Characterization of Weak Convergence of Probability-Valued Solutions of General One-Dimensional Kinetic Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perversi, Eleonora; Regazzini, Eugenio

2015-05-01

For a general inelastic Kac-like equation recently proposed, this paper studies the long-time behaviour of its probability-valued solution. In particular, the paper provides necessary and sufficient conditions for the initial datum in order that the corresponding solution converges to equilibrium. The proofs rest on the general CLT for independent summands applied to a suitable Skorokhod representation of the original solution evaluated at an increasing and divergent sequence of times. It turns out that, roughly speaking, the initial datum must belong to the standard domain of attraction of a stable law, while the equilibrium is presentable as a mixture of stable laws.

A weighted generalized score statistic for comparison of predictive values of diagnostic tests

PubMed Central

Kosinski, Andrzej S.

2013-01-01

Positive and negative predictive values are important measures of a medical diagnostic test performance. We consider testing equality of two positive or two negative predictive values within a paired design in which all patients receive two diagnostic tests. The existing statistical tests for testing equality of predictive values are either Wald tests based on the multinomial distribution or the empirical Wald and generalized score tests within the generalized estimating equations (GEE) framework. As presented in the literature, these test statistics have considerably complex formulas without clear intuitive insight. We propose their re-formulations which are mathematically equivalent but algebraically simple and intuitive. As is clearly seen with a new re-formulation we present, the generalized score statistic does not always reduce to the commonly used score statistic in the independent samples case. To alleviate this, we introduce a weighted generalized score (WGS) test statistic which incorporates empirical covariance matrix with newly proposed weights. This statistic is simple to compute, it always reduces to the score statistic in the independent samples situation, and it preserves type I error better than the other statistics as demonstrated by simulations. Thus, we believe the proposed WGS statistic is the preferred statistic for testing equality of two predictive values and for corresponding sample size computations. The new formulas of the Wald statistics may be useful for easy computation of confidence intervals for difference of predictive values. The introduced concepts have potential to lead to development of the weighted generalized score test statistic in a general GEE setting. PMID:22912343

Value increasing business model for e-hospital.

PubMed

Null, Robert; Wei, June

2009-01-01

This paper developed a business value increasing model for electronic hospital (e-hospital) based on electronic value chain analysis. From this model, 58 hospital electronic business (e-business) solutions were developed. Additionally, this paper investigated the adoption patterns of these 58 e-business solutions within six US leading hospitals. The findings show that only 36 of 58 or 62% of the e-business solutions are fully or partially implemented within the six hospitals. Ultimately, the research results will be beneficial to managers and executives for accelerating e-business adoptions for e-hospital.

A weighted generalized score statistic for comparison of predictive values of diagnostic tests.

PubMed

Kosinski, Andrzej S

2013-03-15

Positive and negative predictive values are important measures of a medical diagnostic test performance. We consider testing equality of two positive or two negative predictive values within a paired design in which all patients receive two diagnostic tests. The existing statistical tests for testing equality of predictive values are either Wald tests based on the multinomial distribution or the empirical Wald and generalized score tests within the generalized estimating equations (GEE) framework. As presented in the literature, these test statistics have considerably complex formulas without clear intuitive insight. We propose their re-formulations that are mathematically equivalent but algebraically simple and intuitive. As is clearly seen with a new re-formulation we presented, the generalized score statistic does not always reduce to the commonly used score statistic in the independent samples case. To alleviate this, we introduce a weighted generalized score (WGS) test statistic that incorporates empirical covariance matrix with newly proposed weights. This statistic is simple to compute, always reduces to the score statistic in the independent samples situation, and preserves type I error better than the other statistics as demonstrated by simulations. Thus, we believe that the proposed WGS statistic is the preferred statistic for testing equality of two predictive values and for corresponding sample size computations. The new formulas of the Wald statistics may be useful for easy computation of confidence intervals for difference of predictive values. The introduced concepts have potential to lead to development of the WGS test statistic in a general GEE setting. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Trust increases euthanasia acceptance: a multilevel analysis using the European Values Study.

PubMed

Köneke, Vanessa

2014-12-20

This study tests how various kinds of trust impact attitudes toward euthanasia among the general public. The indication that trust might have an impact on euthanasia attitudes is based on the slippery slope argument, which asserts that allowing euthanasia might lead to abuses and involuntary deaths. Adopting this argument usually leads to less positive attitudes towards euthanasia. Tying in with this, it is assumed here that greater trust diminishes such slippery slope fears, and thereby increases euthanasia acceptance. The effects of various trust indicators on euthanasia acceptance were tested using multilevel analysis, and data from the European Values Study 2008 (N = 49,114, 44 countries). More precisely, the influence of people's general levels of trust in other people, and their confidence in the health care system, were measured--both at the individual and at the country level. Confidence in the state and the press were accounted for as well, since both institutions might monitor and safeguard euthanasia practices. It was shown that the level of trust in a country was strongly positively linked to euthanasia attitudes, both for general trust and for confidence in health care. In addition, within countries, people who perceived their fellow citizens as trustworthy, and who had confidence in the press, were more supportive of euthanasia than their less trusting counterparts. The pattern was, however, not true for confidence in the state and for confidence in the health care system at the individual level. Notably, all confirmative effects held, even when other variables such as religiosity, education, and values regarding autonomy were controlled for. Trust seems to be a noteworthy construct to explain differences in attitudes towards euthanasia, especially when drawing cross-country comparisons. Therefore, it should be added to the existing literature on correlates of euthanasia attitudes.

Half-value-layer increase owing to tungsten buildup in the x-ray tube: fact or fiction.

PubMed

Stears, J G; Felmlee, J P; Gray, J E

1986-09-01

The half-value layer (HVL) of an x-ray beam is generally believed to increase with x-ray tube use. This increase in HVL has previously been attributed to the hardening of the x-ray beam as a result of a buildup of tungsten on the x-ray tube glass window. Radiographs and HVL measurements were obtained to determine the effect of tungsten deposited on the x-ray tube windows. This work, along with the HVL data from approximately 200 functioning x-ray tubes used for all applications that were monitored for more than 8 years, indicated there is no significant increase in HVL with diagnostic x-ray tube use.

A Blueprint for Pharmacy Benefit Managers to Increase Value

PubMed Central

Shrank, William H.; Porter, Michael E.; Jain, Sachin H.; Choudhry, Niteesh K.

2009-01-01

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have a unique opportunity to promote health and generate value in the healthcare system. Today, PBMs are largely evaluated on their ability to control costs rather than improve health. Pharmacy benefit managers should be evaluated along 3 dimensions in which they can increase value: (1) use of cost-effective medications, (2) timely initiation of appropriate medication therapy, and (3) adherence to that therapy. Value creation requires the development of integrated data systems, stronger partnerships with patients and physicians, and improved measurement and reporting of results. Incentives for PBMs to promote value should drive innovation and improve health outcomes. PMID:19284805

Increasing value and reducing waste in stroke research.

PubMed

Berge, Eivind; Al-Shahi Salman, Rustam; van der Worp, H Bart; Stapf, Christian; Sandercock, Peter; Sprigg, Nikola; Macleod, Malcolm R; Kelly, Peter J; Nederkoorn, Paul J; Ford, Gary A

2017-05-01

Stroke is a major burden to patients and society, and resources spent on stroke research must be used efficiently and produce good value in terms of improvements in human health. However, many instances of poor value from stroke research funding have resulted from the way in which stroke research topics have been chosen and how studies have been designed, conducted, analysed, regulated, managed, disseminated, or reported. A cooperative effort of European stroke researchers aimed to identify sources of inefficiency and waste, recommend approaches to increase value, and highlight examples of best practice in stroke research. Evidence suggests that progress has been made, but there is room for much improvement; researchers, funders, regulators, and other stakeholders in stroke research might consider these recommendations when planning new research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The increasing value of education to health.

PubMed

Goldman, Dana; Smith, James P

2011-05-01

This paper assesses how the relationship between health and educational attainment has changed over the last three decades. We examine trends in disease prevalence and self-reported health using the US National Health Interview Survey for five chronic conditions-arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and lung diseases. The sample is limited to non-Hispanic Whites ages 40-64 to focus on the value of education and not changing representation of minority populations. We find that health benefits associated with additional schooling rose over time by more than ten percentage points as measured by self-reported health status. This can be attributed to both a growing disparity by education in the probability of having major chronic diseases during middle age, and better health outcomes for those with each disease. The value of education in achieving better health has increased over the last 25 years; both in protecting against onset of disease and promoting better health outcomes amongst those with a disease. Besides better access to health insurance, the more educated increasingly adapted better health behaviors, particularly not smoking and engaging in vigorous exercise, and reaped the benefits of improving medical technology. Rising health disparities by education are an important social concern which may require targeted interventions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Increasing Value of Education to Health

PubMed Central

Goldman, Dana; Smith, James P.

2011-01-01

This paper assesses how the relationship between health and educational attainment has changed over the last three decades. We examine trends in disease prevalence and self-reporte health using the US National Health Interview Survey for five chronic conditions—arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and lung diseases. The sample is limited to non-Hispanic Whites ages 40–64 to focus on the value of education and not changing representation of minority populations. We find that health benefits associated with additional schooling rose over time by more than ten percentage points as measured by self-reported health status. This can be attributed to both a growing disparity by education in the probability of having major chronic diseases during middle age, and better health outcomes for those with each disease. The value of education in achieving better health has increased over the last 25 years; both in protecting against onset of disease and promoting better health outcomes amongst those with a disease. Besides better access to health insurance, the more educated increasingly adapted better health behaviors, particularly not smoking and engaging in vigorous excercise, and reaped the benefits of improving medical technology. Rising health disparities by education are an important social concern which may require targeted interventions. PMID:21555176

Values, inter-attitudinal structure, and attitude change: value accessibility can increase a related attitude's resistance to change.

PubMed

Blankenship, Kevin L; Wegener, Duane T; Murray, Renee A

2015-12-01

Accessibility is one of the most basic structural properties of an attitude and an important factor to consider in attitude strength. Despite its importance, relatively little work has examined the role of attitude accessibility in an inter-attitudinal context, particularly as it relates to the strength of related attitudes in the network. The present research examines accessibility as a property of one attitude (toward an abstract goal or end-state, that is, a value) that might influence the strength of a different but related attitude (toward a social policy conceptually related to the value). In Study 1, a highly accessible evaluative component of a value increased resistance to change of attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a social policy related to that value. Similarly, a manipulation of value accessibility (Studies 2 and 3) led to increased resistance of attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a social policy related to that value. Implications for the role of accessibility in inter-attitudinal strength are discussed. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Generalization of value in reinforcement learning by humans

PubMed Central

Wimmer, G. Elliott; Daw, Nathaniel D.; Shohamy, Daphna

2012-01-01

Research in decision making has focused on the role of dopamine and its striatal targets in guiding choices via learned stimulus-reward or stimulus-response associations, behavior that is well-described by reinforcement learning (RL) theories. However, basic RL is relatively limited in scope and does not explain how learning about stimulus regularities or relations may guide decision making. A candidate mechanism for this type of learning comes from the domain of memory, which has highlighted a role for the hippocampus in learning of stimulus-stimulus relations, typically dissociated from the role of the striatum in stimulus-response learning. Here, we used fMRI and computational model-based analyses to examine the joint contributions of these mechanisms to RL. Humans performed an RL task with added relational structure, modeled after tasks used to isolate hippocampal contributions to memory. On each trial participants chose one of four options, but the reward probabilities for pairs of options were correlated across trials. This (uninstructed) relationship between pairs of options potentially enabled an observer to learn about options’ values based on experience with the other options and to generalize across them. We observed BOLD activity related to learning in the striatum and also in the hippocampus. By comparing a basic RL model to one augmented to allow feedback to generalize between correlated options, we tested whether choice behavior and BOLD activity were influenced by the opportunity to generalize across correlated options. Although such generalization goes beyond standard computational accounts of RL and striatal BOLD, both choices and striatal BOLD were better explained by the augmented model. Consistent with the hypothesized role for the hippocampus in this generalization, functional connectivity between the ventral striatum and hippocampus was modulated, across participants, by the ability of the augmented model to capture participants’ choice

Auxiliary principle technique and iterative algorithm for a perturbed system of generalized multi-valued mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems.

PubMed

Rahaman, Mijanur; Pang, Chin-Tzong; Ishtyak, Mohd; Ahmad, Rais

2017-01-01

In this article, we introduce a perturbed system of generalized mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems involving multi-valued mappings in Hilbert spaces. To calculate the approximate solutions of the perturbed system of generalized multi-valued mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems, firstly we develop a perturbed system of auxiliary generalized multi-valued mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems, and then by using the celebrated Fan-KKM technique, we establish the existence and uniqueness of solutions of the perturbed system of auxiliary generalized multi-valued mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems. By deploying an auxiliary principle technique and an existence result, we formulate an iterative algorithm for solving the perturbed system of generalized multi-valued mixed quasi-equilibrium-like problems. Lastly, we study the strong convergence analysis of the proposed iterative sequences under monotonicity and some mild conditions. These results are new and generalize some known results in this field.

Generalization of value in reinforcement learning by humans.

PubMed

Wimmer, G Elliott; Daw, Nathaniel D; Shohamy, Daphna

2012-04-01

Research in decision-making has focused on the role of dopamine and its striatal targets in guiding choices via learned stimulus-reward or stimulus-response associations, behavior that is well described by reinforcement learning theories. However, basic reinforcement learning is relatively limited in scope and does not explain how learning about stimulus regularities or relations may guide decision-making. A candidate mechanism for this type of learning comes from the domain of memory, which has highlighted a role for the hippocampus in learning of stimulus-stimulus relations, typically dissociated from the role of the striatum in stimulus-response learning. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and computational model-based analyses to examine the joint contributions of these mechanisms to reinforcement learning. Humans performed a reinforcement learning task with added relational structure, modeled after tasks used to isolate hippocampal contributions to memory. On each trial participants chose one of four options, but the reward probabilities for pairs of options were correlated across trials. This (uninstructed) relationship between pairs of options potentially enabled an observer to learn about option values based on experience with the other options and to generalize across them. We observed blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity related to learning in the striatum and also in the hippocampus. By comparing a basic reinforcement learning model to one augmented to allow feedback to generalize between correlated options, we tested whether choice behavior and BOLD activity were influenced by the opportunity to generalize across correlated options. Although such generalization goes beyond standard computational accounts of reinforcement learning and striatal BOLD, both choices and striatal BOLD activity were better explained by the augmented model. Consistent with the hypothesized role for the hippocampus in this generalization, functional

The rate of value increase for black cherry, red maple,and white ash

Treesearch

Ted J. Grisez; Joseph J. Mendel; Joseph J. Mendel

1972-01-01

In this paper we present the dollar values and value increases, as well as the rates of value increase, for three of the most important tree species of the Allegheny Plateau of New York and Pennsylvania: black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), and white ash (Fraxinus americana L.).

SMOKE-FREE ORDINANCES INCREASE RESTAURANT PROFIT AND VALUE

PubMed Central

Alamar, Benjamin C.

2011-01-01

This study estimates the economic value added to a restaurant by a smoke-free policy using regression analysis of the purchase price of restaurants, as a function of the presence of a smoke-free law and other control variables. There was a median increase of 16% (interquartile range 11% to 25%) in the sale price of a restaurant in a jurisdiction with a smoke-free law compared to a comparable restaurant in a community without such a law. This result indicates that, contrary to claims made by the tobacco industry and other opponents of smoke-free laws, these laws are associated with an increase in restaurant profitability. PMID:21637722

Increased diagnostic activity in general practice during the year preceding colorectal cancer diagnosis.

PubMed

Hansen, Pernille Libach; Hjertholm, Peter; Vedsted, Peter

2015-08-01

Accurate diagnostic activity in general practice before colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis is crucial for an early detection of CRC. This study aimed to investigate the rates of daytime consultations, hemoglobin (Hb) measurements and medicine prescriptions for hemorrhoids in general practice in the year preceding CRC diagnosis. Using Danish registries, we conducted a population-based matched cohort study including CRC patients aged 40-80 years (n = 19,209) and matched references (n = 192,090). We calculated odds ratios (ORs) using a conditional logistical regression model and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) using a negative binomial regression model. The CRC patients had significantly more consultations from 9 months before diagnosis and significantly increased rates of Hb measurements from up to 17 months before diagnosis compared with references. Furthermore, up to 18 months before diagnosis, CRC patients had significantly higher rates of prescriptions for hemorrhoids; and 2 months before diagnosis, the IRR was 12.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 10.29-14.55) for men. The positive predictive value (PPV) of CRC for having a first-time prescription for hemorrhoids was highest among men aged 70-80 years [PPV = 3.2% (95% CI: 2.8-3.7)]. High prescription rates were predominantly seen among rectal cancer patients, whereas colon cancer patients had higher rates of consultations and Hb measurements. This study revealed a significant increase in healthcare seeking and diagnostic activity in general practice in the year prior to CRC diagnosis, which indicates the presence of a "diagnostic time window" and a potential for earlier diagnosis of CRC based on clinical signs and symptoms. © 2015 UICC.

[Normal and cut-off values of the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes in the Croatian general population].

PubMed

Kopjar, Nevenka; Kasuba, Vilena; Milić, Mirta; Rozgaj, Ruzica; Zeljezić, Davor; Gajski, Goran; Mladinić, Marin; Garaj-Vrhovac, Vera

2010-06-01

The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes is one of the most important methods employed in cytogenetic biomonitoring. For the purposes of biological dosimetry, it is important to know the spontaneous frequency of a biomarker and its normal values in general population. These values are used for population databases, which should be updated regularly. In this study, MN levels were investigated in cytokinesis-blocked lymphocytes of 200 healthy male and female blood donors selected at random from the general population of Croatia. The aim was to assess the variability and determine possible influences of external and/or internal factors on the background levels of MN and to establish the cut-off value for the CBMN assay. The background frequency of MN was (6.90+/-3.32) MN (median 7 MN) and the range was 0 to 18 MN per 1000 binuclear lymphocytes. The cut-off value, which corresponds to 95th percentile of the distribution of 200 individual values, was 12.5 MN. Spontaneous formation of MN was influenced by sex, age, and smoking. Women had higher MN levels than men. However, only age and smoking significantly increased the values of all parameters evaluated by the CBMN assay. Since the existing literature data on smoking-related formation of MN are contradictory, we will continue these investigations to resolve how the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the duration of smoking in years influence the results of the CBMN assay. Our results are consistent with the background MN frequencies reported by other cytogenetic laboratories worldwide. Normal and cut-off values estimated in this study will be used to update the current general population data and as reference for occupationally or accidental exposure.

Taxonomic and functional diversity increase the aesthetic value of coralligenous reefs

PubMed Central

Tribot, Anne-Sophie; Mouquet, Nicolas; Villéger, Sébastien; Raymond, Michel; Hoff, Fabrice; Boissery, Pierre; Holon, Florian; Deter, Julie

2016-01-01

The aesthetic value of landscapes contributes to human well-being. However, studies which have investigated the link between biodiversity and ecosystem services have not taken aesthetic value into account. In this study we evaluated how the aesthetics of coralligenous reefs, a key marine ecosystem in the Mediterranean, is perceived by the general public and how aesthetic preferences are related to biodiversity facets (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversities). We performed both biodiversity measures and online-surveys of aesthetic perception on photographic quadrats sampled along the French Mediterranean coast. Our results show that species richness and functional richness have a significant positive effect on aesthetic value. Most of the ecological literature, exploring the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and service has focused so far on ‘economical’ aspects of biodiversity (provision or regulation). Our results illustrate that cultural facets, such as ‘beauty’, should also be central in our motivations to preserve ecological diversity. PMID:27677850

E-learning: controlling costs and increasing value.

PubMed

Walsh, Kieran

2015-04-01

E-learning now accounts for a substantial proportion of medical education provision. This progress has required significant investment and this investment has in turn come under increasing scrutiny so that the costs of e-learning may be controlled and its returns maximised. There are multiple methods by which the costs of e-learning can be controlled and its returns maximised. This short paper reviews some of those methods that are likely to be most effective and that are likely to save costs without compromising quality. Methods might include accessing free or low-cost resources from elsewhere; create short learning resources that will work on multiple devices; using open source platforms to host content; using in-house faculty to create content; sharing resources between institutions; and promoting resources to ensure high usage. Whatever methods are used to control costs or increase value, it is most important to evaluate the impact of these methods.

In Defense of P Values

PubMed Central

Verhulst, Brad

2016-01-01

P values have become the scapegoat for a wide variety of problems in science. P values are generally over-emphasized, often incorrectly applied, and in some cases even abused. However, alternative methods of hypothesis testing will likely fall victim to the same criticisms currently leveled at P values if more fundamental changes are not made in the research process. Increasing the general level of statistical literacy and enhancing training in statistical methods provide a potential avenue for identifying, correcting, and preventing erroneous conclusions from entering the academic literature and for improving the general quality of patient care. PMID:28366961

Application of generalized singular value decomposition to ionospheric tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhuyan, K.; Singh, S.; Bhuyan, P.

2004-10-01

The electron density distribution of the low- and mid-latitude ionosphere has been investigated by the computerized tomography technique using a Generalized Singular Value Decomposition (GSVD) based algorithm. Model ionospheric total electron content (TEC) data obtained from the International Reference Ionosphere 2001 and slant relative TEC data measured at a chain of three stations receiving transit satellite transmissions in Alaska, USA are used in this analysis. The issue of optimum efficiency of the GSVD algorithm in the reconstruction of ionospheric structures is being addressed through simulation of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), in addition to its application to investigate complicated ionospheric density irregularities. Results show that the Generalized Cross Validation approach to find the regularization parameter and the corresponding solution gives a very good reconstructed image of the low-latitude ionosphere and the EIA within it. Provided that some minimum norm is fulfilled, the GSVD solution is found to be least affected by considerations, such as pixel size and number of ray paths. The method has also been used to investigate the behaviour of the mid-latitude ionosphere under magnetically quiet and disturbed conditions.

Value-based insurance plus disease management increased medication use and produced savings.

PubMed

Gibson, Teresa B; Mahoney, John; Ranghell, Karlene; Cherney, Becky J; McElwee, Newell

2011-01-01

We evaluated the effects of implementing a value-based insurance design program for patients with diabetes in two groups within a single firm. One group participated in disease management; the other did not. We matched members of the two groups to similar enrollees within the company that did not offer the value-based program. We found that participation in both value-based insurance design and disease management resulted in sustained improvement over time. Use of diabetes medications increased 6.5 percent over three years. Adherence to diabetes medical guidelines also increased, producing a return on investment of $1.33 saved for every dollar spent during a three-year follow-up period.

Diagnostic value of history-taking and physical examination for assessing meniscal tears of the knee in general practice.

PubMed

Wagemakers, Harry Pa; Heintjes, Edith M; Boks, Simone S; Berger, Marjolein Y; Verhaar, Jan An; Koes, Bart W; Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita Ma

2008-01-01

To assess the diagnostic value of history-taking and physical examination of meniscal tears in general practice. An observational study determining diagnostic values (sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and likelihood ratios). General practice. Consecutive patients aged 18 to 65 years with a traumatic knee injury who consulted their general practitioner within 5 weeks after trauma. Participating patients filled out a questionnaire (history-taking) followed by a standardized physical examination. Assessment of meniscal tears was determined by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and was performed blinded for the results of physical examination and history-taking. Of the 134 patients included in this study, 47 had a meniscal tear. From history-taking, the determinants "age over 40 years," "continuation of activity impossible," and "weight-bearing during trauma" indicated an association with a meniscal tear after multivariate logistic regression analysis, whereas from physical examination only "pain at passive flexion" indicated an association. These associated determinants from history-taking showed some diagnostic value; the positive likelihood ratio (LR+) reached up to 2.0 for age over 40 years, whereas the isolated test pain at passive flexion from physical examination has less diagnostic value, with an LR+ of 1.3. Combining determinants from history-taking and physical examination improved the diagnostic value with a maximum LR+ of 5.8; however, this combination only applied to a limited number of patients. History-taking has some diagnostic value, whereas physical examination did not add any diagnostic value for detecting meniscal tears in general practice.

Modified truncated randomized singular value decomposition (MTRSVD) algorithms for large scale discrete ill-posed problems with general-form regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Zhongxiao; Yang, Yanfei

2018-05-01

In this paper, we propose new randomization based algorithms for large scale linear discrete ill-posed problems with general-form regularization: subject to , where L is a regularization matrix. Our algorithms are inspired by the modified truncated singular value decomposition (MTSVD) method, which suits only for small to medium scale problems, and randomized SVD (RSVD) algorithms that generate good low rank approximations to A. We use rank-k truncated randomized SVD (TRSVD) approximations to A by truncating the rank- RSVD approximations to A, where q is an oversampling parameter. The resulting algorithms are called modified TRSVD (MTRSVD) methods. At every step, we use the LSQR algorithm to solve the resulting inner least squares problem, which is proved to become better conditioned as k increases so that LSQR converges faster. We present sharp bounds for the approximation accuracy of the RSVDs and TRSVDs for severely, moderately and mildly ill-posed problems, and substantially improve a known basic bound for TRSVD approximations. We prove how to choose the stopping tolerance for LSQR in order to guarantee that the computed and exact best regularized solutions have the same accuracy. Numerical experiments illustrate that the best regularized solutions by MTRSVD are as accurate as the ones by the truncated generalized singular value decomposition (TGSVD) algorithm, and at least as accurate as those by some existing truncated randomized generalized singular value decomposition (TRGSVD) algorithms. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11771249 and 11371219).

Comparing WTP values of different types of QALY gain elicited from the general public.

PubMed

Pennington, Mark; Baker, Rachel; Brouwer, Werner; Mason, Helen; Hansen, Dorte Gyrd; Robinson, Angela; Donaldson, Cam

2015-03-01

The appropriate thresholds for decisions on the cost-effectiveness of medical interventions remain controversial, especially in 'end-of-life' situations. Evidence of the values placed on different types of health gain by the general public is limited. Across nine European countries, 17,657 people were presented with different hypothetical health scenarios each involving a gain of one quality adjusted life year (QALY) and asked about their willingness to pay (WTP) for that gain. The questions included quality of life (QoL) enhancing and life extending health gains, and a scenario where respondents faced imminent, premature death. The mean WTP values for a one-QALY gain composed of QoL improvements were modest (PPP$11,000). When comparing QALY gains obtained in the near future, the valuation of life extension exceeded the valuation of QoL enhancing gains (mean WTP PPP$19,000 for a scenario in which a coma is avoided). The mean WTP values were higher still when respondents faced imminent, premature death (PPP$29,000). Evidence from the largest survey on the value of health gains by the general public indicated a higher value for life extending gains compared with QoL enhancing gains. A further modest premium may be indicated for life extension when facing imminent, premature death. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Generalized Flip-Flop Input Equations Based on a Four-Valued Boolean Algebra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Jerry H.; Tapia, Moiez A.

1996-01-01

A procedure is developed for obtaining generalized flip-flop input equations, and a concise method is presented for representing these equations. The procedure is based on solving a four-valued characteristic equation of the flip-flop, and can encompass flip-flops that are too complex to approach intuitively. The technique is presented using Karnaugh maps, but could easily be implemented in software.

Bispectral index values during sevoflurane-nitrous oxide general anesthesia in women undergoing cesarean delivery: a comparison between women with and without prior labor.

PubMed

Yoo, Kyung Y; Jeong, Cheol W; Kang, Myung W; Kim, Seok J; Chung, Sung T; Shin, Min H; Lee, JongUn

2008-06-01

An end-tidal concentration of 1% sevoflurane (1% ET(SEVO)) in 50% nitrous oxide (N(2)O) during elective cesarean delivery has been associated with bispectral index (BIS) values >60, which are associated with an increased risk of awareness. We hypothesized that BIS values during sevoflurane-N(2)O general anesthesia for cesarean delivery would be lower in women with prior labor compared with women without prior labor. Forty patients undergoing cesarean delivery were enrolled in this observational study. One group had urgent surgery after labor (labor group, n = 20) and the other had elective surgery without labor (control group, n = 20). General anesthesia was induced with thiopental 4 mg/kg, followed by succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg, and maintained with 1% ET(SEVO) and 50% N(2)O in oxygen. BIS values, systolic arterial blood pressure, heart rate, plasma stress hormone concentrations, Apgar scores, and postoperative analgesia variables were assessed and compared between groups. BIS values during the period between intubation and delivery were lower in the labor group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Plasma norepinephrine concentrations increased at delivery compared with baseline in both groups. They were higher in the labor group than in the control group both at baseline and at delivery. Systolic arterial blood pressure, heart rate, Apgar scores, surgical characteristics, and plasma concentrations of vasopressin and cortisol were not different between groups. Postoperative visual analog scale pain scores were similar between groups, while the labor group consumed less analgesics (P < 0.01) during the first 24 h after the operation. Prior labor was associated with lower intraoperative BIS values during sevoflurane/N(2)O general anesthesia and reduced postoperative analgesic consumption in women undergoing cesarean delivery compared with women without prior labor.

Bundling of ecosystem services to increase forestland value and enhance sustainable forest management

Treesearch

Robert L. Deal; Bobby Cochran; Gina LaRocco

2012-01-01

There has been increasing interest in the use of market-based approaches to add value for forestland and to assist with the conservation of natural resources. While markets for ecosystem services show potential for increasing forestland value, there is concern that the lack of an integrated program will simply add to the complexity of these services without generating...

Generalizing a model beyond the inherence heuristic and applying it to beliefs about objective value.

PubMed

Wood, Graham

2014-10-01

The inherence heuristic is characterized as part of an instantiation of a more general model that describes the interaction between undeveloped intuitions, produced by System 1 heuristics, and developed beliefs, constructed by System 2 reasoning. The general model is described and illustrated by examining another instantiation of the process that constructs belief in objective moral value.

Value Innovation in Hospital: Increase Organizational IQ by Managing Intellectual Capitals.

PubMed

Karami, Mahtab; Torabi, Mashallah

2015-02-01

Hospital is a complex organization rich in intellectual capitals. Effective management of these assets in line with innovating value to reach strategic goals and objectives can lead to increasing organizational IQ. In hospital with high organizational IQ, Increasing syntropy in intellectual capitals can convert it to an agile, learner, innovative, and smart organization.

A general representation scheme for crystalline solids based on Voronoi-tessellation real feature values and atomic property data.

PubMed

Jalem, Randy; Nakayama, Masanobu; Noda, Yusuke; Le, Tam; Takeuchi, Ichiro; Tateyama, Yoshitaka; Yamazaki, Hisatsugu

2018-01-01

Increasing attention has been paid to materials informatics approaches that promise efficient and fast discovery and optimization of functional inorganic materials. Technical breakthrough is urgently requested to advance this field and efforts have been made in the development of materials descriptors to encode or represent characteristics of crystalline solids, such as chemical composition, crystal structure, electronic structure, etc. We propose a general representation scheme for crystalline solids that lifts restrictions on atom ordering, cell periodicity, and system cell size based on structural descriptors of directly binned Voronoi-tessellation real feature values and atomic/chemical descriptors based on the electronegativity of elements in the crystal. Comparison was made vs. radial distribution function (RDF) feature vector, in terms of predictive accuracy on density functional theory (DFT) material properties: cohesive energy (CE), density ( d ), electronic band gap (BG), and decomposition energy (Ed). It was confirmed that the proposed feature vector from Voronoi real value binning generally outperforms the RDF-based one for the prediction of aforementioned properties. Together with electronegativity-based features, Voronoi-tessellation features from a given crystal structure that are derived from second-nearest neighbor information contribute significantly towards prediction.

A general representation scheme for crystalline solids based on Voronoi-tessellation real feature values and atomic property data

PubMed Central

Jalem, Randy; Nakayama, Masanobu; Noda, Yusuke; Le, Tam; Takeuchi, Ichiro; Tateyama, Yoshitaka; Yamazaki, Hisatsugu

2018-01-01

Abstract Increasing attention has been paid to materials informatics approaches that promise efficient and fast discovery and optimization of functional inorganic materials. Technical breakthrough is urgently requested to advance this field and efforts have been made in the development of materials descriptors to encode or represent characteristics of crystalline solids, such as chemical composition, crystal structure, electronic structure, etc. We propose a general representation scheme for crystalline solids that lifts restrictions on atom ordering, cell periodicity, and system cell size based on structural descriptors of directly binned Voronoi-tessellation real feature values and atomic/chemical descriptors based on the electronegativity of elements in the crystal. Comparison was made vs. radial distribution function (RDF) feature vector, in terms of predictive accuracy on density functional theory (DFT) material properties: cohesive energy (CE), density (d), electronic band gap (BG), and decomposition energy (Ed). It was confirmed that the proposed feature vector from Voronoi real value binning generally outperforms the RDF-based one for the prediction of aforementioned properties. Together with electronegativity-based features, Voronoi-tessellation features from a given crystal structure that are derived from second-nearest neighbor information contribute significantly towards prediction. PMID:29707064

Meeting Increasing Demands for Rural General Surgeons.

PubMed

Mccarthy, Mary C; Bowers, Howard E; Campbell, Damon M; Parikh, Priti P; Woods, Randy J

2015-12-01

Dynamic assessment of the effective surgical workforce recommends 27,300 general surgeons in 2030; 2,525 more than are presently being trained. Rural shortages are already critical and there has been insufficient preparation for this need. A literature review of the factors influencing the choice of rural practice was performed. A systematic search was conducted of PubMed and the Web of Science to identify applicable studies in rural practice, surgical training, and rural general surgery. These articles were reviewed to identify the pertinent reports. The articles chosen for review are directed to four main objectives: 1) description of the challenges of rural practice, 2) factors associated with the choice of rural practice, 3) interventions to increase interest and preparation for rural practice, and 4) present successful rural surgical practice models. There is limited research on the factors influencing surgeons in the selection of rural surgery. The family practice literature suggests that physicians are primed for rural living through early experience, with reinforcement during medical school and residency, and retained through community involvement, and personal and professional satisfaction. However, more research into the factors drawing surgeons specifically to rural surgery, and keeping them in the community, is needed.

Value Innovation in Hospital: Increase Organizational IQ by Managing Intellectual Capitals

PubMed Central

Karami, Mahtab; Torabi, Mashallah

2015-01-01

Hospital is a complex organization rich in intellectual capitals. Effective management of these assets in line with innovating value to reach strategic goals and objectives can lead to increasing organizational IQ. In hospital with high organizational IQ, Increasing syntropy in intellectual capitals can convert it to an agile, learner, innovative, and smart organization. PMID:25870494

Shared Academic Values: Testing a Model of the Association between Hong Kong Parents' and Adolescents' Perception of the General Value of Science and Scientific Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acosta, Sandra; Hsu, Hsien-Yuan

2014-01-01

This study investigated parent general value of science operationalized in the 2006 questionnaire of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), as a determinant of adolescents' scientific literacy performance. The transmission of academic values literature is small. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies to date have…

Can reflecting on personal values online increase positive beliefs about counseling?

PubMed

Lannin, Daniel G; Vogel, David L; Heath, Patrick J

2017-04-01

This research developed and tested an online values-affirmation exercise to attenuate threat and enhance positive beliefs about counseling among individuals struggling with mental health concerns. There is evidence that reflecting on personal values (values-affirmation) is an effective approach to eliciting self-affirmation-a psychological process that temporarily bolsters self-worth in order to forestall maladaptive, self-protective responses to counseling information. The present study utilized a randomized 2-group between-subjects design to test the effectiveness of a values-affirmation exercise with an online sample (N = 186) of adults who reported struggling with a mental health concern. It was predicted that values-affirmation would reduce threat related to reading mental health information and increase positive beliefs about counseling. Results indicated that those in the values-affirmation condition reported fewer negative emotions such as feeling upset, irritable, hostile, and scared after reading mental health information, indicating that the information was perceived as less threatening. There was also evidence that engaging in values-affirmation was associated with greater anticipated growth in counseling and greater intent to seek counseling, reflecting greater positive beliefs about counseling. Overall, the results suggest that reflecting on personal values may have the potential to enhance the positive effects of online psychoeducation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluating the value proposition for improving vaccine thermostability to increase vaccine impact in low and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Karp, Christopher L; Lans, Deborah; Esparza, José; Edson, Eleanore B; Owen, Katey E; Wilson, Christopher B; Heaton, Penny M; Levine, Orin S; Rao, Raja

2015-07-09

The need to keep vaccines cold in the face of high ambient temperatures and unreliable access to electricity is a challenge that limits vaccine coverage in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Greater vaccine thermostability is generally touted as the obvious solution. Despite conventional wisdom, comprehensive analysis of the value proposition for increasing vaccine thermostability has been lacking. Further, while significant investments have been made in increasing vaccine thermostability in recent years, no vaccine products have been commercialized as a result. We analyzed the value proposition for increasing vaccine thermostability, grounding the analysis in specific vaccine use cases (e.g., use in routine immunization [RI] programs, or in campaigns) and in the broader context of cold chain technology and country level supply chain system design. The results were often surprising. For example, cold chain costs actually represent a relatively small fraction of total vaccine delivery system costs. Further, there are critical, vaccine use case-specific temporal thresholds that need to be overcome for significant benefits to be reaped from increasing vaccine thermostability. We present a number of recommendations deriving from this analysis that suggest a rational path toward unlocking the value (maximizing coverage, minimizing total system costs) of increased vaccine thermostability, including: (1) the full range of thermostability of existing vaccines should be defined and included in their labels; (2) for new vaccines, thermostability goals should be addressed up-front at the level of the target product profile; (3) improving cold chain infrastructure and supply chain system design is likely to have the largest impact on total system costs and coverage in the short term-and will influence the degree of thermostability required in the future; (4) in the long term, there remains value in monitoring the emergence of disruptive technologies that could remove the

Oyster reef restoration supports increased nekton biomass and potential commercial fishery value

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Across the globe, discussions centered on the value of nature drive many conservation and restoration decisions. As a result, justification for management activities increasingly asks for two lines of evidence: (1) biological proof of augmented ecosystem function or service, and (2) monetary valuation of these services. For oyster reefs, which have seen significant global declines and increasing restoration work, the need to provide both biological and monetary evidence of reef services on a local-level has become more critical in a time of declining resources. Here, we quantified species biomass and potential commercial value of nekton collected from restored oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs in coastal Louisiana over a 3-year period, providing multiple snapshots of biomass support over time. Overall, and with little change over time, fish and invertebrate biomass is 212% greater at restored oyster reefs than mud-bottom, or 0.12 kg m−2. The additional biomass of commercial species is equivalent to an increase of local fisheries value by 226%, or $0.09 m−2. Understanding the ecosystem value of restoration projects, and how they interact with regional management priorities, is critical to inform local decision-making and provide testable predictions. Quantitative estimates of potential commercial fisheries enhancement by oyster reef restoration such as this one can be used directly by local managers to determine the expected return on investment. PMID:26336635

Oyster reef restoration supports increased nekton biomass and potential commercial fishery value

USGS Publications Warehouse

Humphries, Austin T.; LaPeyre, Megan K.

2015-01-01

Across the globe, discussions centered on the value of nature drive many conservation and restoration decisions. As a result, justification for management activities increasingly asks for two lines of evidence: (1) biological proof of augmented ecosystem function or service, and (2) monetary valuation of these services. For oyster reefs, which have seen significant global declines and increasing restoration work, the need to provide both biological and monetary evidence of reef services on a local-level has become more critical in a time of declining resources. Here, we quantified species biomass and potential commercial value of nekton collected from restored oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs in coastal Louisiana over a 3-year period, providing multiple snapshots of biomass support over time. Overall, and with little change over time, fish and invertebrate biomass is 212% greater at restored oyster reefs than mud-bottom, or 0.12 kg m−2. The additional biomass of commercial species is equivalent to an increase of local fisheries value by 226%, or $0.09 m−2. Understanding the ecosystem value of restoration projects, and how they interact with regional management priorities, is critical to inform local decision-making and provide testable predictions. Quantitative estimates of potential commercial fisheries enhancement by oyster reef restoration such as this one can be used directly by local managers to determine the expected return on investment.

[Diagnostic value of cardiac troponin T increase in critically ill patients].

PubMed

Koshkina, E V; Krasnosel'skiĭ, M Ia; Fedorovskiĭ, N M; Goriacheva, E V; Polupan, A A; Aref'ev, A A; Katrukha, A G

2009-01-01

There are presently reports on elevated levels of cardiac troponins in patients without acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The objective of this investigation was to study the diagnostic value of increased blood cardiac troponin T levels in patients without its clinical picture and ECG changes characteristic of AMI. The study covered 72 patients (48 males and 24 females) aged 54 to 87 years (mean 69.8 +/- 11.2 years). The inclusion criteria were increased cardiac troponin T; the main exclusion criteria were AMI-typical anginal pain and characteristic ECG changes (ST-segment elevation, the appearance of pathological Q waves). The final diagnosis of AMI was established in only 29 (40.3%) patients; the other 43 patients were diagnosed as having the following diseases: septic state in 21; oncopathology in 10; diabetic nephropathy with chronic renal failure in 6; brain infarct in 4; and B12 deficiency anemia in 2. In dead patients, the level of troponin T was significantly higher than that in discharged patients, respective of the underlying disease. There was a direct correlation between the cardiac troponin T levels and the SAPS II index that reflected the severity of a patient's general condition (r = 0.44; p = 0.0001) and an inverse correlation between the cardiac troponin level and the left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.45; p = 0.003). Thus, despite the cardiospecificity of troponin T, its detection in the blood of critically ill patients without other manifestations of AMI is not a specific symptom of AMI, but it is suggestive of the severity of the disease, probably with the involvement of the myocardium into the pathological process.

The potential for increased power from combining P-values testing the same hypothesis.

PubMed

Ganju, Jitendra; Julie Ma, Guoguang

2017-02-01

The conventional approach to hypothesis testing for formal inference is to prespecify a single test statistic thought to be optimal. However, we usually have more than one test statistic in mind for testing the null hypothesis of no treatment effect but we do not know which one is the most powerful. Rather than relying on a single p-value, combining p-values from prespecified multiple test statistics can be used for inference. Combining functions include Fisher's combination test and the minimum p-value. Using randomization-based tests, the increase in power can be remarkable when compared with a single test and Simes's method. The versatility of the method is that it also applies when the number of covariates exceeds the number of observations. The increase in power is large enough to prefer combined p-values over a single p-value. The limitation is that the method does not provide an unbiased estimator of the treatment effect and does not apply to situations when the model includes treatment by covariate interaction.

Natural parameter values for generalized gene adjacency.

PubMed

Yang, Zhenyu; Sankoff, David

2010-09-01

Given the gene orders in two modern genomes, it may be difficult to decide if some genes are close enough in both genomes to infer some ancestral proximity or some functional relationship. Current methods all depend on arbitrary parameters. We explore a class of gene proximity criteria and find two kinds of natural values for their parameters. One kind has to do with the parameter value where the expected information contained in two genomes about each other is maximized. The other kind of natural value has to do with parameter values beyond which all genes are clustered. We analyze these using combinatorial and probabilistic arguments as well as simulations.

Can Broader Diffusion of Value-Based Insurance Design Increase Benefits from US Health Care without Increasing Costs? Evidence from a Computer Simulation Model

PubMed Central

Scott Braithwaite, R.; Omokaro, Cynthia; Justice, Amy C.; Nucifora, Kimberly; Roberts, Mark S.

2010-01-01

Background Evidence suggests that cost sharing (i.e.,copayments and deductibles) decreases health expenditures but also reduces essential care. Value-based insurance design (VBID) has been proposed to encourage essential care while controlling health expenditures. Our objective was to estimate the impact of broader diffusion of VBID on US health care benefits and costs. Methods and Findings We used a published computer simulation of costs and life expectancy gains from US health care to estimate the impact of broader diffusion of VBID. Two scenarios were analyzed: (1) applying VBID solely to pharmacy benefits and (2) applying VBID to both pharmacy benefits and other health care services (e.g., devices). We assumed that cost sharing would be eliminated for high-value services (<$100,000 per life-year), would remain unchanged for intermediate- or unknown-value services ($100,000–$300,000 per life-year or unknown), and would be increased for low-value services (>$300,000 per life-year). All costs are provided in 2003 US dollars. Our simulation estimated that approximately 60% of health expenditures in the US are spent on low-value services, 20% are spent on intermediate-value services, and 20% are spent on high-value services. Correspondingly, the vast majority (80%) of health expenditures would have cost sharing that is impacted by VBID. With prevailing patterns of cost sharing, health care conferred 4.70 life-years at a per-capita annual expenditure of US$5,688. Broader diffusion of VBID to pharmaceuticals increased the benefit conferred by health care by 0.03 to 0.05 additional life-years, without increasing costs and without increasing out-of-pocket payments. Broader diffusion of VBID to other health care services could increase the benefit conferred by health care by 0.24 to 0.44 additional life-years, also without increasing costs and without increasing overall out-of-pocket payments. Among those without health insurance, using cost saving from VBID to

Can broader diffusion of value-based insurance design increase benefits from US health care without increasing costs? Evidence from a computer simulation model.

PubMed

Braithwaite, R Scott; Omokaro, Cynthia; Justice, Amy C; Nucifora, Kimberly; Roberts, Mark S

2010-02-16

Evidence suggests that cost sharing (i.e.,copayments and deductibles) decreases health expenditures but also reduces essential care. Value-based insurance design (VBID) has been proposed to encourage essential care while controlling health expenditures. Our objective was to estimate the impact of broader diffusion of VBID on US health care benefits and costs. We used a published computer simulation of costs and life expectancy gains from US health care to estimate the impact of broader diffusion of VBID. Two scenarios were analyzed: (1) applying VBID solely to pharmacy benefits and (2) applying VBID to both pharmacy benefits and other health care services (e.g., devices). We assumed that cost sharing would be eliminated for high-value services (<$100,000 per life-year), would remain unchanged for intermediate- or unknown-value services ($100,000-$300,000 per life-year or unknown), and would be increased for low-value services (>$300,000 per life-year). All costs are provided in 2003 US dollars. Our simulation estimated that approximately 60% of health expenditures in the US are spent on low-value services, 20% are spent on intermediate-value services, and 20% are spent on high-value services. Correspondingly, the vast majority (80%) of health expenditures would have cost sharing that is impacted by VBID. With prevailing patterns of cost sharing, health care conferred 4.70 life-years at a per-capita annual expenditure of US$5,688. Broader diffusion of VBID to pharmaceuticals increased the benefit conferred by health care by 0.03 to 0.05 additional life-years, without increasing costs and without increasing out-of-pocket payments. Broader diffusion of VBID to other health care services could increase the benefit conferred by health care by 0.24 to 0.44 additional life-years, also without increasing costs and without increasing overall out-of-pocket payments. Among those without health insurance, using cost saving from VBID to subsidize insurance coverage would

Manufacturing of curd products of increased biological value for the elderly from dried components.

PubMed

Zabodalova, Ludmila A; Belozerova, Maria S; Evstigneeva, Tatiana N

2018-01-01

In recent years, the number of elderly people has increased, and the diseases that arise in old age are associated, amongst other factors, with malnutrition. In the elderly, the need for primary nutrients and energy changes, so the development of food products intended for this particular group of people is becom- ing increasingly important. The purpose of this research is to work out the composition of and technology for producing low-fat curd products from raw milk and vegetable components. The developed products can be used for their gerodietetic properties, because nutritional and energy needs in the elderly were taken into account when designing the product. The curd product was manufactured from skimmed dried milk (SDM), soy isolate protein (SIP) and spelt grain. Optimal conditions for the recombination of SIP were determined. The influence of mass fraction of SIP on the properties of the clot and the end product was studied. The degree of dispersion of the grain component was determined, from the organoleptic evaluation of samples of the mixture, and the optimum method of addition was chosen. The method of adding cooked spelt into the clot after pressing was chosen. Harrington’s generalized desirability function was used for the calculation of the optimum mass frac- tion of the grain component in the end product. The formulation and technology for a curd product based on dry ingredients were determined. The amino acid composition and content of essential components in the developed product were determined, and the biological and nutritional value were calculated. The use of dry ingredients for the production of a curd product makes it possible to manufac- ture the product in the absence of raw milk. The formulation of the product is designed taking into account the needs of the body in old age. The incorporation of spelt increases the biological value of the curd product to 81.5%.

Complex-valued time-series correlation increases sensitivity in FMRI analysis.

PubMed

Kociuba, Mary C; Rowe, Daniel B

2016-07-01

To develop a linear matrix representation of correlation between complex-valued (CV) time-series in the temporal Fourier frequency domain, and demonstrate its increased sensitivity over correlation between magnitude-only (MO) time-series in functional MRI (fMRI) analysis. The standard in fMRI is to discard the phase before the statistical analysis of the data, despite evidence of task related change in the phase time-series. With a real-valued isomorphism representation of Fourier reconstruction, correlation is computed in the temporal frequency domain with CV time-series data, rather than with the standard of MO data. A MATLAB simulation compares the Fisher-z transform of MO and CV correlations for varying degrees of task related magnitude and phase amplitude change in the time-series. The increased sensitivity of the complex-valued Fourier representation of correlation is also demonstrated with experimental human data. Since the correlation description in the temporal frequency domain is represented as a summation of second order temporal frequencies, the correlation is easily divided into experimentally relevant frequency bands for each voxel's temporal frequency spectrum. The MO and CV correlations for the experimental human data are analyzed for four voxels of interest (VOIs) to show the framework with high and low contrast-to-noise ratios in the motor cortex and the supplementary motor cortex. The simulation demonstrates the increased strength of CV correlations over MO correlations for low magnitude contrast-to-noise time-series. In the experimental human data, the MO correlation maps are noisier than the CV maps, and it is more difficult to distinguish the motor cortex in the MO correlation maps after spatial processing. Including both magnitude and phase in the spatial correlation computations more accurately defines the correlated left and right motor cortices. Sensitivity in correlation analysis is important to preserve the signal of interest in f

A Comparison of the Impact of Two Liberal Arts General Education Core Curricula on Student Humanitarian Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollway, Michael C.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study of two undergraduate liberal arts core curricula was to answer the following questions: What was the impact on student humanitarian values of a traditional distribution general education core curriculum with a supplementary integrated intervention strategy that requires students to examine personal values and the values…

Increasing medical student interest in general practice in New Zealand: where to from here?

PubMed

Poole, Phillippa; Bourke, David; Shulruf, Boaz

2010-05-28

To meet increasing health demands, increasing the proportion of local graduates entering general practice is imperative. Students entering or exiting The University of Auckland's medical programme from 2006 to 2008 were invited to complete a tracking project survey. Levels of interest in general practice were determined along with characteristics associated with a greater or lesser interest in this career. 712 students replied--a response rate of 80%. At entry, 40% of students had a strong interest in a career in general practice, and at exit, 29% (P =0.003). A quarter at each time point had no interest. The proportion of domestic students born outside NZ or Australia was 160/376 (42.5%). There were significantly higher levels of interest in general practice among females, students born in NZ, and those from outside Auckland--especially rural origin. Flexibility in career was more important to students with a strong interest in general practice than those with no interest. Auckland medical students have levels of interest in general practice comparable with international data. Increasing this interest further may require admission of a greater proportion of students from those groups with higher interest levels, greater emphasis on the positive aspects of general practice, and on GPs as equals to other specialists.

Value-based cost sharing in the United States and elsewhere can increase patients' use of high-value goods and services.

PubMed

Thomson, Sarah; Schang, Laura; Chernew, Michael E

2013-04-01

This article reviews efforts in the United States and several other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to encourage patients, through cost sharing, to use goods such as medications, services, and providers that offer better value than other options--an approach known as value-based cost sharing. Among the countries we reviewed, we found that value-based approaches were most commonly applied to drug cost sharing. A few countries, including the United States, employed financial incentives, such as lower copayments, to encourage use of preferred providers or preventive services. Evidence suggests that these efforts can increase patients' use of high-value services--although they may also be associated with high administrative costs and could exacerbate health inequalities among various groups. With careful design, implementation, and evaluation, value-based cost sharing can be an important tool for aligning patient and provider incentives to pursue high-value care.

Do we have a moral obligation to synthesize organisms to increase biodiversity? On kinship, awe, and the value of life's diversity.

PubMed

Boldt, Joachim

2013-10-01

Synthetic biology can be understood as expanding the abilities and aspirations of genetic engineering. Nonetheless, whereas genetic engineering has been subject to criticism due to its endangering biodiversity, synthetic biology may actually appear to prove advantageous for biodiversity. After all, one might claim, synthesizing novel forms of life increases the numbers of species present in nature and thus ought to be ethically recommended. Two perspectives on how to spell out the conception of intrinsic value of biodiversity are examined in order to assess this line of thought. At the cost of introducing two separate capacities of human knowledge acquisition, the 'admiration stance' turns out to reject outright the assumption of a synthetic species' intrinsic value and of an imperative to create novel species. The 'kinship stance' by contrast does ascribe value to both synthetic and natural species and organisms. Nonetheless, while from this perspective creating novel species may become an ethical demand under certain conditions, it favours changing organisms by getting in contact with them rather than synthesizing them. It is concluded that neither the admiration nor the kinship stance warrants a supposed general moral obligation to create novel species to increase biodiversity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Increasing value in plagiocephaly care: a time-driven activity-based costing pilot study.

PubMed

Inverso, Gino; Lappi, Michael D; Flath-Sporn, Susan J; Heald, Ronald; Kim, David C; Meara, John G

2015-06-01

Process management within a health care setting is poorly understood and often leads to an incomplete understanding of the true costs of patient care. Using time-driven activity-based costing methods, we evaluated the high-volume, low-complexity diagnosis of plagiocephaly to increase value within our clinic. A total of 59 plagiocephaly patients were evaluated in phase 1 (n = 31) and phase 2 (n = 28) of this study. During phase 1, a process map was created, encompassing each of the 5 clinicians and administrative personnel delivering 23 unique activities. After analysis of the phase 1 process maps, average times as well as costs of these activities were evaluated for potential modifications in workflow. These modifications were implemented in phase 2 to determine overall impact on visit-time and costs of care. Improvements in patient education, workflow coordination, and examination room allocation were implemented during phase 2, resulting in a reduced patient visit-time of 13:25 (19.9% improvement) and an increased cost of $8.22 per patient (7.7% increase) due to changes in physician process times. However, this increased cost was directly offset by the availability of 2 additional appointments per day, potentially generating $7904 of additional annual revenue. Quantifying the impact of a 19.9% reduction in patient visit-time at an increased cost of 7.7% resulted in an increased value ratio of 1.113. This pilot study effectively demonstrates the novel use of time-driven activity-based costing in combination with the value equation as a metric for continuous process improvement programs within the health care setting.

Prevalence of abnormal findings when adopting new national and international Global Lung Function Initiative reference values for spirometry in the Finnish general population

PubMed Central

Kainu, Annette; Lindqvist, Ari; Sovijärvi, Anssi R. A.

2016-01-01

Background New Finnish (Kainu2015) and international Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI2012) reference values for spirometry were recently published. The aim of this study is to compare the interpretative consequences of adopting these new reference values with older, currently used Finnish reference values (Viljanen1982) in the general population of native Finns. Methods Two Finnish general population samples including 1,328 adults (45% males) aged 21–74 years were evaluated. Airway obstruction was defined as a reduced ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), possible restrictive pattern as reduced FVC, and decreased ventilatory capacity as reduced FEV1 below their respective 2.5th percentiles. The severity gradings of reduced lung function were also compared. Results Using the Kainu2015 reference values, the prevalence of airway obstruction in the population was 5.6%; using GLI2012 it was 4.0% and with Viljanen1982 it was 13.0%. Possible restrictive pattern was found in 4.2% using the Kainu2015 values, in 2.0% with GLI2012, and 7.9% with the Viljanen1982 values. The prevalence of decreased ventilatory capacity was 6.8, 4.0, and 13.3% with the Kainu2015, GLI2012 and Viljanen1982 values, respectively. Conclusions The application of the GLI2012 reference values underestimates the prevalence of abnormal spirometric findings in native Finns. The adoption of the Kainu2015 reference values reduces the prevalences of airways obstruction, decreased ventilatory capacity, and restrictive impairment by approximately 50%. Changing from the 2.5th percentile, the previously used lower limit of normal, to the 5th percentile recommended by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society will not increase the prevalence of abnormal findings in the implementation of spirometry reference values. PMID:27608270

Value-at-risk estimation with wavelet-based extreme value theory: Evidence from emerging markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cifter, Atilla

2011-06-01

This paper introduces wavelet-based extreme value theory (EVT) for univariate value-at-risk estimation. Wavelets and EVT are combined for volatility forecasting to estimate a hybrid model. In the first stage, wavelets are used as a threshold in generalized Pareto distribution, and in the second stage, EVT is applied with a wavelet-based threshold. This new model is applied to two major emerging stock markets: the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) and the Budapest Stock Exchange (BUX). The relative performance of wavelet-based EVT is benchmarked against the Riskmetrics-EWMA, ARMA-GARCH, generalized Pareto distribution, and conditional generalized Pareto distribution models. The empirical results show that the wavelet-based extreme value theory increases predictive performance of financial forecasting according to number of violations and tail-loss tests. The superior forecasting performance of the wavelet-based EVT model is also consistent with Basel II requirements, and this new model can be used by financial institutions as well.

The value of the Thomas-plot in the diagnostic work up of anemic patients referred by general practitioners.

PubMed

Leers, M P G; Keuren, J F W; Oosterhuis, W P

2010-12-01

In patients with inflammatory conditions, diagnosing classic iron deficiency or anemia of chronic disease is challenging. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic value of the so-called Thomas'-plot [soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR)/log ferritin (sTfr/log Ferr) and the reticulocyte hemoglobin equivalent (Ret-HE)] in the anemia work up of patients referred by general practitioners. During July 2008-March 2009, 337 consecutive patients were included because of lowered Hb values. The laboratory results of the first 133 consecutive patients were used to determine the cut-off values for the diagnostic plot. The laboratory results of these patients were assessed and interpreted independently by two investigators, blinded from sTfR/log Ferr and Ret-HE values. The following 204 patients were used to test the plot in practice. In 32% of the first 133 patients, no indication of the cause of anemia could be found. However, when using the diagnostic plot in the following 204 patients, this fraction decreased to 14%. The 'Thomas'-plot is of diagnostic value for distinguishing functional iron deficiency from classic iron deficiency in a patient population referred by general practitioners. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Experimental scarcity increases the relative reinforcing value of food in food insecure adults.

PubMed

Crandall, Amanda K; Temple, Jennifer L

2018-05-29

People with fewer financial resources are at greater risk for obesity, but the mechanisms of this relationship are not fully understood. One factor that is related, both cross-sectionally and prospectively, to obesity is the relative reinforcing value of food. It is possible that the experience of scarcity increases this reinforcing value. To date, no studies have examined this potential relationship experimentally in humans. The purpose of the studies presented here was to test the hypothesis that experimental manipulations of perceived scarcity would impact the relative reinforcing value of food. A secondary hypothesis was that individuals who report experiencing food insecurity would be more sensitive to these experimental manipulations. In order to test these hypotheses, we investigated the effects of experimentally manipulated scarcity on the relative reinforcing value of food in a laboratory setting. Study 1 had a within-subjects design and included 25 adults. Scarcity was manipulated by placing time and resource limits on the relative reinforcing value task and examining responding for a high calorie snack food versus that of an alternative reinforcer. Study 1 showed a tendency for food insecure participants to respond more for all reinforcers across conditions and have a higher proportional response for food when resources were limited. Study 2 also made use of a within-subjects design with 30 adults and primed scarcity by creating financial gains and losses on the Iowa Gambling Task. We observed higher relative reinforcing values of food among food insecure participants in the control condition, which decreased in the financial gain condition. When taken together, these two studies suggest that individuals who report experiencing food insecurity respond to acute manipulations of scarcity by increasing their reinforcing value of snack food. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric behavior of the B(E2↑;0+ → 2+) values in 104-130Sn and generalized seniority

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheshwari, Bhoomika; Jain, Ashok Kumar; Singh, Balraj

2016-08-01

We present freshly evaluated B (E 2 ↑ ;0+ →2+) values across the even-even Sn-isotopes which confirm the presence of an asymmetric behavior as well as a dip in the middle of the full valence space. We explain these features by using the concept of generalized seniority. The dip in the B (E 2) values near 116Sn is understood in terms of a change in the dominant orbits before and after the mid shell, which also explains the presence of asymmetric peaks in the B (E 2) values. This approach helps in deciding the most active valence spaces for a given set of isotopes, and single out the most useful truncation scheme for Large Scale Shell Model (LSSM) calculations. The LSSM calculations so guided by generalized seniority are also able to reproduce the experimental data on B (E 2) ↑ values quite well.

Establishing reference values for central blood pressure and its amplification in a general healthy population and according to cardiovascular risk factors.

PubMed

Herbert, Annie; Cruickshank, John Kennedy; Laurent, Stéphane; Boutouyrie, Pierre

2014-11-21

Estimated central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) and amplification (Brachial SBP-cSBP) are non-invasive measures potentially prognostic of cardiovascular (CV) disease. No worldwide, multiple-device reference values are available. We aimed to establish reference values for a worldwide general population standardizing between the different available methods of measurement. How these values were significantly altered by cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) was then investigated. Existing data from population surveys and clinical trials were combined, whether published or not. Reference values of cSBP and amplification were calculated as percentiles for 'Normal' (no CVRFs) and 'Reference' (any CVRFs) populations. We included 45,436 subjects out of 82,930 that were gathered from 77 studies of 53 centres. Included subjects were apparently healthy, not treated for hypertension or dyslipidaemia, and free from overt CV disease and diabetes. Values of cSBP and amplification were stratified by brachial blood pressure categories and age decade in turn, both being stratified by sex. Amplification decreased with age and more so in males than in females. Sex was the most powerful factor associated with amplification with 6.6 mmHg (5.8-7.4) higher amplification in males than in females. Amplification was marginally but significantly influenced by CVRFs, with smoking and dyslipidaemia decreasing amplification, but increased with increasing levels of blood glucose. Typical values of cSBP and amplification in a healthy population and a population free of traditional CVRFs are now available according to age, sex, and brachial BP, providing values included from different devices with a wide geographical representation. Amplification is significantly influenced by CVRFs, but differently in men and women. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Modeling extreme PM10 concentration in Malaysia using generalized extreme value distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Husna; Mansor, Nadiah; Salleh, Nur Hanim Mohd

2015-05-01

Extreme PM10 concentration from the Air Pollutant Index (API) at thirteen monitoring stations in Malaysia is modeled using the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. The data is blocked into monthly selection period. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test suggests a non-stationary model so two models are considered for the stations with trend. The likelihood ratio test is used to determine the best fitted model and the result shows that only two stations favor the non-stationary model (Model 2) while the other eleven stations favor stationary model (Model 1). The return level of PM10 concentration that is expected to exceed the maximum once within a selected period is obtained.

Valuing happiness is associated with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Ford, Brett Q; Mauss, Iris B; Gruber, June

2015-04-01

Although people who experience happiness tend to have better psychological health, people who value happiness to an extreme tend to have worse psychological health, including more depression. We propose that the extreme valuing of happiness may be a general risk factor for mood disturbances, both depressive and manic. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the extreme valuing of happiness and risk for, diagnosis of, and illness course for bipolar disorder (BD). Supporting our hypothesis, the extreme valuing of happiness was associated with a measure of increased risk for developing BD (Studies 1 and 2), increased likelihood of past diagnosis of BD (Studies 2 and 3), and worse prospective illness course in BD (Study 3), even when controlling for current mood symptoms (Studies 1-3). These findings indicate that the extreme valuing of happiness is associated with and even predicts BD. Taken together with previous evidence, these findings suggest that the extreme valuing of happiness is a general risk factor for mood disturbances. More broadly, what emotions people strive to feel may play a critical role in psychological health. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Valuing happiness is associated with bipolar disorder

PubMed Central

Ford, Brett Q.; Mauss, Iris B.; Gruber, June

2015-01-01

While people who experience happiness tend to have better psychological health, people who value happiness to an extreme tend to have worse psychological health, including more depression. We propose that the extreme valuing of happiness may be a general risk factor for mood disturbances, both depressive and manic. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the extreme valuing of happiness and risk for, diagnosis of, and illness course for Bipolar Disorder (BD). Supporting our hypothesis, the extreme valuing of happiness was associated with a measure of increased risk for developing BD (Studies 1–2), increased likelihood of past diagnosis of BD (Studies 2–3), and worse prospective illness course in BD (Study 3), even when controlling for current mood symptoms (Studies 1–3). These findings indicate that the extreme valuing of happiness is associated with and even predicts BD. Taken together with previous evidence, these findings suggest that the extreme valuing of happiness is a general risk factor for mood disturbances. More broadly, what emotions people strive to feel may play a critical role in psychological health. PMID:25603134

Suicide and changing values and beliefs in Ireland.

PubMed

Cleary, Anne; Brannick, Teresa

2007-01-01

This paper addresses some of the generalized theories explaining rising suicide rates in Ireland. The conclusion here is that linking suicide patterns to changing beliefs and values is problematic. Church attendance as well as adherence to traditional values remain high in this country compared to European levels, and variations in beliefs and values, especially rural/urban differences, do not fit with general explanations. Moreover, attitudes to value areas fluctuate in that justification for suicide--which showed an upward trend in the 1980s--was reversed in the 1990s, and this may have resulted from increased public focus and debate. Generalized explanations are unlikely to decipher complex phenomena such as suicidal behavior. Religious belief, if protective in relation to suicide, is unlikely to act alone. Social transformations have a differential impact depending on one's socio-economic positioning, which translates ideas of a general male vulnerability to suicide into focused areas of male distress.

Increased ICU resource needs for an academic emergency general surgery service*.

PubMed

Lissauer, Matthew E; Galvagno, Samuel M; Rock, Peter; Narayan, Mayur; Shah, Paulesh; Spencer, Heather; Hong, Caron; Diaz, Jose J

2014-04-01

.001). Chronic comorbidities were similar between acute care emergency surgery and general surgery, whereas transplant had fewer. Emergency general surgery patients have increased ICU needs in terms of length of stay, ventilator usage, and continuous renal replacement therapy usage compared with other services, perhaps due to the higher percentage of transfers and emergent surgery required. These patients represent a distinct population. Understanding their resource needs will allow for better deployment of hospital resources.

Magnetoencephalography Reveals a Widespread Increase in Network Connectivity in Idiopathic/Genetic Generalized Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Elshahabi, Adham; Klamer, Silke; Sahib, Ashish Kaul; Lerche, Holger; Braun, Christoph; Focke, Niels K.

2015-01-01

Idiopathic/genetic generalized epilepsy (IGE/GGE) is characterized by seizures, which start and rapidly engage widely distributed networks, and result in symptoms such as absences, generalized myoclonic and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Although routine magnetic resonance imaging is apparently normal, many studies have reported structural alterations in IGE/GGE patients using diffusion tensor imaging and voxel-based morphometry. Changes have also been reported in functional networks during generalized spike wave discharges. However, network function in the resting-state without epileptiforme discharges has been less well studied. We hypothesize that resting-state networks are more representative of the underlying pathophysiology and abnormal network synchrony. We studied functional network connectivity derived from whole-brain magnetoencephalography recordings in thirteen IGE/GGE and nineteen healthy controls. Using graph theoretical network analysis, we found a widespread increase in connectivity in patients compared to controls. These changes were most pronounced in the motor network, the mesio-frontal and temporal cortex. We did not, however, find any significant difference between the normalized clustering coefficients, indicating preserved gross network architecture. Our findings suggest that increased resting state connectivity could be an important factor for seizure spread and/or generation in IGE/GGE, and could serve as a biomarker for the disease. PMID:26368933

The in-training examination: an analysis of its predictive value on performance on the general pediatrics certification examination.

PubMed

Althouse, Linda A; McGuinness, Gail A

2008-09-01

This study investigates the predictive validity of the In-Training Examination (ITE). Although studies have confirmed the predictive validity of ITEs in other medical specialties, no study has been done for general pediatrics. Each year, residents in accredited pediatric training programs take the ITE as a self-assessment instrument. The ITE is similar to the American Board of Pediatrics General Pediatrics Certifying Examination. First-time takers of the certifying examination over a 5-year period who took at least 1 ITE examination were included in the sample. Regression models analyzed the predictive value of the ITE. The predictive power of the ITE in the first training year is minimal. However, the predictive power of the ITE increases each year, providing the greatest power in the third year of training. Even though ITE scores provide information regarding the likelihood of passing the certification examination, the data should be used with caution, particularly in the first training year. Other factors also must be considered when predicting performance on the certification examination. This study continues to support the ITE as an assessment tool for program directors, as well as a means of providing residents with feedback regarding their acquisition of pediatric knowledge.

Evaluating the Generalization Value of Process-based Models in a Deep-in-time Machine Learning framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, C.; Fang, K.

2017-12-01

Deep Learning (DL) methods have made revolutionary strides in recent years. A core value proposition of DL is that abstract notions and patterns can be extracted purely from data, without the need for domain expertise. Process-based models (PBM), on the other hand, can be regarded as repositories of human knowledge or hypotheses about how systems function. Here, through computational examples, we argue that there is merit in integrating PBMs with DL due to the imbalance and lack of data in many situations, especially in hydrology. We trained a deep-in-time neural network, the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), to learn soil moisture dynamics from Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 3 product. We show that when PBM solutions are integrated into LSTM, the network is able to better generalize across regions. LSTM is able to better utilize PBM solutions than simpler statistical methods. Our results suggest PBMs have generalization value which should be carefully assessed and utilized. We also emphasize that when properly regularized, the deep network is robust and is of superior testing performance compared to simpler methods.

A General Model of Organizational Values in Educational Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Robin Alison

2014-01-01

Values theorists in educational administration agree that understanding organizational values is integral to organizational effectiveness. However, research in this area tends to be superficial, and a review of pertinent literature reveals no clear definition of organizational values or consequent implications for practical application. One of the…

Assessing the value of increased model resolution in forecasting fire danger

Treesearch

Jeanne Hoadley; Miriam Rorig; Ken Westrick; Larry Bradshaw; Sue Ferguson; Scott Goodrick; Paul Werth

2003-01-01

The fire season of 2000 was used as a case study to assess the value of increasing mesoscale model resolution for fire weather and fire danger forecasting. With a domain centered on Western Montana and Northern Idaho, MM5 simulations were run at 36, 12, and 4-km resolutions for a 30 day period at the height of the fire season. Verification analyses for meteorological...

A survey of staff attitudes to increasing medical undergraduate education in a district general hospital.

PubMed

Macdonald, John

2005-07-01

Medical student numbers in Britain are increasing rapidly, beyond the capacity of most teaching hospitals, with more clinical teaching taking place in district general hospitals (DGHs). Surveys show that students value the intensive clinical teaching, smaller student numbers and perceived greater friendliness in DGHs. This paper explores DGH staff attitudes to teaching--their level of initial enthusiasm, their attitudes to current teaching, its effect on the hospital and to the sustainability of DGH undergraduate teaching--as both student numbers and service workloads continue to rise. Semi-structured interviews with 6 key informants were used to generate themes for a 19-question pre-piloted anonymous postal questionnaire sent to all 68 staff involved in undergraduate medical teaching in Northampton General Hospital. The total response included 85% of consultants. Responses in the 3 staff groups were similar. Most respondents felt enthusiastic at the prospect of medical students, although they realised that this would be intellectually challenging and increase time pressures. These predictions were largely fulfilled. Respondents felt that in comparison to teaching hospitals the DGH teaching was more clinically based and consultant-led, with more approachable staff. Currently 41 respondents (82%) felt that they had inadequate teaching time. A majority felt that the arrival of students had improved patient care and that their department had benefited. Thirty-seven responders (74%) felt that the planned doubling of student numbers would impose an unsustainable departmental load, and would compromise teaching quality. The change felt most necessary to support additional teaching was increased clinical medical staff. Better co-ordination between the DGH and the medical school was also felt necessary. The most popular choice for the distribution of extra teaching finance was to the teacher's directorate, i.e. speciality [33 (66%)]. Forty-four (86%) felt that increased

Urinary creatinine concentrations in an industrial workforce and comparison with reference values of the general population.

PubMed

Bader, Michael; Messerer, Peter; Will, Wolfgang

2013-08-01

Urinary creatinine is an important parameter for the adjustment of metabolite concentrations in differently diluted urine specimens, as a reference dimension for biological limit or guidance values and as a selection criterion for spot urine samples in human biomonitoring. While the creatinine output of the general population has been well described in environmental surveys, this study focused specifically on creatinine concentrations in a large industrial workforce in order to compare these data with the general population and to provide a database for the calculation of a reasonable conversion factor between volume-related and creatinine-adjusted data and vice versa. Urinary creatinine was analysed in 6,438 spot urine samples by a photometric assay in the time period between 1989 and 2009. Basic demographic data (age, sex, body weight, body height) and job category (apprentices, skilled craftsmen, skilled chemical workers, foremen, laboratory staff and executives) were considered in a statistical analysis. The median concentration of urinary creatinine in all urine samples was 1.36 g/L with male employees showing significantly higher values (1.37 g/L, n = 6,148 samples) than female employees (1.00 g/L, n = 290) and concentrations ranging from 0.01 up to 9.76 g/L. Age, body mass index and job category were significant influence factors on urinary creatinine. About 92 % of all samples showed creatinine concentrations between 0.3 and 3.0 g/L, a range recommended by the World Health Organization as a criterion for valid spot urine samples. The results of this study correspond well with data from environmental surveys and with recent data from an active workforce in industry with similar sampling strategies. Therefore, a median of 1.4 g creatinine per litre urine seems to be a reasonable value for general calculations and adjustments. The study data also support the validity of the current recommendations by the WHO and several scientific committees and

Multivariate linear regression analysis to identify general factors for quantitative predictions of implant stability quotient values

PubMed Central

Huang, Hairong; Xu, Zanzan; Shao, Xianhong; Wismeijer, Daniel; Sun, Ping; Wang, Jingxiao

2017-01-01

Objectives This study identified potential general influencing factors for a mathematical prediction of implant stability quotient (ISQ) values in clinical practice. Methods We collected the ISQ values of 557 implants from 2 different brands (SICace and Osstem) placed by 2 surgeons in 336 patients. Surgeon 1 placed 329 SICace implants, and surgeon 2 placed 113 SICace implants and 115 Osstem implants. ISQ measurements were taken at T1 (immediately after implant placement) and T2 (before dental restoration). A multivariate linear regression model was used to analyze the influence of the following 11 candidate factors for stability prediction: sex, age, maxillary/mandibular location, bone type, immediate/delayed implantation, bone grafting, insertion torque, I-stage or II-stage healing pattern, implant diameter, implant length and T1-T2 time interval. Results The need for bone grafting as a predictor significantly influenced ISQ values in all three groups at T1 (weight coefficients ranging from -4 to -5). In contrast, implant diameter consistently influenced the ISQ values in all three groups at T2 (weight coefficients ranging from 3.4 to 4.2). Other factors, such as sex, age, I/II-stage implantation and bone type, did not significantly influence ISQ values at T2, and implant length did not significantly influence ISQ values at T1 or T2. Conclusions These findings provide a rational basis for mathematical models to quantitatively predict the ISQ values of implants in clinical practice. PMID:29084260

Carcase weight and dressing percentage are increased using Australian Sheep Breeding Values for increased weight and muscling and reduced fat depth.

PubMed

Gardner, G E; Williams, A; Ball, A J; Jacob, R H; Refshauge, G; Hocking Edwards, J; Behrendt, R; Pethick, D W

2015-01-01

Pre-slaughter live weight, dressing percentage, and hot standard carcase weight (HCWT) from the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 birth-years of the Information Nucleus Flock Lambs (n=7325) were analysed using linear mixed effects models. Increasing the sire breeding value for post-weaning weight (PWWT), and c-site eye muscle depth (PEMD), and reducing the sire breeding value for fat depth (PFAT) all had positive impacts on HCWT. The magnitude of the PWWT effect was greater in pure bred Merinos compared to Maternal and Terminal sired progeny. The improved HCWT resulting from increased PEMD was entirely due to its impact on improving dressing percentage, given that it had no impact on pre-slaughter live weight. There were marked differences between sire types and dam breeds, with pure-bred Merinos having lower pre-slaughter weight, reduced dressing percentage, and lower HCWT than progeny from Terminal and Maternal sired lambs or progeny from Maternal (1st cross) dams. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How to Increase Value in the Footwear Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornasiero, Rosanna; Tescaro, Mauro; Scarso, Enrico; Gottardi, Giorgio

The Lean approach has been implemented in many different sectors as a methodology to improve industrial performance at company level. In the latest years this approach has been further developed in literature and in practice to integrate the principles of agility, adaptability and the mass customization paradigm where product and services have to be designed together to meet specific requirements, and where value originated by the supply chain enhance the value of single company thanks to the use of ICT and remote control. In this paper we analyze the Beyond-Lean paradigm and propose a path for companies in the footwear sector to improve their performance based on high-value-added products and processes. A detailed process analysis based on Value Stream Mapping is used to define criticalities and suggest improvements paths both at technological and organizational level.

Total variation regularization of the 3-D gravity inverse problem using a randomized generalized singular value decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vatankhah, Saeed; Renaut, Rosemary A.; Ardestani, Vahid E.

2018-04-01

We present a fast algorithm for the total variation regularization of the 3-D gravity inverse problem. Through imposition of the total variation regularization, subsurface structures presenting with sharp discontinuities are preserved better than when using a conventional minimum-structure inversion. The associated problem formulation for the regularization is nonlinear but can be solved using an iteratively reweighted least-squares algorithm. For small-scale problems the regularized least-squares problem at each iteration can be solved using the generalized singular value decomposition. This is not feasible for large-scale, or even moderate-scale, problems. Instead we introduce the use of a randomized generalized singular value decomposition in order to reduce the dimensions of the problem and provide an effective and efficient solution technique. For further efficiency an alternating direction algorithm is used to implement the total variation weighting operator within the iteratively reweighted least-squares algorithm. Presented results for synthetic examples demonstrate that the novel randomized decomposition provides good accuracy for reduced computational and memory demands as compared to use of classical approaches.

The general public's willingness to pay for tax increases to support unrestricted access to an Alzheimer's disease medication.

PubMed

Oremus, Mark; Tarride, Jean-Eric; Raina, Parminder; Thabane, Lehana; Foster, Gary; Goldsmith, Charlie H; Clayton, Natasha

2012-11-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder highlighted by progressive declines in cognitive and functional abilities. Our objective was to assess the general public's maximum willingness to pay ((M)WTP) for an increase in annual personal income taxes to fund unrestricted access to AD medications. We randomly recruited 500 Canadians nationally and used computer-assisted telephone interviewing to administer a questionnaire. The questionnaire contained four 'efficacy' scenarios describing an AD medication as capable of symptomatically treating cognitive decline or modifying disease progression. The scenarios also described the medication as having no adverse effects or a 30% chance of adverse effects. We randomized participants to order of scenarios and willingness-to-pay bid values; (M)WTP for each scenario was the highest accepted bid for that scenario. We conducted linear regression and bootstrap sensitivity analyses to investigate potential determinants of (M)WTP. Mean (M)WTP was highest for the 'disease modification/no adverse effects' scenario ($Can130.26) and lowest for the 'symptomatic treatment/30% chance of adverse effects' scenario ($Can99.16). Bootstrap analyses indicated none of our potential determinants (e.g. age, sex) were associated with participants' (M)WTP. The general public is willing to pay higher income taxes to fund unrestricted access to AD (especially disease-modifying) medications. Consequently, the public should favour placing new AD medications on public drug plans. As far as we are aware, no other study has elicited the general public's willingness to pay for AD medications.

Increased Functional MEG Connectivity as a Hallmark of MRI-Negative Focal and Generalized Epilepsy.

PubMed

Li Hegner, Yiwen; Marquetand, Justus; Elshahabi, Adham; Klamer, Silke; Lerche, Holger; Braun, Christoph; Focke, Niels K

2018-05-15

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological diseases with a high morbidity. Accumulating evidence has shown that epilepsy is an archetypical neural network disorder. Here we developed a non-invasive cortical functional connectivity analysis based on magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess commonalities and differences in the network phenotype in different epilepsy syndromes (non-lesional/cryptogenic focal and idiopathic/genetic generalized epilepsy). Thirty-seven epilepsy patients with normal structural brain anatomy underwent a 30-min resting state MEG measurement with eyes closed. We only analyzed interictal epochs without epileptiform discharges. The imaginary part of coherency was calculated as an indicator of cortical functional connectivity in five classical frequency bands. This connectivity measure was computed between all sources on individually reconstructed cortical surfaces that were surface-aligned to a common template. In comparison to healthy controls, both focal and generalized epilepsy patients showed widespread increased functional connectivity in several frequency bands, demonstrating the potential of elevated functional connectivity as a common pathophysiological hallmark in different epilepsy types. Furthermore, the comparison between focal and generalized epilepsies revealed increased network connectivity in bilateral mesio-frontal and motor regions specifically for the generalized epilepsy patients. Our study indicated that the surface-based normalization of MEG sources of individual brains enables the comparison of imaging findings across subjects and groups on a united platform, which leads to a straightforward and effective disclosure of pathological network characteristics in epilepsy. This approach may allow for the definition of more specific markers of different epilepsy syndromes, and increased MEG-based resting-state functional connectivity seems to be a common feature in MRI-negative epilepsy syndromes.

Using organizational and clinical performance data to increase the value of mental health care.

PubMed

Schmidt, Eric M; Krahn, Dean D; McGuire, Marsden H; Tavakoli, Sara; Wright, David M; Solares, Hugo E; Lemke, Sonne; Trafton, Jodie

2017-02-01

U.S. health systems, policy makers, and patients increasingly demand high-value care that improves health outcomes at lower cost. This study describes the initial design and analysis of the Mental Health Management System (MHMS), a performance data and quality improvement tool used by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to increase the value of its mental health care. The MHMS evaluates access to and quality of mental health care, organizational structure and efficiency, implementation of innovative treatment options, and, in collaboration with management, resource needs for delivering care. Performance on 31 measures was calculated for all U.S. VHA facilities (N = 139). Pearson correlations revealed that better access to care was significantly associated with fewer mental health provider staffing vacancies (r = -.24) and higher staff-to-patient ratios for psychiatrists (r = .19) and other outpatient mental health providers (r = .27). Higher staff-to-patient ratios were significantly associated with higher performance on a number of patient and provider satisfaction measures (range of r = .18-.51) and continuity of care measures (range of r = .26-.43). Relationships observed between organizational and clinical performance measures suggest that the MHMS is a robust informatics and quality improvement tool that can serve as a model for health systems planning to adopt a value perspective. Future research should expand the MHMS framework to measure patient and health systems costs and psychosocial outcomes, as well as evaluate whether quality improvement solutions implemented as a result of using organizational information leads to higher-value mental health care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Good Neighbors: Shared Challenges and Solutions Toward Increasing Value at Academic Medical Centers and Universities.

PubMed

Clancy, Gerard P

2015-12-01

Academic medical centers (AMCs) and universities are experiencing increasing pressure to enhance the value they offer at the same time that they are facing challenges related to outcomes, controlling costs, new competition, and government mandates. Yet, rarely do the leaders of these academic neighbors work cooperatively to enhance value. In this Perspective the author, a former university regional campus president with duties in an AMC as an academic physician, shares his insights into the shared challenges these academic neighbors face in improving the value of their services in complex environments. He describes the successes some AMCs have had in generating revenues from new clinical programs that reduce the overall cost of care for larger populations. He also describes how several universities have taken a comprehensive approach to reduce overhead and administrative costs. The author identifies six themes related to successful value improvement efforts and provides examples of successful strategies used by AMCs and their university neighbors to improve the overall value of their programs. He concludes by encouraging leaders of AMCs and universities to share information about their successes in value improvements with each other, to seek additional joint value enhancement efforts, and to market their value improvements to the public.

Re-valuing the amygdala.

PubMed

Morrison, Sara E; Salzman, C Daniel

2010-04-01

Recent advances indicate that the amygdala represents valence: a general appetitive/aversive affective characteristic that bears similarity to the neuroeconomic concept of value. Neurophysiological studies show that individual amygdala neurons respond differentially to a range of stimuli with positive or negative affective significance. Meanwhile, increasingly specific lesion/inactivation studies reveal that the amygdala is necessary for processes--for example, fear extinction and reinforcer devaluation--that involve updating representations of value. Furthermore, recent neuroimaging studies suggest that the human amygdala mediates performance on many reward-based decision-making tasks. The encoding of affective significance by the amygdala might be best described as a representation of state value-a representation that is useful for coordinating physiological, behavioral, and cognitive responses in an affective/emotional context. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Value-based medicine and vitreoretinal diseases.

PubMed

Brown, Melissa M; Brown, Gary C; Sharma, Sanjay

2004-06-01

The purpose of the review is to examine the role of value-based medicine and its impact, or potential impact, on vitreoretinal interventions. Value-based medicine integrates evidence-based data from clinical trials with the patient-perceived improvement in quality of life conferred by an intervention. Cost-utility analysis, the healthcare economic instrument used to create a value-based medicine database, is being increasingly used to study the cost-effectiveness of vitreoretinal interventions. Vitreoretinal interventions are generally cost-effective because of the great value they impart to patients. Laser surgical procedures, such as for diabetic retinopathy, threshold retinopathy of prematurity, and exudative macular degeneration appear to be especially cost-effective as a group.

A Generalized Framework for Non-Stationary Extreme Value Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ragno, E.; Cheng, L.; Sadegh, M.; AghaKouchak, A.

2017-12-01

Empirical trends in climate variables including precipitation, temperature, snow-water equivalent at regional to continental scales are evidence of changes in climate over time. The evolving climate conditions and human activity-related factors such as urbanization and population growth can exert further changes in weather and climate extremes. As a result, the scientific community faces an increasing demand for updated appraisal of the time-varying climate extremes. The purpose of this study is to offer a robust and flexible statistical tool for non-stationary extreme value analysis which can better characterize the severity and likelihood of extreme climatic variables. This is critical to ensure a more resilient environment in a changing climate. Following the positive feedback on the first version of Non-Stationary Extreme Value Analysis (NEVA) Toolbox by Cheng at al. 2014, we present an improved version, i.e. NEVA2.0. The upgraded version herein builds upon a newly-developed hybrid evolution Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach for numerical parameters estimation and uncertainty assessment. This addition leads to a more robust uncertainty estimates of return levels, return periods, and risks of climatic extremes under both stationary and non-stationary assumptions. Moreover, NEVA2.0 is flexible in incorporating any user-specified covariate other than the default time-covariate (e.g., CO2 emissions, large scale climatic oscillation patterns). The new feature will allow users to examine non-stationarity of extremes induced by physical conditions that underlie the extreme events (e.g. antecedent soil moisture deficit, large-scale climatic teleconnections, urbanization). In addition, the new version offers an option to generate stationary and/or non-stationary rainfall Intensity - Duration - Frequency (IDF) curves that are widely used for risk assessment and infrastructure design. Finally, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the package is provided, making NEVA

Entropy and generalized least square methods in assessment of the regional value of streamgages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markus, M.; Vernon, Knapp H.; Tasker, Gary D.

2003-01-01

The Illinois State Water Survey performed a study to assess the streamgaging network in the State of Illinois. One of the important aspects of the study was to assess the regional value of each station through an assessment of the information transfer among gaging records for low, average, and high flow conditions. This analysis was performed for the main hydrologic regions in the State, and the stations were initially evaluated using a new approach based on entropy analysis. To determine the regional value of each station within a region, several information parameters, including total net information, were defined based on entropy. Stations were ranked based on the total net information. For comparison, the regional value of the same stations was assessed using the generalized least square regression (GLS) method, developed by the US Geological Survey. Finally, a hybrid combination of GLS and entropy was created by including a function of the negative net information as a penalty function in the GLS. The weights of the combined model were determined to maximize the average correlation with the results of GLS and entropy. The entropy and GLS methods were evaluated using the high-flow data from southern Illinois stations. The combined method was compared with the entropy and GLS approaches using the high-flow data from eastern Illinois stations. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increasing the Value of an Alternative Monetary Reinforcer Reduces Cigarette Choice in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Tidey, Jennifer W.; Kahler, Christopher W.; Wray, Tyler B.; Colby, Suzanne M.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Smoking can be conceptualized as an operant behavior maintained by the reinforcing effects of cigarettes. Changing the magnitude and availability of alternative reinforcers should shift behavior away from smoking. Adults’ smoking behavior is sensitive to the magnitude and availability of alternative reinforcers; however, the extent to which the same is true for adolescents has not yet been shown in the laboratory. Methods: To test the sensitivity of adolescent smoking behavior to changes in the magnitude of alternative reinforcement, we gave adolescents who abstained overnight the opportunity to make 20 choices between receiving two puffs of their usual-brand cigarette or money. The magnitude of the monetary reinforcer was varied across sessions in counterbalanced order ($0.00, $0.10, and $0.50). Results: Results indicated that adolescents’ choices for puffs decreased as a function of increasing monetary reinforcer magnitude, while money choices increased. This effect was moderated by baseline smoking level and by gender, such that heavier-smoking participants and males made more cigarette choices when the alternative monetary value was zero, and decreased their choices more steeply in response to increasing monetary value. Conclusions: The current study validates a laboratory choice procedure for studying smoking in adolescents, and demonstrates that adolescent smoking behavior is sensitive to changes in the magnitude of concurrently available monetary reinforcers. The current paradigm can be adapted and applied to explore the effects of other variables that may affect cigarette choice in adolescents. PMID:25666814

INTENSITY AND GENERALIZATION OF TREADMILL-SLIP TRAINING: HIGH OR LOW; PROGRESSIVELY-INCREASE OR -DECREASE?

PubMed Central

Liu, Xuan; Bhatt, Tanvi; Pai, Yi-Chung (Clive)

2015-01-01

Very little is known how training intensity interacts with the generalization from treadmill-slip to overground slip. The purposes of this study were to determine whether treadmill-slip training improved center-of-mass stability, more so in the reactive than in the proactive control of stability, with high intensity (HI with a trial-to-trial-consistent acceleration of 12 m/s2) better than low intensity training (LO with a consistent acceleration of 6 m/s2), and progressively-increasing intensity (INCR with a block-to-block acceleration varied from 6 to 12 m/s2) better than progressively-decreasing intensity training (DECR with an acceleration varied from 12 to 6 m/s2) in such generalization. Thirty-six young subjects evenly assigned to one of four (HI, LO, INCR, DECR) groups underwent 24 treadmill-slips before their generalization test trial with a novel slip during overground walking. The controls (CTRL, n=9) from existing data only experienced the same novel overground slip without treadmill training but under otherwise identical condition. The results showed that treadmill-slip training did improved balance control on overground slip with a greater impact on subjects’ reactive (44.3%) than proactive control of stability (27.1%) in comparison to the CTRL. HI yielded stronger generalization than LO, while INCR was only marginally better than DECR. Finally, the group means of these four displayed a clear ascending order from CTRL, LO, DECR, INCR, to HI. The results suggested that higher training intensity on treadmill led to a better generalization, while a progressively-increase in intensity had advantage over the progressively-decrease or the low training strategy. (243 words) PMID:26159058

Impact of increasing heat waves on U.S. ozone episodes in the 2050s: Results from a multimodel analysis using extreme value theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, L.; Mickley, L. J.; Gilleland, E.

2016-04-01

We develop a statistical model using extreme value theory to estimate the 2000-2050 changes in ozone episodes across the United States. We model the relationships between daily maximum temperature (Tmax) and maximum daily 8 h average (MDA8) ozone in May-September over 2003-2012 using a Point Process (PP) model. At ~20% of the sites, a marked decrease in the ozone-temperature slope occurs at high temperatures, defined as ozone suppression. The PP model sometimes fails to capture ozone-Tmax relationships, so we refit the ozone-Tmax slope using logistic regression and a generalized Pareto distribution model. We then apply the resulting hybrid-extreme value theory model to projections of Tmax from an ensemble of downscaled climate models. Assuming constant anthropogenic emissions at the present level, we find an average increase of 2.3 d a-1 in ozone episodes (>75 ppbv) across the United States by the 2050s, with a change of +3-9 d a-1 at many sites.

Using Immediate Feedback to Increase Opportunities to Respond in a General Education Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Justin T.; Whitney, Todd; Lingo, Amy S.

2018-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of immediately prompting a general education teacher to increase her rate of Opportunities to Respond (OTR) through bug-in-ear technology on the academic engagement of a first-grade student with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In…

Fatigue in the general population of Colombia - normative values for the multidimensional fatigue inventory MFI-20.

PubMed

Hinz, Andreas; Barboza, Carolyn Finck; Barradas, Susana; Körner, Annett; Beierlein, Volker; Singer, Susanne

2013-01-01

Fatigue is a frequent symptom in cancer patients. In Europe and Northern America fatigue questionnaires were developed and tested, but their generalizability to other cultural contexts is largely unknown. The aim of this study is to provide normative values for the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) based on a representative sample of the general population in Colombia and to test psychometric properties. 1,500 individuals completed a questionnaire that contained the MFI-20, as well as other questionnaires, and questions on sociodemographic variables and chronic diseases. The mean values of the scales were marginally higher than those for 2 European samples. The mean value of the total score was 44.3 ± 14.1. Women were affected by fatigue more than men, and there was an almost linear age trend, with higher mean scores for older subjects. People with chronic diseases were affected by fatigue more than people without chronic conditions. The best psychometric properties were obtained for the total scale (sum score) of the MFI-20. The normative values presented here can help us to assess the individual burden of fatigue in a Latin American context. Psychometric properties of the MFI-20 in Colombia are similar to those obtained in Europe. © 2013 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

26 CFR 1.312-9 - Adjustments to earnings and profits reflecting increase in value accrued before March 1, 1913.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Adjustments to earnings and profits reflecting... § 1.312-9 Adjustments to earnings and profits reflecting increase in value accrued before March 1..., that part of the earnings and profits which is represented by increase in value of property accrued...

Influence of additives on the increase of the heating value of Bayah’s coal with upgrading brown coal (UBC) method

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

Heriyanto, Heri; Widya Ernayati, K.; Umam, Chairul

UBC (upgrading brown coal) is a method of improving the quality of coal by using oil as an additive. Through processing in the oil media, not just the calories that increase, but there is also water repellent properties and a decrease in the tendency of spontaneous combustion of coal products produced. The results showed a decrease in the water levels of natural coal bayah reached 69%, increase in calorific value reached 21.2%. Increased caloric value and reduced water content caused by the water molecules on replacing seal the pores of coal by oil and atoms C on the oil thatmore » is bound to increase the percentage of coal carbon. As a result of this experiment is, the produced coal has better calorific value, the increasing of this new calorific value up to 23.8% with the additive waste lubricant, and the moisture content reduced up to 69.45%.« less

Increase in Unemployment over the 2000's: Comparison between People Living with HIV and the French General Population.

PubMed

Annequin, Margot; Lert, France; Spire, Bruno; Dray-Spira, Rosemary

2016-01-01

Despite improved health, unemployment has increased among people living with HIV (PlwHIV) over the last decade. However, since the economic recession of 2008, unemployment also increased in the French general population. This paper aimed to determine if the increase in the unemployment rate in the HIV population was higher than that in the French general population. We used data from the ANRS-Vespa study, a repeated cross-sectional survey among two national representative samples of PlwHIV followed at hospitals in France in 2003 and 2011. We compared employment and unemployment rates between HIV-infected people (overall and according to period of HIV diagnosis) and the French general population in 2003 and 2011, using multivariate Poisson regressions adjusted for individual sociodemographic characteristics. The employment rate among PlwHIV was consistently lower than that in the general population in 2003 and 2011. In contrast, there was a trend of an increasing unemployment rate difference between PlwHIV and the general population: PlwHIV's unemployment rate was 1.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-1.90) times higher than that of the general population in 2003, versus 1.62 (95% CI: 1.34-1.96) times higher in 2011. This unemployment rate difference was the highest for PlwHIV diagnosed in or after 2008 (adjusted prevalence rate ratio: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.59-2.67). These results suggest that in time of economic recession, an increasing proportion of PlwHIV may be excluded from the labor market although they are willing to re-enter it. This constitutes a major issue relative to social consequences of chronic disease.

Symbolic values: the overlooked values that make wilderness unique

Treesearch

David N. Cole

2005-01-01

The symbolic values of wilderness have been largely overlooked, compared with the ecological and experiential values of wilderness. The prominence of the word untrammeled as a descriptor of the wilderness ideal suggests that the primary general symbolic value of wilderness is as a symbol of a human–environment relationship characterized by restraint...

Evaluation of dynamically downscaled extreme temperature using a spatially-aggregated generalized extreme value (GEV) model

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

Wang, Jiali; Han, Yuefeng; Stein, Michael L.

2016-02-10

The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model downscaling skill in extreme maximum daily temperature is evaluated by using the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. While the GEV distribution has been used extensively in climatology and meteorology for estimating probabilities of extreme events, accurately estimating GEV parameters based on data from a single pixel can be difficult, even with fairly long data records. This work proposes a simple method assuming that the shape parameter, the most difficult of the three parameters to estimate, does not vary over a relatively large region. This approach is applied to evaluate 31-year WRF-downscaled extreme maximummore » temperature through comparison with North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data. Uncertainty in GEV parameter estimates and the statistical significance in the differences of estimates between WRF and NARR are accounted for by conducting bootstrap resampling. Despite certain biases over parts of the United States, overall, WRF shows good agreement with NARR in the spatial pattern and magnitudes of GEV parameter estimates. Both WRF and NARR show a significant increase in extreme maximum temperature over the southern Great Plains and southeastern United States in January and over the western United States in July. The GEV model shows clear benefits from the regionally constant shape parameter assumption, for example, leading to estimates of the location and scale parameters of the model that show coherent spatial patterns.« less

Personal Trust Increases Cooperation beyond General Trust

PubMed Central

Acedo-Carmona, Cristina; Gomila, Antoni

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a new methodology which, while allowing for anonymous interaction, it also makes possible to compare decisions of cooperating or defecting when playing games within a group, according to whether or not players personally trust each other. The design thus goes beyond standard approaches to the role of trust in fostering cooperation, which is restricted to general trust. It also allows considering the role of the topology of the social network involved may play in the level of cooperation found. The results of this work support the idea that personal trust promotes cooperation beyond the level of general trust. We also found that this effect carries over to the whole group, making it more cohesive, but that higher levels of cohesion rely on a particular topology. As a conclusion, we hypothesize that personal trust is a psychological mechanism evolved to make human social life possible in the small groups our ancestors lived in, and that this mechanism persists and plays a role in sustaining cooperation and social cohesion. PMID:25144539

Limited time perspective increases the value of calm.

PubMed

Jiang, Da; Fung, Helene H; Sims, Tamara; Tsai, Jeanne L; Zhang, Fan

2016-02-01

Previous findings indirectly suggest that the more people perceive their time in life as limited, the more they value calm. No study, however, has directly tested this hypothesis. To this end, using a combination of survey, experience sampling, and experimental methods, we examined the relationship between future time perspective and the affective states that people ideally want to feel (i.e., their "ideal affect"). In Study 1, the more people reported a limited time perspective, the more they wanted to feel calm and experience other low-arousal positive states. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to a limited time or an expanded time condition. Participants in the limited time condition reported valuing calm and other low arousal positive states more than those in the expanded time condition. We discuss the implications of these findings for broadening our understanding of the factors that shape how people ideally want to feel, and their consequences for decision making. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Increasing the Value of an Alternative Monetary Reinforcer Reduces Cigarette Choice in Adolescents.

PubMed

Cassidy, Rachel N; Tidey, Jennifer W; Kahler, Christopher W; Wray, Tyler B; Colby, Suzanne M

2015-12-01

Smoking can be conceptualized as an operant behavior maintained by the reinforcing effects of cigarettes. Changing the magnitude and availability of alternative reinforcers should shift behavior away from smoking. Adults' smoking behavior is sensitive to the magnitude and availability of alternative reinforcers; however, the extent to which the same is true for adolescents has not yet been shown in the laboratory. To test the sensitivity of adolescent smoking behavior to changes in the magnitude of alternative reinforcement, we gave adolescents who abstained overnight the opportunity to make 20 choices between receiving two puffs of their usual-brand cigarette or money. The magnitude of the monetary reinforcer was varied across sessions in counterbalanced order ($0.00, $0.10, and $0.50). Results indicated that adolescents' choices for puffs decreased as a function of increasing monetary reinforcer magnitude, while money choices increased. This effect was moderated by baseline smoking level and by gender, such that heavier-smoking participants and males made more cigarette choices when the alternative monetary value was zero, and decreased their choices more steeply in response to increasing monetary value. The current study validates a laboratory choice procedure for studying smoking in adolescents, and demonstrates that adolescent smoking behavior is sensitive to changes in the magnitude of concurrently available monetary reinforcers. The current paradigm can be adapted and applied to explore the effects of other variables that may affect cigarette choice in adolescents. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

How to Assess the Value of Medicines?

PubMed Central

Simoens, Steven

2010-01-01

This study aims to discuss approaches to assessing the value of medicines. Economic evaluation assesses value by means of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Health is maximized by selecting medicines with increasing ICERs until the budget is exhausted. The budget size determines the value of the threshold ICER and vice versa. Alternatively, the threshold value can be inferred from pricing/reimbursement decisions, although such values vary between countries. Threshold values derived from the value-of-life literature depend on the technique used. The World Health Organization has proposed a threshold value tied to the national GDP. As decision makers may wish to consider multiple criteria, variable threshold values and weighted ICERs have been suggested. Other approaches (i.e., replacement approach, program budgeting and marginal analysis) have focused on improving resource allocation, rather than maximizing health subject to a budget constraint. Alternatively, the generalized optimization framework and multi-criteria decision analysis make it possible to consider other criteria in addition to value. PMID:21607066

How to assess the value of medicines?

PubMed

Simoens, Steven

2010-01-01

This study aims to discuss approaches to assessing the value of medicines. Economic evaluation assesses value by means of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Health is maximized by selecting medicines with increasing ICERs until the budget is exhausted. The budget size determines the value of the threshold ICER and vice versa. Alternatively, the threshold value can be inferred from pricing/reimbursement decisions, although such values vary between countries. Threshold values derived from the value-of-life literature depend on the technique used. The World Health Organization has proposed a threshold value tied to the national GDP. As decision makers may wish to consider multiple criteria, variable threshold values and weighted ICERs have been suggested. Other approaches (i.e., replacement approach, program budgeting and marginal analysis) have focused on improving resource allocation, rather than maximizing health subject to a budget constraint. Alternatively, the generalized optimization framework and multi-criteria decision analysis make it possible to consider other criteria in addition to value.

[Terrain gradient effect of ecosystem service value in middle reach of Yangtze River, China].

PubMed

Yang, Suo Hua; Hu, Shou Geng; Qu, Shi Jin

2018-03-01

Using land use data in the year 1995, 2005 and 2014, this study estimated the ecosystem service value (ESV) in each county located in the middle reach of Yangtze River and analyzed its spatiotemporal variation features and terrain gradient effects based on "the equivalent value per unit area of ecosystem services in China". The results showed that ESV in the middle reach of Yangtze River was generally higher in mountainous area but lower in plain region, with an obvious terrain gradient effect. Specifically, the relationship of the relief degree of land surface (RDLS) and the ESV showed significant logarithm function at county scale with a high curve fitting degree of 0.53. The ESV increased from 400.35×10 4 yuan·km -2 to 554.57×10 4 yuan·km -2 with the increasing RDLS (grade 1-5) in 2014. During 1995-2004, the ecosystem service value variation changed from decreasing to stable with the increases of the RDLS. With a perspective of ecosystem service values, the value of food production and waste treatment service value decreased with the increase of the RDLS, while the others increased in general, such as the production of raw materials and gas regulation service value, because of the influences of dynamic land use structure in varied topography and distinct dominant ecosystem services from different land types.

Values taught, values learned, attitude and performance in mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limbaco, K. S. A.

2015-03-01

The purpose of the study was to identify, describe and find the relationship among values taught, values learned, attitude and performance in mathematics. The researcher used descriptive-correlational method of research to gather information and to describe the nature of situation. The following instruments were used in this study: Math Attitude Inventory, Inventory of Values Taught and Learned which were content validated by experts in the field of Mathematics, Values and Education. Generally, most of the values were taught by the teachers. All of the values were learned by the students. The following got the highest mean ratings for values taught: moral strength, sharing, charity, valuing life, love of God, truth and honesty, reason, alternativism and articulation. The following got highest mean ratings for values learned: patience/tolerance, sharing, charity, valuing life, faith, love of God, truth and honesty, analogical thinking, confidence and individual liberty. Majority of the respondents have moderately positive attitude towards mathematics. Positive statements in the Mathematics Attitude Inventory are "Generally true" while negative statements are "Neutral." In conclusion, values were taught by mathematics teacher, thus, learned by the students. Therefore, mathematics is very much related to life. Values can be learned and strengthened through mathematics; there is a significant relationship between values taught by the teachers and values learned by the students and attitude towards mathematics and performance in mathematics; values taught does not affect attitude towards mathematics and performance in mathematics. A student may have a positive attitude towards mathematics or have an exemplary performance in mathematics even if the mathematics teacher did not teach values; values learned does not affect attitude towards mathematics and performance in mathematics. A student may have a positive attitude towards mathematics or have an exemplary performance

New reference values for body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis in the general population: results from the UK Biobank.

PubMed

Franssen, Frits M E; Rutten, Erica P A; Groenen, Miriam T J; Vanfleteren, Lowie E; Wouters, Emiel F M; Spruit, Martijn A

2014-06-01

Low fat-free mass (FFM) is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality in elderly and patient populations. Therefore, measurement of FFM is important in nutritional assessment. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a convenient method to assess FFM and FFM index (FFMI; FFM/height(2)). Although reference values have been established for individuals with normal body weight, no specific cutoff values are available for overweight and obese populations. Also, limited studies accounted for the age-related decline in FFM. To determine BMI- and age-specific reference values for abnormal low FFM(I) in white-ethnic men and women free of self-reported disease from the general population. The UK Biobank is a prospective epidemiological study of the general population from the United Kingdom. Individuals in the age category 45 to 69 years were analyzed. In addition to body weight, FFM and FFMI were measured using a Tanita BC-418MA. Also, self-reported chronic conditions and ethnic background were registered, and lung function was assessed using spirometry. After exclusion of all individuals with missing data, nonwhite ethnicity, self-reported disease, body mass index (BMI) less than 14 or 36 kg/m(2) or higher, and/or an obstructive lung function, reference values for FFM and FFMI were derived from 186,975 individuals (45.9% men; age: 56.9 ± 6.8 years; BMI: 26.5 ± 3.6 kg/m(2); FFMI 18.3 ± 2.4 kg/m(2)). FFM and FFMI were significantly associated with BMI and decreased with age. Percentiles 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, and 95 were calculated for FFM, FFMI, and fat mass (index), after stratification for gender, age, and BMI. Using the UK Biobank dataset, new reference values for body composition assessed with BIA were determined in white-ethnic men and women aged 45 to 69 years. Because these reference values are BMI specific, they are of broad interest for overweight and obese populations. Copyright © 2014 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

Attitude Changes of Undergraduate University Students in General Education Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Mark W.; Teisl, Mario F.; Criner, George K.; Tisher, Sharon; Smith, Stewart; Hunter, Malcolm L.; Norton, Stephen A.; Jellison, Jody; Alyokhin, Andrei; Gallandt, Eric; Haggard, Sandra; Bicknell, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

Assessing learning outcomes in general education is increasingly important to accrediting bodies. A fertile area of assessment is measuring changes in student attitudes/values in response to general education. University of Maine faculty experimented with such an attitude assessment. In this study, the authors assessed changes in students'…

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. XXIV - A general approach to measuring the value of aerospace information products and services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brinberg, Herbert R.; Pinelli, Thomas E.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses the various approaches to measuring the value of information, first defining the meanings of information, economics of information, and value. It concludes that no general model of measuring the value of information is possible and that the usual approaches, such as cost/benefit equations, have very limited applications. It also concludes that in specific contexts with given goals for newly developed products and services or newly acquired information, there is a basis for its objective valuation. The axioms and inputs for such a model are described and directions for further verification and analysis are proposed.

Children's Perceived Competence Scale: Reference values in Japan.

PubMed

Nagai, Yukiyo; Nomura, Kayo; Nagata, Masako; Ohgi, Shohei; Iwasa, Mitsuji

2015-12-01

To support children with chronic diseases, reference values to measure developmental changes in self-perception and self-esteem are considered a useful yardstick. To develop reference values to measure self-perceived competence and self-esteem in Japanese children, the Children's Perceived Competence Scale (CPCS) was administered to 768 children of elementary school grade 1 (6 years) to grade 6 (11 years) at four public schools in Japan, from November to December 2012. After excluding 74 with chronic diseases and/or incomplete responses, 694 children were included. CPCS measures children's self-perceived competence in cognitive, social, physical domains, and general self-worth, namely self-esteem. There was a tendency for scores of cognitive and general self-worth to decrease with increasing grade. Scores among grade 5 respondents were significantly lower than those among grade 4 respondents for both social and physical domains. Scores among boys and girls differed significantly, with boys scoring higher for physical domain in grades 3 and 6 and for general self-worth domain in grade 6. The CPCS reference values to measure self-perceived competence and self-esteem in Japanese children were developed in this study. These reference values are useful to inform practitioners supporting children with psychological or psychiatric problems or those with chronic diseases. © The Author(s) 2014.

A generally applicable lightweight method for calculating a value structure for tools and services in bioinformatics infrastructure projects.

PubMed

Mayer, Gerhard; Quast, Christian; Felden, Janine; Lange, Matthias; Prinz, Manuel; Pühler, Alfred; Lawerenz, Chris; Scholz, Uwe; Glöckner, Frank Oliver; Müller, Wolfgang; Marcus, Katrin; Eisenacher, Martin

2017-10-30

Sustainable noncommercial bioinformatics infrastructures are a prerequisite to use and take advantage of the potential of big data analysis for research and economy. Consequently, funders, universities and institutes as well as users ask for a transparent value model for the tools and services offered. In this article, a generally applicable lightweight method is described by which bioinformatics infrastructure projects can estimate the value of tools and services offered without determining exactly the total costs of ownership. Five representative scenarios for value estimation from a rough estimation to a detailed breakdown of costs are presented. To account for the diversity in bioinformatics applications and services, the notion of service-specific 'service provision units' is introduced together with the factors influencing them and the main underlying assumptions for these 'value influencing factors'. Special attention is given on how to handle personnel costs and indirect costs such as electricity. Four examples are presented for the calculation of the value of tools and services provided by the German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure (de.NBI): one for tool usage, one for (Web-based) database analyses, one for consulting services and one for bioinformatics training events. Finally, from the discussed values, the costs of direct funding and the costs of payment of services by funded projects are calculated and compared. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

The Leadership Roles of Distance Learning Administrators (DLAs) in Increasing Educational Value and Quality Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarlane, Donovan A.

2011-01-01

This paper examines the leadership roles of distance learning administrators (DLAs) in light of the demand and need for value and quality in educational distance learning programs and schools. The author explores the development of distance learning using available and emerging technologies in relation to increased demand for education, training,…

Increase in Unemployment over the 2000’s: Comparison between People Living with HIV and the French General Population

PubMed Central

Annequin, Margot; Lert, France; Spire, Bruno; Dray-Spira, Rosemary

2016-01-01

Background Despite improved health, unemployment has increased among people living with HIV (PlwHIV) over the last decade. However, since the economic recession of 2008, unemployment also increased in the French general population. This paper aimed to determine if the increase in the unemployment rate in the HIV population was higher than that in the French general population. Methods We used data from the ANRS-Vespa study, a repeated cross-sectional survey among two national representative samples of PlwHIV followed at hospitals in France in 2003 and 2011. We compared employment and unemployment rates between HIV-infected people (overall and according to period of HIV diagnosis) and the French general population in 2003 and 2011, using multivariate Poisson regressions adjusted for individual sociodemographic characteristics. Results The employment rate among PlwHIV was consistently lower than that in the general population in 2003 and 2011. In contrast, there was a trend of an increasing unemployment rate difference between PlwHIV and the general population: PlwHIV’s unemployment rate was 1.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16–1.90) times higher than that of the general population in 2003, versus 1.62 (95% CI: 1.34–1.96) times higher in 2011. This unemployment rate difference was the highest for PlwHIV diagnosed in or after 2008 (adjusted prevalence rate ratio: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.59–2.67). Conclusions These results suggest that in time of economic recession, an increasing proportion of PlwHIV may be excluded from the labor market although they are willing to re-enter it. This constitutes a major issue relative to social consequences of chronic disease. PMID:27814374

Modeling annual extreme temperature using generalized extreme value distribution: A case study in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Husna; Salam, Norfatin; Kassim, Suraiya

2013-04-01

Extreme temperature of several stations in Malaysia is modeled by fitting the annual maximum to the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests are used to detect stochastic trends among the stations. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test suggests a non-stationary model. Three models are considered for stations with trend and the Likelihood Ratio test is used to determine the best-fitting model. The results show that Subang and Bayan Lepas stations favour a model which is linear for the location parameters while Kota Kinabalu and Sibu stations are suitable with a model in the logarithm of the scale parameters. The return level is the level of events (maximum temperature) which is expected to be exceeded once, on average, in a given number of years, is obtained.

A comparison of individual and social time trade-off values for health states in the general population.

PubMed

Burström, Kristina; Johannesson, Magnus; Diderichsen, Finn

2006-05-01

This study aimed to compare directly elicited individual time trade-off (TTO) values in a general population sample with the social values derived using the UK EQ-5D index tariff. In the Stockholm County 1998 postal Public Health Survey (n=4950, 20-88 years), the EQ-5D self-classifier, a TTO and a rating scale (RS) question were included (n=2549 for all three questions). The mean TTO (EQ-5D) value was 0.943 (0.890) in the youngest age-group and 0.699 (0.733) in the oldest age-group. The difference between TTO and EQ-5D values was greater in more severe health status groups was. The same equation as for the UK EQ-5D index tariff was estimated for TTO and RS and resulted in significant and consistent coefficients for nearly all dimensions. The coefficients for moderate problems were closer to the EQ-5D index tariff than the coefficients for severe problems. Age was also significant after controlling for the EQ-5D dimensions (p<0.05). The results suggest that individual and social TTO values differ systematically and that the difference is greater the more severe the health status is. The social EQ-5D index tariff may also underestimate the severity in health status at older ages; age appears to correlate with additional health problems not captured by the EQ-5D classification.

Generalizing genetical genomics: getting added value from environmental perturbation.

PubMed

Li, Yang; Breitling, Rainer; Jansen, Ritsert C

2008-10-01

Genetical genomics is a useful approach for studying the effect of genetic perturbations on biological systems at the molecular level. However, molecular networks depend on the environmental conditions and, thus, a comprehensive understanding of biological systems requires studying them across multiple environments. We propose a generalization of genetical genomics, which combines genetic and sensibly chosen environmental perturbations, to study the plasticity of molecular networks. This strategy forms a crucial step toward understanding why individuals respond differently to drugs, toxins, pathogens, nutrients and other environmental influences. Here we outline a strategy for selecting and allocating individuals to particular treatments, and we discuss the promises and pitfalls of the generalized genetical genomics approach.

Inducing Negative Affect Increases the Reward Value of Appetizing Foods in Dieters

PubMed Central

Wagner, Dylan D.; Boswell, Rebecca G.; Kelley, William M.; Heatherton, Todd F.

2013-01-01

Experiencing negative affect frequently precedes lapses in self-control for dieters, smokers, and drug addicts. Laboratory research has similarly shown that inducing negative emotional distress increases the consumption of food or drugs. One hypothesis for this finding is that emotional distress sensitizes the brain’s reward system to appetitive stimuli. Using functional neuroimaging, we demonstrate that inducing negative affect in chronic dieters increases activity in brain regions representing the reward value of appetitive stimuli when viewing appetizing food cues. Thirty female chronic dieters were randomly assigned to receive either a negative (n = 15) or neutral mood induction (n = 15) immediately followed by exposure to images of appetizing foods and natural scenes during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Compared to chronic dieters in a neutral mood, those receiving a negative mood induction showed increased activity in the orbitofrontal cortex to appetizing food images. In addition, activity to food images in the orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum was correlated with individual differences in the degree to which the negative mood induction decreased participants’ self-esteem. These findings suggest that distress sensitizes the brain’s reward system to appetitive cues thereby offering a mechanism for the oft-observed relationship between negative affect and disinhibited eating. PMID:22524295

[Value-based medicine in ophthalmology].

PubMed

Hirneiss, C; Neubauer, A S; Tribus, C; Kampik, A

2006-06-01

Value-based medicine (VBM) unifies costs and patient-perceived value (improvement in quality of life, length of life, or both) of an intervention. Value-based ophthalmology is of increasing importance for decisions in eye care. The methods of VBM are explained and definitions for a specific terminology in this field are given. The cost-utility analysis as part of health care economic analyses is explained. VBM exceeds evidence-based medicine by incorporating parameters of cost and benefits from an ophthalmological intervention. The benefit of the intervention is defined as an increase or maintenance of visual quality of life and can be determined by utility analysis. The time trade-off method is valid and reliable for utility analysis. The resources expended for the value gained in VBM are measured with cost-utility analysis in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life years gained (euros/QALY). Numerous cost-utility analyses of different ophthalmological interventions have been published. The fundamental instrument of VBM is cost-utility analysis. The results in cost per QALY allow estimation of cost effectiveness of an ophthalmological intervention. Using the time trade-off method for utility analysis allows the comparison of ophthalmological cost-utility analyses with those of other medical interventions. VBM is important for individual medical decision making and for general health care.

Activity of the anterior cingulate cortex and ventral hippocampus underlie increases in contextual fear generalization.

PubMed

Cullen, Patrick K; Gilman, T Lee; Winiecki, Patrick; Riccio, David C; Jasnow, Aaron M

2015-10-01

Memories for context become less specific with time resulting in animals generalizing fear from training contexts to novel contexts. Though much attention has been given to the neural structures that underlie the long-term consolidation of a context fear memory, very little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the increase in fear generalization that occurs as the memory ages. Here, we examine the neural pattern of activation underlying the expression of a generalized context fear memory in male C57BL/6J mice. Animals were context fear conditioned and tested for fear in either the training context or a novel context at recent and remote time points. Animals were sacrificed and fluorescent in situ hybridization was performed to assay neural activation. Our results demonstrate activity of the prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate (ACC) cortices as well as the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) underlie expression of a generalized fear memory. To verify the involvement of the ACC and vHPC in the expression of a generalized fear memory, animals were context fear conditioned and infused with 4% lidocaine into the ACC, dHPC, or vHPC prior to retrieval to temporarily inactivate these structures. The results demonstrate that activity of the ACC and vHPC is required for the expression of a generalized fear memory, as inactivation of these regions returned the memory to a contextually precise form. Current theories of time-dependent generalization of contextual memories do not predict involvement of the vHPC. Our data suggest a novel role of this region in generalized memory, which should be incorporated into current theories of time-dependent memory generalization. We also show that the dorsal hippocampus plays a prolonged role in contextually precise memories. Our findings suggest a possible interaction between the ACC and vHPC controls the expression of fear generalization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adaptive value of sex in microbial pathogens.

PubMed

Michod, Richard E; Bernstein, Harris; Nedelcu, Aurora M

2008-05-01

Explaining the adaptive value of sex is one of the great outstanding problems in biology. The challenge comes from the difficulty in identifying the benefits provided by sex, which must outweigh the substantial costs of sex. Here, we consider the adaptive value of sex in viruses, bacteria and fungi, and particularly the information available on the adaptive role of sex in pathogenic microorganisms. Our general theme is that the varied aspects of sex in pathogens illustrate the varied issues surrounding the evolution of sex generally. These include, the benefits of sex (in the short- and long-term), as well as the costs of sex (both to the host and to the pathogen). For the benefits of sex (that is, its adaptive value), we consider three hypotheses: (i) sex provides for effective and efficient recombinational repair of DNA damages, (ii) sex provides DNA for food, and (iii) sex produces variation and reduces genetic associations among alleles under selection. Although the evolution of sex in microbial pathogens illustrates these general issues, our paper is not a general review of theories for the evolution of sex in all organisms. Rather, we focus on the adaptive value of sex in microbial pathogens and conclude that in terms of short-term benefits, the DNA repair hypothesis has the most support and is the most generally applicable hypothesis in this group. In particular, recombinational repair of DNA damages may substantially benefit pathogens when challenged by the oxidative defenses of the host. However, in the long-term, sex may help get rid of mutations, increase the rate of adaptation of the population, and, in pathogens, may infrequently create new infective strains. An additional general issue about sex illustrated by pathogens is that some of the most interesting consequences of sex are not necessarily the reasons for which sex evolved. For example, antibiotic resistance may be transferred by bacterial sex, but this transfer is probably not the reason sex

Perceptions of Oncologists, Healthcare Policy Makers, Patients and the General Population on the Value of Pharmaceutical Treatments in Oncology.

PubMed

Sacristán, José A; Lizan, Luís; Comellas, Marta; Garrido, Pilar; Avendaño, Cristina; Cruz-Hernández, Juan J; Espinosa, Javier; Dilla, Tatiana

2016-11-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the main factors explaining the relative weight of the different attributes that determine the value of oncologic treatments from the different perspectives of healthcare policy makers (HCPM), oncologists, patients and the general population in Spain. Structured interviews were conducted to assess: (1) the importance of the attributes on treatment choice when comparing a new cancer drug with a standard cancer treatment; (2) the importance of survival, quality of life (QoL), costs and innovation in cancer; and (3) the most worrying side effects related to cancer drugs. A total of 188 individuals participated in the study. For all participants, when choosing treatments, the best rated characteristics were greater efficacy, greater safety, treatment adaptation to patients' individual requirements and the rapid reincorporation of patients to their daily activities. There were important differences among participants in their opinion about survival, QoL and cost. In general, oncologists, patients, and the general population gave greater value to gains in QoL than healthcare policy makers. Compared to other participants healthcare policy makers gave greater importance to the economic impact related to oncology treatments. Gains in QoL, survival, safety, cost and innovation are perceived differently by different groups of stakeholders. It is recommended to consider the perspective of different stakeholders in the assessment of a new cancer drugs to obtain more informed decisions when deciding on the most appropriate treatment to use. Eli Lilly & Co, Madrid (Spain).

Particularized trust, generalized trust, and immigrant self-rated health: cross-national analysis of World Values Survey.

PubMed

Kim, H H-S

2018-05-01

This research examined the associations between two types of trust, generalized and particularized, and self-rated health among immigrants. Data were drawn from the World Values Survey (WVS6), the latest wave of cross-sectional surveys based on face-to-face interviews. The immigrant subsample analyzed herein contains 3108 foreign-born individuals clustered from 51 countries. Given the hierarchically nested data, two-level logistic regressions models were estimated using HLM (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) 7.1. At the individual level, net of socio-economic and demographic factors (age, gender, marital status, education, income, neighborhood security, and subjective well-being), particularized trust was positively related to physical health (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11, P < .001). Generalized trust, however, was not a significant predictor. At the country level, based on alternative models, the aggregate measure of particularized trust was negatively associated with subjective health. The odds of being healthy were on average about 30% lower. The interdisciplinary literature on social determinants of health has largely focused on the salubrious impact of trust and other forms of social capital on physical well-being. Many previous studies based on general, not immigrant, populations also did not differentiate between generalized and particularized types of trust. Results from this study suggest that this conceptual distinction is critical in understanding how and to what extent the two are differentially related to immigrant well-being across multiple levels of analysis. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generalized Maximum Entropy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheeseman, Peter; Stutz, John

2005-01-01

A long standing mystery in using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) is how to deal with constraints whose values are uncertain. This situation arises when constraint values are estimated from data, because of finite sample sizes. One approach to this problem, advocated by E.T. Jaynes [1], is to ignore this uncertainty, and treat the empirically observed values as exact. We refer to this as the classic MaxEnt approach. Classic MaxEnt gives point probabilities (subject to the given constraints), rather than probability densities. We develop an alternative approach that assumes that the uncertain constraint values are represented by a probability density {e.g: a Gaussian), and this uncertainty yields a MaxEnt posterior probability density. That is, the classic MaxEnt point probabilities are regarded as a multidimensional function of the given constraint values, and uncertainty on these values is transmitted through the MaxEnt function to give uncertainty over the MaXEnt probabilities. We illustrate this approach by explicitly calculating the generalized MaxEnt density for a simple but common case, then show how this can be extended numerically to the general case. This paper expands the generalized MaxEnt concept introduced in a previous paper [3].

19 CFR 10.535 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.535 Regional value content. (a) General. Where General Note 25(o), HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for a good, the regional value content...

Terpenes increase the lipid dynamics in the Leishmania plasma membrane at concentrations similar to their IC50 values.

PubMed

Camargos, Heverton Silva; Moreira, Rodrigo Alves; Mendanha, Sebastião Antonio; Fernandes, Kelly Souza; Dorta, Miriam Leandro; Alonso, Antonio

2014-01-01

Although many terpenes have shown antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity, the mechanism of action is not well established. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the spin-labeled 5-doxyl stearic acid revealed remarkable fluidity increases in the plasma membrane of terpene-treated Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes. For an antiproliferative activity assay using 5×10(6) parasites/mL, the sesquiterpene nerolidol and the monoterpenes (+)-limonene, α-terpineol and 1,8-cineole inhibited the growth of the parasites with IC50 values of 0.008, 0.549, 0.678 and 4.697 mM, respectively. The IC50 values of these terpenes increased as the parasite concentration used in the cytotoxicity assay increased, and this behavior was examined using a theoretical treatment of the experimental data. Cytotoxicity tests with the same parasite concentration as in the EPR experiments revealed a correlation between the IC50 values of the terpenes and the concentrations at which they altered the membrane fluidity. In addition, the terpenes induced small amounts of cell lysis (4-9%) at their respective IC50 values. For assays with high cell concentrations (2×10(9) parasites/mL), the incorporation of terpene into the cell membrane was very fast, and the IC50 values observed for 24 h and 5 min-incubation periods were not significantly different. Taken together, these results suggest that terpene cytotoxicity is associated with the attack on the plasma membrane of the parasite. The in vitro cytotoxicity of nerolidol was similar to that of miltefosine, and nerolidol has high hydrophobicity; thus, nerolidol might be used in drug delivery systems, such as lipid nanoparticles to treat leishmaniasis.

Terpenes Increase the Lipid Dynamics in the Leishmania Plasma Membrane at Concentrations Similar to Their IC50 Values

PubMed Central

Camargos, Heverton Silva; Moreira, Rodrigo Alves; Mendanha, Sebastião Antonio; Fernandes, Kelly Souza; Dorta, Miriam Leandro; Alonso, Antonio

2014-01-01

Although many terpenes have shown antitumor, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic activity, the mechanism of action is not well established. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the spin-labeled 5-doxyl stearic acid revealed remarkable fluidity increases in the plasma membrane of terpene-treated Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes. For an antiproliferative activity assay using 5×106 parasites/mL, the sesquiterpene nerolidol and the monoterpenes (+)-limonene, α-terpineol and 1,8-cineole inhibited the growth of the parasites with IC50 values of 0.008, 0.549, 0.678 and 4.697 mM, respectively. The IC50 values of these terpenes increased as the parasite concentration used in the cytotoxicity assay increased, and this behavior was examined using a theoretical treatment of the experimental data. Cytotoxicity tests with the same parasite concentration as in the EPR experiments revealed a correlation between the IC50 values of the terpenes and the concentrations at which they altered the membrane fluidity. In addition, the terpenes induced small amounts of cell lysis (4–9%) at their respective IC50 values. For assays with high cell concentrations (2×109 parasites/mL), the incorporation of terpene into the cell membrane was very fast, and the IC50 values observed for 24 h and 5 min-incubation periods were not significantly different. Taken together, these results suggest that terpene cytotoxicity is associated with the attack on the plasma membrane of the parasite. The in vitro cytotoxicity of nerolidol was similar to that of miltefosine, and nerolidol has high hydrophobicity; thus, nerolidol might be used in drug delivery systems, such as lipid nanoparticles to treat leishmaniasis. PMID:25101672

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 24: A general approach to measuring the value of aerospace information products and services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brinberg, Herbert R.; Pinelli, Thomas E.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses the various approaches to measuring the value of information, first defining the meanings of information, economics of information, and value. It concludes that no general model of measuring the value of information is possible and that the usual approaches, such as cost/benefit equations, have very limited applications. It also concludes that in specific contexts with given goals for newly developed products and services or newly acquired information there is a basis for its objective valuation. The axioms and inputs for such a model are described and directions for further verification and analysis are proposed.

Community- and government-managed marine protected areas increase fish size, biomass and potential value

PubMed Central

Chirico, Angelica A. D.; McClanahan, Timothy R.; Eklöf, Johan S.

2017-01-01

Government-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) can restore small fish stocks, but have been heavily criticized for excluding resource users and creating conflicts. A promising but less studied alternative are community-managed MPAs, where resource users are more involved in MPA design, implementation and enforcement. Here we evaluated effects of government- and community-managed MPAs on the density, size and biomass of seagrass- and coral reef-associated fish, using field surveys in Kenyan coastal lagoons. We also assessed protection effects on the potential monetary value of fish; a variable that increases non-linearly with fish body mass and is particularly important from a fishery perspective. We found that two recently established community MPAs (< 1 km2 in size, ≤ 5 years of protection) harbored larger fish and greater total fish biomass than two fished (open access) areas, in both seagrass beds and coral reefs. As expected, protection effects were considerably stronger in the older and larger government MPAs. Importantly, across management and habitat types, the protection effect on the potential monetary value of the fish was much stronger than the effects on fish biomass and size (6.7 vs. 2.6 and 1.3 times higher value in community MPAs than in fished areas, respectively). This strong effect on potential value was partly explained by presence of larger (and therefore more valuable) individual fish, and partly by higher densities of high-value taxa (e.g. rabbitfish). In summary, we show that i) small and recently established community-managed MPAs can, just like larger and older government-managed MPAs, play an important role for local conservation of high-value fish, and that ii) these effects are equally strong in coral reefs as in seagrass beds; an important habitat too rarely included in formal management. Consequently, community-managed MPAs could benefit both coral reef and seagrass ecosystems and provide spillover of valuable fish to nearby

Community- and government-managed marine protected areas increase fish size, biomass and potential value.

PubMed

Chirico, Angelica A D; McClanahan, Timothy R; Eklöf, Johan S

2017-01-01

Government-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) can restore small fish stocks, but have been heavily criticized for excluding resource users and creating conflicts. A promising but less studied alternative are community-managed MPAs, where resource users are more involved in MPA design, implementation and enforcement. Here we evaluated effects of government- and community-managed MPAs on the density, size and biomass of seagrass- and coral reef-associated fish, using field surveys in Kenyan coastal lagoons. We also assessed protection effects on the potential monetary value of fish; a variable that increases non-linearly with fish body mass and is particularly important from a fishery perspective. We found that two recently established community MPAs (< 1 km2 in size, ≤ 5 years of protection) harbored larger fish and greater total fish biomass than two fished (open access) areas, in both seagrass beds and coral reefs. As expected, protection effects were considerably stronger in the older and larger government MPAs. Importantly, across management and habitat types, the protection effect on the potential monetary value of the fish was much stronger than the effects on fish biomass and size (6.7 vs. 2.6 and 1.3 times higher value in community MPAs than in fished areas, respectively). This strong effect on potential value was partly explained by presence of larger (and therefore more valuable) individual fish, and partly by higher densities of high-value taxa (e.g. rabbitfish). In summary, we show that i) small and recently established community-managed MPAs can, just like larger and older government-managed MPAs, play an important role for local conservation of high-value fish, and that ii) these effects are equally strong in coral reefs as in seagrass beds; an important habitat too rarely included in formal management. Consequently, community-managed MPAs could benefit both coral reef and seagrass ecosystems and provide spillover of valuable fish to nearby

Increased nutritional value in food crops.

PubMed

Goicoechea, Nieves; Antolín, M Carmen

2017-09-01

Modern agriculture and horticulture must combine two objectives that seem to be almost mutually exclusive: to satisfy the nutritional needs of an increasing human population and to minimize the negative impact on the environment. These two objectives are included in the Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations: 'End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture'. Enhancing the nutritional levels of vegetables would improve nutrient intake without requiring an increase in consumption. In this context, the use of beneficial rhizospheric microorganisms for improving, not only growth and yield, but also the nutrient quality of crops represents a promising tool that may respond to the challenges for modern agriculture and horticulture and represents an alternative to the genetic engineering of crops. This paper summarizes the state of the art, the current difficulties associated to the use of rhizospheric microorganisms as enhancers of the nutritional quality of food crops as well as the future prospects. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Learning to Improve: Using Writing to Increase Critical Thinking Performance in General Education Biology

PubMed Central

Kurtz, Martha J.

2007-01-01

Increasingly, national stakeholders express concern that U.S. college graduates cannot adequately solve problems and think critically. As a set of cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills provide students with tangible academic, personal, and professional benefits that may ultimately address these concerns. As an instructional method, writing has long been perceived as a way to improve critical thinking. In the current study, the researchers compared critical thinking performance of students who experienced a laboratory writing treatment with those who experienced traditional quiz-based laboratory in a general education biology course. The effects of writing were determined within the context of multiple covariables. Results indicated that the writing group significantly improved critical thinking skills whereas the nonwriting group did not. Specifically, analysis and inference skills increased significantly in the writing group but not the nonwriting group. Writing students also showed greater gains in evaluation skills; however, these were not significant. In addition to writing, prior critical thinking skill and instructor significantly affected critical thinking performance, whereas other covariables such as gender, ethnicity, and age were not significant. With improved critical thinking skill, general education biology students will be better prepared to solve problems as engaged and productive citizens. PMID:17548876

Reducing Adolescents' Perceived Barriers to Treatment and Increasing Help-Seeking Intentions: Effects of Classroom Presentations by General Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Coralie Joy; Deane, Frank P.; Marshall, Kellie L.; Dalley, Andrew

2008-01-01

The "Building Bridges to General Practice" (BBGP) program is an outreach initiative. It aims to reduce young peoples' perceived knowledge- and belief-based barriers to engaging in treatment and to increase their behavioral intentions to consult a general medical practitioner (GP) for physical and psychological problems. By increasing…

NOMINAL VALUES FOR SELECTED SOLAR AND PLANETARY QUANTITIES: IAU 2015 RESOLUTION B3

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

Prša, Andrej; Harmanec, Petr; Torres, Guillermo

In this brief communication we provide the rationale for and the outcome of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) resolution vote at the XXIXth General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2015, on recommended nominal conversion constants for selected solar and planetary properties. The problem addressed by the resolution is a lack of established conversion constants between solar and planetary values and SI units: a missing standard has caused a proliferation of solar values (e.g., solar radius, solar irradiance, solar luminosity, solar effective temperature, and solar mass parameter) in the literature, with cited solar values typically based on best estimates at the timemore » of paper writing. As precision of observations increases, a set of consistent values becomes increasingly important. To address this, an IAU Working Group on Nominal Units for Stellar and Planetary Astronomy formed in 2011, uniting experts from the solar, stellar, planetary, exoplanetary, and fundamental astronomy, as well as from general standards fields to converge on optimal values for nominal conversion constants. The effort resulted in the IAU 2015 Resolution B3, passed at the IAU General Assembly by a large majority. The resolution recommends the use of nominal solar and planetary values, which are by definition exact and are expressed in SI units. These nominal values should be understood as conversion factors only, not as the true solar/planetary properties or current best estimates. Authors and journal editors are urged to join in using the standard values set forth by this resolution in future work and publications to help minimize further confusion.« less

Nominal Values for Selected Solar and Planetary Quantities: IAU 2015 Resolution B3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prša, Andrej; Harmanec, Petr; Torres, Guillermo; Mamajek, Eric; Asplund, Martin; Capitaine, Nicole; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jørgen; Depagne, Éric; Haberreiter, Margit; Hekker, Saskia; Hilton, James; Kopp, Greg; Kostov, Veselin; Kurtz, Donald W.; Laskar, Jacques; Mason, Brian D.; Milone, Eugene F.; Montgomery, Michele; Richards, Mercedes; Schmutz, Werner; Schou, Jesper; Stewart, Susan G.

2016-08-01

In this brief communication we provide the rationale for and the outcome of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) resolution vote at the XXIXth General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2015, on recommended nominal conversion constants for selected solar and planetary properties. The problem addressed by the resolution is a lack of established conversion constants between solar and planetary values and SI units: a missing standard has caused a proliferation of solar values (e.g., solar radius, solar irradiance, solar luminosity, solar effective temperature, and solar mass parameter) in the literature, with cited solar values typically based on best estimates at the time of paper writing. As precision of observations increases, a set of consistent values becomes increasingly important. To address this, an IAU Working Group on Nominal Units for Stellar and Planetary Astronomy formed in 2011, uniting experts from the solar, stellar, planetary, exoplanetary, and fundamental astronomy, as well as from general standards fields to converge on optimal values for nominal conversion constants. The effort resulted in the IAU 2015 Resolution B3, passed at the IAU General Assembly by a large majority. The resolution recommends the use of nominal solar and planetary values, which are by definition exact and are expressed in SI units. These nominal values should be understood as conversion factors only, not as the true solar/planetary properties or current best estimates. Authors and journal editors are urged to join in using the standard values set forth by this resolution in future work and publications to help minimize further confusion.

Weak values in collision theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Castro, Leonardo Andreta; Brasil, Carlos Alexandre; Napolitano, Reginaldo de Jesus

2018-05-01

Weak measurements have an increasing number of applications in contemporary quantum mechanics. They were originally described as a weak interaction that slightly entangled the translational degrees of freedom of a particle to its spin, yielding surprising results after post-selection. That description often ignores the kinetic energy of the particle and its movement in three dimensions. Here, we include these elements and re-obtain the weak values within the context of collision theory by two different approaches, and prove that the results are compatible with each other and with the results from the traditional approach. To provide a more complete description, we generalize weak values into weak tensors and use them to provide a more realistic description of the Stern-Gerlach apparatus.

Speckle attenuation by adaptive singular value shrinking with generalized likelihood matching in optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huaiguang; Fu, Shujun; Wang, Hong; Lv, Hongli; Zhang, Caiming

2018-03-01

As a high-resolution imaging mode of biological tissues and materials, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used in medical diagnosis and analysis. However, OCT images are often degraded by annoying speckle noise inherent in its imaging process. Employing the bilateral sparse representation an adaptive singular value shrinking method is proposed for its highly sparse approximation of image data. Adopting the generalized likelihood ratio as similarity criterion for block matching and an adaptive feature-oriented backward projection strategy, the proposed algorithm can restore better underlying layered structures and details of the OCT image with effective speckle attenuation. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves a state-of-the-art despeckling performance in terms of both quantitative measurement and visual interpretation.

Modeling the distribution of extreme share return in Malaysia using Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Husna; Radi, Noor Fadhilah Ahmad; Kassim, Suraiya

2012-05-01

Extreme share return in Malaysia is studied. The monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum returns are fitted to the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests are performed to test for stationarity, while Mann-Kendall (MK) test is for the presence of monotonic trend. Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) is used to estimate the parameter while L-moments estimate (LMOM) is used to initialize the MLE optimization routine for the stationary model. Likelihood ratio test is performed to determine the best model. Sherman's goodness of fit test is used to assess the quality of convergence of the GEV distribution by these monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum. Returns levels are then estimated for prediction and planning purposes. The results show all maximum returns for all selection periods are stationary. The Mann-Kendall test indicates the existence of trend. Thus, we ought to model for non-stationary model too. Model 2, where the location parameter is increasing with time is the best for all selection intervals. Sherman's goodness of fit test shows that monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum converge to the GEV distribution. From the results, it seems reasonable to conclude that yearly maximum is better for the convergence to the GEV distribution especially if longer records are available. Return level estimates, which is the return level (in this study return amount) that is expected to be exceeded, an average, once every t time periods starts to appear in the confidence interval of T = 50 for quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum.

Connecticut's Value-Based Insurance Plan Increased The Use Of Targeted Services And Medication Adherence.

PubMed

Hirth, Richard A; Cliff, Elizabeth Q; Gibson, Teresa B; McKellar, M Richard; Fendrick, A Mark

2016-04-01

In 2011 Connecticut implemented the Health Enhancement Program for state employees. This voluntary program followed the principles of value-based insurance design (VBID) by lowering patient costs for certain high-value primary and chronic disease preventive services, coupled with requirements that enrollees receive these services. Nonparticipants in the program, including those removed for noncompliance with its requirements, were assessed a premium surcharge. The program was intended to curb cost growth and improve health through adherence to evidence-based preventive care. To evaluate its efficacy in doing so, we compared changes in service use and spending after implementation of the program to trends among employees of six other states. Compared to employees of other states, Connecticut employees were similar in age and sex but had a slightly higher percentage of enrollees with chronic conditions and substantially higher spending at baseline. During the program's first two years, the use of targeted services and adherence to medications for chronic conditions increased, while emergency department use decreased, relative to the situation in the comparison states. The program's impact on costs was inconclusive and requires a longer follow-up period. This novel combination of VBID principles and participation requirements may be a tool that can help plan sponsors increase the use of evidence-based preventive services. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Optimization of temperature and time for drying and carbonization to increase calorific value of coconut shell using Taguchi method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musabbikhah, Saptoadi, H.; Subarmono, Wibisono, M. A.

2016-03-01

Fossil fuel still dominates the needs of energy in Indonesia for the past few years. The increasing scarcity of oil and gas from non-renewable materials results in an energy crisis. This condition turns to be a serious problem for society which demands immediate solution. One effort which can be taken to overcome this problem is the utilization and processing of biomass as renewable energy by means of carbonization. Thus, it can be used as qualified raw material for production of briquette. In this research, coconut shell is used as carbonized waste. The research aims at improving the quality of coconut shell as the material for making briquettes as cheap and eco-friendly renewable energy. At the end, it is expected to decrease dependence on oil and gas. The research variables are drying temperature and time, carbonization time and temperature. The dependent variable is calorific value of the coconut shell. The method used in this research is Taguchi Method. The result of the research shows thus variables, have a significant contribution on the increase of coconut shell's calorific value. It is proven that the higher thus variables are higher calorific value. Before carbonization, the average calorific value of coconut shell reaches 4,667 call/g, and a significant increase is notable after the carbonization. The optimization is parameter setting of A2B3C3D3, which means that the drying temperature is 105 °C, the drying time is 24 hours, the carbonization temperature is 650 °C and carbonization time is 120 minutes. The average calorific value is approximately 7,744 cal/g. Therefore, the increase of the coconut shell's calorific value after the carbonization is 3,077 cal/g or approximately 60 %. The charcoal of carbonized coconut shell has met the requirement of SNI, thus it can be used as raw material in making briquette which can eventually be used as cheap and environmental friendly fuel.

Mixing of acacia bark and palm shells to increase caloric value of palm shells white charcoal briquette

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, Edy Wibowo; Amirta, Rudianto; Budiarso, Edy; Arung, Enos Tangke

2017-06-01

Indonesia is greatly rich in biomass resources. Acacia bark waste utilization as a source of biomass is still very low, where as 10-20% of the potential of the wood. On the other hand waste palm shells have been partly utilized as boiler fuel oil plant as much as 62.4%, but the rest is still a waste pile or to the hardening of the estate path. This study aims to determine the effect of mixing an acacia bark with palm shells to increase the calorific value of palm shell white charcoal briquettes. The study was conducted by making white charcoal briquettes mixing 7% the acacia bark against of palm shells. As well as white charcoal briquettes control without any acacia bark. Then molds the briquettes in pyrolysis temperature at 600 ° C, 700 ° C and 800 ° C for pyrolysis time within 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours. And the results of briquettes analysis in calorific value. The results showed that the caloric value of palm shell white charcoal briquettes increased from 29691.14 Kcal / kg to 31941.50 Kcal / kg.

Method for increasing the calorific value of gas produced by the in situ combustion of coal

DOEpatents

Shuck, Lowell Z.

1978-01-01

The present invention relates to the production of relatively high Btu gas by the in situ combustion of subterranean coal. The coal bed is penetrated with a horizontally-extending borehole and combustion is initiated in the coal bed contiguous to the borehole. The absolute pressure within the resulting combustion zone is then regulated at a desired value near the pore pressure within the coal bed so that selected quantities of water naturally present in the coal will flow into the combustion zone to effect a hydrogen and carbon monoxide-producing steam-carbon reaction with the hot carbon in the combustion zone for increasing the calorific value of the product gas.

Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) cut-off values and the metabolic syndrome in a general adult population: effect of gender and age: EPIRCE cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Insulin resistance has been associated with metabolic and hemodynamic alterations and higher cardio metabolic risk. There is great variability in the threshold homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels to define insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of age and gender in the estimation of HOMA-IR optimal cut-off values to identify subjects with higher cardio metabolic risk in a general adult population. Methods It included 2459 adults (range 20–92 years, 58.4% women) in a random Spanish population sample. As an accurate indicator of cardio metabolic risk, Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), both by International Diabetes Federation criteria and by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, were used. The effect of age was analyzed in individuals with and without diabetes mellitus separately. ROC regression methodology was used to evaluate the effect of age on HOMA-IR performance in classifying cardio metabolic risk. Results In Spanish population the threshold value of HOMA-IR drops from 3.46 using 90th percentile criteria to 2.05 taking into account of MetS components. In non-diabetic women, but no in men, we found a significant non-linear effect of age on the accuracy of HOMA-IR. In non-diabetic men, the cut-off values were 1.85. All values are between 70th-75th percentiles of HOMA-IR levels in adult Spanish population. Conclusions The consideration of the cardio metabolic risk to establish the cut-off points of HOMA-IR, to define insulin resistance instead of using a percentile of the population distribution, would increase its clinical utility in identifying those patients in whom the presence of multiple metabolic risk factors imparts an increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk. The threshold levels must be modified by age in non-diabetic women. PMID:24131857

Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) cut-off values and the metabolic syndrome in a general adult population: effect of gender and age: EPIRCE cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Gayoso-Diz, Pilar; Otero-González, Alfonso; Rodriguez-Alvarez, María Xosé; Gude, Francisco; García, Fernando; De Francisco, Angel; Quintela, Arturo González

2013-10-16

Insulin resistance has been associated with metabolic and hemodynamic alterations and higher cardio metabolic risk. There is great variability in the threshold homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels to define insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of age and gender in the estimation of HOMA-IR optimal cut-off values to identify subjects with higher cardio metabolic risk in a general adult population. It included 2459 adults (range 20-92 years, 58.4% women) in a random Spanish population sample. As an accurate indicator of cardio metabolic risk, Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), both by International Diabetes Federation criteria and by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, were used. The effect of age was analyzed in individuals with and without diabetes mellitus separately. ROC regression methodology was used to evaluate the effect of age on HOMA-IR performance in classifying cardio metabolic risk. In Spanish population the threshold value of HOMA-IR drops from 3.46 using 90th percentile criteria to 2.05 taking into account of MetS components. In non-diabetic women, but no in men, we found a significant non-linear effect of age on the accuracy of HOMA-IR. In non-diabetic men, the cut-off values were 1.85. All values are between 70th-75th percentiles of HOMA-IR levels in adult Spanish population. The consideration of the cardio metabolic risk to establish the cut-off points of HOMA-IR, to define insulin resistance instead of using a percentile of the population distribution, would increase its clinical utility in identifying those patients in whom the presence of multiple metabolic risk factors imparts an increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk. The threshold levels must be modified by age in non-diabetic women.

Field and Laboratory Studies for Increasing the Intrinsic Reward Value in Navy Jobs and Careers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-08-31

Cabe, P.A. The relation be- tween embedded figures test performance and simulator behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology , 1969, 5_3, 253-254. Blood... Psychology , 1973, 99, 137-139. Moses, J.L. Selecting vigilant types: Predicting vigilance per- formance by means of a field dependence test ...Laboratory Studies for Increasing the Intrinsic Reward Value in Navy Jobs and Careers Gerald V. Barrett Faye H. Dambrot Department of Psychology

A highly concentrated diet increases biogas production and the agronomic value of young bull's manure.

PubMed

Mendonça Costa, Mônica Sarolli Silva de; Lucas, Jorge de; Mendonça Costa, Luiz Antonio de; Orrico, Ana Carolina Amorim

2016-02-01

The increasing demand for animal protein has driven significant changes in cattle breeding systems, mainly in feedlots, with the use of young bulls fed on diets richer in concentrate (C) than in forage (F). These changes are likely to affect animal manure, demanding re-evaluation of the biogas production per kg of TS and VS added, as well as of its agronomic value as a biofertilizer, after anaerobic digestion. Here, we determined the biogas production and agronomic value (i.e., the macronutrient concentration in the final biofertilizer) of the manure of young bulls fed on diets with more (80% C+20% F; 'HighC' diet) or less (65% C+35% F; 'LowC' diet) concentrate, evaluating the effects of temperature (25, 35, and 40°C) and the use of an inoculum, during anaerobic digestion. A total of 24 benchtop reactors were used, operating in a semi-continuous system, with a 40-day hydraulic retention time (HRT). The manure from animals given the HighC diet had the greatest potential for biogas production, when digested with the use of an inoculum and at 35 or 40°C (0.6326 and 0.6207m(3)biogas/kg volatile solids, or VS, respectively). We observed the highest levels of the macronutrients N, P, and K in the biofertilizer from the manure of animals given HighC. Our results show that the manure of young bulls achieves its highest potential for biogas production and agronomic value when animals are fed diets richer in concentrate, and that biogas production increases if digestion is performed at higher temperatures, and with the use of an inoculum. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does the physician order-entry system increase the revenue of a general hospital?

PubMed

Park, Woong-Sub; Kim, Joon S; Chae, Young Moon; Yu, Seung-Hum; Kim, Chang-Yup; Kim, Sang-A; Jung, Sang Hyuk

2003-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the physician order-entry system (POE) could increase the outpatient and inpatient revenue of hospitals. We analyzed the inpatient and outpatient revenue data of all general hospitals (212) in South Korea obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation (KNHIC) during the period from 1996 to 1999 using the mixed model for repeated measure data. Analysis of the 4-years' panel data showed that both outpatient and inpatient revenues increased significantly after POE introduction. The hospital characteristics significantly influencing inpatient revenue were the number of beds, number of physicians and the tertiary status of a hospital; whereas those for outpatient revenue were the number of beds, number of physicians, the private status of a hospital, the tertiary status of a hospital and the urban status of a hospital. The revenues from both outpatients and inpatients were found to be increased after the introduction of the POE, while controlling for population size, competition, income, hospital location, hospital size, tertiary status and public status.

Returning Gospel values to nursing education. Catholic educators and institutions must make explicit the values on which their practices are based.

PubMed

Lane, J A

1993-06-01

Although Catholic nursing education in the United States has traditionally instilled Gospel values in students, pressures from a secular culture are making it increasingly difficult to sustain this heritage. As the twenty-first century approaches, Catholic educators and healthcare administrators need to ask themselves whether Christian values still serve as the explicit basis of nursing service and education at their institutions. They must also ask what distinguishes graduates of Catholic nursing programs from those of other programs. The percentage of schools that are Catholic has remained roughly the same during the past 30 years, but in many cases these schools no longer instill Christian values. Although most programs offer courses in ethics, philosophy, and religion, few provide the value-laden experiences of the past. In fact, many instructors avoid addressing questions of values or ethics because they believe doing so would be a form of indoctrination. Catholic nursing education, like Catholic higher education in general, is becoming increasingly secular. To return Christian values to nursing practice and education, leaders need first to instill a sense of self-worth in nursing staff by letting them know they are valued and their efforts are appreciated. Leaders also need to emphasize the good their institutions do for their communities and make explicit the values on which their practices are based.

Learning from History to Increase Positive Public Reception and Social Value Alignment of Evidence-Based Science Communication

PubMed Central

Tetro, Jason A.

2018-01-01

For effective science communication, three general objectives should be taken into consideration: 1) accurate conveyance of the scientific evidence; 2) warm public reception of the communicator; and 3) alignment of the information with social values. An examination of both successful and failed science communication efforts over the course of history can reveal strategies to better meet these objectives. This article looks back at influential moments of science communication over the past two millennia in the context of the objectives and, using lessons learned from these events as a guide, introduces a five-element approach to improve the potential for attaining the objectives. PMID:29904548

Interior sound field control using generalized singular value decomposition in the frequency domain.

PubMed

Pasco, Yann; Gauthier, Philippe-Aubert; Berry, Alain; Moreau, Stéphane

2017-01-01

The problem of controlling a sound field inside a region surrounded by acoustic control sources is considered. Inspired by the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral, the use of double-layer source arrays allows such a control and avoids the modification of the external sound field by the control sources by the approximation of the sources as monopole and radial dipole transducers. However, the practical implementation of the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral in physical space leads to large numbers of control sources and error sensors along with excessive controller complexity in three dimensions. The present study investigates the potential of the Generalized Singular Value Decomposition (GSVD) to reduce the controller complexity and separate the effect of control sources on the interior and exterior sound fields, respectively. A proper truncation of the singular basis provided by the GSVD factorization is shown to lead to effective cancellation of the interior sound field at frequencies below the spatial Nyquist frequency of the control sources array while leaving the exterior sound field almost unchanged. Proofs of concept are provided through simulations achieved for interior problems by simulations in a free field scenario with circular arrays and in a reflective environment with square arrays.

Increasing public support for food-industry related, obesity prevention policies: The role of a taste-engineering frame and contextualized values.

PubMed

Ortiz, Selena E; Zimmerman, Frederick J; Adler, Gary J

2016-05-01

Support for policies to combat obesity is often undermined by a public sense that obesity is largely a matter of personal responsibility. Industry rhetoric is a major contributor to this perception, as the soda/fast food/big food companies emphasize choice and individual agency in their efforts to neutralize policies that are burdensome. Yet obesity experts recognize that environmental forces play a major role in obesity. We investigate whether exposure to a taste-engineering frame increases support for food and beverage policies that address obesity. A taste-engineering frame details strategies used by the food industry to engineer preferences and increase the over-consumption of processed foods and sugary beverages. We also examine the effects of exposure to two contextualized values that have recently been promoted in expert discourse-consumer knowledge and consumer safety - on public support of policies. Our research shows how causal frames and contextualized values may effectively produce support for new obesity policies. We use an online survey experiment to test the effects of exposure to a taste-engineering frame (TEF), the value of consumer knowledge (CK), or the value of consumer safety (CS), on level of support for a range of policies. A random sample of adults, age 18 + living in the United States was included in the study (N = 2580). Ordered logistic regression was used to measure the effects of treatment exposure. The primary outcome was level-of-support for four (4) food-industry related, obesity prevention policies (aka food and beverage policies): 1) require food-manufacturers to disclose the amount of additives in food products on food packaging; 2) require food-manufacturers to advertise food products in accordance with their actual nutritional value; 3) prohibit all high-fat, high-sugar food advertising on television programming watched primarily by children; and 4) increase healthy food availability in work sites, schools, and hospitals

Increased Prognostic Value of Query Amyloid Late Enhancement Score in Light-Chain Cardiac Amyloidosis.

PubMed

Wan, Ke; Sun, Jiayu; Han, Yuchi; Liu, Hong; Yang, Dan; Li, Weihao; Wang, Jie; Cheng, Wei; Zhang, Qing; Zeng, Zhi; Chen, Yucheng

2018-02-23

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) pattern is a powerful imaging biomarker for prognosis of cardiac amyloidosis. It is unknown if the query amyloid late enhancement (QALE) score in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis could provide increased prognostic value compared with LGE pattern.Methods and Results:Seventy-eight consecutive patients with AL amyloidosis underwent contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Patients with cardiac involvement were grouped by LGE pattern and analyzed using QALE score. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to identify the optimal cut-off for QALE score in predicting all-cause mortality. Survival of these patients was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression. During a median follow-up of 34 months, 53 of 78 patients died. The optimal cut-off for QALE score to predict mortality at 12-month follow-up was 9.0. On multivariate Cox analysis, QALE score ≥9 (HR, 5.997; 95% CI: 2.665-13.497; P<0.001) and log N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (HR, 1.525; 95% CI: 1.112-2.092; P=0.009) were the only 2 independent predictors of all-cause mortality. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with subendocardial LGE can be further risk stratified using QALE score ≥9. The QALE scoring system provides powerful independent prognostic value in AL cardiac amyloidosis. QALE score ≥9 has added value to differentiate prognosis in AL amyloidosis patients with a subendocardial LGE pattern.

Value-Based Medicine and Pharmacoeconomics.

PubMed

Brown, Gary C; Brown, Melissa M

2016-01-01

Pharmacoeconomics is assuming increasing importance in the pharmaceutical field since it is entering the public policy arena in many countries. Among the variants of pharmacoeconomic analysis are cost-minimization, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses. The latter is the most versatile and sophisticated in that it integrates the patient benefit (patient value) conferred by a drug in terms of improvement in length and/or quality of life. It also incorporates the costs expended for that benefit, as well as the dollars returned to patients and society from the use of a drug (financial value). Unfortunately, one cost-utility analysis in the literature is generally not comparable to another because of the lack of standardized formats and standardized input variables (costs, cost perspective, quality-of-life measurement instruments, quality-of-life respondents, discounting and so forth). Thus, millions of variants can be used. Value-based medicine® (VBM) cost-utility analysis standardizes these variants so that one VBM analysis is comparable to another. This system provides a highly rational methodology that allows providers and patients to quantify and compare the patient value and financial value gains associated with the use of pharmaceutical agents for example. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A score-statistic approach for determining threshold values in QTL mapping.

PubMed

Kao, Chen-Hung; Ho, Hsiang-An

2012-06-01

Issues in determining the threshold values of QTL mapping are often investigated for the backcross and F2 populations with relatively simple genome structures so far. The investigations of these issues in the progeny populations after F2 (advanced populations) with relatively more complicated genomes are generally inadequate. As these advanced populations have been well implemented in QTL mapping, it is important to address these issues for them in more details. Due to an increasing number of meiosis cycle, the genomes of the advanced populations can be very different from the backcross and F2 genomes. Therefore, special devices that consider the specific genome structures present in the advanced populations are required to resolve these issues. By considering the differences in genome structure between populations, we formulate more general score test statistics and gaussian processes to evaluate their threshold values. In general, we found that, given a significance level and a genome size, threshold values for QTL detection are higher in the denser marker maps and in the more advanced populations. Simulations were performed to validate our approach.

The predictive value of general movement tasks in assessing occupational task performance.

PubMed

Frost, David M; Beach, Tyson A C; McGill, Stuart M; Callaghan, Jack P

2015-01-01

Within the context of evaluating individuals' movement behavior it is generally assumed that the tasks chosen will predict their competency to perform activities relevant to their occupation. This study sought to examine whether a battery of general tasks could be used to predict the movement patterns employed by firefighters to perform select job-specific skills. Fifty-two firefighters performed a battery of general and occupation-specific tasks that simulated the demands of firefighting. Participants' peak lumbar spine and frontal plane knee motion were compared across tasks. During 85% of all comparisons, the magnitude of spine and knee motion was greater during the general movement tasks than observed during the firefighting skills. Certain features of a worker's movement behavior may be exhibited across a range of tasks. Therefore, provided that a movement screen's tasks expose the motions of relevance for the population being tested, general evaluations could offer valuable insight into workers' movement competency or facilitate an opportunity to establish an evidence-informed intervention.

Your most valuable asset. Increasing the value of your hospital through its brand.

PubMed

Petromilli, M; Michalczyk, D

1999-01-01

The authors argue that hospitals could achieve the same brand name recognition as such popular consumer product names as Coke, Nike, and GE. In fact, they say, a brand identity strategy could bring hospitals the advantage they need in a growing marketplace. Increasingly, brand recognition is becoming important in the health care world, as hospitals battle for customers. The majority of patients now choose their health plan and hospital, and they're seeking brands that provide them with the same convenience, access, and value they demand from other consumer products companies. Hospitals can create a viable brand identity strategy by defining their brand's image, maximizing their bran's positioning and patients' brand experience, communicating their brand and measuring the brand's performance.

Value of travel time.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

Knowingly or not, people generally place economic value on their time. Wage workers are paid a rate per hour, and service providers may charge per hour of their time. In the transportation realm, travelers place a value on their travel time and have ...

The Latino Physician Shortage: How the Affordable Care Act Increases the Value of Latino Spanish-Speaking Physicians and What Efforts Can Increase Their Supply.

PubMed

Daar, David A; Alvarez-Estrada, Miguel; Alpert, Abigail E

2018-02-01

The United States Latino population is growing at a rapid pace and is set to reach nearly 30% by 2050. The demand for culturally and linguistically competent health care is increasing in lockstep with this growth; however, the supply of doctors with skills and experience suited for this care is lagging. In particular, there is a major shortage of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians, and the gap between demand and supply is widening. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased the capacity of the US healthcare system to care for the growing Latino Spanish-speaking population, through health insurance exchanges, increased funding for safety net institutions, and efforts to improve efficiency and coordination of care, particularly with Accountable Care Organizations and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. With these policies in mind, the authors discuss how the value of Latino Spanish-speaking physicians to the healthcare system has increased under the environment of the ACA. In addition, the authors highlight key efforts to increase the supply of this physician population, including the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act, premedical pipeline programs, and academic medicine and medical school education initiatives to increase Latino representation among physicians.

Cosmic equilibration: A holographic no-hair theorem from the generalized second law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Sean M.; Chatwin-Davies, Aidan

2018-02-01

In a wide class of cosmological models, a positive cosmological constant drives cosmological evolution toward an asymptotically de Sitter phase. Here we connect this behavior to the increase of entropy over time, based on the idea that de Sitter spacetime is a maximum-entropy state. We prove a cosmic no-hair theorem for Robertson-Walker and Bianchi I spacetimes that admit a Q-screen ("quantum" holographic screen) with certain entropic properties: If generalized entropy, in the sense of the cosmological version of the generalized second law conjectured by Bousso and Engelhardt, increases up to a finite maximum value along the screen, then the spacetime is asymptotically de Sitter in the future. Moreover, the limiting value of generalized entropy coincides with the de Sitter horizon entropy. We do not use the Einstein field equations in our proof, nor do we assume the existence of a positive cosmological constant. As such, asymptotic relaxation to a de Sitter phase can, in a precise sense, be thought of as cosmological equilibration.

The VALS: A new tool to measure people's general valued attributes of landscapes.

PubMed

Kendal, Dave; Ford, Rebecca M; Anderson, Nerida M; Farrar, Alison

2015-11-01

Research on values for natural areas has largely focussed on theoretical concerns such as distinguishing different kinds of values held by people. However practice, policymaking, planning and management is typically focused on more tangible valued attributes of the landscape such as biodiversity and recreation infrastructure that can be manipulated by management actions. There is a need for valid psychometric measures of such values that are suited to informing land management policies. A Valued Attributes of Landscape Scale (VALS) was developed, derived from a document analysis of values expressed in public land policy documents. The validity of the VALS was tested in an online survey comparing values across one of three randomly presented landscape contexts in Victoria, Australia: all publicly managed natural land, coastal areas, and large urban parks. A purposive snowball sample was used to recruit participants with a range of views and professional experience with land management, including members of the urban public. Factor analysis of responses (n = 646) separated concepts relating to natural attributes, social functions, the experience of being in natural areas, cultural attributes and productive uses. Relative importance of valued attribute factors was similar across all landscape contexts, although there were small but significant differences in the way people valued social functions (higher in urban parks) and productive uses (lower in urban parks). We conclude that the concept of valued attributes is useful for linking theoretical understandings of people's environmental values to the way values are considered by land managers, and that these attributes can be measured using the VALS instrument to produce data that should be useful for the policy and planning of natural resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applications of Extreme Value Theory in Public Health.

PubMed

Thomas, Maud; Lemaitre, Magali; Wilson, Mark L; Viboud, Cécile; Yordanov, Youri; Wackernagel, Hans; Carrat, Fabrice

2016-01-01

We present how Extreme Value Theory (EVT) can be used in public health to predict future extreme events. We applied EVT to weekly rates of Pneumonia and Influenza (P&I) deaths over 1979-2011. We further explored the daily number of emergency department visits in a network of 37 hospitals over 2004-2014. Maxima of grouped consecutive observations were fitted to a generalized extreme value distribution. The distribution was used to estimate the probability of extreme values in specified time periods. An annual P&I death rate of 12 per 100,000 (the highest maximum observed) should be exceeded once over the next 30 years and each year, there should be a 3% risk that the P&I death rate will exceed this value. Over the past 10 years, the observed maximum increase in the daily number of visits from the same weekday between two consecutive weeks was 1133. We estimated at 0.37% the probability of exceeding a daily increase of 1000 on each month. The EVT method can be applied to various topics in epidemiology thus contributing to public health planning for extreme events.

A surge of p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 in recent decades (but negative results are increasing rapidly too)

PubMed Central

Dodou, Dimitra

2015-01-01

It is known that statistically significant (positive) results are more likely to be published than non-significant (negative) results. However, it has been unclear whether any increasing prevalence of positive results is stronger in the “softer” disciplines (social sciences) than in the “harder” disciplines (physical sciences), and whether the prevalence of negative results is decreasing over time. Using Scopus, we searched the abstracts of papers published between 1990 and 2013, and measured longitudinal trends of multiple expressions of positive versus negative results, including p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 versus p-values between 0.051 and 0.059, textual reporting of “significant difference” versus “no significant difference,” and the reporting of p < 0.05 versus p > 0.05. We found no support for a “hierarchy of sciences” with physical sciences at the top and social sciences at the bottom. However, we found large differences in reporting practices between disciplines, with p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 over 1990–2013 being 65.7 times more prevalent in the biological sciences than in the physical sciences. The p-values near the significance threshold of 0.05 on either side have both increased but with those p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 having increased to a greater extent (2013-to-1990 ratio of the percentage of papers = 10.3) than those between 0.051 and 0.059 (ratio = 3.6). Contradictorily, p < 0.05 has increased more slowly than p > 0.05 (ratios = 1.4 and 4.8, respectively), while the use of “significant difference” has shown only a modest increase compared to “no significant difference” (ratios = 1.5 and 1.1, respectively). We also compared reporting of significance in the United States, Asia, and Europe and found that the results are too inconsistent to draw conclusions on cross-cultural differences in significance reporting. We argue that the observed longitudinal trends are caused by negative factors, such as an

Increased nuchal traslucency in normal karyotype fetuses

PubMed Central

De Domenico, Roberta; Faraci, Marianna; Hyseni, Entela; Di Prima, Fosca A. F.; Valenti, Oriana; Monte, Santo; Giorgio, Elsa; Renda, Eliana

2011-01-01

Nuchal traslucency (NT) measurement between 11 and 14 weeks’ gestation is a reliable marker for chromosomal abnormalities, including trisomy 21. However, even if conventional karyotyping is normal, increased NT is a predictive value of adverse pregnancy outcome, because it is associated with several fetal malformations, congenital heart defects, genetic syndromes, intrauterine death and miscarriages; the majority of these structural anomalies are undetectable before birth. The risk is proportional to the nuchal translucency thickness, in fact it statistically increases after measurement reaching 3.5 mm or more. However, when these chromosomally normal fetuses with an enlarged NT survive, even if a detailed ultrasound examination and echocardiography fail to reveal any abnormalities, their uneventful outcome and postnatal developmental delay will be not statistically increased when compared to the general population. These parents should be confidently reassured that the residual chance of structural anomalies and abnormal neurodevelopment may not be higher than in the general population. PMID:22439071

Pre-service teachers' perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs.

PubMed

Merk, Samuel; Rosman, Tom; Rueß, Julia; Syring, Marcus; Schneider, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students' perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1). Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2). Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3). In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific) GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1). As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2). These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3). In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs) might play an even more important role in this respect

Pre-service teachers’ perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs

PubMed Central

Rosman, Tom; Rueß, Julia; Syring, Marcus; Schneider, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students’ perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1). Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2). Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3). In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific) GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1). As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2). These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3). In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs) might play an even more important role in this respect

Assessment of vital exhaustion and identification of subjects at increased risk of myocardial infarction in general practice.

PubMed

Schuitemaker, G E; Dinant, G J; van der Pol, G A; Appels, A

2004-01-01

Vital exhaustion, a state characterized by unusual fatigue, loss of energy, increased irritability, and feelings of demoralization, is one of the cardiovascular risk factors. The authors investigated whether vital exhaustion contributes to the identification of subjects at increased risk of myocardial infarction in general practice. In this prospective cohort study, vital exhaustion was assessed with the Maastricht Interview on Vital Exhaustion. Other cardiovascular risk factors established were age, gender, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index, smoking habits, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. A Cox regression analysis was used. The subjects were adults (41-66 years) in an average Dutch village population. Outcome measures were fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction. At the univariate level, vital exhaustion doubled the risk of myocardial infarction. The effect of exhaustion was confounded by gender; women had higher exhaustion scores and a lower incidence of myocardial infarction. With control for gender, age, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking habits, self-reported cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus, vital exhaustion almost tripled the risk of myocardial infarction. Assessment of vital exhaustion contributes to the identification of subjects at increased risk of myocardial infarction in general practice.

Value of freedom to choose encoded by the human brain

PubMed Central

Fujiwara, Juri; Usui, Nobuo; Park, Soyoung Q.; Williams, Tony; Iijima, Toshio; Taira, Masato; Tsutsui, Ken-Ichiro

2013-01-01

Humans and animals value the opportunity to choose by preferring alternatives that offer more rather than fewer choices. This preference for choice may arise not only from an increased probability of obtaining preferred outcomes but also from the freedom it provides. We used human neuroimaging to investigate the neural basis of the preference for choice as well as for the items that could be chosen. In each trial, participants chose between two options, a monetary amount option and a “choice option.” The latter consisted of a number that corresponded to the number of everyday items participants would subsequently be able to choose from. We found that the opportunity to choose from a larger number of items was equivalent to greater amounts of money, indicating that participants valued having more choice; moreover, participants varied in the degree to which they valued having the opportunity to choose, with some valuing it more than the increased probability of obtaining preferred items. Neural activations in the mid striatum increased with the value of the opportunity to choose. The same region also coded the value of the items. Conversely, activation in the dorsolateral striatum was not related to the value of the items but was elevated when participants were offered more choices, particularly in those participants who overvalued the opportunity to choose. These data suggest a functional dissociation of value representations within the striatum, with general representations in mid striatum and specific representations of the value of freedom provided by the opportunity to choose in dorsolateral striatum. PMID:23864380

A new method to model electroconvulsive therapy in rats with increased construct validity and enhanced translational value.

PubMed

Theilmann, Wiebke; Löscher, Wolfgang; Socala, Katarzyna; Frieling, Helge; Bleich, Stefan; Brandt, Claudia

2014-06-01

Electroconvulsive therapy is the most effective therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD). The remission rate is above 50% in previously pharmacoresistant patients but the mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) in rodents mimics antidepressant electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in humans and is widely used to investigate the underlying mechanisms of ECT. For the translational value of findings in animal models it is essential to establish models with the highest construct, face and predictive validity possible. The commonly used model for ECT in rodents does not meet the demand for high construct validity. For ECT, cortical surface electrodes are used to induce therapeutic seizures whereas ECS in rodents is exclusively performed by auricular or corneal electrodes. However, the stimulation site has a major impact on the type and spread of the induced seizure activity and its antidepressant effect. We propose a method in which ECS is performed by screw electrodes placed above the motor cortex of rats to closely simulate the clinical situation and thereby increase the construct validity of the model. Cortical ECS in rats induced reliably seizures comparable to human ECT. Cortical ECS was more effective than auricular ECS to reduce immobility in the forced swim test. Importantly, auricular stimulation had a negative influence on the general health condition of the rats with signs of fear during the stimulation sessions. These results suggest that auricular ECS in rats is not a suitable ECT model. Cortical ECS in rats promises to be a valid method to mimic ECT. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population change and socio-cultural values.

PubMed

1982-06-01

The developing countries of the world in general, and those of Asia and the Pacific in particular, recognize that unplanned population growth is a stumbling block to socioeconomic development. Discussion here focuses on population growth and social, economic, and institutional forces, which are referred to as sociocultural values. Generally, sociocultural values change sluggishly over time. The rate at which a country's sociocultural values change depends on several factors such as the stage of economic development and modernization and whether a country has an open or closed door policy. "The Value of Children Study: A Crossnational Study" by Fred Arnold et al. shows that there are positive and negative values attributed to children in the Asian countries. These are: positive general values--emotional benefits, economic benefits and security, self enrichment and development, identification with children, and family cohesiveness and continuity; negative general values--emotional costs, economic costs, restrictions on opportunity costs, physical demands, and family costs; large family values--sibling relationships, sex preferences, child survival; and small family values--maternal health and societal costs. Possibly the most formidable obstacle to the success of antinatalist population policies is that of religious values. It appears that the Muslim world is divided on the issue of fertility control. Conflicting views regarding fertility control is perhaps aggravated by the fact that there is no central international religious official hierarchy that issues out edicts. Despite the presence of a centralized religious hierarchy and a network of churches from the Vatican to the village levels among the Catholics, and a clearer elucidation of the Humanae Vitae, a liberal attitude to population regulation and family planning has emerged, largely because of the declining quality of life of the people resulting from unplanned births. Economic benefits of children include

Policies to increase the social value of science and the scientist satisfaction. An exploratory survey among Harvard bioscientists.

PubMed Central

Ballabeni, Andrea; Boggio, Andrea; Hemenway, David

2014-01-01

Basic research in the biomedical field generates both knowledge that has a value per se regardless of its possible practical outcome and knowledge that has the potential to produce more practical benefits. Policies can increase the benefit potential to society of basic biomedical research by offering various kinds of incentives to basic researchers. In this paper we argue that soft incentives or “nudges” are particularly promising. However, to be well designed, these incentives must take into account the motivations, goals and views of the basic scientists. In the paper we present the results of an investigation that involved more than 300 scientists at Harvard Medical School and affiliated institutes. The results of this study suggest that some soft incentives could be valuable tools to increase the transformative value of fundamental investigations without affecting the spirit of the basic research and scientists’ work satisfaction. After discussing the findings, we discuss a few examples of nudges for basic researchers in the biomedical fields. PMID:24795807

Policies to increase the social value of science and the scientist satisfaction. An exploratory survey among Harvard bioscientists.

PubMed

Ballabeni, Andrea; Boggio, Andrea; Hemenway, David

2014-01-01

Basic research in the biomedical field generates both knowledge that has a value per se regardless of its possible practical outcome and knowledge that has the potential to produce more practical benefits. Policies can increase the benefit potential to society of basic biomedical research by offering various kinds of incentives to basic researchers. In this paper we argue that soft incentives or "nudges" are particularly promising. However, to be well designed, these incentives must take into account the motivations, goals and views of the basic scientists. In the paper we present the results of an investigation that involved more than 300 scientists at Harvard Medical School and affiliated institutes. The results of this study suggest that some soft incentives could be valuable tools to increase the transformative value of fundamental investigations without affecting the spirit of the basic research and scientists' work satisfaction. After discussing the findings, we discuss a few examples of nudges for basic researchers in the biomedical fields.

Double impact of sterilizing pathogens: added value of increased life expectancy on pest control effectiveness.

PubMed

Berec, Luděk; Maxin, Daniel

2012-06-01

Sterilizing pathogens are commonly assumed not to affect longevity of infected individuals, and if they do then negatively. Examples abound, however, of species in which the absence of reproduction actually increases life expectancy. This happens because by decreasing the energy outlay on reproduction individuals with lowered reproduction can live longer. Alternatively, fertile individuals are more susceptible to predators or parasitoids if the latter can capitalize on mating signals of the former. Here we develop and analyze an SI epidemiological model to explore whether and to what extent does such a life expectancy prolongation due to sterilizing pathogens affect host dynamics. In particular, we are interested in an added value of increased life expectancy on the possibility of successful pest control, that is, the effect of increased lifespan and hence increased potential of the infected individuals to spread the disease on pest control effectiveness. We show that although the parameter range in which we observe an effect of increased lifespan of the sterilized individuals is not large, the effect itself can be significant. In particular, the increase in pest control effectiveness can be very dramatic when disease transmission efficiency is close to birth rate, mortality rate of susceptibles is relatively high (i.e., the species is relatively short-lived), and sterilization efficiency is relatively high. Our results thus characterize pathogens that are promising candidates for an effective pest control and that might possibly be engineered if not occurring naturally.

Subprimal purchasing and merchandising decisions for pork: relationship to retail value.

PubMed

Lorenzen, C L; Walter, J P; Dockerty, T R; Griffin, D B; Johnson, H K; Savell, J W

1996-01-01

To assess retail value and profitability, cutting test data were obtained in a simulated retail cutting room for boxed pork subprimals, bone-in loins (n = 180), boneless loins (n = 94), Boston butts (n = 148), fresh hams (n = 28), and boneless hams (n = 23). Processing times (seconds) and retail weights (kilograms) were used to determine relative value. Cutting style affected (P < .05) value differential (US$/subprimal) for bone-in and boneless loins. When cutting styles within subprimals were pooled, value differential was affected (P < .05) by purchasing specification for bone-in loins, boneless loins, Boston butts, and inside fresh hams. Processing bone-in loins to a boneless end point produced a greater (P < .05) value differential and percentage of gross margin than a bone-in retail end point. Bone-in loins fabricated to a boneless retail end point produced a greater (P < .05) value differential and percentage of gross margin than boneless loins fabricated to the same end point. The increase in retail value can be attributed to the increased number and weight of retail cuts produced from bone-in loins. The thick, boneless loin cutting style produced a greater (P < .05) value differential and percentage of gross margin as a result of a lower (P < .05) cost of fabrication and increased value of retail cuts than the thin, boneless cutting style. In general, boneless pork cutting methods were more profitable than bone-in cutting methods regardless of subprimal.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms as compared to the general population.

PubMed

De Santi, F; Zoppini, G; Locatelli, F; Finocchio, E; Cappa, V; Dauriz, M; Verlato, G

2017-07-17

To estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in individuals with type 2 diabetes, as compared to the general population. Between 2007 and 2010 the screening questionnaire of GEIRD (Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases) study was administered to two samples of Verona general population, aged respectively 45-64 years and 65-84 years, and to a convenience sample of individuals with type 2 diabetes, consequently recruited at the local Diabetes Centre. Ninety-four and 165 people with type 2 diabetes, aged respectively 45-64 and 65-84 years, were compared with 676 and 591 subjects in the same age range from the general population. The influence of type 2 diabetes on respiratory symptoms was evaluated by logistic regression models, controlling for sex, age (45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84 years), education level, smoking habits and heavy vehicle traffic exposure and adjusting standard errors of ORs for intra-sample correlation. Compared to the general population, dyspnoea limiting walking pace on level ground (grade 2 dyspnoea) was more frequently reported by people with type 2 diabetes, irrespective of age (p < 0.001), while self-reported chronic cough/phlegm was more common in those aged 45-64 years (p = 0.02). These results were confirmed by multivariable analysis: compared to their counterparts from the general population, people with type 2 diabetes aged 45-54 years showed an increased risk of reporting grade 2 dyspnoea (OR = 3.92, 95% CI 3.28-4.68) or chronic cough/phlegm (OR = 1.69, 1.60-1.78). Similar figures held significant at older ages (75-84 years), although partially blunted (dyspnoea: OR = 1.79, 1.68-1.91; chough/phlegm: OR = 1.09, 1.03-1.16). As such, the interaction between age class and type 2 diabetes was significant for both respiratory disorders. The proportion of self-reported dyspnoea among individuals with type 2 diabetes significantly increased across incremental body-mass index (BMI), from 15.4 to 25.4% and

New algorithms for solving third- and fifth-order two point boundary value problems based on nonsymmetric generalized Jacobi Petrov–Galerkin method

PubMed Central

Doha, E.H.; Abd-Elhameed, W.M.; Youssri, Y.H.

2014-01-01

Two families of certain nonsymmetric generalized Jacobi polynomials with negative integer indexes are employed for solving third- and fifth-order two point boundary value problems governed by homogeneous and nonhomogeneous boundary conditions using a dual Petrov–Galerkin method. The idea behind our method is to use trial functions satisfying the underlying boundary conditions of the differential equations and the test functions satisfying the dual boundary conditions. The resulting linear systems from the application of our method are specially structured and they can be efficiently inverted. The use of generalized Jacobi polynomials simplify the theoretical and numerical analysis of the method and also leads to accurate and efficient numerical algorithms. The presented numerical results indicate that the proposed numerical algorithms are reliable and very efficient. PMID:26425358

Cost and efficiency lead to increased value for the patient and bottom line for the practice.

PubMed

Dahl, Owen J

2009-01-01

Understanding how much it costs to provide a service is a basic premise of any business. In addition, healthcare is in need of improved processes to provide and increase value to the patient. This can be accomplished by the application of principles called Six Sigma and Lean Management. Today's medical practice leader must be aware of the costs of doing business and be able to apply proven management principles to the processes involved in providing patient care.

Increasing the Quality and Value of Conferences, Seminars, and Workshops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoyt, Jeff E.; Whyte, Chrystine

2011-01-01

The purpose of this best practices article is to provide continuing education administrators with a reliable participant evaluation that measures factors predictive of not only satisfaction, but also perceived value: adequacy of topics, customer service, learning, quality of facilities, image, and quality of presentations, among other variables.…

Exploring the Educational Value of Clinical Vignettes from the Society of General Internal Medicine National Meeting in the Internal Medicine Clerkship

PubMed Central

Wofford, James L; Singh, Sonal

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION Whether the clinical vignettes presented at the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) annual meeting could be of educational value to third year students in the Internal Medicine clerkship has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To explore the relevance and learning value of clinical vignettes from the SGIM national meeting in the Internal Medicine clerkship. SETTING Third year Ambulatory Internal Medicine clerkship at one academic medical center (academic year 2005 to 2006). METHODS Students were introduced to the clinical vignette and oriented to the database of clinical vignettes available through the SGIM annual meeting website. Students then reviewed 5 to 10 clinical vignettes using a worksheet, and rated the learning value of each vignette using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = least, 5 = greatest). A single investigator evaluated congruence of the vignette with the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (CDIM)-SGIM curriculum to assess relevance. MAIN RESULTS A total of 42 students evaluated 371 clinical vignettes from the 2004 and 2005 meetings. The clinical vignettes were curriculum-congruent in 42.6% (n = 175), and clearly incongruent in 40.4% (n = 164). The mean rating for learning value was 3.8 (±1.0) (5 signifying greatest learning value). Curriculum-congruent vignettes had a higher mean learning value compared with curriculum-incongruent vignettes (4.0 vs 3.6, Student's t-test, P =.017). CONCLUSION The clinical vignettes presented at the national SGIM meeting offer clinical content that is relevant and of some educational value for third year clerkship students. Based on this pilot study, the educational value and strategies for their use in the clinical clerkships deserve further study. PMID:17026730

General practitioners and work in the Third World.

PubMed

Holden, J D

1991-04-01

In recent years the number of general practitioners who have worked in the third world before entering general practice has fallen. The reasons for this are not clear but may include worries about future career prospects. Ninety four doctors who had entered general practice since 1984, after previously working in the third world, completed a questionnaire about their career experience and views about the value of such work. They were generally widely experienced and well-qualified and work abroad had not apparently harmed their careers, rather, many believed it had enhanced it. Work in the usually arduous conditions of poor countries was often considered by the respondents to lead to a wider perspective, increased maturity, confidence, self-reliance, adaptability and initiative. Doctors who are interested and suitable for work in the third world prior to entering general practice should be encouraged to pursue this possibility.

Pushed by Symptoms, Pulled by Values: Promotion Goals Increase Motivation in Therapeutic Tasks.

PubMed

Katz, Benjamin A; Catane, Sara; Yovel, Iftah

2016-03-01

While many therapies focus on the reduction of disturbing symptoms, others pursue behavior consistent with personally held values. Based on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997), reducing symptoms is a type of prevention goal while pursuing values is a promotion goal. In the current study, 123 undergraduate students elicited a negative, self-focused emotion-laden cognition. They were then randomly assigned to construe their negative thought as either (a) an impediment to valued behaviors, (b) a cause of unpleasant symptoms, or to one of two control conditions: (c) distraction or (d) no intervention. Then, participants in all groups completed a series of repetitive therapeutic tasks that targeted their elicited negative cognitions. Results showed that participants who construed treatment in terms of valued behavior promotion spent more time on a therapeutic task than all other groups. The group in the unpleasant symptom promotion condition did not differ from either control group. The motivational advantage of value promotion was not accounted for by differences in mood. The present findings suggest that clients may be better motivated through value promotion goals, as opposed to symptom prevention goals. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Increasing global burden of cardiovascular disease in general populations and patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Hennekens, Charles H

2007-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular disease, is the leading cause of death in the United States and most developed countries, accounting for about 50% of all deaths. The major risk factors include obesity and its consequences, dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, and cigarette smoking. In developing countries, CVD will become the leading cause of death due to alarming increases in obesity, sedentary lifestyles, cigarette smoking, and improvements in prevention and treatment of malnutrition and infection. Compared with nonschizophrenics, patients with schizophrenia have a 20% shorter life expectancy (i.e., from 76 to 61 years). In general populations, about 1% die from suicide compared with about 10% among patients with schizophrenia (relative risk = 10). For CVD, the corresponding figures are 50% and about 75% (relative risk = 1.5). In patients with schizophrenia, however, CVD occurs more frequently and accounts for more premature deaths than suicide. Patients with schizophrenia have alarmingly higher rates of obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and cigarette smoking than nonschizophrenic individuals in the general population. Compounding these data, patients with schizophrenia have less access to medical care, consume less medical care, and are less compliant. Primary prevention strategies should include the choice of antipsychotic drug regimens that do not adversely affect the major risk factors for CVD.

Predictive value of general movements' quality in low-risk infants for minor neurological dysfunction and behavioural problems at preschool age.

PubMed

Bennema, Anne N; Schendelaar, Pamela; Seggers, Jorien; Haadsma, Maaike L; Heineman, Maas Jan; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2016-03-01

General movement (GM) assessment is a well-established tool to predict cerebral palsy in high-risk infants. Little is known on the predictive value of GM assessment in low-risk populations. To assess the predictive value of GM quality in early infancy for the development of the clinically relevant form of minor neurological dysfunction (complex MND) and behavioral problems at preschool age. Prospective cohort study. A total of 216 members of the prospective Groningen Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) cohort study were included in this study. ART did not affect neurodevelopmental outcome of these relatively low-risk infants born to subfertile parents. GM quality was determined at 2 weeks and 3 months. At 18 months and 4 years, the Hempel neurological examination was used to assess MND. At 4 years, parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist; this resulted in the total problem score (TPS), internalizing problem score (IPS), and externalizing problem score (EPS). Predictive values of definitely (DA) and mildly (MA) abnormal GMs were calculated. DA GMs at 2 weeks were associated with complex MND at 18 months and atypical TPS and IPS at 4 years (all p<0.05). Sensitivity and positive predictive value of DA GMs at 2 weeks were rather low (13%-60%); specificity and negative predictive value were excellent (92%-99%). DA GMs at 3 months occurred too infrequently to calculate prediction. MA GMs were not associated with outcome. GM quality as a single predictor for complex MND and behavioral problems at preschool age has limited clinical value in children at low risk for developmental disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Breeding strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa Duch) to increase fruit nutritional quality.

PubMed

Capocasa, F; Diamanti, J; Tulipani, S; Battino, M; Mezzetti, B

2008-01-01

In the last few years the nutritional value of fruit has been widely studied and requested by the consumers, especially for protection against cardiovascular events, cancer and others as well as for the general health benefits it can provide. These benefits can be ascribed mainly to the Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) of fruit which is determined by a complex combination of bioactive compounds, generally related to specific characteristics of the genotype and of its interaction with the environment. Strawberry breeding programs are currently used to acquire new varieties improved for specific agronomic (Yield and Size), qualitative (Firmness, Sugars Content and Acidity) and sensorial (Colour and Aroma) characteristics, all combined to increased disease resistance and plant adaptability. Nowadays, besides to all these parameters is necessary to look for the specific bioactive components well known for their effect on human health. This aspect is now highly requested by the consumer. By testing different commercial strawberry varieties, a wide difference among their production and fruit quality, mostly related to their adaptability to the local evaluation conditions, is generally detected. Regarding their nutritional values, only few varieties nowadays differ for their higher phenol content and total antioxidant capacity. By taking into account this knowledge different breeding programs specifically addressed to increase fruit nutritional value, have been started. A first approach is based on the use of inter-specific crosses within wild and cultivated genotypes, so to increase variability for these characters, while the second by considering the intra-specific crosses within cultivars already known for their agronomic behavior and good quality performance. Herewith, we report on the major aspects related to breeding program aimed to increase strawberry fruit nutritional quality and what we can expect for the improvement of consumer acceptability of this fruit.

The prognostic value of visually assessing enamel microcracks: Do debonding and adhesive removal contribute to their increase?

PubMed

Dumbryte, Irma; Jonavicius, Tomas; Linkeviciene, Laura; Linkevicius, Tomas; Peciuliene, Vytaute; Malinauskas, Mangirdas

2016-05-01

To find a correlation between the severity of enamel microcracks (EMCs) and their increase during debonding and residual adhesive removal (RAR). Following their examination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 90 extracted human premolars were divided into three groups of 30: group 1, teeth having pronounced EMCs (visible with the naked eye under normal room illumination); group 2, teeth showing weak EMCs (not apparent under normal room illumination but visible by SEM); and group 3, a control group. EMCs have been classified into weak and pronounced, based on their visibility. Metal brackets (MB) and ceramic brackets (CB), 15 of each type, were bonded to all the teeth from groups 1 and 2. Debonding was performed with pliers, followed by RAR. The location, length, and width of the longest EMCs were measured using SEM before and after debonding. The mean overall width (Woverall) was higher for pronounced EMCs before and after debonding CB (P < .05), and after the removal of MB. Pronounced EMCs showed greater length values using both types of brackets. After debonding, the increase in Woverall of pronounced EMCs was 0.57 µm with MB (P < .05) and 0.30 µm with CB; for weak EMCs, - 0.32 µm with MB and 0.30 µm with CB. Although the teeth having pronounced EMCs showed higher width and length values, this did not predispose to greater EMCs increase after debonding MB and CB followed by RAR.

[Assessment of the value of health-care services--the first step].

PubMed

Porzsolt, Franz

2008-05-15

The average increase of health-care expenditures in OECD countries is higher than the corresponding increase in gross national products (GNPs). Therefore, it is necessary in these countries to react to this increase. Although there is agreement that rationing cannot be avoided, the optimal method has not yet been found. In order to contribute to the solution of this problem, the Institute for Quality and Economics in Health Care (IQWiG) has been established in 2004 in Germany. One of the central tasks of this institute is the development of a method to assess the value of health-care services. In this paper, general problems of the assessment of health-care value and specific problems which emerge from the presently proposed concepts for assessment of the health-care value are summarized. Based on the analysis of these problems it is tried to derive a new approach. The approach presumes that the decisions which have to be made for assessment of health-care value are rather complex and subjective. Scientific methods can increase transparency but cannot replace democratic decisions. The new approach requires the introduction of strategies like shared or democratic decision-making. The discussion of this essential strategy is the first step in the development of a consensus for assessment of the value of health care.

31 CFR 351.22 - When does the redemption value increase for bonds issued prior to May 1, 1995?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When does the redemption value increase for bonds issued prior to May 1, 1995? 351.22 Section 351.22 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) FISCAL SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BUREAU OF THE...

Teachers' generalized use of delay as a stimulus control procedure to increase language use in handicapped children.

PubMed Central

Halle, J W; Baer, D M; Spradlin, J E

1981-01-01

In Experiment 1, classroom teachers were taught to delay their offers of help in naturally occurring situations, and thereby to provide additional opportunities for language use by six moderately retarded language-delayed children. The teachers introduced this delay technique in a multiple-baseline design across the six children. As delays were used, child verbal initiations increased. Follow-up assessment showed that teachers were maintaining greater than baseline levels of the delay technique after 10 weeks. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1, and included a more thorough maintenance assessment, while focusing on teachers' generalization of the delay technique. Teachers were found to generalize their use of delay to 56% of their monitored untaught opportunities. The two experiments show that (a) the delay technique is quick to teach and simple to implement, (b) delays do provide opportunities for children to initiate, (c) teachers can generalize their use of delay to novel self-selected situations, and (d) teachers can maintain their use of delays over time. PMID:6460019

38 CFR 0.600 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

....600 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS VALUES, STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT, AND RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES Core Values and Characteristics of the Department § 0.600 General. This section describes the Core Values and Characteristics that serve as internal guidelines for...

38 CFR 0.600 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

....600 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS VALUES, STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT, AND RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES Core Values and Characteristics of the Department § 0.600 General. This section describes the Core Values and Characteristics that serve as internal guidelines for...

48 CFR 48.101 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ENGINEERING Policies and Procedures 48.101 General. (a) Value engineering is the formal technique by which... performing more economically. Value engineering attempts to eliminate, without impairing essential functions... two value engineering approaches: (1) The first is an incentive approach in which contractor...

A truncated generalized singular value decomposition algorithm for moving force identification with ill-posed problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhen; Chan, Tommy H. T.

2017-08-01

This paper proposes a new methodology for moving force identification (MFI) from the responses of bridge deck. Based on the existing time domain method (TDM), the MFI problem eventually becomes solving the linear algebraic equation in the form Ax = b . The vector b is usually contaminated by an unknown error e generating from measurement error, which often called the vector e as ''noise''. With the ill-posed problems that exist in the inverse problem, the identification force would be sensitive to the noise e . The proposed truncated generalized singular value decomposition method (TGSVD) aims at obtaining an acceptable solution and making the noise to be less sensitive to perturbations with the ill-posed problems. The illustrated results show that the TGSVD has many advantages such as higher precision, better adaptability and noise immunity compared with TDM. In addition, choosing a proper regularization matrix L and a truncation parameter k are very useful to improve the identification accuracy and to solve ill-posed problems when it is used to identify the moving force on bridge.

A Question of Equity: The Effect of Home Value on Need Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHugh, Sean

1990-01-01

Generally, the need analysis system accurately reflects a family's ability to contribute toward funding a college or university education. However, in recent years the system has shown inequities to families in certain regions where home values have increased disproportionately fast. It is concluded that equal assets on paper do not accurately…

Attitudes toward strategies to increase organ donation: views of the general public and health professionals.

PubMed

Barnieh, Lianne; Klarenbach, Scott; Gill, John S; Caulfield, Tim; Manns, Braden

2012-12-01

The acceptability of financial incentives for organ donation is contentious. This study sought to determine (1) the acceptability of expense reimbursement or financial incentives by the general public, health professionals involved with organ donation and transplantation, and those with or affected by kidney disease and (2) for the public, whether financial incentives would alter their willingness to consider donation. Web-based survey administered to members of the Canadian public, health professionals, and people with or affected by kidney disease asking questions regarding acceptability of strategies to increase living and deceased kidney donation and willingness to donate a kidney under various financial incentives. Responses were collected from 2004 members of the Canadian public October 11-18, 2011; responses from health professionals (n=339) and people with or affected by kidney disease (n=268) were collected during a 4-week period commencing October 11, 2011. Acceptability of one or more financial incentives to increase deceased and living donation was noted in >70% and 40% of all groups, respectively. Support for monetary payment for living donors was 45%, 14%, and 27% for the public, health professionals, and people with or affected by kidney disease, respectively. Overall, reimbursement of funeral expenses for deceased donors and a tax break for living donors were the most acceptable. The general public views regulated financial incentives for living and deceased donation to be acceptable. Future research needs to examine the impact of financial incentives on rates of deceased and living donors.

19 CFR 10.454 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.454 Regional value content. Where General Note 26, subdivision (n), HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for a good, the regional value content...

Implementing Generalized Additive Models to Estimate the Expected Value of Sample Information in a Microsimulation Model: Results of Three Case Studies.

PubMed

Rabideau, Dustin J; Pei, Pamela P; Walensky, Rochelle P; Zheng, Amy; Parker, Robert A

2018-02-01

The expected value of sample information (EVSI) can help prioritize research but its application is hampered by computational infeasibility, especially for complex models. We investigated an approach by Strong and colleagues to estimate EVSI by applying generalized additive models (GAM) to results generated from a probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA). For 3 potential HIV prevention and treatment strategies, we estimated life expectancy and lifetime costs using the Cost-effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications (CEPAC) model, a complex patient-level microsimulation model of HIV progression. We fitted a GAM-a flexible regression model that estimates the functional form as part of the model fitting process-to the incremental net monetary benefits obtained from the CEPAC PSA. For each case study, we calculated the expected value of partial perfect information (EVPPI) using both the conventional nested Monte Carlo approach and the GAM approach. EVSI was calculated using the GAM approach. For all 3 case studies, the GAM approach consistently gave similar estimates of EVPPI compared with the conventional approach. The EVSI behaved as expected: it increased and converged to EVPPI for larger sample sizes. For each case study, generating the PSA results for the GAM approach required 3 to 4 days on a shared cluster, after which EVPPI and EVSI across a range of sample sizes were evaluated in minutes. The conventional approach required approximately 5 weeks for the EVPPI calculation alone. Estimating EVSI using the GAM approach with results from a PSA dramatically reduced the time required to conduct a computationally intense project, which would otherwise have been impractical. Using the GAM approach, we can efficiently provide policy makers with EVSI estimates, even for complex patient-level microsimulation models.

A general psychopathology factor in early adolescence.

PubMed

Patalay, Praveetha; Fonagy, Peter; Deighton, Jessica; Belsky, Jay; Vostanis, Panos; Wolpert, Miranda

2015-07-01

Recently, a general psychopathology dimension reflecting common aspects among disorders has been identified in adults. This has not yet been considered in children and adolescents, where the focus has been on externalising and internalising dimensions. To examine the existence, correlates and predictive value of a general psychopathology dimension in young people. Alternative factor models were estimated using self-reports of symptoms in a large community-based sample aged 11-13.5 years (N = 23 477), and resulting dimensions were assessed in terms of associations with external correlates and future functioning. Both a traditional two-factor model and a bi-factor model with a general psychopathology bi-factor fitted the data well. The general psychopathology bi-factor best predicted future psychopathology and academic attainment. Associations with correlates and factor loadings are discussed. A general psychopathology factor, which is equal across genders, can be identified in young people. Its associations with correlates and future functioning indicate that investigating this factor can increase our understanding of the aetiology, risk and correlates of psychopathology. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Use of Say-Do Correspondence Training to Increase Generalization of Social Interaction Skills at Recess for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenberg, Nancy; Congdon, Marissa; Schwartz, Ilene; Kamps, Debra

2015-01-01

Research suggests that while social skills groups in school settings can be effective for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), generalization of the skills and behaviors learned in these groups to other settings can be problematic. This study assessed the use of a say-do correspondence intervention to increase generalization at recess of…

25 CFR 700.99 - Salvage value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salvage value. 700.99 Section 700.99 Indians THE OFFICE OF NAVAJO AND HOPI INDIAN RELOCATION COMMISSION OPERATIONS AND RELOCATION PROCEDURES General Policies and Instructions Definitions § 700.99 Salvage value. Salvage value means the probable sale price of an...

Continuously increasing δ98Mo values in Neoarchean black shales and iron formations from the Hamersley Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurzweil, Florian; Wille, Martin; Schoenberg, Ronny; Taubald, Heinrich; Van Kranendonk, Martin J.

2015-09-01

We present Mo-, C- and O-isotope data from black shales, carbonate- and oxide facies iron formations from the Hamersley Group, Western Australia, that range in age from 2.6 to 2.5 billion years. The data show a continuous increase from near crustal δ98Mo values of around 0.50‰ for the oldest Marra Mamba and Wittenoom formations towards higher values of up to 1.51‰ for the youngest sample of the Brockman Iron Formation. Thereby, the trend in increasing δ98Mo values is portrayed by both carbonate facies iron formations and black shales. Considering the positive correlation between Mo concentration and total organic carbon, we argue that this uniformity is best explained by molybdate adsorption onto organic matter in carbonate iron formations and scavenging of thiomolybdate onto sulfurized organic matter in black shales. A temporal increase in the seawater δ98Mo over the period 2.6-2.5 Ga is observed assuming an overall low Mo isotope fractionation during both Mo removal processes. Oxide facies iron formations show lowest Mo concentrations, lowest total organic carbon and slightly lower δ98Mo compared to nearly contemporaneous black shales. This may indicate that in iron formation settings with very low organic matter burial rates, the preferential adsorption of light Mo isotopes onto Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides becomes more relevant. A similar Mo-isotope pattern was previously found in contemporaneous black shales and carbonates of the Griqualand West Basin, South Africa. The consistent and concomitant increase in δ98Mo after 2.54 billion years ago suggests a more homogenous distribution of seawater molybdate with uniform isotopic composition in various depositional settings within the Hamersley Basin and the Griqualand West Basin. The modeling of the oceanic Mo inventory in relation to the Mo in- and outflux suggests that the long-term build-up of an isotopically heavy seawater Mo reservoir requires a sedimentary sink for isotopically light Mo. The search for this

Clarifying values: an updated review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Consensus guidelines have recommended that decision aids include a process for helping patients clarify their values. We sought to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence related to the use of values clarification methods in patient decision aids. Methods Building on the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration’s 2005 review of values clarification methods in decision aids, we convened a multi-disciplinary expert group to examine key definitions, decision-making process theories, and empirical evidence about the effects of values clarification methods in decision aids. To summarize the current state of theory and evidence about the role of values clarification methods in decision aids, we undertook a process of evidence review and summary. Results Values clarification methods (VCMs) are best defined as methods to help patients think about the desirability of options or attributes of options within a specific decision context, in order to identify which option he/she prefers. Several decision making process theories were identified that can inform the design of values clarification methods, but no single “best” practice for how such methods should be constructed was determined. Our evidence review found that existing VCMs were used for a variety of different decisions, rarely referenced underlying theory for their design, but generally were well described in regard to their development process. Listing the pros and cons of a decision was the most common method used. The 13 trials that compared decision support with or without VCMs reached mixed results: some found that VCMs improved some decision-making processes, while others found no effect. Conclusions Values clarification methods may improve decision-making processes and potentially more distal outcomes. However, the small number of evaluations of VCMs and, where evaluations exist, the heterogeneity in outcome measures makes it difficult to determine their

Students learning medicine in general practice in Canada and Australia.

PubMed

Strasser, Roger

2016-01-01

Over the past 20 years, there has been increasing focus on general practice and the role of general practitioners (GPs) in undergraduate medical education. This article explores the experiences in Australia and Canada of students learning medicine in the general practice setting, drawing on general practice and medical education literature in both countries and beyond. In Canada and Australia, there is substantial and growing evidence that students learning medicine in general practice has positive value for all involved, including the students, patients, wider community, academic institutions and GPs. The space, time and financial aspects of GP-based medical education require further study. Nevertheless, there is considerable potential to develop and implement a national plan for GP-based medical education with targeted government investment and commitment from academic institutions.

On the solution of the generalized wave and generalized sine-Gordon equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ablowitz, M. J.; Beals, R.; Tenenblat, K.

1986-01-01

The generalized wave equation and generalized sine-Gordon equations are known to be natural multidimensional differential geometric generalizations of the classical two-dimensional versions. In this paper, a system of linear differential equations is associated with these equations, and it is shown how the direct and inverse problems can be solved for appropriately decaying data on suitable lines. An initial-boundary value problem is solved for these equations.

Generalized Convexity and Concavity Properties of the Optimal Value Function in Parametric Nonlinear Programming.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-11

existing ones. * -37- !I T-472 REFERENCES [1] Avriel, M., W. E. Diewert, S. Schaible and W. T. Ziemba (1981). Introduction to concave and generalized concave...functions. In Generalized Concavity in Optimization and Economics (S. Schaible and W. T. Ziemba , eds.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 21-50. (21 Bank...Optimality conditions involving generalized convex mappings. In Generalized Concavity in Optimization and Economics (S. Schaible and W. T. Ziemba

Health Value and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Wellness Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abood, Doris A.; Conway, Terry L.

1992-01-01

Study examined relationships between self-esteem, health values, specific health behaviors, and general practice of wellness behaviors in Navy personnel. Lifestyle surveys indicated health values predicted specific health behaviors and general practice of wellness behaviors. After controlling for health values, self-esteem predicted general…

Energy technology and American democratic values

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

Thompson, G.M.

1988-01-01

Today, the benefits of liberal democracy have increasingly been cast into doubt. The debate over alternative energy policies illustrates the problems associated with liberal democracy. For many, it is the realization that energy choices and the selection of social and political values amount to much the same thing. Simply put, energy policy decisions, and the concomitant energy technologies, carry implications of an ethical, social and political nature. The argument of the social and political effects of energy technology flows from the more general thesis that all forms of technological practice condition social and political relations. That is, technological systems, beyondmore » performing the specific functions for which they were designed, act upon and influence social and political arrangements. Seen in this light, energy technologies are as important to the promotion and preservation of this country's political values as are its institutions and laws. Further, there is evidence to suggest that this country's cherished democratic value of freedom is slowly being eclipsed by the values attendant to corporate capitalism and its singular pursuit of growth. It is this dominance of economic values over political values which provides the environment within which the technological debate is waged. Ultimately, tracing the historic linkage between property and liberty, it is concluded that the preservation of our freedom require new thinking regarding the present configuration of ownership patterns. The questions surrounding energy policy serve to illuminate these concerns.« less

25 CFR 700.61 - Fair market value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Fair market value. 700.61 Section 700.61 Indians THE OFFICE OF NAVAJO AND HOPI INDIAN RELOCATION COMMISSION OPERATIONS AND RELOCATION PROCEDURES General Policies and Instructions Definitions § 700.61 Fair market value. Fair market value shall mean the value...

42 CFR 21.45 - Rating values.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Rating values. 21.45 Section 21.45 Public Health... Appointment § 21.45 Rating values. The examination of every candidate for appointment to any grade in the... values for each part of the examination as are prescribed by the Surgeon General. No candidate who...

Multi Blending Technology (MBT): mineral processing method for increasing added value of marginal reserve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agustinus, E. T. S.

2018-02-01

Indonesia's position on the path of ring of fire makes it rich in mineral resources. Nevertheless, in the past, the exploitation of Indonesian mineral resources was uncontrolled resulting in environmental degradation and marginal reserves. Exploitation of excessive mineral resources is very detrimental to the state. Reflecting on the occasion, the management and utilization of Indonesia's mineral resources need to be good in mining practice. The problem is how to utilize the mineral reserve resources effectively and efficiently. Utilization of marginal reserves requires new technologies and processing methods because the old processing methods are inadequate. This paper gives a result of Multi Blending Technology (MBT) Method. The underlying concept is not to do the extraction or refinement but processing through the formulation of raw materials by adding an additive and produce a new material called functional materials. Application of this method becomes important to be summarized into a scientific paper in a book form, so that the information can spread across multiple print media and become focused on and optimized. This book is expected to be used as a reference for stakeholder providing added value to environmentally marginal reserves in Indonesia. The conclusions are that Multi Blending Technology (MBT) Method can be used as a strategy to increase added values effectively and efficiently to marginal reserve minerals and that Multi Blending Technology (MBT) method has been applied to forsterite, Atapulgite Synthesis, Zeoceramic, GEM, MPMO, SMAC and Geomaterial.

Attitudes Toward Strategies to Increase Organ Donation: Views of the General Public and Health Professionals

PubMed Central

Klarenbach, Scott; Gill, John S.; Caulfield, Tim; Manns, Braden

2012-01-01

Summary Background and objective The acceptability of financial incentives for organ donation is contentious. This study sought to determine (1) the acceptability of expense reimbursement or financial incentives by the general public, health professionals involved with organ donation and transplantation, and those with or affected by kidney disease and (2) for the public, whether financial incentives would alter their willingness to consider donation. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Web-based survey administered to members of the Canadian public, health professionals, and people with or affected by kidney disease asking questions regarding acceptability of strategies to increase living and deceased kidney donation and willingness to donate a kidney under various financial incentives. Results Responses were collected from 2004 members of the Canadian public October 11–18, 2011; responses from health professionals (n=339) and people with or affected by kidney disease (n=268) were collected during a 4-week period commencing October 11, 2011. Acceptability of one or more financial incentives to increase deceased and living donation was noted in >70% and 40% of all groups, respectively. Support for monetary payment for living donors was 45%, 14%, and 27% for the public, health professionals, and people with or affected by kidney disease, respectively. Overall, reimbursement of funeral expenses for deceased donors and a tax break for living donors were the most acceptable. Conclusion The general public views regulated financial incentives for living and deceased donation to be acceptable. Future research needs to examine the impact of financial incentives on rates of deceased and living donors. PMID:23024166

Canonical multi-valued input Reed-Muller trees and forms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkowski, M. A.; Johnson, P. D.

1991-01-01

There is recently an increased interest in logic synthesis using EXOR gates. The paper introduces the fundamental concept of Orthogonal Expansion, which generalizes the ring form of the Shannon expansion to the logic with multiple-valued (mv) inputs. Based on this concept we are able to define a family of canonical tree circuits. Such circuits can be considered for binary and multiple-valued input cases. They can be multi-level (trees and DAG's) or flattened to two-level AND-EXOR circuits. Input decoders similar to those used in Sum of Products (SOP) PLA's are used in realizations of multiple-valued input functions. In the case of the binary logic the family of flattened AND-EXOR circuits includes several forms discussed by Davio and Green. For the case of the logic with multiple-valued inputs, the family of the flattened mv AND-EXOR circuits includes three expansions known from literature and two new expansions.

"Let's Talk!": Increasing Novel Peer-Directed Questions by High School Students with Autism to Their General Education Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reilly, Caitlin; Hughes, Carolyn; Harvey, Michelle; Brigham, Nicolette; Cosgriff, Joseph; Kaplan, Lauren; Bernstein, Rebekah

2014-01-01

We taught three high school students with high-functioning autism to increase their novel peer-directed questions when using a communication book to converse with general education partners at school. Novel question training was associated with participants asking peer-directed questions not displayed in communication books across a variety of…

Life Values, Regular Educators, and Special Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gans, Karen Derk

1986-01-01

Rokeach's Value Survey (1973) was used to assess possible differences in the life values of special education (N=133) and regular (N=128) classroom teachers . Generally, their value systems were not significantly different; however, 18 values (10 defining personal life goals and 8 defining self conduct and others' conduct) differentiated one group…

Using educational outreach and a financial incentive to increase general practices’ contribution to chlamydia screening in South-East London 2003–2011

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark have high levels of sexually transmitted infections including Chlamydia trachomatis. Modelling studies suggest that reductions in the prevalence of chlamydia infection will require a high level of population screening coverage and positivity among those screened. General practice has a potentially important role to play in delivering these levels of coverage since large numbers (up to 60%) of young people visit their general practice every year but previous work suggests that there are barriers to delivering screening in this setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate an intervention to increase chlamydia screening in general practice within Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of Lambeth and Southwark, a strategy combining financial incentives and supportive practice visits to raise awareness and solve problems. Methods Data on age, gender, venue and chlamydia result for tests on under 25 s in Lambeth from 2003–11 was obtained from the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. We analysed the number and percentage of tests generated in general practice, and looked at the number of practices screening more than 10% of their practice cohort of 15–24 year olds, male/female ratio and positivity rates across other screening venues. We also looked at practices screening less than 10% and studied change over time. We compared data from Lambeth and Southwark with London and England. We also studied features of the level and type of educational and financial incentive interventions employed. Results Chlamydia tests performed in general practice increased from 23 tests in 2003–4 to 4813 tests in 2010–11 in Lambeth. In Southwark they increased from 5 tests in 2003/04 to 4321 in 2010/11. In 2011, 44.6% of tests came from GPs in Lambeth and 46% from GP’s in Southwark. In Lambeth 62.7% of practices tested more than 10% of their cohort and in Southwark this was 55.8%. In Lambeth, postivity rate in 2010/11 was 5.8% in

Inquiry-Oriented Learning Material to Increased General Physics Competence Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinuraya, Jurubahasa

2016-01-01

This study aims to produce inquiry-oriented general physics learning material to improve student learning outcome. Development steps of learning materials were adapted from the design model of Dick and Carey. Stages of development consists of three phases: planning, development, and formative evaluation and revision. Implementation of formative…

Pregnancy Outcome Using General Anesthesia Versus Spinal Anesthesia for In Vitro Fertilization

PubMed Central

Azmude, Azra; Agha'amou, Shahrzad; Yousefshahi, Fardin; Berjis, Katayoun; Mirmohammad'khani, Majid; Sadaat'ahmadi, Farahnaz; Ghods, Kamran; Dabbagh, Ali

2013-01-01

Background There is a considerable rate of fertility failure and this causes a great burden of untoward effects for patients. Usually a considerable number of these patients undergo anesthesia for their treatment. Objectives This study was designed to compare the effects of general and spinal anesthesia on these patients. Patients and Methods In a randomized clinical trial, after taking informed written consent from the patients, 200 patients entered the study; 100 in each. During a 2 year period, women aged 20 to 40 years entered the study (one group receiving spinal anesthesia and the other, receiving general anesthesia). Ovum retrieval protocols were the same. Nonparametric and parametric analyses were used for data analysis. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results There was no difference between the two groups regarding demographic variables. 15 of 100 patients (15%) in the general anesthesia group and 27 of 100 patients (27%) in the spinal anesthesia group had successful pregnancy after IVF; so, spinal anesthesia increased significantly the chance of IVF success (P value < 0.001; Chi Square). Conclusions The results of this study demonstrated that spinal anesthesia increased the chance of fertilization success. PMID:24282775

Pregnancy outcome using general anesthesia versus spinal anesthesia for in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Azmude, Azra; Agha'amou, Shahrzad; Yousefshahi, Fardin; Berjis, Katayoun; Mirmohammad'khani, Majid; Sadaat'ahmadi, Farahnaz; Ghods, Kamran; Dabbagh, Ali

2013-09-01

There is a considerable rate of fertility failure and this causes a great burden of untoward effects for patients. Usually a considerable number of these patients undergo anesthesia for their treatment. This study was designed to compare the effects of general and spinal anesthesia on these patients. In a randomized clinical trial, after taking informed written consent from the patients, 200 patients entered the study; 100 in each. During a 2 year period, women aged 20 to 40 years entered the study (one group receiving spinal anesthesia and the other, receiving general anesthesia). Ovum retrieval protocols were the same. Nonparametric and parametric analyses were used for data analysis. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. There was no difference between the two groups regarding demographic variables. 15 of 100 patients (15%) in the general anesthesia group and 27 of 100 patients (27%) in the spinal anesthesia group had successful pregnancy after IVF; so, spinal anesthesia increased significantly the chance of IVF success (P value < 0.001; Chi Square). The results of this study demonstrated that spinal anesthesia increased the chance of fertilization success.

Finnish version of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia: Reference values in the Finnish general population and associations with leisure-time physical activity.

PubMed

Koho, Petteri; Borodulin, Katja; Kautiainen, Hannu; Kujala, Urho; Pohjolainen, Timo; Hurri, Heikki

2015-03-01

To create reference values for the general Finnish population using the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-FIN), to study gender differences in the TSK-FIN, to assess the internal consistency of the TSK-FIN, to estimate the prevalence of high levels of kinesiophobia in Finnish men and women, and to examine the association between kinesiophobia and leisure-time physical activity and the impact of co-morbidities on kinesiophobia. The study population comprised 455 men and 579 women. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about their socio-demographic factors, leisure-time physical activity, co-morbidities and kinesiophobia. The mean TSK-FIN score was significantly higher for men (mean 34.2, standard deviation (SD) 6.9) compared with women (mean 32.9, SD 6.5), with an age-adjusted p = 0.004 for the difference between men and women. Cronbach's alpha was 0.72, indicating substantial internal consistency. Men over 55 years of age and women over 65 years of age had a higher (p < 0.001) TSK score compared with younger people. There was a significant (p < 0.001) inverse association between kinesiophobia and leisure-time physical activity among both sexes. The presence of cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease or a mental disorder was associated with a higher TSK-FIN score compared with the absence of the aforementioned disorders. We present here the reference values for the TSK-FIN. The reference values and prevalence among the general population may help clinicians to define the level of kinesiophobia among patients. Disorders other than musculoskeletal diseases were associated with kinesiophobia, which should be noted in daily practice.

A Function-Based Intervention to Increase a Second-Grade Student's On-Task Behavior in a General Education Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Germer, Kathryn A.; Kaplan, Lauren M.; Giroux, Lindsay N.; Markham, Elizabeth H.; Ferris, Geoffrey J.; Oakes, Wendy P.; Lane, Kathleen Lynne

2011-01-01

A functional assessment-based intervention (FABI) was designed and implemented to increase the on-task behavior of David, a second-grade student in a general education classroom. David attended an elementary school that used a comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (CI3T) model of prevention. The school's principal nominated David for Project…

Tolerance by Surprise: Evidence for a Generalized Reduction in Prejudice and Increased Egalitarianism through Novel Category Combination

PubMed Central

Vasiljevic, Milica; Crisp, Richard J.

2013-01-01

Prejudices towards different groups are interrelated, but research has yet to find a way to promote tolerance towards multiple outgroups. We devise, develop and implement a new cognitive intervention for achieving generalized tolerance based on scientific studies of social categorization. In five laboratory experiments and one field study the intervention led to a reduction of prejudice towards multiple outgroups (elderly, disabled, asylum seekers, HIV patients, gay men), and fostered generalized tolerance and egalitarian beliefs. Importantly, these effects persisted outside the laboratory in a context marked by a history of violent ethnic conflict, increasing trust and reconciliatory tendencies towards multiple ethnic groups in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We discuss the implications of these findings for intervention strategies focused on reducing conflict and promoting peaceful intergroup relations. PMID:23483895

Values Strategies for Classroom Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lemin, Marion, Ed.; And Others

This document is a reference for teachers to use in incorporating values education into all subject areas through the activities listed in the book. The book contains 16 chapters, of which about half provide guidelines, discussion and activities related to values in general, and half suggest activities specific to individual areas of study. In the…

Toward increasing the value and utility of DDGS

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Coproducts are one key to the economic viability of ethanol production. As the industry has grown, the importance of distillers grains has also increased. Through the course of our discussions, we hope that it has become apparent that distillers grains, particularly distillers dried grains with so...

19 CFR 10.536 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.536 Section 10.536 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.536 Value of materials. (a) Calculating the value of materials. Except as provided in § 10.541, for purposes of calculating the regional value content of a good under General Note 25(o...

19 CFR 10.536 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.536 Section 10.536 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.536 Value of materials. (a) Calculating the value of materials. Except as provided in § 10.541, for purposes of calculating the regional value content of a good under General Note 25(o...

19 CFR 10.536 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.536 Section 10.536 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.536 Value of materials. (a) Calculating the value of materials. Except as provided in § 10.541, for purposes of calculating the regional value content of a good under General Note 25(o...

19 CFR 10.536 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.536 Section 10.536 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.536 Value of materials. (a) Calculating the value of materials. Except as provided in § 10.541, for purposes of calculating the regional value content of a good under General Note 25(o...

19 CFR 10.536 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.536 Section 10.536 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.536 Value of materials. (a) Calculating the value of materials. Except as provided in § 10.541, for purposes of calculating the regional value content of a good under General Note 25(o...

Distinct electrocortical and behavioral evidence for increased attention to threat in generalized anxiety disorder.

PubMed

MacNamara, Annmarie; Hajcak, Greg

2010-03-01

Neural activity is increasingly used in addition to behavioral measures to study anxiety and attentional biases toward threatening stimuli. Event-related potentials (ERPs) might be particularly useful because of their excellent temporal resolution. In particular, the late positive potential (LPP) reflects increased attention to emotional stimuli-and was recently found to be larger with increasing state anxiety. This study sought to examine the LPP among individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Fifteen individuals with GAD and 15 healthy controls (HCs) viewed briefly presented pairs of aversive and neutral pictures that were presented to the left and right of, as well as above and below, fixation on each trial; ERP and behavioral measures were recorded as participants indicated whether the horizontal or vertical image pairs were the same or different. Aversive pictures presented in unattended locations were associated with more errors overall, and this effect was larger in GAD than HC participants. Moreover, aversive targets elicited larger LPPs across all participants; this difference was larger in GAD than HC participants when distracters were neutral. Threatening stimuli presented in both target and distracting spatial locations have a greater impact on GAD than HC participants. Behavioral and ERP measures provide complimentary indices of attention toward threat in GAD. In terms of attentional control theory, behavioral interference indexes impaired processing effectiveness, whereas the LPP might index reduced processing efficiency in GAD. Both measures may provide unique windows onto how increased stimulus-driven attention to threat impacts and characterizes GAD. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

DESPERATELY SEEKING HAPPINESS: VALUING HAPPINESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION.

PubMed

Ford, Brett Q; Shallcross, Amanda J; Mauss, Iris B; Floerke, Victoria A; Gruber, June

Culture shapes the emotions people feel and want to feel. In Western cultures, happiness is an emotion that many people want to feel. Although experiencing happiness is associated with increased well-being and psychological health, recent evidence suggests wanting to feel happy to an extreme degree, or, highly valuing happiness, leads to decreased well-being. To examine whether these effects of valuing happiness might extend to clinical outcomes, we examined the hypothesis that depression is associated with highly valuing happiness. To do so, we examined the relationship between valuing happiness and depression in two U.S. samples. As hypothesized, valuing happiness was associated with increased depressive symptoms in a community sample with remitted major depressive disorder (MDD), even when controlling for social desirability and neuroticism (Study 1). Furthermore, valuing happiness was elevated in a remitted MDD sample (vs. healthy controls), even when controlling for current depressive symptoms, general affect valuation, and extreme goal pursuit (Study 2). Taken together, these findings suggest that the culturally-pervasive value placed on attaining happiness can represent a risk factor for symptoms and a diagnosis of depression. More broadly, they indicate that a cultural approach can meaningfully extend our understanding of clinical phenomena.

Impacts of Valuing Resilience on Cost-Optimal PV and Storage Systems for Commercial Buildings

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

Laws, Nicholas D; Anderson, Katherine H; DiOrio, Nicholas A

Decreasing electric grid reliability in the US, along with increasing severe weather events, have greatly increased interest in resilient energy systems. Few studies have included the value of resilience when sizing PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and none have included the cost to island a PV and BESS, grid-connected costs and benefits, and the value of resilience. This work presents a novel method for incorporating the value of resilience provided by a PV and BESS into a techno-economic optimization model. Including the value of resilience in the design of a cost-optimal PV and BESS generally increases the systemmore » capacities, and in some cases makes a system economical where it was not before. For example, for a large hotel in Anaheim, CA no system is economical without resilience valued; however, with a $5317/hr value of resilience a 363 kW and 60 kWh solar and BESS provides a net present value of $50,000. Lastly, we discuss the effect of the 'islandable premium', which must be balanced against the benefits from serving critical loads during outages. Case studies show that the islandable premium can vary widely, which highlights the necessity for case-by-case solutions in a rapidly developing market.« less

Settlement scaling and increasing returns in an ancient society

PubMed Central

Ortman, Scott G.; Cabaniss, Andrew H. F.; Sturm, Jennie O.; Bettencourt, Luís M. A.

2015-01-01

A key property of modern cities is increasing returns to scale—the finding that many socioeconomic outputs increase more rapidly than their population size. Recent theoretical work proposes that this phenomenon is the result of general network effects typical of human social networks embedded in space and, thus, is not necessarily limited to modern settlements. We examine the extent to which increasing returns are apparent in archaeological settlement data from the pre-Hispanic Basin of Mexico. We review previous work on the quantitative relationship between population size and average settled area in this society and then present a general analysis of their patterns of monument construction and house sizes. Estimated scaling parameter values and residual statistics support the hypothesis that increasing returns to scale characterized various forms of socioeconomic production available in the archaeological record and are found to be consistent with key expectations from settlement scaling theory. As a consequence, these results provide evidence that the essential processes that lead to increasing returns in contemporary cities may have characterized human settlements throughout history, and demonstrate that increasing returns do not require modern forms of political or economic organization. PMID:26601129

The natural ecological value of wilderness

Treesearch

H. Ken Cordell; Danielle Murphy; Kurt H. Riitters; J.E. Harvard

2005-01-01

In Chapters 7 through 10 of this book, we examined the social and economic benefits or values from Wilderness. In this chapter, we attempt to examine the natural ecological values of Wilderness. We define ecological value generally as the level of benefits that the space. water, minerals, biota, and all other factors that make up natural ecosystems provide to support...

The value of percutaneous cholangiography

PubMed Central

Evison, Gordon; McNulty, Myles; Thomson, Colin

1973-01-01

Percutaneous cholangiograms performed on fifty patients in a district general hospital have been reviewed, and the advantages and limitations of the examination are described. The investigation is considered to have sufficient diagnostic value to warrant its inclusion in the diagnostic armamentarium of every general radiological department. ImagesFig. 1Fig. 2Fig. 3Fig. 4 PMID:4788917

Conditioning- and Time-Dependent Increases in Context Fear and Generalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poulos, Andrew M.; Mehta, Nehali; Lu, Bryan; Amir, Dorsa; Livingston, Briana; Santarelli, Anthony; Zhuravka, Irina; Fanselow, Michael S.

2016-01-01

A prominent feature of fear memories and anxiety disorders is that they endure across extended periods of time. Here, we examine how the severity of the initial fear experience influences incubation, generalization, and sensitization of contextual fear memories across time. Adult rats were presented with either five, two, one, or zero shocks (1.2…

Human Values in Medical Education. Annual Oration of the Society for Health and Human Values.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, John R.

In this 1975 Oration of the Society for Health and Human Values, the author, an international medical educator, reviews the changing attitudes to human values in medical education as experienced at the London Hospital Medical College. Proposed is a broad, general approach to the whole patient, socially and behaviorally as well as biologically and…

Values in environmental research: Citizens’ views of scientists who acknowledge values

PubMed Central

McCright, Aaron M.; Allen, Summer; Dietz, Thomas

2017-01-01

Scientists who perform environmental research on policy-relevant topics face challenges when communicating about how values may have influenced their research. This study examines how citizens view scientists who publicly acknowledge values. Specifically, we investigate whether it matters: if citizens share or oppose a scientist’s values, if a scientist’s conclusions seem contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and if a scientist is assessing the state of the science or making a policy recommendation. We conducted two 3x2 factorial design online experiments. Experiment 1 featured a hypothetical scientist assessing the state of the science on the public-health effects of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), and Experiment 2 featured a scientist making a policy recommendation on use of BPA. We manipulated whether or not the scientist expressed values and whether the scientist’s conclusion appeared contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and we accounted for whether or not subjects’ values aligned with the scientist’s values. We analyzed our data with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques. Our results provide at least preliminary evidence that acknowledging values may reduce the perceived credibility of scientists within the general public, but this effect differs depending on whether scientists and citizens share values, whether scientists draw conclusions that run contrary to their values, and whether scientists make policy recommendations. PMID:29069087

Values in environmental research: Citizens' views of scientists who acknowledge values.

PubMed

Elliott, Kevin C; McCright, Aaron M; Allen, Summer; Dietz, Thomas

2017-01-01

Scientists who perform environmental research on policy-relevant topics face challenges when communicating about how values may have influenced their research. This study examines how citizens view scientists who publicly acknowledge values. Specifically, we investigate whether it matters: if citizens share or oppose a scientist's values, if a scientist's conclusions seem contrary to or consistent with the scientist's values, and if a scientist is assessing the state of the science or making a policy recommendation. We conducted two 3x2 factorial design online experiments. Experiment 1 featured a hypothetical scientist assessing the state of the science on the public-health effects of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), and Experiment 2 featured a scientist making a policy recommendation on use of BPA. We manipulated whether or not the scientist expressed values and whether the scientist's conclusion appeared contrary to or consistent with the scientist's values, and we accounted for whether or not subjects' values aligned with the scientist's values. We analyzed our data with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques. Our results provide at least preliminary evidence that acknowledging values may reduce the perceived credibility of scientists within the general public, but this effect differs depending on whether scientists and citizens share values, whether scientists draw conclusions that run contrary to their values, and whether scientists make policy recommendations.

Evaluating the Impact of Increasing General Education Teachers' Ratio of Positive-to-Negative Interactions on Students' Classroom Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Clayton R.; Grady, Erin A.; Long, Anna C.; Renshaw, Tyler; Codding, Robin S.; Fiat, Aria; Larson, Madeline

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to isolate and evaluate the impact of increasing teachers' ratios of positive-to-negative interactions with their students. Training teachers on the 5:1 ratio was evaluated using a randomized-block pre-post control design with general education classroom teachers (N = 6) that were characterized by a higher ratio of…

Looking for Ways to Increase Student Motivation: Internationalisation and Value Innovation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuznetsov, Andrei; Kuznetsova, Olga

2011-01-01

Understanding what constitutes the perceived value of foreign education to international business students is critical for business schools in order to achieve their recruitment targets. One established method relies on a financial interpretation of the costs and benefits of business education. By contrast, this study advocates a holistic approach…

Birth asphyxia measured by the pH value of the umbilical cord blood may predict an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Mikkelsen, Susanne Hvolgaard; Olsen, Jørn; Bech, Bodil Hammer; Wu, Chunsen; Liew, Zeyan; Gissler, Mika; Obel, Carsten; Arah, Onyebuchi

2017-06-01

Although birth asphyxia is a major risk factor for neonatal and childhood morbidity and mortality, it has not been investigated much in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We examined whether birth asphyxia measured by the pH of the blood in the umbilical artery cord was associated with childhood ADHD. A population-based cohort of 295 687 children born in Finland between 1991 and 2002 was followed until December 31, 2007. ADHD was identified by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, as a diagnosis of hyperkinetic disorder. We examined the risk of ADHD with varying pH values using Cox regression, taking time trends into consideration. When compared to the reference group, a pH value below 7.10 was significantly associated with an increased risk of ADHD. The strongest risks were observed among children with a pH value <7.15 and a gestational age of <32 weeks. The pH value did not contribute much to the risk among children with an Apgar score of 0-3. Birth asphyxia, defined by low pH value, may predict an increased risk of ADHD in childhood. The association between the pH value and ADHD was homogenous when stratified by gestational age and the Apgar score. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Atherogenic lipid phenotype in a general group of subjects.

PubMed

Van, Joanne; Pan, Jianqiu; Charles, M Arthur; Krauss, Ronald; Wong, Nathan; Wu, Xiaoshan

2007-11-01

The atherogenic lipid phenotype is a major cardiovascular risk factor, but normal values do not exist derived from 1 analysis in a general study group. To determine normal values of all of the atherogenic lipid phenotype parameters using subjects from a general study group. One hundred two general subjects were used to determine their atherogenic lipid phenotype using polyacrylamide gradient gels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size revealed 24% of subjects express LDL phenotype B, defined as average LDL peak particle size 258 A or less; however, among the Chinese subjects, the expression of the B phenotype was higher at 44% (P = .02). For the total group, mean LDL size was 265 +/- 11 A (1 SD); however, histograms were bimodal in both men and women. After excluding subjects expressing LDL phenotype B, because they are at increased cardiovascular risk and thus are not completely healthy, LDL histograms were unimodal and the mean LDL size was 270 +/- 7 A. A small, dense LDL concentration histogram (total group) revealed skewing; thus, phenotype B subjects were excluded, for the rationale described previously, and the mean value was 13 +/- 9 mg/dL (0.33 +/- 0.23 mmol/L). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol histograms were bimodal in both sexes. After removing subjects as described previously or if HDL cholesterol levels were less than 45 mg/dL, histograms were unimodal and revealed a mean HDL cholesterol value of 61 +/- 12 mg/dL (1.56 +/- 0.31 mmol/L). HDL 2, HDL 2a, and HDL 2b were similarly evaluated. Approximate normal values for the atherogenic lipid phenotype, similar to those derived from cardiovascular endpoint trials, can be determined if those high proportions of subjects with dyslipidemic cardiovascular risk are excluded.

Meixner Class of Non-commutative Generalized Stochastic Processes with Freely Independent Values II. The Generating Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bożejko, Marek; Lytvynov, Eugene

2011-03-01

Let T be an underlying space with a non-atomic measure σ on it. In [ Comm. Math. Phys. 292, 99-129 (2009)] the Meixner class of non-commutative generalized stochastic processes with freely independent values, {ω=(ω(t))_{tin T}} , was characterized through the continuity of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. In this paper, we derive a generating function for these orthogonal polynomials. The first question we have to answer is: What should serve as a generating function for a system of polynomials of infinitely many non-commuting variables? We construct a class of operator-valued functions {Z=(Z(t))_{tin T}} such that Z( t) commutes with ω( s) for any {s,tin T}. Then a generating function can be understood as {G(Z,ω)=sum_{n=0}^infty int_{T^n}P^{(n)}(ω(t_1),dots,ω(t_n))Z(t_1)dots Z(t_n)} {σ(dt_1) dots σ(dt_n)} , where {P^{(n)}(ω(t_1),dots,ω(t_n))} is (the kernel of the) n th orthogonal polynomial. We derive an explicit form of G( Z, ω), which has a resolvent form and resembles the generating function in the classical case, albeit it involves integrals of non-commuting operators. We finally discuss a related problem of the action of the annihilation operators {partial_t,t in T} . In contrast to the classical case, we prove that the operators ∂ t related to the free Gaussian and Poisson processes have a property of globality. This result is genuinely infinite-dimensional, since in one dimension one loses the notion of globality.

[Predictive value of qualitative assessment of general movements for adverse outcomes at 24 months of age in infants with asphyxia].

PubMed

Chen, Nan; Wen, Xiao-Hong; Huang, Jin-Hua; Wang, Shui-Yun; Zhu, Yue-E

2015-12-01

To investigate the predictive value of the qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs) for adverse outcomes at 24 months of age in full-term infants with asphyxia. A total of 114 full-term asphyxiated infants, who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between 2009 and 2012 and took part in follow-ups after discharge were included in the study. All of them received the qualitative assessment of GMs within 3 months after birth. The development quotient was determined with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 24 months of age. The results of the qualitative assessment of GMs within 3 months after birth showed that among 114 infants, 20 (17.5%) had poor repertoire movements and 7 (6.1%) had cramped-synchronized movements during the writhing movements period; 8 infants (7.0%) had the absence of fidgety movements during the fidgety movements period. The results of development quotient at 24 months of age showed that 7 infants (6.1%) had adverse developmental outcomes: 6 cases of cerebral palsy and mental retardation and 1 case of mental retardation. There was a poor consistency between poor repertoire movements during the writhing movements period and the developmental outcomes at 24 months of age (Kappa=-0.019; P>0.05). There was a high consistency between cramped-synchronized movements during the writhing movements period and the developmental outcomes at 24 months of age (Kappa=0.848; P<0.05), and the results of predictive values of cramped-synchronized movements were shown as follows: predictive validity 98.2%, sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 99.1%, positive predictive value 85.7%, and negative predictive value 99.1%. There was a high consistency between the absence of fidgety movements during the fidgety movements period and the developmental outcomes at 24 months of age (Kappa=0.786; P<0.05), and its predictive values were expressed as follows: predictive validity 97.4%, sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 98.1%, positive predictive value 75

Estimating milk yield and value losses from increased somatic cell count on US dairy farms.

PubMed

Hadrich, J C; Wolf, C A; Lombard, J; Dolak, T M

2018-04-01

Milk loss due to increased somatic cell counts (SCC) results in economic losses for dairy producers. This research uses 10 mo of consecutive dairy herd improvement data from 2013 and 2014 to estimate milk yield loss using SCC as a proxy for clinical and subclinical mastitis. A fixed effects regression was used to examine factors that affected milk yield while controlling for herd-level management. Breed, milking frequency, days in milk, seasonality, SCC, cumulative months with SCC greater than 100,000 cells/mL, lactation, and herd size were variables included in the regression analysis. The cumulative months with SCC above a threshold was included as a proxy for chronic mastitis. Milk yield loss increased as the number of test days with SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL increased. Results from the regression were used to estimate a monetary value of milk loss related to SCC as a function of cow and operation related explanatory variables for a representative dairy cow. The largest losses occurred from increased cumulative test days with a SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL, with daily losses of $1.20/cow per day in the first month to $2.06/cow per day in mo 10. Results demonstrate the importance of including the duration of months above a threshold SCC when estimating milk yield losses. Cows with chronic mastitis, measured by increased consecutive test days with SCC ≥100,000 cells/mL, resulted in higher milk losses than cows with a new infection. This provides farm managers with a method to evaluate the trade-off between treatment and culling decisions as it relates to mastitis control and early detection. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spectral investigation of somatotropin for different pH values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otero de Joshi, Virginia; Gil, Herminia; Contreras, Silvia; Joshi, Narahari V.; Hernandez, Luis

1996-04-01

Spectral investigations of absorbance in deep ultra-violet region (from 200 nm to 350 nm) of (STM) was carried out for different pH values. On the high energy side the peak is located at 195 nm which is generally attributed to peptide bonds. This peak, as expected, does not show any shift with pH value (4.3 to 10.8). A rather broad peak is spread in the region from 200 nm to 240 nm which could be the superposition of the peaks corresponding to the absorption due to (alpha) helix and (beta) structure. This peak shows a red shift as pH value increases. The same hormone was glycated by a conventional method and the process was estimated with the absorption spectra. The results are discussed in the light of nonenzymatic glycation. It was found that glycation mucus somatotropin resistant towards the denaturation process.

48 CFR 48.101 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... engineering effort is applied to areas of the contract that offer opportunities for considerable savings... ENGINEERING Policies and Procedures 48.101 General. (a) Value engineering is the formal technique by which... performing more economically. Value engineering attempts to eliminate, without impairing essential functions...

48 CFR 48.101 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... engineering effort is applied to areas of the contract that offer opportunities for considerable savings... ENGINEERING Policies and Procedures 48.101 General. (a) Value engineering is the formal technique by which... performing more economically. Value engineering attempts to eliminate, without impairing essential functions...

48 CFR 48.101 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... engineering effort is applied to areas of the contract that offer opportunities for considerable savings... ENGINEERING Policies and Procedures 48.101 General. (a) Value engineering is the formal technique by which... performing more economically. Value engineering attempts to eliminate, without impairing essential functions...

Sufficient conditions for uniqueness of the weak value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dressel, J.; Jordan, A. N.

2012-01-01

We review and clarify the sufficient conditions for uniquely defining the generalized weak value as the weak limit of a conditioned average using the contextual values formalism introduced in Dressel, Agarwal and Jordan (2010 Phys. Rev. Lett. 104 240401). We also respond to criticism of our work by Parrott (arXiv:1105.4188v1) concerning a proposed counter-example to the uniqueness of the definition of the generalized weak value. The counter-example does not satisfy our prescription in the case of an underspecified measurement context. We show that when the contextual values formalism is properly applied to this example, a natural interpretation of the measurement emerges and the unique definition in the weak limit holds. We also prove a theorem regarding the uniqueness of the definition under our sufficient conditions for the general case. Finally, a second proposed counter-example by Parrott (arXiv:1105.4188v6) is shown not to satisfy the sufficiency conditions for the provided theorem.

A Poisson process approximation for generalized K-5 confidence regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arsham, H.; Miller, D. R.

1982-01-01

One-sided confidence regions for continuous cumulative distribution functions are constructed using empirical cumulative distribution functions and the generalized Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance. The band width of such regions becomes narrower in the right or left tail of the distribution. To avoid tedious computation of confidence levels and critical values, an approximation based on the Poisson process is introduced. This aproximation provides a conservative confidence region; moreover, the approximation error decreases monotonically to 0 as sample size increases. Critical values necessary for implementation are given. Applications are made to the areas of risk analysis, investment modeling, reliability assessment, and analysis of fault tolerant systems.

From Bench to Bedside: A communal utility value intervention to enhance students' biomedical science motivation.

PubMed

Brown, Elizabeth R; Smith, Jessi L; Thoman, Dustin B; Allen, Jill M; Muragishi, Gregg

2015-11-01

Motivating students to pursue science careers is a top priority among many science educators. We add to the growing literature by examining the impact of a utility value intervention to enhance student's perceptions that biomedical science affords important utility work values. Using an expectancy-value perspective we identify and test two types of utility value: communal (other-oriented) and agentic (self-oriented). The culture of science is replete with examples emphasizing high levels of agentic value, but communal values are often (stereotyped as) absent from science. However, people in general want an occupation that has communal utility. We predicted and found that an intervention emphasizing the communal utility value of biomedical research increased students' motivation for biomedical science (Studies 1-3). We refined whether different types of communal utility value (working with, helping, and forming relationships with others) might be more or less important, demonstrating that helping others was an especially important predictor of student motivation (Study 2). Adding agentic utility value to biomedical research did not further increase student motivation (Study 3). Furthermore, the communal value intervention indirectly impacted students' motivation because students believed that biomedical research was communal and thus subsequently more important (Studies 1-3). This is key, because enhancing student communal value beliefs about biomedical research (Studies 1-3) and science (Study 4) was associated both with momentary increases in motivation in experimental settings (Studies 1-3) and increased motivation over time among students highly identified with biomedicine (Study 4). We discuss recommendations for science educators, practitioners, and faculty mentors who want to broaden participation in science.

Happiness and Ethical Values in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jeong-Kyu

2017-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss relations between happiness and ethical values in higher education, focusing on the need for the university to pursue happiness and ethical values. To examine the paper logically, four research questions are addressed. First, what are general concepts of happiness and ethical values? Second, why higher…

Smoking, health behavior, and values: a replication, refinement, and extension.

PubMed

Kristiansen, C M

1985-01-01

Within a larger study, 181 female undergraduates completed the Rokeach instrumental value survey and a version of the terminal value survey which included the value 'health', as well as measures of general preventive health behavior and social desirability. Analyses showed that nonsmokers reported better health behavior, and particularly direct rather than indirect-risk behavior, than smokers. While there was no difference in the value of 'health', smokers gave more priority to being 'broadminded' than nonsmokers gave. Smokers were also more concerned with 'freedom', being 'independent' and not being 'obedient', suggesting that smokers were more concerned with being 'flexible' or 'unconstrained'. Further, the value of being 'broadminded' was inversely related to the general health behavior and direct-risk behavior of smokers. Together with other research, these findings suggest that decreasing the extent to which smokers value 'broadmindedness' might not only reduce their smoking behavior but also affect their general preventive health behavior.

Pigeons' demand and preference for specific and generalized conditioned reinforcers in a token economy.

PubMed

Tan, Lavinia; Hackenberg, Timothy D

2015-11-01

Pigeons' demand and preference for specific and generalized tokens was examined in a token economy. Pigeons could produce and exchange different colored tokens for food, for water, or for food or water. Token production was measured across three phases, which examined: (1) across-session price increases (typical demand curve method); (2) within-session price increases (progressive-ratio, PR, schedule); and (3) concurrent pairwise choices between the token types. Exponential demand curves were fitted to the response data and accounted for over 90% total variance. Demand curve parameter values, Pmax , Omax and α showed that demand was ordered in the following way: food tokens, generalized tokens, water tokens, both in Phase 1 and in Phase 3. This suggests that the preferences were predictable on the basis of elasticity and response output from the demand analysis. Pmax and Omax values failed to consistently predict breakpoints and peak response rates in the PR schedules in Phase 2, however, suggesting limits on a unitary conception of reinforcer efficacy. The patterns of generalized token production and exchange in Phase 3 suggest that the generalized tokens served as substitutes for the specific food and water tokens. Taken together, the present findings demonstrate the utility of behavioral economic concepts in the analysis of generalized reinforcement. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Attention! Can choices for low value food over high value food be trained?

PubMed

Zoltak, Michael J; Veling, Harm; Chen, Zhang; Holland, Rob W

2018-05-01

People choose high value food items over low value food items, because food choices are guided by the comparison of values placed upon choice alternatives. This value comparison process is also influenced by the amount of attention people allocate to different items. Recent research shows that choices for food items can be increased by training attention toward these items, with a paradigm named cued-approach training (CAT). However, previous work till now has only examined the influence of CAT on choices between two equally valued items. It has remained unclear whether CAT can increase choices for low value items when people choose between a low and high value food item. To address this question in the current study participants were cued to make rapid responses in CAT to certain low and high value items. Next, they made binary choices between low and high value items, where we systematically varied whether the low and high value items were cued or uncued. In two experiments, we found that participants overall preferred high over low value food items for real consumption. More important, their choices for low value items increased when only the low value item had been cued in CAT compared to when both low and high value items had not been cued. Exploratory analyses revealed that this effect was more pronounced for participants with a relatively small value difference between low and high value items. The present research thus suggests that CAT may be used to boost the choice and consumption of low value items via enhanced attention toward these items, as long as the value difference is not too large. Implications for facilitating choices for healthy food are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PowerPlay: Training an Increasingly General Problem Solver by Continually Searching for the Simplest Still Unsolvable Problem

PubMed Central

Schmidhuber, Jürgen

2013-01-01

Most of computer science focuses on automatically solving given computational problems. I focus on automatically inventing or discovering problems in a way inspired by the playful behavior of animals and humans, to train a more and more general problem solver from scratch in an unsupervised fashion. Consider the infinite set of all computable descriptions of tasks with possibly computable solutions. Given a general problem-solving architecture, at any given time, the novel algorithmic framework PowerPlay (Schmidhuber, 2011) searches the space of possible pairs of new tasks and modifications of the current problem solver, until it finds a more powerful problem solver that provably solves all previously learned tasks plus the new one, while the unmodified predecessor does not. Newly invented tasks may require to achieve a wow-effect by making previously learned skills more efficient such that they require less time and space. New skills may (partially) re-use previously learned skills. The greedy search of typical PowerPlay variants uses time-optimal program search to order candidate pairs of tasks and solver modifications by their conditional computational (time and space) complexity, given the stored experience so far. The new task and its corresponding task-solving skill are those first found and validated. This biases the search toward pairs that can be described compactly and validated quickly. The computational costs of validating new tasks need not grow with task repertoire size. Standard problem solver architectures of personal computers or neural networks tend to generalize by solving numerous tasks outside the self-invented training set; PowerPlay’s ongoing search for novelty keeps breaking the generalization abilities of its present solver. This is related to Gödel’s sequence of increasingly powerful formal theories based on adding formerly unprovable statements to the axioms without affecting previously provable theorems. The continually increasing

Cultural values and happiness: an East-West dialogue.

PubMed

Luo, L; Gilmour, R; Kao, S F

2001-08-01

Happiness as a state of mind may be universal, but its meaning is complex and ambiguous. The authors directly examined the relationships between cultural values and experiences of happiness in 2 samples, by using a measurement of values derived from Chinese culture and a measurement of subjective well-being balanced for sources of happiness salient in both the East and the West. The participants were university students-439 from an Eastern culture (Taiwan) and 344 from a Western culture (the United Kingdom). Although general patterns were similar in the 2 samples, the relationships between values and happiness were stronger in the Taiwanese sample than in the British sample. The values social integration and human-heartedness had culture-dependent effects on happiness, whereas the value Confucian work dynamism had a culture-general effect on happiness.

Intergenerational Transmission of Work Values: A Meta-Analytic Review.

PubMed

Cemalcilar, Zeynep; Secinti, Ekin; Sumer, Nebi

2018-05-09

Work values act as guiding principles for individuals' work-related behavior. Economic self-sufficiency is an important predictor for psychological well-being in adulthood. Longitudinal research has demonstrated work values to be an important predictor of economic behavior, and consequently of self-sufficiency. Socialization theories designate parents an important role in the socialization of their children to cultural values. Yet, extant literature is limited in demonstrating the role families play on how youth develop agentic pathways and seek self-sufficiency in transition to adulthood. This study presents a meta-analytic review investigating the intergenerational transmission of work values, which is frequently assessed in terms of parent-child value similarities. Thirty studies from 11 countries (N = 19,987; Median child age = 18.15) were included in the analyses. The results revealed a significant effect of parents on their children's work values. Both mothers' and fathers' work values, and their parenting behavior were significantly associated with their children's work values. Yet, similarity of father-child work values decreased as child age increased. Our findings suggest a moderate effect, suggesting the influence of general socio-cultural context, such as generational differences and peer influences, in addition to those of parents on youth's value acquisition. Our systematic review also revealed that, despite its theoretical and practical importance, social science literature is scarce in comprehensive and comparative empirical studies that investigate parent-child work value similarity. We discuss the implications of our findings for labor market and policy makers.

Rainfall extremes from TRMM data and the Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zorzetto, Enrico; Marani, Marco

2017-04-01

A reliable quantification of the probability of weather extremes occurrence is essential for designing resilient water infrastructures and hazard mitigation measures. However, it is increasingly clear that the presence of inter-annual climatic fluctuations determines a substantial long-term variability in the frequency of occurrence of extreme events. This circumstance questions the foundation of the traditional extreme value theory, hinged on stationary Poisson processes or on asymptotic assumptions to derive the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. We illustrate here, with application to daily rainfall, a new approach to extreme value analysis, the Metastatistical Extreme Value Distribution (MEVD). The MEVD relaxes the above assumptions and is based on the whole distribution of daily rainfall events, thus allowing optimal use of all available observations. Using a global dataset of rain gauge observations, we show that the MEVD significantly outperforms the Generalized Extreme Value distribution, particularly for long average recurrence intervals and when small samples are available. The latter property suggests MEVD to be particularly suited for applications to satellite rainfall estimates, which only cover two decades, thus making extreme value estimation extremely challenging. Here we apply MEVD to the TRMM TMPA 3B42 product, an 18-year dataset of remotely-sensed daily rainfall providing a quasi-global coverage. Our analyses yield a global scale mapping of daily rainfall extremes and of their distributional tail properties, bridging the existing large gaps in ground-based networks. Finally, we illustrate how our global-scale analysis can provide insight into how properties of local rainfall regimes affect tail estimation uncertainty when using the GEV or MEVD approach. We find a dependence of the estimation uncertainty, for both the GEV- and MEV-based approaches, on the average annual number and on the inter-annual variability of rainy days. In

The total value equation: a suggested framework for understanding value creation in diagnostic radiology.

PubMed

Heller, Richard E

2014-01-01

As a result of macroeconomic forces necessitating fundamental changes in health care delivery systems, value has become a popular term in the medical industry. Much has been written recently about the idea of value as it relates to health care services in general and the practice of radiology in particular. Of course, cost, value, and cost-effectiveness are not new topics of conversation in radiology. Not only is value one of the most frequently used and complex words in management, entire classes in business school are taught around the concept of understanding and maximizing value. But what is value, and when speaking of value creation strategies, what is it exactly that is meant? For the leader of a radiology department, either private or academic, value creation is a core function. This article provides a deeper examination of what value is, what drives value creation, and how practices and departments can evaluate their own value creation efficiencies. An equation, referred to as the Total Value Equation, is presented as a framework to assess value creation activities and strategies. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward Effective Advocacy for Humanistic Values.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aspy, David N.; Aspy, Cheryl B.

1998-01-01

There is a vigorous, national values debate in America today because of the general sense that the nation's moral standards are in decline. Historically, humanistically oriented counselors such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers have contributed to the values discussions. This article provides a conceptual framework for humanistic counselors of…

Age differences in personal values: Universal or cultural specific?

PubMed

Fung, Helene H; Ho, Yuan Wan; Zhang, Rui; Zhang, Xin; Noels, Kimberly A; Tam, Kim-Pong

2016-05-01

Prior studies on value development across adulthood have generally shown that as people age, they espouse communal values more strongly and agentic values less strongly. Two studies investigated whether these age differences in personal values might differ according to cultural values. Study 1 examined whether these age differences in personal values, and their associations with subjective well-being, showed the same pattern across countries that differed in individualism-collectivism. Study 2 compared age differences in personal values in the Canadian culture that emphasized agentic values more and the Chinese culture that emphasized communal values more. Personal and cultural values of each individual were directly measured, and their congruence were calculated and compared across age and cultures. Findings revealed that across cultures, older people had lower endorsement of agentic personal values and higher endorsement of communal personal values than did younger people. These age differences, and their associations with subjective well-being, were generally not influenced by cultural values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of bacterial sepsis severity on triglyceride value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahila, R.; Kembaren, T.; Rahimi, A.

2018-03-01

Sepsis can increase the amount of triglyceride as well as change the functional and structural components of lipoproteins. The triglyceride level is directly proportional to the severity of sepsis and associated with a systemic inflammatory response. The study aims to determine the correlation between the severity of bacterial sepsis with triglyceride value. An observational study with case control design from January2017 to March 2017 in 30 sepsis and 30 non-sepsis patients at H. Adam Malik General Hospital Medan. We examined Procalcitonin (PCT) and triglyceride level on the 1st, 3rd and 5th day and then analyzed using MannWhitney to assess their correlation.The triglyceride value in the sepsis group was 120 ± 5.1 mg/dl on day 1, non-sepsis 117.53 ± 36.37mg/dl. However, on the fifth day, the sepsis group of triglyceride values was 124.2±50.29mg/dl and the non-sepsis group triglyceride values 134.03±68.12mg/dl. There was no specific connection between the severity of sepsis and triglyceride value in a patient with sepsis.

Increasing Hardwood Lumber Recovery and Value at the Edger and Trimmer

Treesearch

D. Earl Kline; Philip A. Araman; C. Regalado

1991-01-01

There are over 3500 sawmills producing hardwood lumber in the Southeastern portion of the United States for the household furniture, cabinet, millwork, dimension, and flooring industries as well as for the export market. To stay in business, these sawmills must be able to produce the highest possible value lumber from any given saw log. In these mills, about 20 percent...

19 CFR 10.813 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.813 Section 10.813 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.813 Value of materials. (a) General. For purposes of § 10.810(b) of this subpart and, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the value of a material produced in the...

19 CFR 10.773 - Value of materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Value of materials. 10.773 Section 10.773 Customs... Rules of Origin § 10.773 Value of materials. (a) General. For purposes of § 10.770(b) of this subpart and, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the value of a material produced in the...

Overstating values: medical facts, diverse values, bioethics and values-based medicine.

PubMed

Parker, Malcolm

2013-02-01

Fulford has argued that (1) the medical concepts illness, disease and dysfunction are inescapably evaluative terms, (2) illness is conceptually prior to disease, and (3) a model conforming to (2) has greater explanatory power and practical utility than the conventional value-free medical model. This 'reverse' model employs Hare's distinction between description and evaluation, and the sliding relationship between descriptive and evaluative meaning. Fulford's derivative 'Values Based Medicine' (VBM) readjusts the imbalance between the predominance of facts over values in medicine. VBM allegedly responds to the increased choices made available by, inter alia, the progress of medical science itself. VBM attributes appropriate status to evaluative meaning, where strong consensus about descriptive meaning is lacking. According to Fulford, quasi-legal bioethics, while it can be retained as a kind of deliberative framework, is outcome-based and pursues 'the right answer', while VBM approximates a democratic, process-oriented method for dealing with diverse values, in partnership with necessary contributions from evidence-based medicine (EBM). I support the non-cognitivist underpinnings of VBM, and its emphasis on the importance of values in medicine. But VBM overstates the complexity and diversity of values, misrepresents EBM and VBM as responses to scientific and evaluative complexity, and mistakenly depicts 'quasi-legal bioethics' as a space of settled descriptive meaning. Bioethical reasoning can expose strategies that attempt to reduce authentic values to scientific facts, illustrating that VBM provides no advantage over bioethics in delineating the connections between facts and values in medicine. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Impact of Provider Incentives on Quality and Value of Health Care.

PubMed

Doran, Tim; Maurer, Kristin A; Ryan, Andrew M

2017-03-20

The use of financial incentives to improve quality in health care has become widespread. Yet evidence on the effectiveness of incentives suggests that they have generally had limited impact on the value of care and have not led to better patient outcomes. Lessons from social psychology and behavioral economics indicate that incentive programs in health care have not been effectively designed to achieve their intended impact. In the United States, Medicare's Hospital Readmission Reduction Program and Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), provide evidence on how variations in the design of incentive programs correspond with differences in effect. As financial incentives continue to be used as a tool to increase the value and quality of health care, improving the design of programs will be crucial to ensure their success.

Distributions of p-values smaller than .05 in psychology: what is going on?

PubMed Central

van Aert, Robbie C.M.; Nuijten, Michèle B.; Wicherts, Jelte M.; van Assen, Marcel A.L.M.

2016-01-01

Previous studies provided mixed findings on pecularities in p-value distributions in psychology. This paper examined 258,050 test results across 30,710 articles from eight high impact journals to investigate the existence of a peculiar prevalence of p-values just below .05 (i.e., a bump) in the psychological literature, and a potential increase thereof over time. We indeed found evidence for a bump just below .05 in the distribution of exactly reported p-values in the journals Developmental Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, but the bump did not increase over the years and disappeared when using recalculated p-values. We found clear and direct evidence for the QRP “incorrect rounding of p-value” (John, Loewenstein & Prelec, 2012) in all psychology journals. Finally, we also investigated monotonic excess of p-values, an effect of certain QRPs that has been neglected in previous research, and developed two measures to detect this by modeling the distributions of statistically significant p-values. Using simulations and applying the two measures to the retrieved test results, we argue that, although one of the measures suggests the use of QRPs in psychology, it is difficult to draw general conclusions concerning QRPs based on modeling of p-value distributions. PMID:27077017

DESPERATELY SEEKING HAPPINESS: VALUING HAPPINESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION

PubMed Central

Ford, Brett Q.; Shallcross, Amanda J.; Mauss, Iris B.; Floerke, Victoria A.; Gruber, June

2015-01-01

Culture shapes the emotions people feel and want to feel. In Western cultures, happiness is an emotion that many people want to feel. Although experiencing happiness is associated with increased well-being and psychological health, recent evidence suggests wanting to feel happy to an extreme degree, or, highly valuing happiness, leads to decreased well-being. To examine whether these effects of valuing happiness might extend to clinical outcomes, we examined the hypothesis that depression is associated with highly valuing happiness. To do so, we examined the relationship between valuing happiness and depression in two U.S. samples. As hypothesized, valuing happiness was associated with increased depressive symptoms in a community sample with remitted major depressive disorder (MDD), even when controlling for social desirability and neuroticism (Study 1). Furthermore, valuing happiness was elevated in a remitted MDD sample (vs. healthy controls), even when controlling for current depressive symptoms, general affect valuation, and extreme goal pursuit (Study 2). Taken together, these findings suggest that the culturally-pervasive value placed on attaining happiness can represent a risk factor for symptoms and a diagnosis of depression. More broadly, they indicate that a cultural approach can meaningfully extend our understanding of clinical phenomena. PMID:25678736

48 CFR 52.248-3 - Value Engineering-Construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Value Engineering....248-3 Value Engineering—Construction. As prescribed in 48.202, insert the following clause: Value Engineering—Construction (OCT 2010) (a) General. The Contractor is encouraged to develop, prepare, and submit...

48 CFR 52.248-3 - Value Engineering-Construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Value Engineering....248-3 Value Engineering—Construction. As prescribed in 48.202, insert the following clause: Value Engineering—Construction (OCT 2010) (a) General. The Contractor is encouraged to develop, prepare, and submit...

48 CFR 52.248-3 - Value Engineering-Construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Value Engineering....248-3 Value Engineering—Construction. As prescribed in 48.202, insert the following clause: Value Engineering—Construction (OCT 2010) (a) General. The Contractor is encouraged to develop, prepare, and submit...

48 CFR 52.248-3 - Value Engineering-Construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Value Engineering....248-3 Value Engineering—Construction. As prescribed in 48.202, insert the following clause: Value Engineering—Construction (OCT 2010) (a) General. The Contractor is encouraged to develop, prepare, and submit...

48 CFR 52.248-3 - Value Engineering-Construction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Value Engineering....248-3 Value Engineering—Construction. As prescribed in 48.202, insert the following clause: Value Engineering—Construction (OCT 2010) (a) General. The Contractor is encouraged to develop, prepare, and submit...

34 CFR 6.0 - General policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General policy. 6.0 Section 6.0 Education Office of the Secretary, Department of Education INVENTIONS AND PATENTS (GENERAL) § 6.0 General policy. Inventions developed through the resources and activities of the Department are a potential resource of great value to...

34 CFR 6.0 - General policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false General policy. 6.0 Section 6.0 Education Office of the Secretary, Department of Education INVENTIONS AND PATENTS (GENERAL) § 6.0 General policy. Inventions developed through the resources and activities of the Department are a potential resource of great value to...

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex encodes emotional value.

PubMed

Winecoff, Amy; Clithero, John A; Carter, R McKell; Bergman, Sara R; Wang, Lihong; Huettel, Scott A

2013-07-03

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a critical role in processing appetitive stimuli. Recent investigations have shown that reward value signals in the vmPFC can be altered by emotion regulation processes; however, to what extent the processing of positive emotion relies on neural regions implicated in reward processing is unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of emotion regulation on the valuation of emotionally evocative images. Two independent experimental samples of human participants performed a cognitive reappraisal task while undergoing fMRI. The experience of positive emotions activated the vmPFC, whereas the regulation of positive emotions led to relative decreases in vmPFC activation. During the experience of positive emotions, vmPFC activation tracked participants' own subjective ratings of the valence of stimuli. Furthermore, vmPFC activation also tracked normative valence ratings of the stimuli when participants were asked to experience their emotions, but not when asked to regulate them. A separate analysis of the predictive power of vmPFC on behavior indicated that even after accounting for normative stimulus ratings and condition, increased signal in the vmPFC was associated with more positive valence ratings. These results suggest that the vmPFC encodes a domain-general value signal that tracks the value of not only external rewards, but also emotional stimuli.

The values of occupational therapy: Perceptions of occupational therapists in Quebec.

PubMed

Drolet, Marie-Josée; Désormeaux-Moreau, Marjorie

2016-07-01

Recently, there has been increasing interest in the values of occupational therapy and the values held by occupational therapists. A wide range of values has been reported in the literature. Furthermore, despite the fact that values are an important part of professional identity, empirical studies have demonstrated that several occupational therapists possess an ambiguous professional identity. This study was undertaken to explore the values of Canadian occupational therapists, specifically French-speaking occupational therapists in Quebec. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 occupational therapists. Their narratives were subject to hermeneutic analysis, a method of textual analysis common in philosophical research. A total of 16 values were identified in the discourses of the occupational therapists interviewed: autonomy; human dignity; occupational participation; social justice and equity; professionalism; holism; partnership, environment, or ecological approach; quality of life; solicitude; honesty; integrity; health; creativity; professional autonomy; effectiveness; and spirituality. The results of this study are, in general, consistent with those reported in the few other empirical studies that have documented the values perceptions of occupational therapists. Finally, the explanation of the values of occupational therapists may reinforce their professional identity and favour best, or at least desirable, professional practices related to ethics and culture.

National General Aviation Design Competition Guidelines 1999-2000 Academic Year

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory are sponsoring a National General Aviation Design Competition for students at U.S. aeronautical and engineering universities for the 1999-2000 academic year. The competition challenges individuals and teams of undergraduates and/ or graduate students, working with faculty advisors, to address design challenges for general aviation aircraft. Now in its sixth year, the competition seeks to increase the involvement of the academic community in the revitalization of the U.S. general aviation industry while providing real-world design and development experiences for students. It allows university students to participate in a major national effort to rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector while raising student awareness of the value of general aviation for business and personal use , and its economic relevance. Faculty and student participants have indicated that the open-ended design challenges offered by the competition have provided the basis for quality educational experiences.

A General Bayesian Network Approach to Analyzing Online Game Item Values and Its Influence on Consumer Satisfaction and Purchase Intention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kun Chang; Park, Bong-Won

Many online game users purchase game items with which to play free-to-play games. Because of a lack of research into which there is no specified framework for categorizing the values of game items, this study proposes four types of online game item values based on an analysis of literature regarding online game characteristics. It then proposes to investigate how online game users perceive satisfaction and purchase intention from the proposed four types of online game item values. Though regression analysis has been used frequently to answer this kind of research question, we propose a new approach, a General Bayesian Network (GBN), which can be performed in an understandable way without sacrificing predictive accuracy. Conventional techniques, such as regression analysis, do not provide significant explanation for this kind of problem because they are fixed to a linear structure and are limited in explaining why customers are likely to purchase game items and if they are satisfied with their purchases. In contrast, the proposed GBN provides a flexible underlying structure based on questionnaire survey data and offers robust decision support on this kind of research question by identifying its causal relationships. To illustrate the validity of GBN in solving the research question in this study, 327 valid questionnaires were analyzed using GBN with what-if and goal-seeking approaches. The experimental results were promising and meaningful in comparison with regression analysis results.

26 CFR 1.507-7 - Value of assets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Value of assets. 1.507-7 Section 1.507-7 Internal... TAXES (CONTINUED) Private Foundations § 1.507-7 Value of assets. (a) In general. For purposes of section 507(c), the value of the net assets shall be determined at whichever time such value is higher: (1...

From Bench to Bedside: A communal utility value intervention to enhance students’ biomedical science motivation

PubMed Central

Brown, Elizabeth R.; Smith, Jessi L.; Thoman, Dustin B.; Allen, Jill M.; Muragishi, Gregg

2015-01-01

Motivating students to pursue science careers is a top priority among many science educators. We add to the growing literature by examining the impact of a utility value intervention to enhance student’s perceptions that biomedical science affords important utility work values. Using an expectancy-value perspective we identify and test two types of utility value: communal (other-oriented) and agentic (self-oriented). The culture of science is replete with examples emphasizing high levels of agentic value, but communal values are often (stereotyped as) absent from science. However, people in general want an occupation that has communal utility. We predicted and found that an intervention emphasizing the communal utility value of biomedical research increased students’ motivation for biomedical science (Studies 1–3). We refined whether different types of communal utility value (working with, helping, and forming relationships with others) might be more or less important, demonstrating that helping others was an especially important predictor of student motivation (Study 2). Adding agentic utility value to biomedical research did not further increase student motivation (Study 3). Furthermore, the communal value intervention indirectly impacted students’ motivation because students believed that biomedical research was communal and thus subsequently more important (Studies 1–3). This is key, because enhancing student communal value beliefs about biomedical research (Studies 1–3) and science (Study 4) was associated both with momentary increases in motivation in experimental settings (Studies 1–3) and increased motivation over time among students highly identified with biomedicine (Study 4). We discuss recommendations for science educators, practitioners, and faculty mentors who want to broaden participation in science. PMID:26617417

Health technology assessment, value-based decision making, and innovation.

PubMed

Henshall, Chris; Schuller, Tara

2013-10-01

Identifying treatments that offer value and value for money is becoming increasingly important, with interest in how health technology assessment (HTA) and decision makers can take appropriate account of what is of value to patients and to society, and in the relationship between innovation and assessments of value. This study summarizes points from an Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) Policy Forum discussion, drawing on presentations, discussions among attendees, and background papers. Various perspectives on value were considered; most place patient health at the core of value. Wider elements of value comprise other benefits for: patients; caregivers; the health and social care systems; and society. Most decision-making systems seek to take account of similar elements of value, although they are assessed and combined in different ways. Judgment in decisions remains important and cannot be replaced by mathematical approaches. There was discussion of the value of innovation and of the effects of value assessments on innovation. Discussion also included moving toward "progressive health system decision making," an ongoing process whereby evidence-based decisions on use would be made at various stages in the technology lifecycle. Five actions are identified: (i) development of a general framework for the definition and assessment of value; development by HTA/coverage bodies and regulators of (ii) disease-specific guidance and (iii) further joint scientific advice for industry on demonstrating value; (iv) development of a framework for progressive licensing, usage, and reimbursement; and (v) promoting work to better adapt HTA, coverage, and procurement approaches to medical devices.

Robotic assistance and general anaesthesia improve catheter stability and increase signal attenuation during atrial fibrillation ablation.

PubMed

Malcolme-Lawes, Louisa C; Lim, Phang Boon; Koa-Wing, Michael; Whinnett, Zachary I; Jamil-Copley, Shahnaz; Hayat, Sajad; Francis, Darrel P; Kojodjojo, Pipin; Davies, D Wyn; Peters, Nicholas S; Kanagaratnam, Prapa

2013-01-01

Recurrent arrhythmias after ablation procedures are often caused by recovery of ablated tissue. Robotic catheter manipulation systems increase catheter tip stability which improves energy delivery and could produce more transmural lesions. We tested this assertion using bipolar voltage attenuation as a marker of lesion quality comparing robotic and manual circumferential pulmonary vein ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Twenty patients were randomly assigned to robotic or manual AF ablation at standard radiofrequency (RF) settings for our institution (30 W 60 s manual, 25 W 30 s robotic, R30). A separate group of 10 consecutive patients underwent robotic ablation at increased RF duration, 25 W for 60 s (R60). Lesions were marked on an electroanatomic map before and after ablation to measure distance moved and change in bipolar electrogram amplitude during RF. A total of 1108 lesions were studied (761 robotic, 347 manual). A correlation was identified between voltage attenuation and catheter movement during RF (Spearman's rho -0.929, P < 0.001). The ablation catheter was more stable during robotic RF; 2.9 ± 2.3 mm (R30) and 2.6 ± 2.2 mm (R60), both significantly less than the manual group (4.3 ± 3.0 mm, P < 0.001). Despite improved stability, there was no difference in signal attenuation between the manual and R30 group. However, there was increased signal attenuation in the R60 group (52.4 ± 19.4%) compared with manual (47.7 ± 25.4%, P = 0.01). When procedures under general anaesthesia (GA) and conscious sedation were analysed separately, the improvement in signal attenuation in the R60 group was only significant in the procedures under GA. Robotically assisted ablation has the capability to deliver greater bipolar voltage attenuation compared with manual ablation with appropriate selection of RF parameters. General anaesthesia confers additional benefits of catheter stability and greater signal attenuation. These findings may have a significant impact on

Using Self-Reflection To Increase Science Process Skills in the General Chemistry Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veal, William R.; Taylor, Dawne; Rogers, Amy L.

2009-03-01

Self-reflection is a tool of instruction that has been used in the science classroom. Research has shown great promise in using video as a learning tool in the classroom. However, the integration of self-reflective practice using video in the general chemistry laboratory to help students develop process skills has not been done. Immediate video feedback and direct instruction were employed in a general chemistry laboratory course to improve students' mastery and understanding of basic and advanced process skills. Qualitative results and statistical analysis of quantitative data proved that self-reflection significantly helped students develop basic and advanced process skills, yet did not seem to influence the general understanding of the science content.

Drivers for the Value of Demand Response under Increased Levels of Wind and Solar Power; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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

Hale, Elaine

Demand response may be a valuable flexible resource for low-carbon electric power grids. However, there are as many types of possible demand response as there are ways to use electricity, making demand response difficult to study at scale in realistic settings. This talk reviews our state of knowledge regarding the potential value of demand response in several example systems as a function of increasing levels of wind and solar power, sometimes drawing on the analogy between demand response and storage. Overall, we find demand response to be promising, but its potential value is very system dependent. Furthermore, demand response, likemore » storage, can easily saturate ancillary service markets.« less

IQ and the values of nations.

PubMed

Kanazawa, Satoshi

2009-07-01

The origin of values and preferences is an unresolved theoretical question in behavioural and social sciences. The Savanna-IQ Interaction Hypothesis, derived from the Savanna Principle and a theory of the evolution of general intelligence, suggests that more intelligent individuals may be more likely to acquire and espouse evolutionarily novel values and preferences (such as liberalism and atheism and, for men, sexual exclusivity) than less intelligent individuals, but that general intelligence may have no effect on the acquisition and espousal of evolutionarily familiar values. Macro-level analyses show that nations with higher average intelligence are more liberal (have greater highest marginal individual tax rate and, as a result, lower income inequality), less religious (a smaller proportion of the population believes in God or considers themselves religious) and more monogamous. The average intelligence of a population appears to be the strongest predictor of its level of liberalism, atheism and monogamy.

Perspective: General Education at the Community College, 1952-1978. Comparing Two Reports: General Education in Action--B. Lamar Johnson [and] General Education in a Changing Society--Miami-Dade Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Donald R., Jr.

The values, goals, and organization of general education have been highly controversial subjects in higher education for years. Two different perspectives are provided by B. Lamar Johnson's "General Education in Action" (1952) and Miami-Dade Community College's (MDCC's) "General Education in a Changing Society" (1978). Concerns…

Generalization of Conditioned Fear along a Dimension of Increasing Fear Intensity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Mitroff, Stephen R.; LaBar, Kevin S.

2009-01-01

The present study investigated the extent to which fear generalization in humans is determined by the amount of fear intensity in nonconditioned stimuli relative to a perceptually similar conditioned stimulus. Stimuli consisted of graded emotionally expressive faces of the same identity morphed between neutral and fearful endpoints. Two…

Description and Evaluation of an Educational Intervention on Health Care Costs and Value.

PubMed

Jonas, Jennifer A; Ronan, Jeanine C; Petrie, Ian; Fieldston, Evan S

2016-02-01

There is growing consensus that to ensure that health care dollars are spent efficiently, physicians need more training in how to provide high-value, cost-conscious care. Thus, in fiscal year 2014, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia piloted a 9-part curriculum on health care costs and value for faculty in the Division of General Pediatrics. This study uses baseline and postintervention surveys to gauge knowledge, perceptions, and views on these issues and to assess the efficacy of the pilot curriculum. Faculty completed surveys about their knowledge and perceptions about health care costs and value and their views on the role physicians should play in containing costs and promoting value. Baseline and postintervention responses were compared and analyzed on the basis of how many of the sessions respondents attended. Sixty-two faculty members completed the baseline survey (71% response rate), and 45 faculty members completed the postintervention survey (63% response rate). Reported knowledge of health care costs and value increased significantly in the postintervention survey (P=.04 and P<.001). Odds of being knowledgeable about costs and value were 2.42 (confidence interval: 1.05-5.58) and 6.22 times greater (confidence interval: 2.29-16.90), respectively, postintervention. Reported knowledge of health care costs and value increased with number of sessions attended (P=.01 and P<.001). The pilot curriculum appeared to successfully introduce physicians to concepts around health care costs and value and initiated important discussions about the role physicians can play in containing costs and promoting value. Additional education, increased cost transparency, and more decision support tools are needed to help physicians translate knowledge into practice. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Ultrafiltration of skimmed goat milk increases its nutritional value by concentrating nonfat solids such as proteins, Ca, P, Mg, and Zn.

PubMed

Moreno-Montoro, Miriam; Olalla, Manuel; Giménez-Martínez, Rafael; Bergillos-Meca, Triana; Ruiz-López, María Dolores; Cabrera-Vique, Carmen; Artacho, Reyes; Navarro-Alarcón, Miguel

2015-11-01

Goat milk has been reported to possess good nutritional and health-promoting properties. Usually, it must be concentrated before fermented products can be obtained. The aim of this study was to compare physicochemical and nutritional variables among raw (RM), skimmed (SM), and ultrafiltration-concentrated skimmed (UFM) goat milk. The density, acidity, ash, protein, casein, whey protein, Ca, P, Mg, and Zn values were significantly higher in UFM than in RM or SM. Dry extract and fat levels were significantly higher in UFM than in SM, and Mg content was significantly higher in UFM than in RM. Ultrafiltration also increased the solubility of Ca and Mg, changing their distribution in the milk. The higher concentrations of minerals and proteins, especially caseins, increase the nutritional value of UFM, which may therefore be more appropriate for goat milk yogurt manufacturing in comparison to RM or SM. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of gadolinium-EOB-DTPA uptake after portal vein embolization: value of an increased flip angle.

PubMed

Geisel, Dominik; Lüdemann, Lutz; Wagner, Clemens; Stelter, Lars; Grieser, Christian; Malinowski, Maciej; Stockmann, Martin; Seehofer, Daniel; Hamm, Bernd; Gebauer, Bernhard; Denecke, Timm

2014-03-01

The optimal sequence for Gd-EOB-DTPA uptake measurement in the liver with the purpose of liver function measurement is still not defined. To prospectively evaluate the effect of an increased flip angle (FA) of a T1-weighted fat-saturated 3D sequence for the measurement of hepatocyte uptake of Gd-EOB-DTPA magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after right portal vein embolization (PVE). Ten patients who received a PVE prior to an extended hemihepatectomy were examined 14 days after PVE using Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI of the liver using the standard FA of 10° and the increased FA of 30°. Relative enhancement of the right liver lobe (RLL) was 0.52 ± 0.12 for 10° and 1.41 ± 0.39 for 30°. Relative enhancement of the left liver lobe (LLL) was 0.58 ± 0.11 for 10° and 2.05 ± 0.61 for 30°. Relative enhancement of the RLL was significantly higher for 30° than for 10° (P = 0.009) and significantly higher in the 30° than in the 10° sequences (P = 0.005) for the LLL. A flip angle of 30° increases the contrast between liver partitions with and without portal venous embolization. Thereby, the sensitivity for differences in uptake intensity is increased. This could be of value for a more exact determination of differences in regional liver function and, consequently, the estimation of the future remnant liver function.

Elementary School Principals' Level of Practicing Democratic Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kincal, Remzi Y.; Isik, Halil

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to find out the elementary school principals' level of practicing democratic values while managing their schools, according to teachers' perceptions. The results show that Turkish elementary principals are doing well in having democratic values in general. However, some values were more well practiced or reflected…

25 CFR 700.119 - Establishment of fair market value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Establishment of fair market value. 700.119 Section 700... value. (a) General. The Commission shall establish the amount of fair market value to be offered to the... recommendations as to the fair market value of the habitations and/or improvements; or (2) The fair market value...

The influence of resilience on mental health: The role of general well-being.

PubMed

Gao, Tingting; Ding, Xinna; Chai, Jingxin; Zhang, Zhao; Zhang, Han; Kong, Yixi; Mei, Songli

2017-06-01

Nurses are suffering from increasing stress, and nursing is recognized as one of the most stressful job. Their mental health problems are serious and worthy of attention. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between resilience and mental health and general well-being among nurses. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014, using a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were asked to complete the measure of resilience, mental health, and general well-being. The method of randomly cluster sampling was used to select nurses as participants. A survey of 365 nurses was conducted to test the hypothesized model. This study showed that resilience, mental health, and general well-being correlated with each other. General well-being was an effective predictor of resilience and mental health, whereas it both can moderate and mediate the relationship. Strategies to increase nurses' general well-being could enhance their resilience and reduce mental health problems. It is important to improve the mental health of nurses and maintain the professional values that ensure career sustainability. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Age-dependent increase in ortho-tyrosine and methionine sulfoxide in human skin collagen is not accelerated in diabetes. Evidence against a generalized increase in oxidative stress in diabetes.

PubMed Central

Wells-Knecht, M C; Lyons, T J; McCance, D R; Thorpe, S R; Baynes, J W

1997-01-01

The glycoxidation products Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine and pentosidine increase in skin collagen with age and at an accelerated rate in diabetes. Their age-adjusted concentrations in skin collagen are correlated with the severity of diabetic complications. To determine the relative roles of increased glycation and/or oxidation in the accelerated formation of glycoxidation products in diabetes, we measured levels of amino acid oxidation products, distinct from glycoxidative modifications of amino acids, as independent indicators of oxidative stress and damage to collagen in aging and diabetes. We show that ortho-tyrosine and methionine sulfoxide are formed in concert with Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine and pentosidine during glycoxidation of collagen in vitro, and that they also increase with age in human skin collagen. The age-adjusted levels of these oxidized amino acids in collagen was the same in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects, arguing that diabetes per se does not cause an increase in oxidative stress or damage to extracellular matrix proteins. These results provide evidence for an age-dependent increase in oxidative damage to collagen and support previous conclusions that the increase in glycoxidation products in skin collagen in diabetes can be explained by the increase in glycemia alone, without invoking a generalized, diabetes-dependent increase in oxidative stress. PMID:9259583

Forest ecosystem services: Cultural values

Treesearch

Melissa M. Kreye; Damian C. Adams; Ramesh Ghimire; Wayde Morse; Taylor Stein; J. M. Bowker

2017-01-01

How we define “culture” and societal well-being related to culture depends heavily on who is looking at it, but culture can be generally described as “the customs and beliefs of a particular group of people that are used to express their collectively held values” (Soulbury Commission 2012). In the context of forests, culturally derived norms, beliefs, and values help...

Genetic parameters and prediction of genotypic values for root quality traits in cassava using REML/BLUP.

PubMed

Oliveira, E J; Santana, F A; Oliveira, L A; Santos, V S

2014-08-28

The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters and predict the genotypic values of root quality traits in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP). A total of 471 cassava accessions were evaluated over two years of cultivation. The evaluated traits included amylose content (AML), root dry matter (DMC), cyanogenic compounds (CyC), and starch yield (StYi). Estimates of the individual broad-sense heritability of AML were low (hg(2) = 0.07 ± 0.02), medium for StYi and DMC, and high for CyC. The heritability of AML was substantially improved based on mean of accessions (hm(2) = 0.28), indicating that some strategies such as increasing the number of repetitions can be used to increase the selective efficiency. In general, the observed genotypic values were very close to the predicted average of the improved population, most likely due to the high accuracy (>0.90), especially for DMC, CyC, and StYi. Gains via selection of the 30 best genotypes for each trait were 4.8 and 3.2% for an increase and decrease for AML, respectively, an increase of 10.75 and 74.62% for DMC for StYi, respectively, and a decrease of 89.60% for CyC in relation to the overall mean of the genotypic values. Genotypic correlations between the quality traits of the cassava roots collected were generally favorable, although they were low in magnitude. The REML/BLUP method was adequate for estimating genetic parameters and predicting the genotypic values, making it useful for cassava breeding.

A Higher-Order Generalized Singular Value Decomposition for Comparison of Global mRNA Expression from Multiple Organisms

PubMed Central

Ponnapalli, Sri Priya; Saunders, Michael A.; Van Loan, Charles F.; Alter, Orly

2011-01-01

The number of high-dimensional datasets recording multiple aspects of a single phenomenon is increasing in many areas of science, accompanied by a need for mathematical frameworks that can compare multiple large-scale matrices with different row dimensions. The only such framework to date, the generalized singular value decomposition (GSVD), is limited to two matrices. We mathematically define a higher-order GSVD (HO GSVD) for N≥2 matrices , each with full column rank. Each matrix is exactly factored as Di = UiΣiVT, where V, identical in all factorizations, is obtained from the eigensystem SV = VΛ of the arithmetic mean S of all pairwise quotients of the matrices , i≠j. We prove that this decomposition extends to higher orders almost all of the mathematical properties of the GSVD. The matrix S is nondefective with V and Λ real. Its eigenvalues satisfy λk≥1. Equality holds if and only if the corresponding eigenvector vk is a right basis vector of equal significance in all matrices Di and Dj, that is σi,k/σj,k = 1 for all i and j, and the corresponding left basis vector ui,k is orthogonal to all other vectors in Ui for all i. The eigenvalues λk = 1, therefore, define the “common HO GSVD subspace.” We illustrate the HO GSVD with a comparison of genome-scale cell-cycle mRNA expression from S. pombe, S. cerevisiae and human. Unlike existing algorithms, a mapping among the genes of these disparate organisms is not required. We find that the approximately common HO GSVD subspace represents the cell-cycle mRNA expression oscillations, which are similar among the datasets. Simultaneous reconstruction in the common subspace, therefore, removes the experimental artifacts, which are dissimilar, from the datasets. In the simultaneous sequence-independent classification of the genes of the three organisms in this common subspace, genes of highly conserved sequences but significantly different cell-cycle peak times are correctly classified. PMID

Usual care and management of fall risk increasing drugs in older dizzy patients in Dutch general practice

PubMed Central

Stam, Hanneke; Harting, Thomas; van der Sluijs, Marjolijn; van Marum, Rob; van der Horst, Henriëtte; van der Wouden, Johannes C.; Maarsingh, Otto R.

2016-01-01

Objective For general practitioners (GPs) dizziness is a challenging condition to deal with. Data on the management of dizziness in older patients are mostly lacking. Furthermore, it is unknown whether GPs attempt to decrease Fall Risk Increasing Drugs (FRIDs) use in the management of dizziness in older patients. The aim of this study is to gain more insight into GP’s management of dizziness in older patients, including FRID evaluation and adjustment. Design Data were derived from electronic medical records, obtained over a 12-month period in 2013. Setting Forty-six Dutch general practices. Patients The study sample comprised of 2812 older dizzy patients of 65 years and over. Patients were identified using International Classification of Primary Care codes and free text. Main outcome measures Usual care was categorized into wait-and-see strategy (no treatment initiated); education and advice; additional testing; medication adjustment; and referral. Results Frequently applied treatments included a wait-and-see strategy (28.4%) and education and advice (28.0%). Additional testing was performed in 26.8%; 19.0% of the patients were referred. Of the patients 87.2% had at least one FRID prescription. During the observation period, GPs adjusted the use of one or more FRIDs for 11.7% of the patients. Conclusion This study revealed a wide variety in management strategies for dizziness in older adults. The referral rate for dizziness was high compared to prior research. Although many older dizzy patients use at least one FRID, FRID evaluation and adjustment is scarce. We expect that more FRID adjustments may reduce dizziness and dizziness-related impairment. Key PointsIt is important to know how general practitioners manage dizziness in older patients in order to assess potential cues for improvement.This study revealed a wide variety in management strategies for dizziness in older patients.There was a scarcity in Fall Risk Increasing Drug (FRID) evaluation and adjustment

Usual care and management of fall risk increasing drugs in older dizzy patients in Dutch general practice.

PubMed

Stam, Hanneke; Harting, Thomas; Sluijs, Marjolijn van der; Marum, Rob van; Horst, Henriëtte van der; Wouden, Johannes C van der; Maarsingh, Otto R

2016-06-01

For general practitioners (GPs) dizziness is a challenging condition to deal with. Data on the management of dizziness in older patients are mostly lacking. Furthermore, it is unknown whether GPs attempt to decrease Fall Risk Increasing Drugs (FRIDs) use in the management of dizziness in older patients. The aim of this study is to gain more insight into GP's management of dizziness in older patients, including FRID evaluation and adjustment. Data were derived from electronic medical records, obtained over a 12-month period in 2013. Forty-six Dutch general practices. The study sample comprised of 2812 older dizzy patients of 65 years and over. Patients were identified using International Classification of Primary Care codes and free text. Usual care was categorized into wait-and-see strategy (no treatment initiated); education and advice; additional testing; medication adjustment; and referral. Frequently applied treatments included a wait-and-see strategy (28.4%) and education and advice (28.0%). Additional testing was performed in 26.8%; 19.0% of the patients were referred. Of the patients 87.2% had at least one FRID prescription. During the observation period, GPs adjusted the use of one or more FRIDs for 11.7% of the patients. This study revealed a wide variety in management strategies for dizziness in older adults. The referral rate for dizziness was high compared to prior research. Although many older dizzy patients use at least one FRID, FRID evaluation and adjustment is scarce. We expect that more FRID adjustments may reduce dizziness and dizziness-related impairment. Key Points It is important to know how general practitioners manage dizziness in older patients in order to assess potential cues for improvement. This study revealed a wide variety in management strategies for dizziness in older patients. There was a scarcity in Fall Risk Increasing Drug (FRID) evaluation and adjustment. The referral rate for dizziness was high compared with previous research.

[Nutritive value of shellfish consumed in Chile].

PubMed

Pak, N; Vera, G; Araya, H

1985-03-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine the protein quality and digestibility of shellfish commonly consumed in Chile, and to estimate its contribution to the protein needs of the Chilean population. The shellfish studied were chorito (Mytilus edulis chilensis), macha (Mesodesma donacium), loco (Concholepas concholepas), cholga (Aulacomya ater), erizo (Loxechinus albus) and almeja (no specific variety). The NPU method was used to determine protein quality. The percentage of protein adequacy for adult rations was calculated according to FAO/WHO 1973. The contribution of shellfish to the protein availability according to the family income of the Santiago population, was also calculated. Most of the shellfish presented NPU values of about 70; the lowest values were found for loco (54.9) and macha (63.3). The apparent and true digestibility gave an average of 83.6 and 90.4, respectively. The percentage of protein adequacy of habitual rations ranged between 27% (erizo) and 58% (loco). The availability of shellfish protein in relation to total protein increased from 0.4 to 2.5% when income increased. It is concluded therefore, that shellfish protein is, in general, of good quality. Nevertheless, it might be considered of poor influence insofar as fulfilling the protein needs of the population studied, whatever its socioeconomic level.

Striatal action-value neurons reconsidered.

PubMed

Elber-Dorozko, Lotem; Loewenstein, Yonatan

2018-05-31

It is generally believed that during economic decisions, striatal neurons represent the values associated with different actions. This hypothesis is based on studies, in which the activity of striatal neurons was measured while the subject was learning to prefer the more rewarding action. Here we show that these publications are subject to at least one of two critical confounds. First, we show that even weak temporal correlations in the neuronal data may result in an erroneous identification of action-value representations. Second, we show that experiments and analyses designed to dissociate action-value representation from the representation of other decision variables cannot do so. We suggest solutions to identifying action-value representation that are not subject to these confounds. Applying one solution to previously identified action-value neurons in the basal ganglia we fail to detect action-value representations. We conclude that the claim that striatal neurons encode action-values must await new experiments and analyses. © 2018, Elber-Dorozko et al.

On the almost inconceivable misunderstandings concerning the subject of value-free social science.

PubMed

Black, Donald

2013-12-01

A value judgment says what is good or bad, and value-free social science simply means social science free of value judgments. Yet many sociologists regard value-free social science as undesirable or impossible and readily make value judgments in the name of sociology. Often they display confusion about such matters as the meaning of value-free social science, value judgments internal and external to social science, value judgments as a subject of social science, the relevance of objectivity for value-free social science, and the difference between the human significance of social science and value-free social science. But why so many sociologists are so value-involved - and generally so unscientific - is sociologically understandable: The closest and most distant subjects attract the least scientific ideas. And during the past century sociologists have become increasingly close to their human subject. The debate about value-free social science is also part of an epistemological counterrevolution of humanists (including many sociologists) against the more scientific social scientists who invaded and threatened to expropriate the human subject during the past century. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2013.

Numerical and flight measured interior noise characteristics of a twin-engine turboprop general aviation aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marulo, F.; Lecce, L.; de Rosa, S.; D'Amato, C. A.; Verde, G.

The paper presents the flight test results of an interior noise measurement campaign on a twin-engine turboprop general aviation aircraft conducted for assessing the real values inside such aircraft and for approaching the problem of its noise reduction. Simultaneously a numerical study has been performed in order to correlate the experimental and the theoretical values, trying to come out with some guidelines for possible improvements without increasing excessively the costs of such study.

Plastic recycling in the Nordics: A value chain market analysis.

PubMed

Milios, Leonidas; Holm Christensen, Lena; McKinnon, David; Christensen, Camilla; Rasch, Marie Katrine; Hallstrøm Eriksen, Mikael

2018-06-01

There is low utilisation of plastic waste in the Nordic region and only a fraction of plastic materials go back into production processes through reuse and recycling practices. This paper aims to increase knowledge concerning factors that inhibit demand for recycled plastics, and to identify critical barriers for plastic recycling across the regional plastics value chain. A literature review and targeted interviews with key actors across the plastics value chain enabled the mapping of interactions between the major actors and identified hotspots that act as barriers to the flow of plastic materials. Barriers identified include the lack of both supply and demand of recycled plastic and are mainly attributed to the fragmented market of secondary materials. The main hotspots identified are the low demand due to price considerations, insufficient traceability and transparency in value chain transactions, and general design deficiencies in the recyclability of products. Value chain coordination is considered as the most important intervention by the interviewees, followed by the need for increased investment in innovation and technology development. Complementary measures that could counteract the identified barriers include public procurement for resource efficiency, ban on the incineration of recyclable materials, and specifications on the design of plastic products for reducing the number of different polymers, and the number and usage of additives. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The new German general threshold limit value for dust--pro and contra the adoption in Austria].

PubMed

Godnic-Cvar, Jasminka; Ponocny, Ivo

2004-01-01

Since it has been realised that inhalation of inert dust is one of the important confounding variables for the development of chronic bronchitis, the threshold values for occupational exposure to these dusts needs to be further decreased. The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (MAK-Commission) has set a new threshold (MAK-Value) for inert dusts (4 mg/m3 for inhalable dust, 1.5 mg/m3 for respirable dust) in 1997. This value is much lower than the threshold values currently used world-wide. The aim of the present article is to assess the scientific plausibility of the methodology (databases and statistics) used to set these new German MAK-Values, regarding their adoption in Austria. Although we believe that it is substantial to lower the MAK-Value for inert dust in order to prevent the development of chronic bronchitis as a consequence of occupational exposure to inert dusts, the applied methodology used by the German MAK-Commission in 1997 to set the new MAK-Values does not justify the reduction of the threshold limit value. A carefully designed study to establish an appropriate scientific basis for setting a new threshold value for inert dusts in the workplace should be carried out. Meanwhile, at least the currently internationally applied threshold values should be adopted in Austria.

19 CFR 10.3015 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods—(1) General. Where General Note 34, HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... the producer of the automotive good, subtracting any sales promotion, marketing, and after-sales...

19 CFR 10.3015 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods—(1) General. Where General Note 34, HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... the producer of the automotive good, subtracting any sales promotion, marketing, and after-sales...

Web-Enhanced General Chemistry Increases Student Completion Rates, Success, and Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amaral, Katie E.; Shank, John D.; Shibley, Ivan A., Jr.; Shibley, Lisa R.

2013-01-01

General Chemistry I historically had one of the highest failure and withdrawal rates at Penn State Berks, a four-year college within the Penn State system. The course was completely redesigned to incorporate more group work, the use of classroom response systems, peer mentors, and a stronger online presence via the learning management system…

Researching Values in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halliday, John

2002-01-01

Considers methodological issues that arise when values form the main focus of empirical educational research. Includes discussion of the idea that social science, in general, and educational research, in particular, are forms of moral inquiry. Outlines a methodology of educational research, drawing from work by Imre Lakatos, Alasdair MacIntyre,…

Noxious stimulation in children receiving general anaesthesia evokes an increase in delta frequency brain activity.

PubMed

Hartley, Caroline; Poorun, Ravi; Goksan, Sezgi; Worley, Alan; Boyd, Stewart; Rogers, Richard; Ali, Tariq; Slater, Rebeccah

2014-11-01

More than 235,000 children/year in the UK receive general anaesthesia, but it is unknown whether nociceptive stimuli alter cortical brain activity in anaesthetised children. Time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) responses to experimental tactile stimuli, experimental noxious stimuli, and clinically required cannulation were examined in 51 children (ages 1-12 years) under sevoflurane monoanaesthesia. Based on a pilot study (n=12), we hypothesised that noxious stimulation in children receiving sevoflurane monoanaesthesia would evoke an increase in delta activity. This was tested in an independent sample of children (n=39), where a subset (n=11) had topical local anaesthetic applied prior to stimulation. A novel method of time-locking the stimuli to the EEG recording was developed using an event detection interface and high-speed camera. Clinical cannulation evoked a significant increase (34.2 ± 8.3%) in delta activity (P=0.042), without concomitant changes in heart rate or reflex withdrawal, which was not observed when local anaesthetic was applied (P=0.30). Experimental tactile (P=0.012) and noxious (P=0.0099) stimulation also evoked significant increases in delta activity, but the magnitude of the response was graded with stimulus intensity, with the greatest increase evoked by cannulation. We demonstrate that experimental and clinically essential noxious procedures, undertaken in anaesthetised children, alter the pattern of EEG activity, that this response can be inhibited by local anaesthetic, and that this measure is more sensitive than other physiological indicators of nociception. This technique provides the possibility that sensitivity to noxious stimuli during anaesthesia could be investigated in other clinical populations. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Noxious stimulation in children receiving general anaesthesia evokes an increase in delta frequency brain activity

PubMed Central

Hartley, Caroline; Poorun, Ravi; Goksan, Sezgi; Worley, Alan; Boyd, Stewart; Rogers, Richard; Ali, Tariq; Slater, Rebeccah

2014-01-01

More than 235,000 children/year in the UK receive general anaesthesia, but it is unknown whether nociceptive stimuli alter cortical brain activity in anaesthetised children. Time-locked electroencephalogram (EEG) responses to experimental tactile stimuli, experimental noxious stimuli, and clinically required cannulation were examined in 51 children (ages 1–12 years) under sevoflurane monoanaesthesia. Based on a pilot study (n = 12), we hypothesised that noxious stimulation in children receiving sevoflurane monoanaesthesia would evoke an increase in delta activity. This was tested in an independent sample of children (n = 39), where a subset (n = 11) had topical local anaesthetic applied prior to stimulation. A novel method of time-locking the stimuli to the EEG recording was developed using an event detection interface and high-speed camera. Clinical cannulation evoked a significant increase (34.2 ± 8.3%) in delta activity (P = 0.042), without concomitant changes in heart rate or reflex withdrawal, which was not observed when local anaesthetic was applied (P = 0.30). Experimental tactile (P = 0.012) and noxious (P = 0.0099) stimulation also evoked significant increases in delta activity, but the magnitude of the response was graded with stimulus intensity, with the greatest increase evoked by cannulation. We demonstrate that experimental and clinically essential noxious procedures, undertaken in anaesthetised children, alter the pattern of EEG activity, that this response can be inhibited by local anaesthetic, and that this measure is more sensitive than other physiological indicators of nociception. This technique provides the possibility that sensitivity to noxious stimuli during anaesthesia could be investigated in other clinical populations. PMID:25218826

The G value in plasma and radiation chemistry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baird, James K.; Miller, George P.; Li, Ning

1990-01-01

The application of the G-value concept to plasma chemistry is considered. A general formula which expresses the G value for a general reaction in terms of experimentally controllable parameters is derived by applying simple gas-dynamic theory to a plasma reactor with straight walls. The formula expresses the G value as a function of the electrical power absorbed, the fraction of molecules transformed, and the flow rate of the gas entering the reactor. The formula was applied to the ammonia plasma radio-frequency discharge data of d'Agostino et al. (1981); the results showed that the G(-NH3) value lies in the range of 6.0-20 molecules/100 eV, depending on the conditions. This similarity of the G(-NH3) value with Peterson's (1974) range 2.7-10 found for the gas-phase radiolysis of ammonia, suggests that there might be a common reaction mechanism initiated by inelastic electron-molecule collisions.

Spectral dilation of L(B,H)-valued measures and its application to stationary dilation for Banach space valued processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miamee, A. G.

1988-01-01

Let B be a Banach space and H and K two Hilbert spaces. The spectral dilation of L(B,H)-valued measures is studied and it is shown that the recent results of Makagon and Salehi (1986) and Rosenberg (1982) on the dilation of L(K,H)-valued measures can be extended to hold for the general Banach space setting of L(B,H)-valued measures. These L(B,H)-valued measures are closely connected to the Banach space valued processes. This connection is recalled and as application of spectral dilation of L(B,H)-valued measures the well known stationary dilation results for scalar valued processes is extended to the case of Banach space valued processes.

Diversity in general surgery: a period of progress.

PubMed

Andriole, Dorothy A; Klingensmith, Mary E; Schechtman, Kenneth B

2005-01-01

Although 1996 to 2002 was a period of declining interest in general surgery (GS) among U.S. medical students (USS), most categorical general surgery (C-GS) training positions offered in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) continued to fill. We measured the impact of the decreasing U.S. student applicant volume on C-GS match outcomes and GS resident workforce composition over this time period. Match outcomes were analyzed for 7 applicant categories. Subsequent GS resident workforce compositions were analyzed for proportions of U.S. allopathic medical school graduates (USG), osteopathic medical graduates (OMG), Canadian MG (CMG), foreign MG (FMG), female physicians, and African-American physicians. Mantel-Haenzel chi-square tests measured trends in match percentages, C-GS positions filled, and GS workforce composition. All p-values are 2-sided. Increasing match percentages for USS applicants (p < 0.0001) and USG (p = 0.001), with a decreasing percentage of C-GS positions filled by these applicants (p < 0.0001), were from declining applicant volumes. Increasing match percentage for non-U.S. allopathic medical applicants reflected increases in both applicant volumes and matched applicants, with an increasing percentage of C-GS positions filled by these applicants (p < 0.0001). The subsequent resident workforce included increasing proportions of FMGs and OMGs (each p < 0.001); proportions of USG MDs and CMGs decreased (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.02, respectively). Concurrently, there were increasing numbers and proportions of female physicians (p < 0.0001) and African-American physicians (p < 0.0001) in the general surgery resident workforce. Declining interest among U.S. students in GS has resulted in a workforce comprised of residents from a broad range of educational backgrounds, but also it has provided an opportunity for progress toward achievement of a GS resident physician workforce more equitably representative of the racial and gender composition of our

The Relation Between Reproductive Value and Genetic Contribution

PubMed Central

Barton, Nicholas H.; Etheridge, Alison M.

2011-01-01

What determines the genetic contribution that an individual makes to future generations? With biparental reproduction, each individual leaves a “pedigree” of descendants, determined by the biparental relationships in the population. The pedigree of an individual constrains the lines of descent of each of its genes. An individual’s reproductive value is the expected number of copies of each of its genes that is passed on to distant generations conditional on its pedigree. For the simplest model of biparental reproduction (analogous to the Wright–Fisher model), an individual’s reproductive value is determined within ∼10 generations, independent of population size. Partial selfing and subdivision do not greatly slow this convergence. Our central result is that the probability that a gene will survive is proportional to the reproductive value of the individual that carries it and that, conditional on survival, after a few tens of generations, the distribution of the number of surviving copies is the same for all individuals, whatever their reproductive value. These results can be generalized to the joint distribution of surviving blocks of the ancestral genome. Selection on unlinked loci in the genetic background may greatly increase the variance in reproductive value, but the above results nevertheless still hold. The almost linear relationship between survival probability and reproductive value also holds for weakly favored alleles. Thus, the influence of the complex pedigree of descendants on an individual’s genetic contribution to the population can be summarized through a single number: its reproductive value. PMID:21624999

Critical values in hematology of 862 institutions in China.

PubMed

Ye, Y Y; Zhao, H J; Fei, Y; Wang, W; He, F L; Zhong, K; Yuan, S; Wang, Z G

2017-10-01

A national survey on critical values in hematology of China laboratories was conducted to determine the current practice and assess the quality indicators so as to obtain a quality improvement. Laboratories participating were asked to submit the general information, the practice of critical value reporting, and the status of timeliness of critical value reporting. A total of 862 laboratories submitted the results. The majority of participants have included white blood cell count, blood platelet count, hemoglobin, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time in their critical value lists. Many sources are used for establishing a critical value policy, and some of the laboratories consult with clinicians. The unreported critical value rate, late critical value reporting rate, and clinically unacknowledged rate in China are relatively low, and the median of critical value reporting time is 8-9 minutes. There exists a wide variety for critical value reporting in hematology in China. Laboratories should establish a policy of critical value reporting suited for their own situations and consult with clinicians to set critical value lists. Critical values are generally reported in a timely manner in China, but some measures should be taken to further improve the timeliness of critical value reporting. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

19 CFR 10.2015 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods. (1) General. Where General Note 35, HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... all goods produced by the producer of the automotive good, subtracting any sales promotion, marketing...

Increases in adult life expectancy in rural South Africa: valuing the scale-up of HIV treatment

PubMed Central

Bor, Jacob; Herbst, Abraham J; Newell, Marie-Louise; Bärnighausen, Till

2013-01-01

The scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is expected to raise adult life expectancy in populations with high HIV prevalence. Using data from a population cohort of over 101,000 individuals in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we measured changes in adult life expectancy for 2000–2011. In 2003, the year before ART became available in the public sector health system, adult life expectancy was 49.2 years; by 2011, adult life expectancy had increased to 60.5 years – an 11.3-year gain. Based on standard monetary valuation of life, the survival benefits of ART far outweigh the costs of providing treatment in this community. These gains in adult life expectancy signify the social value of ART and have implications for investment decisions of individuals, governments, and donors. PMID:23430655

A General Business Model for Marine Reserves

PubMed Central

Sala, Enric; Costello, Christopher; Dougherty, Dawn; Heal, Geoffrey; Kelleher, Kieran; Murray, Jason H.; Rosenberg, Andrew A.; Sumaila, Rashid

2013-01-01

Marine reserves are an effective tool for protecting biodiversity locally, with potential economic benefits including enhancement of local fisheries, increased tourism, and maintenance of ecosystem services. However, fishing communities often fear short-term income losses associated with closures, and thus may oppose marine reserves. Here we review empirical data and develop bioeconomic models to show that the value of marine reserves (enhanced adjacent fishing + tourism) may often exceed the pre-reserve value, and that economic benefits can offset the costs in as little as five years. These results suggest the need for a new business model for creating and managing reserves, which could pay for themselves and turn a profit for stakeholder groups. Our model could be expanded to include ecosystem services and other benefits, and it provides a general framework to estimate costs and benefits of reserves and to develop such business models. PMID:23573192

An Investigation of the Value of Using Concept Maps in General Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoll, Gayle; Francisco, Joseph; Nakhleh, Mary B.

2001-01-01

Reports on a qualitative investigation of the effects of integrating concept maps into freshman-level general chemistry curriculum. Indicates that students in the experimental section had significantly more links and nodes in their concept maps than students in the traditional section. There were no significant differences between the two sections…

Native T1 reference values for nonischemic cardiomyopathies and populations with increased cardiovascular risk: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

PubMed Central

Slart, Riemer H.J.A.; Hulleman, Enzo V.; Dierckx, Rudi A.J.O.; Velthuis, Birgitta K.; van der Harst, Pim; Sosnovik, David E.; Borra, Ronald J.H.; Prakken, Niek H.J.

2017-01-01

Background Although cardiac MR and T1 mapping are increasingly used to diagnose diffuse fibrosis based cardiac diseases, studies reporting T1 values in healthy and diseased myocardium, particular in nonischemic cardiomyopathies (NICM) and populations with increased cardiovascular risk, seem contradictory. Purpose To determine the range of native myocardial T1 value ranges in patients with NICM and populations with increased cardiovascular risk. Study Type Systemic review and meta‐analysis. Population Patients with NICM, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and patients with myocarditis (MC), iron overload, amyloidosis, Fabry disease, and populations with hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), and obesity. Field Strength/Sequence (Shortened) modified Look–Locker inversion‐recovery MR sequence at 1.5 or 3T. Assessment PubMed and Embase were searched following the PRISMA guidelines. Statistical Tests The summary of standard mean difference (SMD) between the diseased and a healthy control populations was generated using a random‐effects model in combination with meta‐regression analysis. Results The SMD for HCM, DCM, and MC patients were significantly increased (1.41, 1.48, and 1.96, respectively, P < 0.01) compared with healthy controls. The SMD for HT patients with and without left‐ventricle hypertrophy (LVH) together was significantly increased (0.19, P = 0.04), while for HT patients without LVH the SMD was zero (0.03, P = 0.52). The number of studies on amyloidosis, iron overload, Fabry disease, and HT patients with LVH did not meet the requirement to perform a meta‐analysis. However, most studies reported a significantly increased T1 for amyloidosis and HT patients with LVH and a significant decreased T1 for iron overload and Fabry disease patients. Data Conclusions Native T1 mapping by using an (Sh)MOLLI sequence can potentially assess myocardial changes in HCM, DCM, MC, iron overload, amyloidosis

Increased serum cholesterol esterification rates predict coronary heart disease and sudden death in a general population.

PubMed

Tanaka, Shin-ichiro; Yasuda, Tomoyuki; Ishida, Tatsuro; Fujioka, Yoshio; Tsujino, Takeshi; Miki, Tetsuo; Hirata, Ken-ichi

2013-05-01

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is thought to be important in reverse cholesterol transport. However, its association with coronary heart disease (CHD) and sudden death is controversial. We prospectively studied 1927 individuals from the general population. Serum concentrations of apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, E, and LCAT activity measured as a serum cholesterol esterification rate were evaluated. We documented 61 events of CHD and sudden death during 10.9 years of follow-up. After adjustment for age and sex, LCAT activity was significantly associated with the risk of CHD and sudden death (hazard ratio, 3.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.49-6.12; P=0.002). In multivariate analysis adjusted for age, sex, current smoking status, history of diabetes mellitus, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, the hazard ratio of LCAT activity for the risk of CHD and sudden death remained significant (hazard ratio, 3.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-7.01; P=0.008). However, when it was analyzed for men and women separately, this association remained significant only in women. Increased LCAT activity measured as a serum cholesterol esterification rate was a risk for CHD and sudden death in a Japanese general population.

40 CFR 86.090-5 - General standards; increase in emissions; unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Gas-Fueled, Liquefied Petroleum Gas-Fueled and Methanol-Fueled Heavy-Duty Vehicles § 86.090-5 General... manufacturer to a secondary manufacturer if the motor vehicle manufacturer obtains written assurance from the...

40 CFR 86.090-5 - General standards; increase in emissions; unsafe conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Gas-Fueled, Liquefied Petroleum Gas-Fueled and Methanol-Fueled Heavy-Duty Vehicles § 86.090-5 General... manufacturer to a secondary manufacturer if the motor vehicle manufacturer obtains written assurance from the...

Risk management with substitution options: Valuing flexibility in small-scale energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapp, Karl Eric

links convert the sequence of independent options to a single compound option and require an expansion of the flexibility concept. Additional options increase the value of the project but generally decrease flexibility value. The framework is applied to case study in India: an urban industry electricity strategy decision with reliability risk.

A Value-Based Case Study to Increasing Community Mentoring in STEM for Hispanic Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Gilberto

This case study investigates the implementation of a unique community-driven mentoring pilot program (PASOS2) forging stronger community and K-12 partnerships. Focused on surfacing what matters most in engaging community mentors, this case study explores a civic organization's quest to impact, expand, and bring value via mentoring to Hispanic students' pursuit of post-secondary studies with emphasis in STEM careers. A major stumbling block faced by many underprivileged students is the lack of mentorship vital to expanding their social capital support system. This innovative mentoring approach provides students with critical access to STEM community empowerment agents supporting aspiring students' dreams. Analytical methods and principles of case study research focus on how community mentor choices impact community mentorship value. The study examines whether or not a formal mentoring system with a value-driven mentoring curriculum matters in attracting, preparing, and sustaining community mentors to advocate for STEM careers to Hispanic students. A mentor value equation is introduced correlating mentor capacity to build student relationships, demystify STEM, deliver career guidance, and fortify student readiness. A formal mentor development training program integrates a technology-based 'grit' software platform to enhance student awareness, understanding, and commitment to considering a STEM career. Through the investigation of a formal mentoring experience, the study reveals what best practices, tools, and techniques influence community mentor engagement. The findings of this case study underscore the value in preparing community mentor capacity and competency. The very nature of the PASOS2 project being civic community-based informs other communities on how their investments can fortify Hispanic student social capital in their successful pursuit of STEM careers.

19 CFR 10.915 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods. (1) General. Where General Note 32(n), HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... the total cost incurred with respect to all goods produced by the producer of the automotive good...

19 CFR 10.915 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods. (1) General. Where General Note 32(n), HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... the total cost incurred with respect to all goods produced by the producer of the automotive good...

19 CFR 10.915 - Regional value content.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... good. (d) Special rule for certain automotive goods. (1) General. Where General Note 32(n), HTSUS, sets forth a rule that specifies a regional value content test for an automotive good provided for in any of... the total cost incurred with respect to all goods produced by the producer of the automotive good...

27 CFR 6.41 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false General. 6.41 Section 6.41 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS âTIED-HOUSEâ Unlawful Inducements Furnishing Things of Value § 6.41 General. Subject to the exceptions listed in subpart D, the act...

27 CFR 6.41 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false General. 6.41 Section 6.41 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY LIQUORS âTIED-HOUSEâ Unlawful Inducements Furnishing Things of Value § 6.41 General. Subject to the exceptions listed in subpart D, the act...

Effect of honey on serum cholesterol and lipid values.

PubMed

Münstedt, Karsten; Hoffmann, Sven; Hauenschild, Annette; Bülte, Michael; von Georgi, Richard; Hackethal, Andreas

2009-06-01

Small studies have suggested that honey benefits patients with high cholesterol concentrations. The present study aimed to confirm this finding in a larger group of subjects. Sixty volunteers with high cholesterol, stratified according to gender and hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) treatment (yes/no), were randomized to receive 75 g of honey solution or a honey-comparable sugar solution once daily over a period of 14 days. Baseline measurements, including body mass index (BMI) and lipid profile, were obtained, and subjects also completed dietary questionnaires and the Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Bodily Affect-Trait form (INKA-h) questionnaire. Measurements were repeated 2 weeks later. BMI and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol values were significantly correlated (r = -0.487; P < .001) as were BMI and a lower ratio of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (r = 0.420; P < .001), meaning that subjects with a high BMI had a lower HDL cholesterol value. INKA-h scores and LDL cholesterol values were also significantly correlated (r = 0.273, P = .042). Neither solution influenced significantly cholesterol or triglyceride values in the total group; in women, however, the LDL cholesterol value increased in the sugar solution subgroup but not in the women taking honey. Although ingesting honey did not reduce LDL cholesterol values in general, women may benefit from substituting honey for sugar in their diet. Reducing the BMI lowers the LDL cholesterol value, and psychological interventions also seem important and merit further investigation.

General practice--a post-modern specialty?

PubMed Central

Mathers, N; Rowland, S

1997-01-01

The 'modern' view of the world is based on the premise that we can discover the essential truth of the world using scientific method. The assumption is made that knowledge so acquired has been 'uncontaminated' by the mind of the investigator. Post-modern theory, however, is concerned with the process of knowing and how our minds are part of the process, i.e. our perceptions of reality and the relationships between different concepts are important influences on our ways of knowing. The values of post-modern theory are those of uncertainty, many different voices and experiences of reality and multifaceted descriptions of truth. These values are closer to our experience of general practice than the 'modern' values of scientific rationalism and should be reflected in a new curriculum for general practice. PMID:9167325

Response to emotional expressions in generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder: evidence for separate disorders.

PubMed

Blair, Karina; Shaywitz, Jonathan; Smith, Bruce W; Rhodes, Rebecca; Geraci, Marilla; Jones, Matthew; McCaffrey, Daniel; Vythilingam, Meena; Finger, Elizabeth; Mondillo, Krystal; Jacobs, Madeline; Charney, Dennis S; Blair, R J R; Drevets, Wayne C; Pine, Daniel S

2008-09-01

Generalized social phobia involves fear/avoidance, specifically of social situations, whereas generalized anxiety disorder involves intrusive worry about diverse circumstances. It remains unclear the degree to which these two, often comorbid, conditions represent distinct disorders or alternative presentations of a single, core underlying pathology. Functional magnetic resonance imaging assessed the neural response to facial expressions in generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder. Individuals matched on age, IQ, and gender with generalized social phobia without generalized anxiety disorder (N=17), generalized anxiety disorder (N=17), or no psychopathology (N=17) viewed neutral, fearful, and angry expressions while ostensibly making a simple gender judgment. The patients with generalized social phobia without generalized anxiety disorder showed increased activation to fearful relative to neutral expressions in several regions, including the amygdala, compared to healthy individuals. This increased amygdala response related to self-reported anxiety in patients with generalized social phobia without generalized anxiety disorder. In contrast, patients with generalized anxiety disorder showed significantly less activation to fearful relative to neutral faces compared to the healthy individuals. They did show significantly increased response to angry expressions relative to healthy individuals in a lateral region of the middle frontal gyrus. This increased lateral frontal response related to self-reported anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. These results suggest that neural circuitry dysfunctions differ in generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder.

Values: Relations and Implications. Symposium V C.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Wit, Jan; Keats, D. M.

Reported at a symposium generally concerned with values and adolescents are discussions of (1) socialization issues and the impact of values on adolescents, and (2) dimensions of Asian youths' confrontation with the problem of modernization. In the first study (by Jan de Witt), the conceptual shift in socialization research to a focus on…

Nutritive and health-promoting value of organic vegetables.

PubMed

Sobieralski, Krzysztof; Siwulski, Marek; Sas-Golak, Iwona

2013-01-01

In recent years in Poland we may observe a considerable development of organic vegetable production. Increased interest in organic products results from an opinion of the consumers on their high quality and health safety. However, results of research comparing nutritive value and contents of biologically active compounds in vegetables from organic and conventional farms are ambiguous. Most studies confirm higher contents of certain vitamins and antioxidants in organic vegetables, as well as their lower contents of nitrates and pesticide residue in comparison to vegetables grown in the conventional manner. There are also reports which did not confirm such differences or showed opposite trends. Research results at present do not make it possible to formulate a general conclusion on a higher health-promoting value of organic vegetables in comparison to those grown by conventional farming methods. It is necessary to continue research in order to explain the effect of organic raw materials on human health in a more comprehensive manner.

Medical Professionalism: Conflicting Values for Tomorrow's Doctors

PubMed Central

Cohn, Simon; Barclay, Stephen

2010-01-01

Background New values and practices associated with medical professionalism have created an increased interest in the concept. In the United Kingdom, it is a current concern in medical education and in the development of doctor appraisal and revalidation. Objective To investigate how final year medical students experience and interpret new values of professionalism as they emerge in relation to confronting dying patients and as they potentially conflict with older values that emerge through hidden dimensions of the curriculum. Methods Qualitative study using interpretative discourse analysis of anonymized student reflective portfolios. One hundred twenty-three final year undergraduate medical students (64 male and 59 female) from the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine supplied 116 portfolios from general practice and 118 from hospital settings about patients receiving palliative or end of life care. Results Professional values were prevalent in all the portfolios. Students emphasised patient-centered, holistic care, synonymous with a more contemporary idea of professionalism, in conjunction with values associated with the ‘old’ model of professionalism that had not be directly taught to them. Integrating ‘new’ professional values was at times problematic. Three main areas of potential conflict were identified: ethical considerations, doctor-patient interaction and subjective boundaries. Students explicitly and implicitly discussed several tensions and described strategies to resolve them. Conclusions The conflicts outlined arise from the mix of values associated with different models of professionalism. Analysis indicates that ‘new’ models are not simply replacing existing elements. Whilst this analysis is of accounts from students within one UK medical school, the experience of conflict between different notions of professionalism and the three broad domains in which this conflict arises are relevant in other areas of medicine and in

Neural correlates of value, risk, and risk aversion contributing to decision making under risk.

PubMed

Christopoulos, George I; Tobler, Philippe N; Bossaerts, Peter; Dolan, Raymond J; Schultz, Wolfram

2009-10-07

Decision making under risk is central to human behavior. Economic decision theory suggests that value, risk, and risk aversion influence choice behavior. Although previous studies identified neural correlates of decision parameters, the contribution of these correlates to actual choices is unknown. In two different experiments, participants chose between risky and safe options. We identified discrete blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) correlates of value and risk in the ventral striatum and anterior cingulate, respectively. Notably, increasing inferior frontal gyrus activity to low risk and safe options correlated with higher risk aversion. Importantly, the combination of these BOLD responses effectively decoded the behavioral choice. Striatal value and cingulate risk responses increased the probability of a risky choice, whereas inferior frontal gyrus responses showed the inverse relationship. These findings suggest that the BOLD correlates of decision factors are appropriate for an ideal observer to detect behavioral choices. More generally, these biological data contribute to the validity of the theoretical decision parameters for actual decisions under risk.

26 CFR 1.306-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Effects on Recipients § 1.306-1 General. (a) Section 306 provides, in general, that the proceeds... extent that the fair market value of the stock sold, on the date distributed to the shareholder, would...

26 CFR 1.306-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED) Effects on Recipients § 1.306-1 General. (a) Section 306 provides, in general, that... extent that the fair market value of the stock sold, on the date distributed to the shareholder, would...

26 CFR 1.306-1 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES (Continued) Effects on Recipients § 1.306-1 General. (a) Section 306 provides, in general, that... extent that the fair market value of the stock sold, on the date distributed to the shareholder, would...

How work setting and job experience affect professional nurses' values.

PubMed

Fernández-Feito, Ana; Palmeiro-Longo, María Del Rosario; Hoyuelos, Salomé Basurto; García-Díaz, Vanesa

2017-01-01

The development of professional values in nursing is directly related to quality and ethical clinical practise and may also increase practitioner and patients' satisfaction. Some factors, such as work setting or work experience, can influence the importance granted to the professional values of nursing. To compare in primary care nurses and hospital care nurses the importance granted to professional values and to contrast this perception as a function of professional experience. Research design, participants and research context: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were 380 nursing professionals from the public health system (primary care and hospital care). Three dimensions were analysed: ethics, professional expertise and professional mastery. Data were collected from January to June 2015. Ethical considerations: We obtained permission from the Ethics Committee and participants' informed consent. Hospital care professionals attached more importance to all the values analysed, regardless of their work experience. Ethical values, such as confidentiality and respect for the person, were considered to be very important in both systems. Values related to professional expertise obtained lower scores, especially in primary care. In general, professionals with more than 20 years' experience granted less importance to the values. The professional setting influenced the importance assigned to professional nursing values, and clear differences were observed between primary and hospital care. The domain of ethics was considered the most important. It is necessary to reflect on the significance attributed to professional values, especially in more expert nursing staff.

[Intima-media thickness in a middle-old age sample of the Spanish general population].

PubMed

Calmarza, Pilar; Trejo, José María; Lapresta, Carlos; López, Pilar

2015-01-01

To ascertain reference values of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in a middle and old-aged sample of the Spanish general population and to establish the 75(th) percentile above which it is necessary to control more strictly other cardiovascular risk factors. To determine cIMT values and the number of carotid plaques in age and sex subgroups, and whether there are differences between them. Lipids, apolipoproteins, number of carotid atherosclerotic plaques if any, and cIMT of both common carotid arteries were determined in 171 individuals, representative of the adult general population of Burgos (Spain). The median age of the patients was 63 years (interquartile range = 20) and the 75th percentile of carotid IMT was 0,88 mm and 0,81 mm in men and women, respectively. This study shows that the values of cIMT median increase with age and are higher in men than in women in all age groups, except in individuals over 74 years where cIMT median values are similar. The presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaques was not statistically different between men and women at different ages. This population study shows the reference values of cIMT in a middle and old-aged sample of the Spanish population and shows that age, male gender, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and personal history of coronary heart disease are the main determinants of increased cIMT. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Value of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.

PubMed

Kocher, Mininder S

2015-01-01

Value has become the buzzword of contemporaneous health care reform. Value is defined as outcomes relative to costs. Orthopaedic surgery has come under increasing scrutiny due to high procedural costs. However, orthopaedic surgery may actually be a great value given the benefits of treatment. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Value Project team was tasked to develop a model for assessing the benefits of orthopaedic surgery including indirect costs related to productivity and health-related quality of life. This model was applied to 5 orthopaedic conditions demonstrating robust societal and economic value. In all cost-effectiveness models, younger patients demonstrated greater cost-effectiveness given increased lifespan and productivity. This has tremendous implications within the field of pediatric orthopedic surgery. Pediatric orthopaedics may be the best value in medicine!

Generalized Nutrient Taxes Can Increase Consumer Welfare.

PubMed

Bishai, David

2015-11-01

Certain nutrients can stimulate appetite making them fattening in a way that is not fully conveyed by the calorie content on the label. For rational eaters, this information gap could be corrected by more labeling. As an alternative, this paper proposes a set of positive and negative taxes on the fattening and slimming nutrients in food rather than on the food itself. There are conditions under which this tax plus subsidy system could increase welfare by stopping unwanted weight gain while leaving the final retail price of food unchanged. A nutrient tax system could improve welfare if fattening nutrients, net of their effect on weight, are inferior goods and the fiscal cost of administering the tax is sufficiently low. More data on the price elasticity of demand for nutrients as well as data on how specific nutrients affect satiety and how total calorie intake would be necessary before one could be sure a nutrient tax would work in practice. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Correlation of Resistivity Value with Geotechnical N-Value of Sedimentary Area in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akip Tan, S. N. Mohd; Edy Tonnizam, M.; Saad, R.; Dan, M. F. Md; Nordiana, M. M.; Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Madun, A.

2018-04-01

Electrical resistivity survey and the geotechnical SPT blow counts (N-value) were carried out simultaneously on the tropically weathered sedimentary rock mass for an excavation project at Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia. This study aims to determine subsurface profile by using 2D-resistivity methods and correlate with N-value derived from boring works. Four boreholes were investigated in five survey lines that revealed the site is underlain by moderately to completely weathered sandstone, clay, silt and shale. Data analysis from 2D-resistivity image shows that zones with high resistivity value generally have high N-value, and vice versa. Five zones have inversed the proportional relation between N-value and resistivity Ωm value due to different types of soil lithology. It indicates that 2D-resistivity is significance to detect bodies of anomalous materials or estimating the depth of bedrock. As a conclusion, the integration of geophysical and geotechnical analysis provides a promise approach to understand some relationship concerning the subsurface subsurface ground through the combination of 2D-resistivity and N-value.

20 CFR 416.1220 - Property essential to self-support; general.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Property essential to self-support; general. 416.1220 Section 416.1220 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY...-support; general. When counting the value of resources an individual (and spouse, if any) has, the value...

Developing focused wellness programs: using concept analysis to increase business value.

PubMed

Byczek, Lance; Kalina, Christine M; Levin, Pamela F

2003-09-01

Concept analysis is a useful tool in providing clarity to an abstract idea as well as an objective basis for developing wellness program products, goals, and outcomes. To plan for and develop successful wellness programs, it is critical for occupational health nurses to clearly understand a program concept as applied to a particular community or population. Occupational health nurses can use the outcome measures resulting from the concept analysis process to help demonstrate the business value of their wellness programs. This concept analysis demonstrates a predominance of the performance related attributes of fitness in the scientific literature.

Extreme value analysis in biometrics.

PubMed

Hüsler, Jürg

2009-04-01

We review some approaches of extreme value analysis in the context of biometrical applications. The classical extreme value analysis is based on iid random variables. Two different general methods are applied, which will be discussed together with biometrical examples. Different estimation, testing, goodness-of-fit procedures for applications are discussed. Furthermore, some non-classical situations are considered where the data are possibly dependent, where a non-stationary behavior is observed in the data or where the observations are not univariate. A few open problems are also stated.

19 CFR 181.62 - Commercial samples of negligible value.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Commercial samples of negligible value. 181.62... Returned After Repair or Alteration § 181.62 Commercial samples of negligible value. (a) General. Commercial samples of negligible value imported from Canada or Mexico may qualify for duty-free entry under...

Full characterization of modular values for finite-dimensional systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Le Bin; Imoto, Nobuyuki

2016-06-01

Kedem and Vaidman obtained a relationship between the spin-operator modular value and its weak value for specific coupling strengths [14]. Here we give a general expression for the modular value in the n-dimensional Hilbert space using the weak values up to (n - 1)th order of an arbitrary observable for any coupling strength, assuming non-degenerated eigenvalues. For two-dimensional case, it shows a linear relationship between the weak value and the modular value. We also relate the modular value of the sum of observables to the weak value of their product.

Phase retrieval in generalized optical interferometry systems.

PubMed

Farriss, Wesley E; Fienup, James R; Malhotra, Tanya; Vamivakas, A Nick

2018-02-05

Modal analysis of an optical field via generalized interferometry (GI) is a novel technique that treats said field as a linear superposition of transverse modes and recovers the amplitudes of modal weighting coefficients. We use phase retrieval by nonlinear optimization to recover the phase of these modal weighting coefficients. Information diversity increases the robustness of the algorithm by better constraining the solution. Additionally, multiple sets of random starting phase values assist the algorithm in overcoming local minima. The algorithm was able to recover nearly all coefficient phases for simulated fields consisting of up to 21 superpositioned Hermite Gaussian modes from simulated data and proved to be resilient to shot noise.

Exploring Work Values: Helping Students Articulate Their Good (Work) Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlstrom, Aaron H.; Hughey, Kenneth F.

2014-01-01

The current article builds on "Living the Good (Work) Life: Implications of General Values for Work Values" (Carlstrom, 2011) by presenting ways to address work values in career advising. The following questions are addressed in the current article: When should students explore work values in career advising? What career development and…

On the value-dependence of value-driven attentional capture.

PubMed

Anderson, Brian A; Halpern, Madeline

2017-05-01

Findings from an increasingly large number of studies have been used to argue that attentional capture can be dependent on the learned value of a stimulus, or value-driven. However, under certain circumstances attention can be biased to select stimuli that previously served as targets, independent of reward history. Value-driven attentional capture, as studied using the training phase-test phase design introduced by Anderson and colleagues, is widely presumed to reflect the combined influence of learned value and selection history. However, the degree to which attentional capture is at all dependent on value learning in this paradigm has recently been questioned. Support for value-dependence can be provided through one of two means: (1) greater attentional capture by prior targets following rewarded training than following unrewarded training, and (2) greater attentional capture by prior targets previously associated with high compared to low value. Using a variant of the original value-driven attentional capture paradigm, Sha and Jiang (Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics, 78, 403-414, 2016) failed to find evidence of either, and raised criticisms regarding the adequacy of evidence provided by prior studies using this particular paradigm. To address this disparity, here we provided a stringent test of the value-dependence hypothesis using the traditional value-driven attentional capture paradigm. With a sufficiently large sample size, value-dependence was observed based on both criteria, with no evidence of attentional capture without rewards during training. Our findings support the validity of the traditional value-driven attentional capture paradigm in measuring what its name purports to measure.

On the Value-Dependence of Value-Driven Attentional Capture

PubMed Central

Anderson, Brian A.; Halpern, Madeline

2017-01-01

Findings from an increasingly large number of studies have been used to argue that attentional capture can be dependent on the learned value of a stimulus, or value-driven. However, under certain circumstances attention can be biased to select stimuli that previously served as targets, independent of reward history. Value-driven attentional capture, as studied using the training phase-test phase design introduced by Anderson and colleagues, is widely presumed to reflect the combined influence of learned value and selection history. However, the degree to which attentional capture is at all dependent on value learning in this paradigm has recently been questioned. Support for value-dependence can be provided through one of two means: (1) greater attentional capture by prior targets following rewarded training than following unrewarded training, and (2) greater attentional capture by prior targets previously associated with high compared to low value. Using a variant of the original value-driven attentional capture paradigm, Sha and Jiang (2016) failed to find evidence of either, and raised criticisms regarding the adequacy of evidence provided by prior studies using this particular paradigm. To address this disparity, here we provided a stringent test of the value-dependence hypothesis using the traditional value-driven attentional capture paradigm. With a sufficiently large sample size, value-dependence was observed based on both criteria, with no evidence of attentional capture without rewards during training. Our findings support the validity of the traditional value-driven attentional capture paradigm in measuring what its name purports to measure. PMID:28176215

Value of Implementation of Strategies to Increase the Adherence of Health Professionals and Cancer Survivors to Guideline-Based Physical Exercise.

PubMed

Mewes, Janne C; Steuten, Lotte M G; IJsbrandy, Charlotte; IJzerman, Maarten J; van Harten, Wim H

2017-12-01

To increase the adherence of health professionals and cancer survivors to evidence-based physical exercise, effective implementation strategies (ISTs) are required. To examine to what extent these ISTs provide value for money and which IST has the highest expected value. The net benefit framework of health economic evaluations is used to conduct a value-of-implementation analysis of nine ISTs. Seven are directed to health professionals and two to cancer survivors. The analysis consists of four steps: 1) analyzing the expected value of perfect implementation (EVPIM); 2) assessing the estimated costs of the various ISTs; 3) comparing the ISTs' costs with the EVPIM; and 4) assessing the total net benefit (TNB) of the ISTs. These steps are followed to identify which strategy has the greatest value. The EVPIM for physical exercise in the Netherlands is €293 million. The total costs for the ISTs range from €34,000 for printed educational materials for professionals to €120 million for financial incentives for patients, and thus all are cost-effective. The TNB of the ISTs that are directed to professionals ranges from €5.7 million for printed educational materials to €30.9 million for reminder systems. Of the strategies that are directed to patients, only the motivational program had a positive net benefit of €100.4 million. All the ISTs for cancer survivors, except for financial incentives, had a positive TNB. The largest improvements in adherence were created by a motivational program for patients, followed by a reminder system for professionals. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Capacity value assessments of wind power: Capacity value assessments of wind power

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

Milligan, Michael; Frew, Bethany; Ibanez, Eduardo

This article describes some of the recent research into the capacity value of wind power. With the worldwide increase in wind power during the past several years, there is increasing interest and significance regarding its capacity value because this has a direct influence on the amount of other (nonwind) capacity that is needed. We build on previous reviews from IEEE and IEA Wind Task 25a and examine recent work that evaluates the impact of multiple-year data sets and the impact of interconnected systems on resource adequacy. We also provide examples that explore the use of alternative reliability metrics for windmore » capacity value calculations. We show how multiple-year data sets significantly increase the robustness of results compared to single-year assessments. Assumptions regarding the transmission interconnections play a significant role. To date, results regarding which reliability metric to use for probabilistic capacity valuation show little sensitivity to the metric.« less

Career satisfaction among general surgeons in Canada: a qualitative study of enablers and barriers to improve recruitment and retention in general surgery.

PubMed

Ahmed, Najma; Conn, Lesley Gotlib; Chiu, Mary; Korabi, Bochra; Qureshi, Adnan; Nathens, Avery B; Kitto, Simon

2012-11-01

To understand what influences career satisfaction among general surgeons in urban and rural areas in Canada in order to improve recruitment and retention in general surgery. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 32 general surgeons in 2010 who were members of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons and who currently practice in either an urban or rural area. Interviews explored factors contributing to career satisfaction, as well as suggestions for preventive, screening, or management strategies to support general surgery practice. Findings revealed that both urban and rural general surgeons experienced the most satisfaction from their ability to resolve patient problems quickly and effectively, enhancing their sense of the meaningfulness of their clinical practice. The supportive relationships with colleagues, trainees, and patients was also cited as a key source of career satisfaction. Conversely, insufficient access to resources and a perceived disconnect between hospital administration and clinical practice priorities were raised as key "systems-level" problems. As a result, many participants felt alienated from their work by these systems-level barriers that were perceived to hinder the provision of high-quality patient care. Career satisfaction among both urban and rural general surgeons was influenced positively by the social aspects of their work, such as patient and colleague relationships, as well as a perception of an increasing amount of control and autonomy over their professional commitments. The modern general surgeon values a balance between professional obligations and personal time that may be difficult to achieve given the current system constraints.

On the value of endangered and other species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagoff, Mark

1996-11-01

This paper describes two frameworks—utilitarian and Kantian—society uses to make decisions concerning environmental management and, in particular, species protection. The utilitarian framework emphasizes the consequences of choices for prior preferences. A perfectly competitive market, on this model, correctly values environmental resources. The Kantian approach identifies rules appropriate to recognized situations given the identity of the decision maker. It relies on democratic political processes and institutions to provide the means by which citizens determine the identity of their community—its moral character and aspirations—and match appropriate rules to recognized situations. This paper argues that markets do not fail in any general way in measuring the economic value of plants and animals. Market prices, in general, correctly represent the marginal or exchange value of species. If society legislates against extinction, this must be understood as an exercise in Kantian decision making in view of the moral value of species, not as an attempt to “correct” a market failure or to promote social welfare or utility.

The Effects of Recreation Experience, Environmental Attitude, and Biospheric Value on the Environmentally Responsible Behavior of Nature-Based Tourists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Tsung Hung; Jan, Fen-Hauh

2015-07-01

The scientific understanding of the recreation experience and the environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists is limited. This study examines the relationship among the recreation experience, environmental attitude, biospheric value, and the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists in Taomi, Liuqiu Island, and Aowanda and Najenshan in Taiwan. A total of 1342 usable questionnaires were collected for this study. The empirical results indicate that the recreation experience influences biospheric value and environmental attitude; subsequently, it then indirectly influences the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists. Our theoretical behavioral model elucidates previously proposed but unexamined behavioral models among nature-based tourists, and it offers a theoretical framework for researchers, decision makers, managers, and tourists in the field of nature-based tourism. We conclude that when an individual participates in nature-based tourism as described here, these recreation experiences strengthen their environmental attitude and biospheric value, and consequently increase their engagement in both general and site-specific environmentally responsible behaviors.

The effects of recreation experience, environmental attitude, and biospheric value on the environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists.

PubMed

Lee, Tsung Hung; Jan, Fen-Hauh

2015-07-01

The scientific understanding of the recreation experience and the environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists is limited. This study examines the relationship among the recreation experience, environmental attitude, biospheric value, and the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists in Taomi, Liuqiu Island, and Aowanda and Najenshan in Taiwan. A total of 1342 usable questionnaires were collected for this study. The empirical results indicate that the recreation experience influences biospheric value and environmental attitude; subsequently, it then indirectly influences the general and site-specific environmentally responsible behavior of nature-based tourists. Our theoretical behavioral model elucidates previously proposed but unexamined behavioral models among nature-based tourists, and it offers a theoretical framework for researchers, decision makers, managers, and tourists in the field of nature-based tourism. We conclude that when an individual participates in nature-based tourism as described here, these recreation experiences strengthen their environmental attitude and biospheric value, and consequently increase their engagement in both general and site-specific environmentally responsible behaviors.

A note on generalized Weyl's theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zguitti, H.

2006-04-01

We prove that if either T or T* has the single-valued extension property, then the spectral mapping theorem holds for B-Weyl spectrum. If, moreover T is isoloid, and generalized Weyl's theorem holds for T, then generalized Weyl's theorem holds for f(T) for every . An application is given for algebraically paranormal operators.

Self-reported musculoskeletal pain predicts long-term increase in general health care use: a population-based cohort study with 20-year follow-up.

PubMed

Hartvigsen, Jan; Davidsen, Michael; Søgaard, Karen; Roos, Ewa M; Hestbaek, Lise

2014-11-01

Musculoskeletal pain and disability is a modern epidemic and a major reason for seeking health care. The aim of this study is to determine absolute and relative rates of care seeking over 20 years for adults reporting musculoskeletal complaints. Interview data on musculoskeletal pain reported during the past two weeks from the Danish National Cohort Study were merged with data from the Danish National Health Insurance Registry and the National Patient Registry containing information on consultations in the Danish primary and secondary care sector. Absolute and relative rates for all seeking of care with general practitioners, physiotherapists, chiropractors, outpatient hospital contacts and hospital admissions are reported for persons reporting no musculoskeletal pain and for persons reporting pain in the neck, shoulder, wrist/hands, mid back, low back, hips, knees and ankles/feet. Regardless of site, persons experiencing a musculoskeletal complaint had a statistically increased risk of consulting a general practitioner when compared with persons reporting no musculoskeletal complaint. For physiotherapists and chiropractors, only persons complaining of neck pain and back pain had an increased risk of seeking care. Regardless of pain site, except for shoulder pain, persons reporting musculoskeletal pain had a statistically significant increased risk of outpatient hospital consultations and hospital admissions. Few differences were found between pain sites in relation to any of the outcomes. Self-report of musculoskeletal pain reported within the past two weeks predicts a statistically significant long-term increase in general use of health care services in both the primary and the secondary health care sector. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Factors defining value and direction of thermal pressure between the mine shafts and impact of the general mine natural draught on ventilation process of underground mining companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaev, A. V.; Alymenko, N. I.; Kamenskikh, A. A.; Alymenko, D. N.; Nikolaev, V. A.; Petrov, A. I.

2017-10-01

The article specifies measuring data of air parameters and its volume flow in the shafts and on the surface, collected in BKPRU-2 (Berezniki potash plant and mine 2) («Uralkali» PJSC) in normal operation mode, after shutdown of the main mine fan (GVU) and within several hours. As a result of the test it has been established that thermal pressure between the mine shafts is active continuously regardless of the GVU operation mode or other draught sources. Also it has been discovered that depth of the mine shafts has no impact on thermal pressure value. By the same difference of shaft elevation marks and parameters of outer air between the shafts, by their different depth, thermal pressure of the same value will be active. Value of the general mine natural draught defined as an algebraic sum of thermal pressure values between the shafts depends only on the difference of temperature and pressure of outer air and air in the shaft bottoms on condition of shutdown of the air handling system (unit-heaters, air conditioning systems).

Ghrelin increases the rewarding value of high-fat diet in an orexin-dependent manner.

PubMed

Perello, Mario; Sakata, Ichiro; Birnbaum, Shari; Chuang, Jen-Chieh; Osborne-Lawrence, Sherri; Rovinsky, Sherry A; Woloszyn, Jakub; Yanagisawa, Masashi; Lutter, Michael; Zigman, Jeffrey M

2010-05-01

Ghrelin is a potent orexigenic hormone that likely impacts eating via several mechanisms. Here, we hypothesized that ghrelin can regulate extra homeostatic, hedonic aspects of eating behavior. In the current study, we assessed the effects of different pharmacological, physiological, and genetic models of increased ghrelin and/or ghrelin-signaling blockade on two classic behavioral tests of reward behavior: conditioned place preference (CPP) and operant conditioning. Using both CPP and operant conditioning, we found that ghrelin enhanced the rewarding value of high-fat diet (HFD) when administered to ad lib-fed mice. Conversely, wild-type mice treated with ghrelin receptor antagonist and ghrelin receptor-null mice both failed to show CPP to HFD normally observed under calorie restriction. Interestingly, neither pharmacologic nor genetic blockade of ghrelin signaling inhibited the body weight homeostasis-related, compensatory hyperphagia associated with chronic calorie restriction. Also, ghrelin's effects on HFD reward were blocked in orexin-deficient mice and wild-type mice treated with an orexin 1 receptor antagonist. Our results demonstrate an obligatory role for ghrelin in certain rewarding aspects of eating that is separate from eating associated with body weight homeostasis and that requires the presence of intact orexin signaling. Copyright 2010 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Establishing values-based leadership and value systems in healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Graber, David R; Kilpatrick, Anne Osborne

2008-01-01

The importance of values in organizations is often discussed in management literature. Possessing strong or inspiring values is increasingly considered to be a key quality of successful leaders. Another common theme is that organizational values contribute to the culture and ultimate success of organizations. These conceptions or expectations are clearly applicable to healthcare organizations in the United States. However, healthcare organizations have unique structures and are subject to societal expectations that must be accommodated within an organizational values system. This article describes theoretical literature on organizational values. Cultural and religious influences on Americans and how they may influence expectations from healthcare providers are discussed. Organizational cultures and the training and socialization of the numerous professional groups in healthcare also add to the considerable heterogeneity of value systems within healthcare organizations. These contribute to another challenge confronting healthcare managers--competing or conflicting values within a unit or the entire organization. Organizations often fail to reward members who uphold or enact the organization's values, which can lead to lack of motivation and commitment to the organization. Four key elements of values-based leadership are presented for healthcare managers who seek to develop as values-based leaders. 1) Recognize your personal and professional values, 2) Determine what you expect from the larger organization and what you can implement within your sphere of influence, 3) Understand and incorporate the values of internal stakeholders, and 4) Commit to values-based leadership.

The value of Doppler ultrasound in predicting delayed graft function occurrence after kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Mocny, Grzegorz; Bachul, Piotr; Chang, Ea-Sle; Kulig, Piotr

The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of blood flow velocity and vascular resistance measured by Doppler ultrasound in terms of pulsatility index (PI) and resistive index (RI) respectively, in the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation. This prospective study enrolled kidney transplant recipients operated from January 2005 to April 2009 in the 1st Department of General, Oncological and Gastroenterological Surgery, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland. The medical records of 53 kidney transplant recipients from deceased donors were reviewed. PI and RI values of the graft arcuate artery were calculated immediately after blood flow restoration and on the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th post-operative day. DGF was observed in 20 patients (37.7%), while 33 patients (62.3%) had immediate restoration of the kidney function. The mean intraoperative values of RI and PI from patients with DGF were significantly higher in comparison to patients without DGF (0.9 vs. 0.74, p <0.001; 1.76 vs. 1.54, p = 0.019, respectively). Post-operatively, the RI and PI values remained stable and significantly higher in DGF group. The highest sensitivity of RI to predict DGF occurrence was observed intraoperatively and on the first postoperative day, with values of 77.8% and 72.2%, respectively. The risk of DGF occurrence with intraoperative RI value ≥0.9 increased by 13-fold, and with intraoperative PI value ≥1.9 by 12-fold. This increase was even more prominent during the first post-operative day with RI value ≥0.9 or PI value ≥1.9 with 19-fold increase in the risk of DGF occurrence. According to our study, the utilization of Doppler ultrasound with measurement of hemodynamic parameters (PI, RI), play a crucial role in predicting the outcomes of kidney transplantation.

Oxytocin Increases the Perceived Value of Both Self- and Other-Owned Items and Alters Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity in an Endowment Task.

PubMed

Zhao, Weihua; Geng, Yayuan; Luo, Lizhu; Zhao, Zhiying; Ma, Xiaole; Xu, Lei; Yao, Shuxia; Kendrick, Keith M

2017-01-01

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) can influence self-processing and may help motivate us to value the attributes of others in a more self-like manner by reducing medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) responses. We do not know however whether this OXT effect extends to possessions. We tend to place a higher monetary value on specific objects that belong to us compared to others, known as the "endowment effect". In two double-blind, between-subject placebo (PLC) controlled experiments in subjects from a collectivist culture, we investigated the influence of intranasal OXT on the endowment effect, with the second study incorporating functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the task, subjects decided whether to buy or sell their own or others' (mother/father/classmate/stranger) possessions at various prices. Both experiments demonstrated an endowment effect in the self-owned condition which extended to close others (mother/father) and OXT increased this for self and all other-owned items. This OXT effect was associated with reduced activity in the ventral mPFC (vmPFC) in the self-owned condition but increased in the mother-condition. For the classmate- and stranger-owned conditions OXT increased activity in the dorsal mPFC (dmPFC). Changes in vmPFC activation were associated with the size of the endowment effect for self- and mother-owned items. Functional connectivity between the dmPFC and ventral striatum (VStr) was reduced by OXT in self- and mother-owned conditions and between vmPFC and precuneus in the self-condition. Overall our results show that OXT enhances the endowment effect for both self- and other-owned items in Chinese subjects. This effect is associated with reduced mPFC activation in the self-condition but enhanced activation in all other-conditions and involves differential actions on both dorsal and ventral regions as well as functional connectivity with brain reward and other self-processing regions. Overall our findings suggest that OXT increases

Maintenance Audit through Value Analysis Technique: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carnero, M. C.; Delgado, S.

2008-11-01

The increase in competitiveness, technological changes and the increase in the requirements of quality and service have forced a change in the design and application of maintenance, as well as the way in which it is considered within the managerial strategy. There are numerous maintenance activities that must be developed in a service company. As a result the maintenance functions as a whole have to be outsourced. Nevertheless, delegating this subject to specialized personnel does not exempt the company from responsibilities, but rather leads to the need for control of each maintenance activity. In order to achieve this control and to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the company it is essential to carry out an audit that diagnoses the problems that could develop. In this paper a maintenance audit applied to a service company is developed. The methodology applied is based on the expert systems. The expert system by means of rules uses the weighting technique SMART and value analysis to obtain the weighting between the decision functions and between the alternatives. The expert system applies numerous rules and relations between different variables associated with the specific maintenance functions, to obtain the maintenance state by sections and the general maintenance state of the enterprise. The contributions of this paper are related to the development of a maintenance audit in a service enterprise, in which maintenance is not generally considered a strategic subject and to the integration of decision-making tools such as the weighting technique SMART with value analysis techniques, typical in the design of new products, in the area of the rule-based expert systems.

Value Preferences of Social Workers.

PubMed

Tartakovsky, Eugene; Walsh, Sophie D

2018-04-01

The current study examines value preferences of social workers in Israel. Using a theoretical framework of person-environment fit paradigm and theory of values, the study compared social workers (N = 641, mean age = 37.7 years, 91 percent female) with a representative sample of Israeli Jews (N = 1,600, mean age = 44.2, 52 percent female). Questionnaires included personal value preferences and sociodemographic variables (gender, age, education, religiosity, and immigrant status). Multivariate analysis of covariance showed that value preferences of social workers differed significantly from those of the general population. Analyses of covariance showed that social workers reported a higher preference for self-transcendence and a lower preference for conservation and self-enhancement values. Results have significance for the selection, training, and supervision of social workers. They suggest that it is important to assess to what extent selection processes for social workers are primarily recruiting social workers with shared values, thus creating an overly homogenous population of social workers. An understanding of personal value motivations can help social workers in their own process of self-development and growth, and to understand how the profession can fulfill their basic motivations.

Finite-part integration of the generalized Stieltjes transform and its dominant asymptotic behavior for small values of the parameter. I. Integer orders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tica, Christian D.; Galapon, Eric A.

2018-02-01

The paper addresses the exact evaluation of the generalized Stieltjes transform Sn[f ] =∫0∞f (x ) (ω+x ) -nd x of integral order n = 1, 2, 3, … about ω = 0 from which the asymptotic behavior of Sn[f] for small parameters ω is directly extracted. An attempt to evaluate the integral by expanding the integrand (ω + x)-n about ω = 0 and then naively integrating the resulting infinite series term by term leads to an infinite series whose terms are divergent integrals. Assigning values to the divergent integrals, say, by analytic continuation or by Hadamard's finite part is known to reproduce only some of the correct terms of the expansion but completely misses out a group of terms. Here we evaluate explicitly the generalized Stieltjes transform by means of finite-part integration recently introduced in Galapon [Proc. R. Soc. A 473, 20160567 (2017)]. It is shown that, when f(x) does not vanish or has zero of order m at the origin such that (n - m) ≥ 1, the dominant terms of Sn[f] as ω → 0 come from contributions arising from the poles and branch points of the complex valued function f(z)(ω + z)-n. These dominant terms are precisely the terms missed out by naive term by term integration. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how finite-part integration leads to new series representations of special functions by exploiting their known Stieltjes integral representations. Finally, the application of finite part integration in obtaining asymptotic expansions of the effective diffusivity in the limit of high Peclet number, the Green-Kubo formula for the self-diffusion coefficient, and the antisymmetric part of the diffusion tensor in the weak noise limit is discussed.

Post-Newtonian parameter γ in generalized non-local gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xue; Wu, YaBo; Yang, WeiQiang; Zhang, ChengYuan; Chen, BoHai; Zhang, Nan

2017-10-01

We investigate the post-Newtonian parameter γ and derive its formalism in generalized non-local (GNL) gravity, which is the modified theory of general relativity (GR) obtained by adding a term m 2 n-2 R☐-n R to the Einstein-Hilbert action. Concretely, based on parametrizing the generalized non-local action in which gravity is described by a series of dynamical scalar fields ϕ i in addition to the metric tensor g μν, the post-Newtonian limit is computed, and the effective gravitational constant as well as the post-Newtonian parameters are directly obtained from the generalized non-local gravity. Moreover, by discussing the values of the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters γ, we can compare our expressions and results with those in Hohmann and Järv et al. (2016), as well as current observational constraints on the values of γ in Will (2006). Hence, we draw restrictions on the nonminimal coupling terms F̅ around their background values.

Values in the Mathematics Classroom: Supporting Cognitive and Affective Pedagogical Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seah, Wee Tiong

2016-01-01

Values are the personal convictions which one finds important. Three different aspects which are associated with mathematics education differently are identified, namely, values through mathematics education, values of mathematics education, and values for mathematics. These are paired with Bishop's (1996) conceptions of general educational,…

Gestalt Therapy and General System Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitner, Phillip A.

While General Systems Theory (GST) concepts appear to be applicable in explaining some of the phenomena that occur in a Gestalt Therapy group, research is needed to support this assumption. General Systems Theory may not be a group theory per se. Instead, GST may be a theory about groups. A meta-theory exists where its value and usefulness is…

Demands, values, and burnout

PubMed Central

Leiter, Michael P.; Frank, Erica; Matheson, Timothy J.

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE T o explore the interaction between workload and values congruence (personal values with health care system values) in the context of burnout and physician engagement and to explore the relative importance of these factors by sex, given the distinct work patterns of male and female physicians. DESIGN National mailed survey. SETTING Canada. PARTICIPANTS A random sample of 8100 Canadian physicians (response rate 40%, N = 3213); 2536 responses (from physicians working more than 35 hours per week) were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Levels of burnout, values congruence, and workload, by sex, measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory—General Scale and the Areas of Worklife Scale. RESULTS Results showed a moderate level of burnout among Canadian physicians, with relatively positive scores on exhaustion, average scores on cynicism, and mildly negative scores on professional efficacy. A series of multiple regression analyses confirmed parallel main effect contributions from manageable workload and values congruence. Both workload and values congruence predicted exhaustion and cynicism for men and women (P = .001). Only values congruence provided a significant prediction of professional efficacy for both men and women (P = .001) These predictors interacted for women on all 3 aspects of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and diminished efficacy). Howevever, overall levels of the burnout indicators departed only modestly from normative levels. CONCLUSION W orkload and values congruence make distinct contributions to physician burnout. Work overload contributes to predicting exhaustion and cynicism; professional values crises contribute to predicting exhaustion, cynicism, and low professional efficacy. The interaction of values and workload for women in particular has implications for the distinct work-life patterns of male and female physicians. Specifically, the congruence of individual values with values inherent in the health care system appeared to be of greater

Measuring Values in Environmental Research: A Test of an Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Bouman, Thijs; Steg, Linda; Kiers, Henk A. L.

2018-01-01

Four human values are considered to underlie individuals’ environmental beliefs and behaviors: biospheric (i.e., concern for environment), altruistic (i.e., concern for others), egoistic (i.e., concern for personal resources) and hedonic values (i.e., concern for pleasure and comfort). These values are typically measured with an adapted and shortened version of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS), to which we refer as the Environmental-SVS (E-SVS). Despite being well-validated, recent research has indicated some concerns about the SVS methodology (e.g., comprehensibility, self-presentation biases) and suggested an alternative method of measuring human values: The Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ). However, the PVQ has not yet been adapted and applied to measure values most relevant to understand environmental beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, we tested the Environmental-PVQ (E-PVQ) – a PVQ variant of E-SVS –and compared it with the E-SVS in two studies. Our findings provide strong support for the validity and reliability of both the E-SVS and E-PVQ. In addition, we find that respondents slightly preferred the E-PVQ over the E-SVS (Study 1). In general, both scales correlate similarly to environmental self-identity (Study 1), energy behaviors (Studies 1 and 2), pro-environmental personal norms, climate change beliefs and policy support (Study 2). Accordingly, both methodologies show highly similar results and seem well-suited for measuring human values underlying environmental behaviors and beliefs. PMID:29743874

Generalized hamming networks and applications.

PubMed

Koutroumbas, Konstantinos; Kalouptsidis, Nicholas

2005-09-01

In this paper the classical Hamming network is generalized in various ways. First, for the Hamming maxnet, a generalized model is proposed, which covers under its umbrella most of the existing versions of the Hamming Maxnet. The network dynamics are time varying while the commonly used ramp function may be replaced by a much more general non-linear function. Also, the weight parameters of the network are time varying. A detailed convergence analysis is provided. A bound on the number of iterations required for convergence is derived and its distribution functions are given for the cases where the initial values of the nodes of the Hamming maxnet stem from the uniform and the peak distributions. Stabilization mechanisms aiming to prevent the node(s) with the maximum initial value diverging to infinity or decaying to zero are described. Simulations demonstrate the advantages of the proposed extension. Also, a rough comparison between the proposed generalized scheme as well as the original Hamming maxnet and its variants is carried out in terms of the time required for convergence, in hardware implementations. Finally, the other two parts of the Hamming network, namely the competitors generating module and the decoding module, are briefly considered in the framework of various applications such as classification/clustering, vector quantization and function optimization.

Fostering clinical engagement and medical leadership and aligning cultural values: an evaluation of a general practice specialty trainee integrated training placement in a primary care trust.

PubMed

Ruston, Annmarie; Tavabie, Abdol

2010-01-01

To report on the extent to which a general practice specialty trainee integrated training placement (ITP) developed the leadership skills and knowledge of general practice specialty trainees (GPSTRs) and on the potential of the ITP to improve clinical engagement. A case study method was used in a Kent primary care trust (PCT). Sources of data included face-to-face and telephone interviews (three GPSTRs, three PCT clinical supervisors, three general practitioner (GP) clinical supervisors and three Deanery/PCT managers), reflective diaries, documentary sources and observation. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using the constant comparative method. All respondents were positive about the value and success of the ITP in developing the leadership skills of the GPSTRs covering three dimensions: leadership of self, leadership of teams and leadership of organisations within systems. The ITP had enabled GP trainees to understand the context for change, to develop skills to set the direction for change and to collect and apply evidence to decision making. The ITP was described as an effective means of breaking down cultural barriers between general practice and the PCT and as having the potential for improving clinical engagement. The ITP provided a model to enable the effective exchange of knowledge and understanding of differing cultures between GPSTRs, general practice and the PCT. It provided a sound basis for effective, dispersed clinical engagement and leadership.

Continuous-cyclic variations in the b-value of the earthquake frequency-magnitude distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Isa, Z. H.

2013-10-01

Seismicity of the Earth ( M ≥ 4.5) was compiled from NEIC, IRIS and ISC catalogues and used to compute b-value based on various time windows. It is found that continuous cyclic b-variations occur on both long and short time scales, the latter being of much higher value and sometimes in excess of 0.7 of the absolute b-value. These variations occur not only yearly or monthly, but also daily. Before the occurrence of large earthquakes, b-values start increasing with variable gradients that are affected by foreshocks. In some cases, the gradient is reduced to zero or to a negative value a few days before the earthquake occurrence. In general, calculated b-values attain maxima 1 day before large earthquakes and minima soon after their occurrence. Both linear regression and maximum likelihood methods give correlatable, but variable results. It is found that an expanding time window technique from a fixed starting point is more effective in the study of b-variations. The calculated b-variations for the whole Earth, its hemispheres, quadrants and the epicentral regions of some large earthquakes are of both local and regional character, which may indicate that in such cases, the geodynamic processes acting within a certain region have a much regional effect within the Earth. The b-variations have long been known to vary with a number of local and regional factors including tectonic stresses. The results reported here indicate that geotectonic stress remains the most significant factor that controls b-variations. It is found that for earthquakes with M w ≥ 7, an increase of about 0.20 in the b-value implies a stress increase that will result in an earthquake with a magnitude one unit higher.

Gender Differences in Work Values: Perpetuating the Myth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Reba; Snizek, William E.

1995-01-01

General Social Survey data from 1973-90 were analyzed to identify the work value preferences of 7,436 full-time workers (income, security, working hours, advancement opportunities, accomplishment). No support was found for differences between men's and women's work values. Preferences depended more on age, education, and occupational prestige. (SK)

Dynamics of convulsive seizure termination and postictal generalized EEG suppression

PubMed Central

Bauer, Prisca R.; Thijs, Roland D.; Lamberts, Robert J.; Velis, Demetrios N.; Visser, Gerhard H.; Tolner, Else A.; Sander, Josemir W.; Lopes da Silva, Fernando H.; Kalitzin, Stiliyan N.

2017-01-01

Abstract It is not fully understood how seizures terminate and why some seizures are followed by a period of complete brain activity suppression, postictal generalized EEG suppression. This is clinically relevant as there is a potential association between postictal generalized EEG suppression, cardiorespiratory arrest and sudden death following a seizure. We combined human encephalographic seizure data with data of a computational model of seizures to elucidate the neuronal network dynamics underlying seizure termination and the postictal generalized EEG suppression state. A multi-unit computational neural mass model of epileptic seizure termination and postictal recovery was developed. The model provided three predictions that were validated in EEG recordings of 48 convulsive seizures from 48 subjects with refractory focal epilepsy (20 females, age range 15–61 years). The duration of ictal and postictal generalized EEG suppression periods in human EEG followed a gamma probability distribution indicative of a deterministic process (shape parameter 2.6 and 1.5, respectively) as predicted by the model. In the model and in humans, the time between two clonic bursts increased exponentially from the start of the clonic phase of the seizure. The terminal interclonic interval, calculated using the projected terminal value of the log-linear fit of the clonic frequency decrease was correlated with the presence and duration of postictal suppression. The projected terminal interclonic interval explained 41% of the variation in postictal generalized EEG suppression duration (P < 0.02). Conversely, postictal generalized EEG suppression duration explained 34% of the variation in the last interclonic interval duration. Our findings suggest that postictal generalized EEG suppression is a separate brain state and that seizure termination is a plastic and autonomous process, reflected in increased duration of interclonic intervals that determine the duration of postictal

IVF, same-sex couples and the value of biological ties.

PubMed

Di Nucci, Ezio

2016-12-01

Ought parents, in general, to value being biologically tied to their children? Is it important, in particular, that both parents be biologically tied to their children? I will address these fundamental questions by looking at a fairly new practice within IVF treatments, so-called IVF-with-ROPA (Reception of Oocytes from Partner), which allows lesbian couples to 'share motherhood', with one partner providing the eggs while the other becomes pregnant. I believe that IVF-with-ROPA is, just like other IVF treatments, morally permissible, but here I argue that the increased biological ties which IVF-with-ROPA allows for do not have any particular value beside the satisfaction of a legitimate wish, because there is no intrinsic value in a biological tie between parents and children; further, I argue that equality within parental projects cannot be achieved by redistributing biological ties. 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/.

The reinforcing value of vegetables does not increase with repeated exposure during a randomized controlled provided vegetable intervention among overweight and obese adults

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective: The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial is to determine whether the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of vegetables compared to a snack food can be increased through repeated exposure (incentive sensitization) to amounts of vegetables recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for A...

Total Value of Phosphorus Recovery.

PubMed

Mayer, Brooke K; Baker, Lawrence A; Boyer, Treavor H; Drechsel, Pay; Gifford, Mac; Hanjra, Munir A; Parameswaran, Prathap; Stoltzfus, Jared; Westerhoff, Paul; Rittmann, Bruce E

2016-07-05

Phosphorus (P) is a critical, geographically concentrated, nonrenewable resource necessary to support global food production. In excess (e.g., due to runoff or wastewater discharges), P is also a primary cause of eutrophication. To reconcile the simultaneous shortage and overabundance of P, lost P flows must be recovered and reused, alongside improvements in P-use efficiency. While this motivation is increasingly being recognized, little P recovery is practiced today, as recovered P generally cannot compete with the relatively low cost of mined P. Therefore, P is often captured to prevent its release into the environment without beneficial recovery and reuse. However, additional incentives for P recovery emerge when accounting for the total value of P recovery. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the range of benefits of recovering P from waste streams, i.e., the total value of recovering P. This approach accounts for P products, as well as other assets that are associated with P and can be recovered in parallel, such as energy, nitrogen, metals and minerals, and water. Additionally, P recovery provides valuable services to society and the environment by protecting and improving environmental quality, enhancing efficiency of waste treatment facilities, and improving food security and social equity. The needs to make P recovery a reality are also discussed, including business models, bottlenecks, and policy and education strategies.

Categorization = Decision Making + Generalization

PubMed Central

Seger, Carol A; Peterson, Erik J.

2013-01-01

We rarely, if ever, repeatedly encounter exactly the same situation. This makes generalization crucial for real world decision making. We argue that categorization, the study of generalizable representations, is a type of decision making, and that categorization learning research would benefit from approaches developed to study the neuroscience of decision making. Similarly, methods developed to examine generalization and learning within the field of categorization may enhance decision making research. We first discuss perceptual information processing and integration, with an emphasis on accumulator models. We then examine learning the value of different decision making choices via experience, emphasizing reinforcement learning modeling approaches. Next we discuss how value is combined with other factors in decision making, emphasizing the effects of uncertainty. Finally, we describe how a final decision is selected via thresholding processes implemented by the basal ganglia and related regions. We also consider how memory related functions in the hippocampus may be integrated with decision making mechanisms and contribute to categorization. PMID:23548891

77 FR 43076 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Information Collection; Value Engineering Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-23

...; Information Collection; Value Engineering Requirements AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD), General Services... collection requirement concerning Value Engineering Requirements. Public comments are particularly invited on... Information Collection 9000- 0027, Value Engineering Requirements, by any of the following methods...

Emerging Good Practices for Transforming Value Assessment: Patients' Voices, Patients' Values.

PubMed

Perfetto, Eleanor M; Harris, Jason; Mullins, C Daniel; dosReis, Susan

2018-04-01

Patient engagement is a transformative strategy for improving value assessment. US value framework developers have increased engagement activities, but more needs to be learned about how to best achieve meaningful patient engagement in value assessment. The objective was to glean good practices in patient engagement emerging from patient community experiences, to be used in value assessment. The National Health Council Value Workgroup conducted a survey and held a focus group with its member advocacy organizations to gather experiences with value framework developers and views on emerging good practices. Ten of 13 organizations completed the survey; reporting 13 interactions with four framework developers. Most rated experiences as "good" to "very good." Emerging good practices included (1) engage early; (2) engage a range of patients; (3) leverage patient-provided information, data resources, and outreach mechanisms; (4) be transparent; and (5) appreciate and accommodate resource constraints. Twelve of 13 organizations participated in the focus group, and this produced 30 emerging good practices in four areas: (1) timing; (2) methodology and data; (3) partnering; and (4) characterizing engagement. Patient engagement was limited in early development of value frameworks but has increased in the past few years. Patient groups report positive experiences that can serve as emerging good practices. These groups also reported experienced challenges in their interactions and recommended good practices to mitigate those challenges. The growing pool of patient engagement experiences can be translated into good practices to advance a patient-centered, value-driven health care ecosystem. Lessons learned from these early experiences can help establish recommend emerging good practices that can eventually result in best practices and standards in the field. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc

Estimating the economic value of cultural ecosystem services in an urbanizing area using hedonic pricing.

PubMed

Sander, Heather A; Haight, Robert G

2012-12-30

A need exists to increase both knowledge and recognition of the values associated with ecosystem services and amenities. This article explores the use of hedonic pricing as a tool for eliciting these values. We take a case study approach, valuing several services provided by ecosystems, namely aesthetic quality (views), access to outdoor recreation, and the benefits provided by tree cover in Dakota County, Minnesota, USA. Our results indicate that these services are valued by local residents and that hedonic pricing can be used to elicit at least a portion of this value. We find that many aspects of the aesthetic environment significantly impact home sale prices. Total view area as well as the areas of some land-cover types (water and lawn) in views positively influenced home sale prices while views of impervious surfaces generally negatively influenced home sale price. Access to outdoor recreation areas significantly and positively influenced home sale prices as did tree cover in the neighborhood surrounding a home. These results illustrate the ability of hedonic pricing to identify partial values for ecosystem services and amenities in a manner that is highly relevant to local and regional planning. These values could be used to increase policy-maker and public awareness of ecosystem services and could improve their consideration in planning and policy decisions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

15q13.3 microdeletions increase risk of idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

PubMed

Helbig, Ingo; Mefford, Heather C; Sharp, Andrew J; Guipponi, Michel; Fichera, Marco; Franke, Andre; Muhle, Hiltrud; de Kovel, Carolien; Baker, Carl; von Spiczak, Sarah; Kron, Katherine L; Steinich, Ines; Kleefuss-Lie, Ailing A; Leu, Costin; Gaus, Verena; Schmitz, Bettina; Klein, Karl M; Reif, Philipp S; Rosenow, Felix; Weber, Yvonne; Lerche, Holger; Zimprich, Fritz; Urak, Lydia; Fuchs, Karoline; Feucht, Martha; Genton, Pierre; Thomas, Pierre; Visscher, Frank; de Haan, Gerrit-Jan; Møller, Rikke S; Hjalgrim, Helle; Luciano, Daniela; Wittig, Michael; Nothnagel, Michael; Elger, Christian E; Nürnberg, Peter; Romano, Corrado; Malafosse, Alain; Koeleman, Bobby P C; Lindhout, Dick; Stephani, Ulrich; Schreiber, Stefan; Eichler, Evan E; Sander, Thomas

2009-02-01

We identified 15q13.3 microdeletions encompassing the CHRNA7 gene in 12 of 1,223 individuals with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), which were not detected in 3,699 controls (joint P = 5.32 x 10(-8)). Most deletion carriers showed common IGE syndromes without other features previously associated with 15q13.3 microdeletions, such as intellectual disability, autism or schizophrenia. Our results indicate that 15q13.3 microdeletions constitute the most prevalent risk factor for common epilepsies identified to date.

Is there potential added value in COSMO-CLM forced by ERA reanalysis data?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenz, Claus-Jürgen; Früh, Barbara; Adalatpanah, Fatemeh Davary

2017-12-01

An application of the potential added value (PAV) concept suggested by Di Luca et al. (Clim Dyn 40:443-464, 2013a) is applied to ERA Interim driven runs of the regional climate model COSMO-CLM. They are performed for the time period 1979-2013 for the EURO-CORDEX domain at horizontal grid resolutions 0.11°, 0.22°, and 0.44° such that the higher resolved model grid fits into the next coarser grid. The concept of the potential added value is applied to annual, seasonal, and monthly means of the 2 m air temperature. Results show the highest potential added value at the run with the finest grid and generally increasing PAV with increasing resolution. The potential added value strongly depends on the season as well as the region of consideration. The gain of PAV is higher enhancing the resolution from 0.44° to 0.22° than from 0.22° to 0.11°. At grid aggregations to 0.88° and 1.76° the differences in PAV between the COSMO-CLM runs on the mentioned grid resolutions are maximal. They nearly vanish at aggregations to even coarser grids. In all cases the PAV is dominated by at least 80% by its stationary part.

Supplementation of adjuvants for increasing the nutritive value and cell viability of probiotic fermented milk beverage.

PubMed

Shobharani, P; Agrawal, Renu

2009-01-01

Probiotic are microorganisms that, upon ingestion in adequate amounts, exert a beneficial effect on the host. In the present work, the potent probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides was used as a starter culture in the preparation of fermented milk beverage. The product was analyzed for protein, titrable acidity, fat, total sugar, fatty acids and minerals. The viability of culture and nutrition in the product was further enhanced with supplementation of adjuvants like tryptone, casein hydrolysate, cysteine hydrochloride and ascorbic acid. After 5 days, maximum viability was observed on supplementation of tryptone (100 mg/l). The protein content was enhanced by 1.1-fold in the presence of tryptone (100 mg/l) as compared with control after 5 days of storage. Fermented milk supplemented with tryptone (100 mg/l) showed maximum bioavailability of the minerals like iron (92.05%), zinc (95.02%) and magnesium (92.04%) as compared with control. The increase in the composition of beneficial fatty acids on supplementation of adjuvants supports the therapeutic value of the product.

IL-33 circulating serum levels are increased in patients with non-segmental generalized vitiligo.

PubMed

Vaccaro, Mario; Cicero, Francesca; Mannucci, Carmen; Calapai, Gioacchino; Spatari, Giovanna; Barbuzza, Olga; Cannavò, Serafinella P; Gangemi, Sebastiano

2016-09-01

IL-33 is a recently identified cytokine, encoded by the IL-33 gene, which is a member of the IL-1 family that drives the production of T-helper-2 (Th-2)-associated cytokines. Serum levels of IL-33 have been reported to be up-regulated in various T-helper (Th)-1/Th-17-mediated diseases, such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel. To investigate whether cytokine imbalance plays a role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo, we performed a case-control association study by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of IL-33 in our patients. IL-33 serum levels were measured by a quantitative enzyme immunoassay technique in patients with non-segmental generalized vitiligo and compared with those of healthy controls. IL-33 serum levels in patients with vitiligo were significantly increased than those in healthy controls. There was a positive correlation of IL-33 serum levels with extension of vitiligo and disease activity. This study suggests a possible systemic role of IL-33 in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Inhibiting IL-33 activity might be a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory disease, like vitiligo.

The Role of Belief, Trust and Values in Climate Change Science Education Efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, S. W.; Hatheway, B.

2011-12-01

At a recent Tri-Agency PI meeting of NSF-, NASA- and NOAA-funded climate change education projects, we asked nearly 20 of our colleagues the following question, "If you had to choose just one of the following, which would it be: you would like the general public to believe that climate change is occurring, or you would like the general public to know that climate change is occurring?" We were a bit surprised when every person canvassed chose that they wanted the public to believe that climate change is occurring. When we inquired why, they all answered something along the lines that "beliefs lead to actions". However, when we looked at the funded efforts of the NASA, NOAA and NSF climate education community we came to the troubling conclusion that the vast majority were designed primarily with knowledge in mind, and that as a community we were perhaps not tackling some important non-scientific issues related to belief, trust and values. It is not surprising, nor unreasonable, that we have taken an approach to climate change education that largely focuses on increasing the knowledge base of the public. First of all, our fundamental task as science researchers is to create new knowledge, so we are typically comfortable discussing it. Secondly, knowledge may serve as a foundation for belief and ultimately lead to changes in behavior. However, this second line of reasoning clearly has limits, and we believe we are seeing these limits manifested in some of the poll numbers related to the general public's position on this topic. When the value of science is pitted against other things that people value, such as family, religion, and jobs, we are faced with the likelihood that it is not going to be as highly regarded by the general public as it is by scientists. Climate change science opponents understand the importance of value and belief, and directly capitalize on it by using two main strategies. First, they effectively minimize the value of climate science by casting

Scalar discrete nonlinear multipoint boundary value problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Jesus; Taylor, Padraic

2007-06-01

In this paper we provide sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions to scalar discrete nonlinear multipoint boundary value problems. By allowing more general boundary conditions and by imposing less restrictions on the nonlinearities, we obtain results that extend previous work in the area of discrete boundary value problems [Debra L. Etheridge, Jesus Rodriguez, Periodic solutions of nonlinear discrete-time systems, Appl. Anal. 62 (1996) 119-137; Debra L. Etheridge, Jesus Rodriguez, Scalar discrete nonlinear two-point boundary value problems, J. Difference Equ. Appl. 4 (1998) 127-144].

Life Support Baseline Values and Assumptions Document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly S.; Ewert, Michael K.; Keener, John F.

2018-01-01

The Baseline Values and Assumptions Document (BVAD) provides analysts, modelers, and other life support researchers with a common set of values and assumptions which can be used as a baseline in their studies. This baseline, in turn, provides a common point of origin from which many studies in the community may depart, making research results easier to compare and providing researchers with reasonable values to assume for areas outside their experience. This document identifies many specific physical quantities that define life support systems, serving as a general reference for spacecraft life support system technology developers.

General antibiotic exposure is associated with increased risk of developing chronic rhinosinusitis.

PubMed

Maxfield, Alice Z; Korkmaz, Hakan; Gregorio, Luciano L; Busaba, Nicolas Y; Gray, Stacey T; Holbrook, Eric H; Guo, Rong; Bleier, Benjamin S

2017-02-01

Antibiotic use and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have been independently associated with microbiome diversity depletion and opportunistic infections. This study was undertaken to investigate whether antibiotic use may be an unrecognized risk factor for developing CRS. Case-control study of 1,162 patients referred to a tertiary sinus center for a range of sinonasal disorders. Patients diagnosed with CRS according to established consensus criteria (n = 410) were assigned to the case group (273 without nasal polyps [CRSsNP], 137 with nasal polyps [CRSwNP]). Patients with all other diagnoses (n = 752) were assigned to the control group. Chronic rhinosinusitis disease severity was determined using a validated quality of life (QOL) instrument. The class, diagnosis, and timing of previous nonsinusitis-related antibiotic exposures were recorded. Results were validated using a randomized administrative data review of 452 (38.9%) of patient charts. The odds ratio of developing CRS following antibiotic exposure were calculated, as well as the impact of antibiotic use on the subsequent QOL. Antibiotic use significantly increased the odds of developing CRSsNP (odds ratio: 2.21, 95% confidence interval, 1.66-2.93, P < 0.0001) as compared to nonusers. Antibiotic exposure was significantly associated with worse CRS QOL scores (P = 0.0009) over at least the subsequent 2 years. These findings were confirmed by the administrative data review. Use of antibiotics more than doubles the odds of developing CRSsNP and is associated with a worse QOL for at least 2 years following exposure. These findings expose an unrecognized and concerning consequence of general antibiotic use. 3b. Laryngoscope, 2016 127:296-302, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Moral concepts set decision strategies to abstract values.

PubMed

Caspers, Svenja; Heim, Stefan; Lucas, Marc G; Stephan, Egon; Fischer, Lorenz; Amunts, Katrin; Zilles, Karl

2011-04-01

Persons have different value preferences. Neuroimaging studies where value-based decisions in actual conflict situations were investigated suggest an important role of prefrontal and cingulate brain regions. General preferences, however, reflect a superordinate moral concept independent of actual situations as proposed in psychological and socioeconomic research. Here, the specific brain response would be influenced by abstract value systems and moral concepts. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such responses are largely unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a forced-choice paradigm on word pairs representing abstract values, we show that the brain handles such decisions depending on the person's superordinate moral concept. Persons with a predominant collectivistic (altruistic) value system applied a "balancing and weighing" strategy, recruiting brain regions of rostral inferior and intraparietal, and midcingulate and frontal cortex. Conversely, subjects with mainly individualistic (egocentric) value preferences applied a "fight-and-flight" strategy by recruiting the left amygdala. Finally, if subjects experience a value conflict when rejecting an alternative congruent to their own predominant value preference, comparable brain regions are activated as found in actual moral dilemma situations, i.e., midcingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our results demonstrate that superordinate moral concepts influence the strategy and the neural mechanisms in decision processes, independent of actual situations, showing that decisions are based on general neural principles. These findings provide a novel perspective to future sociological and economic research as well as to the analysis of social relations by focusing on abstract value systems as triggers of specific brain responses.

Moral Concepts Set Decision Strategies to Abstract Values

PubMed Central

Caspers, Svenja; Heim, Stefan; Lucas, Marc G.; Stephan, Egon; Fischer, Lorenz; Amunts, Katrin; Zilles, Karl

2011-01-01

Persons have different value preferences. Neuroimaging studies where value-based decisions in actual conflict situations were investigated suggest an important role of prefrontal and cingulate brain regions. General preferences, however, reflect a superordinate moral concept independent of actual situations as proposed in psychological and socioeconomic research. Here, the specific brain response would be influenced by abstract value systems and moral concepts. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such responses are largely unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a forced-choice paradigm on word pairs representing abstract values, we show that the brain handles such decisions depending on the person's superordinate moral concept. Persons with a predominant collectivistic (altruistic) value system applied a “balancing and weighing” strategy, recruiting brain regions of rostral inferior and intraparietal, and midcingulate and frontal cortex. Conversely, subjects with mainly individualistic (egocentric) value preferences applied a “fight-and-flight” strategy by recruiting the left amygdala. Finally, if subjects experience a value conflict when rejecting an alternative congruent to their own predominant value preference, comparable brain regions are activated as found in actual moral dilemma situations, i.e., midcingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our results demonstrate that superordinate moral concepts influence the strategy and the neural mechanisms in decision processes, independent of actual situations, showing that decisions are based on general neural principles. These findings provide a novel perspective to future sociological and economic research as well as to the analysis of social relations by focusing on abstract value systems as triggers of specific brain responses. PMID:21483767

Medical students' perceptions of general practice as a career; a phenomenological study using socialisation theory.

PubMed

Reid, Katherine; Alberti, Hugh

2018-04-23

The ageing population and push to community care has significantly increased the workload of General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK and internationally. In an attempt to tackle this, NHS England has promised 5000 more GPs by 2020/21; however, recruitment is in crisis with GP training posts remaining unfilled. Little research has been carried out to assess the fundamental questions of what medical students' perceptions of General Practice are and what shapes their perceptions at medical school. We aimed to explore medical students' conceptualisations of being a GP and specifically the role of the medical school in shaping their perceptions. Two focus groups of year one and year four medical students were undertaken using an interpretive phenomenological approach. Our study has revealed that medical students perceive General Practice to lack prestige and challenge. These perceptions come, at least in part, from a process of socialisation within medical school, whereby medical students internalise and adopt their role models' perceptions and values, and the values portrayed by the hidden curriculum in their medical school culture. Perceived external pressures to pursue a career in General Practice can have a negative influence and medical schools should be made aware of this.

Political Theory, Values and Public Health

PubMed Central

Latham, Stephen R.

2016-01-01

This article offers some general criticisms of the idea that any political theory can legitimate public health interventions, and then some particular criticisms of Civic Republicanism as a political theory for public health. Civic Republicanism, I argue, legitimizes liberty-infringing public health interventions by demanding high levels of civic engagement in framing and reviewing them; to demand such engagement in pursuit of such a baseline value as health will leave insufficient civic energy for the pursuit of higher values. PMID:27551295

Memory for general and specific value information in younger and older adults: measuring the limits of strategic control.

PubMed

Castel, Alan D; Farb, Norman A S; Craik, Fergus I M

2007-06-01

The ability to selectively remember important information is a critical function of memory. Although previous research has suggested that older adults are impaired in a variety of episodic memory tasks, recent work has demonstrated that older adults can selectively remember high-value information. In the present research, we examined how younger and older adults selectively remembered words with various assigned numeric point values, to see whether younger adults could remember more specific value information than could older adults. Both groups were equally good at recalling point values when recalling the range of high-value words, but younger adults outperformed older adults when recalling specific values. Although older adults were more likely to recognize negative value words, both groups exhibited control by not recalling negative value information. The findings suggest that although both groups retain high-value information, older adults rely more on gist-based encoding and retrieval operations, whereas younger adults are able to remember specific numeric value information.

Reducing added sugar intake increases the relative reinforcing value of high-sugar foods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Objective: To determine whether reducing added sugar intake to <10% of calories for 1 week changes the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of foods high in sugar and to test whether changes in RRV of high-sugar foods differed between non-overweight and obese adults. Background: The 2015-2020 DGA focu...

23 CFR 627.5 - General principles and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS VALUE ENGINEERING § 627.5 General principles and procedures. (a) State VE programs. State transportation... studies. (2) Studies. Value engineering studies shall follow the widely recognized systematic problem...

23 CFR 627.5 - General principles and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS VALUE ENGINEERING § 627.5 General principles and procedures. (a) State VE programs. State transportation... studies. (2) Studies. Value engineering studies shall follow the widely recognized systematic problem...

23 CFR 627.5 - General principles and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS VALUE ENGINEERING § 627.5 General principles and procedures. (a) State VE programs. State transportation... studies. (2) Studies. Value engineering studies shall follow the widely recognized systematic problem...

Safety and efficacy of combined epidural/general anesthesia during major abdominal surgery in patients with increased intracranial pressure: a cohort study.

PubMed

Zabolotskikh, Igor; Trembach, Nikita

2015-05-15

The increased intracranial pressure can significantly complicate the perioperative period in major abdominal surgery, increasing the risk of complications, the length of recovery from the surgery, worsening the outcome. Epidural anesthesia has become a routine component of abdominal surgery, but its use in patients with increased intracranial pressure remains controversial. The goal of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of epidural anesthesia, according to monitoring of intracranial pressure in patients with increased intracranial pressure. The study includes 65 surgical patients who were routinely undergone the major abdominal surgery under combined epidural/general anesthesia. Depending on the initial ICP all patients were divided into 2 groups: 1 (N group) - patients with the normal intracranial pressure (≤12 mm Hg, n = 35) and 2 (E group) - patients with the elevated intracranial pressure (ICP > 12 mm Hg, n = 30). During the surgery we evaluated ICP, blood pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). The parameters of recovery from anesthesia and the effectiveness of postoperative analgesia were also assessed. In N group ICP remained stable. In E group ICP decreased during anesthesia, the overall decline was 40% at the end of the operation (from 15 to 9 mm Hg (P <0.05)). The correction of MAP with vasopressors to maintain normal CPP was required mainly in patients with increased ICP (70% vs. 45%, p <0.05). CPP declined by 19% in N group. In E group the CPP reduction was 23%, and then it remained stable at 60 mm Hg. No significant differences in time of the recovery of consciousness, effectiveness of postoperative analgesia and complications between patients with initially normal levels of ICP and patients with ICH were noted. The combination of general and epidural anesthesia is safe and effective in patients with increased intracranial pressure undergoing elective abdominal surgery under the condition of maintaining the arterial

Nonstationary Extreme Value Analysis in a Changing Climate: A Software Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, L.; AghaKouchak, A.; Gilleland, E.

2013-12-01

Numerous studies show that climatic extremes have increased substantially in the second half of the 20th century. For this reason, analysis of extremes under a nonstationary assumption has received a great deal of attention. This paper presents a software package developed for estimation of return levels, return periods, and risks of climatic extremes in a changing climate. This MATLAB software package offers tools for analysis of climate extremes under both stationary and non-stationary assumptions. The Nonstationary Extreme Value Analysis (hereafter, NEVA) provides an efficient and generalized framework for analyzing extremes using Bayesian inference. NEVA estimates the extreme value parameters using a Differential Evolution Markov Chain (DE-MC) which utilizes the genetic algorithm Differential Evolution (DE) for global optimization over the real parameter space with the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach and has the advantage of simplicity, speed of calculation and convergence over conventional MCMC. NEVA also offers the confidence interval and uncertainty bounds of estimated return levels based on the sampled parameters. NEVA integrates extreme value design concepts, data analysis tools, optimization and visualization, explicitly designed to facilitate analysis extremes in geosciences. The generalized input and output files of this software package make it attractive for users from across different fields. Both stationary and nonstationary components of the package are validated for a number of case studies using empirical return levels. The results show that NEVA reliably describes extremes and their return levels.

Qualitative methods in PhD theses from general practice in Scandinavia.

PubMed

Malterud, Kirsti; Hamberg, Katarina; Reventlow, Susanne

2017-12-01

Qualitative methodology is gaining increasing attention and esteem in medical research, with general practice research taking a lead. With these methods, human and social interaction and meaning can be explored and shared by systematic interpretation of text from talk, observation or video. Qualitative studies are often included in Ph.D. theses from general practice in Scandinavia. Still, the Ph.D. programs across nations and institutions offer only limited training in qualitative methods. In this opinion article, we draw upon our observations and experiences, unpacking and reflecting upon values and challenges at stake when qualitative studies are included in Ph.D. theses. Hypotheses to explain these observations are presented, followed by suggestions for standards of evaluation and improvement of Ph.D. programs. The authors conclude that multimethod Ph.D. theses should be encouraged in general practice research, in order to offer future researchers an appropriate toolbox.

Qualitative methods in PhD theses from general practice in Scandinavia

PubMed Central

Malterud, Kirsti; Hamberg, Katarina; Reventlow, Susanne

2017-01-01

Qualitative methodology is gaining increasing attention and esteem in medical research, with general practice research taking a lead. With these methods, human and social interaction and meaning can be explored and shared by systematic interpretation of text from talk, observation or video. Qualitative studies are often included in Ph.D. theses from general practice in Scandinavia. Still, the Ph.D. programs across nations and institutions offer only limited training in qualitative methods. In this opinion article, we draw upon our observations and experiences, unpacking and reflecting upon values and challenges at stake when qualitative studies are included in Ph.D. theses. Hypotheses to explain these observations are presented, followed by suggestions for standards of evaluation and improvement of Ph.D. programs. The authors conclude that multimethod Ph.D. theses should be encouraged in general practice research, in order to offer future researchers an appropriate toolbox. PMID:29094644

A wavelet transform based method to determine depth of anesthesia to prevent awareness during general anesthesia.

PubMed

Mousavi, Seyed Mortaza; Adamoğlu, Ahmet; Demiralp, Tamer; Shayesteh, Mahrokh G

2014-01-01

Awareness during general anesthesia for its serious psychological effects on patients and some juristically problems for anesthetists has been an important challenge during past decades. Monitoring depth of anesthesia is a fundamental solution to this problem. The induction of anesthesia alters frequency and mean of amplitudes of the electroencephalogram (EEG), and its phase couplings. We analyzed EEG changes for phase coupling between delta and alpha subbands using a new algorithm for depth of general anesthesia measurement based on complex wavelet transform (CWT) in patients anesthetized by Propofol. Entropy and histogram of modulated signals were calculated by taking bispectral index (BIS) values as reference. Entropies corresponding to different BIS intervals using Mann-Whitney U test showed that they had different continuous distributions. The results demonstrated that there is a phase coupling between 3 and 4 Hz in delta and 8-9 Hz in alpha subbands and these changes are shown better at the channel T 7 of EEG. Moreover, when BIS values increase, the entropy value of modulated signal also increases and vice versa. In addition, measuring phase coupling between delta and alpha subbands of EEG signals through continuous CWT analysis reveals the depth of anesthesia level. As a result, awareness during anesthesia can be prevented.

Control costs, enhance quality, and increase revenue in three top general public hospitals in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Lue-Ping; Yu, Guo-Pei; Liu, Hui; Ma, Xie-Min; Wang, Jing; Kong, Gui-Lan; Li, Yi; Ma, Wen; Cui, Yong; Xu, Beibei; Yu, Na; Bao, Xiao-Yuan; Guo, Yu; Wang, Fei; Zhang, Jun; Li, Yan; Xie, Xue-Qin; Jiang, Bao-Guo; Ke, Yang

2013-01-01

With market-oriented economic and health-care reform, public hospitals in China have received unprecedented pressures from governmental regulations, public opinions, and financial demands. To adapt the changing environment and keep pace of modernizing healthcare delivery system, public hospitals in China are expanding clinical services and improving delivery efficiency, while controlling costs. Recent experiences are valuable lessons for guiding future healthcare reform. Here we carefully study three teaching hospitals, to exemplify their experiences during this period. We performed a systematic analysis on hospitalization costs, health-care quality and delivery efficiencies from 2006 to 2010 in three teaching hospitals in Beijing, China. The analysis measured temporal changes of inpatient cost per stay (CPS), cost per day (CPD), inpatient mortality rate (IMR), and length of stay (LOS), using a generalized additive model. There were 651,559 hospitalizations during the period analyzed. Averaged CPS was stable over time, while averaged CPD steadily increased by 41.7% (P<0.001), from CNY 1,531 in 2006 to CNY 2,169 in 2010. The increasing CPD seemed synchronous with the steady rising of the national annual income per capita. Surgical cost was the main contributor to the temporal change of CPD, while medicine and examination costs tended to be stable over time. From 2006 and 2010, IMR decreased by 36%, while LOS reduced by 25%. Increasing hospitalizations with higher costs, along with an overall stable CPS, reduced IMR, and shorter LOS, appear to be the major characteristics of these three hospitals at present. These three teaching hospitals have gained some success in controlling costs, improving cares, adopting modern medical technologies, and increasing hospital revenues. Effective hospital governance and physicians' professional capacity plus government regulations and supervisions may have played a role. However, purely market-oriented health-care reform could also

Ethics Assessment in a General Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quesenberry, Le Gene; Phillips, Jamie; Woodburne, Paul; Yang, Chin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess whether flagged "values intensive" courses within a public university's general education curriculum impacted on students' abilities to reason ethically. The major research question to be explored was, "what effect does taking a values intensive course have on students' ethical reasoning ability, when…

Islamic values in the Kuwaiti curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alshahen, Ghanim A.

This study investigated the influence of Islamic values on the curriculum, in particular the Islamic studies and science curricula. Three questionnaires were developed, validated, and used to investigate teachers' and pupils' attitudes toward Islamic values in the curriculum. Four main sections deal with Islamic values in the Islamic studies and science curricula, namely: Islamic values in the textbook, teaching Islamic values, the relationship between Islamic values and the science curriculum, and the Islamic values model. Two instruments were used in this study: questionnaires and interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative data were generated from the sample, which consisted of Islamic studies and science teachers and supervisors in intermediate schools, and pupils studying in the eighth grade in intermediate schools. In the last case, the data were gathered by questionnaire only. The interviews and questionnaires provided explanatory data. The research was carried out in three phases, considering respectively 55 Islamic studies teachers, 55 science teachers who teach the eighth grade in intermediate schools, and 786 pupils who study in the eighth grade in 20 schools. In each school, the researcher selected two classes. This thesis consists of eight chapters. Chapter One provides a general introduction and highlights the general framework of this study. Chapter Two is concerned with the development of the education system in Kuwait and the objectives of the Islamic studies and science curricula in the intermediate stage. Chapter Three presents the conceptions of values, the Islamic values model, and Islamic values in the curriculum. Chapter Four describes the objectives of the study, and its research design methods and procedures used to develop the instruments. The sampling procedure, the data collection procedures, and the statistical methods used to analyse the data are also described. Chapter Five presents and interprets the findings of this study. Data