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At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Large-scale 3-D geometric reconstruction of the porcine coronary arterial vasculature based on detailed anatomical data.

The temporal and spatial distribution of coronary blood flow, pressure, and volume are determined by the branching pattern and three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of the coronary vasculature, and by the mechanics of heart wall and vascular tone. Consequently, a realistic simulation of coronary blood flow requires, as a first step, an accurate representation of the coronary vasculature in a 3-D model of the beating heart. In the present study, a large-scale stochastic reconstruction of the asymmetric coronary arterial trees (right coronary artery, RCA; left anterior descending, LAD; and left circumflex, LCx) of the porcine heart has been carried out to set the stage for future hemodynamic analysis. The model spans the entire coronary arterial tree down to the capillary vessels. The 3-D tree structure was reconstructed initially in rectangular slab geometry by means of global geometrical optimization using parallel simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. The SA optimization was subject to constraints prescribed by previously measured morphometric features of the coronary arterial trees. Subsequently, the reconstructed trees were mapped onto a prolate spheroid geometry of the heart. The transformed geometry was determined through least squares minimization of the related changes in both segments lengths and their angular characteristics. Vessel diameters were assigned based on a novel representation of diameter asymmetry along bifurcations. The reconstructed RCA, LAD and LCx arterial trees show qualitative resemblance to native coronary networks, and their morphological statistics are consistent with the measured data. The present model constitutes the first most extensive reconstruction of the entire coronary arterial system which will serve as a geometric foundation for future studies of flow in an anatomically accurate 3-D coronary vascular model.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Using organizational mission, vision, and values to guide professional practice model development and measurement of nurse performance.

An organization's mission, vision, and values statements are the guiding forces behind the institution's administrative strategic planning and performance assessment activities. Linking nursing professional practice model components and performance evaluation criteria with each of these foundational documents assures that their values, beliefs, and intentions are evident in daily work life.

Employee Performance Appraisal↗
PubMed2001

A physically based, probabilistic model for ultrasonic images incorporating shape, microstructure, and system characteristics.

Recent successes with Bayesian methods for analysis of shape in medical images have motivated our development of a shape-based data likelihood for ultrasound, the foundation of which is a computationally feasible, pixel-based, probabilistic image model. Previous probabilistic models for ultrasound generally assume an analytic form, e.g., Rayleigh, Rician, K, Generalized K, etc., then attempt to fit data to the model. Assumptions and intensive computation inherent in such an approach make it unsuitable for our purposes. In the pursuit of a new model, we have described previously a physical model for image formation that incorporates the imaging system characteristics, the surface shape, and the surface microstructure. That physical model was validated via a visual comparison of simulated and actual images of a cadaveric vertebra. In this work, a random phasor sum representation of the physical model provides the basis for a probabilistic form. In contrast to existing probabilistic models, we compute the amplitude mean and variance directly from the physical model. These statistics can be displayed as images to characterize the tissue, but, more importantly, they permit the subsequent assignment of a suitable density function to each pixel for the purposes of constructing a data likelihood. The order of these steps, i.e., first computing the statistics and then assigning a density function, permits the inclusion of the local surface shape, the surface microstructure, and the system characteristics at every image pixel without violating the physical model. Currently, the value of the SNR0, the ratio of the mean to the standard deviation, is used to estimate whether a pixel is Rayleigh- or non-Rayleigh-distributed. This assessment forms the basis for a data likelihood constructed as a product of Rayleigh and Gaussian density functions describing the individual image pixels.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Staging workers' use of hearing protection devices: application of the transtheoretical model.

The threat of noise-induced hearing loss is a serious concern for many workers. This study explores use of the transtheoretical model as a framework for defining stages of workers' acceptance of hearing protection devices. A secondary analysis was performed using a cross-section of data from a randomized, controlled clinical trial of an intervention to increase use of hearing protection. Use of hearing protection devices was well distributed across the theorized stages of change. Chi-square analysis and analysis of variance revealed significant differences between stages for the variables studied. Discrete stages of hearing protection device use can be identified, laying the foundation for further work investigating use of the transtheoretical model for promoting hearing protection device use. The model can provide a framework for tailoring interventions and evaluating their effects. With further development of the transtheoretical model, nurses may be able to easily identify workers' readiness to use hearing protection devices and tailor training toward that goal.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Stress in caregivers of demented people in Korea--a modification of Pearlin and colleagues' stress model.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the influence of demented people's function and caregiver burden on caregivers' psychological distress. Based on a modified model of Pearlin and colleagues (1990), we assessed the stress of demented people's caregivers in Korea. METHODS: A total of 122 demented people and their caregivers participated in this study. We evaluated dementia severity by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and caregivers reported their objective and subjective stressors. Objective stressors are the demented people's functional deterioration and behavioral problems, and subjective stressors are caregivers' reaction to objective stressors and the subjective burden in caregiving. The overall psychological distress of caregivers was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S). RESULTS: There were significant differences in both objective and subjective stressors according to the severity of dementia, but there was no significant difference in caregivers' psychological distress. The goodness-of-fit evaluation model showed the coping and social support variables affected the psychological distress as mediator variables (df = 109, chi (2) = 209.75, NFI = 0.949, RFI = 0.929, IFI = 0.975, TLI = 0.964, RMSEA = 0.087). CONCLUSION: The model suggests that psychological distress of caregivers is related to diverse variables, such as objective and subjective stressors, coping, and social support. This study provides verification of the modified model of Pearlin and coworkers in Koreans, and lays a foundation for practical use and further study.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1995

Managing with precision. A budgetary decision support model.

In this era of intense competition for restrained healthcare resources, a sound financial system can provide the foundation for evaluating care requirements while balancing allocation and deployment of resources. The authors describe one nursing division's comprehensive budgetary decision support model. This model has enabled achievement of rigorous budgetary goals while maintaining high standards of quality. The budgetary decision support model was internally created; however, it is applicable and easily adaptable to any healthcare organization.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

[Linear consociation equation set model of forest ecological benefits].

Based on the similar irrelative model of forest ecological benefits, the study analyzed the subordinate relations of numerous ecological benefits, and introduced end genetic variables Y1 and Y2 as the independent variables of another ecological equation to construct consociation equation set model. Leading from the forest's water absorption benefits, it deeply depicted the dependent and subordinate relations between the forest ecological benefits dependent variable set. Starting from the basic rule of forest ecological benefits, constructed the consociation equation set structure parameters matrix B and gamma restricted by parameter to get linear limit equation HA = L, which is the key to the forest ecological benefits consociation equation set. Especially, the study on the non-linear relation of forest ecological benefits dependent and independent variable was the foundation of forest ecological benefits consociation equation set. The model was excessiveness identified and error structure matrix, not cross matrix. The forest absorbing water and stabling soil and keeping fertilizer and defending sand benefits estimate equations were gotten through the three steps least square estimation method with Matlab program, and the average precision was more than 80%. From this method, the whole country forest absorbing water benefit was estimated as 4.7 x 10(8) t, forest fixing soil benefits was 39 x 10(8) t, forest keeping fertilizer benefit was 4.7 x 10(8) t and defending sand benefits was 22.8 x 10(8) t.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2006

Land-plant ecology on the basis of functional traits.

The tissue traits and architectures of plant species are important for land-plant ecology in two ways. First, they control ecosystem processes and define habitat and resources for other taxa; thus, they are a high priority for understanding the ecosystem at a site. Second, knowledge of trait costs and benefits offers the most promising path to understanding how vegetation properties change along physical geography gradients. There exists an informal shortlist of plant traits that are thought to be most informative. Here, we summarize recent research on correlations and tradeoffs surrounding some traits that are prospects for the shortlist. By extending the list and by developing better models for how traits influence species distributions and interactions, a strong foundation of basic ecology can be established, with many practical applications.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

The making of a corporate athlete.

Management theorists have long sought to identify precisely what makes some people flourish under pressure and others fold. But they have come up with only partial answers: rich material rewards, the right culture, management by objectives. The problem with most approaches is that they deal with people only from the neck up, connecting high performance primarily with cognitive capacity. Authors Loehr and Schwartz argue that a successful approach to sustained high performance must consider the person as a whole. Executives are, in effect, "corporate athletes." If they are to perform at high levels over the long haul, they must train in the systematic, multilevel way that athletes do. Rooted in two decades of work with world-class atheletes, the integrated theory of performance management addresses the body, the emotions, the mind, and the spirit through a model the authors call the performance pyramid. At its foundation is physical well-being. Above that rest emotional health, then mental acuity, and, finally, a spiritual purpose. Each level profoundly influences the others, and all must be addressed together to avoid compromising performance. Rigorous exercise, for instance, can produce a sense of emotional well-being, clearing the way for peak mental performance. Rituals that promote oscillation--the rhythmic expenditure and recovery of energy-link the levels of the pyramid and lead to the ideal performance state. The authors offer case studies of executives who have used the model to increase professional performance and improve the quality of their lives. In a corporate environment that is changing at warp speed, performing consistently at high levels is more necessary than ever. Companies can't afford to address employees' cognitive capacities while ignoring their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2026

Research updates in cystic fibrosis related diabetes: Understanding pathophysiology, expanding animal and human islet models, and advancing clinical and translational research.

In 2024-2025, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (US) and Cystic Fibrosis Trust (UK) hosted an International CFRD Consortium round-table webinar series for basic science, translational, and clinical researchers with the goal of sharpening mechanistic understanding of CFRD pathogenesis and prioritizing therapeutic development. This review summarizes the research priorities identified in the International CFRD Consortium, including (i) further investigation into the role of pancreatic fibrosis, vascular abnormalities, and α-cell dysfunction in the development of CFRD; (ii) the creation and refinement of novel animal and human cell- and tissue-based models to understand the complex interplay of exocrine and endocrine cells in the CF pancreas; (iii) development and validation of circulating and imaging biomarkers, together with dynamic glucose testing to explore β-cell function and kinetics in people with CF across the dysglycemia spectrum; and (iv) prospective clinical studies to guide CFRD treatment options and investigate the changing landscape of aging, increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes and their complications in the era of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators. Collectively, these priorities aim to accelerate transition from mechanism to intervention and expand evidence-based care for people with CF at risk of, or living with, CFRD.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Promoting excellence in end-of-life care: a report on innovative models of palliative care.

BACKGROUND: Promoting Excellence in End-of Life Care, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, funded 22 demonstration projects representing a wide range of health care settings and patient populations to develop innovative models for delivering palliative care that addressed documented deficiencies in the care of patients and families facing the final stage of life. OBJECTIVE: To determine the practicality (feasibility of development and operation as well as acceptance by stakeholders) of new models of care and to determine the impact of the models on access to, quality of and financing for palliative care. DESIGN: The program cannot report scientifically rigorous outcomes, but the grant-funded projects used a variety of methods and measures to assess acceptance of new models and their impact from the perspectives of various stakeholders, including patients and their families, clinicians, administrators and payers. While it is not possible to aggregate data across projects, the data reported to the Promoting Excellence national program office were used to describe program impact with respect to the practicality of palliative care service integration into existing clinical care settings (feasibility and acceptance by stakeholders), the availability and use of palliative care services (access), quality of care (conformance to patient expectations and accepted clinical standards) and costs of care. SETTINGS AND SUBJECTS: The 22 projects provided services in urban as well as rural settings, in integrated health systems, hospitals, outpatient clinics, cancer centers, nursing homes, renal dialysis clinics, inner city public health and safety net systems and prisons. Populations served included prison inmates, military veterans, renal dialysis patients, Native Americans, Native Alaskans, and African American patients, inner-city medically underserved patients, pediatric patients, and persons with serious mental illness patients. RESULTS: Hosting or adopting institutions sustained or expanded twenty of the 22 models, and feedback from all stakeholders was positive. Project sites developed and utilized new palliative care services and addressed quality through implementation of new standards and clinical protocols. Costs of care, where they could be assessed, were unaffected or decreased for project patients versus historical or concurrent controls. CONCLUSIONS: The 22 Promoting Excellence in End-of Life Care projects demonstrated that by individualizing patient and family assessment, effectively employing existing resources and aligning services with specific patient and family needs, it is possible to expand access to palliative services and improve quality of care in ways that are financially feasible and acceptable to patients, families, clinicians, administrators, and payers.

Feasibility Studies↗
PubMed2002

Normal and abnormal neuronal migration in the developing cerebral cortex.

Neuronal migration is the critical cellular process which initiates histogenesis of cerebral cortex. Migration involves a series of complex cell interactions and transformation. After completing their final mitosis, neurons migrate from the ventricular zone into the cortical plate, and then establish neuronal lamina and settle onto the outermost layer, forming an "inside-out" gradient of maturation. This process is guided by radial glial fibers, requires proper receptors, ligands, other unknown extracellular factors, and local signaling to stop neuronal migration. This process is also highly sensitive to various physical, chemical and biological agents as well as to genetic mutations. Any disturbance of the normal process may result in neuronal migration disorder. Such neuronal migration disorder is believed as major cause of both gross brain malformation and more special cerebral structural and functional abnormalities in experimental animals and in humans. An increasing number of instructive studies on experimental models and several genetic model systems of neuronal migration disorder have established the foundation of cortex formation and provided deeper insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal neuronal migration.

1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase↗
PubMed2005

Critical consciousness, accountability, and empowerment: key processes for helping families heal.

Families are inextricably embedded within their larger sociopolitical contexts, an observation acknowledged by many theorists. The field of family therapy is working on its translation into comprehensive and effective approaches for helping families change. This article illustrates the use of the Cultural Context Model to help families change, guided by the linked foundational concepts of accountability, critical consciousness, and empowerment. The authors support their discussion of theory with examples illustrating the ways in which social patterns connected to race, gender, class, and sexual orientation shape the dilemmas that family members encounter, as well as their access to solutions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Characterization of complex mineral assemblages: implications for contaminant transport and environmental remediation.

Surface reactive phases of soils and aquifers, comprised of phyllosilicate and metal oxohydroxide minerals along with humic substances, play a critical role in the regulation of contaminant fate and transport. Much of our knowledge concerning contaminant-mineral interactions at the molecular level, however, is derived from extensive experimentation on model mineral systems. Although these investigations have provided a foundation for understanding reactive surface functional groups on individual mineral phases, the information cannot be readily extrapolated to complex mineral assemblages in natural systems. Recent studies have elucidated the role of less abundant mineral and organic substrates as important surface chemical modifiers and have demonstrated complex coupling of reactivity between permanent-charge phyllosilicates and variable-charge Fe-oxohydroxide phases. Surface chemical modifiers were observed to control colloid generation and transport processes in surface and subsurface environments as well as the transport of solutes and ionic tracers. The surface charging mechanisms operative in the complex mineral assemblages cannot be predicted based on bulk mineralogy or by considering surface reactivity of less abundant mineral phases based on results from model systems. The fragile nature of mineral assemblages isolated from natural systems requires novel techniques and experimental approaches for investigating their surface chemistry and reactivity free of artifacts. A complete understanding of the surface chemistry of complex mineral assemblages is prerequisite to accurately assessing environmental and human health risks of contaminants or in designing environmentally sound, cost-effective chemical and biological remediation strategies.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Meeting the training needs of community-based service personnel in Africa through video-based training courses. Leonard Cheshire Foundation International.

PURPOSE: This paper describes the development of a new training model: namely one which is local and open to everyone; in which people learn through seeing and doing; with the focus on information that is practical and relevant to them. A package of video and workbooks enables the courses to be presented by local tutors who have taken part in a training workshop to prepare them for the task. METHOD: This model was applied to an eight unit course on working with children who have cerebral palsy. It was presented in 13 locations by 19 tutors in four southern African countries to over 150 participants within a 6 month period. A developmental approach was adopted which involved working with partners to identify training needs, develop and field test the video course. Tutors and participants evaluated the course separately using quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS: Overall tutors and participants rated the course positively. They identified elements which they found particularly useful along with those which were considered less useful. Course results and outcomes are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that the training model was effective and five further courses have been developed about disability issues. These are described in the Appendix.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

The Living Organ Donor Network: a model registry for living kidney donors.

The South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation presents the first report on a programme to track donors through questionnaires completed at the time of donation, 3 months, 6 months, and yearly thereafter. Donors at participating centres were eligible for an insurance policy with a total benefit of 250,000 US dollars, covering accidental death related to donation, surgery, medical expenses of complications, and disability income. The four participating centres have registered 104 donors. Response rate to the questionnaires was 90.91%. The majority of the donors come from the immediate family (81.62%), either by blood or marriage. The majority of donors are employed full time, with income ranges similar to the national census. Donors rely on employer-provided vacation time and sick leave to recuperate, but the average donor required 12 days of unpaid leave before returning to work. Donors also experienced costs of transportation, lodging, and childcare. Anti-depressants were prescribed to 10.58% of donors, and 4.8% of donors reported they are treated for hypertension. Complications were reported by 37.5% of the donors, but only 7.6% of the complications were serious enough to require hospitalization or surgery. Donors reported higher complication rates than reported by the centres and experience financial burdens afterwards.

Employment↗
PubMed2005

Molecular genetics of spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8).

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) belong to a group of autosomal dominant, late-onset neurodegenerative disorders characterized by slowly progressive ataxia that eventually leads to severe gait, speech, coordination and sensory loss. The majority of these diseases result from expanded polyglutamine tracts in the encoded protein as seen in SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7 and Dentatorubral-Pallidoluysian Atrophy (DRPLA). However, two novel forms of SCAs, SCA8 and SCA12, are associated with trinucleotide repeat expansions in non-translated regions of the genes. In the case of SCA8, the CUG expansion occurs at the 3' end of a processed non-coding RNA. While understanding of how expanded polyglutamine tracts compromise or alter protein function has advanced rapidly in the last five years, understanding of how trinucleotide repeat expansions alter the function of the non-coding SCA8 RNA and lead to human disease remains quite limited. Encouragingly, as discussed in this review, recent studies from murine and Drosophila models have provided new insights into both the cellular context in which SCA8 normally operates and the potential role of CTG expansion in the disease. Continued exploration of these genetically tractable model systems will further illuminate the biology underlying SCA8 disease, ultimately providing the necessary foundation on which to develop effective therapeutic interventions.

Animals↗