Direct Cost of Reprocessing Cotton-woven Surgical Drapes: a Case Study

OBJECTIVE Identify the direct cost of reprocessing double and single cotton-woven drapes of the surgical LAP package. METHOD A quantitative, exploratory and descriptive case study, performed at a teaching hospital. The direct cost of reprocessing cotton-woven surgical drapes was calculated by multiplying the time spent by professionals involved in reprocessing the unit with the direct cost of labor, adding to the cost of materials. The Brazilian currency (R$) originally used for the calculations was converted to US currency at the rate of US$0.42/R$. RESULTS The average total cost for surgical LAP package was US$9.72, with the predominance being in the cost of materials (US$8.70 or 89.65%). It is noteworthy that the average total cost of materials was mostly impacted by the cost of the cotton-woven drapes (US$7.99 or 91.90%). CONCLUSION The knowledge gained will subsidize discussions about replacing reusable cotton-woven surgical drapes for disposable ones, favoring arguments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of this possibility considering human resources, materials, as well as structural, environmental and financial resources.

High-resolution 3D whole-heart coronary MRA: a study on the combination of data acquisition in multiple breath-holds and 1D residual respiratory motion compensation.

OBJECT: To study a scan protocol for coronary magnetic resonance angiography based on multiple breath-holds featuring 1D motion compensation and to compare the resulting image quality to a navigator-gated free-breathing acquisition. Image reconstruction was performed using L1 regularized iterative SENSE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of respiratory motion on the Cartesian sampling scheme were minimized by performing data acquisition in multiple breath-holds. During the scan, repetitive readouts through a k-space center were used to detect and correct the respiratory displacement of the heart by exploiting the self-navigation principle in image reconstruction. In vivo experiments were performed in nine healthy volunteers and the resulting image quality was compared to a navigator-gated reference in terms of vessel length and sharpness. RESULTS: Acquisition in breath-hold is an effective method to reduce the scan time by more than 30 % compared to the navigator-gated reference. Although an equivalent mean image quality with respect to the reference was achieved with the proposed method, the 1D motion compensation did not work equally well in all cases. CONCLUSION: In general, the image quality scaled with the robustness of the motion compensation. Nevertheless, the featured setup provides a positive basis for future extension with more advanced motion compensation methods.

Campaign effects in direct-democratic votes in Switzerland

The purpose of this article is to analyse the conditions under which referendum campaigns have an impact on voting choices. Based on a model of opinion formation that integrates both campaign effects and partisan effects, we argue that campaign effects vary according to the context of the popular vote (size and type of conflict among the party elite and intensity and direction of the referendum campaign). We test our hypotheses with two-step estimations for hierarchical models on data covering 25 popular votes on foreign, European and immigration policy in Switzerland. Our results show strong campaign effects and they suggest that their strength and nature are indeed highly conditional on the context of the vote: the type of party coalition pre-structures the patterns of individual voting choices, campaign effects are higher when the campaign is highly intense and they are more symmetric when it is balanced.

Pre-procés i segmentació en imatges d’ultrasons 2D i 3D de la pròstata

Aquest projecte s'ha dut a terme amb el Grup de visió per computador del departamentd'Arquitectura i Tecnologia de Computadors (ATC) de la Universitat de Girona. Està enfocat a l'anàlisi d'imatges mèdiques, en concret s'analitzaran imatges de pròstata en relació a desenvolupaments que s'estan realitzant en el grup de visió esmentat. Els objectius fixats per aquest projecte són desenvolupar dos mòduls de processamentm d'imatges els quals afrontaran dos blocs important en el tractament d'imatges, aquests dos mòduls seran un pre-processat d'imatges, que constarà de tres filtres i un bloc de segmentació per tal de cercar la pròstata dintre de les imatges a tractar. En el projecte es treballarà amb el llenguatge de programació C++, concretament amb unes llibreries que es denominen ITK (Insight Toolkit ) i són open source enfocades al tractament d'imatges mèdiques. A part d'aquesta eina s'utilitzaran d'altres com les Qt que és una biblioteca d'eines per crear entorns gràfics

Estudi i implementació d’un mètode de reconstrucció 3D basat en SfM i registre de vistes 3D parcials

Aquest projecte es basarà en reconstruir una imatge 3D gran a partir d’una seqüència d’imatges 2D capturades per una càmera. Ens centrem en l’estudi de les bases matemàtiques de la visió per computador així com en diferents mètodes emprats en la reconstrucció 3D d’imatges. Per portar a terme aquest estudi s’utilitza la plataforma de desenvolupament MatLab ja que permet tractar operacions matemàtiques, imatges i matrius de gran tamany amb molta senzillesa, rapidesa i eficiència, per aquesta raó s’usa en moltes recerques sobre aquest tema. El projecte aprofundeix en el tema descrit anteriorment estudiant i implementant un mètode que consisteix en aplicar Structure From Motion (SFM) a pocs frames seguits obtinguts d’una seqüència d’imatges 2D per crear una reconstrucció 3D. Quan s’han creat dues reconstruccions 3D consecutives i fent servir un frame com a mínim en comú entre elles, s’aplica un mètode de registre d’estructures 3D, l’Iterative Closest Point (ICP), per crear una reconstrucció 3D més gran a través d’unir les diferents reconstruccions obtingudes a partir de SfM. El mètode consisteix en anar repetint aquestes operacions fins al final dels frames per poder aconseguir una reconstrucció 3D més gran que les petites imatges que s’aconsegueixen a través de SfM. A la Figura 1 es pot veure un esquema del procés que es segueix. Per avaluar el comportament del mètode, utilitzem un conjunt de seqüències sintètiques i un conjunt de seqüències reals obtingudes a partir d’una càmera. L’objectiu final d’aquest projecte és construir una nova toolbox de MatLab amb tots els mètodes per crear reconstruccions 3D grans per tal que sigui possible tractar amb facilitat aquest problema i seguir-lo desenvolupant en un futur

Mutation identification by direct comparison of whole-genome sequencing data from mutant and wild-type individuals using k-mers.

Genes underlying mutant phenotypes can be isolated by combining marker discovery, genetic mapping and resequencing, but a more straightforward strategy for mapping mutations would be the direct comparison of mutant and wild-type genomes. Applying such an approach, however, is hampered by the need for reference sequences and by mutational loads that confound the unambiguous identification of causal mutations. Here we introduce NIKS (needle in the k-stack), a reference-free algorithm based on comparing k-mers in whole-genome sequencing data for precise discovery of homozygous mutations. We applied NIKS to eight mutants induced in nonreference rice cultivars and to two mutants of the nonmodel species Arabis alpina. In both species, comparing pooled F2 individuals selected for mutant phenotypes revealed small sets of mutations including the causal changes. Moreover, comparing M3 seedlings of two allelic mutants unambiguously identified the causal gene. Thus, for any species amenable to mutagenesis, NIKS enables forward genetics without requiring segregating populations, genetic maps and reference sequences.

LSTA Five Year Plan 2008-2012, 2007

The 2008-2012 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Plan represents a blueprint for the State Library of Iowa’s federally funded activities over the next five years. We feel we have been successful in striking a balance between challenging ourselves to achieve more and being realistic about what we can actually accomplish with current human and financial resources. We have incorporated “Lessons Learned” from the previous five year plan. These include: • Continue to use LSTA funding primarily for projects of statewide impact, an emphasis based on input from the Iowa library community. • Consider carefully the ramifications of taking on additional projects. We have carefully selected a few, new projects. • Leverage staff resources and non-federal funding to carry out our LSTA plan. A number of programs and services identified in the plan also use state funding, including the State Data Center, Iowa Publications Online, Direct State Aid, Open Access and Access Plus. • Measure progress regularly and frequently. We plan to review our progress in implementing the plan at least quarterly and will ask the Iowa Commission of Libraries to review progress annually. • Write objectives that come closer to identifying impact. We believe our target outcomes are do-able and come closer to measuring impact.

Biological markers of alcohol consumption in alcoholised drivers: Comparison of capillary electrophoresis (CZE CDT) and a direct immunoassay (N Latex CDT) with the traditional method of anion-exchange chromatography-immunoturbidimetry (%CDT TIA).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare specificity and sensitivity of different biological markers that can be used in a forensic field to identify potentially dangerous drivers because of their alcohol habits. Methods: We studied 280 Swiss drivers after driving while under the alcohol influence. 33 were excluded for not having CDT N results, 247 were included (218 men (88%) and 29 women (12%). Mean age was 42,4 (SD:12, min: 20 max: 76). The evaluation of the alcohol consumption concerned the month before the CDT test and was considered as such after the interview: Heavy drinkers (>3 drinks per day): 60 (32.7%), < 3 drinks per day and moderate: 127 (51.4%) 114 (46.5%), abstinent: 60 (24.3%) 51 (21%). Alcohol intake was monitored by structured interviews, self-reported drinking habits and the C-Audit questionnaire as well as information provided by their family and general practitioner. Consumption was quantified in terms of standard drinks, which contain approximately 10 grams of pure alcohol (Ref. WHO). Results: comparison between moderate (less or equal to 3 drinks per day) and excessive drinkers (more than 3 drinks) Marker ROC area 95% CI cut-off sensitivity specificity CDT TIA 0.852 0.786-0917 2.6* 0.93 LR+1.43 0.35 LR-0.192 CDT N latex 0.875 0.821-0.930 2.5* 0.66 LR+ 6.93 0.90 LR- 0.369 Asialo+disialo-tf 0.881 0.826-0.936 1.2* 0.78 LR+4.07 0.80 LR-0.268 1.7° 0.66 LR+8.9 0.93 LR-0.360 GGT 0.659 0.580-0.737 85* 0.37 LR+2.14 0.83 LR-0.764 * cut-off point suggested by the manufacturer ° cut-off point suggested by our laboratory Conclusion: With the cut-off point established by the manufacturer, CDT TIA performed poorly in term of specificity. N latex CDT and CZE CDT were better, especially if a 1.7 cut-off is used with CZE

Surgical approach for total hip arthroplasty: direct lateral or posterior?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risks of prosthesis dislocation, postoperative Trendelenburg gait, and sciatic nerve palsy after a posterior approach compared to a direct lateral approach for adult patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) for primary osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Medline, Embase, CINHAL, and Cochrane databases were searched until August 2003. All published trials comparing posterior and direct lateral surgical approaches to THA in adults with a diagnosis of primary hip osteoarthritis were collected. Retrieved articles were assessed independently for their methodological quality. RESULTS: Four prospective cohort studies involving 241 participants met the inclusion criteria. Regarding dislocation rate, no significant difference between posterior and direct lateral surgical approach was found (relative risk 0.35). The presence of postoperative Trendelenburg gait was not significantly different between surgical approaches. The risk of nerve palsy or injury was significantly higher with the direct lateral approach (relative risk 0.16). However, there were no significant differences when comparing this risk nerve by nerve, in particular for the sciatic nerve. Of the other outcomes considered, only the average range of internal rotation in extension of the hip was significantly higher (weighted mean difference 16 degrees ) in the posterior approach group (mean 35 degrees, SD 13 degrees ) compared to the direct lateral approach (mean 19 degrees, SD 13 degrees ). CONCLUSION: The quality and quantity of information extracted from the trials performed to date are insufficient to make a firm conclusion on the optimum choice of surgical approach for adult patients undergoing primary THA for OA.

Does direct democracy reduce the size of government? New evidence from historical data, 1890-2000

Using historical data for all Swiss cantons from 1890 to 2000, we estimate the causal effect of direct democracy on government spending. The main innovation in this paper is that we use fixed effects to control for unobserved heterogeneity and instrumental variables to address the potential endogeneity of institutions. We find that the budget referendum and lower costs to launch a voter initiative are effective tools in reducing canton level spending. However, we find no evidence that the budget referendum results in more decentralized government or a larger local government. Our instrumental variable estimates suggest that a mandatory budget referendum reduces the size of canton spending between 13 and 19 percent. A 1 percent lower signature requirement for the initiative reduces canton spending by up to 2 percent.

Direct MR arthrography of the shoulder under axial traction: Feasibility study to evaluate the superior labrum-biceps tendon complex and articular cartilage.

PURPOSE: To assess the value of adding axial traction to direct MR arthrography of the shoulder, in terms of subacromial and glenohumeral joint space widths, and coverage of the superior labrum-biceps tendon complex and articular cartilage by contrast material. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients investigated by direct MR arthrography of the shoulder were prospectively included. Studies were performed with a 3 Tesla (T) unit and included a three-dimensional isotropic fat-suppressed T1-weighted gradient-recalled echo sequence, without and with axial traction (4 kg). Two radiologists independently measured the width of the subacromial, superior, and inferior glenohumeral joint spaces. They subsequently rated the amount of contrast material around the superior labrum-biceps tendon complex and between glenohumeral cartilage surfaces, using a three-point scale: 0 = no, 1 = partial, 2 = full. RESULTS: Under traction, the subacromial (Δ = 2.0 mm, P = 0.0003), superior (Δ = 0.7 mm, P = 0.0001) and inferior (Δ = 1.4 mm, P = 0.0006) glenohumeral joint space widths were all significantly increased, and both readers noted significantly more contrast material around the superior labrum-biceps tendon complex (P = 0.014), and between the superior (P = 0.001) and inferior (P = 0.025) glenohumeral cartilage surfaces. CONCLUSION: Direct MR arthrography of the shoulder under axial traction increases subacromial and glenohumeral joint space widths, and prompts better coverage of the superior labrum-biceps tendon complex and articular cartilage by contrast material. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:1228-1233. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.