1,577 research outputs found
The CKD.QLD data linkage framework: chronic kidney disease and health services utilisation in Queensland, Australia
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the western world. In Australia, around 1.7 million Australians aged 18 years and over (about one in ten) have indicators of CKD, and 1.8 million hospitalisations were associated with CKD in 2017–18. There is currently very little understanding of the impact of CKD on health service utilisation and costs. Understanding the disease pathways of CKD and its effects on service utilisation and patient outcomes is essential to predicting the course of the disease in the future, its effects on health services utilisation and capacity to better manage the burden of premature deaths or the need for dialysis that results from CKD. We describe the establishment of a data linkage framework to study hospital admissions of CKD patients in the public renal services in the Australian state of Queensland, and its potential to advance understanding of their course and outcomes. Seven years of retrospective data (2011–2018) on hospital-based health services utilisation were provided by Queensland Health for all 7,341 patients who enrolled in the CKD.QLD Registry up to Jan 2019. The data were supplied from three datasets: the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection, the Queensland Registrar General deaths, and the Activity Based Funding Model Output data. In addition, data were supplied from two cohorts of de-identified patients admitted to hospital in the same interval (22,023 patients each), who were not in the CKD.QLD Registry, the first with CKD and the second without CKD as indicated by International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification. The comprehensive and multifaceted data via the data linkage will enable us to identify opportunities for efficiencies in management of patients with CKD and for interventions that improve their outcomes
A Two-Stage Taguchi Design Example-image Quality Promotioin Miniature Camera/Cell-Phone Lens
A simple, practical manufacturing process, integrating manufacturing capability-oriented design (MCOD) philosophy and Taguchi’s method, is presented to tackle the high resolution miniature camera/cell phone lens issues at the manufacturing phase. Meanwhile, we also use optical software to create an analytical simulation model to investigate the quality characteristics due to lens’ thickness, eccentricity, surface profile, and air lens’ gap; a single quality characteristics expressed in terms of modulation transfer function (MTF) is defined. Optimal combination of process parameters in experimental scenario using Taguchi’s method is performed, and the results are judged and analyzed by the indices of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The key idea of the two-stage design is to utilize optical software to conduct the sensitivity analysis of MTF first; an analytical model, dependent on actual process parameters at manufacturing stage, is constructed next; and finally by substituting these outputs from the analytical model back to the optical software to verify the design criterion and do the modifications. By minimizing both the theoretical errors at design stage and the complexity in the manufacturing process, we are able to seeking for the most economical solution, simultaneously attain the optimal/suboptimal combination of process parameters or control factors in lens manufacturing issue
Half-quantum vortex and d-soliton in SrRuO
Assuming that the superconductivity in SrRuO is described by a planar
p-wave order parameter, we consider possible topological defects in
SrRuO. In particular, it is shown that both of the -soliton
and half-quantum vortex can be created in the presence of the magnetic field
parallel to the - plane. We discuss how one can detect the -soliton and half-quantum vortex experimentally.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Role of spin-orbit coupling on the spin triplet pairing in Na_{x}CoO_{2}yH_{2}O I: d-vector under zero magnetic field
The d-vector in possibile spin triplet superconductor Na_{x}CoO_{2}yH_{2}O is
microscopically investigated on the basis of the multi-orbital Hubbard model
including the atomic spin-orbit coupling. As a result of the perturbation
theory, we obtain the stable spin triplet superconductivity where the p-wave
and f-wave states can be stabilized. If we neglect the spin-orbit coupling,
superconducting state has 6-fold (3-fold) degeneracy in the p-wave (f-wave)
state. This degeneracy is lifted by the spin-orbit coupling. We determine the
d-vector within the linearlized Dyson-Gorkov equation. It is shown that the
d-vector is always along the plane when the pairing symmetry is p-wave, while
it depends on the parameters in case of the f-wave state. The lifting of
degeneracy is significant in the p-wave state while it is very small in the
f-wave state. This is because the first order term with respect to the
spin-orbit coupling is effective in the former case, while it is ineffective in
the latter case. The consistency of these results with NMR and \muSR
measurements are discussed.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74 (2005) No.
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