Search results for "Efficient"
showing 10 items of 1603 documents
Simulated poaching affects global connectivity and efficiency in social networks of African savanna elephants-An exemplar of how human disturbance im…
2022
Selective harvest, such as poaching, impacts group-living animals directly through mortality of individuals with desirable traits, and indirectly by altering the structure of their social networks. Understanding the relationship between disturbance-induced, structural network changes and group performance in wild animals remains an outstanding problem. To address this problem, we evaluated the immediate effect of disturbance on group sociality in African savanna elephants—an example, group-living species threatened by poaching. Drawing on static association data from ten free-ranging groups, we constructed one empirically based, population-wide network and 100 virtual networks; performed a …
Assessing Repeatability and Reproducibility of Anterior Active Rhinomanometry (AAR) in Children
2020
AbstractBackgroundRepeatability and reproducibility are essential for clinicians for several purposes. Although discouraged, use of the Coefficient of Variation (CV) for assessing repeatability and reproducibility, rather than the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), is still widespread. The aim of the present study was to highlight how using inappropriate indices may lead to misleading results, and this is done by simulation study and using real data on Anterior Active Rhinomanometry (AAR) in both healthy children and ones with rhinitis.MethodsA simulation study was carried out to highlight how using inappropriate indices could be misleading. Then a comparison was made between CV and …
Biophysical Models as an Approach To Study Passive Absorption in Drug Development: 6-Fluoroquinolones
1995
A preliminary study attempting to assess and explain the intestinal absorption of a series of antibacterial 7-piperazinyl-6-fluoroquinolones is presented. The synthesis, n-octanol partition coefficients, intrinsic rat gut in situ absorption rate constants, and in vitro antibacterial activity data found for these homologous compounds are described. A fluorimetric, reverse-phase HPLC method was performed for the quantification of the quinolones in absorption and partition samples. Equations based on two classic biophysical absorption models are given for predicting the intrinsic absorption features of the series according to the partition data or merely single structural parameters. In situ a…
Reliability of Two Color Selection Devices in Matching and Measuring Tooth Color
2011
ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the intra and interdevice reliability of two tooth color measurement devices: EasyShade (ES) and SpectroShade Micro (SSM). Materials and methods Tooth color was measured in six maxillary and mandibular. L*, a* and b* values and shade matches to VITA Classical and Vitapan 3D-Master shade guide systems were determined for all teeth. ÄE was assessed. Paired t-test and correlation coefficient (ICC) were used. Results Intradevices no significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between L*, a*, b*. Interdevice L* and b* were significantly higher for ES (p < 0.05), while a* was significantly higher for SSM (p < 0.05). ÄE s…
Individual Patterns in Blood-Borne Indicators of Fatigue-Trait or Chance.
2017
Julian, R, Meyer, T, Fullagar, HHK, Skorski, S, Pfeiffer, M, Kellmann, M, Ferrauti, A, and Hecksteden, A. Individual patterns in blood-borne indicators of fatigue-trait or chance. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 608-619, 2017-Blood-borne markers of fatigue such as creatine kinase (CK) and urea (U) are widely used to fine-tune training recommendations. However, predictive accuracy is low. A possible explanation for this dissatisfactory characteristic is the propensity of athletes to react to different patterns of fatigue indicators (e.g., predominantly muscular [CK] or metabolic [U]). The aim of the present trial was to explore this hypothesis by using repetitive fatigue-recovery cycles. A total …
Interobserver variability in rectum contouring in high-dose-rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer: A multi-institutional prospective analysis
2017
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the interobserver variability (KW) of rectum contouring, and its dosimetric consequences, for high-dose-rate brachytherapy in patients with prostate cancer across multiple institutions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five radiation oncologists contoured rectums in 10 patients on transperineal ultrasound image sets after establishing a delineation consensus. The D-0.1cc, D-1cc, and D-2cc rectum volume parameters were determined. The mean, standard deviation, and range of each dose-volume histogram parameter were evaluated for each patient. The JOY was determined using the coefficient of variation, and the dosimetric impacts on the total dose were analyz…
Mathematical models for the diffusion magnetic resonance signal abnormality in patients with prion diseases
2014
In clinical practice signal hyperintensity in the cortex and/or in the striatum on magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted images (DWIs) is a marker of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (sCJD). MR diagnostic accuracy is greater than 90%, but the biophysical mechanisms underpinning the signal abnormality are unknown. The aim of this prospective study is to combine an advanced DWI protocol with new mathematical models of the microstructural changes occurring in prion disease patients to investigate the cause of MR signal alterations. This underpins the later development of more sensitive and specific image-based biomarkers. DWI data with a wide a range of echo times and diffusion weightin…
Relationship between body composition and postural control in prepubertal overweight/obese children: A cross-sectional study
2017
Abstract Background Excess body weight during childhood causes reduced motor functionality and problems in postural control, a negative influence which has been reported in the literature. Nevertheless, no information regarding the effect of body composition on the postural control of overweight and obese children is available. The objective of this study was therefore to establish these relationships. Methods A cross-sectional design was used to establish relationships between body composition and postural control variables obtained in bipedal eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions in twenty-two children. Centre of pressure signals were analysed in the temporal and frequency domains. Pearson…
Validation of two portable bioelectrical impedance analyses for the assessment of body composition in school age children
2017
Background Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a convenient and child-friendly method for longitudinal analysis of changes in body composition. However, most validation studies of BIA have been performed on adult Caucasians. The present cross-sectional study investigated the validity of two portable BIA devices, the Inbody 230 (BIA8MF) and the Tanita BC-418 (BIA8SF), in healthy Taiwanese children. Methods Children aged 7–12 years (72 boys and 78 girls) were recruited. Body composition was measured by the BIA8SF and the BIA8MF. Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used as the reference method. Results There were strong linear correlations in body composition measurements between the BIA…
Progression of emphysema evaluated by MRI using hyperpolarized 3he (hp 3he) measurements in patients with alpha-1-antitrypsin (a1at) deficiency compa…
2009
Background: The progression of emphysema is traditionally measured by pulmonary function test, with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) being the most accepted and used measurement. However, FEV1 is insensitive in detecting mild/slow progression of emphysema because of low reproducibility as compared to yearly decline. Purpose: To investigate the progression of emphysema over a period of 2 years using diffusion-weighted hyperpolarized (HP) 3He magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency. Material and Methods: Nine patients with severe A1AT deficiency were studied over a period of 2 years (baseline, year 1, and year 2) with HP 3He MRI using app…