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Systematic Means (systematic + mean)
Selected AbstractsNegotiating the Semantics of Agent Communication LanguagesCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 2 2002Chris Reed This article presents a formal framework and outlines a method that autonomous agents can use to negotiate the semantics of their communication language at run,time. Such an ability is needed in open multi,agent systems so that agents can ensure they understand the implications of the utterances that are being made and so that they can tailor the meaning of the primitives to best fit their prevailing circumstances. To this end, the semantic space framework provides a systematic means of classifying the primitives along multiple relevant dimensions. This classification can then be used by the agents to structure their negotiation (or semantic fixing) process so that they converge to the mutually agreeable semantics that are necessary for coherent social interactions. [source] Qualitative Outcome Analysis: Evaluating Nursing Interventions for Complex Clinical PhenomenaJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2000Janice M. Morse Purpose: To describe a method that allows evaluating nursing interventions derived from a qualitative research project, and that shows appropriate interventions. Organizing Framework: Qualitative research has expanded over the last decade and has contributed significantly to Inderstanding patients' experiences of health, illness, and injury. Yet the value of qualitative research in determining clinical interventions and subsequently evaluating the effects of these interventions on patients' outcomes has been limited. This method is used to confirm the efficacy of nursing interventions when experience changes over time, to extend the repertoire of intervention strategies, and to further clinicians' understanding of possible outcomes. Design: From a completed study, Qualitative Outcome Analysis (QOA) enhances the identification of meaningful intervention strategies and plans for utilization. The researcher identifies the type of qualitative data that will enable the interpretation and evaluation of interventions, devises a means of data ecording and analysis, and finally, disseminates the findings. Conclusions: QOA is a systematic means to confirm the applicability of clinical strategies developed from a single qualitative project, to extend the repertoire of clinical interventions, and to evaluate clinical outcomes. [source] Analysis of a class of potential Korteweg-de Vries-like equationsMATHEMATICAL METHODS IN THE APPLIED SCIENCES, Issue 2 2010R. M. Edelstein Abstract We analyze a class of third-order evolution equations, i.e. ut = f(x, ux, uxx) uxxx+g(x, ux, uxx) via the method of preliminary group classification. This method is a systematic means of analyzing the equation for symmetries. We find explicit forms of f and g, which allow for a larger dimensional Lie algebra of point symmetries. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Information needs and prostate cancer: the development of a systematic means of identificationBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2004Jeremy Dale OBJECTIVE To design, from first principles, a valid and reliable scale for assessing the importance of specific items of information needed by patients with prostate cancer that would be straightforward to use in clinical settings, as despite its prevalence, there is little research focusing specifically on the information needs associated with prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Several stages of consultation and modification were used to inform the development of a scale which was then piloted on 96 patients with prostate cancer. Respondents were asked to rate the importance they placed on a range of prostate cancer-related topics of information, and the extent to which they felt these information needs had been met. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established and an exploratory factor analysis used to guide restructuring of the tool. Internal consistency/reliability was calculated using Cronbach's ,. RESULTS Using the scale showed that men with prostate cancer placed considerable importance on a broad range of information needs, most of which had been inadequately met. Age had a significant influence on the overall importance attributed to information, with younger patients having more need for information. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established. The factor analysis revealed four discrete factors which together explained >,68% of the variance, termed ,basics of prostate cancer care', ,disease management', ,physical well-being' and ,self-help'. Internal consistency/reliability was satisfactory (, = 0.91). CONCLUSIONS The basis of a tool capable of ascertaining the information needs of patients with prostate cancer was developed; it may offer clinicians a valid means of ascertaining information preferences and hence potentially enhance the quality of service provided. Further research is now required to refine the tool and test the effect of its longitudinal use in clinical practice on patient satisfaction and outcome. [source] Caring for people with learning disability: a survey of general practitioners' attitudes in Southampton and South-west HampshireBRITISH JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2000Ken SteinArticle first published online: 24 DEC 200 The aim of the present paper was to examine general practitioners' (GPs') beliefs about: the demands made on the primary care team by people with learning disability; their confidence in meeting health care needs and perceived training requirements; attitudes towards specialist or generic health service provision, and current contact with specialist teams; and attitudes towards screening in people with learning disability. A postal questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected partner from 95% of the practices in the Southampton and South-west Hampshire Health District. Forty-eight (75%) GPs responded and few were undecided about the demands placed on primary care teams, but beliefs were mixed. Most GPs were confident in dealing with the medical care needs of people with learning disability and the majority felt that training courses would not be worthwhile, except to learn more about specialist services where contact was very low and a ,link worker' scheme had had little apparent impact. Most respondents agreed that GPs should meet the medical needs of people with learning disability as part of general medical services and approximately half had a positive attitude towards providing regular health checks. Respondents were cautious about offering cervical cancer screening to women with learning disability. A small minority suggested that they would take no action to follow up a non-attendance for mammography. As a heterogeneous population, it is not surprising that GPs' attitudes vary widely. Further research is required to establish the nature and scale of demands made on primary health care teams, and to evaluate systematic means of addressing health care needs of people with learning disability. [source] Addressing the Numbers Problem in Directed EvolutionCHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 11 2008Manfred T. Reetz Prof. Dr. Abstract Our previous contribution to increasing the efficiency of directed evolution is iterative saturation mutagenesis (ISM) as a systematic means of generating focused libraries for the control of substrate acceptance, enantioselectivity, or thermostability of enzymes. We have now introduced a crucial element to knowledge-guided targeted mutagenesis in general that helps to solve the numbers problem in directed evolution. We show that the choice of the amino acid (aa) alphabet, as specified by the utilized codon degeneracy, provides the experimenter with a powerful tool in designing "smarter" randomized libraries that require considerably less screening effort. A systematic comparison of two different codon degeneracies was made by examining the relative quality of the identically sized enzyme libraries in relation to the degree of oversampling required in the screening process. The specific example in our case study concerns the conventional NNK codon degeneracy (32 codons/20 aa) versus NDT (12 codons/12 aa). The model reaction is the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a chiral trans -disubstituted epoxide, catalyzed by the epoxide hydrolase from Aspergillus niger. The NDT library proves to be of much higher quality, as measured by the dramatically higher frequency of positive variants and by the magnitude of catalyst improvement (enhanced rate and enantioselectivity). We provide a statistical analysis that constitutes a useful guide for the optimal design and generation of "smarter" focused libraries. This type of approach accelerates the process of laboratory evolution considerably and can be expected to be broadly applicable when engineering functional proteins in general. [source] The role of health professionals in preventing non-accidental head injuryCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 6 2003Alison Kemp Abstract The aim of this paper is to re,ect on the role that the health professions can play in preventing a serious form of physical child abuse. Using research data from a case series study on non-accidental head injury, or shaken baby syndrome, some aspects of child healthcare are reviewed for their potential for prevention. In child protection in the UK, more resources are put into the diagnosis and assessment of child abuse than into interventions designed for prevention. The ,eld of prevention is generally lacking in a theoretical underpinning or systematic means of evaluation and yet the 1996 National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse concluded that child abuse ,can almost always be prevented provided the will to do so is there' (National Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1996). This requires major changes to the way society views and protects children. The focus in this paper is on the very young, mainly babies under 6 months of age. It calls for a lowering of the threshold with which health professionals view a baby's illness for secondary prevention of non-accidental head injury and the need to review approaches to primary prevention, both from the UK and abroad, in order to implement a systematic means to primary prevention. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||