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Selected AbstractsEmergency Medicine Resident Documentation: Results of the 1999 American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training Examination SurveyACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2000John Howell MD Abstract. Objectives: To assess how emergency medicine (EM) residents perform medical record documentation, and how well they comply with Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Medicare charting guidelines. In addition, the study investigated their abilities and confidence with billing and coding of patient care visits and procedures performed in the emergency department (ED). Finally, the study assessed their exposure to both online faculty instruction and formal didactic experience with this component of their curriculum. Methods: A survey was conducted consisting of closed-ended questions investigating medical record documentation in the ED. The survey was distributed to all EM residents, EM,internal medicine, and EM,pediatrics residents taking the 1999 American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) In-Training examination. Five EM residents and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) board of directors prevalidated the survey. Summary statistics were calculated and resident levels were compared for each question using either chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Alpha was 0.05 for all comparisons. Results: Completed surveys were returned from 88.5% of the respondents. A small minority of the residents code their own charts (6%). Patient encounters are most frequently documented on free-form handwritten charts (38%), and a total of 76% of the respondents reported using handwritten forms as a portion of the patient's final chart. Twenty-nine percent reported delays of more than 30 minutes to access medical record information for a patient evaluated in their ED within the previous 72 hours. Twenty-five percent "never" record their supervising faculty's involvement in patient care, and another 25% record that information "1-25%" of the time. Seventy-nine percent are "never" or "rarely" requested by their faculty to clarify or add to medical records for billing purposes. Only 4% of the EM residents were "extremely confident" in their ability to perform billing and coding, and more than 80% reported not knowing the physician charges for services or procedures performed in the ED. Conclusions: The handwritten chart is the most widely used method of patient care documentation, either entirely or as a component of a templated chart. Most EM residents do not document their faculty's participation in the care of patients. This could lead to overestimation of faculty noncompliance with HCFA billing guidelines. Emergency medicine residents are not confident in their knowledge of medical record documentation and coding procedures, nor of charges for services rendered in the ED. [source] Libcitations: A measure for comparative assessment of book publications in the humanities and social sciencesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Howard D. White Bibliometric measures for evaluating research units in the book-oriented humanities and social sciences are underdeveloped relative to those available for journal-oriented science and technology. We therefore present a new measure designed for book-oriented fields: the "libcitation count." This is a count of the libraries holding a given book, as reported in a national or international union catalog. As librarians decide what to acquire for the audiences they serve, they jointly constitute an instrument for gauging the cultural impact of books. Their decisions are informed by knowledge not only of audiences but also of the book world (e.g., the reputations of authors and the prestige of publishers). From libcitation counts, measures can be derived for comparing research units. Here, we imagine a match-up between the departments of history, philosophy, and political science at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney in Australia. We chose the 12 books from each department that had the highest libcitation counts in the Libraries Australia union catalog during 2000 to 2006. We present each book's raw libcitation count, its rank within its Library of Congress (LC) class, and its LC-class normalized libcitation score. The latter is patterned on the item-oriented field normalized citation score used in evaluative bibliometrics. Summary statistics based on these measures allow the departments to be compared for cultural impact. Our work has implications for programs such as Excellence in Research for Australia and the Research Assessment Exercise in the United Kingdom. It also has implications for data mining in OCLC's WorldCat. [source] Donor morbidity associated with right lobectomy for living donor liver transplantation to adult recipients: A systematic reviewLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2002Kimberly L. Beavers The aim if this study is to determine donor morbidity associated with right lobectomy for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) to adult recipients through a systematic review of the published literature. Data sources were English-language reports on donor outcome after LDLT. MEDLINE (1995 to June 2001) was searched using the MeSH terms "living donors" and "liver transplantation." Limits were set for human only and English language only. Bibliographies of retrieved references were cross-checked to identify additional reports; 211 reports were obtained. Population studies and consecutive and nonconsecutive series were included. All studies reported at least one of the following outcomes specific to living donors (LDs) of right hepatic lobes to adult recipients: surgical and hospital complications, length of hospital stay, readmissions, recovery time, return to predonation occupation, health-related quality of life, or mortality. Abstracts of relevant articles were reviewed independently using predetermined criteria, and appropriate articles were retrieved. Study design and results were summarized in evidence tables. Summary statistics of combined data were performed when possible. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Data on donor morbidity associated with right lobectomy are limited. On the basis of reported data, morbidity associated with LD right lobectomy ranges from 0% to 67%. In conclusion, reported morbidity associated with right lobe donation for LDLT varies widely. Standardized definitions of morbidity and better methods for observing and measuring outcomes are necessary to understand and potentially improve morbidity. Future studies assessing LD outcomes should report donor outcome more explicitly. [source] Occupational cancer in Italy: Evaluating the extent of compensated cases in the period 1994,2006AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 11 2009Alberto Scarselli MS Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to analyze occupational cancer claims compensated in the industrial sector in Italy between 1994 and 2006. Methods A descriptive analysis of compensated occupational cancers based on the Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL) data was performed. Summary statistics were compiled by sex and age of worker, cancer type, workplace agent and economic sector. The temporal trend in the period 1994,2006 was investigated for the most frequently compensated cancers (mesothelioma and lung cancer from asbestos; nasal cavities cancer from wood and leather dust). Results Between 1994 and 2006, 6,243 cancer claims were compensated by INAIL due to occupational exposure in the industrial sector. Most (5,288, or 85%) of these compensated claims occurred in the period 2000,2006, when the annual mean of the most compensated cancers increased approximately four times compared to the period 1994,1999. Conclusions There is an increasing trend in compensation for work-related cancers in Italy in recent years, even if occupational cancers are still widely underreported. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:859,867, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Do Private Patients have Shorter Waiting Times for Elective Surgery?ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 2 2010Evidence from New South Wales Public Hospitals I11; D63 The Productivity Commission (2008) identified waiting times for elective surgery as a measure of governments' success in providing accessible health care. At the 2007 COAG meeting, the Prime Minister identified reduction of elective surgery waiting times in public hospitals as a major policy priority. To date, the analysis of waiting time data has been limited to summary statistics by medical procedure, doctor specialty and state. In this paper, we look behind the summary statistics and analyse the extent to which private patients are prioritised over comparable public patients in public hospitals. Our empirical evidence is based on waiting list and admission data from public hospitals in NSW for 2004,2005. We find that private patients have substantially shorter waiting times, and tend to be admitted ahead of their listing rank, especially for procedures that have low urgency levels. We also explore the benefits and costs of this preferential treatment on waiting times. [source] Myocilin allele-specific glaucoma phenotype database,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 2 2008Alex W. Hewitt Abstract Glaucoma, a complex heterogenous disease, is the leading cause for optic nerve,related blindness worldwide. Since 1997, when mutations in the myocilin (MYOC) gene were identified as causing juvenile onset as well as a proportion of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), more than 180 variants have been documented. Approximately one in 30 unselected patients with POAG have a disease-causing myocilin mutation and it has been shown that firm genotype,phenotype correlations exist. We have compiled an online catalog of myocilin variants and their associated phenotypes. This locus-specific resource, to which future submissions can be made, is available online (www.myocilin.com; last accessed 28 August 2007). The database, constructed using MySQL, contains three related sheets that contain data pertaining to the information source, variant identified, and relevant study data, respectively. The website contains a list of all identified variants and summary statistics as well as background genomic information, such as the annotated sequence and cross-protein/species homology. Phenotypic data such as the mean±standard deviation (SD) age at POAG diagnosis, mean±SD maximum recorded intraocular pressure, proportion of patients requiring surgical intervention, and age-related penetrance can be viewed by selecting a particular mutation. Approximately 40% of the identified sequence variants have been characterized as disease causing, with the majority (,85%) of these being missense mutations. Preliminary data generated from this online resource highlight the strong genotype,phenotype correlations associated with specific myocilin mutations. The large-scale assimilation of relevant data allows for accurate comprehensive genetic counseling and the translation of genomic information into the clinic. Hum Mutat 29(2), 207,211, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Root canal treatment in general practice in SudanINTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000M. F. Ahmed Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the practice and depth of knowledge of root canal treatment by dental practitioners in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, in order to improve the current status of endodontic therapy. Methodology A questionnaire was posted to 55 registered dental practitioners. Completed questionnaires were analysed in term of simple summary statistics. Results A total of fifty-two (95%) practitioners responded. Eighty-five per cent of the respondents indicated that they performed root canal treatment for their patients. Of these, 84% included molars in their activity. Amongst those who carried out root canal treatment, only one practitioner used rubber dam for isolation, whilst the remainder used cotton wool rolls. The majority of respondents (80%) used hydrogen peroxide to irrigate canals during treatment. Three-quarters of practitioners used formocresol as an interappointment medicament. The stepback preparation technique was the method of choice for 98% of respondents. All practitioners used hand instruments to prepare root canals and all used gutta-percha for obturation; three-quarters of them used cold lateral condensation for all or some cases. The average number of radiographs routinely taken for root canal treatment was three. Only 73% used radiographs for measuring the working length. Ninety-five per cent of respondents indicated that they usually completed a root filling in three or more visits. Three-quarters of practitioners restored the teeth permanently immediately after the obturation and one-quarter preferred waiting for 1 or 2 weeks. Conclusions In Sudan, there are no dental practices limited to endodontics and no postgraduate training programmes. This survey shows the importance of establishing higher specialist training or continuing dental education for practitioners to update their knowledge. [source] An Analysis of the Distribution of Extreme Share Returns in the UK from 1975 to 2000JOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 5-6 2004G. D. Gettinby This paper seeks to characterise the distribution of extreme returns for a UK share index over the years 1975 to 2000. In particular, the suitability of the following distributions is investigated: Gumbel, Frechet, Weibull, Generalised Extreme Value, Generalised Pareto, Log-Normal and Generalised Logistic. Daily returns for the FT All Share index were obtained from Datastream, and the maxima and minima of these daily returns over a variety of selection intervals were calculated. Plots of summary statistics for the weekly maxima and minima on statistical distribution maps suggested that the best fitting distribution would be either the Generalised Extreme Value or the Generalised Logistic. The results from fitting each of these two distributions to extremes of a series of UK share returns support the conclusion that the Generalised Logistic distribution best fits the UK data for extremes over the period of the study. The Generalised Logistic distribution has fatter tails than either the log-normal or the Generalised Extreme Value distribution, hence this finding is of importance to investors who are concerned with assessing the risk of a portfolio. [source] Treating Substance-Abusing Parents: A Study of the Pima County Family Drug Court ApproachJUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2004JOSÉ B. ASHFORD ABSTRACT A geographical comparison-group design was used to examine the effectiveness of the Pima County (Arizona) Court Assisted Treatment Services (CATS) program and its drug court intervention. The study compared the summary statistics for the volunteers to the family drug court (n=33) with a treatment-refusal group (n=42) and a treatment-as-usual group (n=45) from a matched geographical area. The findings of this study indicate that the family drug court group had higher engagement and completion rates of residential treatment than was true of the other comparison groups. In addition, the volunteers to the family drug court group had fewer parental rights severed, a higher percentage of permanency decisions reached within one year, earlier permanency decisions, and a higher percentage of children placed with their parents. The implications of this study's findings for future evaluations of the components of a family drug court intervention are discussed. [source] Systematic review and meta-analysis: importance of CagA status for successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori infectionALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 2 2006T. SUZUKI Summary Background Some, but not all studies have provided evidence that the CagA status of Helicobacter pylori strains is a predictive factor for the outcome of eradication therapy. Aim To clarify the association between CagA status and eradication outcome. Methods We included studies reporting the numbers of successful and failed cases in H. pylori -eradication therapy according to the CagA status. Fourteen studies (1529 patients) were included of 325 articles identified in the search. The pooled risk ratio for H. pylori -eradication failure in CagA-negative relative to CagA-positive strains and the pooled risk difference in eradication success between the two groups were used as summary statistics. Meta-regression was used for examining the source of heterogeneity. Results The summary risk ratio for eradication failure in CagA-negative relative to CagA-positive was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.6,2.4, P < 0.001), corresponding with the summary risk difference for eradication success between the groups of 11% (95% CI: 3,19%, P = 0.011). Meta-regression analysis demonstrated that usage of polymerase chain reaction examination for CagA status and a high proportion of non-ulcer dyspepsia patients were factors for heterogeneity among studies. Conclusions Our meta-analysis confirmed the importance of the presence of CagA as a predictor for successful eradication of H. pylori. [source] Quantifying spatial heterogeneity in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI parameter mapsMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2009Chris J. Rose Abstract Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI is becoming a standard tool for imaging-based trials of anti-vascular/angiogenic agents in cancer. So far, however, biomarkers derived from DCE-MRI parameter maps have largely neglected the fact that the maps have spatial structure and instead focussed on distributional summary statistics. Such statistics,e.g., biomarkers based on median values,neglect the spatial arrangement of parameters, which may carry important diagnostic and prognostic information. This article describes two types of heterogeneity biomarker that are sensitive to both parameter values and their spatial arrangement. Methods based on Rényi fractal dimensions and geometrical properties are developed, both of which attempt to describe the complexity of DCE-MRI parameter maps. Experiments using simulated data show that the proposed biomarkers are sensitive to changes that distribution-based summary statistics cannot detect and demonstrate that heterogeneity biomarkers could be applied in the drug trial setting. An experiment using 23 DCE-MRI parameter maps of gliomas,a class of tumour that is graded on the basis of heterogeneity,shows that the proposed heterogeneity biomarkers are able to differentiate between low- and high-grade tumours. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] INVITED REVIEW: Using genome scans of DNA polymorphism to infer adaptive population divergenceMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2005JAY F. STORZ Abstract Elucidating the genetic basis of adaptive population divergence is a goal of central importance in evolutionary biology. In principle, it should be possible to identify chromosomal regions involved in adaptive divergence by screening genome-wide patterns of DNA polymorphism to detect the locus-specific signature of positive directional selection. In the case of spatially separated populations that inhabit different environments or sympatric populations that exploit different ecological niches, it is possible to identify loci that underlie divergently selected traits by comparing relative levels of differentiation among large numbers of unlinked markers. In this review I first address the question of whether diversifying selection on polygenic traits can be expected to produce predictable patterns of allelic variation at the underlying quantitative trait loci (QTL), and whether the locus-specific effects of selection can be reliably detected against the genome-wide backdrop of stochastic variability. I then review different approaches that have been developed to identify loci involved in adaptive population divergence and I discuss the relative merits of model-based approaches that rely on assumptions about population structure vs. model-free approaches that are based on empirical distributions of summary statistics. Finally, I consider the evolutionary and functional insights that might be gained by conducting genome scans for loci involved in adaptive population divergence. [source] Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and WindowsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2010LAURENT EXCOFFIER Abstract We present here a new version of the Arlequin program available under three different forms: a Windows graphical version (Winarl35), a console version of Arlequin (arlecore), and a specific console version to compute summary statistics (arlsumstat). The command-line versions run under both Linux and Windows. The main innovations of the new version include enhanced outputs in XML format, the possibility to embed graphics displaying computation results directly into output files, and the implementation of a new method to detect loci under selection from genome scans. Command-line versions are designed to handle large series of files, and arlsumstat can be used to generate summary statistics from simulated data sets within an Approximate Bayesian Computation framework. [source] PROGRAM NOTE: TREES SIFTER 1.0: an approximate method to estimate the time to the most recent common ancestor of a sample of DNA sequencesMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2007PATRICK MARDULYN Abstract trees sifter 1.0 implements an approximate method to estimate the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of a set of DNA sequences, using population evolution modelling. In essence, the program simulates genealogies with a user-defined model of coalescence of lineages, and then compares each simulated genealogy to the genealogy inferred from the real data, through two summary statistics: (i) the number of mutations on the genealogy (Mn), and (ii) the number of different sequence types (alleles) observed (Kn). The simulated genealogies are then submitted to a rejection algorithm that keeps only those that are the most likely to have generated the observed sequence data. At the end of the process, the accepted genealogies can be used to estimate the posterior probability distribution of the TMRCA. [source] microsatellite analyser (MSA): a platform independent analysis tool for large microsatellite data setsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 1 2003Daniel Dieringer Abstract In molecular ecology the analysis of large microsatellite data sets is becoming increasingly popular. Here we introduce a new software tool, which is specifically designed to facilitate the analysis of large microsatellite data sets. All common microsatellite summary statistics and distances can be calculated. Furthermore, the microsatellite analyser (msa) software offers an improved method to deal with inbred samples (such as Drosophila isofemale lines). Executables are available for Windows and Macintosh computers. [source] Outcomes of inpatients with and without sickle cell disease after high-volume surgical procedures,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2009Michaela A. Dinan In this study, we examined differences in inpatient costs, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality between hospitalizations for patients with and without sickle cell disease (SCD) undergoing high-volume surgical procedures. We used Clinical Classification Software (CCS) codes to identify discharges in the 2002,2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for patients who had undergone either cholecystectomy or hip replacement. We limited the non-SCD cohort to hospitals where patients with SCD had undergone the same procedure. We compared inpatient outcomes using summary statistics and generalized linear regression analysis to adjust for patient, hospital, and procedural characteristics. Overall, the median age of surgical patients with SCD was more than three decades less than the median age of patients without SCD undergoing the same procedure. In recognition of the age disparity, we limited the analyses to patients aged 18 to 64 years. Nonetheless, patients with SCD undergoing cholecystectomy or hip replacement were 12.1 and 14.4 years younger, had inpatient stays that were 73% and 82% longer, and incurred costs that were 46% and 40% higher per discharge than patients without SCD, respectively. Inpatient mortality for these procedures was low, ,0.6% for cholecystectomy and 0.2% for hip replacement and did not differ significantly between patients with and without SCD. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that higher inpatient costs among patients with SCD were primarily attributable to longer hospital stays. Patients with SCD who underwent cholecystectomy or hip replacement required more health care resources than patients without SCD. Am. J. Hematol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The utility assessment of Chinese pregnant women towards the birth of a baby with Down syndrome compared to a procedure-related miscarriagePRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 9 2006Yiu Man Chan Abstract Objective This study was performed to investigate the preferences of Chinese pregnant women for Down syndrome-affected birth compared to invasive test-related miscarriage, using the standard gamble approach, and to investigate whether there is a difference in Utility Score between general obstetric patients and those who request prenatal screening. Methods An interviewer-administered survey was conducted on 67 women who presented to the General Obstetric Clinic for booking visits and 69 women who presented to the first-trimester Combined Screening Clinic for fetal Down syndrome in a University Obstetric Unit. Preferences for Down syndrome-affected birth compared to invasive test-related miscarriage were assessed using the standard gamble approach. The differences in Utility Scores for the two outcomes and difference in scores between the two study groups were compared. Results There was no significant difference in any of the Utility Scores studied between the two study groups. Therefore the summary statistics were performed using the whole study population. The median Utility Score for a Down syndrome-birth was 0.20 (IQR: 0.10,0.40), which was significantly lower than that of 0.55 (IQR: 0.40,0.80) for a procedure-related miscarriage (p < 0.001). Also, the Utility Scores were neither found to be associated with any particular patient demographic characteristics nor their perception of the functional disability of individuals with Down syndrome. Conclusion The Chinese pregnant women in Hong Kong consider a Down syndrome-affected birth as a much worse health state and life event than a miscarriage. Whether or not to have a screening test appeared to be a result of accessibility and affordability rather than fundamental differences in attitude towards Down syndrome. The findings of the study provide important information on how prenatal screening and diagnosis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities should be offered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Using Profile Monitoring Techniques for a Data-rich Environment with Huge Sample SizeQUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2005Kaibo Wang Abstract In-process sensors with huge sample size are becoming popular in the modern manufacturing industry, due to the increasing complexity of processes and products and the availability of advanced sensing technology. Under such a data-rich environment, a sample with huge size usually violates the assumption of homogeneity and degrades the detection performance of a conventional control chart. Instead of charting summary statistics such as the mean and standard deviation of observations that assume homogeneity within a sample, this paper proposes charting schemes based on the quantile,quantile (Q,Q) plot and profile monitoring techniques to improve the performance. Different monitoring schemes are studied based on various shift patterns in a huge sample and compared via simulation. Guidelines are provided for applying the proposed schemes to similar industrial applications in a data-rich environment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Adaptation of Consultation Planning for Native American and Latina Women With Breast CancerTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Jeffrey Belkora PhD ABSTRACT:,Context:Resource centers in rural, underserved areas are implementing Consultation Planning (CP) to help women with breast cancer create a question list before a doctor visit. Purpose: To identify changes needed for acceptable delivery of CP to rural Native Americans and Latinas. Methods: We interviewed and surveyed 27 Native American and Latino key informants. We coded interviews thematically, and calculated summary statistics for the survey data. Findings: Native American and Latino respondents endorsed CP as culturally acceptable to their communities, while suggesting changes. Respondents also raised the topic of how to further support patients once they have successfully prepared a question list using CP. Conclusions: The resource centers implemented the requested changes. [source] The Role of Allergy and Smoking in Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Polyposis,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 9 2008FACS, Steven M. Houser MD Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: The article considers the interrelatedness of allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The negative impact of perennial allergy and tobacco use on polyposis in sinus surgery patients is explored. Study Design: A retrospective chart review, performed by the first author over a 6-year period, of patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS. Methods: The subjects' allergy status and smoking history are scrutinized by summary statistics and a multiple linear logistic model for predicting the presence of polyps. Results: High prevalence of perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) is seen in the subject population (56.4%). Both PAR and tobacco use are associated with nasal polyposis (P = .0073 and P = .0114, respectively). Conclusions: The close association of PAR and CRS suggests a possible causal link. Management of allergic rhinitis and tobacco cessation may provide greater control of chronic hyperplastic rhinosinusitis. [source] Variation in chicken populations may affect the enzymatic activity of lysozymeANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2010T. Downing Summary The chicken lysozyme gene encodes a hydrolase that has a key role in defence, especially in ovo. This gene was resequenced in global chicken populations [red, grey, Ceylon and green jungle fowl (JF)] and related bird species. Networks, summary statistics and tests of neutrality indicate that although there is extensive variation at the gene, little is present at coding sites, with the exception of one non-synonymous site. This segregating site and a further fixed non-synonymous change between red JF and domestic chicken populations are spatially close to the catalytic sites of the enzyme and so might affect its activity. [source] Microsatellite evolution in modern humans: a comparison of two data sets from the same populationsANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 2 2000L. JIN We genotyped 64 dinucleotide microsatellite repeats in individuals from populations that represent all inhabited continents. Microsatellite summary statistics are reported for these data, as well as for a data set that includes 28 out of 30 loci studied by Bowcock et al. (1994) in the same individuals. For both data sets, diversity statistics such as heterozygosity, number of alleles per locus, and number of private alleles per locus produced the highest values in Africans, intermediate values in Europeans and Asians, and low values in Americans. Evolutionary trees of populations based on genetic distances separated groups from different continents. Corresponding trees were topologically similar for the two data sets, with the exception that the (,,)2 genetic distance reliably distinguished groups from different continents for the larger data set, but not for the smaller one. Consistent with our results from diversity statistics and from evolutionary trees, population growth statistics Sk and ,, which seem particularly useful for indicating recent and ancient population size changes, confirm a model of human evolution in which human populations expand in size and through space following the departure of a small group from Africa. [source] A method for estimating the extent of standing fresh waters of different trophic states in Great BritainAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 3 2001M.A. Palmer Abstract 1.,The total area of standing fresh water in Great Britain has been estimated at approximately 2400 km2. The aim of the work described in this paper was to estimate the extent of the dystrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic habitat types making up this total. 2.,Botanical survey data collected by the statutory nature conservation agencies provided habitat type and surface area for 3500 water bodies, mostly in Scotland. Because survey in England and Wales had been less thorough than in Scotland, it was not possible to estimate the areas of habitat types simply by direct extrapolation from the survey sample to the total resource of standing water in Great Britain. 3.,A system of Trophic Ranking Scores (TRS) has been developed for aquatic plant species. Using plant records from the Biological Records Centre, a mean TRS for each 10×10 km square was produced, and Great Britain was divided into TRS bands. For each of these bands, the percentage by surveyed area of each freshwater habitat type was calculated. These percentages were applied to the total area of standing water in each TRS band, obtained from Ordnance Survey summary statistics, in order to predict the proportions of the different habitat types likely to occur in each band. The extent of these habitats in Great Britain as a whole could then be calculated. 4.,Estimates produced by this method of the extent of the four standing freshwater habitat types in Great Britain are: dystrophic , 11 km2 (0.5%); oligotrophic , 1445 km2 (60%); mesotrophic , 267 km2 (11%); eutrophic , 679 km2 (28%). 5.,The application of this work to nature conservation is discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Family caregivers' perceptions of hospital-based allied health services post-stroke: Use of the Measure of Processes of Care to investigate processes of careAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010Annette Lovat Aim:,To investigate family caregiver perceptions of allied health professional processes of care and support in hospital following stroke, and to test an adapted version of the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) for its suitability of use in the stroke care setting. Methods:,The first stage involved the adaptation and refinement of the MPOC, designed to measure caregiver perceptions of processes of professional care and support across five care dimensions. The second stage involved mailing out of questionnaires to primary caregivers of stroke survivors. A total of 107 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. The reliability of the adapted questionnaire was assessed and summary statistics were computed. Results:,The reliability of the adapted MPOC was found to be high, with good internal consistency of items within each subscale. Mean scores indicated that caregivers were most likely to report negative perceptions of the way allied health professionals engaged with and supported them, particularly in the area of information provision. Conclusion:,The number of families being affected by stroke is predicted to rise substantially in the near future. Allied health professionals have a significant role to play in supporting family caregivers. Results highlight caregiver-identified areas of weakness in current clinical practice. [source] 1342: Communicating numerical results correctlyACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010T KIVELÄ Purpose To highlight some pearls and pitfalls in reporting numerical data related to the eye with special reference to the instructions of the EVER Journal, Acta Ophthalmologica. Methods Personal experience of the author as a writer, reviewer and editorial board member is used to highlight common issues specific for reporting statistics. The rules and the reasoning behind them are explained using abundant real life examples. Results Statistics and mathematical analyses applied should be described in the methods section, but the software used need not be referenced unless it is specific for the test used. The following rules regarding reporting are highly recommended: 1. Report proportions if the number of subjects is smaller than 10; percentages in integers if the number of subjects is less than 100; if the number of subjects is larger, one decimal place can be given but is seldom necessary. 2. Report summary statistics of normally distributed variables as mean with standard deviation; other variables as medium with range. 3. Use parametric and nonparametric statistical tests accordingly. 4. Give exact p-values (e.g. p=0.034); if p-value is less than 0.001, report p<0.001. 5. Give 95% confidence intervals for main findings. 6. Mention the statistical test used with the p-value (e.g. p=0.015, paired t-test) if multiple methods are used. Conclusion Efficient reporting and analysis of data related to the eye is not difficult as long as one is aware of the basic rules. Putting them into action helps to ensure that the conclusions the readers draw from your study are proper. [source] | ||||||||||||||||