Search results for "methods"

Characteristics of clinical trials in rare vs. common diseases: A register-based Latvian study.

2017

Background Conducting clinical studies in small populations may be very challenging; therefore quality of clinical evidence may differ between rare and non-rare disease therapies. Objective This register-based study aims to evaluate the characteristics of clinical trials in rare diseases conducted in Latvia and compare them with clinical trials in more common conditions. Methods The EU Clinical Trials Register (clinicaltrialsregister.eu) was used to identify interventional clinical trials related to rare diseases (n = 51) and to compose a control group of clinical trials in non-rare diseases (n = 102) for further comparison of the trial characteristics. Results We found no significant diffe…

The Value of Median Nerve Sonography as a Predictor for Short- and Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Prospective…

2016

Objectives To investigate the prognostic value of B-mode and Power Doppler (PD) ultrasound of the median nerve for the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods Prospective study of 135 patients with suspected CTS seen 3 times: at baseline, then at short-term (3 months) and long-term (15–36 months) follow-up. At baseline, the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve was measured with ultrasound at 4 levels on the forearm and wrist. PD signals were graded semi-quantitatively (0–3). Clinical outcomes were evaluated at each visit with the Boston Questionnaire (BQ) and the DASH Questionnaire, as well as visual analogue scales for the pat…

Mismatch negativity (MMN) in freely-moving rats with several experimental controls.

2014

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a scalp-recorded electrical potential that occurs in humans in response to an auditory stimulus that defies previously established patterns of regularity. MMN amplitude is reduced in people with schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to develop a robust and replicable rat model of MMN, as a platform for a more thorough understanding of the neurobiology underlying MMN. One of the major concerns for animal models of MMN is whether the rodent brain is capable of producing a human-like MMN, which is not a consequence of neural adaptation to repetitive stimuli. We therefore tested several methods that have been used to control for adaptation and differential exogenou…

All-Possible-Couplings Approach to Measuring Probabilistic Context.

2013

From behavioral sciences to biology to quantum mechanics, one encounters situations where (i) a system outputs several random variables in response to several inputs, (ii) for each of these responses only some of the inputs may "directly" influence them, but (iii) other inputs provide a "context" for this response by influencing its probabilistic relations to other responses. These contextual influences are very different, say, in classical kinetic theory and in the entanglement paradigm of quantum mechanics, which are traditionally interpreted as representing different forms of physical determinism. One can mathematically construct systems with other types of contextuality, whether or not …

Dosimetric evaluation of internal shielding in a high dose rate skin applicator

2011

Purpose: The Valencia HDR applicators are accessories of the microSelectron HDR afterloading system (Nucletron) shaped as truncated cones. The base of the cone is either 2 or 3 cm diameter. They are intended to treat skin lesions, being the typical prescription depth 3 mm. In patients with eyelid lesions, an internal shielding is very useful to reduce the dose to the ocular globe. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the dose enhancement from potential backscatter and electron contamination due to the shielding. Material and methods: Two methods were used: a) Monte Carlo simulation, performed with the GEANT4 code, 2 cm Valencia applicator was placed on the surface of a water phantom in …

Heat rectification in He II counterflow in radial geometries

2018

Abstract We consider heat rectification in radial flows of turbulent helium II, where heat flux is not described by Fourier's law, but by a more general law. This is different from previous analyses of heat rectification, based on such law. In our simplified analysis we show that the coupling between heat flux and the gradient of vortex line density plays a decisive role in such rectification. Such rectification will be low at low and high values of the heat rate, but it may exhibit a very high value at an intermediate value of the heat rate. In particular, for a given range of values for the incoming heat ow, the outgoing heat flow corresponding to the exchange of internal and external tem…

Inverse problems in imaging and engineering science

2020

Study of phase transition in Bi3TiNbO9-BaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics

2016

Abstract The subject of the paper is lead free bismuth layer structure oxides (1-x)Bi3TiNbO9-xBaBi2Nb2O9 (x=0; 1; 2; 3 mol). The influence of Bi3TiNbO9/BaBi2Nb2O9 ratio on dielectric and structural properties was studied in a wide range of temperatures. Change in the ratio causes a decrease in the maximum value of dielectric permittivity and shifts the temperature of ε’max to low values, leading to linear decreasing of average grain size and linear increasing of ceramics density. These results indicate an augment of the packing degree and the participation of pores are significantly decreased with the increase of BaBi2Nb2O9 compound intake. Moreover, for 0.7Bi3TiNbO9-0.3BaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics …

"If I don’t enjoy it, how are my kids going to enjoy it?" : case study in English grammar teaching

2015

The question over how grammar should be taught has been discussed amongst s everal linguistics scholars. Different grammar teaching methods present different focus on the target language, grammar and learner’s role. All of the methods have their strengths and weaknesses and in order to know which method to pick, one must know all the strengths and weaknesses of these methods. In this case study, a teacher from Central Finland was interviewed on her grammar teaching methods and the reasons behind these methods for fifth-graders. Factors influencing her selection of methods were the grammatical topic to be taught, learners’ different learning styles, relevance of the topic and the most natura…

Yksilöllisen oppimisen mallin soveltuvuus yläkoulun 7. luokan lajintuntemuksen opetukseen

2017

Suomalaisen koulujärjestelmän uudistuksia ohjaamaan astuivat elokuussa 2016 voimaan uudet valtakunnallisen perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmien perusteet, jotka korostavat konstruktivistista oppimiskäsitystä ja tulevaisuuden osaamiseen valmentavia tietoja ja taitoja. Biologian opetuksen tehtävänä on kartuttaa oppilaan luonnontuntemusta yhteisöllisiä ja toiminnallisia opetusmenetelmiä hyödyntäen. Sen tulee myös ohjata oppilaiden luonnontieteellisen ajattelun kehitystä vuorovaikutuksessa muiden oppilaiden kanssa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia matemaatikko Pekka Peuran kehittelemän yksilöllisen oppimisen mallin soveltuvuutta lajintuntemuksen opetukseen biologian oppiaineessa yläkoulun…