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Authors' Opinion (author + opinion)
Selected AbstractsPrioritizing patients for elective surgery: a systematic reviewANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 8 2003Andrew D. MacCormick Background: Priority scoring tools are mooted as means for dealing with burgeoning elective surgical waiting lists. There is ongoing development work in New Zealand, Canada and the UK. This emerging international perspective is invaluable in determining the application of these tools and addressing any pitfalls. Methods: A systematic electronic literature review was performed. Information was also retrieved using a search of reference lists of all papers included in the review and contact with those who were involved in the development of such criteria. Results: The ethical basis of prioritization differed among priority scoring tools and in a number was not stated. The majority of tools covered criteria for specific procedures. Delphi consensus methods and regression were the predominant methods for determining specific criteria. Authors' opinions were the main source of generic criteria. Linear and non-linear models or matrices summated criteria. Conclusion: There is debate over the ethical basis for prioritization. It is a concern that it is not addressed in many studies. The development of generic criteria showed a dearth of consensus approaches that represents a significant gap in our knowledge. On the aspects of summation and weighting, the impact of assumptions on the prioritization of patients may not have been fully explored. [source] Observations on online educational materials for powder diffraction crystallography softwareJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 5-2 2010Brian H. Toby This article presents a series of approaches used to educate potential users of crystallographic software for powder diffraction. The approach that has been most successful in the author's opinion is the web lecture, where an audio presentation is coupled to a video-like record of the contents of the presenter's computer screen. [source] Indication and Techniques of Transcatheter Closure of Patent Foramen OvaleJOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 6 2003RAINER SCHRÄDER M.D. A potential causal relationship of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and a stroke was first suggested by Cohnheim in 1877.1 Today, this correlation is generally accepted. However, there is still no "gold standard" for the treatment of patients with presumed paradoxical embolism. This article reviews the epidemiology of and the diagnostic methods for PFO, the clinical relationship between PFO and cerebral ischemia, as well as indications and techniques for transcatheter closure of PFO. In the author's opinion, transcatheter PFO closure represents an elegant management for selected patients at risk. (J Interven Cardiol 2003;16:543,551) [source] Electro-Oxidation of Methanol and Ethanol on Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) with Dispersed Pt, Pt + Sn, and Pt + Pb Particles,FUEL CELLS, Issue 1-2 2003S. Biallozor Abstract The influence of tin and lead additives on the catalytic activity of platinum particles dispersed on a poly(3,4-dioxyethylenethiophene) (PEDT) layer deposited on gold or steel towards anodic oxidation of methanol and ethanol was studied. It was found that these additives increase the rate of anodic oxidation of both alcohols. It was also found that the electro-catalytic properties of PEDT depend on the kind of support used for its deposition. The authors have shown that these additives (Pb and Sn) increase the rate of anodic oxidation of both alcohols on platinum deposited on PEDT, but tin was evidently more effective than lead. In the presence of Sn, the steady-state current density of methanol oxidation increases about 100 times, while Pb only promotes the platinum catalyst activity by about 2 times. In the authors opinion the most probable mechanism for the tin promotion effect seems to be a homogenous catalytic reaction with the participation of the Sn (IV) and Sn (II) ions as mediators. [source] Structural determinations by circular dichroism spectra analysis using coupled oscillator methods: An update of the applications of the DeVoe polarizability model,CHIRALITY, Issue 7 2004Stefano Superchi Abstract The exciton (coupled oscillator) model for optical activity is a very useful and powerful method which allows to analyze a circular dichroism (CD) spectrum in a nonempirical way, arriving at a safe assignment of the absolute configuration of organic and inorganic compounds. Usually in this model only the exciton coupling of two electrically allowed transitions (oscillators) is taken into account. This approach has the important advantage of an easy application but, sometimes, it may lead to wrong results. Thus, in this review article a more general treatment, which allows considering the simultaneous coupling of several oscillators, i.e., the DeVoe model, is presented and critically analyzed, discussing in detail the latest applications reported in the literature. In the authors opinion, since the DeVoe model joins generality and reliability requiring an almost negligible computational effort, it represents the method of choice for stereochemical assignments, even by nonspecialists. Chirality 16:422,451, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Complementary therapy for psoriasisDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 2 2003Giovanni Luigi Capella ABSTRACT: The authors provide some specifications regarding the correct terminology to be applied in the field of complementary medicine, and review and comment on several complementary treatments for psoriasis. Putative psychotherapeutic equivalents are kept distinct from treatments based on the surreptitious administration of physical or pharmacologic agents. Limits on the application of psychotherapeutic techniques are discussed. Risks inherent to complementary treatments (psychological derangements, moral subjugation, physical damage, economic exploitation) are underscored. The authors plead for the application of adequate scientific criticism in complementary medicine, but warn that any approach to the practice of medicine which is not disinterested and patient oriented,as the academic one should be,will be inappropriate, misleading, or even immoral. In the authors' opinion, this could also apply to the evidence-based medicine movement (often perceived as the archenemy of alternative medicine), should this movement be influenced by economical, political, or other nonmedical factors. [source] Prediction of municipal solid waste generation with combination of support vector machine and principal component analysis: A case study of MashhadENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 2 2009R. Noori Abstract Quantity prediction of municipal solid waste (MSW) is crucial for design and programming municipal solid waste management system (MSWMS). Because effect of various parameters on MSW quantity and its high fluctuation, prediction of generated MSW is a difficult task that can lead to enormous error. The works presented here involve developing an improved support vector machine (SVM) model, which combines the principal component analysis (PCA) technique with the SVM to forecast the weekly generated waste of Mashhad city. In this study, the PCA technique was first used to reduce and orthogonalize the original input variables (data). Then these treated data were used as new input variables in SVM model. This improved model was evaluated by using weekly time series of waste generation (WG) and the number of trucks that carry waste in week of t. These data have been collected from 2005 to 2008. By comparing the predicted WG with the observed data, the effectiveness of the proposed model was verified. Therefore, in authors' opinion, the model presented in this article is a potential tool for predicting WG and has advantages over the traditional SVM model. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2009 [source] Employee Rights on Transfer of Undertakings: Italian Legislation and EC LawEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 1 2008Marco Novella The investigation takes place on the assumption that the principle of primacy of Community law applies, which first and foremost means that it must be verified whether the domestic legislation in question complies with the interpretation given to the relative provisions of Community law. According to the authors' opinion, domestic law could be judged as non-conforming to the interpretation that has been given by the Court of Justice, so that the question may be brought before the Court of Justice ex Article 226 EC or by recourse to the preliminary ruling procedure under Article 234 EC, which reveal cases of incorrect implementation of the Directive. [source] Stress induced mechanical anisotropy in tetragonal zirconia polycrystalsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 3 2004V. I. Barbashov Abstract Microhardness and fracture toughness of polycrystalline ceramic on the basis of ZrO2 were measured using the microindentation technique. Obtained dependencies testify to the anisotropy of strength properties of partially stabilised zirconia specimens. In the authors' opinion, such anisotropy is caused by the initiation of tetragonal,monoclinic phase transition in the field of external stresses. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The Johnson family and the Reformation, 1542,52HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 210 2007Danae Tankard The Johnsons were a family of merchants who left behind an extensive body of correspondence, covering the period 1542,52, preserved in The National Archives. By 1542 the Johnsons and many of their social network were already ,Protestant', although when they converted and why is unknown. Through their letters we get a first-hand account of many of the events of the Reformation, both in England and Europe, and their authors' opinions on them. Using the correspondence, which remains almost completely unknown, this article analyses the nature of their Protestantism within the context of the early Reformation. [source] | |||||||||||||