165 research outputs found
Generalized backward doubly stochastic differential equations and SPDEs with nonlinear Neumann boundary conditions
In this paper a new class of generalized backward doubly stochastic
differential equations is investigated. This class involves an integral with
respect to an adapted continuous increasing process. A probabilistic
representation for viscosity solutions of semi-linear stochastic partial
differential equations with a Neumann boundary condition is given.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/07-BEJ5092 in the Bernoulli
(http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical
Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm
Adult female sexual offending:A comparison between co-offenders and solo offenders in a Dutch sample
Poor glycaemic control in secondary care insulin treated patients correlates with bad process indicators
peer reviewe
Readiness of the Belgian network of sentinel general practitioners to deliver electronic health record data for surveillance purposes: results of survey study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to proceed from a paper based registration to a surveillance system that is based on extraction of electronic health records (EHR), knowledge is needed on the number and representativeness of sentinel GPs using a government-certified EHR system and the quality of EHR data for research, expressed in the compliance rate with three criteria: recording of home visits, use of prescription module and diagnostic subject headings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected by annual postal surveys between 2005 and 2009 among all sentinel GPs. We tested relations between four key GP characteristics (age, gender, language community, practice organisation) and use of a certified EHR system by multivariable logistic regression. The relation between EHR software package, GP characteristics and compliance with three quality criteria was equally measured by multivariable logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A response rate of 99% was obtained. Of 221 sentinel GPs, 55% participated in the surveillance without interruption from 2005 onwards, i.e. all five years, and 78% were participants in 2009. Sixteen certified EHR systems were used among 91% of the Dutch and 63% of the French speaking sentinel GPs. The EHR software package was strongly related to the community and only one EHR system was used by a comparable number of sentinel GPs in both communities. Overall, the prescription module was always used and home visits were usually recorded. Uniform subject headings were only sometimes used and the compliance with this quality criterion was almost exclusively related to the EHR software package in use.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The challenge is to progress towards a sentinel network of GPs delivering care-based data that are (partly) extracted from well performing EHR systems and still representative for Belgian general practice.</p
Contribution of respiratory pathogens to influenza-like illness consultations
Influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) are caused by several respiratory pathogens. These pathogens show weak to strong seasonal activity implying seasonality in ILI consultations. In this paper, the contribution of pathogens to seasonality of ILI consultations was statistically modelled. Virological count data were first smoothed using modulation models for seasonal time series. Second, Poisson regression was used regressing ILI consultation counts on the smoothed time series. Using ratios of the estimated regression parameters, relative measures of the underreporting of pathogens were obtained. Influenza viruses A and B, parainfluenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) significantly contributed to explain the seasonal variation in ILI consultations. We also found that RSV was the least and influenza virus A is the most underreported pathogen in Belgian laboratory surveillance. The proposed methods and results are helpful in interpreting the data of clinical and laboratory surveillance, which are the essential parts of influenza surveillance
Non-commutative Geometry and Kinetic Theory of Open Systems
The basic mathematical assumptions for autonomous linear kinetic equations
for a classical system are formulated, leading to the conclusion that if they
are differential equations on its phase space , they are at most of the 2nd
order. For open systems interacting with a bath at canonical equilibrium they
have a particular form of an equation of a generalized Fokker-Planck type. We
show that it is possible to obtain them as Liouville equations of Hamiltonian
dynamics on with a particular non-commutative differential structure,
provided certain geometric in character, conditions are fulfilled. To this end,
symplectic geometry on is developped in this context, and an outline of the
required tensor analysis and differential geometry is given. Certain questions
for the possible mathematical interpretation of this structure are also
discussed.Comment: 22 pages, LaTe
Nationwide monitoring of end-of-life care via the Sentinel Network of General Practitioners in Belgium: the research protocol of the SENTI-MELC study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>End-of-life care has become an issue of great clinical and public health concern. From analyses of official death certificates, we have societal knowledge on how many people die, at what age, where and from what causes. However, we know little about how people are dying. There is a lack of population-based and nationwide data that evaluate and monitor the circumstances of death and the care received in the final months of life. The present study was designed to describe the places of end-of-life care and care transitions, the caregivers involved in patient care and the actual treatments and care provided to dying patients in Belgium. The patient, residence and healthcare characteristics associated with these aspects of end-of-life care provision will also be studied. In this report, the protocol of the study is outlined.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>We designed a nationwide mortality follow-back study with data collection in 2005 and 2006, via the nationwide Belgian Sentinel Network of General Practitioners (GPs) i.e. an existing epidemiological surveillance system representative of all GPs in Belgium, covering 1.75% of the total Belgian population. All GPs were asked to report weekly, on a standardized registration form, every patient (>1 year) in their practice who had died, and to identify patients who had died "non-suddenly." The last three months of these patients' lives were surveyed retrospectively. Several quality control measures were used to ensure data of high scientific quality.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>In 2005 and 2006, respectively 1385 and 1305 deaths were identified of which 66% and 63% died non-suddenly. The first results are expected in 2007. Via this study, we will build a descriptive epidemiological database on end-of-life care provision in Belgium, which might serve as baseline measurement to monitor end-of-life care over time. The study will inform medical practice as well as healthcare authorities in setting up an end-of-life care policy. We publish the protocol here to inform others, in particular countries with analogue GP surveillance networks, on the possibilities of performing end-of-life care research. A preliminary analysis of the possible strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of our research is outlined.</p
On the similarity of Sturm-Liouville operators with non-Hermitian boundary conditions to self-adjoint and normal operators
We consider one-dimensional Schroedinger-type operators in a bounded interval
with non-self-adjoint Robin-type boundary conditions. It is well known that
such operators are generically conjugate to normal operators via a similarity
transformation. Motivated by recent interests in quasi-Hermitian Hamiltonians
in quantum mechanics, we study properties of the transformations in detail. We
show that they can be expressed as the sum of the identity and an integral
Hilbert-Schmidt operator. In the case of parity and time reversal boundary
conditions, we establish closed integral-type formulae for the similarity
transformations, derive the similar self-adjoint operator and also find the
associated "charge conjugation" operator, which plays the role of fundamental
symmetry in a Krein-space reformulation of the problem.Comment: 27 page
Is Individual Educational Level Related to End-of-Life Care Use? Results from a Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study in Belgium
Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions: a mortality follow-back study in Belgium
BACKGROUND: This study compares prevalence and types of medical end-of-life decisions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities of Belgium. This is the first nationwide study that can make these comparisons and the first measurement after implementation of the euthanasia law (2002). METHODS: We performed a mortality follow-back study in 2005-2006. Data were collected via the nationwide Sentinel Network of General Practitioners, an epidemiological surveillance system representative of all Belgian GPs.Weekly, all GPs reported the medical end-of-life decisions among all non-sudden deaths of patients in their practice. We compared the northern Dutch-speaking (60%) and southern French-speaking communities (40%) controlling for population differences. RESULTS: We analysed 1690 non-sudden deaths. An end-of-life decision with possible life-shortening effect was made in 50% of patients in the Dutch-speaking community and 41% of patients in the French-speaking community (OR 1.4; 95%CI, 1.2 to 1.8). Continuous deep sedation until death occurred in 8% and 15% respectively (OR 0.5; 95%CI, 0.4 to 0.7). Community differences regarding the prevalence of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide were not significant.Community differences were more present among home/care home than among hospital deaths: non-treatment decisions with explicit life-shortening intention were made more often in the Dutch-speaking than in the French-speaking community settings (OR 2.2; 95%CI, 1.2 to 3.9); while continuous deep sedation occurred less often in the Dutch-speaking community settings (OR 0.5; 95%CI, 0.3 to 0.9). CONCLUSION: Even though legal and general healthcare systems are the same for the whole country, there are considerable variations between the communities in type and prevalence of certain end-of-life decisions, even after controlling for population difference
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