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PubMed2001

Evolutionary psychology: toward a unifying theory and a hybrid science.

Although evolutionary psychology is typically associated with "selfish gene theory," numerous other approaches to the study of mind and behavior provide a wealth of concepts for theorizing about psychology, culture, and development. These include general evolutionary approaches and theories focused on sociality, dual inheritance, multilevel selection, and developmental systems. Most evolutionary accounts use the same methods as Darwin-the "fit among facts"-to use natural selection as an explanation for behavior. Scientific standards for constraining and evaluating such accounts, research into the mutual influence of science and society on the understanding of evolution, and computational technologies for modeling species-typical processes are important considerations. Coevolutionary theories and developmental systems theories may eventually give rise to unification in a broad and general sense. Such a unification would be interdisciplinary and problem centered rather than discipline centered.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed2006

Teaching therapeutic communication VIA camera cues and clues: the video inter-active (VIA) method.

For nursing and other health care students to be effective, remain in their training, and subsequently join the health care workforce, they need to have good therapeutic communication skills. This article presents an innovative strategy to improve therapeutic communication skills for nursing and health sciences students. The Video Inter-Active (VIA) computer-based, challenge-response-record-evaluate method used in this pilot study engaged students in realistic responses to scenarios commonly encountered in health care settings and provided them with opportunities to see themselves and critique their responses. Findings from this pilot study indicate that the VIA method is an effective and efficient way for students to develop and practice therapeutic communication skills. In a relatively short period (5 weeks), their learning from this method far

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Primer on medical genomics part V: bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics is the discipline that develops and applies informatics to the field of molecular biology. Although a comprehensive review of the entire field of bioinformatics is beyond the scope of this article, I review the basic tenets of the field and provide a topical sampling of the popular technologies available to clinicians and researchers. These technologies include tools and methods for sequence analysis (nucleotide and protein sequences), rendering of secondary and tertiary structures for these molecules, and protein fold prediction that can lead to rational drug design. I then discuss signaling pathways, new standards for data representation of genes and proteins, and finally the promise of merging these molecular data with the clinical world (the new science of phenomics).

Computational Biology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical management of skin cancers: experience from a regional cancer centre in North India.

AIMS: To review the disease profile and treatment outcome of patients with primary skin malignancies treated at a regional cancer centre. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Surgical oncology unit of a tertiary care regional cancer centre. Evaluation of treatment outcome of patients with skin cancer from Surgical Oncology database was done. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of records of 77 patients with skin cancers treated between 1995 and 2002 was conducted. Profile of patients with skin cancer, surgical details including the management of primary tumour, regional lymph nodes and reconstructive procedures performed and survivals were analysed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: All computations were done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-9). Descriptive statistics were calculated in a standard fashion and survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Skin cancers constituted 2.4% (77/3154) of patients with cancer treated in the surgical oncology department. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common histological type (55.8%) followed by melanoma (26.1%) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC, 18.1%). Forty one percent of patients had undergone some form of intervention elsewhere before being referred. Reconstruction was required in 55.8% patients with large postresection defects. Regional lymph nodal dissection was required in 32.4% of total patients. Five-year median disease-free survival for the entire study population was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Skin cancers constitute a small but significant proportion of patients with cancer. Unlike in the Western countries, SCC is the commonest histologic variety. Primary level inadequate intervention is very common. Optimal results can be obtained with radical surgery and optimal surgical margins along with a reconstructive procedure when needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Socio-economic factors predisposing under five-year-old children to severe protein energy malnutrition at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children aged five years and below. Risk factors for severe protein energy malnutrition (PEM) have been identified as ignorance, family size, mothers and fathers education, poverty, residence, chronic infections, and congenital defects or malformations. The role of such social factors as the caretaker, extended family, homestead surroundings, and family cohesiveness have not been studied in Kenya. OBJECTIVE: To determine the social and economic factors that predispose children to severe PEM as seen at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret. DESIGN: Prospective and case control study. SETTING: The MTRH, Eldoret, Paediatric wards, outpatient and MCH clinics over a 12 month period (June 2001 to June 2002). SUBJECTS: Sixty six children aged 3 to 36 months with severe PEM attending the MTRH outpatient clinics and those admitted in the Paediatric wards were age-matched with 66 controls. METHODS: A standard pretested questionnaire was used to interview caretakers with severely malnourished children and age-matched controls. The children were weighed after interviewing the caretakers. The data was entered on a computer and analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) programme. RESULTS: The social risk factors for PEM were single mothers (Odds Ratio) OR 14.93, p= 0.00001), young mothers aged 15-25 years (OR 3.95, p= 0.00020), the child's living conditions such as living in a temporary house (OR 3.627 p= 0.00257), caretaker who was not married to the child's parent (OR 0.10, p= 0.00005) and not staying with both parents in the past six months (OR 0.28606, p=0.00101). The economic risk factors were father's lack of ownership of land (OR 0.401, p= 0.01732), cattle (OR 0.24, p=0.00022), not growing maize (OR 0.15, p=0.00013), not growing beans (OR 0.36, p=0.00484) and ownership of small piece of land by grandfather (OR 6.00, p= 0.02274). Other risk factors were incomplete immunization (OR 3.87, p= 0.00151) and female sex (p=0.03721). CONCLUSION: Poverty, social conditions under which the child was living, sex of the child and incomplete immunizations were risk factors for the severe protein energy malnutrition.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1995

Demand management may help stem costs.

Technology may soon reduce consumers' need for and use of the most expensive healthcare services, thereby controlling costs and even improving overall health status. It's called the science of 'demand management'.

Computer Systems↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The impact factor: a factor of impact or the impact of a (sole) factor? The limits of a bibliometric indicator as a candidate for an instrument to evaluate scientific production].

The Impact Factor is a bibliometric quantitative parameter introduced in 1971 and used to evaluate, classify and compare scientific journals. It is essentially the ratio between the number of citations they receive, computed on the basis of those included in the Science Citation Index, and the number of published articles. It is thus a dynamic parameter and an indicator of the editorial quality of a journal. It has also been considered a putative index of the scientific production of a single author. The Impact Factor was first proposed as a useful instrument for planning library choices, programming personal journal buying and reading, and directing scientific journal editors in their editorial strategies. However, since among the numerous variables which may influence the Impact Factor there are such parameters as: the average number of bibliographical references in a single article, self-citations, "salami publications", the Impact Factor, though adequate to judge entities such as journals, institutions and whole scientific communities, seems on the contrary inadequate to evaluate accurately the quality of the single investigator, paper, and research group. Furthermore, a limited number of papers, all focused on the so-called "hot topics", may contribute to increase the Impact Factor of a single journal. There is therefore still much research to be done to find truly "objective" methods to evaluate critically the "quality" (and not only the "quantity") of the work of a single author, a scientific group, and an entire institution, so that not only quantitative, but also qualitative evidence may be acquired!

Bibliometrics↗
PubMed2002

Difficulties faced when conducting primary health care programs in rural areas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the difficulties that face primary health care teams who work in rural areas in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This study was carried out in 1999 by distributing a multi-purposes questionnaire to all members of health teams who work in the primary health care centers located in the rural areas of Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This questionnaire consisted of 3 parts that were concerned with the characteristics of primary health care centers teams and difficulties faced by them while conducting primary health care programs during their daily activities at primary health care centers. Data was entered and analyzed by personal computer which was provided with statistical package for social sciences. RESULTS: A total of 68 primary health care centers were located in the rural areas of Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Those primary health care centers serve 127,880 individuals who live in 657 villages. Three hundred and four members of the primary health care centers teams answered our questionnaire, 23% were physicians, 45% were nurses and 17% were Saudis. Thirty percent reported that they face some difficulties during conducting primary health care programs and 24% reported difficulties during dealing with clients. Most of the difficulties were the lack of medical facilities, rough roads and languages barriers. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that approximately one 3rd of primary health care teams who work in the rural areas of Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia face significant difficulties that will affect the introducing of essential primary health care programs. A multi-sectoral integrated approach is mandatory to overcome these difficulties and introduce good quality care.

Community Health Centers↗
PubMed1988

A computer-based program for the follow-up of prostatic cancer patients.

A computer-based record program for the follow-up of prostatic cancer patients is described and its practical applications discussed. The system enables the user to record personal data, medical history follow-up (including laboratory and imaging tests), treatment and the response to it. The program can generate reports as a summary letter to the referring physician, follow-up notes on a specific date, laboratory test results on a chronological base, etc. It has the capability to analyse statistically the medical database accumulated with the aid of SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). The program, which is designed for a micro-computer, is conducted on the IBM Personal Computer. By providing instant access to all comprehensive information, the system is a valuable tool for the correct staging of disease and for systematic follow-up; most of all, it is a "real-time instrument" for the analysis of medical results.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1994

Aspect graphs for visual recognition of three-dimensional objects.

Visual representation of three-dimensional (3-D) objects in our environment is a crucial question, for human as well as for machine vision. Some basics are reviewed of a viewer-centred model of 3-D objects, aspect graphs, which represents a 3-D object by all its topologically stable visible image contours (its aspects) and by the transitions between stable image contours (the visual events). This representation takes only geometrical information about discontinuities in depth and in surface orientation into account, and other clues, such as shadows, markings, texture, etc, are disregarded. Mathematical results give some insight into the relationships between the geometry of a 3-D object and the aspect of its image contours, the techniques used to compute an aspect graph effectively, and the state of the art of this type of model in computer vision. Current research is reviewed on viewer-centred representation in cognitive science that seems to indicate that aspect graphs could also have some relevance for human vision.

Attention↗
PubMed1999

The history of science: defending epistemology with new technologies.

The leap in scientific discoveries made with new computer technologies can be compared to the invention of the printing press and expanding scientific thought in the 16th century. Nowadays, new communication technologies offering a multimedia contribution illustrate the fascinating reality of scientific exploration even for individuals who can otherwise not be reached. Since rare books are usually kept in libraries with limited access, the strict safekeeping, however, often overrides the need for academic consultation. Moreover, rare manuscripts are often illustrated with figures that are just as important as the written texts, but which are also unavailable. We combined our expertise in biology, medicine and multimedia to produce a CD-ROM with a hyperlinked text on the scientific revolution of the 16th century, focusing on the early conceptualization of life sciences in Europe. In this paper we show the first page of Malpighi's Epistle II (De pulmonibus - on the Lungs) as it appeared in Opera Omnia published in London (1686) by the Royal Society.

Biological Science Disciplines↗
PubMed2006

The use of self-organising maps for anomalous behaviour detection in a digital investigation.

The dramatic increase in crime relating to the Internet and computers has caused a growing need for digital forensics. Digital forensic tools have been developed to assist investigators in conducting a proper investigation into digital crimes. In general, the bulk of the digital forensic tools available on the market permit investigators to analyse data that has been gathered from a computer system. However, current state-of-the-art digital forensic tools simply cannot handle large volumes of data in an efficient manner. With the advent of the Internet, many employees have been given access to new and more interesting possibilities via their desktop. Consequently, excessive Internet usage for non-job purposes and even blatant misuse of the Internet have become a problem in many organisations. Since storage media are steadily growing in size, the process of analysing multiple computer systems during a digital investigation can easily consume an enormous amount of time. Identifying a single suspicious computer from a set of candidates can therefore reduce human processing time and monetary costs involved in gathering evidence. The focus of this paper is to demonstrate how, in a digital investigation, digital forensic tools and the self-organising map (SOM)--an unsupervised neural network model--can aid investigators to determine anomalous behaviours (or activities) among employees (or computer systems) in a far more efficient manner. By analysing the different SOMs (one for each computer system), anomalous behaviours are identified and investigators are assisted to conduct the analysis more efficiently. The paper will demonstrate how the easy visualisation of the SOM enhances the ability of the investigators to interpret and explore the data generated by digital forensic tools so as to determine anomalous behaviours.

Behavior↗
PubMed1999

Use of portable CT in the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Experiences in the admitting area, ICU, and operating room.

The author's experience with portable CT has been positive. Nurses and clinical physicians have been pleased with this new imaging capability also, and have written testimonial letters endorsing its value. Recently, the STC extended availability of the mobile CT to the University of Maryland Hospital, an adjoining 600-bed center with numerous medical and surgical patients in ICU. They are particularly interested in assessing use of portable CT in the neonatal ICU, where patient transport outside the unit is particularly difficult and dangerous. Technical improvements for portable CT are in development. Soon, helical volume scanning will be available, allowing faster image acquisition and better two- and three-dimensional image reformations (Fig. 12). A new, more powerful x-ray tube is in development that will permit more slices to be acquired without tube cooling interruptions. Gantry translate capability coupled with a radiolucent backboard extender has the potential to permit scanning of the head, neck, spine, face, and upper torso without the patient being moved from the ICU bed. For applications in head, face, and neck surgery, a radiolucent cranial fixation device also has been developed. Other potential improvements include extended battery power for more scanning between charges, a larger tube heat unit storage for extended scanning situations, decreased system weight for easier transport, and more detector efficiency for improved image quality while maintaining significant dose reduction over conventional scanning. The capability of portable CT scanning for emergency, intensive care, and intraoperative studies exists now. The commercially marketed cost for this system is between $400,000 and $500,000. Further studies are anticipated to clarify the economic and clinical benefits of this technology.

Admitting Department, Hospital↗
PubMed2003

Forensic microradiology: micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and analysis of patterned injuries inside of bone.

When a knife is stabbed in bone, it leaves an impression in the bone. The characteristics (shape, size, etc.) may indicate the type of tool used to produce the patterned injury in bone. Until now it has been impossible in forensic sciences to document such damage precisely and non-destructively. Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) offers an opportunity to analyze patterned injuries of tool marks made in bone. Using high-resolution Micro-CT and computer software, detailed analysis of three-dimensional (3D) architecture has recently become feasible and allows microstructural 3D bone information to be collected. With adequate viewing software, data from 2D slice of an arbitrary plane can be extracted from 3D datasets. Using such software as a "digital virtual knife," the examiner can interactively section and analyze the 3D sample. Analysis of the bone injury revealed that Micro-CT provides an opportunity to correlate a bone injury to an injury-causing instrument. Even broken knife tips can be graphically and non-destructively assigned to a suspect weapon.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Perfusion safety: past, present, and future.

Safe cardiopulmonary bypass has been paramount from its first use in the early 1950s until the present. The original perfusion circuits incorporated complex feedback loops and multiple safety devices. As circuits improved and became simpler to operate, advances in safety did not always keep pace. Surveys have illustrated areas that needed improvement and extra attention has been focused on those problems. As the field of perfusion evolved, so has the perfusionist. Perfusion has progressed from on-the-job training to formalized training, certification, and accreditation, and is now approaching national standardization. As the computer age proceeds, the use of safety devices and feedback mechanisms whose developments have been aided by the newly available technologies increases. As the 21st century approaches, cardiopulmonary bypass will continue to become safer, but the perfusionist must continue to stay up-to-date in education and remain vigilant while in the operating room.

Accreditation↗
PubMed2006

A gridified protein structure prediction system "Rokky-G" and its implementation issues.

In recent years, simulation using computer systems has been of increasing importance in the life sciences. We have developed a system called "Rokky-G" that facilitates a protein structure prediction strategy called "Rokky" on Grid systems. Rokky-G provides the framework of protein structure prediction on the Grid. In this paper we discuss the architecture of Rokky-G and implementation issues identified in order to obtain highly reliable results.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1986

The high-tech hand surgery interface.

We have reviewed a potpourri of high-tech advances of interest to the hand surgeon: electronically controlled prostheses, functional neuromuscular stimulation, computer graphics, data base computer programs, 3-D imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and lasers--fields that point toward new directions in medicine, in general, and in our specialty, in particular, as we enter the twenty-first century. With clearer understanding of the basics, we can overcome the natural tendencies of negativism fostered by the complexities of the new ideas and proceed with optimism and curiosity.

Animals↗