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Additional Indicators (additional + indicator)
Selected AbstractsPolitical participation and procedural utility: An empirical studyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006ALOIS STUTZER In this article, it is argued that people have preferences about both aspects and that they derive utility from the processes involved in decision making over and above the utility gained from outcomes. The authors study political participation possibilities as an important source of procedural utility. To distinguish between outcome and process utility, they take advantage of the fact that nationals can participate in political decision making, while foreigners are excluded and thus cannot enjoy the respective procedural utility. Utility is assumed to be measurable by individually reported subjective well-being. As an additional indicator for procedural utility, reported belief in political influence is analyzed. [source] A global examination of allometric scaling for predicting human drug clearance and the prediction of large vertical allometry,JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 8 2006Huadong Tang Abstract Allometrically scaled data sets (138 compounds) used for predicting human clearance were obtained from the literature. Our analyses of these data have led to four observations. (1) The current data do not provide strong evidence that systemic clearance (CLs; n,=,102) is more predictable than apparent oral clearance (CLpo; n,=,24), but caution needs to be applied because of potential CLpo prediction error caused by differences in bioavailability across species. (2) CLs of proteins (n,=,10) can be more accurately predicted than that of non-protein chemicals (n,=,102). (3) CLs is more predictable for compounds eliminated by renal or biliary excretion (n,=,33) than by metabolism (n,=,57). (4) CLs predictability for hepatically eliminated compounds followed the order: high CL (n,=,11),>,intermediate CL (n,=,17),>,low CL (n,=,29). All examples of large vertical allometry (% error of prediction greater than 1000%) occurred only when predicting human CLs of drugs having very low CLs. A qualitative analysis revealed the application of two potential rules for predicting the occurrence of large vertical allometry: (1) ratio of unbound fraction of drug in plasma (fu) between rats and humans greater than 5; (2) C logP greater than 2. Metabolic elimination could also serve as an additional indicator for expecting large vertical allometry. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 95: 1783,1799, 2006 [source] Effects of warm-supplementing kidney yang (WSKY) capsule added on risperidone on cognition in chronic schizophrenic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trialHUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 6 2008Zhen-hua Chen Abstract Objective To evaluate the effects of warm-supplementing kidney yang (WSKY) capsule added on risperidone on cognition in chronic schizophrenic patients. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial was conducted. All 200 patients who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with WSKY capsule (n,=,100) or placebo (n,=,100) added on risperidone for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measure was the cognitive function assessment assessed by the classic form of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) at baseline and week 8. The secondary outcome measures were assessed including the positive and negative symptoms scale (PANSS), the social disability screening schedule (SDSS), and the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D-17) at baseline, week 2, week 4, and week 8. The extrapyramidal side effects were assessed each week using the abnormal involuntary movement scale (AIMS) and rating scale for extrapyramidal side effects (RSESE), while adverse events were assessed using treatment emergent symptoms scale (TESS) as additional indicators of tolerability throughout the trial. Results The response rates of the WSKY group for the number of completed categories (CC), errors responses number (ER), perseveringly errors responses number (PER), and conceptual level (CL) of WCST assessment were significantly higher than those of placebo. The reduction in the SDSS score from baseline to endpoint was significantly greater in the WSKY group than those in the placebo. There were no significant differences in the response rates for the correct responses number, perseveringly responses number (PR) of WCST between the treatment groups. The improvements in the WCST indexes, PANSS score, HAM-D-17 score were no significant differences from baseline to endpoint between the two groups at week 8.There were no significant differences in AIMS, RSESE, and TESS compared patients treated with WSKY capsule with those in placebo during treatment. Conclusion WSKY capsule added on risperidone may improve cognitive function, social function of the chronic schizophrenic patients, and the WSKY safely during treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Occurrence and levels of indicators and selected pathogens in different sludges and biosolidsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007C. Guzmán Abstract Aims:, Determine the occurrence and levels of pathogens and indicators in raw and treated sludges and compare their persistence after two different treatments. Methods and Results:, Helminth ova, Cryptosporidium spp., Salmonella spp., enteroviruses, and bacterial and viral indicators were determined in raw sludges and biosolids produced after mesophilic and thermophilic treatments. Except Salmonella, all of the parameters were quantified. Helminth ova were found at very low concentrations even in raw sludges. Viable Cryptosporidium oocysts were still present in most samples of treated sludges. Faecal coliforms, spores of sulphite-reducing clostridia (SSRC), and somatic coliphages were the only indicators with values above their detection limits in most of the samples. Conclusions:, Pathogens were still detected in some treated sludge samples. SSRC were the most resistant micro-organisms to treatments and hence may be an indicator for the reduction of protozoan oocysts. Somatic coliphages constitute an alternative as viral indicators due to their detection in sludges before and after treatment. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Because of the persistence of some pathogens after sludge treatments, additional indicators are needed. SSRC and somatic coliphages are good candidates. Easy and inexpensive methods for the determination of these indicators are feasible both in industrialized and developing countries. [source] Oral health-related quality of life among rural-dwelling Indigenous AustraliansAUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010SD Williams Abstract Background:, There is limited information on the impact of poor oral health on Indigenous Australian quality of life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, extent and severity of, and to calculate risk indicators for, poor oral health-related quality of life among a convenience sample of rural-dwelling Indigenous Australians. Methods:, Participants (n = 468) completed a questionnaire that included socio-demographic, lifestyle, dental service utilization, dental self-care and oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) factors. Results:, The prevalence of having experienced one or more of OHIP-14 items ,fairly often' or ,very often' was 34.8%. The extent of OHIP-14 scores was 1.88, while the severity was 15.0. Risk indicators for having experienced one or more of OHIP-14 items ,fairly often' or ,very often' included problem-based dental attendance, avoiding dental care because of cost, difficulty paying a $100 dental bill and non-ownership of a toothbrush. An additional risk indicator for OHIP-14 extent was healthcare card ownership, while additional indicators for OHIP-14 severity were healthcare card ownership and having had 5+ teeth extracted. Conclusions:, Risk indicators for poor oral health-related quality of life among this marginalized population included socio-economic factors, dentate status factors, dental service utilization patterns, financial factors and dental self-care factors. [source] | ||||||||||