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Test Values (test + value)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	66%
Polymers and Materials Science	16%
Engineering	16%

Selected Abstracts

Least-square support vector machine applied to settlement of shallow foundations on cohesionless soils

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 17 2008
Pijush Samui
Abstract This paper examines the potential of least-square support vector machine (LSVVM) in the prediction of settlement of shallow foundation on cohesionless soil. In LSSVM, Vapnik's ,-insensitive loss function has been replaced by a cost function that corresponds to a form of ridge regression. The LSSVM involves equality instead of inequality constraints and works with a least-squares cost function. The five input variables used for the LSSVM for the prediction of settlement are footing width (B), footing length (L), footing net applied pressure (P), average standard penetration test value (N) and footing embedment depth (d). Comparison between LSSVM and some of the traditional interpretation methods are also presented. LSSVM has been used to compute error bar. The results presented in this paper clearly highlight that the LSSVM is a robust tool for prediction of settlement of shallow foundation on cohesionless soil. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Reduced tear production in three canine endocrinopathies,

JOURNAL OF SMALL ANIMAL PRACTICE, Issue 5 2007
D. L. Williams
Objectives: Previous reports have suggested that hypothyroid and diabetic patients can be predisposed to keratoconjunctivitis sicca. This study aimed to measure tear production in dogs with diabetes, hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism using the Schirmer tear test and to compare these results with Schirmer tear test values for a group of normal dogs. Methods: Schirmer tear tests were performed on 16 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism, 18 with diabetes and 12 with hypothyroidism together with 100 control dogs. Corneal sensitivity was also measured in 12 of the 18 diabetic dogs with a Cochet Bonnet aesthesiometer and compared with age- and breed-matched normal dogs. Results: Schirmer tear test values in dogs with hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism and diabetes were 12·3±3·2, 14·0±4·0 and 12·3±5·3 mm/minutes, respectively. Schirmer tear test values were significantly lower than that for the control group (19·6±4·2 mm/minutes) in all dogs with an endocrinopathy. Only in two hypothyroid dogs and three diabetics, this was manifested as profound keratoconjunctivitis sicca with Schirmer tear test value lower than 5 mm/minutes. Diabetic dogs had significantly reduced corneal sensitivity compared with a matched set of control dogs. Clinical Significance: This study shows a significant reduction in tear production in animals with diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which this reduction in tear production occurs. Assessment of tear production should be undertaken in animals diagnosed with these endocrinopathies, as these animals may progress to clinical keratoconjunctivitis sicca. [source]

Changes in Quality-of-Life After Pacemaker Implantation: Responsiveness of the Aquarel Questionnaire

PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
MONIQUE A. M. STOFMEEL
STOFMEEL, M.A.M., et al.: Changes in Quality-of-Life After Pacemaker Implantation: Responsiveness of the Aquarel Questionnaire. Before being introduced for widespread use, health status instruments should be evaluated for reliability, validity, and responsiveness to relevant clinical changes. In a previous study the validity and reliability of Aquarel, a disease-specific quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire for pacemaker patients, were tested and found satisfactory. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity to change in health of Aquarel. A cohort of 51 patients was assessed at baseline and at 4,6 weeks after pacemaker implantation. We compared the sensitivity to change over time on the Aquarel scores to the scores on the SF-36 using various techniques (t -test value, effect size, standard error of measurement). Using the 1-standard error of measurement (SEM) criterion for clinically relevant change, Aquarel seemed to provide better classification of patients compared to the SF-36 alone. This study supports the value of Aquarel as a disease-specific measure of QOL in pacemaker patients. [source]

Characterization of strength properties of thin polycrystalline silicon films for MEMS applications

FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 1 2007
R. Boroch
ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to characterize the strength properties of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) with the use of tensile and bending test specimens. The strength of thin polysilicon films with different geometry, size and stress concentrations has been measured and correlated with the effective size of the specimen and its stress distribution. The test results are evaluated using a probabilistic strength approach based on the weakest link theory with the use of STAU software. The use of statistic methods of strength prediction of polysilicon test structures with a complex geometry and loading based on test values for standard material tests specimen has been evaluated. [source]

Inconsistencies between reported test statistics and p- values in two psychiatry journals

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007
David Berle
Abstract A recent survey of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and Nature revealed that inconsistencies in reported statistics were common. We sought to replicate that survey in the psychiatry literature. We checked the consistency of reported t -test, F -test and ,2 -test values with their corresponding p -values in the 2005 issues of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (ANZJP) and compared this with the issues of the ANZJP from 2000, and with a similar journal, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (APS). A reported p -value was ,inconsistent' if it differed (at its reported number of decimal places) from our calculated p -values (using three different software packages), which we based on the reported test statistic and degrees of freedom. Of the 546 results that we checked, 78 (14.3%) of the p -values were inconsistent with the corresponding degrees of freedom and test statistic. Similar rates of inconsistency were found in APS and ANZJP, and when comparing the ANZJP between 2000 and 2005. The percentages of articles with at least one inconsistency were 8.5% for ANZJP 2005, 9.9% for ANZJP 2000 and 12.1% for APS. We conclude that inconsistencies in p -values are common and may reflect errors of analysis and rounding, typographic errors or typesetting errors. Suggestions for reducing the occurrence of such inconsistencies are provided. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Reduced tear production in three canine endocrinopathies,

Usefulness and pharmacokinetic study of oral terbinafine for hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis

MYCOSES, Issue 1 2008
Izumi Kikuchi
Summary To study and establish an optimal administration method of oral antifungal, terbinafine (TBF), for hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis, from the pharmacokinetic point of view, 20 patients with hyperkeratotic type tinea pedis were given TBF 125 mg once daily for 4 weeks and observed over time for improvement in dermatological symptoms and mycological efficacy. Targeting five of the patients, TBF concentration in the stratum corneum was measured using the liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. TBF was detected in the stratum corneum of the sole 1 week after beginning the treatment in some cases and reached its peak 1 week after the completion of the treatment with a concentration of 247.8 ng g,1, which was approximately more than 50 times higher than its minimal inhibitory concentration against dermatophytes. TBF was not detected at 8 weeks post-treatment, although its concentration was 50.73 ng g,1 at 6 weeks post-treatment. Its effectiveness rate (effective + markedly effective) was 95% (19/20) with no adverse reactions, including abnormal changes in the laboratory test values, in any patient. These results suggest that TBF is a useful drug to treat hyperkeratotic tinea pedis from the pharmacokinetic point of view. [source]

Correlation of peel and burst tests for pouches

PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001
Rosamari Feliú-Báez
Abstract Theoretical equations based on force diagrams were developed in order to explain pouch behaviour during a restrained burst test. According to the resulting equation, P,=,2 S/D, the burst pressure (P) increases directly with seal strength (S) and inversely with the distance between the restraining plates (D). After performing a restrained burst test and a peel test on Tyvek/plastic pouches, it was found that the theoretical development did not exactly explain burst test results in terms of peel test values. The test results demonstrate that even though the peeling times for the peel and burst tests were controlled to be the same, the theoretical formula (P,=,2 S/D) tends to overestimate the burst pressure. The overestimation increases at smaller gaps. These results are an indication that the formula is not universal and they suggest that it is an oversimplification. It might work for some materials at a particular set of testing conditions but not for others. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Metabolic alkalosis with hypoelectrolytemia in infants with cystic fibrosis

PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2002
Stojka Fustik
Abstract Background: Infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) can develop episodes of hyponatremic hypochloremic dehydration with metabolic alkalosis when they sweat excessively, which is not caused by sweating in normal infants. We investigated the incidence of the metabolic alkalosis with hypoelectrolytemia in CF infants, the possible risk factors for its occurrence and the importance of the manifestation in the diagnosis of CF. Methods: In order to evaluate the incidence and the risk factors for the development of this sweat-related metabolic disorder in CF, we reviewed the records of all children diagnosed as having CF before the age of 12 months in a 10-year period. Data analysis included medical history data, clinical features, biochemical parameters (blood pH, serum bicarbonate, sodium, chloride and potassium levels), sweat chloride test values, as well as genetic analysis data. Results: The prevalence of metabolic alkalosis in association with low serum electrolyte concentrations (hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and hypokalemia) in infant CF population in our region was 16.5%. We found no season predilection in its occurrence. Early infant age, breast-feeding, delayed CF diagnosis, heat exhaustion and the presence of severe CF transmembrane conductance regulator mutations are predisposed factors for the development of metabolic alkalosis with hypoelectrolytemia. Conclusions: The results from our study suggest that metabolic alkalosis with hypoelectrolytemia is a relatively common manifestation of CF in infancy. The possibility of CF should be seriously considered in any infant with this metabolic disorder. [source]

Mapping of stress distribution in woven-fabric composites

POLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 8 2008
E. Shady
Mapping of the stress distribution in composite materials, both at the fiber/matrix interface and in the composite constituents, is important to understand the material mechanical response. Stress mapping can help predict composite behavior under certain stresses especially failure or delamination. In this work, two analytical models were proposed to map the stress distribution at fiber, matrix and fiber/matrix interface utilizing the concept of stress superposition. The first model dealt with the fiber in the longitudinal direction considering axisymmetric conditions. The second model addressed the fiber stress distribution in the transverse direction. Experimental data from four-point flexural tests of woven fabric composites was processed using the Graphical Integrated Numerical Analysis (pcGINA) to obtain the maximum stress in the target laminate and this value was used as the input for the two analytical models. The value for the maximum interfacial shear stress was calculated using the models and results were compared to pull-out fiber test values obtained from literature. Good agreement was observed between the model calculations and the literature data. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source]

Simultaneous use of serum IgG and IgM for risk scoring of suspected early Lyme borreliosis: graphical and bivariate analyses

APMIS, Issue 4 2010
RAM B. DESSAU
Dessau RB, Ejlertsen T, Hilden J. Simultaneous use of serum IgG and IgM for risk scoring of suspected early Lyme borreliosis: graphical and bivariate analyses. APMIS 2010; 118: 313,23. The laboratory diagnosis of early disseminated Lyme borreliosis (LB) rests on IgM and IgG antibodies in serum. The purpose of this study was to refine the statistical interpretation of IgM and IgG by combining the diagnostic evidence provided by the two immunoglobulins and exploiting the whole range of the quantitative variation in test values. ELISA assays based on purified flagella antigen were performed on sera from 815 healthy Danish blood donors as negative controls and 117 consecutive patients with confirmed neuroborreliosis (NB). A logistic regression model combining the standardized units of the IgM and IgG ELISA assays was constructed and the resulting disease risks graphically evaluated by receiver operating characteristic and ,predictiveness' curves. The combined model improves the discrimination between NB patients and blood donors. Hence, it is possible to report a predicted risk of disease graded for each individual patient, as is theoretically preferable. The predictiveness curve, when adapted to the local pretest probability of LB, allows high-risk and low-risk thresholds to be defined instead of cut-offs based on the laboratory characteristics only, and it allows the extent of under- and over-treatment to be assessed. It is shown that an example patient with low ELISA results in IgM and IgG, considered negative by the conventional cut-off, has a relatively high risk of belonging to the truly diseased population and a low risk of being false positive. Using a 20% high-risk threshold for advising the clinician to consider treatment, the sensitivity of the assay is increased from 76% to 85%, while the specificity is maintained at around 95%. [source]

Are patients with positive screening but negative diagnostic test for gestational diabetes under risk for adverse pregnancy outcome?

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2008
Ilknur I. Gumus
Abstract Objective:, Our aim was to determine the obstetrics outcomes of patients with positive 1-h glucose challenge test (GCT), but negative diagnostic test for gestational diabetes. Methods:, Pregnancy records of 409 pregnants were reviewed. Patients were screened for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with one-hour 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT) at 24,28 weeks of gestation. Patients with glucose challenge tests values , 130 mg/dL were refered for the 3 h, 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Positive GCT but negative for OGTT group (Group A) were compared retrospectively with the group of negative GCT (Group B) for obstetrics outcomes. Result:, GDM and impared glucose tolerance (IGT) were diagnosed in 33 (7.6%) and 46 (10.5%) patients, respectively. We identified 141 (34.4%) patients with positive GCT but negative for OGTT (Group A) and 189 (46.2%) patients with negative GCT (Group B). Gestational weight gain, polyhydramnios, family history of diabetes mellitus were significantly higher in group A than group B (P < 0.05). Prevalance of preterm labor, hypertension, cesarean delivery, mean birthweight, proportion of babies admitted to neonatal intensive care unit were similar in both groups. Conclusion:, There are some differences for pregnancy outcomes between pregnants with positive GCT but negative for OGTT and negative GCT. These patients should be followed up carefully during the antepartum and intrapartum period. [source]