Linearity analysis and comparison study on the epoc® point-of-care blood analysis system in cardiopulmonary bypass patients

The epoc® blood analysis system (Epocal Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a newly developed in vitro diagnostic hand-held analyzer for testing whole blood samples at point-of-care, which provides blood gas, electrolytes, ionized calcium, glucose, lactate, and hematocrit/calculated hemoglobin rapidly. The analytical performance of the epoc® system was evaluated in a tertiary hospital, see related research article “Analytical evaluation of the epoc® point-of-care blood analysis system in cardiopulmonary bypass patients” [1]. Data presented are the linearity analysis for 9 parameters and the comparison study in 40 cardiopulmonary bypass patients on 3 epoc® meters, Instrumentation Laboratory GEM4000, Abbott iSTAT, Nova CCX, and Roche Accu-Chek Inform II and Performa glucose meters.

Pathfinder. Performance at the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music 2016

Pathfinder (2016) is an audiovisual performance-game for a solo drummer,exploring the synergies between multiple contemporary creative practices.The work navigates between music composition, improvisation, projection/ light art and game art. At its heart lies a bespoke electro-acoustic instrument,the augmented drum-kit, used not only to provide the sonic content of the work in real-time, but also as a highly expressive game controller that interacts with an instrument-specific game. The musical instrument offers a much wider range of expressive possibilities, control and tactile feedback in comparison to a traditional general-purpose game controller, and as a result it affords a very diverse and nuanced gameplay performance. Live electronics, lights, projections and the drum-kit all make up the performance-game’s universe, within which the performer has to explore, adjust, navigate and complete a journey.

Comparison of two HVAC renovation solutions : A case study

Within the aging building stock of Europe, there is great potential of saving energy through renovation and upgrading to modern standards, and to thereby approach the internationally set goals of lower energy use. This paper concerns the planned renovation of the building envelope and HVAC systems in a multi-family house in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Five systemic HVAC solutions were compared, with special focus on two systems: A) Balanced ventilation with HRC + Micro heat pump, and B) Forced exhaust ventilation + Heat pump with exhaust air HRC + Ventilation radiators. Given the predicted heating demand and ventilation rate of the house after renovation, the performance of the two systems was compared, alongside three common systems for reference. Calculations were made using TMF Energi, a tool developed by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden.    Both systems A and B were found to have the lowest electrical energy use together with the ground source heat pump system for the assumed conditions. For other assumptions, including different climate and degree of insulation, some differences between these three systems were noted. Most significant is the increased electrical use of system B for higher heating loads due to limitations in the power available from the heat source, exhaust air, which is dependent on the ventilation rate.

Evaluation and comparison of 3D intervertebral disc localization and segmentation methods for 3D T2 MR data: A grand challenge.

The evaluation of changes in Intervertebral Discs (IVDs) with 3D Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging (MRI) can be of interest for many clinical applications. This paper presents the evaluation of both IVD localization and IVD segmentation methods submitted to the Automatic 3D MRI IVD Localization and Segmentation challenge, held at the 2015 International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (MICCAI2015) with an on-site competition. With the construction of a manually annotated reference data set composed of 25 3D T2-weighted MR images acquired from two different studies and the establishment of a standard validation framework, quantitative evaluation was performed to compare the results of methods submitted to the challenge. Experimental results show that overall the best localization method achieves a mean localization distance of 0.8 mm and the best segmentation method achieves a mean Dice of 91.8%, a mean average absolute distance of 1.1 mm and a mean Hausdorff distance of 4.3 mm, respectively. The strengths and drawbacks of each method are discussed, which provides insights into the performance of different IVD localization and segmentation methods.

Prospective memory while driving : comparison of time- and event-based intentions

Prospective memories can divert attentional resources from ongoing activities. However, it is unclear whether these effects and the theoretical accounts that seek to explain them will generalise to a complex real-world task such as driving. Twenty-four participants drove two simulated routes while maintaining a fixed headway with a lead vehicle. Drivers were given either event-based (e.g. arriving at a filling station) or time-based errands (e.g. on-board clock shows 3:30). In contrast to the predominant view in the literature which suggests time-based tasks are more demanding, drivers given event-based errands showed greater difficulty in mirroring lead vehicle speed changes compared to the time-based group. Results suggest that common everyday secondary tasks, such as scouting the roadside for a bank, may have a detrimental impact on driving performance. The additional finding that this cost was only evident with the event-based task highlights a potential area of both theoretical and practical interest. Practitioner Summary: Drivers were given either time- or event-based errands whilst engaged in a simulated drive. We examined the effect of errands on an ongoing vehicle follow task. In contrast to previous non-driving studies, event-based errands are more disruptive. Common everyday errands may have a detrimental impact on driving performance.

The influence of nursing student characteristics on performance in the Quebec licensing exam.

This study examines whether certain academic, demographic or psychosocial characteristics of students can be indicators of future success on the Provincial Nursing Licensing exam. A cohort of 42 third year Nursing students was the study sample. Data were collected using a self-reporting questionnaire, academic marks, and graduate interviews. Academic variables that were studied included: first year nursing marks, college biology marks, final year nursing marks, and literacy level. Demographic variables that were studied included : age, gender, socioeconomic status and level of life responsabilities, academic motivation (hours spent studying) and hours worked at unrelated employment. Lastly, psychosocial variables that were studied included: test taking anxiety, stress and overall confidence level in terms of success on the upcoming exam. A comparison was then undertaken between the two groups-students that passed and students that failed the Licensing exam on their first sitting-with respect to specific student characteristics. The conceptual framework for this study is based on Leinbach and Jenkin's model of the correlation of milestones to momentum points in the educational experience. Results of this study suggest that exam anxiety and content review in the months that follow graduation seem to affect exam performance. Also, certain demographic characteristics such as age and financial strain seemed to be good indicators of future success.||Résumé : Cette étude tente d'établir si certaines caractéristiques liées aux études ainsi que des caractéristiques démographiques ou psychosociales des étudiantes et des étudiants peuvent être indicatives du succès futur à l'examen professionnel provincial d'admission à la profession infirmière. Une cohorte de 42 étudiantes et étudiants de troisième année en sciences infirmières formait l'échantillon de l'étude. Les données ont été recueillies au moyen d'un questionnaire d'autoévaluation, des résultats scolaires et d'entrevues avec les infirmières et infirmiers gradués. Les variables liées aux études examinées ont été les résultats de la première année d'études en sciences infirmières, les résultats en biologie au collégial, les résultats de la dernière année d'études en sciences infirmières et le niveau de littératie. Les variables démographiques étudiées ont été l'âge, le sexe, le statut socioéconomique, le niveau de responsabilités sociales, la motivation dans les études (les heures passées à étudier) et les heures consacrées à un travail non lié aux études. Enfin, les variables psychosociales examinées ont été l'anxiété devant l'examen, le stress et le niveau général de confiance quant à la réussite de l'examen à venir. Une comparaison des deux groupes d'étudiantes et d'étudiants, soit ceux qui ont réussi l'examen et ceux qui l'ont échoué à leur première tentative, a ensuite été faite en tenant compte des caractéristiques particulières à chacun. Le cadre conceptuel de cette étude repose sur le modèle de la corrélation entre les jalons (milestones) et les accomplissements (momentum points) dans l'expérience des études de Leinbach and Jenkin. Les résultats de cette étude laissent entendre que l'anxiété devant l'examen et la révision de la matière dans les mois suivant l'obtention du diplôme semblent avoir un effet sur le rendement à l'examen. Aussi, certaines caractéristiques démographiques comme l'âge et les difficultés financières semblaient être indicatifs du succès futur.

The significant role of third-party logistics (3pl) operators as fosterers of organizational performance in colombian companies

La eliminación de barreras entre países es una consecuencia que llega con la globalización y con los acuerdos de TLC firmados en los últimos años. Esto implica un crecimiento significativo del comercio exterior, lo cual se ve reflejado en un aumento de la complejidad de la cadena de suministro de las empresas. Debido a lo anterior, se hace necesaria la búsqueda de alternativas para obtener altos niveles de productividad y competitividad dentro de las empresas en Colombia, ya que el entorno se ha vuelto cada vez más complejo, saturado de competencia no sólo nacional, sino también internacional. Para mantenerse en una posición competitiva favorable, las compañías deben enfocarse en las actividades que le agregan valor a su negocio, por lo cual una de las alternativas que se están adoptando hoy en día es la tercerización de funciones logísticas a empresas especializadas en el manejo de estos servicios. Tales empresas son los Proveedores de servicios logísticos (LSP), quienes actúan como agentes externos a la organización al gestionar, controlar y proporcionar actividades logísticas en nombre de un contratante. Las actividades realizadas pueden incluir todas o parte de las actividades logísticas, pero como mínimo la gestión y ejecución del transporte y almacenamiento deben estar incluidos (Berglund, 2000). El propósito del documento es analizar el papel de los Operadores Logísticos de Tercer nivel (3PL) como promotores del desempeño organizacional en las empresas colombianas, con el fin de informar a las MIPYMES acerca de los beneficios que se obtienen al trabajar con LSP como un medio para mejorar la posición competitiva del país.

La influencia de la cultura nacional en el desempeño logístico de los 123 primeros países en el logistics performance index (LPI)

En esta tesis se presenta la influencia que tiene la Cultura Nacional en el desempeño Logístico de una Nación, en especial de los 123 primeros países evaluados por el Índice de Desempeño Logístico (LPI) realizado por el Banco Mundial. Este estudio se realiza a partir de los seis ítems evaluados en el LPI y de las seis Dimensiones Culturales de Hofstede, para relacionar estas calificaciones se empleará el programa estadístico SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences obteniendo como resultado posibles correlaciones para probar la hipótesis del efecto de la cultura en el desempeño logístico y establecer patrones de comportamiento en los mejores países de cada correlación. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos de estas correlaciones, se encontró que si existe una relación entre la cultura nacional y el desempeño logístico de un país, al igual que las dimensiones culturales más influyentes para obtener dichos resultados y se identificaron los países que cuentan con condiciones sobresalientes que facilitan tener altas posiciones en el LPI.

Comparison of sequence variants in the PDK4 and COX4I2 genes between racing and cutting lines of quarter horses and associations with the speed index.

Different selection objectives within the Quarter Horse breed led to the formation of groups with distinct skills, including the racing and cutting lines. With a smaller population size in Brazil, but of great economic representativeness, the racing line is characterized by animals that can reach high speeds over short distances and within a short period of time. The cutting line is destined for functional tests, exploring skills such as agility and obedience. Although the athletic performance of horses is likely to be influenced by a large number of genes, few genetic variants have so far been related to this trait and this was done exclusively in Thoroughbreds, including the g.38973231G>A singlenucleotide polymorphism in the PDK4 gene and the g.22684390C>T single-nucleotide polymorphism in the COX4I2 gene. The results of the present study demonstrate the presence of polymorphic PDK4 and COX4I2 genes in Quarter Horses. The analysis of 296 racing animals and 68 cutting animals revealed significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies between the two lines. The same was not observed when these frequencies were compared between extreme racing performance phenotypes. There were also no significant associations between alleles of the two polymorphisms and the speed index. These results suggest that the alleles of the PDK4 and COX4I2 genes, which are related to better racecourse performance in Thoroughbreds, are probably associated with beneficial adaptations in aerobic metabolism and therefore play secondary roles in sprint racing performance in Quarter Horses, which is mainly anaerobic.