• Title/Summary/Keyword: aggregate data

Search Result 672, Processing Time 0.026 seconds

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonograph Guided Fine-needle Aspiration Cytologic in Staging of Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients: a Meta-analysis

  • Wang, Xi-Wen;Xiong, Yun-Hui;Zen, Xiao-Qing;Lin, Hai-Bo;Liu, Qing-Yi
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
    • /
    • v.13 no.11
    • /
    • pp.5517-5523
    • /
    • 2012
  • Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonograph and fine-needle aspiration cytologic examination (USG-FNAC) in the staging of axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients.Methods: We conducted an electronic search of the literature addressing the performance of USG-FNAC in diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis in databases such as Pubmed, Medline, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane library. We introduced a series of diagnostic test indices to evaluate the performance of USG-FNAC by the random effect model (REM), including sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratios and area under the curve (AUC). Results: A total of 20 studies including 1371 cases and 1289 controls were identified. The pooled sensitivity was determined to be 0.66 (95% CI 0.64-0.69), specificity 0.98 (95% CI 0.98-0.99), positive likelihood ratio 22.7 (95% CI 15.0-34.49), negative likelihood ratio 0.32 (95% CI 0.25-0.41), diagnostic OR 84.2 (95% CI 53.3-133.0). Due to the marginal threshold effect found in some indices of diagnostic validity, we used a summary SROC curve to aggregate data, and obtained a symmetrical curve with an AUC of 0.942. Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis indicated that the USG-FNAC techniques have acceptable diagnostic validity indices and can be used for early staging of axillary lymph node in breast cancer patients.

Could Clinical Pathways Improve the Quality of Care in Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer? A Meta-analysis

  • Song, Xu-Ping;Tian, Jin-Hui;Cui, Qi;Zhang, Ting-Ting;Yang, Ke-Hu;Ding, Guo-Wu
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
    • /
    • v.15 no.19
    • /
    • pp.8361-8366
    • /
    • 2014
  • This meta-analysis was performed to assess the implementation effects of clinical pathways in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. A comprehensive search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (from inception to May 2014). Selection of studies, assessing risk of bias and extracting data were performed by two reviewers independently. Outcomes were analyzed by fixed-effects and random-effects model meta-analysis and reported as mean difference (MD), standardized mean difference (SMD) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Jadad methodological approach was used to assess the quality of included studies and the meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.1 software. Nine citations (eight trials) involving 642 patients were included. The aggregate results showed that a shorter average length of stay [MD = -4.0; 95% CI (-5.1, -2.8); P < 0.00001] was observed with the clinical pathways as compared with the usual care. A reduction in inpatient expenditure [SMD = -1.5; 95% CI (-2.3, -0.7); P = 0.0001] was also associated with clinical pathways, along with higher patient satisfaction [OR = 4.9; 95% CI (2.2, 10.6); P < 0.0001]. Clinical pathways could improve the quality of care in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, as evidenced by a significant reduction in average length of stay, a decrease in inpatient expenditure and an improvement in patient satisfaction. Therefore, indicators and mechanisms within clinical pathways should be a focus in the future.

Modified Sulfur Distribution and Compressive Strength Characteristics of Modified Sulfur Mortar Based on the Mixing Method and Curing Condition (비빔방법과 양생조건에 따른 개질유황 모르타르의 개질유황 분포도 및 압축강도 특성)

  • Jung, Byeong-Yeol;Lee, Sang-Soo;Song, Ha-Young
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
    • /
    • v.14 no.1
    • /
    • pp.61-67
    • /
    • 2014
  • As industry advances, the production of industrial sulfur is increasing every year. Therefore, this study intended to investigate the modified sulfur distribution and compressive strength characteristics of modified sulfur mortar based on the mixing method and curing conditions by adding modified sulfur with a melting point of approximately $65^{\circ}C$ in order to provide basic data for the application of the modified sulfur to the mortar or concrete. The results of the experiment showed that the mixture of fine aggregate and cement with water, followed by the addition of modified sulfur, would be most advantageous in terms of fluidity and strength. The results of EDS analysis also showed that the distribution of sulfur was the best. In terms of the curing conditions, the highest compressive strength was achieved through water curing and air dry curing at $20^{\circ}C$. However, it was found that the long-term strength was adversely affected by curing at over $40^{\circ}C$.

Comparison of Real Time Nanoparticle Monitoring Instruments in the Workplaces

  • Ham, Seunghon;Lee, Naroo;Eom, Igchun;Lee, Byoungcheun;Tsai, Perng-Jy;Lee, Kiyoung;Yoon, Chungsik
    • Safety and Health at Work
    • /
    • v.7 no.4
    • /
    • pp.381-388
    • /
    • 2016
  • Background: Relationships among portable scanning mobility particle sizer (P-SMPS), condensation particle counter (CPC), and surface area monitor (SAM), which are different metric measurement devices, were investigated, and two widely used research grade (RG)-SMPSs were compared to harmonize the measurement protocols. Methods: Pearson correlation analysis was performed to compare the relation between P-SMPS, CPC, and SAM and two common RG-SMPS. Results: For laboratory and engineered nanoparticle (ENP) workplaces, correlation among devices showed good relationships. Correlation among devices was fair in unintended nanoparticle (UNP)-emitting workplaces. This is partly explained by the fact that shape of particles was not spherical, although calibration of sampling instruments was performed using spherical particles and the concentration was very high at the UNP workplaces to allow them to aggregate more easily. Chain-like particles were found by scanning electron microscope in UNP workplaces. The CPC or SAM could be used as an alternative instrument instead of SMPS at the ENP-handling workplaces. At the UNP workplaces, where concentration is high, real-time instruments should be used with caution. There are significant differences between the two SMPSs tested. TSI SMPS showed about 20% higher concentration than the Grimm SMPS in all workplaces. Conclusions: For nanoparticle measurement, CPC and SAM might be useful to find source of emission at laboratory and ENP workplaces instead of P-SMPS in the first stage. An SMPS is required to measure with high accuracy. Caution is necessary when comparing data from different nanoparticle measurement devices and RG-SMPSs.

Freezing and Deflection Characteristics of Flexible Pavement Structure Using Frost Model Test (동상모형실험을 통한 아스팔트 포장체의 동결 및 처짐 특성)

  • Shin, Eun-Chul;Hwang, Soon-Gab;Park, Jeong-Jun
    • Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
    • /
    • v.11 no.3
    • /
    • pp.27-35
    • /
    • 2012
  • In this paper, the frost heaving and thawing characteristics of flexible pavement structure were evaluated in the large scale freezer which have a specification of temperature range $-20^{\circ}C{\sim}10^{\circ}C$ and $3.2m(L){\times}3.2m(B){\times}2.4m(H)$ in size. The insulated steel box with the size of $0.9m(L){\times}0.9m(B){\times}0.9m(H)$ was used to simulate actual pavement road structure. The variation of temperature, frost heave amount and frost heave pressure were measured through the instrument of TDS-602 data logger. LFWD (light falling weight deflectometer) was used to determine the change of deflection due to the frost heaving and thawing. Furthermore, the influence of aggregate layer to the freezing of the subgrade soil was studied to verify the function and effectiveness of the anti-freezing layer.

Provisioning QoS for WiFi-enabled Portable Devices in Home Networks

  • Park, Eun-Chan;Kwak, No-Jun;Lee, Suk-Kyu;Kim, Jong-Kook;Kim, Hwang-Nam
    • KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
    • /
    • v.5 no.4
    • /
    • pp.720-740
    • /
    • 2011
  • Wi-Fi-enabled portable devices have recently been introduced into the consumer electronics market. These devices download or upload content, from or to a host machine, such as a personal computer, a laptop, a home gateway, or a media server. This paper investigates the fairness among multiple Wi-Fi-enabled portable devices in a home network when they are simultaneously communicated with the host machine. First, we present that, a simple IEEE 802.11-based home network suffers from unfairness, and the fairness is exaggerated by the wireless link errors. This unfairness is due to the asymmetric response of the TCP to data-packet loss and to acknowledgment-packet loss, and the wireless link errors that occur in the proximity of any node; the errors affect other wireless devices through the interaction at the interface queue of the home gateway. We propose a QoS-provisioning framework in order to achieve per-device fairness and service differentiation. For this purpose, we introduce the medium access price, which denotes an aggregate value of network-wide traffic load, per-device link usage, and per-device link error rate. We implemented the proposed framework in the ns-2 simulator, and carried out a simulation study to evaluate its performance with respect to fairness, service differentiation, loss and delay. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method enforces the per-device fairness, regardless of the number of devices present and regardless of the level of wireless link errors; furthermore it achieves high link utilization with only a small amount of frame losses.

A Study for Joint Freezing in Concrete Pavement (콘크리트포장의 줄눈의 잠김에 대한 연구)

  • Lee, Seung-Woo
    • International Journal of Highway Engineering
    • /
    • v.3 no.1 s.7
    • /
    • pp.165-176
    • /
    • 2001
  • Joints in jointed concrete Pavement are designed to control against randomly occurred cracks within slabs, which may be caused by temperature or moisture variation. The advantage of these artificial cracks (joints) over naturally occurred cracks are easy access of protections, such as installation of joint seal and load transfer mechanism. The potential benefits of joint seals are to prevent infiltration of surface water through the joint into underlying soil and intrusion of incompressible materials (debris, fine size aggregate) in to the joint, which may prevent weakening of underlying soils and spallings due to excessive compressive stress, respectively. For the adequate design of joint seal, horizontal variation of joint widths (horizontal joint movements) are essential inputs. Based on long-term in-situ joint movement data of sixteen jointed concrete pavement sections in Long Term Performance Pavement Seasonal Monitoring Program (LTPP SMP), it was indicated that considerable Portion of joints showed no horizontal movements with change in temperature. This Phenomenon is called 'Joint Freezing'. Possible cause for joint freezing is that designed penetrated cracks do not occur at a joint. In this study, a model for the prediction of the ratio of freezing joints in a particular pavement sections is proposed. In addition, possible effects of joint freezing against pavement performance are addressed.

  • PDF

Estimation of Suspended Solids Concentration Caused by Stream Bed Excavation Works through the Application of the Fickian Diffusion Model (Fick 확산 모형을 이용한 하상 굴착 공사로부터의 부유물질 농도 산정)

  • An, Myeong-Gil
    • Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
    • /
    • v.30 no.6
    • /
    • pp.621-628
    • /
    • 1997
  • Excavation works on stream beds have been done for various reasons including aggregate collection, sediment dredging, bridge constructions, or laying pipes under the ground. These activities may cause significant loadings of SS (suspended solids) resulting in water pollution and other detrimental effects to the surrounding environment. This research investigates application potential of a fickian diffustion model, derived from two dimensional advection-diffusion equation through some simplifying assumptions, as a planning tool for the estimation of SS loadings from excavation works and evaluation fo pollution prevention measures in case that sophisticated numerical simulation models are not applicable due to various practical reasons. Through a case study of the Juncheon stream in the Donghae City on the Kangwondo Province, this study demonstrates applicability of the fickian diffustion model as a practical method for the preliminary estimation of Ss loadings from excavation works and evaluation of performance of fabrics made of synthetic fiber for the reduction of downstream SS concentration with deficient field data.

  • PDF

Design and Implementation of Web Server for Analyzing Clickstream (클릭스트림 분석을 위한 웹 서버 시스템의 설계 및 구현)

  • Kang, Mi-Jung;Jeong, Ok-Ran;Cho, Dong-Sub
    • The KIPS Transactions:PartD
    • /
    • v.9D no.5
    • /
    • pp.945-954
    • /
    • 2002
  • Clickstream is the information which demonstrate users' path through web sites. Analysis of clickstream shows how web sites are navigated and used by users. Clickstream of online web sites contains effective information of web marketing and to offers usefully personalized services to users, and helps us understand how users find web sites, what products they see, and what products they purchase. In this paper, we present an extended web log system that add to module of collection of clickstream to understand users' behavior patterns In web sites. This system offers the users clickstream information to database which can then analyze it with ease. Using ADO technology in store of database constructs extended web log server system. The process of making clickstreaming into database can facilitate analysis of various user patterns and generates aggregate profiles to offer personalized web service. In particular, our results indicate that by using the users' clickstream. We can achieve effective personalization of web sites.

Time Series Representation Combining PIPs Detection and Persist Discretization Techniques for Time Series Classification (시계열 분류를 위한 PIPs 탐지와 Persist 이산화 기법들을 결합한 시계열 표현)

  • Park, Sang-Ho;Lee, Ju-Hong
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
    • /
    • v.10 no.9
    • /
    • pp.97-106
    • /
    • 2010
  • Various time series representation methods have been suggested in order to process time series data efficiently and effectively. SAX is the representative time series representation method combining segmentation and discretization techniques, which has been successfully applied to the time series classification task. But SAX requires a large number of segments in order to represent the meaningful dynamic patterns of time series accurately, since it loss the dynamic property of time series in the course of smoothing the movement of time series. Therefore, this paper suggests a new time series representation method that combines PIPs detection and Persist discretization techniques. The suggested method represents the dynamic movement of high-diemensional time series in a lower dimensional space by detecting PIPs indicating the important inflection points of time series. And it determines the optimal discretizaton ranges by applying self-transition and marginal probabilities distributions to KL divergence measure. It minimizes the information loss in process of the dimensionality reduction. The suggested method enhances the performance of time series classification task by minimizing the information loss in the course of dimensionality reduction.