-wave basis method for electronic structure calculations, for solving the corresponding eigenvalue problems. In addition, we propose two new modified parallel orbital-updating methods. Compared to the traditional plane-wave methods, our methods allow for two-level parallelization, which is particularly interesting for large scale parallelization. Numerical experiments show that these new methods are more reliable and efficient for large scale calculations on modern supercomputers.

Bootstrapping Methods Applied for Simulating Laboratory Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prodan, Augustin; Campean, Remus

2005-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this work is to implement bootstrapping methods into software tools, based on Java. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a category of software e-tools aimed at simulating laboratory works and experiments. Findings: Both students and teaching staff use traditional statistical methods to infer the truth from sample…

Determination of Meteorite Porosity Using Liquid Nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kohout, T.; Kletetschka, G.; Pesonen, L. J.; Wasilewski, P. J.

2005-01-01

We introduce a new harmless method for porosity measurement suitable for meteorite samples. The method is a modification of the traditional Archimedean method based on immersion of the samples in a liquid medium like water or organic liquids. In our case we used liquid nitrogen for its chemically inert characteristics.

[Rapid determination of illicit beta2-agonist additives in health foods and traditional Chinese patent medicines with DCBI-MS/MS method].

PubMed

Hou, Yu-Lan; Wu, Shuang; Wang, Hua; Zhao, Yong; Liao, Peng; Tian, Qing-Qing; Sun, Wen-Jian; Chen, Bo

2013-01-01

A novel rapid method for detection of the illicit beta2-agonist additives in health foods and traditional Chinese patent medicines was developed with the desorption corona beam ionization mass spectrometry (DCBI-MS) technique. The DCBI conditions including temperature and sample volume were optimized according to the resulting mass spectra intensity. Matrix effect on 9 beta2-agonists additives was not significant in the proposed rapid determination procedure. All of the 9 target molecules were detected within 1 min. Quantification was achieved based on the typical fragment ion in MS2 spectra of each analyte. The method showed good linear coefficients in the range of 1-100 mg x L(-1) for all analytes. The relative deviation values were between 14.29% and 25.13%. Ten claimed antitussive and antiasthmatic health foods and traditional Chinese patent medicines from local pharmacies were analyzed. All of them were negative with the proposed DCBI-MS method. Without tedious sample pretreatments, the developed DCBI-MS is simple, rapid and sensitive for rapid qualification and semi-quantification of the illicit beta2-agonist additives in health foods and traditional Chinese patent medicines.

New mobile methods for dietary assessment: review of image-assisted and image-based dietary assessment methods.

PubMed

Boushey, C J; Spoden, M; Zhu, F M; Delp, E J; Kerr, D A

2017-08-01

For nutrition practitioners and researchers, assessing dietary intake of children and adults with a high level of accuracy continues to be a challenge. Developments in mobile technologies have created a role for images in the assessment of dietary intake. The objective of this review was to examine peer-reviewed published papers covering development, evaluation and/or validation of image-assisted or image-based dietary assessment methods from December 2013 to January 2016. Images taken with handheld devices or wearable cameras have been used to assist traditional dietary assessment methods for portion size estimations made by dietitians (image-assisted methods). Image-assisted approaches can supplement either dietary records or 24-h dietary recalls. In recent years, image-based approaches integrating application technology for mobile devices have been developed (image-based methods). Image-based approaches aim at capturing all eating occasions by images as the primary record of dietary intake, and therefore follow the methodology of food records. The present paper reviews several image-assisted and image-based methods, their benefits and challenges; followed by details on an image-based mobile food record. Mobile technology offers a wide range of feasible options for dietary assessment, which are easier to incorporate into daily routines. The presented studies illustrate that image-assisted methods can improve the accuracy of conventional dietary assessment methods by adding eating occasion detail via pictures captured by an individual (dynamic images). All of the studies reduced underreporting with the help of images compared with results with traditional assessment methods. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better delineate attributes with regards to age of user, degree of error and cost.

Transfer of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genotyping Method, Spoligotyping, from a Reverse Line-Blot Hybridization, Membrane-Based Assay to the Luminex Multianalyte Profiling System

PubMed Central

Cowan, Lauren S.; Diem, Lois; Brake, Mary Catherine; Crawford, Jack T.

2004-01-01

Spoligotyping using Luminex technology was shown to be a highly reproducible method suitable for high-throughput analysis. Spoligotyping of 48 isolates using the traditional membrane-based assay and the Luminex assay yielded concordant results for all isolates. The Luminex platform provides greater flexibility and cost effectiveness than the membrane-based assay. PMID:14715809

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF DRINKING WATER MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: A PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH

EPA Science Inventory

Culture-based methods are traditionally used to determine microbiological quality of drinking water even though these methods are highly selective and tend to underestimate the densities and diversity bacterial populations inhabiting distribution systems. In order to better under...

Exploring the viability of using online social media advertising as a recruitment method for smoking cessation clinical trials.

PubMed

Frandsen, Mai; Walters, Julia; Ferguson, Stuart G

2014-02-01

The aim of the present study was to explore the viability of using social media as a recruitment tool in a clinical research trial. Sociodemographic data and smoking characteristics were assessed in 266 participants recruited to investigate the effectiveness of a behavioral support program for smoking cessation. For analysis, participants were separated into 2 groups based on whether they were recruited either using traditional means (flyers, word of mouth, or newspaper advertisement; n = 125, 47.0%) or by advertisements in online social media (n = 138, 51.9%). Participants recruited via social media were significantly younger, but there were no differences in other socioeconomic variables or smoking characteristics compared with participants recruited via other traditional means. The findings of the present study suggest that using online social media is a viable recruitment method for smoking studies and compliments other more traditional recruitment methods.

Optimized Laplacian image sharpening algorithm based on graphic processing unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Tinghuai; Li, Lu; Ji, Sai; Wang, Xin; Tian, Yuan; Al-Dhelaan, Abdullah; Al-Rodhaan, Mznah

2014-12-01

In classical Laplacian image sharpening, all pixels are processed one by one, which leads to large amount of computation. Traditional Laplacian sharpening processed on CPU is considerably time-consuming especially for those large pictures. In this paper, we propose a parallel implementation of Laplacian sharpening based on Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), which is a computing platform of Graphic Processing Units (GPU), and analyze the impact of picture size on performance and the relationship between the processing time of between data transfer time and parallel computing time. Further, according to different features of different memory, an improved scheme of our method is developed, which exploits shared memory in GPU instead of global memory and further increases the efficiency. Experimental results prove that two novel algorithms outperform traditional consequentially method based on OpenCV in the aspect of computing speed.

Effects of problem-based learning in Chinese radiology education

PubMed Central

Zhang, Song; Xu, Jiancheng; Wang, Hongwei; Zhang, Dong; Zhang, Qichuan; Zou, Liguang

2018-01-01

Abstract Background: In recent years, the problem-based learning (PBL) teaching method has been extensively applied as an experimental educational method in Chinese radiology education. However, the results of individual studies were inconsistent and inconclusive. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of PBL on radiology education in China. Methods: Databases of Chinese and English languages were searched from inception up to November 2017. The standard mean difference (SMD) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to determine the over effects of PBL compared with the traditional teaching method. Results: Seventeen studies involving 1487 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Of them, 16 studies provided sufficient data for the pooled analysis and showed that PBL teaching method had a positive effect on achieving higher theoretical scores compared with the traditional teaching method (SMD = 1.20, 95% CI [0.68, 1.71]). Thirteen studies provided sufficient data on skill scores, and a significant difference in favor of PBL was also observed (SMD = 2.10, 95% CI [1.38, 2.83]). Questionnaire surveys were applied in most of the included studies and indicated positive effects of PBL on students’ learning interest, scope of knowledge, team spirit, and oral expression. Conclusion: The result shows that PBL appears to be more effective on radiology education than traditional teaching method in China. However, the heterogeneity of the included studies cannot be neglected. Further well-designed studies about this topic are needed to confirm the above findings. PMID:29489669

Effects of team-based learning on fixed prosthodontic education in a Japanese School of Dentistry.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hisahiro; Omoto, Katsuhiro; Okura, Kazuo; Tajima, Toyoko; Suzuki, Yoshitaka; Hosoki, Maki; Koori, Motoharu; Shigemoto, Shuji; Ueda, Mayu; Nishigawa, Keisuke; Rodis, Omar Marianito Maningo; Matsuka, Yoshizo

2015-04-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of team-based learning (TBL) in prosthodontics education for fourth-year dental students at Tokushima University School of Dentistry and to compare this teaching method with traditional lecture-based delivery. Participants in the study were 36 students (22 males and 14 females) who attended the TBL-style fixed prosthodontics course. Ten 60-minute classes were held. The first three were traditional lecture-style classes and were followed by one class introducing the TBL style. The remaining six classes constituted the TBL-format fixed prosthodontics course. The effectiveness of TBL was evaluated through student questionnaires at the end of each class and the results of the term-end examination. The questionnaire revealed high student approval for TBL-style learning, and active group discussion among students during TBL was a key factor in these ratings. In the results of the term-end examination, there were significantly higher scores on the questions that covered TBL-taught material than those covering traditional lecture-taught topics. The results of this study suggest that TBL-style lecture was more effective than traditional-style lecture for teaching fixed prosthodontics and that TBL was a more efficient mode of delivering dental education than traditional lecture-based teaching.

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

PubMed

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

2015-12-09

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

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

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

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

Closed-loop controller for chest compressions based on coronary perfusion pressure: a computer simulation study.

PubMed

Wang, Chunfei; Zhang, Guang; Wu, Taihu; Zhan, Ningbo; Wang, Yaling

2016-03-01

High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation contributes to cardiac arrest survival. The traditional chest compression (CC) standard, which neglects individual differences, uses unified standards for compression depth and compression rate in practice. In this study, an effective and personalized CC method for automatic mechanical compression devices is provided. We rebuild Charles F. Babbs' human circulation model with a coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) simulation module and propose a closed-loop controller based on a fuzzy control algorithm for CCs, which adjusts the CC depth according to the CPP. Compared with a traditional proportion-integration-differentiation (PID) controller, the performance of the fuzzy controller is evaluated in computer simulation studies. The simulation results demonstrate that the fuzzy closed-loop controller results in shorter regulation time, fewer oscillations and smaller overshoot than traditional PID controllers and outperforms the traditional PID controller for CPP regulation and maintenance.

I Environmental DNA sampling is more sensitive than a traditional survey technique for detecting an aquatic invader.

PubMed

Smart, Adam S; Tingley, Reid; Weeks, Andrew R; van Rooyen, Anthony R; McCarthy, Michael A

2015-10-01

Effective management of alien species requires detecting populations in the early stages of invasion. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling can detect aquatic species at relatively low densities, but few studies have directly compared detection probabilities of eDNA sampling with those of traditional sampling methods. We compare the ability of a traditional sampling technique (bottle trapping) and eDNA to detect a recently established invader, the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris vulgaris, at seven field sites in Melbourne, Australia. Over a four-month period, per-trap detection probabilities ranged from 0.01 to 0.26 among sites where L. v. vulgaris was detected, whereas per-sample eDNA estimates were much higher (0.29-1.0). Detection probabilities of both methods varied temporally (across days and months), but temporal variation appeared to be uncorrelated between methods. Only estimates of spatial variation were strongly correlated across the two sampling techniques. Environmental variables (water depth, rainfall, ambient temperature) were not clearly correlated with detection probabilities estimated via trapping, whereas eDNA detection probabilities were negatively correlated with water depth, possibly reflecting higher eDNA concentrations at lower water levels. Our findings demonstrate that eDNA sampling can be an order of magnitude more sensitive than traditional methods, and illustrate that traditional- and eDNA-based surveys can provide independent information on species distributions when occupancy surveys are conducted over short timescales.

STS-based education in non-majors college biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, Phyllis Lee

The study explored the effect of the science-technology-society (STS) and traditional teaching methods in non-majors biology classes at a community college. It investigated the efficacy of the two methods in developing cognitive abilities at Bloom's first three levels of learning. It compared retention rates in classes taught in the two methods. Changes in student attitude relating to anxiety, fear, and interest in biology were explored. The effect of each method on grade attainment among men and women was investigated. The effect of each method on grade attainment among older and younger students was examined. Results of the study indicated that no significant differences, relating to retention or student attitude, existed in classes taught in the two methods. The study found no significant cognitive gains at Bloom's first three levels in classes taught in the traditional format. In the STS classes no significant gains were uncovered at Bloom's first level of cognition. Statistically significant gains were found in the STS classes at Bloom's second and third levels of cognition. In the classes taught in the traditional format no difference was identified in grade attainment between males and females. In the STS-based classes a small correlational difference between males and females was found with males receiving lower grades than expected. No difference in grade attainment was found between older and younger students taught in the traditional format. In the STS-based classes a small statistically significant difference in grade attainment was uncovered between older and younger students with older students receiving more A's and fewer C's than expected. This study found no difference in the grades of older, female students as compared to all other students in the traditionally taught classes. A weak statistically significant difference was discovered between grade attainment of older, female students and all other students in the STS classes with older, female students earning more A's and fewer C's than expected. It was concluded that among the students examined in this investigation STS teaching methods enhanced cognitive gains at Bloom's second and third levels of cognition. STS also strengthened grade attainment among older students and female students. Recommendations for further study included replication of the study to include a larger sample size, other types of institutions, and other academic disciplines in science. Expansion of the study to Bloom's fourth and fifth levels, use of a standardized testing instruments to determine attitude, analysis using qualitative methods of investigation, and refinement of the study to provide a true experimental design were also suggested.

Study on TCM Syndrome Differentiation of Primary Liver Cancer Based on the Analysis of Latent Structural Model.

PubMed

Gu, Zhan; Qi, Xiuzhong; Zhai, Xiaofeng; Lang, Qingbo; Lu, Jianying; Ma, Changping; Liu, Long; Yue, Xiaoqiang

2015-01-01

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is one of the most common malignant tumors because of its high incidence and high mortality. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays an active role in the treatment of PLC. As the most important part in the TCM system, syndrome differentiation based on the clinical manifestations from traditional four diagnostic methods has met great challenges and questions with the lack of statistical validation support. In this study, we provided evidences for TCM syndrome differentiation of PLC using the method of analysis of latent structural model from clinic data, thus providing basis for establishing TCM syndrome criteria. And also we obtain the common syndromes of PLC as well as their typical clinical manifestations, respectively.

Tuberculosis patients’ knowledge and beliefs about tuberculosis: a mixed methods study from the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The setting for this study was the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, an archipelago of 82 islands, located in the South Pacific Ocean. Our objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of tuberculosis (TB) patients towards TB. Methods This was a descriptive study using qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative analysis was based on the responses provided to closed questions, and we present frequencies to describe the TB patients’ knowledge, attitudes and practice relating to TB. Qualitative analysis was based on open questions permitting fuller explanations. We used thematic analysis and developed a posteriori inductive categories to draw conclusions. Results Thirty five TB patients were interviewed; 22 (63%) were male. They attributed TB to cigarettes, kava, alcohol, contaminated food, sharing eating utensils and “kastom” (the local term for the traditional way of life, but also for sorcery). Most (94%) did not attribute TB to a bacterial cause. However, almost all TB patients (89%) thought that TB was best treated at a hospital with antibiotics. Three quarters (74%) experienced stigma after their TB diagnosis. Seeking health care from a traditional healer was common; 54% of TB patients stated that they would first consult a traditional healer for any illness. When seeking a diagnosis for signs and symptoms of TB, 34% first consulted a traditional healer. Patients cited cost, distance and beliefs about TB causation as reasons for first consulting a traditional healer or going to the hospital. Of the TB patients who consulted a traditional healer first, there was an average of two weeks delay before they consulted the health service. In some cases, however, the delay was up to six years. Conclusion The majority of the TB patients interviewed did not attribute TB to a bacterial cause. Consulting a traditional healer for health care, including while seeking a diagnosis for TB symptoms, was common and may have delayed diagnosis. People require better information about TB to correct commonly held misperceptions about the disease. Traditional healers could also be engaged with the national TB programme, in order to refer people with signs and symptoms of TB to the nearest health service. PMID:24885057

Internet-Based Distance Learning in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmann, Donald W.

2002-01-01

Suggests that the effectiveness of Internet-based distance learning has increased with its increased popularity. Looks at the differences between the effectiveness of Internet-based distance learning and traditional methods. Indicates that distance learning is more effective because of the necessity for students to become active learners.…

Application of adjusted subpixel method (ASM) in HRCT measurements of the bronchi in bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals.

PubMed

Mincewicz, Grzegorz; Rumiński, Jacek; Krzykowski, Grzegorz

2012-02-01

Recently, we described a model system which included corrections of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) bronchial measurements based on the adjusted subpixel method (ASM). To verify the clinical application of ASM by comparing bronchial measurements obtained by means of the traditional eye-driven method, subpixel method alone and ASM in a group comprised of bronchial asthma patients and healthy individuals. The study included 30 bronchial asthma patients and the control group comprised of 20 volunteers with no symptoms of asthma. The lowest internal and external diameters of the bronchial cross-sections (ID and ED) and their derivative parameters were determined in HRCT scans using: (1) traditional eye-driven method, (2) subpixel technique, and (3) ASM. In the case of the eye-driven method, lower ID values along with lower bronchial lumen area and its percentage ratio to total bronchial area were basic parameters that differed between asthma patients and healthy controls. In the case of the subpixel method and ASM, both groups were not significantly different in terms of ID. Significant differences were observed in values of ED and total bronchial area with both parameters being significantly higher in asthma patients. Compared to ASM, the eye-driven method overstated the values of ID and ED by about 30% and 10% respectively, while understating bronchial wall thickness by about 18%. Results obtained in this study suggest that the traditional eye-driven method of HRCT-based measurement of bronchial tree components probably overstates the degree of bronchial patency in asthma patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Improved Computing Method for 3D Mechanical Connectivity Rates Based on a Polyhedral Simulation Model of Discrete Fracture Network in Rock Masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mingchao; Han, Shuai; Zhou, Sibao; Zhang, Ye

2018-06-01

Based on a 3D model of a discrete fracture network (DFN) in a rock mass, an improved projective method for computing the 3D mechanical connectivity rate was proposed. The Monte Carlo simulation method, 2D Poisson process and 3D geological modeling technique were integrated into a polyhedral DFN modeling approach, and the simulation results were verified by numerical tests and graphical inspection. Next, the traditional projective approach for calculating the rock mass connectivity rate was improved using the 3D DFN models by (1) using the polyhedral model to replace the Baecher disk model; (2) taking the real cross section of the rock mass, rather than a part of the cross section, as the test plane; and (3) dynamically searching the joint connectivity rates using different dip directions and dip angles at different elevations to calculate the maximum, minimum and average values of the joint connectivity at each elevation. In a case study, the improved method and traditional method were used to compute the mechanical connectivity rate of the slope of a dam abutment. The results of the two methods were further used to compute the cohesive force of the rock masses. Finally, a comparison showed that the cohesive force derived from the traditional method had a higher error, whereas the cohesive force derived from the improved method was consistent with the suggested values. According to the comparison, the effectivity and validity of the improved method were verified indirectly.

[Analysis on difference of richness of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Chongqing based on grid technology].

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Qu, Xian-You; Li, Meng; Wang, Hui; Jing, Zhi-Xian; Liu, Xiang; Zhang, Zhi-Wei; Guo, Lan-Ping; Huang, Lu-Qi

2017-11-01

After the end of the national and local medicine resources census work, a large number of Chinese medicine resources and distribution of data will be summarized. The species richness between the regions is a valid indicator for objective reflection of inter-regional resources of Chinese medicine. Due to the large difference in the size of the county area, the assessment of the intercropping of the resources of the traditional Chinese medicine by the county as a statistical unit will lead to the deviation of the regional abundance statistics. Based on the rule grid or grid statistical methods, the size of the statistical unit due to different can be reduced, the differences in the richness of traditional Chinese medicine resources are caused. Taking Chongqing as an example, based on the existing survey data, the difference of richness of traditional Chinese medicine resources under different grid scale were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the 30 km grid could be selected and the richness of Chinese medicine resources in Chongqing could reflect the objective situation of intercropping resources richness in traditional Chinese medicine better. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Market potential and opportunities for commercialization of traditional meat products in North East Hill Region of India.

PubMed

Kadirvel, G; Banerjee, Bandita B; Meitei, Surajit; Doley, S; Sen, Arnab; Muthukumar, M

2018-02-01

The North Eastern (NE) India is renowned for its preference for animal-based food. This region is known for its traditional meat products. However, the popularity of these products remains confined to the specific community/location. The knowledge on the traditional preparation methods is generally passed across generations through practice and word of mouth. The traditional style of preparation and the specific ingredients added to each product makes them unique. In this review, an attempt has been made to identify the initiatives, opportunities, and market potential for commercialization of the traditional meat products. These unique features and properties of the traditional meat products have been highlighted. The commercialization of these products will enhance entrepreneurship development and ensure quality ethnic products to the consumer in the NE hill region of India.

Market potential and opportunities for commercialization of traditional meat products in North East Hill Region of India

PubMed Central

Kadirvel, G.; Banerjee, Bandita B.; Meitei, Surajit; Doley, S.; Sen, Arnab; Muthukumar, M.

2018-01-01

The North Eastern (NE) India is renowned for its preference for animal-based food. This region is known for its traditional meat products. However, the popularity of these products remains confined to the specific community/location. The knowledge on the traditional preparation methods is generally passed across generations through practice and word of mouth. The traditional style of preparation and the specific ingredients added to each product makes them unique. In this review, an attempt has been made to identify the initiatives, opportunities, and market potential for commercialization of the traditional meat products. These unique features and properties of the traditional meat products have been highlighted. The commercialization of these products will enhance entrepreneurship development and ensure quality ethnic products to the consumer in the NE hill region of India. PMID:29657390

Variable Case Detection and Many Unreported Cases of Surgical-Site Infection Following Colon Surgery and Abdominal Hysterectomy in a Statewide Validation.

PubMed

Calderwood, Michael S; Huang, Susan S; Keller, Vicki; Bruce, Christina B; Kazerouni, N Neely; Janssen, Lynn

2017-09-01

OBJECTIVE To assess hospital surgical-site infection (SSI) identification and reporting following colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy via a statewide external validation METHODS Infection preventionists (IPs) from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) performed on-site SSI validation for surgical procedures performed in hospitals that voluntarily participated. Validation involved chart review of SSI cases previously reported by hospitals plus review of patient records flagged for review by claims codes suggestive of SSI. We assessed the sensitivity of traditional surveillance and the added benefit of claims-based surveillance. We also evaluated the positive predictive value of claims-based surveillance (ie, workload efficiency). RESULTS Upon validation review, CDPH IPs identified 239 SSIs following colon surgery at 42 hospitals and 76 SSIs following abdominal hysterectomy at 34 hospitals. For colon surgery, traditional surveillance had a sensitivity of 50% (47% for deep incisional or organ/space [DI/OS] SSI), compared to 84% (88% for DI/OS SSI) for claims-based surveillance. For abdominal hysterectomy, traditional surveillance had a sensitivity of 68% (67% for DI/OS SSI) compared to 74% (78% for DI/OS SSI) for claims-based surveillance. Claims-based surveillance was also efficient, with 1 SSI identified for every 2 patients flagged for review who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy and for every 2.6 patients flagged for review who had undergone colon surgery. Overall, CDPH identified previously unreported SSIs in 74% of validation hospitals performing colon surgery and 35% of validation hospitals performing abdominal hysterectomy. CONCLUSIONS Claims-based surveillance is a standardized approach that hospitals can use to augment traditional surveillance methods and health departments can use for external validation. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1091-1097.

MOCC: A Fast and Robust Correlation-Based Method for Interest Point Matching under Large Scale Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Feng; Huang, Qingming; Wang, Hao; Gao, Wen

2010-12-01

Similarity measures based on correlation have been used extensively for matching tasks. However, traditional correlation-based image matching methods are sensitive to rotation and scale changes. This paper presents a fast correlation-based method for matching two images with large rotation and significant scale changes. Multiscale oriented corner correlation (MOCC) is used to evaluate the degree of similarity between the feature points. The method is rotation invariant and capable of matching image pairs with scale changes up to a factor of 7. Moreover, MOCC is much faster in comparison with the state-of-the-art matching methods. Experimental results on real images show the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Problem-Based Learning: Exploiting Knowledge of How People Learn to Promote Effective Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, E. J.

2004-01-01

There is much information from educational psychology studies on how people learn. The thesis of this paper is that we should use this information to guide the ways in which we teach rather than blindly using our traditional methods. In this context, problem-based learning (PBL), as a method of teaching widely used in medical schools but…

The Effectiveness of the Game-Based Learning System for the Improvement of American Sign Language Using Kinect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamnardsiri, Teerawat; Hongsit, Ler-on; Khuwuthyakorn, Pattaraporn; Wongta, Noppon

2017-01-01

This paper investigated students' achievement for learning American Sign Language (ASL), using two different methods. There were two groups of samples. The first experimental group (Group A) was the game-based learning for ASL, using Kinect. The second control learning group (Group B) was the traditional face-to-face learning method, generally…

An Intelligent Web-Based System for Diagnosing Student Learning Problems Using Concept Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acharya, Anal; Sinha, Devadatta

2017-01-01

The aim of this article is to propose a method for development of concept map in web-based environment for identifying concepts a student is deficient in after learning using traditional methods. Direct Hashing and Pruning algorithm was used to construct concept map. Redundancies within the concept map were removed to generate a learning sequence.…

Fine-resolution repeat topographic surveying of dryland landscapes using UAS-based structure-from-motion photogrammetry: Assessing accuracy and precision against traditional ground-based erosion measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry from unmanned aircraft system (UAS) imagery is an emerging tool for repeat topographic surveying of dryland erosion. These methods are particularly appealing due to the ability to cover large landscapes compared to field methods and at reduced costs and hig...

Evaluation method on steering for the shape-shifting robot in different configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Jian; Li, Bin; Wang, Chong; Zheng, Huaibing; Li, Zhiqiang

2016-01-01

The evaluation method on steering is based on qualitative manner in existence, which causes the result inaccurate and fuzziness. It reduces the efficiency of process execution. So the method by quantitative manner for the shape-shifting robot in different configurations is proposed. Comparing to traditional evaluation method, the most important aspects which can influence the steering abilities of the robot in different configurations are researched in detail, including the energy, angular velocity, time and space. In order to improve the robustness of system, the ideal and slippage conditions are all considered by mathematical model. Comparing to the traditional weighting confirming method, the extent of robot steering method is proposed by the combination of subjective and objective weighting method. The subjective weighting method can show more preferences of the experts and is based on five-grade scale. The objective weighting method is based on information entropy to determine the factors. By the sensors fixed on the robot, the contract force between track grouser and ground, the intrinsic motion characteristics of robot are obtained and the experiment is done to prove the algorithm which is proposed as the robot in different common configurations. Through the method proposed in the article, fuzziness and inaccurate of the evaluation method has been solved, so the operators can choose the most suitable configuration of the robot to fulfil the different tasks more quickly and simply.

The Effectiveness of Teaching Methods Used in Graphic Design Pedagogy in Both Analogue and Digital Education Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhajri, Salman

2016-01-01

Purpose: this paper investigates the effectiveness of teaching methods used in graphic design pedagogy in both analogue and digital education systems. Methodology and approach: the paper is based on theoretical study using a qualitative, case study approach. Comparison between the digital teaching methods and traditional teaching methods was…

Mapping Mixed Methods Research: Methods, Measures, and Meaning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeldon, J.

2010-01-01

This article explores how concept maps and mind maps can be used as data collection tools in mixed methods research to combine the clarity of quantitative counts with the nuance of qualitative reflections. Based on more traditional mixed methods approaches, this article details how the use of pre/post concept maps can be used to design qualitative…

[Analysis on traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions treating cancer-related anorexia syndrome based on grey system theory combined with multivariate analysis method and discovery of new prescriptions].

PubMed

Chen, Song-Lin; Chen, Cong; Zhu, Hui; Li, Jing; Pang, Yan

2016-01-01

Cancer-related anorexia syndrome (CACS) is one of the main causes for death at present as well as a syndrome seriously harming patients' quality of life, treatment effect and survival time. In current clinical researches, there are fewer reports about empirical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions and patent prescriptions treating CACS, and prescription rules are rarely analyzed in a systematic manner. As the hidden rules are not excavated, it is hard to have an innovative discovery and knowledge of clinical medication. In this paper, the grey screening method combined with the multivariate statistical method was used to build the ″CACS prescriptions database″. Based on the database, totally 359 prescriptions were selected, the frequency of herbs in prescription was determined, and commonly combined drugs were evolved into 4 new prescriptions for different syndromes. Prescriptions of TCM in treatment of CACS gave priority to benefiting qi for strengthening spleen, also laid emphasis on replenishing kidney essence, dispersing stagnated liver-qi and dispersing lung-qi. Moreover, interdependence and mutual promotion of yin and yang should be taken into account to reflect TCM's holism and theory for treatment based on syndrome differentiation. The grey screening method, as a valuable traditional Chinese medicine research-supporting method, can be used to subjectively and objectively analyze prescription rules; and the new prescriptions can provide reference for the clinical use of TCM for treating CACS and the drug development. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

A new method for calculating ecological flow: Distribution flow method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Guangming; Yi, Ran; Chang, Jianbo; Shu, Caiwen; Yin, Zhi; Han, Shasha; Feng, Zhiyong; Lyu, Yiwei

2018-04-01

A distribution flow method (DFM) and its ecological flow index and evaluation grade standard are proposed to study the ecological flow of rivers based on broadening kernel density estimation. The proposed DFM and its ecological flow index and evaluation grade standard are applied into the calculation of ecological flow in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and compared with traditional calculation method of hydrological ecological flow, method of flow evaluation, and calculation result of fish ecological flow. Results show that the DFM considers the intra- and inter-annual variations in natural runoff, thereby reducing the influence of extreme flow and uneven flow distributions during the year. This method also satisfies the actual runoff demand of river ecosystems, demonstrates superiority over the traditional hydrological methods, and shows a high space-time applicability and application value.

[Investigation on production process quality control of traditional Chinese medicine--Banlangen granule as an example].

PubMed

Tan, Manrong; Yan, Dan; Qiu, Lingling; Chen, Longhu; Yan, Yan; Jin, Cheng; Li, Hanbing; Xiao, Xiaohe

2012-04-01

For the quality management system of herbal medicines, intermediate and finished products it exists the " short board" effect of methodologies. Based on the concept of process control, new strategies and new methods of the production process quality control had been established with the consideration of the actual production of traditional Chinese medicine an the characteristics of Chinese medicine. Taking Banlangen granule as a practice example, which was effective and widespread application, character identification, determination of index components, chemical fingerprint and biometrics technology were sequentially used respectively to assess the quality of Banlangen herbal medicines, intermediate (water extraction and alcohol precipitation) and finished product. With the transfer rate of chemical information and biological potency as indicators, the effectiveness and transmission of the above different assessments and control methods had been researched. And ultimately, the process quality control methods of Banlangen granule, which were based on chemical composition analysis-biometric analysis, had been set up. It can not only validly solute the current status that there were many manufacturers varying quality of Banlangen granule, but also ensure and enhance its clinical efficacy. Furthermore it provided a foundation for the construction of the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine production process.

METAL SPECIATION IN SOIL, SEDIMENT, AND WATER SYSTEMS VIA SYNCHROTRON RADIATION RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

Metal contaminated environmental systems (soils, sediments, and water) have challenged researchers for many years. Traditional methods of analysis have employed extraction methods to determine total metal content and define risk based on the premise that as metal concentration in...

Development of Cross-Assembly Phage PCR-Based Methods for Human Fecal Source Identification

EPA Science Inventory

Technologies that can characterize human fecal pollution in environmental waters offer many advantages over traditional general indicator approaches. However, many human-associated methods cross-react with non-human animal sources and lack suitable sensitivity for fecal source id...

A New Method for the Evaluation and Prediction of Base Stealing Performance.

PubMed

Bricker, Joshua C; Bailey, Christopher A; Driggers, Austin R; McInnis, Timothy C; Alami, Arya

2016-11-01

Bricker, JC, Bailey, CA, Driggers, AR, McInnis, TC, and Alami, A. A new method for the evaluation and prediction of base stealing performance. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3044-3050, 2016-The purposes of this study were to evaluate a new method using electronic timing gates to monitor base stealing performance in terms of reliability, differences between it and traditional stopwatch-collected times, and its ability to predict base stealing performance. Twenty-five healthy collegiate baseball players performed maximal effort base stealing trials with a right and left-handed pitcher. An infrared electronic timing system was used to calculate the reaction time (RT) and total time (TT), whereas coaches' times (CT) were recorded with digital stopwatches. Reliability of the TGM was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficient of variation (CV). Differences between the TGM and traditional CT were calculated with paired samples t tests Cohen's d effect size estimates. Base stealing performance predictability of the TGM was evaluated with Pearson's bivariate correlations. Acceptable relative reliability was observed (ICCs 0.74-0.84). Absolute reliability measures were acceptable for TT (CVs = 4.4-4.8%), but measures were elevated for RT (CVs = 32.3-35.5%). Statistical and practical differences were found between TT and CT (right p = 0.00, d = 1.28 and left p = 0.00, d = 1.49). The TGM TT seems to be a decent predictor of base stealing performance (r = -0.49 to -0.61). The authors recommend using the TGM used in this investigation for athlete monitoring because it was found to be reliable, seems to be more precise than traditional CT measured with a stopwatch, provides an additional variable of value (RT), and may predict future performance.

Effectiveness of Case-Based Learning Instruction on Epistemological Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çam, Aylin; Geban, Ömer

2011-02-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of case-based learning instruction over traditionally designed chemistry instruction on eleventh grade students' epistemological beliefs and their attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject. The subjects of this study consisted of 63 eleventh grade students from two intact classes of an urban high school instructed with same teacher. Each teaching method was randomly assigned to one class. The experimental group received case-based learning and the control group received traditional instruction. At the experimental group, life cases were presented with small group format; at the control group, lecturing and discussion was carried out. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control group with respect to their epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject in favor of case-based learning method group. Thus, case base learning is helpful for development of students' epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward chemistry.

A novel dose-based positioning method for CT image-guided proton therapy

PubMed Central

Cheung, Joey P.; Park, Peter C.; Court, Laurence E.; Ronald Zhu, X.; Kudchadker, Rajat J.; Frank, Steven J.; Dong, Lei

2013-01-01

Purpose: Proton dose distributions can potentially be altered by anatomical changes in the beam path despite perfect target alignment using traditional image guidance methods. In this simulation study, the authors explored the use of dosimetric factors instead of only anatomy to set up patients for proton therapy using in-room volumetric computed tomographic (CT) images. Methods: To simulate patient anatomy in a free-breathing treatment condition, weekly time-averaged four-dimensional CT data near the end of treatment for 15 lung cancer patients were used in this study for a dose-based isocenter shift method to correct dosimetric deviations without replanning. The isocenter shift was obtained using the traditional anatomy-based image guidance method as the starting position. Subsequent isocenter shifts were established based on dosimetric criteria using a fast dose approximation method. For each isocenter shift, doses were calculated every 2 mm up to ±8 mm in each direction. The optimal dose alignment was obtained by imposing a target coverage constraint that at least 99% of the target would receive at least 95% of the prescribed dose and by minimizing the mean dose to the ipsilateral lung. Results: The authors found that 7 of 15 plans did not meet the target coverage constraint when using only the anatomy-based alignment. After the authors applied dose-based alignment, all met the target coverage constraint. For all but one case in which the target dose was met using both anatomy-based and dose-based alignment, the latter method was able to improve normal tissue sparing. Conclusions: The authors demonstrated that a dose-based adjustment to the isocenter can improve target coverage and/or reduce dose to nearby normal tissue. PMID:23635262

Practice-Based Research: Another Pathway for Closing the Research-Practice Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crooke, Pamela J.; Olswang, Lesley B.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Practice-based research is proposed as an additional way to bridge the divide between research and practice. Method: The article compares the traditional, laboratory-based research with research that is generated from practice: practice-based research. The defining features of each are described, with an emphasis on contrasting internal…

[Policy recommendations based on SWOT analysis for agricultural industrialization of traditional Chinese medicinal materials--a case study of uncariae ramulus cum uncis from Jianhe county in Guizhou province].

PubMed

Hu, Yong; Huo, Ke-Yi; Xiang, Hua

2013-09-01

This thesis reviews the historical background of agricultural industrialization, and analyzes the major theories of agricultural industrialization. It also utilizes SWOT analysis method to discuss the industrialization of traditional Chinese medicinal materials in Jianhe county, and finally it puts forward the recommendations for its further development.

An Empowerment Approach for Elders Living With Diabetes: A Pilot Study of a Community-Based Self-Help Group--the Diabetes Club

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeCoster, Vaughn A.; George, Lori

2005-01-01

Diabetes mellitus is a disabling, deadly disease, affecting one in five of adults over 65. Unfortunately, for the few elders that receive diabetes self-care training it is often taught using traditional didactic methods that are insensitive to their unique needs and immersed in the traditional medical paradigm. Integrating diabetes self-care into…

Application of Competency-Based Education in Laparoscopic Training

PubMed Central

Xue, Dongbo; Bo, Hong; Zhao, Song; Meng, Xianzhi

2015-01-01

Background and Objectives: To induce competency-based education/developing a curriculum in the training of postgraduate students in laparoscopic surgery. Methods: This study selected postgraduate students before the implementation of competency-based education (n = 16) or after the implementation of competency-based education (n = 17). On the basis of the 5 competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism, the research team created a developing a curriculum chart and specific improvement measures that were implemented in the competency-based education group. Results: On the basis of the developing a curriculum chart, the assessment of the 5 comprehensive competencies using the 360° assessment method indicated that the competency-based education group's competencies were significantly improved compared with those of the traditional group (P < .05). The improvement in the comprehensive assessment was also significant compared with the traditional group (P < .05). Conclusion: The implementation of competency-based education/developing a curriculum teaching helps to improve the comprehensive competencies of postgraduate students and enables them to become qualified clinicians equipped to meet society's needs. PMID:25901105

Sequence-based classification and identification of fungi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fungal taxonomy and ecology have been revolutionized by the application of molecular methods and both have increasing connections to genomics and functional biology. However, data streams from traditional specimen- and culture-based systematics are not yet fully integrated with those from metagenomi...

Intravenous catheter training system: computer-based education versus traditional learning methods.

PubMed

Engum, Scott A; Jeffries, Pamela; Fisher, Lisa

2003-07-01

Virtual reality simulators allow trainees to practice techniques without consequences, reduce potential risk associated with training, minimize animal use, and help to develop standards and optimize procedures. Current intravenous (IV) catheter placement training methods utilize plastic arms, however, the lack of variability can diminish the educational stimulus for the student. This study compares the effectiveness of an interactive, multimedia, virtual reality computer IV catheter simulator with a traditional laboratory experience of teaching IV venipuncture skills to both nursing and medical students. A randomized, pretest-posttest experimental design was employed. A total of 163 participants, 70 baccalaureate nursing students and 93 third-year medical students beginning their fundamental skills training were recruited. The students ranged in age from 20 to 55 years (mean 25). Fifty-eight percent were female and 68% percent perceived themselves as having average computer skills (25% declaring excellence). The methods of IV catheter education compared included a traditional method of instruction involving a scripted self-study module which involved a 10-minute videotape, instructor demonstration, and hands-on-experience using plastic mannequin arms. The second method involved an interactive multimedia, commercially made computer catheter simulator program utilizing virtual reality (CathSim). The pretest scores were similar between the computer and the traditional laboratory group. There was a significant improvement in cognitive gains, student satisfaction, and documentation of the procedure with the traditional laboratory group compared with the computer catheter simulator group. Both groups were similar in their ability to demonstrate the skill correctly. CONCLUSIONS; This evaluation and assessment was an initial effort to assess new teaching methodologies related to intravenous catheter placement and their effects on student learning outcomes and behaviors. Technology alone is not a solution for stand alone IV catheter placement education. A traditional learning method was preferred by students. The combination of these two methods of education may further enhance the trainee's satisfaction and skill acquisition level.

Comparative study on the measurement of learning outcomes after powerpoint presentation and problem based learning with discussion in family medicine amongst fifth year medical students.

PubMed

Khobragade, Sujata; Abas, Adinegara Lutfi; Khobragade, Yadneshwar Sudam

2016-01-01

Learning outcomes after traditional teaching methods were compared with problem-based learning (PBL) among fifth year medical students. Six students participated each in traditional teaching and PBL methods, respectively. Traditional teaching method involved PowerPoint (PPT) presentation and PBL included study on case scenario and discussion. Both methods were effective in improving performance of students. Postteaching, we did not find significant differences in learning outcomes between these two teaching methods. (1) Study was conducted with an intention to find out which method of learning is more effective; traditional or PBL. (2) To assess the level of knowledge and understanding in anemia/zoonotic diseases as against diabetes/hypertension. All the students posted from February 3, 2014, to March 14, 2014, participated in this study. Six students were asked to prepare and present a lecture (PPT) and subsequent week other six students were asked to present PBL. Both groups presented different topics. Since it was a pre- and post-test, same students were taken as control. To maintain uniformity and to avoid bias due cultural diversity, language etc., same questions were administered. After taking verbal consent, all 34 students were given pretest on anemia and zoonotic diseases. Then lecture (PPT) by six students on the same topic was given it followed by posttest questionnaire. Subsequent week pretest was conducted on hypertension and diabetes. Then case scenario presentation and discussion (PBL) was done by different six students followed by posttest. Both the methods were compared. Analysis was done manually and standard error of means and students t -test was used to find out statistical significance. We found statistically significant improvement in performance of students after PPT presentation as well as PBL. Both methods are equally effective. However, Pretest results of students in anemia and zoonotic diseases (Group A) were poor compared to pretest results of students in hypertension and diabetes (Group B). The students who participated in presentation did not influence their performance as they were covering a small part of the topic and there were no differences in their marks compared to other students. We did not find significant differences in outcome after teaching between PBL and traditional methods. Performances of students were poor in anemia and zoonotic diseases which need remedial teaching. Assessment may influence retention ability and performance.

Reconstruction of metabolic pathways by combining probabilistic graphical model-based and knowledge-based methods

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Automatic reconstruction of metabolic pathways for an organism from genomics and transcriptomics data has been a challenging and important problem in bioinformatics. Traditionally, known reference pathways can be mapped into an organism-specific ones based on its genome annotation and protein homology. However, this simple knowledge-based mapping method might produce incomplete pathways and generally cannot predict unknown new relations and reactions. In contrast, ab initio metabolic network construction methods can predict novel reactions and interactions, but its accuracy tends to be low leading to a lot of false positives. Here we combine existing pathway knowledge and a new ab initio Bayesian probabilistic graphical model together in a novel fashion to improve automatic reconstruction of metabolic networks. Specifically, we built a knowledge database containing known, individual gene / protein interactions and metabolic reactions extracted from existing reference pathways. Known reactions and interactions were then used as constraints for Bayesian network learning methods to predict metabolic pathways. Using individual reactions and interactions extracted from different pathways of many organisms to guide pathway construction is new and improves both the coverage and accuracy of metabolic pathway construction. We applied this probabilistic knowledge-based approach to construct the metabolic networks from yeast gene expression data and compared its results with 62 known metabolic networks in the KEGG database. The experiment showed that the method improved the coverage of metabolic network construction over the traditional reference pathway mapping method and was more accurate than pure ab initio methods. PMID:25374614

Traditional Chinese and Thai medicine in a comparative perspective.

PubMed

He, Ke

2015-12-01

The work presented in this paper compares traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Thai medicine, expounding on origins, academic thinking, theoretical system, diagnostic method and modern development. Based on a secondary analysis of available literature, the paper concentrates on two crucial historical developments: (1) the response to, and consequences of, the impact of the Western medicine; and (2) the revival of traditional medicine in these two countries and its prospects. From a comparative perspective, the analysis has led to the conclusion that the rise and fall of traditional medicine is an issue closely related with social and political issues; and the development of traditional medicines requires national policy and financial support from governments, human resource development, the improvement of service quality, and the dissemination of traditional medicine knowledge to the public. In addition, this paper also suggests deepening exchanges and cooperation between China and Thailand, strengthening cooperation between traditional medicine and medical tourism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asynchronous vs didactic education: it’s too early to throw in the towel on tradition

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Asynchronous, computer based instruction is cost effective, allows self-directed pacing and review, and addresses preferences of millennial learners. Current research suggests there is no significant difference in learning compared to traditional classroom instruction. Data are limited for novice learners in emergency medicine. The objective of this study was to compare asynchronous, computer-based instruction with traditional didactics for senior medical students during a week-long intensive course in acute care. We hypothesized both modalities would be equivalent. Methods This was a prospective observational quasi-experimental study of 4th year medical students who were novice learners with minimal prior exposure to curricular elements. We assessed baseline knowledge with an objective pre-test. The curriculum was delivered in either traditional lecture format (shock, acute abdomen, dyspnea, field trauma) or via asynchronous, computer-based modules (chest pain, EKG interpretation, pain management, trauma). An interactive review covering all topics was followed by a post-test. Knowledge retention was measured after 10 weeks. Pre and post-test items were written by a panel of medical educators and validated with a reference group of learners. Mean scores were analyzed using dependent t-test and attitudes were assessed by a 5-point Likert scale. Results 44 of 48 students completed the protocol. Students initially acquired more knowledge from didactic education as demonstrated by mean gain scores (didactic: 28.39% ± 18.06; asynchronous 9.93% ± 23.22). Mean difference between didactic and asynchronous = 18.45% with 95% CI [10.40 to 26.50]; p = 0.0001. Retention testing demonstrated similar knowledge attrition: mean gain scores −14.94% (didactic); -17.61% (asynchronous), which was not significantly different: 2.68% ± 20.85, 95% CI [−3.66 to 9.02], p = 0.399. The attitudinal survey revealed that 60.4% of students believed the asynchronous modules were educational and 95.8% enjoyed the flexibility of the method. 39.6% of students preferred asynchronous education for required didactics; 37.5% were neutral; 23% preferred traditional lectures. Conclusions Asynchronous, computer-based instruction was not equivalent to traditional didactics for novice learners of acute care topics. Interactive, standard didactic education was valuable. Retention rates were similar between instructional methods. Students had mixed attitudes toward asynchronous learning but enjoyed the flexibility. We urge caution in trading in traditional didactic lectures in favor of asynchronous education for novice learners in acute care. PMID:23927420

Genetic Algorithm-Based Motion Estimation Method using Orientations and EMGs for Robot Controls

PubMed Central

Chae, Jeongsook; Jin, Yong; Sung, Yunsick

2018-01-01

Demand for interactive wearable devices is rapidly increasing with the development of smart devices. To accurately utilize wearable devices for remote robot controls, limited data should be analyzed and utilized efficiently. For example, the motions by a wearable device, called Myo device, can be estimated by measuring its orientation, and calculating a Bayesian probability based on these orientation data. Given that Myo device can measure various types of data, the accuracy of its motion estimation can be increased by utilizing these additional types of data. This paper proposes a motion estimation method based on weighted Bayesian probability and concurrently measured data, orientations and electromyograms (EMG). The most probable motion among estimated is treated as a final estimated motion. Thus, recognition accuracy can be improved when compared to the traditional methods that employ only a single type of data. In our experiments, seven subjects perform five predefined motions. When orientation is measured by the traditional methods, the sum of the motion estimation errors is 37.3%; likewise, when only EMG data are used, the error in motion estimation by the proposed method was also 37.3%. The proposed combined method has an error of 25%. Therefore, the proposed method reduces motion estimation errors by 12%. PMID:29324641

Genetic reinforcement learning through symbiotic evolution for fuzzy controller design.

PubMed

Juang, C F; Lin, J Y; Lin, C T

2000-01-01

An efficient genetic reinforcement learning algorithm for designing fuzzy controllers is proposed in this paper. The genetic algorithm (GA) adopted in this paper is based upon symbiotic evolution which, when applied to fuzzy controller design, complements the local mapping property of a fuzzy rule. Using this Symbiotic-Evolution-based Fuzzy Controller (SEFC) design method, the number of control trials, as well as consumed CPU time, are considerably reduced when compared to traditional GA-based fuzzy controller design methods and other types of genetic reinforcement learning schemes. Moreover, unlike traditional fuzzy controllers, which partition the input space into a grid, SEFC partitions the input space in a flexible way, thus creating fewer fuzzy rules. In SEFC, different types of fuzzy rules whose consequent parts are singletons, fuzzy sets, or linear equations (TSK-type fuzzy rules) are allowed. Further, the free parameters (e.g., centers and widths of membership functions) and fuzzy rules are all tuned automatically. For the TSK-type fuzzy rule especially, which put the proposed learning algorithm in use, only the significant input variables are selected to participate in the consequent of a rule. The proposed SEFC design method has been applied to different simulated control problems, including the cart-pole balancing system, a magnetic levitation system, and a water bath temperature control system. The proposed SEFC has been verified to be efficient and superior from these control problems, and from comparisons with some traditional GA-based fuzzy systems.

Evaluation of an Interactive Case-Based Online Network (ICON) in a Problem Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nathoo, Arif N.; Goldhoff, Patricia; Quattrochi, James J.

2005-01-01

Purpose: This study sought to assess the introduction of a web-based innovation in medical education that complements traditional problem-based learning curricula. Utilizing the case method as its fundamental educational approach, the Interactive Case-based Online Network (ICON) allows students to interact with each other, faculty and a virtual…

Comparison of traditional gas chromatography (GC), headspace GC, and the microbial identification library GC system for the identification of Clostridium difficile.

PubMed Central

Cundy, K V; Willard, K E; Valeri, L J; Shanholtzer, C J; Singh, J; Peterson, L R

1991-01-01

Three gas chromatography (GC) methods were compared for the identification of 52 clinical Clostridium difficile isolates, as well as 17 non-C. difficile Clostridium isolates. Headspace GC and Microbial Identification System (MIS) GC, an automated system which utilizes a software library developed at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute to identify organisms based on the fatty acids extracted from the bacterial cell wall, were compared against the reference method of traditional GC. Headspace GC and MIS were of approximately equivalent accuracy in identifying the 52 C. difficile isolates (52 of 52 versus 51 of 52, respectively). However, 7 of 52 organisms required repeated sample preparation before an identification was achieved by the MIS method. Both systems effectively differentiated C. difficile from non-C. difficile clostridia, although the MIS method correctly identified only 9 of 17. We conclude that the headspace GC system is an accurate method of C. difficile identification, which requires only one-fifth of the sample preparation time of MIS GC and one-half of the sample preparation time of traditional GC. PMID:2007632

Generalized query-based active learning to identify differentially methylated regions in DNA.

PubMed

Haque, Md Muksitul; Holder, Lawrence B; Skinner, Michael K; Cook, Diane J

2013-01-01

Active learning is a supervised learning technique that reduces the number of examples required for building a successful classifier, because it can choose the data it learns from. This technique holds promise for many biological domains in which classified examples are expensive and time-consuming to obtain. Most traditional active learning methods ask very specific queries to the Oracle (e.g., a human expert) to label an unlabeled example. The example may consist of numerous features, many of which are irrelevant. Removing such features will create a shorter query with only relevant features, and it will be easier for the Oracle to answer. We propose a generalized query-based active learning (GQAL) approach that constructs generalized queries based on multiple instances. By constructing appropriately generalized queries, we can achieve higher accuracy compared to traditional active learning methods. We apply our active learning method to find differentially DNA methylated regions (DMRs). DMRs are DNA locations in the genome that are known to be involved in tissue differentiation, epigenetic regulation, and disease. We also apply our method on 13 other data sets and show that our method is better than another popular active learning technique.

Comparative Analysis of Automatic Exudate Detection between Machine Learning and Traditional Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sopharak, Akara; Uyyanonvara, Bunyarit; Barman, Sarah; Williamson, Thomas

To prevent blindness from diabetic retinopathy, periodic screening and early diagnosis are neccessary. Due to lack of expert ophthalmologists in rural area, automated early exudate (one of visible sign of diabetic retinopathy) detection could help to reduce the number of blindness in diabetic patients. Traditional automatic exudate detection methods are based on specific parameter configuration, while the machine learning approaches which seems more flexible may be computationally high cost. A comparative analysis of traditional and machine learning of exudates detection, namely, mathematical morphology, fuzzy c-means clustering, naive Bayesian classifier, Support Vector Machine and Nearest Neighbor classifier are presented. Detected exudates are validated with expert ophthalmologists' hand-drawn ground-truths. The sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy and time complexity of each method are also compared.

Equating Scores from Adaptive to Linear Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Linden, Wim J.

2006-01-01

Two local methods for observed-score equating are applied to the problem of equating an adaptive test to a linear test. In an empirical study, the methods were evaluated against a method based on the test characteristic function (TCF) of the linear test and traditional equipercentile equating applied to the ability estimates on the adaptive test…

Local Linear Observed-Score Equating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiberg, Marie; van der Linden, Wim J.

2011-01-01

Two methods of local linear observed-score equating for use with anchor-test and single-group designs are introduced. In an empirical study, the two methods were compared with the current traditional linear methods for observed-score equating. As a criterion, the bias in the equated scores relative to true equating based on Lord's (1980)…

Theatre as a Vehicle for Mobilizing Knowledge in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segedin, Lauren

2017-01-01

In the field of education, there has been an increased emphasis on evidence-based practice. Yet, traditional dissemination methods continue to be used. Using more creative and innovative strategies to disseminate research are needed. Theatre is one such method. Stemming from the research on knowledge mobilization and theatre as a method for social…

Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts in the New Space Paradigm: When is Better the Enemy of Good Enough?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Sampson, Michael J.

2017-01-01

As the space business rapidly evolves to accommodate a lower cost model of development and operation via concepts such as commercial space and small spacecraft (aka, CubeSats and swarms), traditional EEE parts screening and qualification methods are being scrutinized under a risk-reward trade space. In this presentation, two basic concepts will be discussed: (1) The movement from complete risk aversion EEE parts methods to managing and/or accepting risk via alternate approaches; and, (2) A discussion of emerging assurance methods to reduce overdesign as well emerging model based mission assurance (MBMA) concepts. center dot Example scenarios will be described as well as consideration for trading traditional versus alternate methods.

Specific Yields Estimated from Gravity Change during Pumping Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, K. H.; Hwang, C.; Chang, L. C.

2017-12-01

Specific yield (Sy) is the most important parameter to describe available groundwater capacity in an unconfined aquifer. When estimating Sy by a field pumping test, aquifer heterogeneity and well performers will cause a large uncertainty. In this study, we use a gravity-based method to estimate Sy. At the time of pumping test, amounts of mass (groundwater) are forced to be taken out. If drawdown corn is big and close enough to high precision gravimeter, the gravity change can be detected. The gravity-based method use gravity observations that are independent from traditional flow computation. Only the drawdown corn should be modeled with observed head and hydrogeology data. The gravity method can be used in most groundwater field tests, such as locally pumping/injection tests initiated by active man-made or annual variations due to natural sources. We apply our gravity method at few sites in Taiwan situated over different unconfined aquifer. Here pumping tests for Sy determinations were also carried out. We will discuss why the gravity method produces different results from traditional pumping test, field designs and limitations of the gravity method.

A Long-Term Performance Enhancement Method for FOG-Based Measurement While Drilling

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chunxi; Lin, Tie

2016-01-01

In the oil industry, the measurement-while-drilling (MWD) systems are usually used to provide the real-time position and orientation of the bottom hole assembly (BHA) during drilling. However, the present MWD systems based on magnetic surveying technology can barely ensure good performance because of magnetic interference phenomena. In this paper, a MWD surveying system based on a fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) was developed to replace the magnetic surveying system. To accommodate the size of the downhole drilling conditions, a new design method is adopted. In order to realize long-term and high position precision and orientation surveying, an integrated surveying algorithm is proposed based on inertial navigation system (INS) and drilling features. In addition, the FOG-based MWD error model is built and the drilling features are analyzed. The state-space system model and the observation updates model of the Kalman filter are built. To validate the availability and utility of the algorithm, the semi-physical simulation is conducted under laboratory conditions. The results comparison with the traditional algorithms show that the errors were suppressed and the measurement precision of the proposed algorithm is better than the traditional ones. In addition, the proposed method uses a lot less time than the zero velocity update (ZUPT) method. PMID:27483270

A Long-Term Performance Enhancement Method for FOG-Based Measurement While Drilling.

PubMed

Zhang, Chunxi; Lin, Tie

2016-07-28

In the oil industry, the measurement-while-drilling (MWD) systems are usually used to provide the real-time position and orientation of the bottom hole assembly (BHA) during drilling. However, the present MWD systems based on magnetic surveying technology can barely ensure good performance because of magnetic interference phenomena. In this paper, a MWD surveying system based on a fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) was developed to replace the magnetic surveying system. To accommodate the size of the downhole drilling conditions, a new design method is adopted. In order to realize long-term and high position precision and orientation surveying, an integrated surveying algorithm is proposed based on inertial navigation system (INS) and drilling features. In addition, the FOG-based MWD error model is built and the drilling features are analyzed. The state-space system model and the observation updates model of the Kalman filter are built. To validate the availability and utility of the algorithm, the semi-physical simulation is conducted under laboratory conditions. The results comparison with the traditional algorithms show that the errors were suppressed and the measurement precision of the proposed algorithm is better than the traditional ones. In addition, the proposed method uses a lot less time than the zero velocity update (ZUPT) method.

Modeling stochastic frontier based on vine copulas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constantino, Michel; Candido, Osvaldo; Tabak, Benjamin M.; da Costa, Reginaldo Brito

2017-11-01

This article models a production function and analyzes the technical efficiency of listed companies in the United States, Germany and England between 2005 and 2012 based on the vine copula approach. Traditional estimates of the stochastic frontier assume that data is multivariate normally distributed and there is no source of asymmetry. The proposed method based on vine copulas allow us to explore different types of asymmetry and multivariate distribution. Using data on product, capital and labor, we measure the relative efficiency of the vine production function and estimate the coefficient used in the stochastic frontier literature for comparison purposes. This production vine copula predicts the value added by firms with given capital and labor in a probabilistic way. It thereby stands in sharp contrast to the production function, where the output of firms is completely deterministic. The results show that, on average, S&P500 companies are more efficient than companies listed in England and Germany, which presented similar average efficiency coefficients. For comparative purposes, the traditional stochastic frontier was estimated and the results showed discrepancies between the coefficients obtained by the application of the two methods, traditional and frontier-vine, opening new paths of non-linear research.

Evaluation Measures and Methods: Some Intersections.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, John

The literature is reviewed for four combinations of evaluation measures and methods: traditional methods with traditional measures (T-Meth/T-Mea), nontraditional methods with traditional measures (N-Meth/T-Mea), traditional measures with nontraditional measures (T-Meth/N-Mea), and nontraditional methods with nontraditional measures (N-Meth/N-Mea).…

Comparing Three Methods for Teaching Newton's Third Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Trevor I.; Wittman, Michael C.

2007-01-01

Although guided-inquiry methods for teaching introductory physics have been individually shown to be more effective at improving conceptual understanding than traditional lecture-style instruction, researchers in physics education have not studied differences among reform-based curricula in much detail. Several researchers have developed…

ITPI: Initial Transcription Process-Based Identification Method of Bioactive Components in Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula

PubMed Central

Zhang, Baixia; Li, Yanwen; Zhang, Yanling; Li, Zhiyong; Bi, Tian; He, Yusu; Song, Kuokui; Wang, Yun

2016-01-01

Identification of bioactive components is an important area of research in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula. The reported identification methods only consider the interaction between the components and the target proteins, which is not sufficient to explain the influence of TCM on the gene expression. Here, we propose the Initial Transcription Process-based Identification (ITPI) method for the discovery of bioactive components that influence transcription factors (TFs). In this method, genome-wide chip detection technology was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The TFs of DEGs were derived from GeneCards. The components influencing the TFs were derived from STITCH. The bioactive components in the formula were identified by evaluating the molecular similarity between the components in formula and the components that influence the TF of DEGs. Using the formula of Tian-Zhu-San (TZS) as an example, the reliability and limitation of ITPI were examined and 16 bioactive components that influence TFs were identified. PMID:27034696

A novel method to fast fix the post OPC weak-points through Calibre eqDRC application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, YaDong; Lyu, Shizhi; Deng, ZeXi; Lu, Cong

2018-03-01

With shrinking nodes, as the layout patterns are becoming more and more complicated, OPC accuracy and performance is becoming increasingly challenging. While we are trying to perfect our OPC script to have a clean output without weak points, in a real urgent tape-out scenario, often there will be weak points and we cannot afford the cost to run the OPC again with an updated OPC recipe. Naturally the post OPC repair becomes the only cost-effective choice. The paper studies and compares a few methods for the post OPC weak-points repair: the manual OPC repair flow and traditional repair flow based on the DRC commands. Here, we introduce a novel method based on the eqDRC commands, which are widely used in the design house but have never been used in the post OPC flow. We discuss how to apply the eqDRC into the post OPC repairs and demonstrate its advantages over the traditional methods.

A Method for Predicting Protein Complexes from Dynamic Weighted Protein-Protein Interaction Networks.

PubMed

Liu, Lizhen; Sun, Xiaowu; Song, Wei; Du, Chao

2018-06-01

Predicting protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is of great significance to recognize the structure and function of cells. A protein may interact with different proteins under different time or conditions. Existing approaches only utilize static PPI network data that may lose much temporal biological information. First, this article proposed a novel method that combines gene expression data at different time points with traditional static PPI network to construct different dynamic subnetworks. Second, to further filter out the data noise, the semantic similarity based on gene ontology is regarded as the network weight together with the principal component analysis, which is introduced to deal with the weight computing by three traditional methods. Third, after building a dynamic PPI network, a predicting protein complexes algorithm based on "core-attachment" structural feature is applied to detect complexes from each dynamic subnetworks. Finally, it is revealed from the experimental results that our method proposed in this article performs well on detecting protein complexes from dynamic weighted PPI networks.

Collection and Extraction of Occupational Air Samples for Analysis of Fungal DNA.

PubMed

Lemons, Angela R; Lindsley, William G; Green, Brett J

2018-05-02

Traditional methods of identifying fungal exposures in occupational environments, such as culture and microscopy-based approaches, have several limitations that have resulted in the exclusion of many species. Advances in the field over the last two decades have led occupational health researchers to turn to molecular-based approaches for identifying fungal hazards. These methods have resulted in the detection of many species within indoor and occupational environments that have not been detected using traditional methods. This protocol details an approach for determining fungal diversity within air samples through genomic DNA extraction, amplification, sequencing, and taxonomic identification of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. ITS sequencing results in the detection of many fungal species that are either not detected or difficult to identify to species level using culture or microscopy. While these methods do not provide quantitative measures of fungal burden, they offer a new approach to hazard identification and can be used to determine overall species richness and diversity within an occupational environment.

A new direct growth method of graphene on Si-face of 6H-SiC by synergy of the inner and external carbon sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhiyuan; Xu, Shicai; Zhao, Lili; Zhang, Jing; Wang, Zhengping; Chen, Xiufang; Cheng, Xiufeng; Yu, Fapeng; Zhao, Xian

2018-04-01

Graphene is a promising two-dimensional material that has possible application in various disciplines, due to its super properties, including high carrier mobility, chemical stability, and optical transparency etc. In this paper, we report an inner and external carbon synergy (IECS) method to grow graphene on Si-face of 6H-SiC. This method combined the advantages of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and traditional epitaxial growth (EG) based on silicon carbide, which providing a feasible approach for growing graphene on the SiC substrates. The graphene was synthesized within just 3 min, which was more than one order of magnitude faster than the graphene grown on 6H-SiC substrates by the traditional EG method. The growth temperature was ∼200 °C lower than the EG process. The directly grown graphene maintained the compatibility with the semiconductor technique, which is benefit for use in graphene-based microelectronic devices.

Fluorescent Nanomaterials for the Development of Latent Fingerprints in Forensic Sciences

PubMed Central

Li, Ming; Yu, Aoyang; Zhu, Ye

2018-01-01

This review presents an overview on the application of latent fingerprint development techniques in forensic sciences. At present, traditional developing methods such as powder dusting, cyanoacrylate fuming, chemical method, and small particle reagent method, have all been gradually compromised given their emerging drawbacks such as low contrast, sensitivity, and selectivity, as well as high toxicity. Recently, much attention has been paid to the use of fluorescent nanomaterials including quantum dots (QDs) and rare earth upconversion fluorescent nanomaterials (UCNMs) due to their unique optical and chemical properties. Thus, this review lays emphasis on latent fingerprint development based on QDs and UCNMs. Compared to latent fingerprint development by traditional methods, the new methods using fluorescent nanomaterials can achieve high contrast, sensitivity, and selectivity while showing reduced toxicity. Overall, this review provides a systematic overview on such methods. PMID:29657570

Effects of problem-based learning vs. traditional lecture on Korean nursing students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning.

PubMed

Choi, Eunyoung; Lindquist, Ruth; Song, Yeoungsuk

2014-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method widely used in nursing education to develop students' critical thinking skills to solve practice problems independently. Although PBL has been used in nursing education in Korea for nearly a decade, few studies have examined its effects on Korean nursing students' learning outcomes, and few Korean studies have examined relationships among these outcomes. The objectives of this study are to examine outcome abilities including critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning of nursing students receiving PBL vs. traditional lecture, and to examine correlations among these outcome abilities. A quasi-experimental non-equivalent group pretest-posttest design was used. First-year nursing students (N=90) were recruited from two different junior colleges in two cities (GY and GJ) in South Korea. In two selected educational programs, one used traditional lecture methods, while the other used PBL methods. Standardized self-administered questionnaires of critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning abilities were administered before and at 16weeks (after instruction). Learning outcomes were significantly positively correlated, however outcomes were not statistically different between groups. Students in the PBL group improved across all abilities measured, while student scores in the traditional lecture group decreased in problem-solving and self-directed learning. Critical thinking was positively associated with problem-solving and self-directed learning (r=.71, and r=.50, respectively, p<.001); problem-solving was positively associated with self-directed learning (r=.75, p<.001). Learning outcomes of PBL were not significantly different from traditional lecture in this small underpowered study, despite positive trends. Larger studies are recommended to study effects of PBL on critical student abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Grades evaluation of Phellodendri chinensis cortex pieces based on quality constant].

PubMed

Deng, Zhe; Jiao, Meng-Jiao; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Qing; Cui, Wen-Jin; Shen, Li; Cheng, Jin-Tang; Liu, An

2017-09-01

Quality constant is a comprehensive grades evaluation method for traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, which is better but based on traditional way. In this paper, a new grading mode for Phellodendri chinensis pieces was established based on quality constant evaluation method. The results showed that the range of relative quality constant for 15 batches of different samples was from 0.41 to 0.96. As customary, if these samples were divided into three grades: the relative quality constant shall be ≥0.77 for first grade; <0.77 but ≥0.48 for the second grade; and ＜0.48 for the third grade. This research indicated that the quality constant mode can be used to effectively grade the P. chinensis pieces in a scientific, reasonable, objective and specific way. Simultaneously, it provided a beneficial reference for grading cortex herbal pieces or medicines. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

a Cognitive Approach to Teaching a Graduate-Level Geobia Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchetti, Raechel A.

2016-06-01

Remote sensing image analysis training occurs both in the classroom and the research lab. Education in the classroom for traditional pixel-based image analysis has been standardized across college curriculums. However, with the increasing interest in Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA), there is a need to develop classroom instruction for this method of image analysis. While traditional remote sensing courses emphasize the expansion of skills and knowledge related to the use of computer-based analysis, GEOBIA courses should examine the cognitive factors underlying visual interpretation. This current paper provides an initial analysis of the development, implementation, and outcomes of a GEOBIA course that considers not only the computational methods of GEOBIA, but also the cognitive factors of expertise, that such software attempts to replicate. Finally, a reflection on the first instantiation of this course is presented, in addition to plans for development of an open-source repository for course materials.

Low-Cost Ultra-Wide Genotyping Using Roche/454 Pyrosequencing for Surveillance of HIV Drug Resistance

PubMed Central

Dudley, Dawn M.; Chin, Emily N.; Bimber, Benjamin N.; Sanabani, Sabri S.; Tarosso, Leandro F.; Costa, Priscilla R.; Sauer, Mariana M.; Kallas, Esper G.; O.’Connor, David H.

2012-01-01

Background Great efforts have been made to increase accessibility of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low and middle-income countries. The threat of wide-scale emergence of drug resistance could severely hamper ART scale-up efforts. Population-based surveillance of transmitted HIV drug resistance ensures the use of appropriate first-line regimens to maximize efficacy of ART programs where drug options are limited. However, traditional HIV genotyping is extremely expensive, providing a cost barrier to wide-scale and frequent HIV drug resistance surveillance. Methods/Results We have developed a low-cost laboratory-scale next-generation sequencing-based genotyping method to monitor drug resistance. We designed primers specifically to amplify protease and reverse transcriptase from Brazilian HIV subtypes and developed a multiplexing scheme using multiplex identifier tags to minimize cost while providing more robust data than traditional genotyping techniques. Using this approach, we characterized drug resistance from plasma in 81 HIV infected individuals collected in São Paulo, Brazil. We describe the complexities of analyzing next-generation sequencing data and present a simplified open-source workflow to analyze drug resistance data. From this data, we identified drug resistance mutations in 20% of treatment naïve individuals in our cohort, which is similar to frequencies identified using traditional genotyping in Brazilian patient samples. Conclusion The developed ultra-wide sequencing approach described here allows multiplexing of at least 48 patient samples per sequencing run, 4 times more than the current genotyping method. This method is also 4-fold more sensitive (5% minimal detection frequency vs. 20%) at a cost 3–5× less than the traditional Sanger-based genotyping method. Lastly, by using a benchtop next-generation sequencer (Roche/454 GS Junior), this approach can be more easily implemented in low-resource settings. This data provides proof-of-concept that next-generation HIV drug resistance genotyping is a feasible and low-cost alternative to current genotyping methods and may be particularly beneficial for in-country surveillance of transmitted drug resistance. PMID:22574170

Search of exploration opportunity for near earth objects based on analytical gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Y.; Cui, P. Y.; Luan, E. J.

2008-01-01

The problem of searching for exploration opportunity of near Earth objects is investigated. For rendezvous missions, the analytical gradients of performance index with respect to free parameters are derived by combining the calculus of variation with the theory of state-transition matrix. Then, some initial guesses are generated random in the search space, and the performance index is optimized with the guidance of analytical gradients from these initial guesses. This method not only keeps the property of global search in traditional method, but also avoids the blindness in the traditional exploration opportunity search; hence, the computing speed could be increased greatly. Furthermore, by using this method, the search precision could be controlled effectively.

Work-based learning and the role of managers.

PubMed

Moore, Lesley

2010-09-01

Healthcare policy makers have advocated the introduction of work-based learning (WBL) methods to help improve care. Some healthcare professionals and academics do not support WBL, however, possibly because they experienced, and value, traditional learning methods. This article reports on one of the findings of a longitudinal evaluation of WBL among registered nurses and highlights the pivotal role that managers play in supporting WBL.

Development of a Moodle Course for Schoolchildren's Table Tennis Learning Based on Competence Motivation Theory: Its Effectiveness in Comparison to Traditional Training Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zou, Junhua; Liu, Qingtang; Yang, Zongkai

2012-01-01

Based on Competence Motivation Theory (CMT), a Moodle course for schoolchildren's table tennis learning was developed (The URL is http://www.bssepp.com, and this course allows guest access). The effects of the course on students' knowledge, perceived competence and interest were evaluated through quantitative methods. The sample of the study…

Development and Evaluation of an E-Learning Course for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Based on the Advanced Adapted Pedagogical Index Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debevc, Matjaž; Stjepanovic, Zoran; Holzinger, Andreas

2014-01-01

Web-based and adapted e-learning materials provide alternative methods of learning to those used in a traditional classroom. Within the study described in this article, deaf and hard of hearing people used an adaptive e-learning environment to improve their computer literacy. This environment included streaming video with sign language interpreter…

Small Private Online Research: A Proposal for A Numerical Methods Course Based on Technology Use and Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cepeda, Francisco Javier Delgado

2017-01-01

This work presents a proposed model in blended learning for a numerical methods course evolved from traditional teaching into a research lab in scientific visualization. The blended learning approach sets a differentiated and flexible scheme based on a mobile setup and face to face sessions centered on a net of research challenges. Model is…

Facilitating conceptual change in students’ understanding of concepts related to pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozkan, Gulbin; Sezgin Selcuk, Gamze

2016-09-01

The aim of this research was to explore the effects of three different types of methods of learning physics (conceptual change-based, real life context-based and traditional learning) on high school physics students in the 11th grade in terms of conceptual change they achieved in learning about the various topics (pressure exerted by solids, pressure in stagnant liquids and gases, buoyancy, Bernoulli’s principle). In this study, a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental method with nonequivalent control group, involving a 3 (group) × 2 (time) factorial design was used. Study group 1 were given the conceptual change texts on the mentioned subjects, study group 2 were offered a teaching approach based on real life context-based learning, whereas the control group was taught in the traditional style. Data for the research were collected with the ‘pressure conceptual test’. As a result of research, the number of misconceptions had been reduced or shifted altogether in all three groups. After the instruction, it was seen that none of the students formed new misconceptions. It was found that the most positive change could be seen in the conceptual change text group followed by context-based and lastly traditional. The fact that none of the students formed new misconceptions is important, particularly since research such as the following shows that conceptual change is tenuous and inconsistent, taking time to shift in a sustained manner.

A novel model for DNA sequence similarity analysis based on graph theory.

PubMed

Qi, Xingqin; Wu, Qin; Zhang, Yusen; Fuller, Eddie; Zhang, Cun-Quan

2011-01-01

Determination of sequence similarity is one of the major steps in computational phylogenetic studies. As we know, during evolutionary history, not only DNA mutations for individual nucleotide but also subsequent rearrangements occurred. It has been one of major tasks of computational biologists to develop novel mathematical descriptors for similarity analysis such that various mutation phenomena information would be involved simultaneously. In this paper, different from traditional methods (eg, nucleotide frequency, geometric representations) as bases for construction of mathematical descriptors, we construct novel mathematical descriptors based on graph theory. In particular, for each DNA sequence, we will set up a weighted directed graph. The adjacency matrix of the directed graph will be used to induce a representative vector for DNA sequence. This new approach measures similarity based on both ordering and frequency of nucleotides so that much more information is involved. As an application, the method is tested on a set of 0.9-kb mtDNA sequences of twelve different primate species. All output phylogenetic trees with various distance estimations have the same topology, and are generally consistent with the reported results from early studies, which proves the new method's efficiency; we also test the new method on a simulated data set, which shows our new method performs better than traditional global alignment method when subsequent rearrangements happen frequently during evolutionary history.

Improved Sensor Fault Detection, Isolation, and Mitigation Using Multiple Observers Approach

PubMed Central

Wang, Zheng; Anand, D. M.; Moyne, J.; Tilbury, D. M.

2017-01-01

Traditional Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) methods analyze a residual signal to detect and isolate sensor faults. The residual signal is the difference between the sensor measurements and the estimated outputs of the system based on an observer. The traditional residual-based FDI methods, however, have some limitations. First, they require that the observer has reached its steady state. In addition, residual-based methods may not detect some sensor faults, such as faults on critical sensors that result in an unobservable system. Furthermore, the system may be in jeopardy if actions required for mitigating the impact of the faulty sensors are not taken before the faulty sensors are identified. The contribution of this paper is to propose three new methods to address these limitations. Faults that occur during the observers' transient state can be detected by analyzing the convergence rate of the estimation error. Open-loop observers, which do not rely on sensor information, are used to detect faults on critical sensors. By switching among different observers, we can potentially mitigate the impact of the faulty sensor during the FDI process. These three methods are systematically integrated with a previously developed residual-based method to provide an improved FDI and mitigation capability framework. The overall approach is validated mathematically, and the effectiveness of the overall approach is demonstrated through simulation on a 5-state suspension system. PMID:28924303

Infrared super-resolution imaging based on compressed sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sui, Xiubao; Chen, Qian; Gu, Guohua; Shen, Xuewei

2014-03-01

The theoretical basis of traditional infrared super-resolution imaging method is Nyquist sampling theorem. The reconstruction premise is that the relative positions of the infrared objects in the low-resolution image sequences should keep fixed and the image restoration means is the inverse operation of ill-posed issues without fixed rules. The super-resolution reconstruction ability of the infrared image, algorithm's application area and stability of reconstruction algorithm are limited. To this end, we proposed super-resolution reconstruction method based on compressed sensing in this paper. In the method, we selected Toeplitz matrix as the measurement matrix and realized it by phase mask method. We researched complementary matching pursuit algorithm and selected it as the recovery algorithm. In order to adapt to the moving target and decrease imaging time, we take use of area infrared focal plane array to acquire multiple measurements at one time. Theoretically, the method breaks though Nyquist sampling theorem and can greatly improve the spatial resolution of the infrared image. The last image contrast and experiment data indicate that our method is effective in improving resolution of infrared images and is superior than some traditional super-resolution imaging method. The compressed sensing super-resolution method is expected to have a wide application prospect.

Infrared image segmentation method based on spatial coherence histogram and maximum entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Songtao; Shen, Tongsheng; Dai, Yao

2014-11-01

In order to segment the target well and suppress background noises effectively, an infrared image segmentation method based on spatial coherence histogram and maximum entropy is proposed. First, spatial coherence histogram is presented by weighting the importance of the different position of these pixels with the same gray-level, which is obtained by computing their local density. Then, after enhancing the image by spatial coherence histogram, 1D maximum entropy method is used to segment the image. The novel method can not only get better segmentation results, but also have a faster computation time than traditional 2D histogram-based segmentation methods.

An in vitro protocol for direct isolation of potential probiotic lactobacilli from raw bovine milk and traditional fermented milks.

PubMed

Baruzzi, Federico; Poltronieri, Palmiro; Quero, Grazia Marina; Morea, Maria; Morelli, Lorenzo

2011-04-01

A method for isolating potential probiotic lactobacilli directly from traditional milk-based foods was developed. The novel digestion/enrichment protocol was set up taking care to minimize the protective effect of milk proteins and fats and was validated testing three commercial fermented milks containing well-known probiotic Lactobacillus strains. Only probiotic bacteria claimed in the label were isolated from two out of three commercial fermented milks. The application of the new protocol to 15 raw milk samples and 6 traditional fermented milk samples made it feasible to isolate 11 potential probiotic Lactobacillus strains belonging to Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus vaginalis species. Even though further analyses need to ascertain functional properties of these lactobacilli, the novel protocol set-up makes it feasible to isolate quickly potential probiotic strains from traditional milk-based foods reducing the amount of time required by traditional procedures that, in addition, do not allow to isolate microorganisms occurring as sub-dominant populations.

An improved image non-blind image deblurring method based on FoEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qidan; Sun, Lei

2013-03-01

Traditional non-blind image deblurring algorithms always use maximum a posterior(MAP). MAP estimates involving natural image priors can reduce the ripples effectively in contrast to maximum likelihood(ML). However, they have been found lacking in terms of restoration performance. Based on this issue, we utilize MAP with KL penalty to replace traditional MAP. We develop an image reconstruction algorithm that minimizes the KL divergence between the reference distribution and the prior distribution. The approximate KL penalty can restrain over-smooth caused by MAP. We use three groups of images and Harris corner detection to prove our method. The experimental results show that our algorithm of non-blind image restoration can effectively reduce the ringing effect and exhibit the state-of-the-art deblurring results.

More on approximations of Poisson probabilities

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

Kao, C

1980-05-01

Calculation of Poisson probabilities frequently involves calculating high factorials, which becomes tedious and time-consuming with regular calculators. The usual way to overcome this difficulty has been to find approximations by making use of the table of the standard normal distribution. A new transformation proposed by Kao in 1978 appears to perform better for this purpose than traditional transformations. In the present paper several approximation methods are stated and compared numerically, including an approximation method that utilizes a modified version of Kao's transformation. An approximation based on a power transformation was found to outperform those based on the square-root type transformationsmore » as proposed in literature. The traditional Wilson-Hilferty approximation and Makabe-Morimura approximation are extremely poor compared with this approximation. 4 tables. (RWR)« less

Visualization techniques for tongue analysis in traditional Chinese medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, Binh L.; Cai, Yang

2004-05-01

Visual inspection of the tongue has been an important diagnostic method of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Clinic data have shown significant connections between various viscera cancers and abnormalities in the tongue and the tongue coating. Visual inspection of the tongue is simple and inexpensive, but the current practice in TCM is mainly experience-based and the quality of the visual inspection varies between individuals. The computerized inspection method provides quantitative models to evaluate color, texture and surface features on the tongue. In this paper, we investigate visualization techniques and processes to allow interactive data analysis with the aim to merge computerized measurements with human expert's diagnostic variables based on five-scale diagnostic conditions: Healthy (H), History Cancers (HC), History of Polyps (HP), Polyps (P) and Colon Cancer (C).

The Application of Continuous Wavelet Transform Based Foreground Subtraction Method in 21 cm Sky Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Junhua; Xu, Haiguang; Wang, Jingying; An, Tao; Chen, Wen

2013-08-01

We propose a continuous wavelet transform based non-parametric foreground subtraction method for the detection of redshifted 21 cm signal from the epoch of reionization. This method works based on the assumption that the foreground spectra are smooth in frequency domain, while the 21 cm signal spectrum is full of saw-tooth-like structures, thus their characteristic scales are significantly different. We can distinguish them in the wavelet coefficient space easily and perform the foreground subtraction. Compared with the traditional spectral fitting based method, our method is more tolerant to complex foregrounds. Furthermore, we also find that when the instrument has uncorrected response error, our method can also work significantly better than the spectral fitting based method. Our method can obtain similar results with the Wp smoothing method, which is also a non-parametric method, but our method consumes much less computing time.

Impact of Problem-Based Learning to Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirca, Necati

2011-01-01

The Ministry of National Education of Turkey has decided to give up traditional methods to be used in the classes and to develop a new secondary school curriculum based on Context-Based Learning (CBL) in 2007. This paper discusses integrating Problem-Based Learning (PBL) tasks into the new physics curriculum in Turkey. A brief overview of a…

State-of-the-Art Model Driven Game Development: A Survey of Technological Solutions for Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Stephen; Hanneghan, Martin

2011-01-01

Game-based learning harnesses the advantages of computer games technology to create a fun, motivating and interactive virtual learning environment that promotes problem-based experiential learning. Such an approach is advocated by many commentators to provide an enhanced learning experience than those based on traditional didactic methods.…

Evaluation of a modified team based learning method for teaching general embryology to 1st year medical graduate students.

PubMed

Shankar, Nachiket; Roopa, R

2009-01-01

To encourage student participation in the learning process, the authors introduced a modified team based learning (TBL) method to cover two general embryology topics in the 1st year MBBS curriculum. The aim of this study was to evaluate students' perception of this method vis-à-vis the lecture method of teaching. A questionnaire was used to survey and evaluate the perceptions of 1st year MBBS students at the Department of Anatomy at our medical college in India. A total of eight classes were allotted to cover General Embryology. Six of these classes were conducted using the traditional didactic lecture method. Two topics were covered using the modified TBL method. Five teams of students were constituted, and each team was given handouts which contained basic factual material, four clinical case histories, and previous university exam questions from the topic. On the day of the session, these were discussed in the presence of the faculty facilitator. Students evaluated these sessions through a questionnaire. A majority of students felt that the modified TBL sessions were better at fulfilling learning objectives (46 students, 85%), enabled better understanding (43 students, 79%), were more interesting (43 students, 81%), ensured greater student participation (51 students, 94%) and involved greater effort on the part of students (53 students, 98%), as compared to traditional teaching methods. Most of the students (43 students, 79%) opined that more such sessions should be organized in the future. Responses from students show that the modified TBL classes could be utilized judiciously along with the traditional didactic lectures for teaching embryology.

Traditional uses of herbal vapour therapy in Manipur, North East India: an ethnobotanical survey.

PubMed

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

2013-05-02

Vapour-based medicines are an aspect of traditional medicine in North East India. However, no collective studies on this therapy in the region have been attempted. With the changing perception of traditional knowledge, documenting these herbal preparations and the subsequent development of baseline data for applications in further ethnopharmacological research are needed. To survey and document the plant species associated with vapour therapy in Manipur, North East India, and to evaluate these traditional practices. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information from the Meitei community in the Imphal valley and the Jiribam area in Manipur. Traditional disease concepts were studied along with their corresponding medical terminologies. Plant samples collected from fields, healers' private collections and home gardens were identified. Evaluation of the ethnobotanical data was performed with a modified fidelity level index. In the study, 41 traditional disease complexes were treated by 13 different routes of administration using 48 mono-ingredient and 17 multi-ingredient compositions. Preparation methods included boiling in water (28%), burning the materials (48%), crushing the materials to release the aroma (21%) and slight heating of the materials (3%). Some of the mono-ingredient recipes reported in the study were observed to have similar uses in other parts of the world, whereas polyherbal remedies were found to be unique without any similar report. Many compositions mentioned in the paper are still used by the Meitei community. Traditional healers follow their own criteria for selecting medicinal plants. Plants recorded in this ethnobotanical study can suggest methods for selecting and identifying potentially effective plants for future drug candidates. Scientific characterisation of the herbal remedies can contribute to the endorsement of traditional vapour-based therapies in the modern health care systems. Findings from these "new usage" reports of plants and unique combinations of polyherbal compositions indicate the importance of such documentation efforts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Use of Object-Oriented Analysis Methods in Surety Analysis

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

Craft, Richard L.; Funkhouser, Donald R.; Wyss, Gregory D.

1999-05-01

Object-oriented analysis methods have been used in the computer science arena for a number of years to model the behavior of computer-based systems. This report documents how such methods can be applied to surety analysis. By embodying the causality and behavior of a system in a common object-oriented analysis model, surety analysts can make the assumptions that underlie their models explicit and thus better communicate with system designers. Furthermore, given minor extensions to traditional object-oriented analysis methods, it is possible to automatically derive a wide variety of traditional risk and reliability analysis methods from a single common object model. Automaticmore » model extraction helps ensure consistency among analyses and enables the surety analyst to examine a system from a wider variety of viewpoints in a shorter period of time. Thus it provides a deeper understanding of a system's behaviors and surety requirements. This report documents the underlying philosophy behind the common object model representation, the methods by which such common object models can be constructed, and the rules required to interrogate the common object model for derivation of traditional risk and reliability analysis models. The methodology is demonstrated in an extensive example problem.« less

Determination of the Kwall correction factor for a cylindrical ionization chamber to measure air-kerma in 60Co gamma beams.

PubMed

Laitano, R F; Toni, M P; Pimpinella, M; Bovi, M

2002-07-21

The factor Kwall to correct for photon attenuation and scatter in the wall of ionization chambers for 60Co air-kerma measurement has been traditionally determined by a procedure based on a linear extrapolation of the chamber current to zero wall thickness. Monte Carlo calculations by Rogers and Bielajew (1990 Phys. Med. Biol. 35 1065-78) provided evidence, mostly for chambers of cylindrical and spherical geometry, of appreciable deviations between the calculated values of Kwall and those obtained by the traditional extrapolation procedure. In the present work an experimental method other than the traditional extrapolation procedure was used to determine the Kwall factor. In this method the dependence of the ionization current in a cylindrical chamber was analysed as a function of an effective wall thickness in place of the physical (radial) wall thickness traditionally considered in this type of measurement. To this end the chamber wall was ideally divided into distinct regions and for each region an effective thickness to which the chamber current correlates was determined. A Monte Carlo calculation of attenuation and scatter effects in the different regions of the chamber wall was also made to compare calculation to measurement results. The Kwall values experimentally determined in this work agree within 0.2% with the Monte Carlo calculation. The agreement between these independent methods and the appreciable deviation (up to about 1%) between the results of both these methods and those obtained by the traditional extrapolation procedure support the conclusion that the two independent methods providing comparable results are correct and the traditional extrapolation procedure is likely to be wrong. The numerical results of the present study refer to a cylindrical cavity chamber like that adopted as the Italian national air-kerma standard at INMRI-ENEA (Italy). The method used in this study applies, however, to any other chamber of the same type.

Validation of Screening Assays for Developmental Toxicity: An Exposure-Based Approach

EPA Science Inventory

There continue to be widespread efforts to develop assay methods for developmental toxicity that are shorter than the traditional Segment 2 study and use fewer or no animals. As with any alternative test method, novel developmental toxicity assays must be validated by evaluating ...

Broadband astigmatism-corrected spectrometer design using a toroidal lens and a special filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xianying; Chen, Siying; Zhang, Yinchao; Chen, He; Guo, Pan; Mu, Taotao; Yang, Jian; Bu, Zhichao

2015-01-01

In the paper, a method to obtain a broadband, astigmatism-corrected spectrometer based on the existing Czerny-Turner spectrometer is proposed. The theories of astigmatism correction using a toroidal lens and a special filter are described in detail. Performance comparisons of the modified spectrometer and the traditional spectrometer are also presented. Results show that with the new design the RMS spot radius in sagittal view is one-eightieth of that in the traditional spectrometer over a broadband spectral range from 300 to 700 nm, without changing or moving any optical elements in the traditional spectrometer.

Training Counselors to Work Competently with Individuals and Families with Health and Mental Health Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sperry, Len

2012-01-01

A paradigm shift is underway in the training of professional counselors. It involves a shift in orientation from an input-based or traditional model of training to an outcomes-based or competency-based model of training. This article provides a detailed description of both input-based and outcomes-based training and instructional methods. It…

MISESS: Web-Based Examination, Evaluation, and Guidance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanrikulu, Zuhal

2006-01-01

Many universities are reevaluating their traditional educational methods and providing pedagogical material through the Internet. Some Web-based systems offer a constructionist learning environment, for example, where students can learn by designing their own objects. Providing effective, convenient technology to support learning is important, and…

A Statistical Analysis of Activity-Based and Traditional Introductory Algebra Physics Using the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trecia Markes, Cecelia

2006-03-01

With a three-year FIPSE grant, it has been possible at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) to develop and implement activity- based introductory physics at the algebra level. It has generally been recognized that students enter physics classes with misconceptions about motion and force. Many of these misconceptions persist after instruction. Pretest and posttest responses on the ``Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation'' (FMCE) are analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the activity- based method of instruction relative to the traditional (lecture/lab) method of instruction. Data were analyzed to determine the following: student understanding at the beginning of the course, student understanding at the end of the course, how student understanding is related to the type of class taken, student understanding based on gender and type of class. Some of the tests used are the t-test, the chi-squared test, and analysis of variance. The results of these tests will be presented, and their implications will be discussed.

An Improved Spectral Analysis Method for Fatigue Damage Assessment of Details in Liquid Cargo Tanks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Peng-yuan; Huang, Xiao-ping

2018-03-01

Errors will be caused in calculating the fatigue damages of details in liquid cargo tanks by using the traditional spectral analysis method which is based on linear system, for the nonlinear relationship between the dynamic stress and the ship acceleration. An improved spectral analysis method for the assessment of the fatigue damage in detail of a liquid cargo tank is proposed in this paper. Based on assumptions that the wave process can be simulated by summing the sinusoidal waves in different frequencies and the stress process can be simulated by summing the stress processes induced by these sinusoidal waves, the stress power spectral density (PSD) is calculated by expanding the stress processes induced by the sinusoidal waves into Fourier series and adding the amplitudes of each harmonic component with the same frequency. This analysis method can take the nonlinear relationship into consideration and the fatigue damage is then calculated based on the PSD of stress. Take an independent tank in an LNG carrier for example, the accuracy of the improved spectral analysis method is proved much better than that of the traditional spectral analysis method by comparing the calculated damage results with the results calculated by the time domain method. The proposed spectral analysis method is more accurate in calculating the fatigue damages in detail of ship liquid cargo tanks.

Messages Are Everywhere: Reading Perceptions, Habits, and Preferences of Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadelson, Louis S.; Villagómez, Amanda; Konkol, Danielle; Haskell, Chris; McCulley, Meleah; Campbell, Denise

2013-01-01

As society continues to evolve, so do the methods that are used for text-based communication. Electronic books, mobile phone text messaging, and an array of internet-based texts are now combined with traditional print forms of text, broadly expanding text-based communication. However, student perceptions of reading may still be limited to…

Curriculum Development in Studio-Style University Physics and Implications for Dissemination of Research-Based Reforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foote, Kathleen T.

2016-01-01

Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that students learn best in engaging, interactive, collaborative, and inquiry-based environments. However, most college science classes are still taught with traditional methods suggesting the existing selection of research-based instructional materials has not widely transformed…

Using Trial-Based Functional Analysis to Design Effective Interventions for Students Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Wallace; Hawkins, Renee O.; Collins, Tai

2016-01-01

Functional behavior assessments and function-based interventions are effective methods for addressing the challenging behaviors of children; however, traditional functional analysis has limitations that impact usability in applied settings. Trial-based functional analysis addresses concerns relating to the length of time, level of expertise…

A Case-Based Curriculum for Introductory Geology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsmith, David W.

2011-01-01

For the past 5 years I have been teaching my introductory geology class using a case-based method that promotes student engagement and inquiry. This article presents an explanation of how a case-based curriculum differs from a more traditional approach to the material. It also presents a statistical analysis of several years' worth of student…

Student Perceptions of Group-Based Competitive Exercises in the Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannon, Kevin C.; Mody, Tina; Breen, Maureen P.

2008-01-01

A non-traditional teaching method that can operate as a vehicle for engaging students is group-based competitive exercises. These exercises combine cooperative learning with a competitive environment and may be employed to promote subject- and problem-based learning. Survey responses of college-level organic chemistry and biochemistry students…

How Teaching Science Using Project-Based Learning Strategies Affects the Classroom Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hugerat, Muhamad

2016-01-01

This study involved 458 ninth-grade students from two different Arab middle schools in Israel. Half of the students learned science using project-based learning strategies and the other half learned using traditional methods (non-project-based). The classes were heterogeneous regarding their achievements in the sciences. The adapted questionnaire…

Team-Based Learning: The Importance of Attendance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakobsen, Krisztina V.; McIlreavy, Megan; Marrs, Sarah

2014-01-01

Using a quasi-experimental design, the authors examined student performance (i.e., exam scores) in a traditional, lecture-based course (n = 43) and a team-based learning (TBL) course (n = 47). Students from James Madison University, USA--who were unaware that the two sections of the course were taught using different methods--self-selected into…

APPLICATION OF MOWRER'S AUTISTIC THEORY TO THE SPEECH HABILITATION OF MENTALLY RETARDED PUPILS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RIGRODSKY, S.; AND OTHERS

A SPEECH THERAPY METHOD FOR MENTAL RETARDATES WAS DEVELOPED AND EVALUATED. THE METHOD WAS BASED UPON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FAVORABLE ASSOCIATIONS IN THE CHILD BETWEEN THE WORDS AND SOUNDS OF LANGUAGE AND THE PRODUCER OF THE LANGUAGE, USING STIMULUS-REWARD AND SITUATION-REWARD PRINCIPLES. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF SPEECH THERAPY WERE ADMINISTERED,…

Measuring use value from recreation participation: comment

Treesearch

Donald B.K. English; J. Michael Bowker

1994-01-01

In a recent article in this Journal, Whitehead (1 992) presents a method for estimating annual economic surplus for recreation trips to a natural resource site based on whether an individual participates in recreation at that site. Whitehead proposes his method as an alternative to the traditional two-stage travel cost approach. We contend that Whitehead's method...

Meta-Analysis of Rare Binary Adverse Event Data

PubMed Central

Bhaumik, Dulal K.; Amatya, Anup; Normand, Sharon-Lise; Greenhouse, Joel; Kaizar, Eloise; Neelon, Brian; Gibbons, Robert D.

2013-01-01

We examine the use of fixed-effects and random-effects moment-based meta-analytic methods for analysis of binary adverse event data. Special attention is paid to the case of rare adverse events which are commonly encountered in routine practice. We study estimation of model parameters and between-study heterogeneity. In addition, we examine traditional approaches to hypothesis testing of the average treatment effect and detection of the heterogeneity of treatment effect across studies. We derive three new methods, simple (unweighted) average treatment effect estimator, a new heterogeneity estimator, and a parametric bootstrapping test for heterogeneity. We then study the statistical properties of both the traditional and new methods via simulation. We find that in general, moment-based estimators of combined treatment effects and heterogeneity are biased and the degree of bias is proportional to the rarity of the event under study. The new methods eliminate much, but not all of this bias. The various estimators and hypothesis testing methods are then compared and contrasted using an example dataset on treatment of stable coronary artery disease. PMID:23734068

A Novel Approach to Rotorcraft Damage Tolerance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forth, Scott C.; Everett, Richard A.; Newman, John A.

2002-01-01

Damage-tolerance methodology is positioned to replace safe-life methodologies for designing rotorcraft structures. The argument for implementing a damage-tolerance method comes from the fundamental fact that rotorcraft structures typically fail by fatigue cracking. Therefore, if technology permits prediction of fatigue-crack growth in structures, a damage-tolerance method should deliver the most accurate prediction of component life. Implementing damage-tolerance (DT) into high-cycle-fatigue (HCF) components will require a shift from traditional DT methods that rely on detecting an initial flaw with nondestructive inspection (NDI) methods. The rapid accumulation of cycles in a HCF component will result in a design based on a traditional DT method that is either impractical because of frequent inspections, or because the design will be too heavy to operate efficiently. Furthermore, once a HCF component develops a detectable propagating crack, the remaining fatigue life is short, sometimes less than one flight hour, which does not leave sufficient time for inspection. Therefore, designing a HCF component will require basing the life analysis on an initial flaw that is undetectable with current NDI technology.

The Typicality Ranking Task: A New Method to Derive Typicality Judgments from Children.

PubMed

Djalal, Farah Mutiasari; Ameel, Eef; Storms, Gert

2016-01-01

An alternative method for deriving typicality judgments, applicable in young children that are not familiar with numerical values yet, is introduced, allowing researchers to study gradedness at younger ages in concept development. Contrary to the long tradition of using rating-based procedures to derive typicality judgments, we propose a method that is based on typicality ranking rather than rating, in which items are gradually sorted according to their typicality, and that requires a minimum of linguistic knowledge. The validity of the method is investigated and the method is compared to the traditional typicality rating measurement in a large empirical study with eight different semantic concepts. The results show that the typicality ranking task can be used to assess children's category knowledge and to evaluate how this knowledge evolves over time. Contrary to earlier held assumptions in studies on typicality in young children, our results also show that preference is not so much a confounding variable to be avoided, but that both variables are often significantly correlated in older children and even in adults.

The Typicality Ranking Task: A New Method to Derive Typicality Judgments from Children

PubMed Central

Ameel, Eef; Storms, Gert

2016-01-01

An alternative method for deriving typicality judgments, applicable in young children that are not familiar with numerical values yet, is introduced, allowing researchers to study gradedness at younger ages in concept development. Contrary to the long tradition of using rating-based procedures to derive typicality judgments, we propose a method that is based on typicality ranking rather than rating, in which items are gradually sorted according to their typicality, and that requires a minimum of linguistic knowledge. The validity of the method is investigated and the method is compared to the traditional typicality rating measurement in a large empirical study with eight different semantic concepts. The results show that the typicality ranking task can be used to assess children’s category knowledge and to evaluate how this knowledge evolves over time. Contrary to earlier held assumptions in studies on typicality in young children, our results also show that preference is not so much a confounding variable to be avoided, but that both variables are often significantly correlated in older children and even in adults. PMID:27322371

First arrival time picking for microseismic data based on DWSW algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yue; Wang, Yue; Lin, Hongbo; Zhong, Tie

2018-03-01

The first arrival time picking is a crucial step in microseismic data processing. When the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low, however, it is difficult to get the first arrival time accurately with traditional methods. In this paper, we propose the double-sliding-window SW (DWSW) method based on the Shapiro-Wilk (SW) test. The DWSW method is used to detect the first arrival time by making full use of the differences between background noise and effective signals in the statistical properties. Specifically speaking, we obtain the moment corresponding to the maximum as the first arrival time of microseismic data when the statistic of our method reaches its maximum. Hence, in our method, there is no need to select the threshold, which makes the algorithm more facile when the SNR of microseismic data is low. To verify the reliability of the proposed method, a series of experiments is performed on both synthetic and field microseismic data. Our method is compared with the traditional short-time and long-time average (STA/LTA) method, the Akaike information criterion, and the kurtosis method. Analysis results indicate that the accuracy rate of the proposed method is superior to that of the other three methods when the SNR is as low as - 10 dB.

Quantification of Protozoa and Viruses from Small Water Volumes

PubMed Central

Bonilla, J. Alfredo; Bonilla, Tonya D.; Abdelzaher, Amir M.; Scott, Troy M.; Lukasik, Jerzy; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M.; Palmer, Carol J.

2015-01-01

Large sample volumes are traditionally required for the analysis of waterborne pathogens. The need for large volumes greatly limits the number of samples that can be processed. The goals of this study were to compare extraction and detection procedures for quantifying protozoan parasites and viruses from small volumes of marine water. The intent was to evaluate a logistically simpler method of sample collection and processing that would facilitate direct pathogen measures as part of routine monitoring programs. Samples were collected simultaneously using a bilayer device with protozoa capture by size (top filter) and viruses capture by charge (bottom filter). Protozoan detection technologies utilized for recovery of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. were qPCR and the more traditional immunomagnetic separation—IFA-microscopy, while virus (poliovirus) detection was based upon qPCR versus plaque assay. Filters were eluted using reagents consistent with the downstream detection technologies. Results showed higher mean recoveries using traditional detection methods over qPCR for Cryptosporidium (91% vs. 45%) and poliovirus (67% vs. 55%) whereas for Giardia the qPCR-based methods were characterized by higher mean recoveries (41% vs. 28%). Overall mean recoveries are considered high for all detection technologies. Results suggest that simultaneous filtration may be suitable for isolating different classes of pathogens from small marine water volumes. More research is needed to evaluate the suitability of this method for detecting pathogens at low ambient concentration levels. PMID:26114244

Quantification of Protozoa and Viruses from Small Water Volumes.

PubMed

Bonilla, J Alfredo; Bonilla, Tonya D; Abdelzaher, Amir M; Scott, Troy M; Lukasik, Jerzy; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M; Palmer, Carol J

2015-06-24

Large sample volumes are traditionally required for the analysis of waterborne pathogens. The need for large volumes greatly limits the number of samples that can be processed. The aims of this study were to compare extraction and detection procedures for quantifying protozoan parasites and viruses from small volumes of marine water. The intent was to evaluate a logistically simpler method of sample collection and processing that would facilitate direct pathogen measures as part of routine monitoring programs. Samples were collected simultaneously using a bilayer device with protozoa capture by size (top filter) and viruses capture by charge (bottom filter). Protozoan detection technologies utilized for recovery of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. were qPCR and the more traditional immunomagnetic separation-IFA-microscopy, while virus (poliovirus) detection was based upon qPCR versus plaque assay. Filters were eluted using reagents consistent with the downstream detection technologies. Results showed higher mean recoveries using traditional detection methods over qPCR for Cryptosporidium (91% vs. 45%) and poliovirus (67% vs. 55%) whereas for Giardia the qPCR-based methods were characterized by higher mean recoveries (41% vs. 28%). Overall mean recoveries are considered high for all detection technologies. Results suggest that simultaneous filtration may be suitable for isolating different classes of pathogens from small marine water volumes. More research is needed to evaluate the suitability of this method for detecting pathogens at low ambient concentration levels.

Precision assessment of model-based RSA for a total knee prosthesis in a biplanar set-up.

PubMed

Trozzi, C; Kaptein, B L; Garling, E H; Shelyakova, T; Russo, A; Bragonzoni, L; Martelli, S

2008-10-01

Model-based Roentgen Stereophotogrammetric Analysis (RSA) was recently developed for the measurement of prosthesis micromotion. Its main advantage is that markers do not need to be attached to the implants as traditional marker-based RSA requires. Model-based RSA has only been tested in uniplanar radiographic set-ups. A biplanar set-up would theoretically facilitate the pose estimation algorithm, since radiographic projections would show more different shape features of the implants than in uniplanar images. We tested the precision of model-based RSA and compared it with that of the traditional marker-based method in a biplanar set-up. Micromotions of both tibial and femoral components were measured with both the techniques from double examinations of patients participating in a clinical study. The results showed that in the biplanar set-up model-based RSA presents a homogeneous distribution of precision for all the translation directions, but an inhomogeneous error for rotations, especially internal-external rotation presented higher errors than rotations about the transverse and sagittal axes. Model-based RSA was less precise than the marker-based method, although the differences were not significant for the translations and rotations of the tibial component, with the exception of the internal-external rotations. For both prosthesis components the precisions of model-based RSA were below 0.2 mm for all the translations, and below 0.3 degrees for rotations about transverse and sagittal axes. These values are still acceptable for clinical studies aimed at evaluating total knee prosthesis micromotion. In a biplanar set-up model-based RSA is a valid alternative to traditional marker-based RSA where marking of the prosthesis is an enormous disadvantage.

The classification and application of toxic Chinese materia medica.

PubMed

Liu, Xinmin; Wang, Qiong; Song, Guangqing; Zhang, Guangping; Ye, Zuguang; Williamson, Elizabeth M

2014-03-01

Many important drugs in the Chinese materia medica (CMM) are known to be toxic, and it has long been recognized in classical Chinese medical theory that toxicity can arise directly from the components of a single CMM or may be induced by an interaction between combined CMM. Traditional Chinese Medicine presents a unique set of pharmaceutical theories that include particular methods for processing, combining and decocting, and these techniques contribute to reducing toxicity as well as enhancing efficacy. The current classification of toxic CMM drugs, traditional methods for processing toxic CMM and the prohibited use of certain combinations, is based on traditional experience and ancient texts and monographs, but accumulating evidence increasingly supports their use to eliminate or reduce toxicity. Modern methods are now being used to evaluate the safety of CMM; however, a new system for describing the toxicity of Chinese herbal medicines may need to be established to take into account those herbs whose toxicity is delayed or otherwise hidden, and which have not been incorporated into the traditional classification. This review explains the existing classification and justifies it where appropriate, using experimental results often originally published in Chinese and previously not available outside China. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A comparison of two prospective risk analysis methods: Traditional FMEA and a modified healthcare FMEA.

PubMed

Rah, Jeong-Eun; Manger, Ryan P; Yock, Adam D; Kim, Gwe-Ya

2016-12-01

To examine the abilities of a traditional failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and modified healthcare FMEA (m-HFMEA) scoring methods by comparing the degree of congruence in identifying high risk failures. The authors applied two prospective methods of the quality management to surface image guided, linac-based radiosurgery (SIG-RS). For the traditional FMEA, decisions on how to improve an operation were based on the risk priority number (RPN). The RPN is a product of three indices: occurrence, severity, and detectability. The m-HFMEA approach utilized two indices, severity and frequency. A risk inventory matrix was divided into four categories: very low, low, high, and very high. For high risk events, an additional evaluation was performed. Based upon the criticality of the process, it was decided if additional safety measures were needed and what they comprise. The two methods were independently compared to determine if the results and rated risks matched. The authors' results showed an agreement of 85% between FMEA and m-HFMEA approaches for top 20 risks of SIG-RS-specific failure modes. The main differences between the two approaches were the distribution of the values and the observation that failure modes (52, 54, 154) with high m-HFMEA scores do not necessarily have high FMEA-RPN scores. In the m-HFMEA analysis, when the risk score is determined, the basis of the established HFMEA Decision Tree™ or the failure mode should be more thoroughly investigated. m-HFMEA is inductive because it requires the identification of the consequences from causes, and semi-quantitative since it allows the prioritization of high risks and mitigation measures. It is therefore a useful tool for the prospective risk analysis method to radiotherapy.

Simultaneous construction of PCR-DGGE-based predictive models of Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus on cooked shrimps.

PubMed

Liao, C; Peng, Z Y; Li, J B; Cui, X W; Zhang, Z H; Malakar, P K; Zhang, W J; Pan, Y J; Zhao, Y

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to simultaneously construct PCR-DGGE-based predictive models of Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus on cooked shrimps at 4 and 10°C. Calibration curves were established to correlate peak density of DGGE bands with microbial counts. Microbial counts derived from PCR-DGGE and plate methods were fitted by Baranyi model to obtain molecular and traditional predictive models. For L. monocytogenes, growing at 4 and 10°C, molecular predictive models were constructed. It showed good evaluations of correlation coefficients (R(2) > 0.92), bias factors (Bf ) and accuracy factors (Af ) (1.0 ≤ Bf ≤ Af ≤ 1.1). Moreover, no significant difference was found between molecular and traditional predictive models when analysed on lag phase (λ), maximum growth rate (μmax ) and growth data (P > 0.05). But for V. parahaemolyticus, inactivated at 4 and 10°C, molecular models show significant difference when compared with traditional models. Taken together, these results suggest that PCR-DGGE based on DNA can be used to construct growth models, but it is inappropriate for inactivation models yet. This is the first report of developing PCR-DGGE to simultaneously construct multiple molecular models. It has been known for a long time that microbial predictive models based on traditional plate methods are time-consuming and labour-intensive. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) has been widely used as a semiquantitative method to describe complex microbial community. In our study, we developed DGGE to quantify bacterial counts and simultaneously established two molecular predictive models to describe the growth and survival of two bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) at 4 and 10°C. We demonstrated that PCR-DGGE could be used to construct growth models. This work provides a new approach to construct molecular predictive models and thereby facilitates predictive microbiology and QMRA (Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment). © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Assessment of Uncertainty in the Determination of Activation Energy for Polymeric Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darby, Stephania P.; Landrum, D. Brian; Coleman, Hugh W.

1998-01-01

An assessment of the experimental uncertainty in obtaining the kinetic activation energy from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data is presented. A neat phenolic resin, Borden SC1O08, was heated at three heating rates to obtain weight loss vs temperature data. Activation energy was calculated by two methods: the traditional Flynn and Wall method based on the slope of log(q) versus 1/T, and a modification of this method where the ordinate and abscissa are reversed in the linear regression. The modified method produced a more accurate curve fit of the data, was more sensitive to data nonlinearity, and gave a value of activation energy 75 percent greater than the original method. An uncertainty analysis using the modified method yielded a 60 percent uncertainty in the average activation energy. Based on this result, the activation energy for a carbon-phenolic material was doubled and used to calculate the ablation rate In a typical solid rocket environment. Doubling the activation energy increased surface recession by 3 percent. Current TGA data reduction techniques that use the traditional Flynn and Wall approach to calculate activation energy should be changed to the modified method.

Aerodynamic design optimization using sensitivity analysis and computational fluid dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baysal, Oktay; Eleshaky, Mohamed E.

1991-01-01

A new and efficient method is presented for aerodynamic design optimization, which is based on a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-sensitivity analysis algorithm. The method is applied to design a scramjet-afterbody configuration for an optimized axial thrust. The Euler equations are solved for the inviscid analysis of the flow, which in turn provides the objective function and the constraints. The CFD analysis is then coupled with the optimization procedure that uses a constrained minimization method. The sensitivity coefficients, i.e. gradients of the objective function and the constraints, needed for the optimization are obtained using a quasi-analytical method rather than the traditional brute force method of finite difference approximations. During the one-dimensional search of the optimization procedure, an approximate flow analysis (predicted flow) based on a first-order Taylor series expansion is used to reduce the computational cost. Finally, the sensitivity of the optimum objective function to various design parameters, which are kept constant during the optimization, is computed to predict new optimum solutions. The flow analysis of the demonstrative example are compared with the experimental data. It is shown that the method is more efficient than the traditional methods.

Simulation Study of Effects of the Blind Deconvolution on Ultrasound Image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xingwu; You, Junchen

2018-03-01

Ultrasonic image restoration is an essential subject in Medical Ultrasound Imaging. However, without enough and precise system knowledge, some traditional image restoration methods based on the system prior knowledge often fail to improve the image quality. In this paper, we use the simulated ultrasound image to find the effectiveness of the blind deconvolution method for ultrasound image restoration. Experimental results demonstrate that the blind deconvolution method can be applied to the ultrasound image restoration and achieve the satisfactory restoration results without the precise prior knowledge, compared with the traditional image restoration method. And with the inaccurate small initial PSF, the results shows blind deconvolution could improve the overall image quality of ultrasound images, like much better SNR and image resolution, and also show the time consumption of these methods. it has no significant increasing on GPU platform.

Analysis decorating design on Perahu Buatan Barat, the Malay traditional boat by using frieze pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahab, Mohd Rohaizat Abdul; Ramli, Zuliskandar; Zakaria, Ros Mahwati Ahmad; Samad, Mohammad Anis Abdul

2017-01-01

Boat building tradition is one of the skills mastered by Malay craftsmen. Decoration on the Perahu Buatan Barat, the Malay traditional boat is one of the uniqueness of the production of traditional boats in East Coast of Malaysia. The tradition of Malay boat building, each plank was given specific names based on the line of planks. There is one line called `papan tarik' or `papan cantik' was usually decorated with paintings by a variety of motifs and patterns from the bow to the stern of the boat. The motifs usually taken from the surrounding environment as well as flora and fauna will be painted with motifs repeated but with differing formations. The aim of this study is to identify the motifs and analyze the formation of motifs by using mathematical methods of frieze pattern.

A novel scene management technology for complex virtual battlefield environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Changchong; Jiang, Libing; Tang, Bo; Tang, Xiaoan

2018-04-01

The efficient scene management of virtual environment is an important research content of computer real-time visualization, which has a decisive influence on the efficiency of drawing. However, Traditional scene management methods do not suitable for complex virtual battlefield environments, this paper combines the advantages of traditional scene graph technology and spatial data structure method, using the idea of management and rendering separation, a loose object-oriented scene graph structure is established to manage the entity model data in the scene, and the performance-based quad-tree structure is created for traversing and rendering. In addition, the collaborative update relationship between the above two structural trees is designed to achieve efficient scene management. Compared with the previous scene management method, this method is more efficient and meets the needs of real-time visualization.

Fish genome manipulation and directional breeding.

PubMed

Ye, Ding; Zhu, ZuoYan; Sun, YongHua

2015-02-01

Aquaculture is one of the fastest developing agricultural industries worldwide. One of the most important factors for sustainable aquaculture is the development of high performing culture strains. Genome manipulation offers a powerful method to achieve rapid and directional breeding in fish. We review the history of fish breeding methods based on classical genome manipulation, including polyploidy breeding and nuclear transfer. Then, we discuss the advances and applications of fish directional breeding based on transgenic technology and recently developed genome editing technologies. These methods offer increased efficiency, precision and predictability in genetic improvement over traditional methods.

Rolling bearing fault diagnosis based on information fusion using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Di; Yue, Jianhai; Jiao, Jing

2017-10-01

This paper presents a fault diagnosis method for rolling bearing based on information fusion. Acceleration sensors are arranged at different position to get bearing vibration data as diagnostic evidence. The Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory is used to fuse multi-sensor data to improve diagnostic accuracy. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by the high speed train transmission test bench. The results of experiment show that the proposed method in this paper improves the rolling bearing fault diagnosis accuracy compared with traditional signal analysis methods.

Performance comparison of LUR and OK in PM2.5 concentration mapping: a multidimensional perspective

PubMed Central

Zou, Bin; Luo, Yanqing; Wan, Neng; Zheng, Zhong; Sternberg, Troy; Liao, Yilan

2015-01-01

Methods of Land Use Regression (LUR) modeling and Ordinary Kriging (OK) interpolation have been widely used to offset the shortcomings of PM2.5 data observed at sparse monitoring sites. However, traditional point-based performance evaluation strategy for these methods remains stagnant, which could cause unreasonable mapping results. To address this challenge, this study employs ‘information entropy’, an area-based statistic, along with traditional point-based statistics (e.g. error rate, RMSE) to evaluate the performance of LUR model and OK interpolation in mapping PM2.5 concentrations in Houston from a multidimensional perspective. The point-based validation reveals significant differences between LUR and OK at different test sites despite the similar end-result accuracy (e.g. error rate 6.13% vs. 7.01%). Meanwhile, the area-based validation demonstrates that the PM2.5 concentrations simulated by the LUR model exhibits more detailed variations than those interpolated by the OK method (i.e. information entropy, 7.79 vs. 3.63). Results suggest that LUR modeling could better refine the spatial distribution scenario of PM2.5 concentrations compared to OK interpolation. The significance of this study primarily lies in promoting the integration of point- and area-based statistics for model performance evaluation in air pollution mapping. PMID:25731103

Epileptic Seizure Detection with Log-Euclidean Gaussian Kernel-Based Sparse Representation.

PubMed

Yuan, Shasha; Zhou, Weidong; Wu, Qi; Zhang, Yanli

2016-05-01

Epileptic seizure detection plays an important role in the diagnosis of epilepsy and reducing the massive workload of reviewing electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. In this work, a novel algorithm is developed to detect seizures employing log-Euclidean Gaussian kernel-based sparse representation (SR) in long-term EEG recordings. Unlike the traditional SR for vector data in Euclidean space, the log-Euclidean Gaussian kernel-based SR framework is proposed for seizure detection in the space of the symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrices, which form a Riemannian manifold. Since the Riemannian manifold is nonlinear, the log-Euclidean Gaussian kernel function is applied to embed it into a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) for performing SR. The EEG signals of all channels are divided into epochs and the SPD matrices representing EEG epochs are generated by covariance descriptors. Then, the testing samples are sparsely coded over the dictionary composed by training samples utilizing log-Euclidean Gaussian kernel-based SR. The classification of testing samples is achieved by computing the minimal reconstructed residuals. The proposed method is evaluated on the Freiburg EEG dataset of 21 patients and shows its notable performance on both epoch-based and event-based assessments. Moreover, this method handles multiple channels of EEG recordings synchronously which is more speedy and efficient than traditional seizure detection methods.

On Systems Thinking and Ways of Building It in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdyrova, Aitzhan; Galiyev, Temir; Yessekeshova, Maral; Aldabergenova, Saule; Alshynbayeva, Zhuldyz

2016-01-01

The article focuses on the issue of shaping learners' systems thinking skills in the context of traditional education using specially elaborated system methods that are implemented based on the standard textbook. Applying these methods naturally complements the existing learning process and contributes to an efficient development of learners'…

Design and Implementation of a Simulation-Based Learning System for International Trade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luo, Guo-Heng; Liu, Eric Zhi-Feng; Kuo, Hung-Wei; Yuan, Shyan-Ming

2014-01-01

In the traditional instructional method used in international trade, teachers provide knowledge to learners by lecturing using slides and setting assignments; however, these methods merely deliver international trade knowledge rather than facilitating student development of relevant skills. To solve these problems, we proposed a simulation-based…

Predictive models for Escherichia coli concentrations at inland lake beaches and relationship of model variables to pathogen detection

EPA Science Inventory

Methods are needed improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water‐quality assessments. Traditional culture methods require 18–24 h to obtain results and may not reflect current conditions. Predictive models, based on environmental and water quality variables, have been...

75 FR 8082 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-23

... this invention, the colon registration problem is formulated as time series matching along the... on patients, less time-consuming, and more accurate. The effectiveness of the method was verified in...) compared to a traditional method based on dynamic time warping. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of...

Optimisation of reconstruction--reprojection-based motion correction for cardiac SPECT.

PubMed

Kangasmaa, Tuija S; Sohlberg, Antti O

2014-07-01

Cardiac motion is a challenging cause of image artefacts in myocardial perfusion SPECT. A wide range of motion correction methods have been developed over the years, and so far automatic algorithms based on the reconstruction--reprojection principle have proved to be the most effective. However, these methods have not been fully optimised in terms of their free parameters and implementational details. Two slightly different implementations of reconstruction--reprojection-based motion correction techniques were optimised for effective, good-quality motion correction and then compared with each other. The first of these methods (Method 1) was the traditional reconstruction-reprojection motion correction algorithm, where the motion correction is done in projection space, whereas the second algorithm (Method 2) performed motion correction in reconstruction space. The parameters that were optimised include the type of cost function (squared difference, normalised cross-correlation and mutual information) that was used to compare measured and reprojected projections, and the number of iterations needed. The methods were tested with motion-corrupt projection datasets, which were generated by adding three different types of motion (lateral shift, vertical shift and vertical creep) to motion-free cardiac perfusion SPECT studies. Method 2 performed slightly better overall than Method 1, but the difference between the two implementations was small. The execution time for Method 2 was much longer than for Method 1, which limits its clinical usefulness. The mutual information cost function gave clearly the best results for all three motion sets for both correction methods. Three iterations were sufficient for a good quality correction using Method 1. The traditional reconstruction--reprojection-based method with three update iterations and mutual information cost function is a good option for motion correction in clinical myocardial perfusion SPECT.

Operational Evaluation of the Rapid Viability PCR Method for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Journal Article This research work has a significant impact on the use of the RV-PCR method to analyze post-decontamination environmental samples during an anthrax event. The method has shown 98% agreement with the traditional culture based method. With such a success, this method, upon validation, will significantly increase the laboratory throughput/capacity to analyze a large number of anthrax event samples in a relatively short time.

Reliability Evaluation of Machine Center Components Based on Cascading Failure Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying-Zhi; Liu, Jin-Tong; Shen, Gui-Xiang; Long, Zhe; Sun, Shu-Guang

2017-07-01

In order to rectify the problems that the component reliability model exhibits deviation, and the evaluation result is low due to the overlook of failure propagation in traditional reliability evaluation of machine center components, a new reliability evaluation method based on cascading failure analysis and the failure influenced degree assessment is proposed. A direct graph model of cascading failure among components is established according to cascading failure mechanism analysis and graph theory. The failure influenced degrees of the system components are assessed by the adjacency matrix and its transposition, combined with the Pagerank algorithm. Based on the comprehensive failure probability function and total probability formula, the inherent failure probability function is determined to realize the reliability evaluation of the system components. Finally, the method is applied to a machine center, it shows the following: 1) The reliability evaluation values of the proposed method are at least 2.5% higher than those of the traditional method; 2) The difference between the comprehensive and inherent reliability of the system component presents a positive correlation with the failure influenced degree of the system component, which provides a theoretical basis for reliability allocation of machine center system.

Transient simulation of hydropower station with consideration of three-dimensional unsteady flow in turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, W. D.; Fan, H. G.; Chen, N. X.

2012-11-01

To study the interaction between the transient flow in pipe and the unsteady turbulent flow in turbine, a coupled model of the transient flow in the pipe and three-dimensional unsteady flow in the turbine is developed based on the method of characteristics and the fluid governing equation in the accelerated rotational relative coordinate. The load-rejection process under the closing of guide vanes of the hydraulic power plant is simulated by the coupled method, the traditional transient simulation method and traditional three-dimensional unsteady flow calculation method respectively and the results are compared. The pressure, unit flux and rotation speed calculated by three methods show a similar change trend. However, because the elastic water hammer in the pipe and the pressure fluctuation in the turbine have been considered in the coupled method, the increase of pressure at spiral inlet is higher and the pressure fluctuation in turbine is stronger.

Team-Based Learning Enhances Performance in Introductory Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carmichael, Jeffrey

2009-01-01

Given the problems associated with the traditional lecture method, the constraints associated with large classes, and the effectiveness of active learning, continued development and testing of efficient student-centered learning approaches are needed. This study explores the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) in a large-enrollment…

Computer-Based Instruction in Dietetics Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Lois; Kent, Phyllis

1982-01-01

Details the development and system design of a computer-based instruction (CBI) program designed to provide tutorial training in diet modification as part of renal therapy and provides the results of a study that compared the effectiveness of the CBI program with the traditional lecture/laboratory method. (EAO)

Overcoming Recruitment Challenges of Web-based Interventions for Tobacco Use: The Case of Web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Smoking Cessation

PubMed Central

Heffner, Jaimee L; Wyszynski, Christopher M; Comstock, Bryan; Mercer, Laina D.; Bricker, Jonathan

2013-01-01

Web-based behavioral interventions for substance use are being developed at a rapid pace, yet there is a dearth of information regarding the most effective methods for recruiting participants into web-based intervention trials. In this paper, we describe our successful recruitment of participants into a pilot trial of web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for smoking cessation and compare traditional and web-based methods of recruitment in terms of their effects on baseline participant characteristics, association with study retention and treatment outcome, yield, and cost-effectiveness. Over a 10-week period starting June 15, 2010, we recruited 222 smokers for a web-based smoking cessation study using a variety of recruitment methods. The largest portion of randomized participants were recruited through Google AdWords (36%), followed by medical Internet media (23%), standard media (14%), word of mouth (12%), broadcast emails (11%), and social media (6%). Recruitment source was not related to baseline participant characteristics, 3-month data retention, or 30-day point prevalence smoking abstinence at the 3-month outcome assessment. Cost per randomized participant ranged from $5.27/participant for word of mouth to $172.76/participant for social media, with a mean cost of $42.48/participant. Our diversified approach to recruitment, including both traditional and web-based methods, enabled timely enrollment of participants into the study. Because there was no evidence of a substantive difference in baseline characteristics, retention, or outcomes based on recruitment channel, the yield and cost-effectiveness of recruitment methods may be the more critical considerations in developing a feasible recruitment plan for a web-based smoking cessation intervention study. PMID:23770645

Overcoming recruitment challenges of web-based interventions for tobacco use: the case of web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for smoking cessation.

PubMed

Heffner, Jaimee L; Wyszynski, Christopher M; Comstock, Bryan; Mercer, Laina D; Bricker, Jonathan

2013-10-01

Web-based behavioral interventions for substance use are being developed at a rapid pace, yet there is a dearth of information regarding the most effective methods for recruiting participants into web-based intervention trials. In this paper, we describe our successful recruitment of participants into a pilot trial of web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for smoking cessation and compare traditional and web-based methods of recruitment in terms of their effects on baseline participant characteristics, association with study retention and treatment outcome, yield, and cost-effectiveness. Over a 10-week period starting June 15, 2010, we recruited 222 smokers for a web-based smoking cessation study using a variety of recruitment methods. The largest portion of randomized participants were recruited through Google AdWords (36%), followed by medical Internet media (23%), standard media (14%), word of mouth (12%), broadcast emails (11%), and social media (6%). Recruitment source was not related to baseline participant characteristics, 3-month data retention, or 30-day point prevalence smoking abstinence at the 3-month outcome assessment. Cost per randomized participant ranged from $5.27/participant for word of mouth to $172.76/participant for social media, with a mean cost of $42.48/participant. Our diversified approach to recruitment, including both traditional and web-based methods, enabled timely enrollment of participants into the study. Because there was no evidence of a substantive difference in baseline characteristics, retention, or outcomes based on recruitment channel, the yield and cost-effectiveness of recruitment methods may be the more critical considerations in developing a feasible recruitment plan for a web-based smoking cessation intervention study. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving genetic evaluation of litter size and piglet mortality for both genotyped and nongenotyped individuals using a single-step method.

PubMed

Guo, X; Christensen, O F; Ostersen, T; Wang, Y; Lund, M S; Su, G

2015-02-01

A single-step method allows genetic evaluation using information of phenotypes, pedigree, and markers from genotyped and nongenotyped individuals simultaneously. This paper compared genomic predictions obtained from a single-step BLUP (SSBLUP) method, a genomic BLUP (GBLUP) method, a selection index blending (SELIND) method, and a traditional pedigree-based method (BLUP) for total number of piglets born (TNB), litter size at d 5 after birth (LS5), and mortality rate before d 5 (Mort; including stillbirth) in Danish Landrace and Yorkshire pigs. Data sets of 778,095 litters from 309,362 Landrace sows and 472,001 litters from 190,760 Yorkshire sows were used for the analysis. There were 332,795 Landrace and 207,255 Yorkshire animals in the pedigree data, among which 3,445 Landrace pigs (1,366 boars and 2,079 sows) and 3,372 Yorkshire pigs (1,241 boars and 2,131 sows) were genotyped with the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. The results showed that the 3 methods with marker information (SSBLUP, GBLUP, and SELIND) produced more accurate predictions for genotyped animals than the pedigree-based method. For genotyped animals, the average of reliabilities for all traits in both breeds using traditional BLUP was 0.091, which increased to 0.171 w+hen using GBLUP and to 0.179 when using SELIND and further increased to 0.209 when using SSBLUP. Furthermore, the average reliability of EBV for nongenotyped animals was increased from 0.091 for traditional BLUP to 0.105 for the SSBLUP. The results indicate that the SSBLUP is a good approach to practical genomic prediction of litter size and piglet mortality in Danish Landrace and Yorkshire populations.

Methanogenic activity tests by Infrared Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Martinez-Cruz, Karla; Sepulveda-Jauregui, Armando; Escobar-Orozco, Nayeli; Thalasso, Frederic

2012-10-01

Methanogenic activity (MA) tests are commonly carried out to estimate the capability of anaerobic biomass to treat effluents, to evaluate anaerobic activity in bioreactors or natural ecosystems, or to quantify inhibitory effects on methanogenic activity. These activity tests are usually based on the measurement of the volume of biogas produced by volumetric, pressure increase or gas chromatography (GC) methods. In this study, we present an alternative method for non-invasive measurement of methane produced during activity tests in closed vials, based on Infrared Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (MA-TDLAS). This new method was tested during model acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenic activity tests and was compared to a more traditional method based on gas chromatography. From the results obtained, the CH(4) detection limit of the method was estimated to 60 ppm and the minimum measurable methane production rate was estimated to 1.09(.)10(-3) mg l(-1) h(-1), which is below CH(4) production rate usually reported in both anaerobic reactors and natural ecosystems. Additionally to sensitivity, the method has several potential interests compared to more traditional methods among which short measurements time allowing the measurement of a large number of MA test vials, non-invasive measurements avoiding leakage or external interferences and similar cost to GC based methods. It is concluded that MA-TDLAS is a promising method that could be of interest not only in the field of anaerobic digestion but also, in the field of environmental ecology where CH(4) production rates are usually very low. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Protein contact prediction by integrating deep multiple sequence alignments, coevolution and machine learning.

PubMed

Adhikari, Badri; Hou, Jie; Cheng, Jianlin

2018-03-01

In this study, we report the evaluation of the residue-residue contacts predicted by our three different methods in the CASP12 experiment, focusing on studying the impact of multiple sequence alignment, residue coevolution, and machine learning on contact prediction. The first method (MULTICOM-NOVEL) uses only traditional features (sequence profile, secondary structure, and solvent accessibility) with deep learning to predict contacts and serves as a baseline. The second method (MULTICOM-CONSTRUCT) uses our new alignment algorithm to generate deep multiple sequence alignment to derive coevolution-based features, which are integrated by a neural network method to predict contacts. The third method (MULTICOM-CLUSTER) is a consensus combination of the predictions of the first two methods. We evaluated our methods on 94 CASP12 domains. On a subset of 38 free-modeling domains, our methods achieved an average precision of up to 41.7% for top L/5 long-range contact predictions. The comparison of the three methods shows that the quality and effective depth of multiple sequence alignments, coevolution-based features, and machine learning integration of coevolution-based features and traditional features drive the quality of predicted protein contacts. On the full CASP12 dataset, the coevolution-based features alone can improve the average precision from 28.4% to 41.6%, and the machine learning integration of all the features further raises the precision to 56.3%, when top L/5 predicted long-range contacts are evaluated. And the correlation between the precision of contact prediction and the logarithm of the number of effective sequences in alignments is 0.66. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Improved neutron-gamma discrimination for a 3He neutron detector using subspace learning methods

DOE PAGES

Wang, C. L.; Funk, L. L.; Riedel, R. A.; ...

2017-02-10

3He gas based neutron linear-position-sensitive detectors (LPSDs) have been applied for many neutron scattering instruments. Traditional Pulse-Height Analysis (PHA) for Neutron-Gamma Discrimination (NGD) resulted in the neutron-gamma efficiency ratio on the orders of 10 5-10 6. The NGD ratios of 3He detectors need to be improved for even better scientific results from neutron scattering. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) analyses of waveforms were proposed for obtaining better NGD ratios, based on features extracted from rise-time, pulse amplitude, charge integration, a simplified Wiener filter, and the cross-correlation between individual and template waveforms of neutron and gamma events. Fisher linear discriminant analysis (FLDA)more » and three multivariate analyses (MVAs) of the features were performed. The NGD ratios are improved by about 10 2-10 3 times compared with the traditional PHA method. Finally, our results indicate the NGD capabilities of 3He tube detectors can be significantly improved with subspace-learning based methods, which may result in a reduced data-collection time and better data quality for further data reduction.« less

LABORATORY EVALUATION OF A MICROFLUIDIC ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSOR FOR AEROSOL OXIDATIVE LOAD.

PubMed

Koehler, Kirsten; Shapiro, Jeffrey; Sameenoi, Yupaporn; Henry, Charles; Volckens, John

2014-05-01

Human exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with human morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms by which PM impacts human health are unresolved, but evidence suggests that PM intake leads to cellular oxidative stress through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, reliable tools are needed for estimating the oxidant generating capacity, or oxidative load, of PM at high temporal resolution (minutes to hours). One of the most widely reported methods for assessing PM oxidative load is the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The traditional DTT assay utilizes filter-based PM collection in conjunction with chemical analysis to determine the oxidation rate of reduced DTT in solution with PM. However, the traditional DTT assay suffers from poor time resolution, loss of reactive species during sampling, and high limit of detection. Recently, a new DTT assay was developed that couples a Particle-Into-Liquid-Sampler with microfluidic-electrochemical detection. This 'on-line' system allows high temporal resolution monitoring of PM reactivity with improved detection limits. This study reports on a laboratory comparison of the traditional and on-line DTT approaches. An urban dust sample was aerosolized in a laboratory test chamber at three atmospherically-relevant concentrations. The on-line system gave a stronger correlation between DTT consumption rate and PM mass (R 2 = 0.69) than the traditional method (R 2 = 0.40) and increased precision at high temporal resolution, compared to the traditional method.

New criteria for the characterization of traditional East Asian papers.

PubMed

Avataneo, Chiara; Sablier, Michel

2017-01-01

We report a pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) method capable of analyzing traditional East Asian papers. The method proposed is based on rapid and easy single step Py-GC/MS analysis that can be carried out with a minimum amount of matter, in the few microgram range. Three reference papers manufactured from kozo (Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold & Zucc.), mitsumata (Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl.), and gampi (Wikstroemia sikokiana Franch. & Sav.) with the traditional hand paper making processes were examined. The method allows discrimination between terpenic and steroid compounds, which were revealed as chemical markers of origin of the plant fibers. Each paper investigated was found to have characteristic pyrolysis fingerprints that were unique to the traditional handmade paper, demonstrating the potential for differentiation of these biochemical components of fiber plants on East Asian papers towards identification and conservation of cultural heritage. The investigation on Py-GC/MS was extended to liquid extraction followed by GC/MS analysis to characterize the biochemical components of fiber plants. The main contribution of this study is to provide molecular criteria for discriminating plant species used for traditional East Asian hand papermaking. Py-GC/MS complements efficiently microscope identification especially for adverse cases. A case study of archaeological Chinese paper painting artefacts was thereafter successfully investigated to address informative potential and efficiency of the criteria of identification on ancient and degraded East Asian paperworks.

Personality preference distribution of dental students admitted to one dental school using different selection methods.

PubMed

von Bergmann, Hsingchi; Dalrymple, Kirsten R; Shuler, Charles F

2014-04-01

This study sought to determine whether using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) would detect differences in personality preferences in first-year dental students admitted to the same dental school through different admission methods. First-year dental students admitted in 2000 and 2001 were given the MBTI instrument during orientation prior to the start of classes. In fall 2000, the Class of 2004 had 140 students, with 116 in the traditional track and twenty-four in the parallel problem-based learning (PBL) track. In fall 2001, the Class of 2005 had 144 students, all enrolled in the PBL curriculum. All students admitted to the PBL track had experienced a process that included evaluation of their participation in a small group. Students in the traditional track had individual interviews with faculty members. Both student groups were required to meet the same baseline grade point average and Dental Admission Test standards. In 2000, the PBL students showed personality preferences that were distinctly different from the personality preferences of traditional track students in the categories of Extroversion (89 percent PBL, 44 percent traditional) and Thinking (72 percent PBL, 39 percent traditional). In 2001, the all-PBL class retained the trend towards Extroversion (69 percent). This study suggests that admission method may effectively change the personality preference distribution exhibited by the students who are admitted to dental school.

Asynchronous vs didactic education: it's too early to throw in the towel on tradition.

PubMed

Jordan, Jaime; Jalali, Azadeh; Clarke, Samuel; Dyne, Pamela; Spector, Tahlia; Coates, Wendy

2013-08-08

Asynchronous, computer based instruction is cost effective, allows self-directed pacing and review, and addresses preferences of millennial learners. Current research suggests there is no significant difference in learning compared to traditional classroom instruction. Data are limited for novice learners in emergency medicine. The objective of this study was to compare asynchronous, computer-based instruction with traditional didactics for senior medical students during a week-long intensive course in acute care. We hypothesized both modalities would be equivalent. This was a prospective observational quasi-experimental study of 4th year medical students who were novice learners with minimal prior exposure to curricular elements. We assessed baseline knowledge with an objective pre-test. The curriculum was delivered in either traditional lecture format (shock, acute abdomen, dyspnea, field trauma) or via asynchronous, computer-based modules (chest pain, EKG interpretation, pain management, trauma). An interactive review covering all topics was followed by a post-test. Knowledge retention was measured after 10 weeks. Pre and post-test items were written by a panel of medical educators and validated with a reference group of learners. Mean scores were analyzed using dependent t-test and attitudes were assessed by a 5-point Likert scale. 44 of 48 students completed the protocol. Students initially acquired more knowledge from didactic education as demonstrated by mean gain scores (didactic: 28.39% ± 18.06; asynchronous 9.93% ± 23.22). Mean difference between didactic and asynchronous = 18.45% with 95% CI [10.40 to 26.50]; p = 0.0001. Retention testing demonstrated similar knowledge attrition: mean gain scores -14.94% (didactic); -17.61% (asynchronous), which was not significantly different: 2.68% ± 20.85, 95% CI [-3.66 to 9.02], p = 0.399. The attitudinal survey revealed that 60.4% of students believed the asynchronous modules were educational and 95.8% enjoyed the flexibility of the method. 39.6% of students preferred asynchronous education for required didactics; 37.5% were neutral; 23% preferred traditional lectures. Asynchronous, computer-based instruction was not equivalent to traditional didactics for novice learners of acute care topics. Interactive, standard didactic education was valuable. Retention rates were similar between instructional methods. Students had mixed attitudes toward asynchronous learning but enjoyed the flexibility. We urge caution in trading in traditional didactic lectures in favor of asynchronous education for novice learners in acute care.

A New Combined Stepwise-Based High-Order Decoupled Direct and Reduced-Form Method To Improve Uncertainty Analysis in PM2.5 Simulations.

PubMed

Huang, Zhijiong; Hu, Yongtao; Zheng, Junyu; Yuan, Zibing; Russell, Armistead G; Ou, Jiamin; Zhong, Zhuangmin

2017-04-04

The traditional reduced-form model (RFM) based on the high-order decoupled direct method (HDDM), is an efficient uncertainty analysis approach for air quality models, but it has large biases in uncertainty propagation due to the limitation of the HDDM in predicting nonlinear responses to large perturbations of model inputs. To overcome the limitation, a new stepwise-based RFM method that combines several sets of local sensitive coefficients under different conditions is proposed. Evaluations reveal that the new RFM improves the prediction of nonlinear responses. The new method is applied to quantify uncertainties in simulated PM 2.5 concentrations in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China as a case study. Results show that the average uncertainty range of hourly PM 2.5 concentrations is -28% to 57%, which can cover approximately 70% of the observed PM 2.5 concentrations, while the traditional RFM underestimates the upper bound of the uncertainty range by 1-6%. Using a variance-based method, the PM 2.5 boundary conditions and primary PM 2.5 emissions are found to be the two major uncertainty sources in PM 2.5 simulations. The new RFM better quantifies the uncertainty range in model simulations and can be applied to improve applications that rely on uncertainty information.

A Study on Watt-hour Meter Data Acquisition Method Based on RFID Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiangqun; Huang, Rui; Shen, Liman; Chen, Hao; Xiong, Dezhi; Xiao, Xiangqi; Liu, Mouhai; Xu, Renheng

2018-03-01

Considering that traditional watt-hour meter data acquisition was subjected to the influence of distance and occlusion, a watt-hour meter data acquisition method based on RFID technology was proposed in this paper. In detail, RFID electronic tag was embedded in the watt-hour meter to identify the meter and record electric energy information, which made RFID based wireless data acquisition for watt-hour meter come true. Eventually, overall lifecycle management of watt-hour meter is realized.

Community participation towards the value of traditional architecture resilience, on the settlements’ patters in Tenganan village, Amlapura

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriani, Listyana; Gede Wyana Lokantara, I.

2017-12-01

Ecological conditions such as landslide, flood, and the global warming issues are the disasters that should be anticipated. The value of traditional architecture resilience has a role towards a city as cultural heritage. Based on that influence, the role of architecture is needed in fostering the environment to be able to survive and sustain just as an architectural concept that considers human needs and natural balancing. The purpose of this study is to analyse the concept of traditional architecture and community participation in maintaining this condition, so it would be able to have a value of sustainability. The research method used is mix method that is start from observation and macro analysis element (main building and public facility) and micro element (house of resident) to analyse community participation in realizing traditional architectural resilience in Tenganan Village, Amlapura. The results of this study found that the traditional settlements in Amlapura, Karangasem, Bali is a form of urban architecture that can survive in a sustainable way of macro elements and micro elements oriented to environmental ecological conditions. This condition happensbecause the community has a high enough participation to maintain it in the form of custom rules.

The Impact of Team-Based Learning on Nervous System Examination Knowledge of Nursing Students.

PubMed

Hemmati Maslakpak, Masomeh; Parizad, Naser; Zareie, Farzad

2015-12-01

Team-based learning is one of the active learning approaches in which independent learning is combined with small group discussion in the class. This study aimed to determine the impact of team-based learning in nervous system examination knowledge of nursing students. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 3(rd) grade nursing students, including 5th semester (intervention group) and 6(th) semester (control group). The traditional lecture method and the team-based learning method were used for educating the examination of the nervous system for intervention and control groups, respectively. The data were collected by a test covering 40-questions (multiple choice, matching, gap-filling and descriptive questions) before and after intervention in both groups. Individual Readiness Assurance Test (RAT) and Group Readiness Assurance Test (GRAT) used to collect data in the intervention group. In the end, the collected data were analyzed by SPSS ver. 13 using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. In team-based learning group, mean and standard deviation was 13.39 (4.52) before the intervention, which had been increased to 31.07 (3.20) after the intervention and this increase was statistically significant. Also, there was a statistically significant difference between the scores of RAT and GRAT in team-based learning group. Using team-based learning approach resulted in much better improvement and stability in the nervous system examination knowledge of nursing students compared to traditional lecture method; therefore, this method could be efficiently used as an effective educational approach in nursing education.

Radiation Heat Transfer Between Diffuse-Gray Surfaces Using Higher Order Finite Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gould, Dana C.

2000-01-01

This paper presents recent work on developing methods for analyzing radiation heat transfer between diffuse-gray surfaces using p-version finite elements. The work was motivated by a thermal analysis of a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) wing structure which showed the importance of radiation heat transfer throughout the structure. The analysis also showed that refining the finite element mesh to accurately capture the temperature distribution on the internal structure led to very large meshes with unacceptably long execution times. Traditional methods for calculating surface-to-surface radiation are based on assumptions that are not appropriate for p-version finite elements. Two methods for determining internal radiation heat transfer are developed for one and two-dimensional p-version finite elements. In the first method, higher-order elements are divided into a number of sub-elements. Traditional methods are used to determine radiation heat flux along each sub-element and then mapped back to the parent element. In the second method, the radiation heat transfer equations are numerically integrated over the higher-order element. Comparisons with analytical solutions show that the integration scheme is generally more accurate than the sub-element method. Comparison to results from traditional finite elements shows that significant reduction in the number of elements in the mesh is possible using higher-order (p-version) finite elements.

Path Planning for Robot based on Chaotic Artificial Potential Field Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Cheng

2018-03-01

Robot path planning in unknown environments is one of the hot research topics in the field of robot control. Aiming at the shortcomings of traditional artificial potential field methods, we propose a new path planning for Robot based on chaotic artificial potential field method. The path planning adopts the potential function as the objective function and introduces the robot direction of movement as the control variables, which combines the improved artificial potential field method with chaotic optimization algorithm. Simulations have been carried out and the results demonstrate that the superior practicality and high efficiency of the proposed method.

Measurement correction method for force sensor used in dynamic pressure calibration based on artificial neural network optimized by genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Tingwei; Kong, Deren; Shang, Fei; Chen, Jing

2017-12-01

We present an optimization algorithm to obtain low-uncertainty dynamic pressure measurements from a force-transducer-based device. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the methods that are commonly used to measure the propellant powder gas pressure, the applicable scope of dynamic pressure calibration devices, and the shortcomings of the traditional comparison calibration method based on the drop-weight device are firstly analysed in detail. Then, a dynamic calibration method for measuring pressure using a force sensor based on a drop-weight device is introduced. This method can effectively save time when many pressure sensors are calibrated simultaneously and extend the life of expensive reference sensors. However, the force sensor is installed between the drop-weight and the hammerhead by transition pieces through the connection mode of bolt fastening, which causes adverse effects such as additional pretightening and inertia forces. To solve these effects, the influence mechanisms of the pretightening force, the inertia force and other influence factors on the force measurement are theoretically analysed. Then a measurement correction method for the force measurement is proposed based on an artificial neural network optimized by a genetic algorithm. The training and testing data sets are obtained from calibration tests, and the selection criteria for the key parameters of the correction model is discussed. The evaluation results for the test data show that the correction model can effectively improve the force measurement accuracy of the force sensor. Compared with the traditional high-accuracy comparison calibration method, the percentage difference of the impact-force-based measurement is less than 0.6% and the relative uncertainty of the corrected force value is 1.95%, which can meet the requirements of engineering applications.

Multiscale analysis of heart rate dynamics: entropy and time irreversibility measures.

PubMed

Costa, Madalena D; Peng, Chung-Kang; Goldberger, Ary L

2008-06-01

Cardiovascular signals are largely analyzed using traditional time and frequency domain measures. However, such measures fail to account for important properties related to multiscale organization and non-equilibrium dynamics. The complementary role of conventional signal analysis methods and emerging multiscale techniques, is, therefore, an important frontier area of investigation. The key finding of this presentation is that two recently developed multiscale computational tools--multiscale entropy and multiscale time irreversibility--are able to extract information from cardiac interbeat interval time series not contained in traditional methods based on mean, variance or Fourier spectrum (two-point correlation) techniques. These new methods, with careful attention to their limitations, may be useful in diagnostics, risk stratification and detection of toxicity of cardiac drugs.

Huygens Titan Probe Trajectory Reconstruction Using Traditional Methods and the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Striepe, Scott A.; Blanchard, Robert C.; Kirsch, Michael F.; Fowler, Wallace T.

2007-01-01

On January 14, 2005, ESA's Huygens probe separated from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, entered the Titan atmosphere and landed on its surface. As part of NASA Engineering Safety Center Independent Technical Assessment of the Huygens entry, descent, and landing, and an agreement with ESA, NASA provided results of all EDL analyses and associated findings to the Huygens project team prior to probe entry. In return, NASA was provided the flight data from the probe so that trajectory reconstruction could be done and simulation models assessed. Trajectory reconstruction of the Huygens entry probe at Titan was accomplished using two independent approaches: a traditional method and a POST2-based method. Results from both approaches are discussed in this paper.

Improving traditional balancing methods for high-speed rotors

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

Ling, J.; Cao, Y.

1996-01-01

This paper introduces frequency response functions, analyzes the relationships between the frequency response functions and influence coefficients theoretically, and derives corresponding mathematical equations for high-speed rotor balancing. The relationships between the imbalance masses on the rotor and frequency response functions are also analyzed based upon the modal balancing method, and the equations related to the static and dynamic imbalance masses and the frequency response function are obtained. Experiments on a high-speed rotor balancing rig were performed to verify the theory, and the experimental data agree satisfactorily with the analytical solutions. The improvement on the traditional balancing method proposed in thismore » paper will substantially reduce the number of rotor startups required during the balancing process of rotating machinery.« less

Multiscale Analysis of Heart Rate Dynamics: Entropy and Time Irreversibility Measures

PubMed Central

Peng, Chung-Kang; Goldberger, Ary L.

2016-01-01

Cardiovascular signals are largely analyzed using traditional time and frequency domain measures. However, such measures fail to account for important properties related to multiscale organization and nonequilibrium dynamics. The complementary role of conventional signal analysis methods and emerging multiscale techniques, is, therefore, an important frontier area of investigation. The key finding of this presentation is that two recently developed multiscale computational tools— multiscale entropy and multiscale time irreversibility—are able to extract information from cardiac interbeat interval time series not contained in traditional methods based on mean, variance or Fourier spectrum (two-point correlation) techniques. These new methods, with careful attention to their limitations, may be useful in diagnostics, risk stratification and detection of toxicity of cardiac drugs. PMID:18172763

Network Location-Aware Service Recommendation with Random Walk in Cyber-Physical Systems.

PubMed

Yin, Yuyu; Yu, Fangzheng; Xu, Yueshen; Yu, Lifeng; Mu, Jinglong

2017-09-08

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) have received much attention from both academia and industry. An increasing number of functions in CPS are provided in the way of services, which gives rise to an urgent task, that is, how to recommend the suitable services in a huge number of available services in CPS. In traditional service recommendation, collaborative filtering (CF) has been studied in academia, and used in industry. However, there exist several defects that limit the application of CF-based methods in CPS. One is that under the case of high data sparsity, CF-based methods are likely to generate inaccurate prediction results. In this paper, we discover that mining the potential similarity relations among users or services in CPS is really helpful to improve the prediction accuracy. Besides, most of traditional CF-based methods are only capable of using the service invocation records, but ignore the context information, such as network location, which is a typical context in CPS. In this paper, we propose a novel service recommendation method for CPS, which utilizes network location as context information and contains three prediction models using random walking. We conduct sufficient experiments on two real-world datasets, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed methods and verify that the network location is indeed useful in QoS prediction.

Assessing the accuracy of cranial and pelvic ageing methods on human skeletal remains from a modern Greek assemblage.

PubMed

Xanthopoulou, Panagiota; Valakos, Efstratios; Youlatos, Dionisios; Nikita, Efthymia

2018-05-01

The present study tests the accuracy of commonly adopted ageing methods based on the morphology of the pubic symphysis, auricular surface and cranial sutures. These methods are examined both in their traditional form as well as in the context of transition analysis using the ADBOU software in a modern Greek documented collection consisting of 140 individuals who lived mainly in the second half of the twentieth century and come from cemeteries in the area of Athens. The auricular surface overall produced the most accurate age estimates in our material, with different methods based on this anatomical area showing varying degrees of success for different age groups. The pubic symphysis produced accurate results primarily for young adults and the same applied to cranial sutures but the latter appeared completely inappropriate for older individuals. The use of transition analysis through the ADBOU software provided less accurate results than the corresponding traditional ageing methods in our sample. Our results are in agreement with those obtained from validation studies based on material from across the world, but certain differences identified with other studies on Greek material highlight the importance of taking into account intra- and inter-population variability in age estimation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semi-automating the manual literature search for systematic reviews increases efficiency.

PubMed

Chapman, Andrea L; Morgan, Laura C; Gartlehner, Gerald

2010-03-01

To minimise retrieval bias, manual literature searches are a key part of the search process of any systematic review. Considering the need to have accurate information, valid results of the manual literature search are essential to ensure scientific standards; likewise efficient approaches that minimise the amount of personnel time required to conduct a manual literature search are of great interest. The objective of this project was to determine the validity and efficiency of a new manual search method that utilises the scopus database. We used the traditional manual search approach as the gold standard to determine the validity and efficiency of the proposed scopus method. Outcome measures included completeness of article detection and personnel time involved. Using both methods independently, we compared the results based on accuracy of the results, validity and time spent conducting the search, efficiency. Regarding accuracy, the scopus method identified the same studies as the traditional approach indicating its validity. In terms of efficiency, using scopus led to a time saving of 62.5% compared with the traditional approach (3 h versus 8 h). The scopus method can significantly improve the efficiency of manual searches and thus of systematic reviews.

Virtual shelves in a digital library: a framework for access to networked information sources.

PubMed

Patrick, T B; Springer, G K; Mitchell, J A; Sievert, M E

1995-01-01

Develop a framework for collections-based access to networked information sources that addresses the problem of location-dependent access to information sources. This framework uses a metaphor of a virtual shelf. A virtual shelf is a general-purpose server that is dedicated to a particular information subject class. The identifier of one of these servers identifies its subject class. Location-independent call numbers are assigned to information sources. Call numbers are based on standard vocabulary codes. The call numbers are first mapped to the location-independent identifiers of virtual shelves. When access to an information resource is required, a location directory provides a second mapping of these location-independent server identifiers to actual network locations. The framework has been implemented in two different systems. One system is based on the Open System Foundation/Distributed Computing Environment and the other is based on the World Wide Web. This framework applies in new ways traditional methods of library classification and cataloging. It is compatible with two traditional styles of selecting information searching and browsing. Traditional methods may be combined with new paradigms of information searching that will be able to take advantage of the special properties of digital information. Cooperation between the library-informational science community and the informatics community can provide a means for a continuing application of the knowledge and techniques of library science to the new problems of networked information sources.

The effectiveness of web-based, multimedia tutorials for teaching methods of human body composition analysis.

PubMed

Buzzell, Paul R; Chamberlain, Valerie M; Pintauro, Stephen J

2002-12-01

This study examined the effectiveness of a series of Web-based, multimedia tutorials on methods of human body composition analysis. Tutorials were developed around four body composition topics: hydrodensitometry (underwater weighing), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and total body electrical conductivity. Thirty-two students enrolled in the course were randomly assigned to learn the material through either the Web-based tutorials only ("Computer"), a traditional lecture format ("Lecture"), or lectures supplemented with Web-based tutorials ("Both"). All students were administered a validated pretest before randomization and an identical posttest at the completion of the course. The reliability of the test was 0.84. The mean score changes from pretest to posttest were not significantly different among the groups (65.4 plus minus 17.31, 78.82 plus minus 21.50, and 76 plus minus 21.22 for the Computer, Both, and Lecture groups, respectively). Additionally, a Likert-type assessment found equally positive attitudes toward all three formats. The results indicate that Web-based tutorials are as effective as the traditional lecture format for teaching these topics.

Neural Network Based Sensory Fusion for Landmark Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumbla, Kishan -K.; Akbarzadeh, Mohammad R.

1997-01-01

NASA is planning to send numerous unmanned planetary missions to explore the space. This requires autonomous robotic vehicles which can navigate in an unstructured, unknown, and uncertain environment. Landmark based navigation is a new area of research which differs from the traditional goal-oriented navigation, where a mobile robot starts from an initial point and reaches a destination in accordance with a pre-planned path. The landmark based navigation has the advantage of allowing the robot to find its way without communication with the mission control station and without exact knowledge of its coordinates. Current algorithms based on landmark navigation however pose several constraints. First, they require large memories to store the images. Second, the task of comparing the images using traditional methods is computationally intensive and consequently real-time implementation is difficult. The method proposed here consists of three stages, First stage utilizes a heuristic-based algorithm to identify significant objects. The second stage utilizes a neural network (NN) to efficiently classify images of the identified objects. The third stage combines distance information with the classification results of neural networks for efficient and intelligent navigation.

Minimal residual method provides optimal regularization parameter for diffuse optical tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jagannath, Ravi Prasad K.; Yalavarthy, Phaneendra K.

2012-10-01

The inverse problem in the diffuse optical tomography is known to be nonlinear, ill-posed, and sometimes under-determined, requiring regularization to obtain meaningful results, with Tikhonov-type regularization being the most popular one. The choice of this regularization parameter dictates the reconstructed optical image quality and is typically chosen empirically or based on prior experience. An automated method for optimal selection of regularization parameter that is based on regularized minimal residual method (MRM) is proposed and is compared with the traditional generalized cross-validation method. The results obtained using numerical and gelatin phantom data indicate that the MRM-based method is capable of providing the optimal regularization parameter.

Minimal residual method provides optimal regularization parameter for diffuse optical tomography.

PubMed

Jagannath, Ravi Prasad K; Yalavarthy, Phaneendra K

2012-10-01

The inverse problem in the diffuse optical tomography is known to be nonlinear, ill-posed, and sometimes under-determined, requiring regularization to obtain meaningful results, with Tikhonov-type regularization being the most popular one. The choice of this regularization parameter dictates the reconstructed optical image quality and is typically chosen empirically or based on prior experience. An automated method for optimal selection of regularization parameter that is based on regularized minimal residual method (MRM) is proposed and is compared with the traditional generalized cross-validation method. The results obtained using numerical and gelatin phantom data indicate that the MRM-based method is capable of providing the optimal regularization parameter.

Sociometric Indicators of Leadership: An Exploratory Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

streamline existing observational protocols and assessment methods . This research provides an initial test of sociometric badges in the context of the U.S...understand, the requirements of the mission. Traditional research and assessment methods focusing on leader and follower interactions require direct...based methods of social network analysis. Novel Measures of Leadership Building on these findings and earlier research , it is apparent that

Using Horn's Parallel Analysis Method in Exploratory Factor Analysis for Determining the Number of Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çokluk, Ömay; Koçak, Duygu

2016-01-01

In this study, the number of factors obtained from parallel analysis, a method used for determining the number of factors in exploratory factor analysis, was compared to that of the factors obtained from eigenvalue and scree plot--two traditional methods for determining the number of factors--in terms of consistency. Parallel analysis is based on…

Artificial Intelligence Methods: Challenge in Computer Based Polymer Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, Teodora; Pinteala, Mariana; Cartwright, Hugh

2009-08-01

This paper deals with the use of Artificial Intelligence Methods (AI) in the design of new molecules possessing desired physical, chemical and biological properties. This is an important and difficult problem in the chemical, material and pharmaceutical industries. Traditional methods involve a laborious and expensive trial-and-error procedure, but computer-assisted approaches offer many advantages in the automation of molecular design.

The Analysis of Likert Scales Using State Multipoles: An Application of Quantum Methods to Behavioral Sciences Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camparo, James; Camparo, Lorinda B.

2013-01-01

Though ubiquitous, Likert scaling's traditional mode of analysis is often unable to uncover all of the valid information in a data set. Here, the authors discuss a solution to this problem based on methodology developed by quantum physicists: the state multipole method. The authors demonstrate the relative ease and value of this method by…

High-efficiency photorealistic computer-generated holograms based on the backward ray-tracing technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuan; Chen, Zhidong; Sang, Xinzhu; Li, Hui; Zhao, Linmin

2018-03-01

Holographic displays can provide the complete optical wave field of a three-dimensional (3D) scene, including the depth perception. However, it often takes a long computation time to produce traditional computer-generated holograms (CGHs) without more complex and photorealistic rendering. The backward ray-tracing technique is able to render photorealistic high-quality images, which noticeably reduce the computation time achieved from the high-degree parallelism. Here, a high-efficiency photorealistic computer-generated hologram method is presented based on the ray-tracing technique. Rays are parallelly launched and traced under different illuminations and circumstances. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the traditional point cloud CGH, the computation time is decreased to 24 s to reconstruct a 3D object of 100 ×100 rays with continuous depth change.

3D reconstruction based on light field images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Dong; Wu, Chunhong; Liu, Yunluo; Fu, Dongmei

2018-04-01

This paper proposed a method of reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) scene from two light field images capture by Lytro illium. The work was carried out by first extracting the sub-aperture images from light field images and using the scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) for feature registration on the selected sub-aperture images. Structure from motion (SFM) algorithm is further used on the registration completed sub-aperture images to reconstruct the three-dimensional scene. 3D sparse point cloud was obtained in the end. The method shows that the 3D reconstruction can be implemented by only two light field camera captures, rather than at least a dozen times captures by traditional cameras. This can effectively solve the time-consuming, laborious issues for 3D reconstruction based on traditional digital cameras, to achieve a more rapid, convenient and accurate reconstruction.

[Exploration on method and strategy of Gegen decoction from its novel application in primary dysmenorrhea].

PubMed

Chai, Cheng-Zhi; Yu, Bo-Yang

2018-06-01

Many classical prescriptions still have superior clinical values nowadays, and their modern studies also have far-reaching scientific research demonstration values. Gegen decoction, a representative prescription for common cold due to wind-cold, can treat primary dysmenorrhea due to cold and dampness, characterized by continuous administration without recurrence. It is not only in accordance with the principle of homotherapy for heteropathy, but also demonstrates the unique feature of traditional Chinese medicine of relieving the primary and secondary symptoms simultaneously. This article aimed to discuss the method and strategy of Gegen decoction study based on the discovery of its novel application in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and previous research progress of our group. It was assumed that modern medicine and biology studies, as well as chemical research based on biological activity should be used for reference. Principal active ingredients (groups) in Gegen decoction could be accurately and effectively identified, and its possible mechanism in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea could be eventually elucidated as well. Simultaneously, the theoretical and clinical advantages of traditional Chinese medicine were explored in this paper, focusing on the compatibility characteristics of Gegen decoction. The research hypothesis showed the necessity of following the characteristics and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in the modern research and reflected the importance of basic research based on the clinical efficacy, expecting to provide some ideas and methods for reference for further modern studies of classical prescriptions. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Evaluating TBLT: The Case of a Task-Based Spanish Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González-Lloret, Marta; Nielson, Katharine B.

2015-01-01

The need for foreign language education in the US has increased in recent years, and teaching methods based on traditional textbooks are unlikely to meet the real-world needs of current learners. As a response, interest in Language for Specific Purposes programs has grown and so has Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) methodology. This article…

Blending toward Competency. Early Patterns of Blended Learning and Competency-Based Education in New Hampshire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeland, Julia

2014-01-01

As the education field strives to differentiate and personalize learning to cater to each student, two related movements are gaining attention: competency-based education and blended learning. In competency-based models, students advance on the basis of mastery, rather than according to the traditional methods of counting progress in terms of time…

Evaluating Listening and Speaking Skills in a Mobile Game-Based Learning Environment with Situational Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Wu-Yuin; Shih, Timothy K.; Ma, Zhao-Heng; Shadiev, Rustam; Chen, Shu-Yu

2016-01-01

Game-based learning activities that facilitate students' listening and speaking skills were designed in this study. To participate in learning activities, students in the control group used traditional methods, while students in the experimental group used a mobile system. In our study, we looked into the feasibility of mobile game-based learning…

Web-Based Interactive 3D Visualization as a Tool for Improved Anatomy Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersson, Helge; Sinkvist, David; Wang, Chunliang; Smedby, Orjan

2009-01-01

Despite a long tradition, conventional anatomy education based on dissection is declining. This study tested a new virtual reality (VR) technique for anatomy learning based on virtual contrast injection. The aim was to assess whether students value this new three-dimensional (3D) visualization method as a learning tool and what value they gain…

Time series inversion of spectra from ground-based radiometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, O. M.; Eriksson, P.

2013-02-01

Retrieving time series of atmospheric constituents from ground-based spectrometers often requires different temporal averaging depending on the altitude region in focus. This can lead to several datasets existing for one instrument which complicates validation and comparisons between instruments. This paper puts forth a possible solution by incorporating the temporal domain into the maximum a posteriori (MAP) retrieval algorithm. The state vector is increased to include measurements spanning a time period, and the temporal correlations between the true atmospheric states are explicitly specified in the a priori uncertainty matrix. This allows the MAP method to effectively select the best temporal smoothing for each altitude, removing the need for several datasets to cover different altitudes. The method is compared to traditional averaging of spectra using a simulated retrieval of water vapour in the mesosphere. The simulations show that the method offers a significant advantage compared to the traditional method, extending the sensitivity an additional 10 km upwards without reducing the temporal resolution at lower altitudes. The method is also tested on the OSO water vapour microwave radiometer confirming the advantages found in the simulation. Additionally, it is shown how the method can interpolate data in time and provide diagnostic values to evaluate the interpolated data.

[Analyze prescription rules of Professor Jiang Liangduo treatment for abdominal mass based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance platform].

PubMed

Lian, Xiao-Xiao; Guo, Xiao-Xia

2018-01-01

To investigate the herbal prescription rules of Professor Jiang Liangduo in the treatment of abdominal mass based on the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system software (TCMISS) of version 2.5, find out new herbal formulas for the treatment of abdominal mass, and then provide new reference to its traditional Chinese medicine therapy. By the method of retrospective study, one hundred and thirty-two outpatient prescriptions of Professor Jiang for the treatment of abdominal mass were collected to establish a typical database with TCMISS. Four properties, five tastes, channel tropism, frequency count, Chinese herbal prescriptions rules and the new prescriptions were analyzed so as to dig out the prescription rules. There were 57 herbs with a frequency>=15, and then 91 core combinations of 2-5 herbs were evolved and 9 new prescriptions were created. It was found out that these drugs mainly had the effects of liver nourishing and soothing, soft-moist and dredging-tonifying, supporting right and dispeling evil, cooperating with the method of calming the liver and resolving hard lump according to the actual situation. It reflected the thought of treatment based on syndrome differentiation in TCM, and provided a new reference for its clinical treatment and research. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Evaluation of Performance and Perceptions of Electronic vs. Paper Multiple-Choice Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washburn, Shannon; Herman, James; Stewart, Randolph

2017-01-01

In the veterinary professional curriculum, methods of examination in many courses are transitioning from the traditional paper-based exams to electronic-based exams. Therefore, a controlled trial to evaluate the impact of testing methodology on examination performance in a veterinary physiology course was designed and implemented. Formalized…

The Effectiveness of Problem-Based Instruction: A Comparative Study of Instructional Methods and Student Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mergendoller, John R.; Maxwell, Nan L.; Bellisimo, Yolanda

2006-01-01

This study compared the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional instructional approaches in developing high-school students' macroeconomics knowledge and examined whether PBL was differentially effective with students demonstrating different levels of four aptitudes: verbal ability, interest in economics, preference for group…

Uniting Traditions: Incorporating Group-Based Exercises in the Basic Public Speaking Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clowers, Marsha; And Others

This paper introduces the subject of communication apprehension and presents five group-based exercises for the basic public speaking course. The paper notes that communication apprehension can affect people's personal and occupational lives, and that visualization, skills training, and systematic desensitization are methods that can help control…

Competency-Based Teaching of Shakespeare: How to Master "King Lear"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ribes, Purificación

2011-01-01

Shakespeare's hypotext has invited so many hypertextual transformations over the last four hundred years that twenty-first century students deserve the chance of digging into this rich mine of information and dramatic possibilities. The practical approach of a competency-based teaching method offers great advantages over traditional practices in…

QUO VADIS SOURCE TRACKING? TOWARDS A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF FECAL POLLUTION

EPA Science Inventory

Advances in microbial source tracking (MST) have largely been driven by the need to comply with water quality standards based on traditional indicator bacteria. Recently, a number of PCR-based, culture- and library-independent methods have been gaining popularity among source tra...

Probabilistic Design of a Mars Sample Return Earth Entry Vehicle Thermal Protection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dec, John A.; Mitcheltree, Robert A.

2002-01-01

The driving requirement for design of a Mars Sample Return mission is to assure containment of the returned samples. Designing to, and demonstrating compliance with, such a requirement requires physics based tools that establish the relationship between engineer's sizing margins and probabilities of failure. The traditional method of determining margins on ablative thermal protection systems, while conservative, provides little insight into the actual probability of an over-temperature during flight. The objective of this paper is to describe a new methodology for establishing margins on sizing the thermal protection system (TPS). Results of this Monte Carlo approach are compared with traditional methods.

Novel keyword co-occurrence network-based methods to foster systematic reviews of scientific literature.

PubMed

Radhakrishnan, Srinivasan; Erbis, Serkan; Isaacs, Jacqueline A; Kamarthi, Sagar

2017-01-01

Systematic reviews of scientific literature are important for mapping the existing state of research and highlighting further growth channels in a field of study, but systematic reviews are inherently tedious, time consuming, and manual in nature. In recent years, keyword co-occurrence networks (KCNs) are exploited for knowledge mapping. In a KCN, each keyword is represented as a node and each co-occurrence of a pair of words is represented as a link. The number of times that a pair of words co-occurs in multiple articles constitutes the weight of the link connecting the pair. The network constructed in this manner represents cumulative knowledge of a domain and helps to uncover meaningful knowledge components and insights based on the patterns and strength of links between keywords that appear in the literature. In this work, we propose a KCN-based approach that can be implemented prior to undertaking a systematic review to guide and accelerate the review process. The novelty of this method lies in the new metrics used for statistical analysis of a KCN that differ from those typically used for KCN analysis. The approach is demonstrated through its application to nano-related Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) risk literature. The KCN approach identified the knowledge components, knowledge structure, and research trends that match with those discovered through a traditional systematic review of the nanoEHS field. Because KCN-based analyses can be conducted more quickly to explore a vast amount of literature, this method can provide a knowledge map and insights prior to undertaking a rigorous traditional systematic review. This two-step approach can significantly reduce the effort and time required for a traditional systematic literature review. The proposed KCN-based pre-systematic review method is universal. It can be applied to any scientific field of study to prepare a knowledge map.

Novel keyword co-occurrence network-based methods to foster systematic reviews of scientific literature

PubMed Central

Isaacs, Jacqueline A.

2017-01-01

Systematic reviews of scientific literature are important for mapping the existing state of research and highlighting further growth channels in a field of study, but systematic reviews are inherently tedious, time consuming, and manual in nature. In recent years, keyword co-occurrence networks (KCNs) are exploited for knowledge mapping. In a KCN, each keyword is represented as a node and each co-occurrence of a pair of words is represented as a link. The number of times that a pair of words co-occurs in multiple articles constitutes the weight of the link connecting the pair. The network constructed in this manner represents cumulative knowledge of a domain and helps to uncover meaningful knowledge components and insights based on the patterns and strength of links between keywords that appear in the literature. In this work, we propose a KCN-based approach that can be implemented prior to undertaking a systematic review to guide and accelerate the review process. The novelty of this method lies in the new metrics used for statistical analysis of a KCN that differ from those typically used for KCN analysis. The approach is demonstrated through its application to nano-related Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) risk literature. The KCN approach identified the knowledge components, knowledge structure, and research trends that match with those discovered through a traditional systematic review of the nanoEHS field. Because KCN-based analyses can be conducted more quickly to explore a vast amount of literature, this method can provide a knowledge map and insights prior to undertaking a rigorous traditional systematic review. This two-step approach can significantly reduce the effort and time required for a traditional systematic literature review. The proposed KCN-based pre-systematic review method is universal. It can be applied to any scientific field of study to prepare a knowledge map. PMID:28328983

An Isometric Mapping Based Co-Location Decision Tree Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, G.; Wei, J.; Zhou, X.; Zhang, R.; Huang, W.; Sha, H.; Chen, J.

2018-05-01

Decision tree (DT) induction has been widely used in different pattern classification. However, most traditional DTs have the disadvantage that they consider only non-spatial attributes (ie, spectral information) as a result of classifying pixels, which can result in objects being misclassified. Therefore, some researchers have proposed a co-location decision tree (Cl-DT) method, which combines co-location and decision tree to solve the above the above-mentioned traditional decision tree problems. Cl-DT overcomes the shortcomings of the existing DT algorithms, which create a node for each value of a given attribute, which has a higher accuracy than the existing decision tree approach. However, for non-linearly distributed data instances, the euclidean distance between instances does not reflect the true positional relationship between them. In order to overcome these shortcomings, this paper proposes an isometric mapping method based on Cl-DT (called, (Isomap-based Cl-DT), which is a method that combines heterogeneous and Cl-DT together. Because isometric mapping methods use geodetic distances instead of Euclidean distances between non-linearly distributed instances, the true distance between instances can be reflected. The experimental results and several comparative analyzes show that: (1) The extraction method of exposed carbonate rocks is of high accuracy. (2) The proposed method has many advantages, because the total number of nodes, the number of leaf nodes and the number of nodes are greatly reduced compared to Cl-DT. Therefore, the Isomap -based Cl-DT algorithm can construct a more accurate and faster decision tree.

Probabilistic Scenario-based Seismic Risk Analysis for Critical Infrastructures Method and Application for a Nuclear Power Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klügel, J.

2006-12-01

Deterministic scenario-based seismic hazard analysis has a long tradition in earthquake engineering for developing the design basis of critical infrastructures like dams, transport infrastructures, chemical plants and nuclear power plants. For many applications besides of the design of infrastructures it is of interest to assess the efficiency of the design measures taken. These applications require a method allowing to perform a meaningful quantitative risk analysis. A new method for a probabilistic scenario-based seismic risk analysis has been developed based on a probabilistic extension of proven deterministic methods like the MCE- methodology. The input data required for the method are entirely based on the information which is necessary to perform any meaningful seismic hazard analysis. The method is based on the probabilistic risk analysis approach common for applications in nuclear technology developed originally by Kaplan & Garrick (1981). It is based (1) on a classification of earthquake events into different size classes (by magnitude), (2) the evaluation of the frequency of occurrence of events, assigned to the different classes (frequency of initiating events, (3) the development of bounding critical scenarios assigned to each class based on the solution of an optimization problem and (4) in the evaluation of the conditional probability of exceedance of critical design parameters (vulnerability analysis). The advantage of the method in comparison with traditional PSHA consists in (1) its flexibility, allowing to use different probabilistic models for earthquake occurrence as well as to incorporate advanced physical models into the analysis, (2) in the mathematically consistent treatment of uncertainties, and (3) in the explicit consideration of the lifetime of the critical structure as a criterion to formulate different risk goals. The method was applied for the evaluation of the risk of production interruption losses of a nuclear power plant during its residual lifetime.

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.

The e-Learning Effectiveness Versus Traditional Learning on a Health Informatics Laboratory Course.

PubMed

Zogas, Spyros; Kolokathi, Aikaterini; Birbas, Konstantinos; Chondrocoukis, Gregory; Mantas, John

2016-01-01

This paper presents a comparison between e-Learning and traditional learning methods of a University course on Health Informatics domain. A pilot research took place among University students who divided on two learning groups, the e-learners and the traditional learners. A comparison of the examinations' marks for the two groups of students was conducted in order to find differences on students' performance. The study results reveal that the students scored almost the same marks independently of the learning procedure. Based on that, it can be assumed that the e-learning courses have the same effectiveness as the in-classroom learning sessions.

[Recognition and thoughts for diagnosis and treatment of chronic prostatitis in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine].

PubMed

Song, Shu-qi; Zhang, Ya-qiang

2009-12-01

The etiology, pathogenesis, and diagnostic criteria of chronic prostatitis were reviewed in this article. Based on clinical practice, the authors systematically discussed the thoughts and methods for the treatment of chronic prostatitis by integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Meanwhile, advice on disputed problems in clinical study of prostatits were given, such as curative effect estimation value of the number of leukocytes in expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) and bacterial culture in EPS, the opportunity and treatment course of antibiotics, National Institutes of Health chronic prostatitis symptom index, classification of syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TCM symptom score, and clinical study period.

Formal Verification of Complex Systems based on SysML Functional Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-23

Formal Verification of Complex Systems based on SysML Functional Requirements Hoda Mehrpouyan1, Irem Y. Tumer2, Chris Hoyle2, Dimitra Giannakopoulou3...requirements for design of complex engineered systems. The proposed ap- proach combines a SysML modeling approach to document and structure safety requirements...methods and tools to support the integration of safety into the design solution. 2.1. SysML for Complex Engineered Systems Traditional methods and tools

Altering allergenicity of cow's milk by food processing for applications in infant formula.

PubMed

Golkar, Abdolkhalegh; Milani, Jafar M; Vasiljevic, Todor

2018-04-16

Cow's milk-based infant formulas have a long tradition in infant nutrition, although some infants are unable to use them due to presence of several known allergens. Various processing methods have been identified capable of reducing cow's milk protein allergenicity including thermal and non-thermal methods and their combinations. Heat treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis have been in production of hypoallergenic infant formulas. However, modulation of allergenic epitopes depends on the extent of heat treatment applied, which consequently may also reduce a nutritional value of these proteins. In addition, enzymatic hydrolysis may not target allergenic epitopes thus allergenicity may persist; however released peptides may have detrimental impact on taste and functional properties of final products. Modulation of allergenicity of milk proteins appears to require a concerted effort to minimize detrimental effects as clinical studies conducted on commercial hypoallergenic formulas demonstrated persistence of allergic symptoms. This article covers traditional and novel processing methods and their impact on reduction of cow's milk allergenicity in milk-based infant formulas.

Evaluating nanoscale ultra-thin metal films by means of lateral photovoltaic effect in metal-semiconductor structure.

PubMed

Zheng, Diyuan; Yu, Chongqi; Zhang, Qian; Wang, Hui

2017-12-15

Nanoscale metal-semiconductor (MS) structure materials occupy an important position in semiconductor and microelectronic field due to their abundant physical phenomena and effects. The thickness of metal films is a critical factor in determining characteristics of MS devices. How to detect or evaluate the metal thickness is always a key issue for realizing high performance MS devices. In this work, we propose a direct surface detection by use of the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in MS structure, which can not only measure nanoscale thickness, but also detect the fluctuation of metal films. This method is based on the fact that the output of lateral photovoltaic voltage (LPV) is closely linked with the metal thickness at the laser spot. We believe this laser-based contact-free detection is a useful supplement to the traditional methods, such as AFM, SEM, TEM or step profiler. This is because these traditional methods are always incapable of directly detecting ultra-thin metal films in MS structure materials.

Current harmonics elimination control method for six-phase PM synchronous motor drives.

PubMed

Yuan, Lei; Chen, Ming-liang; Shen, Jian-qing; Xiao, Fei

2015-11-01

To reduce the undesired 5th and 7th stator harmonic current in the six-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), an improved vector control algorithm was proposed based on vector space decomposition (VSD) transformation method, which can control the fundamental and harmonic subspace separately. To improve the traditional VSD technology, a novel synchronous rotating coordinate transformation matrix was presented in this paper, and only using the traditional PI controller in d-q subspace can meet the non-static difference adjustment, the controller parameter design method is given by employing internal model principle. Moreover, the current PI controller parallel with resonant controller is employed in x-y subspace to realize the specific 5th and 7th harmonic component compensation. In addition, a new six-phase SVPWM algorithm based on VSD transformation theory is also proposed. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of current decoupling vector controller. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complex basis functions for molecular resonances: Methodology and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Alec; McCurdy, C. William; Head-Gordon, Martin

The computation of positions and widths of metastable electronic states is a challenge for molecular electronic structure theory because, in addition to the difficulty of the many-body problem, such states obey scattering boundary conditions. These resonances cannot be addressed with naïve application of traditional bound state electronic structure theory. Non-Hermitian electronic structure methods employing complex basis functions is one way that we may rigorously treat resonances within the framework of traditional electronic structure theory. In this talk, I will discuss our recent work in this area including the methodological extension from single determinant SCF-based approaches to highly correlated levels of wavefunction-based theory such as equation of motion coupled cluster and many-body perturbation theory. These approaches provide a hierarchy of theoretical methods for the computation of positions and widths of molecular resonances. Within this framework, we may also examine properties of resonances including the dependence of these parameters on molecular geometry. Some applications of these methods to temporary anions and dianions will also be discussed.

Evaluating nanoscale ultra-thin metal films by means of lateral photovoltaic effect in metal-semiconductor structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Diyuan; Yu, Chongqi; Zhang, Qian; Wang, Hui

2017-12-01

Nanoscale metal-semiconductor (MS) structure materials occupy an important position in semiconductor and microelectronic field due to their abundant physical phenomena and effects. The thickness of metal films is a critical factor in determining characteristics of MS devices. How to detect or evaluate the metal thickness is always a key issue for realizing high performance MS devices. In this work, we propose a direct surface detection by use of the lateral photovoltaic effect (LPE) in MS structure, which can not only measure nanoscale thickness, but also detect the fluctuation of metal films. This method is based on the fact that the output of lateral photovoltaic voltage (LPV) is closely linked with the metal thickness at the laser spot. We believe this laser-based contact-free detection is a useful supplement to the traditional methods, such as AFM, SEM, TEM or step profiler. This is because these traditional methods are always incapable of directly detecting ultra-thin metal films in MS structure materials.

A Residual Mass Ballistic Testing Method to Compare Armor Materials or Components (Residual Mass Ballistic Testing Method)

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

Benjamin Langhorst; Thomas M Lillo; Henry S Chu

2014-05-01

A statistics based ballistic test method is presented for use when comparing multiple groups of test articles of unknown relative ballistic perforation resistance. The method is intended to be more efficient than many traditional methods for research and development testing. To establish the validity of the method, it is employed in this study to compare test groups of known relative ballistic performance. Multiple groups of test articles were perforated using consistent projectiles and impact conditions. Test groups were made of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) plates and differed in thickness. After perforation, each residual projectile was captured behind the target andmore » its mass was measured. The residual masses measured for each test group were analyzed to provide ballistic performance rankings with associated confidence levels. When compared to traditional V50 methods, the residual mass (RM) method was found to require fewer test events and be more tolerant of variations in impact conditions.« less

Multiple-Bit Differential Detection of OQPSK

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Marvin

2005-01-01

A multiple-bit differential-detection method has been proposed for the reception of radio signals modulated with offset quadrature phase-shift keying (offset QPSK or OQPSK). The method is also applicable to other spectrally efficient offset quadrature modulations. This method is based partly on the same principles as those of a multiple-symbol differential-detection method for M-ary QPSK, which includes QPSK (that is, non-offset QPSK) as a special case. That method was introduced more than a decade ago by the author of the present method as a means of improving performance relative to a traditional (two-symbol observation) differential-detection scheme. Instead of symbol-by-symbol detection, both that method and the present one are based on a concept of maximum-likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE). As applied to the modulations in question, MLSE involves consideration of (1) all possible binary data sequences that could have been received during an observation time of some number, N, of symbol periods and (2) selection of the sequence that yields the best match to the noise-corrupted signal received during that time. The performance of the prior method was shown to range from that of traditional differential detection for short observation times (small N) to that of ideal coherent detection (with differential encoding) for long observation times (large N).

Superresolution SAR Imaging Algorithm Based on Mvm and Weighted Norm Extrapolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, P.; Chen, Q.; Li, Z.; Tang, Z.; Liu, J.; Zhao, L.

2013-08-01

In this paper, we present an extrapolation approach, which uses minimum weighted norm constraint and minimum variance spectrum estimation, for improving synthetic aperture radar (SAR) resolution. Minimum variance method is a robust high resolution method to estimate spectrum. Based on the theory of SAR imaging, the signal model of SAR imagery is analyzed to be feasible for using data extrapolation methods to improve the resolution of SAR image. The method is used to extrapolate the efficient bandwidth in phase history field and better results are obtained compared with adaptive weighted norm extrapolation (AWNE) method and traditional imaging method using simulated data and actual measured data.

Dialectical behavior therapy with American Indian/Alaska Native adolescents diagnosed with substance use disorders: combining an evidence based treatment with cultural, traditional, and spiritual beliefs.

PubMed

Beckstead, D Joel; Lambert, Michael J; DuBose, Anthony P; Linehan, Marsha

2015-12-01

This pilot study examined pre to post-change of patients in a substance use residential treatment center that incorporated Dialectical Behavior Therapy with specific cultural, traditional and spiritual practices for American Indian/Alaska Native adolescents. Specifically, the incorporation of cultural, spiritual and traditional practices was done while still maintaining fidelity to the evidence based treatment (DBT). 229 adolescents participated in the study and were given the Youth Outcome Questionnaire-Self-Report version at pre-treatment and post-treatment and the total scores were compared. The results of the research study showed that 96% of adolescents were either "recovered" or "improved" using clinical significant change criteria. Additionally, differences between the group's pre-test scores and post-test scores were statistically significant using a matched standard T-test comparison. Finally, the effect size that was calculated using Cohen's criteria was found to be large. The results are discussed in terms of the implication for integrating western and traditional based methods of care in addressing substance use disorders and other mental health disorders with American Indian/Alaska Native adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Contact resistance extraction methods for short- and long-channel carbon nanotube field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pacheco-Sanchez, Anibal; Claus, Martin; Mothes, Sven; Schröter, Michael

2016-11-01

Three different methods for the extraction of the contact resistance based on both the well-known transfer length method (TLM) and two variants of the Y-function method have been applied to simulation and experimental data of short- and long-channel CNTFETs. While for TLM special CNT test structures are mandatory, standard electrical device characteristics are sufficient for the Y-function methods. The methods have been applied to CNTFETs with low and high channel resistance. It turned out that the standard Y-function method fails to deliver the correct contact resistance in case of a relatively high channel resistance compared to the contact resistances. A physics-based validation is also given for the application of these methods based on applying traditional Si MOSFET theory to quasi-ballistic CNTFETs.

Semantic Edge Based Disparity Estimation Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Binocular Sensors

PubMed Central

Zhu, Dongchen; Li, Jiamao; Wang, Xianshun; Peng, Jingquan; Shi, Wenjun; Zhang, Xiaolin

2018-01-01

Disparity calculation is crucial for binocular sensor ranging. The disparity estimation based on edges is an important branch in the research of sparse stereo matching and plays an important role in visual navigation. In this paper, we propose a robust sparse stereo matching method based on the semantic edges. Some simple matching costs are used first, and then a novel adaptive dynamic programming algorithm is proposed to obtain optimal solutions. This algorithm makes use of the disparity or semantic consistency constraint between the stereo images to adaptively search parameters, which can improve the robustness of our method. The proposed method is compared quantitatively and qualitatively with the traditional dynamic programming method, some dense stereo matching methods, and the advanced edge-based method respectively. Experiments show that our method can provide superior performance on the above comparison. PMID:29614028

Semantic Edge Based Disparity Estimation Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Binocular Sensors.

PubMed

Zhu, Dongchen; Li, Jiamao; Wang, Xianshun; Peng, Jingquan; Shi, Wenjun; Zhang, Xiaolin

2018-04-03

Disparity calculation is crucial for binocular sensor ranging. The disparity estimation based on edges is an important branch in the research of sparse stereo matching and plays an important role in visual navigation. In this paper, we propose a robust sparse stereo matching method based on the semantic edges. Some simple matching costs are used first, and then a novel adaptive dynamic programming algorithm is proposed to obtain optimal solutions. This algorithm makes use of the disparity or semantic consistency constraint between the stereo images to adaptively search parameters, which can improve the robustness of our method. The proposed method is compared quantitatively and qualitatively with the traditional dynamic programming method, some dense stereo matching methods, and the advanced edge-based method respectively. Experiments show that our method can provide superior performance on the above comparison.

Online solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for the determination of five tannins in traditional Chinese medicine injections.

PubMed

Sun, Meng; Lin, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Jie; Zheng, Shaohua; Wang, Sicen

2016-03-01

A rapid analytical method based on online solid-phase extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry has been established and applied to the determination of tannin compounds that may cause adverse effects in traditional Chinese medicine injections. Different solid-phase extraction sorbents have been compared and the elution buffer was optimized. The performance of the method was verified by evaluation of recovery (≥40%), repeatability (RSD ≤ 6%), linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.993), and limit of quantification (≤0.35 μg/mL). Five tannin compounds, gallic acid, cianidanol, gallocatechin gallate, ellagic acid, and penta-O-galloylglucose, were identified with concentrations ranging from 3.1-37.4 μg/mL in the analyzed traditional Chinese medicine injections. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Species Problem in Myxomycetes Revisited.

PubMed

Walker, Laura M; Stephenson, Steven L

2016-08-01

Species identification in the myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) poses particular challenges to researchers as a result of their morphological plasticity and frequent alteration between sexual and asexual life strategies. Traditionally, myxomycete morphology has been used as the primary method of species delimitation. However, with the increasing availability of genetic information, traditional myxomycete taxonomy is being increasingly challenged, and new hypotheses continue to emerge. Due to conflicts that sometimes occur between traditional and more modern species concepts that are based largely on molecular data, there is a pressing need to revisit the discussion surrounding the species concept used for myxomycetes. Biological diversity is being increasingly studied with molecular methods and data accumulates at ever-faster rates, making resolution of this matter urgent. In this review, currently used and potentially useful species concepts (biological, morphological, phylogenetic and ecological) are reviewed, and an integrated approach to resolve the myxomycete species problem is discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Denoising by coupled partial differential equations and extracting phase by backpropagation neural networks for electronic speckle pattern interferometry.

PubMed

Tang, Chen; Lu, Wenjing; Chen, Song; Zhang, Zhen; Li, Botao; Wang, Wenping; Han, Lin

2007-10-20

We extend and refine previous work [Appl. Opt. 46, 2907 (2007)]. Combining the coupled nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) denoising model with the ordinary differential equations enhancement method, we propose the new denoising and enhancing model for electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) fringe patterns. Meanwhile, we propose the backpropagation neural networks (BPNN) method to obtain unwrapped phase values based on a skeleton map instead of traditional interpolations. We test the introduced methods on the computer-simulated speckle ESPI fringe patterns and experimentally obtained fringe pattern, respectively. The experimental results show that the coupled nonlinear PDEs denoising model is capable of effectively removing noise, and the unwrapped phase values obtained by the BPNN method are much more accurate than those obtained by the well-known traditional interpolation. In addition, the accuracy of the BPNN method is adjustable by changing the parameters of networks such as the number of neurons.

Iodine Absorption Cells Purity Testing.

PubMed

Hrabina, Jan; Zucco, Massimo; Philippe, Charles; Pham, Tuan Minh; Holá, Miroslava; Acef, Ouali; Lazar, Josef; Číp, Ondřej

2017-01-06

This article deals with the evaluation of the chemical purity of iodine-filled absorption cells and the optical frequency references used for the frequency locking of laser standards. We summarize the recent trends and progress in absorption cell technology and we focus on methods for iodine cell purity testing. We compare two independent experimental systems based on the laser-induced fluorescence method, showing an improvement of measurement uncertainty by introducing a compensation system reducing unwanted influences. We show the advantages of this technique, which is relatively simple and does not require extensive hardware equipment. As an alternative to the traditionally used methods we propose an approach of hyperfine transitions' spectral linewidth measurement. The key characteristic of this method is demonstrated on a set of testing iodine cells. The relationship between laser-induced fluorescence and transition linewidth methods will be presented as well as a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique (in comparison with traditional measurement approaches).

Iodine Absorption Cells Purity Testing

PubMed Central

Hrabina, Jan; Zucco, Massimo; Philippe, Charles; Pham, Tuan Minh; Holá, Miroslava; Acef, Ouali; Lazar, Josef; Číp, Ondřej

2017-01-01

This article deals with the evaluation of the chemical purity of iodine-filled absorption cells and the optical frequency references used for the frequency locking of laser standards. We summarize the recent trends and progress in absorption cell technology and we focus on methods for iodine cell purity testing. We compare two independent experimental systems based on the laser-induced fluorescence method, showing an improvement of measurement uncertainty by introducing a compensation system reducing unwanted influences. We show the advantages of this technique, which is relatively simple and does not require extensive hardware equipment. As an alternative to the traditionally used methods we propose an approach of hyperfine transitions’ spectral linewidth measurement. The key characteristic of this method is demonstrated on a set of testing iodine cells. The relationship between laser-induced fluorescence and transition linewidth methods will be presented as well as a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique (in comparison with traditional measurement approaches). PMID:28067834

Real-time Tracking of DNA Fragment Separation by Smartphone.

PubMed

Tao, Chunxian; Yang, Bo; Li, Zhenqing; Zhang, Dawei; Yamaguchi, Yoshinori

2017-06-01

Slab gel electrophoresis (SGE) is the most common method for the separation of DNA fragments; thus, it is broadly applied to the field of biology and others. However, the traditional SGE protocol is quite tedious, and the experiment takes a long time. Moreover, the chemical consumption in SGE experiments is very high. This work proposes a simple method for the separation of DNA fragments based on an SGE chip. The chip is made by an engraving machine. Two plastic sheets are used for the excitation and emission wavelengths of the optical signal. The fluorescence signal of the DNA bands is collected by smartphone. To validate this method, 50, 100, and 1,000 bp DNA ladders were separated. The results demonstrate that a DNA ladder smaller than 5,000 bp can be resolved within 12 min and with high resolution when using this method, indicating that it is an ideal substitute for the traditional SGE method.

Self-similarity Clustering Event Detection Based on Triggers Guidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xianfei; Li, Bicheng; Tian, Yuxuan

Traditional method of Event Detection and Characterization (EDC) regards event detection task as classification problem. It makes words as samples to train classifier, which can lead to positive and negative samples of classifier imbalance. Meanwhile, there is data sparseness problem of this method when the corpus is small. This paper doesn't classify event using word as samples, but cluster event in judging event types. It adopts self-similarity to convergence the value of K in K-means algorithm by the guidance of event triggers, and optimizes clustering algorithm. Then, combining with named entity and its comparative position information, the new method further make sure the pinpoint type of event. The new method avoids depending on template of event in tradition methods, and its result of event detection can well be used in automatic text summarization, text retrieval, and topic detection and tracking.

Total strain version of strainrange partitioning for thermomechanical fatigue at low strains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halford, G. R.; Saltsman, J. F.

1987-01-01

A new method is proposed for characterizing and predicting the thermal fatigue behavior of materials. The method is based on three innovations in characterizing high temperature material behavior: (1) the bithermal concept of fatigue testing; (2) advanced, nonlinear, cyclic constitutive models; and (3) the total strain version of traditional strainrange partitioning.