182 research outputs found
Does a more sophisticated storm erosion model improve probabilistic erosion estimates?
No full textThe dependency between the accuracy/uncertainty of storm erosion exceedance estimates obtained via a probabilistic model and the level of sophistication of the structural function (storm erosion model) embedded in the probabilistic model is assessed via the application of Callaghan et al.'s (2008) Joint Probability Model (JPM) at Narrabeen beach, Australia with three different structural functions: (a) Kriebel and Dean (1993) (analytical); (b) SBEACH (semiempirical); and (c) XBeach (fully process based). Results indicate that the accuracy is greatest for JPM-SBEACH and lowest for JPM-XBeach. The most uncertain results are given by JPM-XBeach while the most robust results are given by JPM-SBEACH. Thus, it appears that increasing the level of sophistication of the structural function beyond the semi-empirical SBEACH model, may not always lead to better results and may even be counter-productive.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Media violence: The effects are both real and strong
Get PDFFifty years of research on the effect of TV violence on children leads to the inescapable conclusion that viewing media violence is related to increases in aggressive attitudes, values, and behaviors. The changes in aggression are both short term and long term, and these changes may be mediated by neurological changes in the young viewer. The effects of media violence are both real and strong and are confirmed by the careful reviews of research evidence by various scientific and professional organizations that are concerned with children's mental health and development
Children's brain activations while viewing televised violence revealed by fMRI
Get PDFThough social and behavioral effects of TV violence have been studied extensively, the brain systems involved in TV violence viewing in children are, at present, not known. In this study, 8 children viewed televised violent and nonviolent video sequences while brain activity was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Both violent and nonviolent viewing activated regions involved in visual motion, visual object and scenes, and auditory listening. However, viewing TV violence selectively recruited a network of right hemisphere regions including precuneus, posterior cingulate, amygdala, inferior parietal, and prefrontal and premotor cortex. Bilateral activations were apparent in hippocampus, parahippo-campus, and pulvinar. TV violence viewing transiently recruits a network of brain regions involved in the regulation of emotion, arousal and attention, episodic memory encoding and retrieval, and motor programming. This pattern of brain activations may explain the behavioral effects observed in many studies, especially the finding that children who are frequent viewers of TV violence are more likely to behave aggressively. Such extensive viewing may result in a large number of aggressive scripts stored in long-term memory in the posterior cingulate, which facilitates rapid recall of aggressive scenes that serve as a guide for overt social behavior
Evaluation of metadata workflows for the Glasgow ePrints and DSpace services
No full textThe institutional repositories at the University of Glasgow which began as part of the DAEDALUS project have developed into an integral part of Glasgow University Library's services. Using both EPrints.org and DSpace, they provide access to, and permit management of, the University's academic digital assets. This evaluation analyses and comments on the metadata workflows of these services, their support for metadata quality, and how changes in purpose, which have accompanied their transition from project to service, have influenced the repositories. This evaluation will be of benefit not only to DAEDALUS but also to other institutional repositories facing the transition from project development to operational service. The metadata workflows supporting the management and retrieval of ePrints offer a number of paths for metadata creation - each of which has seen shifts in their relative importance as the purpose of the repository has evolved and become clear. The management and retrieval of other academic content in the DSpace service is entirely mediated by repository staff and follows a basic workflow. The quality of metadata in both services has been maintained through staff training and the ongoing involvement of professional cataloguers. The strengths of both repository services lie in their clarity of purpose, utilisation of appropriate software to support those purposes and their successful integration into Glasgow's institutional context. Although they also present a significant opportunity, the new challenges faced by the repository services arise from the emerging involvement of non-specialists in the creation of records and their potential involvement in the administration of sections of the DSpace repository. To address these challenges, the repository services will have to maintain their clarity of purpose, monitor metadata quality, capitalise on opportunities for efficiency, and continue to significantly engage in advocacy and user training
How Can Activity Monitors Be Used in Palliative Care Patients?
Get PDFCopyright 2019, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers“Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2018.0414”
This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (March 2019) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyBackground: Physical activity in palliative care patients is closely linked to independence, function, carer burden, prognosis, and quality of life. Changes in physical activity can also be related to service provision needs, including requirements for support and prognosis. However, the objective measurement of physical activity is challenging, with options, including self-report, invasive and intensive measures such as calorimetry, or newer options such as pedometers and accelerometers. This latter option is also becoming more viable with the advent of consumer technology driven by the health and exercise industry.
Objective: In this article, we highlight our experiences of activity monitoring in palliative care patients as part of telehealth trial. We also highlight the strengths and limitations of activity monitoring in the palliative care population and potential applications.
Conclusions: Although the advent of consumer technology for activity measurement makes their use seem attractive in clinical settings for palliative care patients, there are a number of issues that must be considered, in particular the reason for the activity monitoring and associated limitations in the technology
Harmonizing tau positron emission tomography in Alzheimer's disease: The CenTauR scale and the joint propagation model
No full textINTRODUCTION: Tau-positron emission tomography (PET) outcome data of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) cannot currently be meaningfully compared or combined when different tracers are used due to differences in tracer properties, instrumentation, and methods of analysis. METHODS: Using head-to-head data from five cohorts with tau PET radiotracers designed to target tau deposition in AD, we tested a joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification (units termed “CenTauR” [CTR]). JPM is a statistical model that simultaneously models the relationships between head-to-head and anchor point data. JPM was compared to a linear regression approach analogous to the one used in the amyloid PET Centiloid scale. RESULTS: A strong linear relationship was observed between CTR values across brain regions. Using the JPM approach, CTR estimates were similar to, but more accurate than, those derived using the linear regression approach. DISCUSSION: Preliminary findings using the JPM support the development and adoption of a universal scale for tau-PET quantification. Highlights: Tested a novel joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification of tau PET. Units of common scale are termed “CenTauRs”. Tested a Centiloid-like linear regression approach. Using five cohorts with head-to-head tau PET, JPM outperformed linearregressionbased approach. Strong linear relationship was observed between CenTauRs values across brain regions. © 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association
Flowcytometric assessment of fetomaternal hemorrhage during external cephalic version at term
Get PDFExternal cephalic version (ECV) at term is a safe procedure and reduces the incidence of cesarean sections for breech presentation. One of the known complications, however, is an ECV-related disruption of the placental barrier and a subsequent transfusion of fetal blood into maternal circulation. While the incidence of ECV-related fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) has been determined recently in a large trial using a manual Kleihauer-Betke test (KBT), questions remain on the amount of ECV-related FMH. KBT, which detects fetal red blood cells (RBC) on the basis of acidic resistance of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), is known to be a sensitive test, yet prone to procedural errors limiting its accuracy in quantifying FMH. In this study we investigated 50 patients for FMH before and after ECV, using a dual-color flow cytometric test kit with a lower limit of quantification of 0.05% fetal RBC in maternal peripheral blood. Three patients had a quantifiable increase of fetal RBC detected after ECV (0.06%; 0.08%; 0.1%). None of these subtle increments was predictable by ECV-related clinical parameters or translated into fetal compromise. Using a sensitive and accurate flow cytometric test method, our data provide further assurance to mothers on the safety of ECV at term
Probabilistic modelling of extreme beach erosion using XBeach
No full textThe long series (>30 year) of measurement data of erosion events at Narrabeen beach (NWS, Australia) provides insight in erosion volumes and their return periods in this area. The aim of this study was to replicate these data using XBeach in order to assess the validity of both the Joint Probability Model (JPM) and XBeach on beaches such as Narrabeen. In this study, a large number of different storms were simulated using XBeach. The probability and thus return period of the resulting erosion volumes were determined using the JPM. XBeach was calibrated against two individual erosion events, one at Narrabeen beach and one at Hasaki beach (Japan). The best fit for the Narrabeen beach, obtained using a stationary mode, led to an overestimation of erosion volumes at lower return periods (< 3 year) but fell within the boundaries implied by a 95% confidence interval of the measurement data for higher return periods. When calibrated against the erosion volumes with low return periods (<2 year), XBeach slightly underpredicted the erosion volumes at higher return periods. Depending on the method of determining confidence levels, the results were outside or well within the confidence interval of the measurements. This could suggests that this method is a valid way to predict erosion volumes and their return periods, in cases where long term erosion volumes measurements are absent.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Author Response to Reader's Comments to Fitzgerald Jones et al., Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Delivering Antiracist Care to Black Americans (DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0502)
No full textTelevision in infancy and early childhood--Uses & effects
Get PDFThe use of television and other media—such as video, computer programs, and CD material—in infancy and early childhood can have both positive and negative influences on the intellectual and social development of young viewers. Viewing carefully designed programs for preschool age children, such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, can have positive effects on social skills and academic preparation that enhance children’s development in preschool, early school years and even into adolescence. At the same time, early use of screen media in infancy and toddlerhood, without the intensive support of parents and other caregivers, can disrupt the development of social skills that are normally acquired through consistent and continuous interaction with parents and significant others in the infant’s environment. The history of 50 years of research on children and television has demonstrated consistent and persistent media effects across a wide range of experimental and correlational studies. Recent advances in neurological research, including brainmapping and the discovery of mirror neurons, leads to expanded concerns
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