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Validation Trials (validation + trials)
Selected AbstractsA web-based decision support system for integrated management of weeds in cereals and sugarbeet,EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 3 2003P. Rydahl A Danish decision support system (DSS) named Crop Protection Online (CPO) for integrated management of weeds in cereals and beet has been developed during the past 20 years. CPO is based on a model that runs in three main steps: model step 1 quantifies the level of weed control needed on a field level, model step 2 selects candidate herbicides and calculates dose rates to meet the need, and model step 3 calculates tank mixtures of herbicides with two to four mixing components, if advantageous. CPO has been developed in cereals and beet, and various prototype versions have been validated in 1679 field tests. CPO secured yield potentials, and the level of residual weeds was not increased when compared with reference treatments. The potential of CPO to reduce herbicide use has been observed in all model crops, but the potential was greatest in cereals. In spring cereal field trials highly infested with weeds, the present version of CPO suggested 35% of one full herbicide dose on average and in winter cereals CPO suggested 44% on average of one full dose. The results from validation trials demonstrate that CPO is capable of suggesting robust treatment options with a low input of herbicides. The system architecture of CPO has been exported to Poland and the Baltic countries, and the system is expected to be suitable for export to other countries too. [source] Validation of the Pulmonary Score: An Asthma Severity Score for ChildrenACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2 2002Sharon R. Smith MD Objectives: In the absence of a validated "user-friendly" method of scoring asthma severity, the authors derived the pulmonary score (PS). The purpose of this study was to begin validation trials of the PS by comparing it with the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Methods: The study enrolled a convenience sample of children, aged 5-17 years, who came to the emergency department (ED) for treatment of an acute asthma exacerbation. The PEFR (best of three attempts) and the PS were measured before and after the first albuterol treatment by a physician and a nurse from a pool of 45 trained observers. The PS includes respiratory rate, wheezing, and retractions, each rated on a 0-3 scale. Decreasing PS and increasing PEFR indicate clinical improvement. Pre- and post-treatment PEFRs and PSs were compared using paired t-tests to establish construct validity. Correlation of pre- and post-treatment PSs with PEFRs was measured to establish criterion validity. Results: Forty-six subjects completed the study. Mean percent predicted PEFR improved after treatment by 20.7% (p = 0.0001), and mean PS by 1.5 for nursing-obtained scores (p < 0.0001) and 1.9 for physician-obtained scores (p < 0.0001). Pre- and post-treatment PSs were significantly correlated with PEFRs. Correlations for the nursing-obtained scores were pre-treatment r = -0.57 (p = 0.0003) and post-treatment r = -0.67 (p = 0.0001), and for the physician-obtained scores were pre-treatment r = -0.44 (p = 0.003) and post-treatment r = -0.56 (p = 0.0001). The pre-treatment interrater reliability was 0.62 and the post-treatment was 0.53. Conclusions: These data support the construct and criterion validities of the PS as a measure of asthma severity among children in the ED. The PS is a practical substitute to estimate airway obstruction in children who are too young or too sick to obtain PEFRs. [source] Improving the coordination efficiency of limited-communication multi,autonomus underwater vehicle operations using a multiagent architectureJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 4 2010Christopher C. Sotzing This research addresses the problem of coordinating multiple autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operations. An intelligent mission executive has been created that uses multiagent technology to control and coordinate multiple AUVs in communication-deficient environments. By incorporating real-time vehicle prediction, blackboard-based hierarchical mission plans, mission optimization, and a distributed multiagent,based paradigm in conjunction with a simple broadcast communication system, this research aims to handle the limitations inherent in underwater operations, namely poor communication, and intelligently control multiple vehicles. In this research, efficiency is evaluated and then compared to the current state of the art in multiple AUV control. The research is then validated in real AUV coordination trials. Results will show that compared to the state of the art, the control system developed and implemented in this research coordinates multiple vehicles more efficiently and is able to function in a range of poor communication environments. These findings are supported by in-water validation trials with heterogeneous AUVs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Effect of protective filters on fire fighter respiratory health: field validation during prescribed burnsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009Annemarie J.B.M. De Vos MPH, ICCert Abstract Background Bushfire smoke contains a range of air toxics. To prevent inhalation of these toxics, fire fighters use respiratory equipment. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of the equipment on the fire ground. Experimental trials in a smoke chamber demonstrated that, the particulate/organic vapor/formaldehyde (POVF) filter performed best under simulated conditions. This article reports on the field validation trials during prescribed burns in Western Australia. Methods Sixty-seven career fire fighters from the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia were allocated one of the three types of filters. Spirometry, oximetry, self-reported symptom, and personal air sampling data were collected before, during and after exposure to bushfire smoke from prescribed burns. Results Declines in FEV1 and SaO2 were demonstrated after 60 and 120 min exposure. A significant higher number of participants in the P filter group reported increases in respiratory symptoms after the exposure. Air sampling inside the respirators demonstrated formaldehyde levels significantly higher in the P filter group compared to the POV and the POVF filter group. Conclusions The field validation trials during prescribed burns supported the findings from the controlled exposure trials in the smoke chamber. Testing the effectiveness of three types of different filters under bushfire smoke conditions in the field for up to 2 hr demonstrated that the P filter is ineffective in filtering out respiratory irritants. The performance of the POV and the POVF filter appears to be equally effective after 2 hr bushfire smoke exposure in the field. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:76,87, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Alkaline Comet Assay: Towards Validation in Biomonitoring of DNA Damaging ExposuresBASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Peter Møller The single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay is a technically simple and fast method that detects genotoxicity in virtually any mammalian cell type without requirement for cell culture. This review discusses the strength of the comet assay in biomonitoring at its present state of validation. The simple version of the alkaline comet assay detects DNA migration caused by strand breaks, alkaline labile sites, and transient repair sites. By incubation with bacterial glycosylase/endonuclease enzymes, broad classes of oxidative DNA damage, alkylations, and ultraviolet light-induced photoproducts are detected as additional DNA migration. The most widely measured enzyme sensitive sites have been those detected by formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG) and endonuclease III (ENDOIII). Reports from biomonitoring studies show that the basal level of DNA damage in leukocytes is influenced be a variety of lifestyle and environmental exposures, including exercise, air pollution, sunlight, and diet. Although not all types of carcinogenic exposures should be expected to damage DNA in leukocytes, the comet assay is a valuable method for detection of genotoxic exposure in humans. However, the predictive value of the comet assay is unknown because it has not been investigated in prospective cohort studies. Also, it is important that the performance of the assay is investigated in multi-laboratory validation trials. As a tool in risk assessment the comet assay can be used in characterization of hazards. [source] | ||||||||||