1,085 research outputs found
Intra-Examiner Reliability of Disposable Gnathometers
In vivo test methods using the expensive methods gnathodynamometry for assessing maximum bite-force, revealed objective improvement of retention of maxillary dentures using denture adhesives. Since the introduction of the disposable gnathometer (Procter & Gamble), facilitating simple measurement of bite-force at dislodgement of the denture, it seems relatively easy to measure the maximum bite-force of maxillary dentures. The gnathometer has a scale ranking from 1 to 10. It measures the
pressure which a patient can apply to the front teeth until dorsally dislodgement of the maxillary denture. The aim of the present study was to test the intra-examiner reliability of gnathometers. In each of 5university dental clinics (Rotterdam, Groningen, Athens, Gent, and Istanbul) 5 patients who had received a new conventional complete
maxillary denture less than one month previously, were selected. These patients had a stable natural dentition or prosthetic appliance in the mandible, e.g. an overdenture attached on natural or implant abutments, a partial natural dentition with a stable partial chromcobalt denture, etc. In the first session the maximum bite-force was measured by one experienced prosthodontist for each patient using three different gnathometers, successively three times
with each gnathometer. If the result was between 2 ranking points, the lowest was registered. The 9 measurements were conducted with three-minute breaks in order to enable the patient to reposition the dentures comfortably and habitually. One week later at the same time of the day, these measurements were repeated with the same three gnathometers, respectively for each patient, as used in the
first session. Intra-examiner reliability was very good. Paired sample correlations were 0.91, with overall measurement error of 0.7 on the ranking scale
Sharpness of the phase transition and exponential decay of the subcritical cluster size for percolation on quasi-transitive graphs
We study homogeneous, independent percolation on general quasi-transitive
graphs. We prove that in the disorder regime where all clusters are finite
almost surely, in fact the expectation of the cluster size is finite. This
extends a well-known theorem by Menshikov and Aizenman & Barsky to all
quasi-transitive graphs. Moreover we deduce that in this disorder regime the
cluster size distribution decays exponentially, extending a result of Aizenman
& Newman. Our results apply to both edge and site percolation, as well as long
range (edge) percolation. The proof is based on a modification of the Aizenman
& Barsky method.Comment: Latex 2e; 25 pages (a4wide); small editorial corrections; one
reference adde
Close-packed dimers on the line: diffraction versus dynamical spectrum
The translation action of \RR^{d} on a translation bounded measure
leads to an interesting class of dynamical systems, with a rather rich spectral
theory. In general, the diffraction spectrum of , which is the carrier
of the diffraction measure, live on a subset of the dynamical spectrum. It is
known that, under some mild assumptions, a pure point diffraction spectrum
implies a pure point dynamical spectrum (the opposite implication always being
true). For other systems, the diffraction spectrum can be a proper subset of
the dynamical spectrum, as was pointed out for the Thue-Morse sequence (with
singular continuous diffraction) in \cite{EM}. Here, we construct a random
system of close-packed dimers on the line that have some underlying long-range
periodic order as well, and display the same type of phenomenon for a system
with absolutely continuous spectrum. An interpretation in terms of `atomic'
versus `molecular' spectrum suggests a way to come to a more general
correspondence between these two types of spectra.Comment: 14 pages, with some additions and improvement
Novel Insights into Autism Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Mental Illness in Dutch Youth and Family Center Physicians
Education and Child Studie
Определение интервалов квазистационарности экономических систем
В работе рассмотрен вопрос определения оптимального интервала адаптации алгоритма динамического управления капиталом для нестационарного случая методами расчета показателя Херста и построения автокорреляционной функции для анализа временных рядов. Проведен анализ влияния выбора интервала адаптации на эффективность алгоритма. Из анализа полученных результатов следует, что метод расчета показателя Херста позволяет более эффективно, чем метод построения автокорреляционной функции, определить интервал стационарности модели функционирования экономической системы.Робота присвячена питанню визначення оптимального інтервалу адаптації алгоритму динамічного керування капіталом для нестаціонарного випадку за допомогою методів розрахунку показника Херста і побудови автокореляційної функції задля аналізу часових рядів. Проведено аналіз впливу вибору інтервалу адаптації на ефективність алгоритму. Порівняння результатів проведеного аналізу дозволяє стверджувати, що метод розрахунку показника Херста дозволяє більш ефективно, ніж метод побудови автокореляційної функції, визначити інтервал стаціонарності моделі функціонування економічної системи
CMS Monte Carlo production in the WLCG computing Grid
Monte Carlo production in CMS has received a major boost in performance and
scale since the past CHEP06 conference. The production system has been re-engineered in order
to incorporate the experience gained in running the previous system and to integrate production
with the new CMS event data model, data management system and data processing framework.
The system is interfaced to the two major computing Grids used by CMS, the LHC Computing
Grid (LCG) and the Open Science Grid (OSG).
Operational experience and integration aspects of the new CMS Monte Carlo production
system is presented together with an analysis of production statistics. The new system
automatically handles job submission, resource monitoring, job queuing, job distribution
according to the available resources, data merging, registration of data into the data
bookkeeping, data location, data transfer and placement systems. Compared to the previous
production system automation, reliability and performance have been considerably improved. A
more efficient use of computing resources and a better handling of the inherent Grid unreliability
have resulted in an increase of production scale by about an order of magnitude, capable of
running in parallel at the order of ten thousand jobs and yielding more than two million events
per day
Cost Effectiveness of a CYP2C19 Genotype-Guided Strategy in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction:Results from the POPular Genetics Trial
INTRODUCTION: The POPular Genetics trial demonstrated that a CYP2C19 genotype-guided P2Y12 inhibitor strategy reduced bleeding rates compared with standard treatment with ticagrelor or prasugrel without increasing thrombotic event rates after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). OBJECTIVE: In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of a genotype-guided strategy compared with standard treatment with ticagrelor or prasugrel. METHODS: A 1-year decision tree based on the POPular Genetics trial in combination with a lifelong Markov model was developed to compare costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) between a genotype-guided and a standard P2Y12 inhibitor strategy in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing primary PCI. The cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from a Dutch healthcare system perspective. Within-trial survival and utility data were combined with lifetime projections to evaluate lifetime cost effectiveness for a cohort of 1000 patients. Costs and utilities were discounted at 4 and 1.5%, respectively, according to Dutch guidelines for health economic studies. Besides deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses, several scenario analyses were also conducted (different time horizons, different discount rates, equal prices for P2Y12 inhibitors, and equal distribution of thrombotic events between the two strategies). RESULTS: Base-case analysis with a hypothetical cohort of 1000 subjects demonstrated 8.98 QALYs gained and €725,550.69 in cost savings for the genotype-guided strategy (dominant). The deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the model and the cost-effectiveness results. In scenario analyses, the genotype-guided strategy remained dominant. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing primary PCI, a CYP2C19 genotype-guided strategy compared with standard treatment with ticagrelor or prasugrel resulted in QALYs gained and cost savings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT01761786, Netherlands trial register number: NL2872
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