An Outline of the Bayesian Decision Theory

In this paper we give an outline on the Bayesian Decision Theory.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1409.826

Supervision practice in the face of emerging health risks: How market dynamics are forcing enforcement officials to stretch their mandate

The modern health care landscape is increasingly hard to capture in regulation and difficult to control by supervision agencies since, due to technological innovation and societal developments, new products and new health risks often emerge that extant regulation does not cover adequately. To counteract potentially harmful conduct, supervision agencies may frequently apply pressure on regulatees through regulatory conversations or negative publicity, even if their conduct may be legal. In this paper we provide context for such interventions beyond the law, outline the broad range of such interventions and discuss their efficacy and legitimacy. We recommend that relevant stakeholders engage in a dialogue that may result in institutional guidelines for supervision agencies on informal supervision practices and interventions beyond the law

Exogenous application of platelet-leukocyte gel during open subacromial decompression contributes to improved patient outcome

Background: Platelet-leukocyte gel (PLG) is being used during various surgical procedures in an attempt to enhance the healing process. We studied the effects of PLG on postoperative recovery of patients undergoing open subacromial decompression (OSD). Methods: PLG was produced from platelet-leukocyte-rich plasma (P-LRP), prepared from a unit of whole blood. Forty patients were included in the study. Self-assessed evaluations, using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scoring system of activities of daily living (ADL), joint instability, pain levels, pain medications, and clinical evaluations for range of motion were conducted. Results: Platelet and leukocyte counts were significantly increased in the P-LRP compared to baseline counts. Treated patients demonstrated decreased visual analog scales for pain and used significantly less pain medication, had an improved range of motion during passive forward elevation, external rotation, external rotation with arm at 90 degrees abduction, internal rotation, and cross body adduction compared to control patients (p < 0.001). No differences in the instability score were observed between the groups. Furthermore, treated patients performed more ADL (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In the PLG-treated group, recovery was faster and patients returned earlier to daily activities and also took less pain medication than control subjects

Aubry transition studied by direct evaluation of the modulation functions of infinite incommensurate systems

Incommensurate structures can be described by the Frenkel Kontorova model. Aubry has shown that, at a critical value K_c of the coupling of the harmonic chain to an incommensurate periodic potential, the system displays the analyticity breaking transition between a sliding and pinned state. The ground state equations coincide with the standard map in non-linear dynamics, with smooth or chaotic orbits below and above K_c respectively. For the standard map, Greene and MacKay have calculated the value K_c=.971635. Conversely, evaluations based on the analyticity breaking of the modulation function have been performed for high commensurate approximants. Here we show how the modulation function of the infinite system can be calculated without using approximants but by Taylor expansions of increasing order. This approach leads to a value K_c'=.97978, implying the existence of a golden invariant circle up to K_c' > K_c.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, file 'epl.cls' necessary for compilation provided; Revised version, accepted for publication in Europhysics Letter

Tactile Roughness Perception in the Presence of Olfactory and Trigeminal Stimulants

Previous research has shown that odorants consistently evoke associations with textures and their tactile properties like smoothness and roughness. Also, it has been observed that olfaction can modulate tactile perception. We therefore hypothesized that tactile roughness perception may be biased towards the somatosensory connotation of an ambient odorant. We performed two experiments to test this hypothesis. In the first experiment, we investigated the influence of ambient chemosensory stimuli with different roughness connotations on tactile roughness perception. In addition to a pleasant odor with a connotation of softness (PEA), we also included a trigeminal stimulant with a rough, sharp or prickly connotation (Ethanol). We expected that - compared to a No - odorant control condition—tactile texture perception would be biased towards smoothness in the presence of PEA and towards roughness in the presence of Ethanol. However, our results show no significant interaction between chemosensory stimulation and perceived tactile surface roughness. It could be argued that ambient odors may be less effective in stimulating crossmodal associations, since they are by definition extraneous to the tactile stimuli. In an attempt to optimize the conditions for sensory integration, we therefore performed a second experiment in which the olfactory and tactile stimuli were presented in synchrony and in close spatial proximity. In addition, we included pleasant (Lemon) and unpleasant (Indole) odorants that are known to have the ability to affect tactile perception. We expected that tactile stimuli would be perceived as less rough when simultaneously presented with Lemon or PEA (both associated with softness) than when presented with Ethanol or Indole (odors that can be associated with roughness). Again, we found no significant main effect of chemosensory condition on perceived tactile roughness. We discuss the limitations of this study and we present suggestions for future research.Previous research has shown that odorants consistently evoke associations with textures and their tactile properties like smoothness and roughness. Also, it has been observed that olfaction can modulate tactile perception. We therefore hypothesized that tactile roughness perception may be biased towards the somatosensory connotation of an ambient odorant. We performed two experiments to test this hypothesis. In the first experiment, we investigated the influence of ambient chemosensory stimuli with different roughness connotations on tactile roughness perception. In addition to a pleasant odor with a connotation of softness (PEA), we also included a trigeminal stimulant with a rough, sharp or prickly connotation (Ethanol). We expected that—compared to a No-odorant control condition—tactile texture perception would be biased towards smoothness in the presence of PEA and towards roughness in the presence of Ethanol. However, our results show no significant interaction between chemosensory stimulation and perceived tactile surface roughness. It could be argued that ambient odors may be less effective in stimulating crossmodal associations, since they are by definition extraneous to the tactile stimuli. In an attempt to optimize the conditions for sensory integration, we therefore performed a second experiment in which the olfactory and tactile stimuli were presented in synchrony and in close spatial proximity. In addition, we included pleasant (Lemon) and unpleasant (Indole) odorants that are known to have the ability to affect tactile perception. We expected that tactile stimuli would be perceived as less rough when simultaneously presented with Lemon or PEA (both associated with softness) than when presented with Ethanol or Indole (odors that can be associated with roughness). Again, we found no significant main effect of chemosensory condition on perceived tactile roughness. We discuss the limitations of this study and we present suggestions for future research

regulatory agency reputation acquisition:A Q Methodology analysis of the views of agency employees

This article reports findings of a Q Methodology study in which we explored the opinions of employees from eight Dutch regulatory agencies on how agencies gain their reputation. This is the largest study to date examining employee's views on the relative importance of different factors in reputation acquisition by public organizations, and the first analyzing employees in regulatory agencies. Results reveal five distinct “profiles” of opinion among employees about the factors most important in reputation acquisition. Regression analysis, further, supports that different regulatory agencies are dominated by employees with different opinions on how reputation is formed. These findings contribute to the growing empirical literature on how regulatory agencies, and their various employees, understand and approach reputation management.</p