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Results for “Empirical Approach”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

An empirical approach to projecting regional blood need.

An empirical mathematical model was developed for projecting monthly and yearly regional blood utilization. Based upon 1974 data from eight Clark County, Nevada hospitals offering a total of 1,389 medical-surgical, and pediatric beds, an unadjusted projection deviated minus 7.2 per cent from the actual 1975 regional blood utilization. Adjusted projections, modified by an averaging technique that utilized previous month's blood utilization along with historical utilization data, resulted in an annual projection that deviated minus 1.9 per cent from the actual blood use. The adjusted monthly mean projection did not differ significantly from the actual mean monthly blood use. This approach appears to be of value in regional planning for long- and short-range blood needs.

Blood Banks↗
PubMed1975

A theoretical and empirical approach to the study of development.

Developmental psychology, in spite of its dynamic growth, has not, thus far, generated a general theory of human development. Present developmental theories are either cognitive or ontogenetic, or both. All are descriptive. Their powers of explanation are limited. None of them include emotional development. It is argued that a theory of development in order to claim generality must (a) include emotional development, and (b) offer means of explaining, rather than only describing, developmental transformations. A nonontogenetic theory of development, called theory of positive disintegration, appears to fulfill these conditions. It is built on Jacksonian principles of evolution of levels of functioning. The central concept of the theory is that of multilevelness of developmental phenomena. Development is seen to be a function of the level of behavioral organization. The theory defines five levels. Each level constitutes a distinct structure. The dynamic elements of the structure of each level are identified. Positive disintegration is the name for the process by which the structure of a higher level replaces the structure of a lower one. The theory explains different developmental patterns by introducing the concept of developmental potential (DP). Although DP is a purely logical notion, it is given observable dimensions designated as dimensions of mental functioning. There are five of these and they correspond to psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual, and emotional modes of functioning. The first half of the monograph is devoted to the conceptual structure of the theory. The second half to empirical tests of the theory. Three such tests were made on data generated from an atomistic analysis of autobiographies. The first test consisted of the comparison of developmental cross-sections obtained from different sources of data (subjects) with the overall pattern of five levels of development. The different cross-sections overlap with each other and with different segments of the total theoretical pattern. Superimposed on each other they reconstitute the total pattern. The second test consisted of a comparison between computed and clinically derived values for DP for each subject in the study. The third test was a comparison of DP values obtained from early and late parts of an autobiography. An empirical equation for DP was used in the second and the third test. Parameters represented in the equation appear sufficient to account for individual differences in patterns and levels of development.

Behavior↗
PubMed1979

A national study of medical and surgical specialties. III. An empirical approach to the classification of patient care.

A major feature of a national survey of medical and surgical specialties is the development and application of an algorithm for classifying patient care services provided by physicians. The care classification reflects much of prevailing opinion regarding what constitutes primary and nonprimary care. The classification system provides a powerful tool for the analysis of patient care services, since it is based on conditions of access to care, the physician's role in providing the care, measures associated with continuity of care, and a proxy measure of comprehensiveness of care. Furthermore, it is based on the recordings by physicians of actual patient-encounter characteristics and is not operationally dependent on physician characteristics or propensities.

Cardiology↗
PubMed1975

A new approach to empirical intermolecular and conformational potential energy functions. II. Applications to crystal packing, rotational barriers, and conformational analysis.

An empirical potential energy function based on the interactions of electrons and nuclei (EPEN) has been tested on molecules other than those used for its parameterization. The results indicate that this energy function is able to predict reliably the lowest energy conformations, the potential energy differences between conformations, rotational barrier heights, and dipole moments for a series of alkanes, amines, alcohols, and carbohydrates. Crystal packing studies on n-hexane, n-octane, methylamine, methanol, and alpha-d-glucose, using this same potential, indicate that it is also reliable for calculating intermolecular interaction energies and low-energy orientations.

1-Propanol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological factors in failure to wear the Milwaukee brace for treatment of idiopathic scoliosis.

Youngsters who fail to successfully adapt to a Milwaukee Brace displayed measurable psychological differences from those who do adapt satisfactorily to this treatment approach. The study did not encompass all conceivable variables which might affect orthotic wearing, however, use of logical and empirical approach to further delineate important variables seems feasible and desirable. In fact, one can hypothesize a predictive test battery which will detect high risk patients and thus afford the physician the option of alternative treatment modes, or intensified psychological intervention if the orthosis is preferred. The nature of such a psychological test battery, as well as the actions which would constitute effective intervention, will depend on future research. Based on our data, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients can be considered high risks for compliance with a Milwaukee Brace program if they display the following psychological characteristics: lower overall intelligence uith relative deficits in general information, reading recognition and reading comprehension skills; greater potential for acting-out/rebellious behavior; relatively lower sense of personal power or "potency", less tension associated with doctors; self reports of very active personal and family life styles.

Achievement↗
PubMed1975

Blood flow measurements in skin flaps.

For the last 50 years, the empirical approach of set length to width ratios for skin flaps has been held valid. Not until Milton's work in 1971 was this concept challenged. This report represents a method where precise, reproducible, and quantitative measurements of skin blood flow can be made using four radioactive nuclide microspheres and measures the blood flow changes in flaps of differing length to width ratios. Conclusions from our data suggest that the cutaneous blood flow in ventrally based, abdominal skin flaps in dogs is independent of base width as measured immediately after outlining and elevation.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Thought, language, and communication disorders. I. Clinical assessment, definition of terms, and evaluation of their reliability.

Bleulerian psychiatry has considered thought disorder to be a pathognomonic symptom of schizophrenia. Evaluation of the Bleulerian perspective has been severely handicapped by the lack of any standard and widely agreed-on definition of thought disorder. Consequently, the conceptualization of thought disorder has tended to be quite diverse, and evaluation of thought disorder has tended to be quite unreliable. This report presents a set of definitions of linguistic and cognitive behaviors frequently observed in patients. These definitions derive from clinical experience, use an empirical approach, and avoid making inferences about underlying processes of thought. They attempt to define the broad range of language, thought, and communication behaviors observed in patients and are not limited to those considered characteristic of schizophrenia. The reliability of these definitions has been assessed using both tape-recorded and live interviews with patients, and it has been found to be quite good for most of the terms defined.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Hormones in breast cancer: update 1978.

The role of cytoplasmic estrogen receptor (ER) assays in determining therapeutic strategies for advanced breast cancer is certainly well established. The use of ER assays in the primary breast tumor specimen to predict for early recurrence and ultimate survival is a new finding, however, and will probably be employed in future trials of adjuvant therapy. The prevalence and significance of nuclear-bound ER still requires additional clarification. Our previous suggestion that progesterone receptor measurements might be a useful marker for hormone dependence in advanced breast cancer is gaining support and may soon have a place in routine therapeutic decision-making. The emphasis on early adjuvant therapy has hastened the search for a safe endocrine therapy that would have good patient compliance and achieve remission rates comparable to previous agents and procedures. Antiestrogens show promise of meeting these requirements. We are now beginning an era in which primary and secondary systemic therapies for breast cancer can be based on sound biologic principles. The empirical approach is outdated.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Quantitative interpretation of concentration-dependent migration in gel chromatography of reversibly polymerizing solutes.

A theoretical expression is derived for concentration dependence of elution volume in the gel chromatography of a non-interacting solute. Experimental results for bovine serum albumin on Sephadex G-100 are shown to be in good agreement with the predicted gel-chromatographic behaviour. The theoretical treatment of concentration dependence is extended to include a solute undergoing rapid reversible polymerization (nA in equilibrium C). Computer simulation of gel-chromatographic data for monomer-dimer systems on Sephadex G-100 is used to illustrate the deficiencies of earlier empirical approaches, and also the potential of the present treatment, of allowing for non-chemical concentration dependence in gel chromatography of polymerizing solutes.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1975

Effectiveness of achievable urinary concentrations of tetracyclines against "tetracycline-resistant" pathogenic bacteria.

Hospitalized patients with urinary tract infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or other bacterial pathogens are frequently treated with parenteral antibiotics such as gentamicin. Many of these organisms are shown by Kirby-Bauer disk sensitivity testing to be resistant to tetracycline. One hundred seventy-one such tetracycline-resistant bacterial isolates were studied; 84% were found to be sensitive to achievable urinary concentrations of tetracycline. Two patients with long-standing chronic urinary tract infection with Pseudomonas were treated with tetracycline for a year and a half with excellent results. In a pilot clinical trial, eight of 12 hospitalized patients with urinary tract infection were treated successfully with tetracycline without regard to disk sensitivity data. Institution of tetracycline as soon as the microscopic diagnosis of urinary tract infection is made might be an acceptable empiric approach to the treatment of urinary infection in hospitalized patients who do not show evidence of sepsis.

Bacteriuria↗