Better Comprehension (good + comprehension)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A framework for fusion methods and rendering techniques of multimodal volume data

COMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 2 2004
Maria Ferre
Abstract Many different direct volume rendering methods have been developed to visualize 3D scalar fields on uniform rectilinear grids. However, little work has been done on rendering simultaneously various properties of the same 3D region measured with different registration devices or at different instants of time. The demand for this type of visualization is rapidly increasing in scientific applications such as medicine in which the visual integration of multiple modalities allows a better comprehension of the anatomy and a perception of its relationships with activity. This paper presents different strategies of direct multimodal volume rendering (DMVR). It is restricted to voxel models with a known 3D rigid alignment transformation. The paper evaluates at which steps of the rendering pipeline the data fusion must be realized in order to accomplish the desired visual integration and to provide fast re-renders when some fusion parameters are modified. In addition, it analyses how existing monomodal visualization algorithms can be extended to multiple datasets and it compares their efficiency and their computational cost. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Improvement of the comprehension of written information given to healthy volunteers in biomedical research: a single-blind randomized controlled study

FUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
Adeline Paris
Abstract Writing an informed consent form (ICF) for biomedical research is a difficult task. We conducted a multicenter single-blind randomized controlled trial to identify whether a working group or the systematic improvement in lexico-syntactic readability or an association of the two could increase the comprehension of the written information given to healthy volunteers enrolled in biomedical research. Participants were randomized to read one of four versions of the ICF: unchanged ICF (A), ICF with systematic lexico-syntactic readability improvement (B), ICF modified by a working group (C), and ICF modified by the working group followed by systematic lexico-syntactic improvement (D). The primary end-point was the objective comprehension score at day 0 for each study group. The scores of objective comprehension at day 0 were statistically different between the four study groups (anovaP = 0.020). The pairwise analysis showed an improvement in the working group vs. the unchanged group (P = 0.003), and a tendency to improvement in the group who read the ICF modified using lexico-syntactic readability and in the group who read the ICF modified using the two methods (P = 0.020 and 0.027 respectively). We conducted a two-way anova to identify some characteristics of the population which could explain this score. There was a significant interaction between the type of informed consent document (ICD) and the gender. Improving the ICD in phase I biomedical research leads to better comprehension, whether the method used is systematic lexico-syntactic improvement or a review by a working group. The improvement is specifically observed in men compared with women. Conversely, while both methods diverge in their effect on lexico-syntactic readability, their association is not mandatory. We suggest that in all phase I clinical trials, the ICF be improved by either method. [source]


Tocopheryl quinones and mitochondria

MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 5 2010
Lars Gille
Abstract In the past, the role of tocopherols and tocopheryl hydroquinones as antioxidants in mitochondria has been examined. However, structural properties of tocopherols and tocopheryl quinones (arrangement of polar/apolar moieties) have also been recognized as being crucial for the selective transport of RRR-,-congeners compared with other tocopherols in the cell, suggesting that these properties might be generally important for the binding of vitamin E-related compounds to proteins and enzymes in mitochondria. Therefore, direct modulation of mitochondrial activities, such as bioenergetics, production of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis, not exclusively related to the redox activity of these compounds is increasingly studied. This overview focuses on the influence of ,-/,-tocopheryl quinones and their parent ,-/,-tocopherols on mitochondrial functions, including formation of tocopheryl quinones, their analytical aspects, their potential as alternative substrates and their inhibitory activity for some mitochondrial functions. It is shown that the understanding of how tocopheryl quinones and tocopherols interfere with mitochondrial functions on the molecular level is still incomplete and that a better comprehension requires further research activities. [source]


Impact of the Granulation Process on Color Texture of Compacts

PARTICLE & PARTICLE SYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION, Issue 1 2004
Berthe N'Dri-Stempfer
Abstract This paper examines the effect of the granulation process on the color texture of compacted powders and granules. The objective is to obtain information to provide for a better comprehension of granulation mechanisms by using a pigment as a texture marker. This requires the establishment of a methodology both to qualify and quantify the spatial variation of color on the compact surface. This is achieved by color image analysis accompanied by both a statistical and a spatial treatment of the color content in the images. [source]


A study of Streptococcus thermophilus proteome by integrated analytical procedures and differential expression investigations

PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 1 2006
Simona Arena
Abstract Streptococcus thermophilus is a Gram-positive bacterium belonging to the group of lactic acid bacteria, among which several genera play an essential role in manufacture of food products. Recently, a genomic consortium sequenced and annotated its entire genome, which has been demonstrated to contain 1900 coding sequences. In this study, we have revealed the expression products of almost 200 different genes using a proteomic strategy combining 2-DE plus MALDI-TOF PMF and differential 1-DE plus ,LC-ESI-IT-MS/MS. Thus, a number of cellular pathways related to important physiological processes were described at the proteomic level. Almost 50 genes were related to multiple electrophoretic species, whose heterogeneity was mainly due to variability in pI values. A 2-DE reference map obtained for lactose-grown cells was compared with those obtained after heat, cold, acid, oxidative and starvation stresses. Protein up/down-regulation measurements demonstrated that adaptation to different environmental challenges may involve the contribution of unique as well as combined physiological mechanisms. Common regulatory sites in the promoter region of genes whose expression was induced after stress were identified. These results provide a better comprehension of biochemical processes related to stress resistance in S. thermophilus, allowing defining the molecular bases of adaptative responses or markers for the identification of strains with potential industrial applications. [source]


Reducing racial bias in the penalty phase of capital trials

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 5 2008
Netta Shaked-Schroer M.A.
Past research (e.g. Lynch & Haney, 2000) has shown that race plays a significant role in juror decision making in the penalty phase of capital murder trials. This study investigates the possibility of reducing juror bias towards Blacks by altering the content of jury instructions. White and non-White participants received trial information and jury instructions in which the defendant's race (Black or White) and the instruction type (standard or simplified) were manipulated. Participants rendered a sentence recommendation, identified factors they considered to be aggravating or mitigating, and responded to instruction comprehension questions. Bias against the Black defendant was significantly reduced when simplified instructions were used and when the defendant was judged by racially diverse jurors. Simplification also led to better comprehension of sentencing instructions. Implications for capital trials are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


China's Economic Prospects and Sino,US Economic Relations

CHINA AND WORLD ECONOMY, Issue 2 2006
Pingfan Hong
F00; P21 Abstract A better comprehension of the mixed sentiment in the rest of world towards the rapid rise of the Chinese economy will depend on the understanding of some key features of the Chinese economy, such as those associated with its size, structure and institution. To further sustain its high growth, China is facing more challenges than it has encountered in the past 2 decades, including a gamut of material constraints. Although polices and technological progress might alleviate many of these constraints, the ultimate solution will still lie in continued institutional reform. China's recent move towards a more flexible exchange rate regime is in line with its broad reform and in accordance with the progress of its development. However, such a move will have limited immediate effects on the prodigious US trade deficit, which itself is a problem rooted in the flawed international reserve system, far beyond a Sino-US trade issue. Edited by Xiaoming Feng [source]


Eliciting patients' preferences for adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: development and validation of a bedside decision-making instrument in a French Regional Cancer Centre

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2000
Marie-Odile Carrère PhD
Introduction In developed countries, the physician-patient relationship is moving from a paternalistic model to new decision-making models that take patient preferences into account. Objectives Our aim was to develop a Decision Board (DB) and to test its acceptability in a French Regional Cancer Centre regarding the decision on whether or not to use chemotherapy after surgery in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. This paper presents the development process for this instrument and reports the pretesting phase, as well as the corresponding results. Methods A working group was created with oncologists, psychologists and economists. Following the first phase, i.e. the development process, a first version of the instrument was presented to health professionals. Their feedback led to important modifications of the instrument. The DB was then presented to experienced patients, which resulted in slight changes. The second phase consisted of pretesting the comprehension, internal and across-time consistency of the DB on healthy volunteers. Results The DB was pretested in a group of 40 healthy volunteers. Eighteen respondents chose chemotherapy and 22 chose not to have chemotherapy. Comprehension rates were very high (,87.5%). Internal consistency was assessed considering option attitudes based on outcomes and option attitudes based on process. Women shifted their choices in a predictable way. Across-time consistency was appraised using the test-retest method with Visual Analog Scales. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.97. Discussion-conclusion Due to cultural differences, the DB developed in our French Cancer Centre is quite different from the DBs previously developed elsewhere. Our instrument showed good comprehension and consistency properties, which are corroborated by the DB literature. Whether our DB is acceptable for patients with breast cancer must still be tested. Patients' reactions will tell us which type of decision-making model is at work. Further research is needed in order to explore the shared decision-making process and clarify the concept. [source]