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Rigorous
Terms modified by Rigorous Selected AbstractsRe-Examining Whether and Why Acculturation Relates to Drinking Outcomes in a Rigorous, National Survey of LatinosALCOHOLISM, Issue 12 2005Sarah E. Zemore Abstract: Background: Fundamental limitations have hampered conclusions surrounding acculturation's effects among Latinos. This research re-examines associations between acculturation and alcohol use, addressing the most troubling of these limitations. The research also explores mediators of the association, and the dimensional structure of acculturation. Methods: Linear regressions and scale analyses were used to analyze data from Latino adults in the U.S. (825 women, 761 men) sampled in the 1995 National Alcohol Survey. Analyses used a standard, reliable acculturation scale and well-validated drinking measures; systematically accounted for demographic covariates; and analyzed men and women separately. Results: As expected, higher acculturation was positively associated with a higher probability of drinking (vs. abstinence) among women, and higher average volumes and more frequent drunkenness among female drinkers. Acculturation was unrelated to alcohol use among men. Also as expected, mediational analyses of average volume supported expectations that gender-specific drinking norms would mediate acculturation's effects (though norms did not explain acculturation's associations with either drinking status or frequency of drunkenness). Analyses investigating depressive symptoms showed no support for the acculturation-stress model. Factor analyses of the acculturation scale supported the hypothesized distinctions between linguistic acculturation, attitudinal acculturation, and the social environment of acculturation. Further, items implying more intimate exposure to Anglo culture (i.e., language use) were most strongly related to drinking outcomes among women, supporting the normative interpretation of acculturation's effects on drinking. Conclusions: Results underline acculturation's influence on alcohol consumption among Latina women, and highlight the role of drinking norms in mediating this association. Results also suggest a multidimensional view of acculturation. The article recommends further research on drinking norms and other potential mediators of acculturation's effects among Latina women. [source] 3D Image Segmentation of Aggregates from Laser ProfilingCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2003Hyoungkwan Kim Automated scanners of different designs use cameras or lasers to obtain digital images of groups of aggregate particles. To accurately determine particle size and shape parameters, each particle region in the image must be isolated and processed individually. Here, a method for segmenting a particle image acquired from laser profiling is developed using a Canny edge detector and a watershed transformation. Canny edges with rigorous and liberal threshold values are used to outline particle boundaries on a binary image and to check the validity of watersheds, respectively. To find appropriate regional minima in the watershed transformation, a varying search window method is used, where the number of neighboring pixels being compared with the pixel of interest is determined from the height value of the pixel. Test results with this method are promising. When implemented in automated systems that are designed to rapidly assess size and shape characteristics of stone particles, this technique can not only reduce the amount of time required for aggregate preparation, but also increase the accuracy of analysis results. [source] A systematic review of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offendersCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2006Edward A.S. Duncan Background,Over the last 15 years, rehabilitation of offenders has been rigorously researched, resulting in new knowledge and understanding about factors decreasing recidivism amongst them. Typically, such interventions have been based on cognitive behavioural therapy. However, until recently, little research had been carried out on the rehabilitation of offenders with mental disorder. The authors present the first systematic review of the efficacy of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders. Aim,To evaluate structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders through systematic review of the evidence for their efficacy and effectiveness. Methods,A standardized search strategy, with complementary methods of data retrieval to ensure a high degree of recall, was employed. Meta-analysis was not undertaken due to sample heterogeneity and lack of comparable data. Instead, effect sizes were calculated on all papers with sufficient data. Pooled effect sizes were calculated for groups of interventions with a similar focus. Results,Twenty studies were retrieved that fitted the inclusion criteria. It was possible to categorize these, predominantly British, studies into four main themes: problem-solving; anger/aggression management; self-harm; and other. The mean pooled effect sizes for the first two groups were suggestive of a moderate to high effect, but methodological variation means that these findings should still be treated as preliminary. Discussion and conclusions,Calculated effect sizes give optimism for the efficacy of structured group interventions with mentally disordered offenders. It is important now that more rigorous and consistent research methods be applied, even in secure hospital environments. Some suggestions towards achieving this are offered, drawing from the work to date, inclusive of the need for agreement on common outcome measures and development of networks to improve sample sizes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dancing with the Devil: Partnering with Industry but Publishing in Academia,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 4 2007V. Daniel R. Guide Jr ABSTRACT We believe that partnering with industry can lead to research that is relevant, rigorous, and refreshing. Our experiences show that the potential benefits of partnering with industry are enormous, but that this is not an easy route for academics interested in operations research modeling or empirical methods. The need for grounded business research is greater now than ever, and, while academics have made great progress, there are still numerous opportunities to demonstrate the relevance of our research. We discuss how to establish industry contacts, identify fruitful academic,industry projects, and publish the resulting research. [source] Organization Structure from a Loose Coupling Perspective: A Multidimensional Approach,DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2001Rafik I. Beekun Abstract Organizational theories frequently rely on notions of sharing and dependence among organizational participants, but researchers usually focus on characteristics of the actors themselves instead of the relational patterns among the actors. Loose coupling is one conceptual tool that emphasizes relational patterns. Loose coupling, however, is an abstract metaphor that is simultaneously fertile and ambiguous. This paper develops a rigorous and comprehensive framework that sharpens the theoretical contributions of loose coupling to our understanding of structural relationships. Characteristics of loose coupling capture some important and underexplored features of multidimensional fit and interdependence in organizations. The proposed framework clarifies these theoretical contributions of loose coupling with concepts and equations modified from network analysis. Testable hypotheses are proposed with respect to three key independent variables that may affect patterns of coupling: organization strategy, technology, and environmental turbulence. Additional hypotheses are advanced with respect to the use of the multidimensional approach to loose coupling in studying new organizational forms. Initial psychometric and empirical evidence are presented. [source] Towards a Field OntologyDIALECTICA, Issue 1 2006Christina Schneider The aim of the present article is to make the notion of an ontology of fields mathematically rigorous. The conclusion will be that couching an ontology in terms of mathematical bundles and cross-sections (i.e. fields) both (1) captures many important intuitions of conventional ontologies, including the universal-particular paradigm, the connection of universals and their ,instantiations', and the notion of ,possibility', and (2) makes possible the framing of ontologies without ,substrata', bare particulars, and primitive particularizers (a goal that trope ontologies, for example, have sought to attain). [source] Linking dispersal, immigration and scale in the neutral theory of biodiversityECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 12 2009Ryan A. Chisholm Abstract In the classic spatially implicit formulation of Hubbell's neutral theory of biodiversity a local community receives immigrants from a metacommunity operating on a relatively slow timescale, and dispersal into the local community is governed by an immigration parameter m. A current problem with neutral theory is that m lacks a clear biological interpretation. Here, we derive analytical expressions that relate the immigration parameter m to the geometry of the plot defining the local community and the parameters of a dispersal kernel. Our results facilitate more rigorous and extensive tests of the neutral theory: we conduct a test of neutral theory by comparing estimates of m derived from fits to empirical species abundance distributions to those derived from dispersal kernels and find acceptable correspondence; and we generate a new prediction of neutral theory by investigating how the shapes of species abundance distributions change theoretically as the spatial scale of observation changes. We also discuss how our main analytical results can be used to assess the error in the mean-field approximations associated with spatially implicit formulations of neutral theory. Ecology Letters (2009) 12: 1385,1393 [source] ,All Stories that Have Happy Endings Have a Bad Character': a Young Child Responds to Televisual TextsENGLISH IN EDUCATION, Issue 2 2001Sandra Smidt Abstract This piece arose out of the initially casual observations I made of my young granddaughter as she became involved in watching stories on videos. Over a period of two years these observations became more rigorous and detailed and the resulting work seeks to analyse what Hannah has been doing in her initial and repeated watchings of videos and what has passed between us when I have watched the videos with her or joined in with her observations and comments. [source] Adherence to pharmacotherapy in patients with alcohol and opioid dependenceADDICTION, Issue 11 2004Roger D. Weiss ABSTRACT Aims An important factor that has thus far limited the effectiveness of pharmacotherapies for patients with alcohol and opioid dependence is poor adherence to medication regimens. This paper presents a review of issues related to medication adherence in patients with these substance use disorders. Design and methods A literature review was conducted of English language publications relating to medication adherence among patients with alcohol or opioid dependence. Findings The paper places the topic in the context of adherence difficulties among patients with a variety of chronic medical and psychiatric illnesses. Difficulties measuring adherence are discussed, and strategies to improve medication adherence are reviewed. These include specific interventions that prescribing clinicians can implement in their individual meetings with patients; the use of external reinforcers, such as positive and negative contingencies, and involvement of family members or significant others; and specific prescribing and dosing practices that may improve adherence. Conclusions As the use of pharmacotherapy for substance-dependent patients increases, rigorous and innovative approaches to encourage medication adherence should be sought. [source] The concept of disease: ethical challenges and relevance to dentistry and dental educationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2001Bjřrn M. Hofmann Modern medicine and dentistry face fundamental ethical challenges. To treat or not to treat, that is the question! Can these challenges be met with a rigorous and consistent concept of disease? This is the key question of this article and the ensuing debate is of fundamental importance in the teaching of ethics to medical and dental students. The investigation of traditional concepts of disease reveals that they are flawed and do not withstand ethical challenges. An alternative concept of human ailment is elaborated on, based on the triad disease, illness and sickness. This model is applied to representative cases in medicine in general and dentistry in particular. It is argued that the concepts of disease, illness and sickness represent a framework for analysing and coping with inherent ethical challenges. This reveals that medicine and dentistry are concerned both with biological explanations and with questions of the virtuous life, i.e., both with science and with ethics. These considerations pose challenges for the health professions as a whole, but particularly for those concerned with educating the practitioners of the future. [source] PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN DARWIN'S FINCHES AND THEIR RELATIVESEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2002Kevin J. Burns Abstract Despite the importance of Darwin's finches to the development of evolutionary theory, the origin of the group has only recently been examined using a rigorous, phylogenetic methodology that includes many potential outgroups. Knowing the evolutionary relationships of Darwin's finches to other birds is important for understanding the context from which this adaptive radiation arose. Here we show that analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the cytochrome b gene confirm that Darwin's finches are monophyletic. In addition, many taxa previously proposed as the sister taxon to Darwin's finches can be excluded as their closest living relative. Darwin's finches are part of a well-supported monophyletic group of species, all of which build a domed nest. All but two of the non-Darwin's finches included in this clade occur on Caribbean islands and most are Caribbean endemics. These close relatives of Darwin's finches show a diversity of bill types and feeding behaviors similar to that observed among Darwin's finches themselves. Recent studies have shown that adaptive evolution in Darwin's finches occurred relatively quickly. Our data show that among the relatives of Darwin's finches, the evolution of bill diversity was also rapid and extensive. [source] Discrete Bose-Einstein systems in a box with low adiabatic invariantFORTSCHRITTE DER PHYSIK/PROGRESS OF PHYSICS, Issue 4-5 2003V.I. Vlad The Bose-Einstein energy spectrum of an ideal quantum gas confined in a box is discrete and strongly dependent on the box geometry and temperature, for low product of the atomic mass number, Aat and the adiabatic invariant, TV2/3, i.e. on , = Aat TV2/3. Even within the approximation of non-interacting particles in the gas, the calculation of the thermodynamic properties of Bose-Einstein systems turns out to be a difficult mathematical problem. The present study compares the total number of particles, the total energy and the specific heat obtained by sums over the discrete states to the results of the approximate integrals (for defined values of ,) and shows the noticeable errors of the last ones at low adiabatic invariant (around condensation). Then, more rigorous and precise analytical approximations of sums are found in the case of finite number of atoms (correlated with the existence of a zero energy level) and the finite volume of the gas. The corrected thermodynamic functions depend on , (for fixed fugacity). The condensation temperature is corrected also in order to describe more accurately the discrete Bose-Einstein systems. Under these circumstances, the analysis of the specific heat leads to the conclusion that it shows no discontinuity, for the entire range of , values. [source] Adaptive management of an environmental watering event to enhance native fish spawning and recruitmentFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2010A. J. KING Summary 1. A common goal of many environmental flow regimes is to maintain and/or enhance the river's native fish community by increasing the occurrence of successful spawning and recruitment events. However, our understanding of the flow requirements of the early life history of fish is often limited, and hence predicting their response to specific managed flow events is difficult. To overcome this uncertainty requires the use of adaptive management principles in the design, implementation, monitoring and adjustment of environmental flow regimes. 2. The Barmah-Millewa Forest, a large river red gum forest on the Murray River floodplain, south-east Australia, contains a wide variety of ephemeral and permanent aquatic habitats suitable for fish. Flow regulation of the Murray River has significantly altered the natural flood regime of the Forest. In an attempt to alleviate some of the effects of river regulation, the Forest's water regime is highly managed using a variety of flow control structures and also receives targeted Environmental Water Allocations (EWA). In 2005, the largest environmental flow allocated to date in Australia was delivered at the Forest. 3. This study describes the adaptive management approach employed during the delivery of the 2005 EWA, which successfully achieved multiple ecological goals including enhanced native fish spawning and recruitment. Intensive monitoring of fish spawning and recruitment provided invaluable real-time and ongoing management input for optimising the delivery of environmental water to maximise ecological benefits at Barmah-Millewa Forest and other similar wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin. 4. We discuss possible scenarios for the future application of environmental water and the need for environmental flow events and regimes to be conducted as rigorous, large-scale experiments within an adaptive management framework. [source] Application of Six Sigma Methods for Improving the Analytical Data Management Process in the Environmental IndustryGROUND WATER MONITORING & REMEDIATION, Issue 2 2006Christopher M. French Honeywell applied the rigorous and well-documented Six Sigma quality-improvement approach to the complex, highly heterogeneous, and mission-critical process of remedial site environmental data management to achieve a sea change in terms of data quality, environmental risk reduction, and overall process cost reduction. The primary focus was to apply both qualitative and quantitative Six Sigma methods to improve electronic management of analytical laboratory data generated for environmental remediation and long-term monitoring programs. The process includes electronic data delivery, data QA/QC checking, data verification, data validation, database administration, regulatory agency reporting and linkage to spatial information, and real-time geographical information systems. Results of the analysis identified that automated, centralized web-based software tools delivered through Software as a Service (SaaS) model are optimal to improve the process resulting in cost reductions, while simultaneously improving data quality and long-term data usability and perseverance. A pilot project was completed that quantified cycle time and cost improvements of 50% and 65%, respectively. [source] Developing evidence-based librarianship: practical steps for implementation,HEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002Ellen Crumley Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) is a relatively new concept for librarians. This paper lays out a practical framework for the implementation of EBL. A new way of thinking about research in librarianship is introduced using the well-built question process and the assignment of librarian research questions to one of six domains specific to librarianship. As a profession, librarianship tends to reflect more qualitative, social sciences/humanities in its research methods and study types which tend to be less rigorous and more prone to bias. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) do not have to be placed at the top of an evidence ,hierarchy' for librarianship. Instead, a more encompassing model reflecting librarianship as a whole and the kind of research likely to be done by librarians is proposed. ,Evidence' from a number of disciplines including health sciences, business and education can be utilized by librarians and applied to their practice. However, access to and availability of librarianship literature needs to be further studied. While using other disciplines (e.g. EBHC) as a model for EBL has been explored in the literature, the authors develop models unique to librarianship. While research has always been a minor focus in the profession, moving research into practice is becoming more important and librarians need to consider the issues surrounding research in order to move EBL forward. [source] Measuring Hospital Care from the Patients' Perspective: An Overview of the CAHPS® Hospital Survey Development ProcessHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 6p2 2005Elizabeth Goldstein Objective. To describe the developmental process for the CAHPS® Hospital Survey. Study Design. A pilot was conducted in three states with 19,720 hospital discharges. Methods of Analysis. A rigorous, multi-step process was used to develop the CAHPS Hospital Survey. It included a public call for measures, multiple Federal Register notices soliciting public input, a review of the relevant literature, meetings with hospitals, consumers and survey vendors, cognitive interviews with consumer, a large-scale pilot test in three states and consumer testing and numerous small-scale field tests. Findings. The current version of the CAHPS Hospital Survey has survey items in seven domains, two overall ratings of the hospital and five items used for adjusting for the mix of patients across hospitals and for analytical purposes. Conclusions. The CAHPS Hospital Survey is a core set of questions that can be administered as a stand-alone questionnaire or combined with a broader set of hospital specific items. [source] A new saturated/unsaturated model for stormwater infiltration systemsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 25 2008Dale Browne Abstract Infiltration systems are widely used as an effective urban stormwater control measure. Most design methods and models roughly approximate the complex physical flow processes in these systems using empirical equations and fixed infiltration rates to calculate emptying times from full. Sophisticated variably saturated flow models are available, but rarely applied owing to their complexity. This paper describes the development and testing of an integrated one-dimensional model of flow through the porous storage of a typical infiltration system and surrounding soils. The model accounts for the depth in the storage, surrounding soil moisture conditions and the interaction between the storage and surrounding soil. It is a front-tracking model that innovatively combines a soil-moisture-based solution of Richard's equation for unsaturated flow with piston flow through a saturated zone as well as a reservoir equation for flow through a porous storage. This allows the use of a simple non-iterative numerical solution that can handle ponded infiltration into dry soils. The model is more rigorous than approximate stormwater infiltration system models and could therefore be valuable in everyday practice. A range of test cases commonly used to test soil water flow models for infiltration in unsaturated conditions, drainage from saturation and infiltration under ponded conditions were used to test the model along with an experiment with variable depth in a porous storage over saturated conditions. Results show that the model produces a good fit to the observed data, analytical solutions and Hydrus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A simple model of river meandering and its comparison to natural channelsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 1 2002Stephen T. Lancaster Abstract We develop a new method for analysis of meandering channels based on planform sinuosity. This analysis objectively identifies three channel-reach lengths based on sinuosity measured at those lengths: the length of typical, simple bends; the length of long, often compound bends; and the length of several bends in sequence that often evolve from compound bends to form multibend loops. These lengths, when normalized by channel width, tend to fall into distinct and clustered ranges for different natural channels. Mean sinuosity at these lengths also falls into distinct ranges. That range is largest for the third and greatest length, indicating that, for some streams, multibend loops are important for planform sinuosity, whereas for other streams, multibend loops are less important. The role of multibend loops is seldom addressed in the literature, and they are not well predicted by previous modelling efforts. Also neglected by previous modelling efforts is bank,flow interaction and its role in meander evolution. We introduce a simple river meandering model based on topographic steering that has more in common with cellular approaches to channel braiding and landscape evolution modelling than to rigorous, physics-based analyses of river meandering. The model is sufficient to produce reasonable meandering channel evolution and predicts compound bend and multibend loop formation similar to that observed in nature, in both mechanism and importance for planform sinuosity. In the model, the tendency to form compound bends is sensitive to the relative magnitudes of two lengths governing meander evolution: (i) the distance between the bend cross-over and the zone of maximum bank shear stress, and (ii) the bank shear stress dissipation length related to bank roughness. In our simple model, the two lengths are independent. This sensitivity implies that the tendency for natural channels to form compound bends may be greater when the banks are smoother. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Infant mental health, child maltreatment, and the law: A jurisprudent therapy analysis,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2008James J. Clark Scholarly and clinical discussions of the legal issues facing infant mental health professionals typically focus on the seemingly intractable differences in philosophies, goals, and approaches inherent in the law and the mental health professions. We argue that forensically informed approaches to practice with very young children can potentially enhance many mental health and child welfare outcomes. This article describes the relatively new conceptual frameworks known as "therapeutic jurisprudence" and "jurisprudent therapy." Using these conceptual frameworks, we analyze representative problems that are typical in infant mental health practice with maltreated children through case examples drawn from their evaluations of children and families in the child protection and legal systems. Demonstrations of how such dilemmas can be approached with enhanced analytic decision-making and practice approaches are presented. We argue that applying such jurisprudent therapy approaches opens up fresh perspectives for evidence-based practices that facilitate creative, rigorous, and intellectually stimulating clinical work. [source] Rapid biodiversity assessment of spiders (Araneae) using semi-quantitative sampling: a case study in a Mediterranean forestINSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY, Issue 2 2008PEDRO CARDOSO Abstract. 1A thorough inventory of a Mediterranean oak forest spider fauna carried out during 2 weeks is presented. It used a semi-quantitative sampling protocol to collect comparable data in a rigorous, rapid and efficient way. Four hundred and eighty samples of one person-hour of work each were collected, mostly inside a delimited 1-ha plot. 2Sampling yielded 10 808 adult spiders representing 204 species. The number of species present at the site was estimated using five different richness estimators (Chao1, Chao2, Jackknife1, Jackknife2 and Michaelis,Menten). The estimates ranged from 232 to 260. The most reliable estimates were provided by the Chao estimators and the least reliable was obtained with the Michaelis,Menten. However, the behavior of the Michaelis,Menten accumulation curves supports the use of this estimator as a stopping or reliability rule. 3Nineteen per cent of the species were represented by a single specimen (singletons) and 12% by just two specimens (doubletons). The presence of locally rare species in this exhaustive inventory is discussed. 4The effects of day, time of day, collector experience and sampling method on the number of adults, number of species and taxonomic composition of the samples are assessed. Sampling method is the single most important factor influencing the results and all methods generate unique species. Time of day is also important, in such way that each combination of method and time of day may be considered as a different method in itself. There are insignificant differences between the collectors in terms of species and number of adult spiders collected. Despite the high collecting effort, the species richness and abundance of spiders remained constant throughout the sampling period. [source] Are guidelines on use of colony-stimulating factors in solid cancers flawed?INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009I. E. Haines Abstract In cancer care in Australia, we are very reliant on an array of expensive pharmaceuticals. Our use of these treatments is often based on multinational or foreign clinical studies. Oncologists are, to varying degrees, reliant on how the studies are interpreted by the writers of journal editorials, clinical guidelines and opinion pieces. Therefore it is important that these guidelines are balanced and evidence based. We have examined in detail one of the most influential and wide ranging clinical guidelines used in oncology, The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2006 Update of Recommendations for the use of White Blood Cell Factors: An Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline. We have discussed in detail some of the controversial recommendations in this guideline and have exposed what we believe are some flaws in these recommendations. We would urge that we continue to be rigorous in our oversight of international research agendas and international clinical guidelines in the future. [source] Wave propagation velocity under a vertically vibrated surface foundationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 9 2009Jaehun Ahn Abstract The ultimate objective of the research conducted by the authors is to explore the feasibility of determining reliable in situ values of soil modulus as a function of strain. In field experiments, an excitation is applied on the ground surface using large-scale shakers, and the response of the soil deposit is recorded through receivers embedded in the soil. The focus of this paper is on the simulation and observation of signals that would be recorded at the receiver locations under idealized conditions to provide guidelines on the interpretation of the field measurements. Discrete models are used to reproduce one-dimensional and three-dimensional geometries. When the first times of arrival are detected by receivers under the vertical impulse, they coincide with the arrival of the P wave; therefore related to the constrained modulus of the material. If one considers, on the other hand, phase differences between the motions at two receivers, the picture is far more complicated and one would obtain propagation velocities, function of frequency and measuring location, which do not correspond to either the constrained modulus or Young's modulus. It is necessary then to conduct more rigorous and complicated analyses in order to interpret the data. This paper discusses and illustrates these points. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Interior point optimization and limit analysis: an applicationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 10 2003Joseph Pastor Abstract The well-known problem of the height limit of a Tresca or von Mises vertical slope of height h, subjected to the action of gravity stems naturally from Limit Analysis theory under the plane strain condition. Although the exact solution to this problem remains unknown, this paper aims to give new precise bounds using both the static and kinematic approaches and an Interior Point optimizer code. The constituent material is a homogeneous isotropic soil of weight per unit volume ,. It obeys the Tresca or von Mises criterion characterized by C cohesion. We show that the loading parameter to be optimized, ,h/C, is found to be between 3.767 and 3.782, and finally, using a recent result of Lyamin and Sloan (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng. 2002; 55: 573), between 3.772 and 3.782. The proposed methods, combined with an Interior Point optimization code, prove that linearizing the problem remains efficient, and both rigorous and global: this point is the main objective of the present paper. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A systematic review of the use of simulated patients and pharmacy practice researchINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 2 2006Dr. MC Watson MRC fellow Objective The use of simulated patients to assess current practice, or to derive outcome measures for pharmacy practice research, has received much attention in recent years. A simulated patient is an individual who is trained to visit a pharmacy to enact a scenario testing specific behaviour of the pharmacist or pharmacy staff. The aim of this study was to provide a definitive review of the use of simulated patients as a methodological tool for pharmacy practice research. Method A systematic review was undertaken to identify all pharmacy practice studies that had used simulated patient methodology. The electronic databases searched to identify relevant studies were MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Articles fulfilling all the following criteria were considered for inclusion in the review: primary reports of trials conducted in community pharmacy and drug store settings which used simulated patients to derive outcome measures. The review was not restricted by language or by country. The review was restricted to publications from 1976 to May 2005. Key findings In total, 56 full publications were retrieved for further examination, of which 46 studies were included in the review, including: nine randomised controlled trials, three controlled trials, 30 cross-sectional, two time-series and two ,other' studies. Ten publications were excluded: seven reviews, one laboratory-based study, one telephone survey and one study presented only as an abstract. Conclusions There has been steady growth in the use of simulated patient methodology over the past 30 years. Although simulated patients have received negative attention in the pharmaceutical media, they can be a rigorous and robust method of measuring practice if used appropriately. This review demonstrates the range of activities for which this method can be used, including the assessment of counselling and advice provision, the treatment of minor and major illness, and the assessment of the public health activities of pharmacy and drug store staff. Simulated patient methodology has been used in developing countries to a similar, if not greater extent, than the developed world, demonstrating its versatility and applicability to pharmacy practice research globally. [source] Screening tools for depressed mood after childbirth in UK-based South Asian women: a systematic reviewJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2007Soo M. Downe Abstract Aim., This paper is a report of a systematic review to answer the question: what is the relevance, acceptability, validity and effectiveness of tools designed to screen for postnatal depressed mood for South Asian women living in the UK? Background., Standard methods to screen women for postnatal depressed mood were developed with Caucasian populations. This study reviews postnatal screening tools adapted or developed for United Kingdom-based South Asian women. Method., A structured systematic review of English language studies initially was completed between 1980 and May 2003, and later updated to January 2005. The review was based on an a priori search strategy with inclusion and exclusion criteria and analysis included a quality assessment tool. Findings were tabulated against criteria for acceptability and effectiveness of diagnostic tools. Results., Seven papers were included in the review. None addressed all preset quality criteria. Four papers among them reported on translations of two existing tools (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and General Household Questionnaire). Two new tools were reported between the remaining three papers (Punjabi Postnatal Depression Scale and ,Doop Chaon'©). Doop Chaon is a visual tool. The other tools used either Bengali or Punjabi, based on written scales. The General Household Questionnaire did not appear to be appropriate for this population. None of the studies were rigorous enough to demonstrate generalizable sensitivity or specificity. Qualitative data indicated that women preferred face-to-face interviews to self-complete questionnaires. Conclusions., None of the tools are currently sufficiently evaluated for clinical practice. Questions are raised specifically about use of language-based tools to measure postnatal depressed mood in this population and about the extent to which focused interviews could be used as an alternative for specific sub-sections of population groups. [source] I-CAN: A New Instrument to Classify Support Needs for People with Disability: Part IJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2009Vivienne C. Riches Background, The supports paradigm has shifted focus from assessing competence and deficits among people with disabilities to identifying supports needed to live meaningful and productive lives in inclusive settings. Consequently, a rigorous and robust system is required that is capable of accurately determining the type and intensity of support needed and of allocating resources accordingly. The aim of the present study was to develop such a system to identify and classify support needs of people with disabilities based on the conceptual framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) [WHO, The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), Author, Geneva, 2001], and the supports concept [Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Support, 9th edn (1992), 10th edn (2002), American Association on Mental Retardation, Washington, DC). Method, A total of 1012 individuals with disabilities who were supported by accommodation and day programme organizations across the eastern states of Australia were assessed. The instrument was used in a team setting involving the person, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. Version 1 was administered with 595 people with disability. This version was refined according to qualitative and quantitative analyses. Another 342 individuals were assessed using Version 2, resulting in a combined data set for 936 individuals. Version 3 was then trialled with a further 76 individuals with disabilities. Results, Ten domain scales in Health and Well Being (HWB) and Activities and Participation (A&P) were explored and refined. The scales effectively discriminated a range of intensities of support for people with various disabilities, with the highest support needs generally recorded by individuals with multiple disabilities who were ageing. The instrument can be used to develop a profile of needed supports across the domain scales. These measure current and predicted support needs, and contribute to future planning. The team approach proved beneficial in this regard. Conclusions, The I-CAN is a useful instrument for effectively assessing the support needs of people with a disability using a person centred approach. It is effective in identifying support needs across health and well-being areas, and activities of daily living. [source] Surgeons and scientists: Working together in embryo researchJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2009Alison P. Murdoch Abstract Most surgeons in academic hospitals will have had a request from an enthusiastic research scientist to take samples of tissue during an operation. It seems reasonable and most patients will respond positively. But of course it is not quite that simple. The regulation of donation of human tissue for basic research is clearly defined but usually less rigorous than that which covers translational research and clinical trials. An exception has been the donation of embryos for embryonic stem cell derivation. The specific issues related to obtaining cells from patients for this work has resulted in a different relationship between scientist and clinician. This will be considered. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 1,2, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Multiparameter models for performance analysis of UASB reactorsJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2008C M Narayanan Abstract BACKGROUND: UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket) bioreactors have the distinct advantage that they do not demand support particles and provide a high rate of bioconversion even with high strength feedstocks. Although apparently simple in construction, the performance analysis of these reactors involves a high degree of mathematical complexity. Most simulation models reported in the literature are rudimentary in nature as they involve gross approximations. In the present paper, two multiparameter simulation packages are presented that make no simplifying assumptions and hence are more rigorous in nature. RESULTS: The first package assumes the sludge bed to be a plug-flow reactor (PFR) and the sludge blanket to be an ideal continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The second package equates the reactor to a plug flow dispersion reactor (PFDR), the axial dispersion coefficient however being a function of axial distance. The three phase nature of the sludge blanket has been considered and the variation of gas velocity in the axial direction has been taken into account. Three different kinetic equations have been considered. Resistance to diffusion of substrate into sludge granules has been accounted for by incorporating appropriately defined effectiveness factors. The applicability of simulation packages developed has been ascertained by comparing with real-life data collected from industrial/pilot plant/laboratory UASB reactors. The maximum deviation observed is ± 15%. CONCLUSIONS: Although the software packages developed have high computational load, their applicability has been successfully ascertained and they may be recommended for design and installation of industrial UASB reactors and also for the rating of existing installations. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Application of equality constraints on variables during alternating least squares proceduresJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 12 2002Mark H. Van Benthem Abstract We describe several methods of applying equality constraints while performing procedures that employ alternating least squares. Among these are mathematically rigorous methods of applying equality constraints, as well as approximate methods, commonly used in chemometrics, that are not mathematically rigorous. The rigorous methods are extensions of the methods described in detail in Lawson and Hanson's landmark text on solving least squares problems, which exhibit well-behaved least squares performance. The approximate methods tend to be easy to use and code, but they exhibit poor least squares behaviors and have properties that are not well understood. This paper explains the application of rigorous equality-constrained least squares and demonstrates the dangers of employing non-rigorous methods. We found that in some cases, upon initiating multivariate curve resolution with the exact basis vectors underlying synthetic data overlaid with noise, the approximate method actually results in an increase in the magnitude of residuals. This phenomenon indicates that the solutions for the approximate methods may actually diverge from the least squares solution. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A review of the benefits of whole body exercise during and after treatment for breast cancerJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2007Marilyn N Kirshbaum PhD RN (NY) RGN DipAdultOnc Aim., A current critical review of the literature was deemed necessary to evaluate the strength of evidence to inform clinical practice. Background., Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in empirical literature surrounding the benefits of exercise for breast cancer patients. Methods., A systematic search strategy was used to identify relevant literature. Twenty-nine articles were retained for critical review, appraised for quality and synthesized. Results., Many early studies had limited internal and external validity. Recent studies were considerably more rigorous and robust. Consistent support for all types of aerobic exercise was most evident in studies of patients during adjuvant cancer treatments (chemotherapy and radiotherapy), compared with post-treatment studies. The evidence which suggested that aerobic exercise limits cancer-related fatigue was particularly strong. For other patient concerns, the empirical support was less robust, however, the potential for beneficial and measurable patient outcomes was indicated for cardiopulmonary function, overall quality of life, global health, strength, sleep, self-esteem and reduced weight gain, depression, anxiety and tiredness. Conclusions., Additional studies with higher methodological quality are required in this clinically relevant area to substantiate current indications particularly for patient subgroups (e.g. older people, those with advanced cancer and the disadvantaged). Relevance to clinical practice., It is important for all healthcare professionals involved in the care of individuals affected by breast cancer to be aware of the evidence surrounding the benefits of exercise and to encourage patients to increase physical activity and improve their overall health and well-being. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||