Cost analysis for total hip arthroplasty by measurement of time and material expenditure

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: An estimated 4 million new cases of chlamydial infection occur each year. This experiment assessed the effects of a vaginally applied gel formulation of 0.25% chlorhexidine gluconate on chlamydial infection and on the vaginal ecosystem. STUDY DESIGN: Twelve monkeys were treated with a single application of 0.25% chlorhexidine gluconate. These animals were assessed for changes in vaginal flora before and at 30 minutes, 1 day, and 2 days postapplication by microbiologic analysis. Cervical and vaginal tissues were assessed by colposcopy at each time point. Five monkeys received a single application of 0.25% chlorhexidine gluconate gel followed (30 minutes) by a cervical inoculation with Chlamydia trachomatis. Four monkeys were inoculated with Chlamydia only. Cervicovaginal tissues were assessed via modified colposcopy, vaginal swabs were collected for assessment of vaginal flora, and cervical swabs were collected for detection of Chlamydia (culture/ligase chain reaction) at baseline and days 1, 2, and 7 postinoculation. RESULTS: Changes in vaginal flora were minimal in all monkeys. Application of 0.25% chlorhexidine gluconate did not affect adversely vaginal colonization by lactobacilli. All chlamydial infection control monkeys were infected, whereas none of the five monkeys pretreated with chlorhexidine gluconate were positive for C. trachomatis by culture or ligase chain reaction. Colposcopic observations remained largely unchanged in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: A 0.25% chlorhexidine gluconate gel was protective against chlamydial infection in all animals tested, had no adverse effect on the vaginal flora, and had minimal effect on cervicovaginal tissues after a single application.     

Differences between behavior reinforced by electrical stimulation of the brain and conventionally reinforced behavior: An associative analysis.

Briefly reviews the literature on differences between behavior maintained by rewarding brain stimulation and by conventional rewards. The literature is then interpreted in an associative framework, with emphasis on specifying the stimuli that are controlling the behavior in each situation. The associative analysis shows that rewarding brain stimulation is different from conventional rewards in some fundamental respects. Nevertheless, the behavior maintained by rewarding brain stimulation does, in certain situations, resemble behavior maintained by conventional rewards. Brief critiques of some of the earlier theories are offered from the standpoint of the associative model. (110 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On problems of time delay and sensitivity when mathematically modeling the thermal operation of a burning kiln for the production of artificial graphite

The effect of the relation between the thermal delay of a container (with a half-finished product and a backfill) and the sensitivity of a control system to the temperature field of the half-finished product for the production of artificial graphite is investigated by mathematical modeling. The effect of the design time step (Δτ) on the results of mathematical modeling is also studied. The modeling results for the delayless control system of a burning kiln are demonstrated to be practically independent of Δτ. In the case of the finite sensitivity of the control system, temperature fluctuations, which are generated by the system, penetrate deeply into the container as the thermal delay of the container (thickness of the backfill layer) decreases. However, it is possible to reveal that computationally at small Δτ because large time steps give a smoothed pattern with monotonic tendencies corresponding to actuality only at a significant thickness of the backfill layer. It is also determined that the convergence rate of the iteration algorithm in the computation is high enough when Δτ is substantially greater or less than the time of modeled periodic processes. If these quantities are of one order of magnitude, the algorithm may be cyclic or the required number of iterations may rise by several orders of magnitude.     

Utility of the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior for predicting physician behavior: A prospective analysis.

The utility of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for prospectively predicting physicians' delivery of preventive services was compared. Primary care physicians (N?=?765) completed 2 mail surveys at periods 6 months apart. The addition of perceived behavioral control to the TRA model significantly increased the variance accounted for in behavioral intention and subsequent behavior (p R?=?.52, p R?=?.63, p     

125I plaque therapy for uveal melanoma. Analysis of the impact of time and dose factors on local control

BACKGROUND: 125I episcleral plaque therapy has gained wide acceptance for the treatment of uveal melanoma because of its potential to preserve vision, salvage the globe, and provide good local control. A rigorous analysis of the optimum radiation dose, dose rate, and overall treatment time has not been reported with this technique. METHODS: One hundred fifty patients with uveal melanoma treated with 125I plaques between 1982 and 1990 and included in the uveal melanoma study (UMS) database of the Wills Eye Hospital were analyzed. Mean patient age was 60.7 years (range: 17.7-84.6 years). Initial mean tumor size was 9.7 x 8.5 x 3.7 mm with a range of 4.5 to 21.5 mm in basal dimension and 1.2 to 11.8 mm in height. Mean dose to the tumor apex was 94.77 gray (Gy) (29.5-141 Gy). Mean dose rate to the tumor apex was 92.9 cGy/hr (10-292 cGy/hr); the mean dose to the base was 359 Gy (181-692 Gy); the mean dose rate to the base was 348 cGy/hr (112-893 cGy/hr); and mean duration of treatment was 124.7 hours (range: 28-333 hours) RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 68 months, there have been 33 local failures. Mean time to local failure was 19 months (range: 6-78 months). Actuarial local control is 81% at 5 years. Multivariate analysis demonstrates significant correlation of local failure with larger tumor dimension (P = 0.0046), close proximity to the optic disc (P = 0.0029), lower radiation dose to the tumor apex (P = 0.03), lower radiation dose rate to the tumor apex and base (P = 0.01 and 0.03), and longer overall treatment time (P = < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective analysis reinforces the importance of dose rate, minimum tumor dose, overall treatment time, maximum tumor basal dimension, and proximity to the optic nerve in the treatment of uveal melanoma.     

A thermodynamic analysis of the empirical power relationships for creep rate and rupture time

A correlation between the empirical parameters describing power law of creep and the creep-rupture properties of materials is shown based on the thermodynamics of the steady-state creep or creep damage. Analytical relationships are suggested to explain this correlation, assuming that the activation energy depends on the logarithm of the stress. This approach relates the cohesive energy of material to the steady-state creep and rupture time data. As a result, the origin of the Monkman-Grant rule becomes clear. A simple formula is presented to estimate a priori the slope of the logarithm of rupture time vs the logarithm of rupture stress at a given temperature, using the melting temperature of the material.     

Improving the instructional supervisory behavior of public school principals by means of time management: Experimental evaluation and social validation.

Nine principals received 9 hrs of instruction in a 3-phase, time-management approach: (1) time management problem analysis, (2) plan development and implementation, and (3) plan evaluation. Results indicate that all Ss increased time spent in instructional supervision following time-management program participation. Classroom and remedial teachers indicated greater supervision satisfaction following Ss' participation in the program. Nine Ss could apply the time-management approach following the program, based on monthly time-management plans submitted to respective consultants, and principals from other school districts rated the instructional package as potentially beneficial to colleagues and themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Windowed cross-correlation and peak picking for the analysis of variability in the association between behavioral time series.

Cross-correlation and most other longitudinal analyses assume that the association between 2 variables is stationary. Thus, a sample of occasions of measurement is expected to be representative of the association between variables regardless of the time of onset or number of occasions in the sample. The authors propose a method to analyze the association between 2 variables when the assumption of stationarity may not be warranted. The method results in estimates of both the strength of peak association and the time lag when the peak association occurred for a range of starting values of elapsed time from the beginning of an experiment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

利用采样定理与沉积速率确定旋回分析最佳采样间隔

旋回地层学方法近年来被成功应用于年代确定及重大地质事件天文影响因素的判别.采样是旋回分析中最重要的一步,目前大多使用地球物理、地球化学替代性指标.采样频率过高.会大大增加测量和计算的工作量,同时也会增加随机干扰或其他非气候因素的干扰;采样频率过低,可能识别不出其中所包含的米兰柯维奇旋回成分.为确定一个最佳的采样间隔,通过对80～100Ma理论日照量曲线及两个实测剖面3种采样间隔(密集采样问隔与约等于一个岁差周期沉积厚度四分之一和一半的采样间隔)数据分别进行谱估计并比较谱估计结果.发现在满足采样定理的前提下,以一个岁差周期沉积厚度的约一半作为采样间隔,既可以分析出全部的米兰柯维奇旋回信号,又具有最少的工作量,是旋回分析的最佳采样间隔.实际采样中需根据平均沉积速率来确定这个最佳采样间隔.     

A cross-cultural analysis of the behavior of women and men: Implications for the origins of sex differences.

This article evaluates theories of the origins of sex differences in human behavior. It reviews the cross-cultural evidence on the behavior of women and men in nonindustrial societies, especially the activities that contribute to the sex-typed division of labor and patriarchy. To explain the cross-cultural findings, the authors consider social constructionism, evolutionary psychology, and their own biosocial theory. Supporting the biosocial analysis, sex differences derive from the interaction between the physical specialization of the sexes, especially female reproductive capacity, and the economic and social structural aspects of societies. This biosocial approach treats the psychological attributes of women and men as emergent given the evolved characteristics of the sexes, their developmental experiences, and their situated activity in society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is the frequency of mitoses and PCNA positive cells in tissues affected by delay in fixation? Lessons for accurate tumor grading

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the beneficial effects of an early administration of low dose linomide, a new immunomodulator, in an animal model of experimental systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: Experimental SLE was induced in naive BALB/c mice, by immunization with anti-DNA mAb (MIV-7). Control Mice immunized with irrelevant human IgM served as controls. The immunized mice were treated with linomide (0.1 mg/ml in the drinking water), four weeks prior to the first immunization, at an early stage of the disease induction (one month after boost injection), or at a later stage (3 months following boost immunization). The treatment duration was 3 months in all schedules. The follow-up studies continued for 8 weeks after discontinuation of the treatment. The presence in the serum of autoantibodies against ssDNA, dsDNA histones, phospholipids and an irrelevant autoantigen-pyruvate dehydrogenase, was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The clinical parameters assessed included erythrocyte sedimentation rate, peripheral blood cell counts and proteinuria. RESULTS: There was a 50-64% decrease in autoantibody levels in the sera of mice immunized with anti-DNA (MIV-7) mAb at the early stage of experimental SLE in mice which received linomide for a period of 3 months. No effect of linomide was noted in mice which received the drug during the later stages of experimental SLE when the disease was fully developed. Linomide had a preventive effect on the induction of experimental SLE in naive mice, when the treatment was initiated before the induction of the disease. This effect was abolished following cessation of the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Linomide proved to be effective at the early stages of induction of the experimental SLE. However, the autoantibody levels rose following discontinuation of the therapy.