5,056 research outputs found
The Future of Emergency Medicine Public Health Research
This chapter addresses past successes and challenges and then elaborates on the potential for further advances in three areas that bridge emergency medicine and the broader public health and health services research agenda: (1) monitoring health care access; (2) surveillance of diseases, injuries, and health risks; and (3) delivering clinical preventive services. This article also suggests ways to advance policy-relevant research on systems of health and social welfare that impact the health of the public
Selecting and implementing overview methods: implications from five exemplar overviews
This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.Background
Overviews of systematic reviews are an increasingly popular method of evidence synthesis; there is a lack of clear guidance for completing overviews and a number of methodological challenges. At the UK Cochrane Symposium 2016, methodological challenges of five overviews were explored. Using data from these five overviews, practical implications to support methodological decision making of authors writing protocols for future overviews are proposed.
Methods
Methods, and their justification, from the five exemplar overviews were tabulated and compared with areas of debate identified within current literature. Key methodological challenges and implications for development of overview protocols were generated and synthesised into a list, discussed and refined until there was consensus.
Results
Methodological features of three Cochrane overviews, one overview of diagnostic test accuracy and one mixed methods overview have been summarised. Methods of selection of reviews and data extraction were similar. Either the AMSTAR or ROBIS tool was used to assess quality of included reviews. The GRADE approach was most commonly used to assess quality of evidence within the reviews.
Eight key methodological challenges were identified from the exemplar overviews. There was good agreement between our findings and emerging areas of debate within a recent published synthesis. Implications for development of protocols for future overviews were identified.
Conclusions
Overviews are a relatively new methodological innovation, and there are currently substantial variations in the methodological approaches used within different overviews. There are considerable methodological challenges for which optimal solutions are not necessarily yet known. Lessons learnt from five exemplar overviews highlight a number of methodological decisions which may be beneficial to consider during the development of an overview protocol.The overview conducted by Pollock [19] was supported by a project grant from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government. The overview conducted by McClurg [21] was supported by a project grant by the Physiotherapy Research Foundation. The overview by Hunt [22] was supported as part of doctoral programme funding by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC). The overview conducted by Estcourt [20] was supported by an NIHR Cochrane Programme Grant for the Safe and Appropriate Use of Blood Components. The overview conducted by Brunton [23] was commissioned by the Department of Health as part of an ongoing programme of work on health policy research synthesis.
Alex Pollock is employed by the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Research Unit, which is supported by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government. Pauline Campbell is supported by the Chief Nurses Office of the Scottish Government
Gluon polarization tensor in color magnetic background
In SU(2) gluodynamics we calculate the gluon polarization tensor in an
Abelian homogeneous magnetic field in one-loop order in the Lorentz background
field gauge. It turned out to be non transversal and consisting of ten tensor
structures and corresponding form factors - four in color neutral and six in
color charged sector. Seven tensor structures are transversal, three are not.
The non transversal parts are obtained by explicit calculation. We represent
the form factors in terms of double parametric integrals which can be computed
numerically. Some examples are provided and possible applications are
discussed.Comment: A number of misprints is correcte
Finite Element Analysis of Multipass Effects of Vehicles on Soil Compaction
Finite element procedure was used to simulate multiple wheel loading and to predict its effect on soil compaction. Results of nonlinear analysis, conducted using an incremental loading procedure, show effects of tire size, soil type, and number of passes on soil compaction. The results of the study also demonstrate the potential use of the procedure in compaction related studies. However, experimental verification of the model is necessary before the procedure can be recommended for wider use
Development and Uses of Upper-division Conceptual Assessment
The use of validated conceptual assessments alongside more standard course
exams has become standard practice for the introductory courses in many physics
departments. These assessments provide a more standard measure of certain
learning goals, allowing for comparisons of student learning across
instructors, semesters, and institutions. Researchers at the University of
Colorado Boulder have developed several similar assessments designed to target
the more advanced physics content of upper-division classical mechanics,
electrostatics, quantum mechanics, and electrodynamics. Here, we synthesize the
existing research on our upper-division assessments and discuss some of the
barriers and challenges associated with developing, validating, and
implementing these assessments as well as some of the strategies we have used
to overcome these barriers.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, submitted to the Phys. Rev. ST - PER Focused
collection on Upper-division PE
Tomographic imaging and scanning thermal microscopy: thermal impedance tomography
The application of tomographic imaging techniques developed for medical applications to the data provided by the scanning thermal microscope will give access to true three-dimensional information on the thermal properties of materials on a mm length scale. In principle, the technique involves calculating and inverting a sensitivity matrix for a uniform isotropic material, collecting ordered data at several modulation frequencies, and multiplying the inverse of the matrix with the data vector. In practice, inversion of the matrix in impractical, and a novel iterative technique is used. Examples from both simulated and real data are given
Interrogating child migrants or ‘Third Culture Kids’ in Asia: an introduction
No description supplie
- …