A comparison of three methods of Mendelian randomization when the genetic instrument, the risk factor and the outcome are all binary.

The method of instrumental variable (referred to as Mendelian randomization when the instrument is a genetic variant) has been initially developed to infer on a causal effect of a risk factor on some outcome of interest in a linear model. Adapting this method to nonlinear models, however, is known to be problematic. In this paper, we consider the simple case when the genetic instrument, the risk factor, and the outcome are all binary. We compare via simulations the usual two-stages estimate of a causal odds-ratio and its adjusted version with a recently proposed estimate in the context of a clinical trial with noncompliance. In contrast to the former two, we confirm that the latter is (under some conditions) a valid estimate of a causal odds-ratio defined in the subpopulation of compliers, and we propose its use in the context of Mendelian randomization. By analogy with a clinical trial with noncompliance, compliers are those individuals for whom the presence/absence of the risk factor X is determined by the presence/absence of the genetic variant Z (i.e., for whom we would observe X = Z whatever the alleles randomly received at conception). We also recall and illustrate the huge variability of instrumental variable estimates when the instrument is weak (i.e., with a low percentage of compliers, as is typically the case with genetic instruments for which this proportion is frequently smaller than 10%) where the inter-quartile range of our simulated estimates was up to 18 times higher compared to a conventional (e.g., intention-to-treat) approach. We thus conclude that the need to find stronger instruments is probably as important as the need to develop a methodology allowing to consistently estimate a causal odds-ratio.

Le Resident Assessment Instrument-Home-Care (RAI-Domicile): ce que le médecin de premier recours doit savoir [The Resident Assessment Instrument Home care: what primary care physician needs to know].

Following the decision of the Swiss Association for Home Care Services to adopt the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI), the RAI-Home Care is gradually implemented in all home care services in Switzerland. Based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment, the RAI not only allows to establish an individualized plan of care, but also generates quality indicators and a case-mix classification system that helps financing and planning resources. This article describes the five steps of the RAI-Home Care process and discusses the strengths, future and limitations of the RAI.

The pivot player in handball and patterns detection - instrument

The theoretical context of this study is related with the observational methodology in the context of group games and sports studies, specifically Handball. Thus, this study intends to analyze the performance of the pivot player in the World Cup 2007 - Germany, European 2008 - Norway 2008 and China OG 2008 in a qualitative dimension. Our purpose was to get as much information as possible about the whole activity of the pivot player, by identifying sequential patterns of behaviour or conduct of the player/game, by using the sequential analysis. The observation instrument used to meet the main purpose of this work consists of a combination of format fields (FF) and systems of categories (SC). The codifications undertaken occurred in several handball games. Using this instrument we have shown that it provides support for the purposes for which it was developed, allowing more research into the offensive process of handball. Besides this, it makes possible the analysis of aspects of the game through perspective and contextual sequences, which we consider to be more accurate, to fit the "reality" of a game such as handball.

Observational methodology in football: Development of an instrument to study the offensiva game in football.

The following paper introduces a new approach to the analysis of offensive game in football. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to create an instrument for collecting information for the analysis of offensive action and interactions game. The observation instrument that was used to accomplish the main objective of this work consists of a combination of format fields (FC) and systems of categories (SC). This methodology is a particular strategy of the scientific method that has as an objective to analyse the perceptible behaviour that occurs in habitual contexts, allowing them to be formally recorded and quantified and using an ad hoc instrument in order to obtain a behaviour systematic registration that, since they have been transformed in quantitative data with the necessary reliability and validity determined level, will allow analysis of the relations between these behaviours. The codifications undertaken to date in various games of football have shown that it serves the purposes for which it was developed, allowing more research into the offensive game methods in football.

Low-cost microprocessed instrument for evaluating soil temperature profile

This paper describes a low-cost microprocessed instrument for in situ evaluating soil temperature profile ranging from -20.0°C to 99.9°C, and recording soil temperature data at eight depths from 2 to 128 cm. Of great importance in agriculture, soil temperature affects plant growth directly, and nutrient uptake as well as indirectly in soil water and gas flow, soil structure and nutrient availability. The developed instrument has potential applications in the soil science, when temperature monitoring is required. Results show that the instrument with its individual sensors guarantees ±0.25°C accuracy and 0.1°C resolution, making possible localized management changes within decision support systems. The instrument, based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices as well as thermocouples, operates in either automatic or non-automatic mode.

Phenotip - a web-based instrument to help diagnosing fetal syndromes antenatally.

Prenatal ultrasound can often reliably distinguish fetal anatomic anomalies, particularly in the hands of an experienced ultrasonographer. Given the large number of existing syndromes and the significant overlap in prenatal findings, antenatal differentiation for syndrome diagnosis is difficult. We constructed a hierarchic tree of 1140 sonographic markers and submarkers, organized per organ system. Subsequently, a database of prenatally diagnosable syndromes was built. An internet-based search engine was then designed to search the syndrome database based on a single or multiple sonographic markers. Future developments will include a database with magnetic resonance imaging findings as well as further refinements in the search engine to allow prioritization based on incidence of syndromes and markers.

The Europeanisation of the measurement of diversity in education: a soft instrument of public policy

Faced with an increasing number of data and rankings, the author questions the roles of the different groups of actors who were originally involved in questioning the use of statistical indicators as a means of addressing issues of access to higher education. The comparison and nature of these international (UNESCO, OECD, EUROSTAT) and national (Germany, England, France, Switzerland) indicators in matters of inequalities of access to higher education question the tension between the discourses and the indicators they generate, and their recording at the national level. Who says what and with what consequences? What range of actors are involved in this process? What kind of power relations forms them? The author discusses how the issue of inequalities of access to higher education got on to the agendas of European organisations, identifies the policies that were defined, and sets them against an array of indicators, showing the discrepancy between the discourses and what the indicators reveal, the gap between the recommendations and the available tools. Why is there such a contrast? What are the mechanisms at work? Is it a technical or a political problem? What does this discrepancy reveal as far as national specificities within the construction of social inequalities are concerned?

Incubadores d'empreses: un instrument de suport a l'emprenedoria amb bona salut a Catalunya

The business incubators were newness in Catalonia during the last decade. They proliferated throughout all catalan geography, although during the last three years there have appeared some stabilization signals in the sector. Actually, it has only been created two new business incubators and the existing ones have not increased their supply, neither in physical available space nor in new services. It is observed that the profile of the existing incubators explains the strong presence of service companies. Thus, a clear attempt of specialization of the incubators is detected. At the same time, the virtual incubators and incubators linked to universities are arising new models that could be the paradigm of business incubators from now on

Results and harmonization guidelines from two large-scale international Elispot proficiency panels conducted by the Cancer Vaccine Consortium (CVC/SVI).

The Cancer Vaccine Consortium of the Sabin Vaccine Institute (CVC/SVI) is conducting an ongoing large-scale immune monitoring harmonization program through its members and affiliated associations. This effort was brought to life as an external validation program by conducting an international Elispot proficiency panel with 36 laboratories in 2005, and was followed by a second panel with 29 participating laboratories in 2006 allowing for application of learnings from the first panel. Critical protocol choices, as well as standardization and validation practices among laboratories were assessed through detailed surveys. Although panel participants had to follow general guidelines in order to allow comparison of results, each laboratory was able to use its own protocols, materials and reagents. The second panel recorded an overall significantly improved performance, as measured by the ability to detect all predefined responses correctly. Protocol choices and laboratory practices, which can have a dramatic effect on the overall assay outcome, were identified and lead to the following recommendations: (A) Establish a laboratory SOP for Elispot testing procedures including (A1) a counting method for apoptotic cells for determining adequate cell dilution for plating, and (A2) overnight rest of cells prior to plating and incubation, (B) Use only pre-tested serum optimized for low background: high signal ratio, (C) Establish a laboratory SOP for plate reading including (C1) human auditing during the reading process and (C2) adequate adjustments for technical artifacts, and (D) Only allow trained personnel, which is certified per laboratory SOPs to conduct assays. Recommendations described under (A) were found to make a statistically significant difference in assay performance, while the remaining recommendations are based on practical experiences confirmed by the panel results, which could not be statistically tested. These results provide initial harmonization guidelines to optimize Elispot assay performance to the immunotherapy community. Further optimization is in process with ongoing panels.