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This Analysis (this + analysis)
Selected AbstractsGeneralizability and transferability of meta-synthesis research findingsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2010Deborah Finfgeld-Connett finfgeld-connett d. (2010) Generalizability and transferability of meta-synthesis research findings. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 246,254. Abstract Title.,Generalizability and transferability of meta-synthesis research findings. Aim., This paper is a report of a critical analysis of the generalizability and transferability of meta-synthesis research findings. Background., Findings from a large number of qualitative research investigations have had little impact on clinical practice and policy formation. Single qualitative investigations are not intended to produce findings that are directly applicable to clinical practice, simple literature reviews of qualitative studies are not conducted using sophisticated methods to develop new cumulative knowledge, and methods for systematically compiling and synthesizing qualitative findings have just recently been developed in nursing. Data sources., This analysis of qualitative review methods was based on over 10 years of meta-synthesis research experience and a non-time-limited cross-discipline search of the English-language literature related to qualitative research and generalizability. Discussion., Generalizability of meta-synthesis findings is enhanced by insuring validity through systematic sampling, second-tier triangulation, maintenance of well-documented audit trails and the development of multi-dimensional theory. Generalizability of meta-synthesis findings is tentative until successful transference to new situations takes place. Implications for nursing., Nurse researchers are urged to conduct well-designed and executed meta-synthesis investigations that have the potential to generate findings that are relevant to clinical practice and policy formation. They are also encouraged to disseminate their meta-synthesis findings skilfully and work with practitioners and policy-makers to apply and evaluate them judiciously in clinical settings. Conclusion., Qualitative meta-synthesis is a way of putting together qualitative findings from disparate investigations so that they can more readily be used in clinical practice and policy formation. [source] Gabbroic clay sources in Cornwall: a petrographic study of prehistoric pottery and clay samplesOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Lucy Harrad Summary., This analysis of prehistoric pottery and clay samples from Cornwall demonstrates that the clay used to make Cornish gabbroic pottery in prehistory originated around the gabbro rock outcrop in a small area of the Lizard peninsula. The research uses petrographic and chemical analysis to subdivide the prehistoric pottery into six groups. Owing to the unusual geology of the Lizard these groups can be attributed to specific locations. The most abundant pottery fabric, Typical Gabbroic, was made using coarse clay which is mainly found in a 1 km2 area near Zoar. A finer version of this clay, found higher in the soil profile or slightly transported and redeposited, was used to make Fine Gabbroic pottery and an even finer variant called FNS (Fine Non-Sandy) Gabbroic. We identify for the first time here a Loessic/Gabbroic pottery fabric which can be matched exactly to clay found at Lowland Point. Serpentinitic/Gabbroic pottery was made using clay from the gabbro/serpentinite border zone. Pottery made from the Granitic/Gabbroic fabric did not match any clay from the Lizard, showing that gabbroic clay was sometimes removed and made into pottery elsewhere in Cornwall. The main clay source near Zoar was used for clay extraction throughout the Bronze Age and Iron Age for pottery which was traded all over Cornwall. Other gabbroic clay sources produced pottery only during certain periods and exclusively supplied particular settlements, such as the Loessic/Gabbroic fabric which was found only at Gear and Caer Vallack. The results suggest that pottery was produced by several small-scale cottage industries, which may have operated on a seasonal, part-time basis and probably formed only part of a wide range of activities located around the Lizard area. [source] Women with Pain due to Osteoarthritis: The Efficacy and Safety of a Once-Daily Formulation of TramadolPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 6 2009FRCP, Walter F. Kean MB ChB ABSTRACT Objective., This analysis assesses the efficacy and safety of treatment with a once-daily oral formulation of tramadol for up to 12 weeks compared with placebo in women with moderate-to-severe pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee. Design., Two parallel, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trials were analyzed; patients were randomized to a fixed dosage of Tramadol Contramid® once a day (OAD) 100, 200, and 300 mg daily, or placebo. Outcome Measures., The primary efficacy end points were the percentage difference from baseline of the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) subscale scores for pain and physical function, and the patient global rating of pain relief after 12 weeks of maintenance therapy. Results., The analysis included 405 women receiving tramadol and 280 receiving placebo. At week 12, 179 of 204 women (87.7%) receiving tramadol rated their overall pain relief as effective or very effective compared with 134 of 177 (75.7%) receiving placebo. A time-weighted analysis revealed statistically significant improvements over placebo for all the WOMAC subscale scores across all three dosages. The percentage improvements from baseline of the WOMAC pain scores were significantly better than placebo for the 100-mg (58.8 ± 37.1%, P = 0.018) and 300-mg (58.9 ± 38.8%, P = 0.023) treatment arms; however, the 200-mg dosage was not significant (53.0 ± 38.5%, P = 0.175). The WOMAC physical function scores showed significant improvement for the 100 (56.9 ± 36.4%, P = 0.009), 200 (54.0 ± 33.8%, P = 0.034), and 300 mg (53.4 ± 41.4%, P = 0.043) daily dosages. Conclusion., For moderate-to-severe pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee, women experience significant analgesia and improvement of physical function over time with treatment with Tramadol Contramid® OAD. [source] Multiresolution of quasicrystal diffraction spectraACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION A, Issue 6 2009Avi Elkharrat A method for analyzing and classifying two-dimensional pure point diffraction spectra (i.e. a set of Bragg peaks) of certain self-similar structures with scaling factor , > 1, such as quasicrystals, is presented. The two-dimensional pure point diffraction spectrum , is viewed as a point set in the complex plane in which each point is assigned a positive number, its Bragg intensity. Then, by using a nested sequence of self-similar subsets called ,-lattices, we implement a multiresolution analysis of the spectrum ,. This analysis yields a partition of , simultaneously in geometry, in scale and in intensity (the `fingerprint' of the spectrum, not of the diffracting structure itself). The method is tested through numerical explorations of pure point diffraction spectra of various mathematical structures and also with the diffraction pattern of a realistic model of a quasicrystal. [source] | ||||||||||