90 research outputs found
Validating a generic cancer consumer quality index in eight European countries, patient reported experiences and the influence of cultural differences
BackgroundTaking patient centeredness into account is important in healthcare. The European Cancer Consumer Quality Index (ECCQI) is a validated tool for international benchmarking of patient experiences and satisfaction.This study aimed to further validate the ECCQI in larger and more uniform groups of high volume tumours such as breast and prostate cancer. A second objective was the verification of the influence of cultural factors of the country to determine its possible use in international benchmarking.MethodsData from two survey studies in eight European countries were combined. Socio-demographic correlations were analysed with Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to validate internal consistency. Influences of masculinity (MAS), power distance (PD) and uncertainty avoidance (UA) were determined by linear regression analysis in a general model and subgroup models.ResultsA total of 1322 surveys were included in the analysis (1093 breast- and 348 prostate cancer patients). Cronbach's alpha was good (alpha >= 0.7) or acceptable (0.5Peer reviewe
rate detection in low amplitude non-invasive fetal ECG recordings
Abstract-Multi-electrode electrical measurements on the maternal abdomen may provide a valuable alternative to standard fetal monitoring. Removal of the maternal ECG from these recordings by means of subtracting a weighted linear combination of segments from preceding maternal ECG complexes, results in fetal ECG traces from which the fetal heart rate can be determined. Unfortunately, these traces often contain too much noise to determine the heart rate by R-peak detection. To overcome this limitation, an algorithm has been developed that calculates the heart rate based on crosscorrelation. To validate the algorithm, noise was added to a fetal scalp ECG recording to simulate low amplitude abdominal recordings. Heart rates calculated by the algorithm were compared to the heart rates from the original scalp ECG. For simulated signals with a signal to noise ratio of 2, the coefficient of correlation was 0.99 (p<0.001). By using the developed algorithm for calculating the fetal heart rate, multielectrode electrical measurements on the maternal abdomen now can be used for fetal monitoring in relatively early stages of pregnancy or other situations where ECG amplitudes are low or noise levels are high
Space efficient opposed-anvil high-pressure cell and its application to optical and NMR measurements up to 9 GPa
We have developed a new type of opposed-anvil high pressure cell with
substantially improved space efficiency. The clamp cell and the gasket are made
of non-magnetic Ni-Cr-Al alloy. Non-magnetic tungsten carbide (NMWC) is used
for the anvils. The assembled cell with the dimension \phi 29mm \times 41mm is
capable of generating pressure up to 9 GPa over a relatively large volume of 7
mm3. Our cell is particularly suitable for those experiments which require
large sample space to achieve good signal-to-noise ratio, such as the nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) experiment. Argon is used as the pressure transmitting
medium to obtain good hydrostaticity. The pressure was calibrated in situ by
measuring the fluorescence from ruby through a transparent moissanite (6H-SiC)
window. We have measured the pressure and temperature dependences of the 63Cu
nuclear-quadrupole-resonance (NQR) frequency of Cu2O, the in-plane Knight shift
of metallic tin, and the Knight shift of platinum. These quantities can be used
as reliable manometers to determine the pressure values in situ during the
NMR/NQR experiments up to 9 GPa.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in J. Phys.
Soc. Jp
Unusual Field-Insensitive Phase Transition and Kondo Behavior in SmTiAl
Magnetization, electrical resistivity and specific heat measurements were
performed on high-quality single crystalline SmTiAl (residual
resistivity ratio 40) grown by Al self-flux method. A Kondo-like dependence in the resistivity is observed below 50 K. We discovered a
field-insensitive phase transition at = 6.5 K and a field-insensitive
heavy fermion behavior with the electronic specific heat coefficient =
150 mJ/(K mol). Specific heat analysis reveals that the ground state is a
quartet state and the Sm magnetic dipole moment
( at 0) orders below in spite of the
field-insensitive behavior. Possible reasons for the field insensitiveness will
be discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 80 (2011
Small-scale solar magnetic fields
As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become
clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures.
Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar
magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric
heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of
small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field,
and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new
instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure
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