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Usage Rate (usage + rate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences60%

Selected Abstracts

Surgical e-learning: validation of multimedia web-based lectures

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007
Paul F Ridgway
Background, Distance learning has been advocated increasingly as a modern efficient method of teaching surgery. Efficiency of knowledge transfer and validity of web-based courses have not been subjected to rigorous study to date. Methods, An entirely web-based surgical 5-week lecture course was designed. Fifty per cent of the lectures were prepared as HTML slides with voice-over while the other group was presented in the text-only form. Only written material presented was examined. The lectures were presented via an educational web module. The lecture series was balanced specifically to reduce the pre-existent knowledge bias. Web usage was estimated utilising surrogates, including the number of hits as well as log-on timing. Face validity was assessed by a standardised questionnaire. Results, Eighty-eight students took part in the lecture series and subsequent examination and questionnaire. Median multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) marks were significantly higher in the aural lecture-derived stems versus the non-aural (P = 0.012, Mann,Whitney U -test). There was widespread approval of web-based learning as an adjunct to conventional teaching. Usage rates were augmented significantly in the final week when compared to the previous 4 weeks (mean total hits weeks 1,4 ± SEM: 100.9 ± 9.7 and mean total hits week 5: 152.1 ± 13.1; P < 0.001, Kruskal,Wallis). However, total hits did not correlate with overall examination results (r2 = 0.16). The aural lectures demonstrated higher face validity than the non-aural for content and presentation (P < 0.05, Kruskal,Wallis). Conclusions, The addition of aural files to the novel web-based lecture series is face valid and results in significantly increased examination performance. [source]

Systematic optimization for the evaluation of the microinjection molding parameters of light guide plate with TOPSIS-based Taguchi method

ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Te-Li Su
Abstract A back light module is a key product for providing sufficient light source for a liquid crystal display (LCD). The light guide plate (LGP), used to increase the light usage rate, is a key component in the back light module. This study researches the microinjection molding process parameters and the quality performance of the LGP. Its purpose was to develop a combining Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with the Taguchi method. This is to optimize the multiquality performance of the LGP for the injection molding manufacturing process, in which both the LCD and the LGP spontaneously produce the best quality performance for V-cut depth and angle. First, an L18 orthogonal array was planned for the manufacturing parameters that affect the microinjection molding process. These included cooling time, mold temperature, melt temperature, injection speed, injection pressure, packing pressure, packing switching, and packing time. The TOPSIS was used to deal with the single-quality optimization disadvantage of the Taguchi method. Then, the TOPSIS response table was used to obtain the optimized manufacturing parameters combination for a multiresponse process optimization. From the analysis of variance, the significant factors for the quality performance of the LGP could be obtained. In other words, by controlling these factors, it was possible to efficiently control the quality performance of the LGP. Finally, with the five verified experiments, the optimized processing parameters came within a 95% confidence interval. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29:54,63, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20181 [source]

Complementary and alternative medicine use among long-term lymphoma survivors: A pilot study,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 12 2009
Thomas M. Habermann
No published survey has specifically addressed the beliefs, knowledge, and usage of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in long-term (5,20 years) lymphoma survivors alone. In this pilot project, 95 subjects were randomly selected from a population of 2,475 long-term lymphoma survivors and mailed a questionnaire. The median time from lymphoma diagnosis to completion of the questionnaire was 11 years (range 6,20). Overall, 68% (95% CI: 54,80%) of the long-term lymphoma survivors reported that they have used CAM, a rate higher than the estimated usage rate reported for the general population The most commonly used modalities were chiropractic (39%, 95% CI: 27,53%) and massage therapy (21%, 95% CI: 12,34%). Less than 10% used meditation (5%, 95% CI: 1,15%) and relaxation (7%, 95% CI: 2,17%). In terms of common herbal usage, 5% (95% CI: 1,15%) had used St. John's Wort and 7% (95% CI: 2,17%) had used shark cartilage. Although none of the patients reported that CAM usage was directed specifically towards treating their lymphoma, 4% (95% CI: 0,12%) of patients reported that CAM could cure cancer, and 14% (95% CI: 6,26%) reported that CAM could increase their feeling of control over their health. This pilot study suggests that long-term lymphoma survivors appear to use CAM at a rate higher than the general population. The use of potential agents of risk by the survivors and the lack of access to potentially beneficial modalities highlights the need for further study of CAM in this population. Am. J. Hematol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Water Use by Thermoelectric Power Plants in the United States,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 1 2007
Xiaoying Yang
Abstract:, Thermoelectric power generation is responsible for the largest annual volume of water withdrawals in the United States although it is only a distant third after irrigation and industrial sectors in consumptive use. The substantial water withdrawals by thermoelectric power plants can have significant impacts on local surface and ground water sources, especially in arid regions. However, there are few studies of the determinants of water use in thermoelectric generation. Analysis of thermoelectric water use data in existing steam thermoelectric power plants shows that there is wide variability in unitary thermoelectric water use (in cubic decimeters per 1 kWh) within and among different types of cooling systems. Multiple-regression models of unit thermoelectric water use were developed to identify significant determinants of unit thermoelectric water use. The high variability of unit usage rates indicates that there is a significant potential for water conservation in existing thermoelectric power plants. [source]

Surveillance of antibiotic use in hospitals: methods, trends and targets

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 8 2006
E. I. Kritsotakis
Abstract A standardised antibiotic surveillance system is an essential requirement of all antibiotic control strategies. Antibiotic use can be quantified accurately using patient-level surveillance, although this is not feasible for most hospitals. Instead, population-level surveillance is a more realistic alternative for ongoing and systematic monitoring of antibiotic use. Monitoring of aggregate, ward-supply data on a monthly basis, stratification by patient care area, and analysis by the anatomical therapeutic chemical/defined daily dose (ATC/DDD) system, adjusting for bed-occupancy, provides a clear picture of antibiotic consumption density and time-trends within a hospital. When usage rates are supplemented and interpreted according to changes in hospital resource indicators, benchmarking is facilitated. This provides an efficient tool for triggering and targeting antibiotic control interventions. [source]