A new hybrid method for Bayesian network learning With dependency constraints

A Bayes net has qualitative and quantitative aspects: The qualitative aspect is its graphical structure that corresponds to correlations among the variables in the Bayes net. The quantitative aspects are the net parameters. This paper develops a hybrid criterion for learning Bayes net structures that is based on both aspects. We combine model selection criteria measuring data fit with correlation information from statistical tests: Given a sample d, search for a structure G that maximizes score(G, d), over the set of structures G that satisfy the dependencies detected in d. We rely on the statistical test only to accept conditional dependencies, not conditional independencies. We show how to adapt local search algorithms to accommodate the observed dependencies. Simulation studies with GES search and the BDeu/BIC scores provide evidence that the additional dependency information leads to Bayes nets that better fit the target model in distribution and structure.

Roll forming cryo-rolled nano-structured aluminium sheet

Commercial purity aluminium plate was reduced by rolling under nitrogen in 30 passes from an initial material thickness of 10 mm to a final thickness of 2 mm (80% reduction). Analysis of the microstructure showed that the material produced in this way had an ul-trafine grained microstructure. The sheet was roll formed at room temperature to a V-section using commercial roll forming equipment. Two sets of experiments were per-formed; one with a 15 mm radius in the base of the V and the other with a 5 mm radius. The performance in terms of final shape and springback is compared with the same part shape formed by V-die bending. The mechanical properties of the sheet were determined using the tensile test. It has been found that even if the total tensile elongation is close to zero and bending of the material is very limited, ultra-fine grained and low ductile sheet metals can be roll formed to simple section shapes.

On anomalous depth-dependency of the hardness of NiTi shape memory alloys in spherical nanoindentation

An experimental study on the indentation hardness of NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) by using a spherical indenter tip and a finite element investigation to understand the experimental results are presented in this paper. It is shown that the spherical indentation hardness of NiTi SMAs increases with the indentation depth. The finding is contrary to the recent study on the hardness of NiTi SMAs using a sharp Berkovich indenter tip, where the interfacial energy plays a dominant role at small indentation depths. Our numerical investigation indicates that the influence of the interfacial energy is not significant on the spherical indentation hardness of SMAs. Furthermore, the depth dependency of SMA hardness under a spherical indenter is explained by the elastic spherical contact theory incorporating the deformation effect of phase transformation of SMAs. Hertz theory for purely elastic contact shows that the spherical hardness increases with the square root of the indentation depth. The phase transformation beneath the spherical tip weakens the depth effect of a purely elastic spherical hardness. This study enriches our knowledge on the basic concept of hardness for SMAs under spherical indentation at micro- and nanoscales.

Structured self-reflection as a tool to enhance perceived performance and maintain effort in adult recreational salsa dancers

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of structured self-reflection in community dance classes would influence achievement goal orientations, levels of intrinsic motivation, or perceived dance performance. The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) were modified slightly to reflect involvement in salsa dancing rather than sport and then were administered to 139 Latin dance students at the beginning and end of an 11-week term. The dance classes were divided into control and intervention groups, balanced in terms of sample size and level of instruction. The intervention group completed a salsa self-reflection form during or after class for 9 weeks. At the posttest all students rated their salsa performance and the intervention group evaluated the self-reflection process. Results indicate that although achievement goal orientations were not affected, structured sell-reflection is perceived to be a positive tool and may be a useful technique to enhance perceived performance and maintain effort and perceived importance. The participants' perceptions of the self-reflection process were positive, with no negative effects of engaging in the process reported.

That tender discipline: spacing, structured nothingness & kumbhaka

In the discussion that follows here, I will attempt what I have decided to call an onto-poetic reading of the yogic practice of kumbhaka. I choose the double-barrelled nomination 'onto-poetic' since I would like to use my experience of kumbhaka both to think of certain current ontological paradigms and implications, and also to allow myself the flexibility and discipline that I associate with the poetic register. I will draw on three particular thinkers, namely Alain Badiou, Jacques Derrida and Luce Irigaray. Badiou makes very explicit metaontological claims that, I believe, have something to contribute to a reading of kumbhaka. Derrida, for his part, has written extensively about phonologocentrism and its inherent links with speech and breath in the history of phallocentric metaphysics. Irigaray, finally, demonstrates a way to think unity, breath and praxis so as to bring these conceptual strands together in a kind of elegant, but urgent, agency.
What can the very practice of kumbhaka help me to think? And how can such thinking impact on what happens when I practice pranayama that involves kumbhaka? Kumbhaka can be situated as a practice within the broader discipline of Yogic pranayama. Yoga, as it often encountered in this historical moment in the so-called West, can appear to emphasize physical posture (which are certainly as aspect of its breadth). Yoga, however, as a technology of existential and ontological inquiry, has often, throughout its long and meandering history, made use of the manipulation of, and abstinence from, breath. I will begin by cursorily outlining the place of pranayama itself within the yogic canon of practice. Then, I will go on to explain specifically the technology of kumbhaka, before embarking on my onto-poetic discussion.

Structured Type 1 Diabetes education delivered within routine care: impact on glycemic control and diabetes-specific quality of life

OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether improvements in glycemic control and diabetes-specific quality of life (QoL) scores reported in research studies for the type 1 diabetes structured education program Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating (DAFNE) are also found when the intervention is delivered within routine U.K. health care.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
Before and after evaluation of DAFNE to assess impact on glycemic control and QoL among 262 adults with type 1 diabetes.

RESULTS:
There were significant improvements in HbA_1c from baseline to 6 and 12 months (from 9.1 to 8.6 and 8.8%, respectively) in a subgroup with suboptimal control. QoL was significantly improved by 3 months and maintained at both follow-up points.

CONCLUSIONS:
Longer-term improved glycemic control and QoL is achievable among adults with type 1 diabetes through delivery of structured education in routine care, albeit with smaller effect sizes than reported in trials.

The cost-effectiveness of the Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) structured education programme: an update using the Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes policy model

AIMS: 
To estimate the cost-effectiveness of training in flexible intensive insulin therapy [as provided in the Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) structured education programme] compared with no training for adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus in the UK using the Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model.

METHODS: 
The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model was used to simulate the development of long-term microvascular and macrovascular diabetes-related complications and the occurrence of diabetes-related adverse events in 5000 adults with Type 1 diabetes. Total costs and quality-adjusted life years were estimated from a National Health Service perspective over a lifetime horizon, discounted at a rate of 3.5%. The treatment effectiveness of DAFNE was modelled as a reduction in HbA1c that affected the risk of developing long-term diabetes-related complications. Probabilistic and structural sensitivity analyses were conducted.

RESULTS:
DAFNE resulted in greater life expectancy and reduced incidence of some diabetes-related complications compared with no DAFNE. DAFNE was found to generate an average of 0.0294 additional quality-adjusted life years for an additional cost of £426 per patient, leading to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £14 400 compared with no DAFNE. There was a 54% probability that DAFNE would be cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20 000 per quality-adjusted life year.

CONCLUSIONS: 
The results of this study suggest that DAFNE is a cost-effective structured education programme for people with Type 1 diabetes and support its provision by the National Health Service in the UK.

The impact structured patient assessment frameworks have on patient care: an integrative review

Aims and objectives:
To evaluate structured patient assessment frameworks' impact on patient care.

Background:
Accurate patient assessment is imperative to determine the status and needs of the patient and the delivery of appropriate patient care. Nurses must be highly skilled in conducting timely and accurate patient assessments to overcome environmental obstacles and deliver quality and safe patient care. A structured approach to patient assessment is widely accepted in everyday clinical practice, yet little is known about the impact structured patient assessment frameworks have on patient care.

Design:
Integrative review.

Methods:
An electronic database search was conducted using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, PubMed and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. The reference sections of textbooks and journal articles on patient assessment were manually searched for further studies. A comprehensive peer review screening process was undertaken. Research studies were selected that evaluated the impact structured patient assessment frameworks have on patient care. Studies were included if frameworks were designed for use by paramedics, nurses or medical practitioners working in prehospital or acute in-hospital settings.

Results:
Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. There were no studies that evaluate the impact of a generic nursing assessment framework on patient care. The use of a structured patient assessment framework improved clinician performance of patient assessment. Limited evidence was found to support other aspects of patient care including documentation, communication, care implementation, patient and clinician satisfaction, and patient outcomes.

Conclusion:
Structured patient assessment frameworks enhance clinician performance of patient assessment and hold the potential to improve patient care and outcomes; however, further research is required to address these evidence gaps, particularly in nursing.

Relevance to clinical practice:
Acute care clinicians should consider using structured patient assessment frameworks in clinical practice to enhance their performance of patient assessment.