Gold Standard Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Cardiovascular risk is poorly managed in women, especially during the menopausal transition when susceptibility to cardiovascular events increases. Clear gender differences exist in the epidemiology, symptoms, diagnosis, progression, prognosis, and management of cardiovascular risk. Key risk factors that need to be controlled in the peri-menopausal woman are hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, and other components of the metabolic syndrome, with the avoidance and careful control of diabetes. Hypertension is a particularly powerful risk factor and lowering of blood pressure is pivotal. Hormone replacement therapy is acknowledged as the gold standard for the alleviation of the distressing vasomotor symptoms of the menopause, but the findings of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study generated concern for the detrimental effect on cardiovascular events. Thus, hormone replacement therapy cannot be recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Whether the findings of WHI in older post-menopausal women can be applied to younger peri-menopausal women is unknown. It is increasingly recognized that hormone therapy is inappropriate for older post-menopausal women no longer displaying menopausal symptoms. Both gynaecologists and cardiovascular physicians have an important role to play in identifying peri-menopausal women at risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and should work as a team to identify and manage risk factors such as hypertension.

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- Cardiology, Gynaecology, Obesity, Atherosclerosis

Little is known about how to detect malingered dissociative identity disorder (DID).

- by Richard Loewenstein
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- Sociology, Psychology, Trauma, Hospitalization

Using a Markov-switching GARCH model this paper analyzes the volatility evolution of the greenback's price in gold from after the Civil War until the return to gold convertibility in 1879. The econometric inference associated with our methodology indicates a switch to a regime of low volatility roughly seven months before the actual resumption. Since this empirical finding is most likely to be reconciled with a change in market expectations, we conclude that expectations affected the exchange rate more than fundamentals. Our analysis also demonstrates that regime switches in the volatility of exchange rates may reflect historical events that remain undiscovered otherwise.

- by Martin Uebele
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- Civil War, Exchange rate, Markov switching, Financial Stability

Fujitani S, Yu VL. Diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia: focus on nonbronchoscopic techniques (nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage, including mini-BAL, blinded protected specimen brush, and blinded bronchial sampling) and... more

- by Soudani Marghli
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- Gold Standard, Intensive Care Medicine

Literature Based Discovery (LBD) is a process that searches for hidden and important connections among information embedded in published literature. Employing techniques from Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing, LBD has potential for widespread application yet is currently implemented primarily in the medical domain. This article examines several published LBD systems, comparing their descriptions of domain and input data, techniques

- by Murat C Ganiz
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- Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, Data Mining, Gold Standard

This paper compares the behaviour of long-term interest rates and prices in Italy, the UK and the USA, and seeks to shed light into what has become known as the 'Gibson Paradox'. We compare the various theoretical explanations for the observed positive correlation of interest rates and prices in the USA and the UK. Using both regression and frequency domain techniques, we demonstrate that there is little evidence for the occurrence of the paradox in the case of Italy. The key conclusion of the paper is that the comparative evidence from these three countries supports a gold standard interpretation of the Paradox.

- by Francesco Spinelli
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- Economics, Political Science, Economic Theory, United Kingdom

Air quality indices currently in use have been criticized because they do not capture additive effects of multiple pollutants, or reflect the apparent no-threshold concentration-response relationship between air pollution and health. We propose a new air quality health index (AQHI), constructed as the sum of excess mortality risk associated with individual pollutants from a time-series analysis of air pollution and

- by Donald Martello
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- Engineering, Environmental Science, Algorithms, Air Quality

The optimal diagnostic evaluation for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains controversial. In this retrospective study, we assessed the utility of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in ICH diagnosis and management. Eighty-nine (72%) of 123 patients with spontaneous ICH underwent a brain CT and MRI within 30 days of ICH onset. Seventy patients with a mean age of 62 ± 15 years were included. A stroke neurologist and a general neurologist, each blinded to the final diagnosis, independently reviewed the admission data and the initial head CT and then assigned a presumed ICH cause under 1 of 9 categories. ICH cause was potentially modified after subsequent MRI review. The final 'gold standard' ICH etiology was determined after review of the complete medical record by an independent investigator. Change in diagnostic category and confidence and the potential impact on patient management were systematically recorded. Mean time to MRI was 3 ± 5 days. Final ICH diagn...

Patch clamping remains the gold standard in electrical (ion channel) measurements of cells and is used in basic research and drug screening. Major drawbacks of the method are that is it slow and cumbersome-much effort has been put into producing high throughput systems (HTS). HTS currently marketed [1,2,3,4] remain on the traditional materials of glass and silicon with one polymer based system [5]. All of these systems use suction or pressure to move cells to a planar hole for measurement, circumventing the need for a glass pipette, a significant advantage over the traditional method. However, using suction has other limitations, cells must be suspendable in solution and non-aggregating and success rates using suction are extremely variable-ranging from 30-80% depending on cell type. Cells that are not positioned well over a measurement hole do not provide a high enough resistance seal for measurement (i.e. there is a "leak" between the measurement electrode below the cell and the bath reference electrode above the cell). To have the cells 'self-guide' and culture above the measurement hole would advance HTS systems and also allow the measurement of cells that are not currently possible. We present a novel patch clamping design (Fig. 1) for single cells and cell networks that exploits the surface modification capability of polymers to provide preferential attractive binding sites for cells that do not require suction for placement. This paper introduces the processes used to develop such a system and provides initial results. I.

- by Wilhelm Pfleging
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- Surface modification, Gold Standard, Very high throughput, Binding Site

A new rapid method based on real-time PCR was developed to detect four thermophilic Campylobacter species (Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter lari, and Campylobacter upsaliensis) in food samples. The assay targeted the bipA gene for C. upsaliensis and C. lari, whereas the gene encoding the ATP-binding protein CJE0832 was used to detect C. coli and C. jejuni. These genes were chosen for this assay due to their low variability and mutation rate at a species level. The multiplex PCR showed 100% inclusivity for all 25 thermophilic Campylobacter strains tested and 100% exclusivity for 38 non-targeted strains belonging to closely related species. The newly developed real-time PCR could detect down to 10 2 genomes/reaction and displayed efficiency above 97% for all species except for C. upsaliensis (90.1%). The method proved to be a reliable tool for food analysis, showing 100% sensitivity, 96% efficiency, and 92.45% specificity when validated against the gold standard method UNE-EN ISO 10272:2006 using 200 diverse food samples (meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, and raw milk). In artificially spiked samples, the detection limit of the method was 10 cfu/g in salad, 5 cfu/g in turkey meat, and 1 cfu/g in the rest of meat samples tested. Consequently, the newly designed molecular tool represents a quick and safe alternative to obtain reliable results concerning the pres-ence/absence of the main thermophilic Campylobacter in any food sample.

- by Marçal Soler and +1
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- Food Analysis, real time PCR, multiplex PCR, Fruit and vegetables

We examine the equivalence of two construct-a-concept-map techniques: construct-a-map with created linking phrases (C), and construct-a-map with selected linking phrases (S). The former places few constraints on the respondent and has been considered the gold standard; the latter is cost and time efficient. Both their products and processes are compared quantitatively and qualitatively as to total accuracy score, individual proposition scores, proposition choice, map structure complexity, proposition generation rate, and proposition generation procedures. We conclude that the two mapping techniques are not equivalent: The C technique is better than the S technique in capturing students' partial knowledge, even though the S can be scored more efficiently than C. Based on their characteristics, if used as an assessment tool, the C technique is more suitable for formative assessment while the S technique is a better fit for largescale assessments. ß

- by carlos ayala
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- Formative Assessment, Concept Map, SCIENCE TEACHING, Evaluation methods

Purpose The aim of our prospective study was to compare patient tolerance of laxative free fecal tagging regimen (LFT) versus traditional cathartic cleansing (TC). Materials and methods 264 patients, at average risk for development of colorectal cancer (105 men and 159 women; mean age 62 years ± 5 SD), underwent 32 rows CT colonography. Patients were alternatively placed into 2 study groups: Group 1 (n = 132) followed TC and Group 2 (n = 132) LFT. TC protocol consisted of no fiber diet and Phospho-lax® 80 mL in 2 L of water the day before imaging. LFT protocol consisted of no fiber diet and ingestion with meals of 30 mL of water-soluble iodinated contrast agent (Gastrografin®) for 2 days before imaging. No frank laxative drugs were administered. All studies were reviewed in a combined fashion, primary 2D followed by 3D endoluminal and dissected views. After the examination all patients were asked to provide a feedback about tolerance to the each bowel preparation. The first 30 patients of each group were also investigated with optical colonoscopy (OC) used as gold standard to confirm our diagnosis (Group 1* and Group 2*). Conclusions LFT reduces discomfort and seems to improve diagnostic accuracy of CTC.

- by Emanuele Neri
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- Colorectal cancer, Abdominal Imaging, Prospective studies, Patient Satisfaction

This study investigates validity of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T) in 182 children aged 5-10 years, 91 children referred for motor problems to a rehabilitation center and 91 comparison children. Performance on the MOQ-T was compared to performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) and the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCD-Q). Significant correlations were obtained between the MOQ-T and the DCD-Q (r = À.63), and the MOQ-T and the M-ABC (r = .57). The MOQ-T discriminated between children at risk for DCD and comparison children. Sensitivity of the MOQ-T was 80.5%, specificity 62% with the M-ABC as 'gold standard'. These results support the validity of the MOQ-T as a screening instrument for identification of children at risk for DCD. address: M.M.Schoemaker@RUG.NL (M.M. Schoemaker).

The paper reports a quantitative analysis of the perfusion maps of 22 patients, affected by gliomas or by metastasis, with the aim of characterizing the malignant tissue with respect to the normal tissue. The gold standard was obtained by histological exam or nuclear medicine techniques. The perfusion scan provided 11 parametric maps, including Cerebral Blood Volume (CBV), Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF), Average Perfusion (P mean ) and Permeability-surface area product (PS).

Background: As a result of low numbers and diversity in study type, occupational health intervention studies are not easy to locate in electronic literature databases. Aim: To develop a search strategy that facilitates finding occupational health intervention studies in Medline, both for researchers and practitioners. Methods: A gold standard of articles was created by going through two whole volumes of 19 biomedical journals, both occupational health specialty and non-occupational health journals. Criteria for occupational health intervention studies were: evaluating an intervention with an occupational health outcome and a study design with a control group. Each journal was searched independently by two of the authors. Search terms were developed by asking specialists and counting word frequencies in gold standard articles.

- by I. Pasternack and +1
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- Information Retrieval, Occupational Health, Bibliometrics, Evidence Based Medicine

Reliable automatic semantic annotation systems do not exist for many languages. Their creation depends in many respects on construction of gold standard corpora. In this paper we present a system for supporting the semi-automatic... more

- by Petya Osenova
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- Ontology Engineering, Text Segmentation, Semantic Information, Corpus Annotation

We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular personal computer game in the United States, with significant markets in Asia and Europe. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the "gold standard" of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups. We suggest populations for whom similar games could be designed.

- by Justin Harris
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- Game studies, Video Game, Community, Learning

Background: Pattern of fat distribution rather than obesity is of importance for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The accurate measurement of total and regional fat mass requires sophisticated and often expensive methods that have limited applicability in the clinical setting. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate body fat distributions by ultrasound (US) as a gold standard method for measuring visceral, preperitoneal and subcutaneous fat layers and comparing with anthropometric results, and then to find the most reliable anthropometric measurement in childhood obesity. Materials and methods: Study group of 51 obese children (21 F, 30 M) (mean age7s.d.: 11.572.6 years) and control group of 33 non-obese children (17 F, 16 M) (mean age7s.d.: 12.272.7 years) were recruited for this study. Anthropometric measurements as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were taken from all the participants. Abdominal preperitoneal (P), subcutaneous (S) fat at their maximum (max) and minimum (min) thickness sites, visceral (V), triceps (TrUS) and subscapular (SsUS) fat thicknesses were also measured ultrasonographically. Results: In the obese group, BMI was significantly correlated with US measurements of fat thicknesses, except Pmin and SsUS, whereas in the control group, BMI was significantly correlated with all US fat measurements. The relation of US measurements with skinfold thickness and WC was more significant in the control than in the obese group. No relation between WHR and US fat thickness measurements was found in both groups. Multiple regression analysis, using V as the dependent variable and anthropometric parameters, gender and the group as the independent variables, revealed BMI was the best single predictor of V (R 2 : 0.53). Conclusion: This study suggests that the validity of the anthropometric skinfold thickness in the obese children is low. Despite the limitations reported in the literature, in our study, BMI provides the best estimate of body fat. WHR in children and adolescents is not a good index to show intra-abdominal fat deposition.

- by Nuran Sabir
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- Education, Anthropometry, Childhood Obesity, Comparative Study

Entamoeba histolytica , Giardia lamblia , and Cryptosporidium are three of the most important diarrhea-causing parasitic protozoa. For many years, microscopic examination of stool samples has been considered to be the “gold standard” for diagnosis of E. histolytica , G. lamblia , and C. parvum infections. Recently, more specific and sensitive alternative methods (PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and direct fluorescent-antibody assay) have been introduced for all three of these parasitic infections. However, the incorporation in a routine diagnostic laboratory of these parasite-specific methods for diagnosis of each of the respective infections is time-consuming and increases the costs of a stool examination. Therefore, a multiplex real-time PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of E. histolytica , G. lamblia , and C. parvum in stool samples. The multiplex PCR also included an internal control to determine efficiency of the PCR and detect inhibition in the sam...

- by Ayman AE
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- Biology, Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Biological Sciences
- by Stephanie Wu
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- Wound Healing, Treatment Outcome, Infection Control, Patient Compliance

We compared four automated methods for hippocampal segmentation using different machine learning algorithms (1) hierarchical AdaBoost, (2) Support Vector Machines (SVM) with manual feature selection, (3) hierarchical SVM with automated feature selection (Ada-SVM), and (4) a publicly available brain segmentation package (FreeSurfer). We trained our approaches using T1weighted brain MRI's from 30 subjects (10 normal elderly, 10 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD)), and tested on an independent set of 40 subjects (20 normal, 20 AD). Manually segmented gold standard hippocampal tracings were available for all subjects (training and testing). We assessed each approach's accuracy relative to manual segmentations, and its power to map AD effects. We then converted the segmentations into parametric surfaces to map disease effects on anatomy. After surface reconstruction, we computed significance maps, and overall corrected p-values, for the 3D profile of shape differences between AD and normal subjects. Our AdaBoost and Ada-SVM segmentations compared favorably with the manual segmentations and detected disease effects as well as FreeSurfer on the data tested. Cumulative pvalue plots, in conjunction with the False Discovery Rate method, were used to examine the power of each method to detect correlations with diagnosis and cognitive scores. We also evaluated how segmentation accuracy depended on the size of the training set, providing practical information for future users of this technique.

- by Jonathan Morra
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- Engineering, Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, Medical Imaging

Background and objectives: We compared the estimations of Cockcroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations to a gold standard GFR measurement using 125 I-iothalamate, within strata of GFR, gender, age, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). Design, setting, participants, & measurements: For people who previously underwent a GFR measurement, bias, precision, and accuracies between measured and estimated kidney functions were calculated within strata of the variables. The relation between the absolute bias and the variables was tested with linear regression analysis. Results: Overall (n ‫؍‬ 271, 44% male, mean measured GFR 72.6 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 [SD 30.4 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 ]), mean bias was smallest for MDRD (P < 0.01). CKD-EPI had highest accuracy (P < 0.01 compared with Cockcroft-Gault), which did not differ from MDRD (P ‫؍‬ 0.14). The absolute bias of all formulas was related to age. For MDRD and CKD-EPI, absolute bias was also related to the GFR; for Cockcroft-Gault, it was related to body weight and BMI as well. In all extreme subgroups, MDRD and CKD-EPI provided highest accuracies. Conclusions: The absolute bias of all formulas is influenced by age; CKD-EPI and MDRD are also influenced by GFR. Cockcroft-Gault is additionally influenced by body weight and BMI. In general, CKD-EPI gives the best estimation of GFR, although its accuracy is close to that of the MDRD.

- by Friedo Dekker
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- Kidney diseases, Chronic kidney disease, Linear models, Kidney

We investigate the efficacy of topic model based approaches to two multi-aspect sentiment analysis tasks: multi-aspect sentence labeling and multi-aspect rating prediction. For sentence labeling, we propose a weakly-supervised approach that utilizes only minimal prior knowledge-in the form of seed words-to enforce a direct correspondence between topics and aspects. This correspondence is used to label sentences with performance that approaches a fully supervised baseline. For multi-aspect rating prediction, we find that ...

- by Bin Lu
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- Information Security, Data Mining, Computer Networks, Sentiment Analysis

The interest in cervical total disc replacement (TDR) as an alternative to the so-far gold standard in the surgical treatment of degenerative disc disease (DDD), e.g anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), is growing very rapidly. Many authors have established the fact that ACDF may result in progressive degeneration in adjacent segments. On the contrary, but still theoretically, preservation of motion with TDR at the surgically treated level may potentially reduce the occurrence of adjacentlevel degeneration (ALD). The authors report the intermediate results of an undergoing multicentre prospective study of TDR with Mobi-C Ò prosthesis. The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the device in the treatment of DDD and secondary to evaluate the radiological status of adjacent levels and the occurrence of ossifications, at 2-year follow-up (FU). 76 patients have performed their 2-year FU visit and have been analyzed clinically and radiologically. Clinical outcomes (NDI, VAS, SF-36) and ROM measurements were analyzed preoperatively and at the different post-operative time-points. Complications and re-operations were also assessed. Occurrences of heterotopic ossifications (HOs) and of adjacent disc degeneration radiographic changes have been analyzed from 2-year FU X-rays. The mean NDI and VAS scores for arm and neck are reduced significantly at each post-operative time-point compared to pre-operative condition. Motion is preserved over the time at index levels (mean ROM = 9°at 2 years) and 85.5% of the segments are mobile at 2 years. HOs are responsible for the fusion of 6/76 levels at 2 years. However, presence of HO does not alter the clinical outcomes. The occurrence rate of radiological signs of ALD is very low at 2 years (9.1%). There has been no subsidence, no expulsion and no sub-luxation of the implant. Finally, after 2 years, 91% of the patients assume that they would undergo the procedure again. These intermediate results of TDR with Mobi-C Ò are very encouraging and seem to confirm the efficacy and the safety of the device. Regarding the preservation of the status of the adjacent levels, the results of this unconstrained device are encouraging, but longer FU studies are needed to prove it.

- by Thierry Dufour
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- Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, Intervertebral disc, Cervical Vertebrae

User interactions with search engines reveal three main underlying intents, namely navigational, informational, and transactional. By providing more accurate results depending on such query intents the performance of search engines can be greatly improved. Therefore, query classification has been an active research topic for the last years. However, while query topic classification has deserved a specific bakeoff, no evaluation campaign has been devoted to the study of automatic query intent detection. In this paper some of the available query intent detection techniques are reviewed, an evaluation framework is proposed, and it is used to compare those methods in order to shed light on their relative performance and drawbacks. As it will be shown, manually prepared gold-standard files are much needed, and traditional pooling is not the most feasible evaluation method. In addition to this, future lines of work in both query intent detection and its evaluation are proposed.

- by Daniel Gayo-Avello
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- Web search, Evaluation, Search Engine, Gold Standard

In the present study we collected 177 serum samples from ostriches (Struthio camelus) infected experimentally with A/ostrich/South Africa/Middleton/2004 (H5N2) highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. We tested these samples using the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, the agar gel immunodiffusion test and three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. We considered the HI test, with homologous antigen and including pre-treatment of sera with 10% chicken red blood cells, as the gold standard. Detectable specific antibodies appeared on day 7 post-infection and persisted until the termination of the experiment. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the tests under evaluation and Cohen's K value were calculated. The results reported herein could be of assistance to decision-makers in drafting guidelines for the definition of the health status of ostriches and for trade purposes.

- by Adriaan Olivier
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- Microbiology, South Africa, Avian Pathology, Health Status

The primary objective of this review was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of voiding urosonography (VUS) in detecting reflux (VUR). As a secondary objective, the reported technical suggestions and diagnostic mistakes were shown to improve the examination protocol and provide the most accurate results. Using a Medline Database search, the published articles comparing the grey-scale (GS) or colour-Doppler (CD) VUS with voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) as the gold standard were selected. Articles were excluded when data were not sufficient to construct 2·2 tables or when the gold standard was different from VCUG. For the analyses of diagnostic accuracy values, 95% confidence intervals were given. Agreements in the results of GSVUS and VCUG and in those of CDVUS and VCUG were determined by Kappa statistics. GSVUS and CDVUS were compared for diagnostic accuracy by the McNemar test. Results showed that the range of GSVUS sensitivity and specificity in detecting VUR was 69%-100% and 86%-97%, respectively. The agreement between GSVUS and VCUG diagnoses ranged from 90% to 97% (K score range 0.61-0.92; P<0.001). The range of CDVUS sensitivity and specificity in detecting VUR was 93%-100% and 86%-93%, respectively. The agreement between CDVUS and VCUG diagnoses ranged from 89% to 96% (K score range 0.77-0.91; P<0.001). One study comparing both VUS modalities with VCUG in the same group of patients, showed that the diagnostic accuracy of CDVUS was significantly higher than that of GSVUS (96% versus 90% of cases correctly classified; McNemar chi squared =4; P<0.05). Conclusion: the existing data indicate that false-negative voiding urosonographic diagnoses (8%-31%) and underestimated reflux grading cases using the same technique are related to anatomical conditions, patient cooperation and contrast medium administration. False-positive (3%-14%) and overestimated reflux grading cases using voiding urosonography could be correctly assessed cases. The intermittent nature of vesico-ureteral reflux is better detected by a technique employing a prolonged observation time, such as voiding urosonography. This might question the current role of voiding cystourethrography in the investigation of reflux.

- by Laura Minordi
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- Ultrasound, Probability, Child, Confidence intervals

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a decision support intervention (DSI) to assist women to make and act on informed decisions that are consistent with their values in the area of menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Mode and intensity of intervention were tested in midlife women (N = 248) randomly assigned to one of three intervention formats: written information only, guided discussion, or personalized decision exercise. Data were collected over 12 months. Knowledge, decisional conflict, satisfaction with health care provider, and self-efficacy improved following intervention and were maintained for 12 months for all groups. Women's adherence to their own plans over 12 months was 59% (exercise), 76% (calcium intake), and 89% (HRT). Carefully written information is effective in promoting knowledge, adherence, and satisfaction among well-educated, interested women. It was concluded that women can understand complex information, including tradeoffs regarding treatment options. Women will adhere to their own plans, suggesting that consumer rather than provider plans may be the more appropriate gold standard for measuring adherence. 0 1997 John Wiley 8 Sons, Inc.

- by David Rovner and +1
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- Nursing, Decision Making, Menopause, Self Efficacy
- by Paul McCrory
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- Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics, Video Games, Motor Control

This paper advances an alternative explanation of the large external imbalance between the United States and China, and its linkages to the current global financial crisis. We show that US current account deficits dated back long before the emergence of China's recent large trade surpluses, with China accounting at its peak for at most one-third of this deficit. The relative rise in China's savings in recent years can be attributed to an increase in its corporate savings, a trend which reflects distortions arising from the transition process from a planned to a market economy.

- by Justin Lin and +1
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- International Economics, Natural Resources, International Trade, International Macroeconomics
- by Philipp J Stolka
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- Computed Tomography, 3-D Imaging, Data Access, Gold Standard

We evaluated the screening validity of a self-report measure for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the PTSD Checklist (PCL), in female Veterans Affairs (VA) patients. All women seen for care at the VA Puget Sound Health Care system from October 1996–January 1999 (n=2,545) were invited to participate in a research interview. Participants (n=282) completed the 17-item PCL, followed by a

- by Paul Emmelkamp
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- Quality of life, Post traumatic stress disorder, Puget Sound, ROC Curve

The three exchange rate regimes adopted by Italy from 1883 up to the eve of World War Ithe gold standard (1883-1893), floating rates (1894-1902), and "gold shadowing" (1903-1911)-produced a puzzling result: formal adherence to the gold standard ended in failure while shadowing the gold standard proved very successful. This paper discusses the main policies underlying Italy's performance particularly focusing on the strategy of reserve accumulation. It presents a cointegration analysis identifying a distinct co-movement between exchange rate, reserves, and banknotes that holds over the three sub-periods of the sample. Given this long-run relationship, the different performance in each regime is explained by the diversity of policy measures, reflected in the different variables adjusting the system in the various regimes. Italy's variegated experience during the gold standard provides a valuable lesson about current developments in the international scenario, showing the central role of fundamentals and consistent policies.

- by Gianni Toniolo
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- Economics, Exchange rate, Gold Standard, Small open economies

Molecular biology techniques provide invaluable tools for the identification of Helicobacter spp., and the gold standards in the detection of this genus are PCR and ⁄ or sequencing. Evaluation of 16S rDNA gene-based PCR assays for genus-level identification of Helicobacter spp. in fecal samples demonstrated that five of the six methods examined were appropriate to eliminate PCR inhibitors from the samples [1]. The method recommended in this work was the application of PCR-differential gradient gel electrophoresis to fecal samples reported previously [2]. A PCR assay performed at the low annealing temperature of 50°C was developed to amplify a 261-bp sequence spanning two of the seven variable regions in the 16S rDNA gene of Helicobacter species [3]. This assay combined with that of Bohr et al. [4] and sequencing

- by Cinthia Goldman
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- Genetics, Animal Studies, Biology, Helicobacter pylori

This paper describes general requirements for evaluating and documenting NLP tools with a focus on morphological analysers and the design of a Gold Standard. It is argued that any evaluation must be measurable and documentation thereof must be made accessible for any user of the tool. The documentation must be of a kind that it enables the user to compare different tools offering the same service, hence the descriptions must contain measurable values. A Gold Standard presents a vital part of any measurable evaluation process, therefore, the corpus-based design of a Gold Standard, its creation and problems that occur are reported upon here. Our project concentrates on SMOR, a morphological analyser for German that is to be offered as a web-service. We not only utilize this analyser for designing the Gold Standard, but also evaluate the tool itself at the same time. Note that the project is ongoing, therefore, we cannot present final results.

- by Gertrud Faaß
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- Morphological Analysis, Gold Standard

Diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infections , 305 men and 447 women in Hamilton, Canada, consented to the collection of a urethral or cervical swab, respectively, for culture and 20 ml of first-void urine (FVU) for testing by the enzyme immunoassay Chlamydiazyme and by ligase chain reaction (LCR) in the form of a kit from Abbott Laboratories called LCx Chiamydia trachomatis. Evaluation of test performance with each specimen was calculated on the basis of an expanded "gold standard" of a patient found to be positive by culture or by a confirmed nonculture test. By using this expanded standard, the prevalence of infection was determined to be 6% (27/447) for the women and 18.4% (56/305) for the men. LCR testing of FVU in both studies was the most sensitive approach (96%). The performance of Chlamydiazyme was as follows: cervical swab, 78.3% sensitivity; female FVU, 37% sensitivity; and male FVU, 67.9%k sensitivity. Culture was the least sensitive approach to diagnosis: female cervix, 55.6%; and male urethra, 37.5%. LCR testing of FVU from men or women diagnosed the greatest number of genitourinary tract infections with no false positives.

- by Helen Lee
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- Chlamydia trachomatis, Clinical Microbiology, Biological Sciences, Clinical

Background: Malaria microscopy, while the gold standard for malaria diagnosis, has limitations. Efficacy estimates in drug and vaccine malaria trials are very sensitive to small errors in microscopy endpoints. This fact led to the establishment of a Malaria Diagnostics Centre of Excellence in Kisumu, Kenya. The primary objective was to ensure valid clinical trial and diagnostic test evaluations. Key secondary objectives were technology transfer to host countries, establishment of partnerships, and training of clinical microscopists.

- by Bernhards Ogutu
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- Education, Microscopy, Clinical Trial, Medical Microbiology
- by Marina Saladini
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- Surgery, Treatment Outcome, Ultrasound, Comparative Study

The identi®cation of an expert is vital to any study or application involving expertise. If external criterion (a``gold standard'') exists, then identi®cation is straightforward: Simply compare people against the standard and select whoever is closest. However, such criteria are seldom available for domains where experts work; that's why experts are needed in the ®rst place. The purpose here is to explore various methods for identifying experts in the absence of a gold standard. One particularly promising approach (labeled CWS for Cochran±Weiss±Shanteau) is explored in detail. We illustrate CWS through reanalyses of three previous studies of experts. In each case, CWS provided new insights into identifying experts. When applied to auditors, CWS correctly detected group dierences in expertise. For agricultural judges, CWS revealed subtle distinctions between subspecialties of experts. In personnel selection, CWS showed that irrelevant attributes were more informative than relevant attributes. We believe CWS provides a valuable tool for identi®cation and evaluation of experts. Ó

- by James Shanteau and +1
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- Management, Psychology, Expert Systems, Auditing

Background To determine whether measurements of maternal height and shoe size are predictors of pelvic size, using erect lateral computerized tomography (CT) pelvimetry as gold standard. Materials and methods Three hundred and Wfty three obstetric patients out of a sequential population of 6112 (5.8%) had CT pelvimetry performed between January 1990 and December 1991 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, York District Hospital, United Kingdom. Multivariable logistic regression models were built using maternal height (n = 322), shoe size (314) and weight at last clinic visit (n = 318). The reference standard for pelvic size was CT Pelvimetry. Pelvic adequacy was deWned as an anterior-posterior diameter of the inlet of ¸ 11 cm and an anterior-posterior diameter of the outlet ¸ 10 cm on erect lateral CT pelvimetry. Women with values lower than these were regarded as having an inadequate pelvis. The diagnostic accuracy of the models was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results The area under the curve (AUC) for maternal height (0.768) was not signiWcantly greater than that for shoe size (0.686, p = 0.163 for the diVerence in AUC's) and weight at the last clinic visit (0.655, p = 0.057 for the diVerence in the AUCs). The change in the AUC for each of the models (the full model with height, shoe size and weight [0.769]; model for height and shoe size [0.767] model for just height [0.768]) was also not signiWcantly diVerent. Conclusions Measurements of maternal height, shoe size and weight at the last clinic visit are not useful for the identiWcation of women with inadequate pelvis.

- by Jennifer Waller
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- Computed Tomography, Anthropometry, United Kingdom, Pregnancy

Malignancies arising from biliary tract epithelia, or cholangiocarcinoma, are rare tumors that have a poor prognosis. The incidence of these tumors is gradually increasing in many countries. Recent advances have been made in identifying some of the risk factors, and the need for appropriate classification is emerging. The diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma is often difficult and requires multiple complementary studies. The use of molecular approaches may improve the diagnostic utility of biliary cytology. Treatment of these tumors is complex, and there are many different treatment options. Although surgical resection can be curative, many patients with cholangiocarcinoma are diagnosed at an advanced stage when only palliative approaches can be used. Photodynamic therapy is emerging as a useful modality.

- by santosh reddy
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- Epidemiology, Gastroenterology, Palliative Care, Life Style

This study was conducted to assess the use of the serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) level as a noninvasive indicator to dierentiate acute myocarditis and chronic dilated cardiomyopathy in pediatric patients. Myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy are clinically dicult to dierentiate. Endomyocardial biopsy proved to be quite useful. However, the nature of the procedureÐinvasiveness, time-consuming, and limited sensitivityÐcaused some concerns, especially in pediatric patients. Hence, we attempted to ®nd an alternative method that could give a prompt diagnosis of acute myocarditis. Twenty cases with clinically suspected myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy and a control group of 21 cases with moderate left-to-right shunt and congestive heart failure were recruited. History, physical examination, electrocardiogram, chest roentgenogram, echocardiogram, cTnT, creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB mass), and/or endomyocardial biopsy were compared. The gold standard used to diagnose myocarditis is endomyocardial biopsy (Dallas criteria) and/or recovery from cardiovascular problems within 6 months of followup. Ten patients were diagnosed as having myocarditis (group 1) and 10 with chronic dilated cardiomyopathy (group 2). The control group of 21 cases was designated as group 3. The median serum cTnT levels were 0.088 (0.04±3.11), 0.010 (0.010±0.990), and 0.010 (0.010±0.550) ng/ml in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The mean CK-MB mass level for groups, 1, 2, and 3 were 18.35 (7.14±70.00), 4.80 (0.54±108.00), and 2.26 (0.95±7.06) ng/ml. The study showed that both the cTnT and CK-MB mass levels were signi®cantly higher in group 1 than either group 2 or group 3. Histopathology was studied in 9 cases. In 2 of 5 cases and in all 4 cases in group 1 and group 2 histopathology was pathologically proved. Levels of cTnT and CK-MB were signi®cantly higher for myocarditis than for dilated cardiomyopathy and left-to-right shunt with CHF. Further study is needed to assess the optimum cTnT level for dierentiating both conditions.

We conducted a two-part study that contributes to the discussion about cervical auscultation (CA) used as a scientifically justifiable and medically useful tool to identify patients with a high risk of aspiration/penetration. We sought to determine (i) acoustic features which mark a deglutition act as dysphagic; (ii) acoustic changes in healthy older deglutition profiles compared with those of younger adults; (iii) the correctness and concordance of rater judgments based on CA; (iv) if education in CA improves individual reliability. The first part of the study focuses on a comparison of the "swallow morphology" of dysphagic as opposed to healthy subjects' deglutition in terms of structure properties of the pharyngeal phase of deglutition. We obtained the following results. The duration of deglutition apnoea is significantly higher in the older group than in the younger one. Comparing the younger and the dysphagic group we found significant differences in the parameters duration of deglutition apnoea, onset time and number of gulp. Just one parameter, number of gulps distinguishes significantly between the older and the dysphagic groups. The second part of the study aimed at evaluating the reliability of CA in detecting dysphagia measured as the concordance and the correctness of CA experts in classifying swallowing sounds. The inter-rater reliability coefficient AC1 resulted in a value of 0.46 which is to be interpreted as fair agreement. Further, we found that comparison with radiologically defined aspiration/penetration for the group of experts (speech and language therapists; SLTs) yielded 70 % specificity and 94 % sensitivity. We conclude that the swallowing sounds contain audible cues that should in principle permit reliable classification and view CA as an early warning system for identifying patients with a high risk of aspiration/penetration however it is not appropriate as a stand alone tool.

- by Janet Wilson
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- Dysphagia, Stroke, Early Warning System, Clinical Sciences

Videofluoroscopy (VF) is the 'gold standard' assessment for oropharyngeal dysphagia and radiographers are beginning to direct this examination independently, yet little is known about the roles and responsibilities of the core professions of radiology and speech and language therapy and their practice in this examination. Aim To evaluate VF practice and identify the roles and responsibilities of radiology and speech and language therapy personnel. Materials and methods A questionnaire was developed and distributed to speech and language therapists (SALT) and radiologists via national special interest networks. Information regarding protocols, test materials, supervision, radiation protection and training was obtained. Results One hundred and thirteen questionnaires were completed, 83% of respondents had more than 5 years service. Most were carrying out VF on an 'ad hoc' basis with only 32% participating in more than 6 assessments per month. There was no consensus on protocol and 41% chose to thicken barium solutions by adding more barium sulphate powder, potentially predisposing patients to complications. Over 50% of SALTs had received one day post-graduate training in VF, whereas, only one radiologist had specific VF training. Radiography (2006) 12, 26e30 Conclusion Despite its importance in determining the feeding route for patients, VF is carried out infrequently by most clinicians and protocols vary widely. Moreover, intra-and inter-disciplinary training and supervision is minimal. More work is needed to develop standard guidelines, to improve the quality of the examination and its reproducibility.

- by Shaheen Hamdy and +1
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- Competency, Swallowing, Protocols, Clinical Sciences
- by Elitsa Deliverska
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- Gold Standard