Electronic Spreadsheet Research Articles

Where are the Stents? A Computerized Tracking System to Eliminate the Forgotten Ureteral Stent

IntroductionUreteral stent placement is the main treatment for ureteral obstruction in contemporary urological practice. Meticulous followup is required to confirm ureteral stent removal. Forgotten ureteral stents create significant patient and physician risk. We assessed the efficacy of an electronic spreadsheet tracking system at a VA medical center urology practice to monitor ureteral stent placement and retrieval. MethodsFrom January 2012 to February 2014 a computer based monitoring system was begun for all stents placed in our practice. An Excel® spreadsheet was used to track ureteral stent insertion and removal. The VA Computerized Patient Record System was used to confirm ureteral stent removal. The spreadsheet included an automatic calculator feature to alert technicians/surgeons when stents remained in place 180 days or longer. ResultsIn 335 patients a total of 379 stents were placed from January 2012 to February 2014. Of these 379 stents 369 were removed or exchanged in 180 days or less. Ten patients died with stents in place and were counted in the removal group for an overall 100% rate of stents accounted for/removed during the study period. ConclusionsAn electronic spreadsheet is an effective method to track ureteral stent placement and removal. Manual data entry, and frequent spreadsheet followup and monitoring contributed to a 100% retrieval rate in this study. Future efforts should focus on automated systems that generate reminders with less emphasis on human data entry and tracking.

An update on a spreadsheet method for computing consequences to the nearest maximally exposed offsite individual in compliance with DOE-STD-3009-94.

Protection of the public from hazardous airborne releases at U.S. Department of Energy non-reactor nuclear facilities is the highest priority in all operations. As a result, the safety basis calculations that derive the protection of the public in the form of safety-class structures, systems, and components (SC SSCs) must accurately model the accident event and airborne plume in order to characterize the relative severity of the consequences. The simple Gaussian plume model is the most accurate and most commonly used model to describe the pollutant plume relative concentration (X/Q) downwind at receptor. As a result, the X/Q value can easily be calculated by an electronic spreadsheet as shown by this paper.

Injury and illness epidemiology at a summer sport-camp program, 2008 through 2011.

University-sponsored summer sport camps often employ athletic trainers; however, there is a dearth of epidemiologic studies describing the injury and illness experience of sport-camp participants to guide clinicians. To describe the injury and illness experience of youth participants at a university-sponsored summer sport-camp program during a 4-year period. Descriptive epidemiology study. A National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university that sponsored 76 to 81 camps for 28 sports each summer. A total of 44, 499 camp participants enrolled during the 4 years. Male and female participants ranged in age from 10 to 17 years and in athletic skill from novice to elite. Data from handwritten injury and illness log books, maintained by sports health care personnel, were accessed retrospectively, entered into an electronic spreadsheet, and coded. Data were applied to the National Athletic Injury/Illness Reporting System. Participant-personnel contacts, defined as any instance when a participant sought health care services from personnel, were calculated per 100 participants. Injury and illness rates were calculated per 10 ,000 exposures, measured in participant-days. The distribution of injury and illness conditions and affected body regions were calculated. There were 11 ,735 contacts, for an overall rate of 26 per 100 participants, and 4949 injuries and illnesses, for a rate of 1 per 10, 000 participant-days. Participants at single-sex camps were less likely to sustain injuries and illnesses than participants at coeducational camps (rate ratio [RR] = 0.49; 95% confidence interval = 0.45, 0. 35; P < .001, and RR = 0.47; 95% confidence interval = 0.43, 0.51; P < .001, respectively). The lower extremity was injured most frequently (27.9%). Most injury and illness conditions were dermatologic (37.1%). The contact and injury and illness differences observed among sports and between sexes demonstrated potential differences in the sports health care needs of camp participants. These data can be used to make evidence-based clinical decisions, such as determining injury-prevention strategies and sports health care staffing needs.

Visualization and Comprehension of Opening Instructions in Child Resistant Packaging

Child-Resistant Packagings (CRPs) have emerged as a solution to prevent poisoning accidents involving children, however these packagings end up becoming an obstacle in the opening process, for youth, adults and especially the elderly. In this type of packaging is common for the opening instructions be arranged on top of the cap, but there is no pattern for how this information is presented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the visualization and comprehension of opening instructions in squeeze-and-turn CRPs. The study had the participation of 10 adult subjects and 12 elderly subjects, which were equally divided between men and women. Three different packaging of mouthwashes were used. Data was tabulated in electronic spreadsheets. The results show that the packaging with the largest diameter and the most simple and objective image showed the best visualization and comprehension levels.

An automated inverse method for slug tests—over-damped case—in confined aquifers

Slug tests offer an efficient method for estimating the hydraulic parameters of an aquifer without water pumping. Two inverse methods are typically used to assess the slug test data and derive parameter estimates of a confined aquifer. The first method provides estimates of both hydraulic conductivity and specific storage, is visual (hence difficult to automate), and is based on the transient-flow analytical solution of Cooper et al. The second method, proposed by Hvorslev, is very straightforward, but provides only hydraulic conductivity estimates. In this study, we are testing the recently proposed quasi-steady method of Koussis and Akylas, which enables the estimation of both hydraulic parameters and, furthermore, can be easily implemented in computer code or an electronic spreadsheet. This quasi-steady method was coupled with the shuffled complex evolution optimization method to fully automate parameter estimation. This coupling is tested using data from field observations, synthetic data produced from the transient-flow analytical solution, and synthetic data with noise. The results show the usefulness and the limitations of the proposed method.Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz

Some Clarification to the Evolution of the Electronic Spreadsheet

ABSTRACT As early as 1961 Mattessich suggested (in an article in The Accounting Review) to use budget simulation in form of a computerized spreadsheet. This was followed up by him in a mathematical model, outlined in his book Accounting and Analytical Methods (Mattessich 1964a) with a corresponding computer program (in FORTRAN IV on mainframe computers), including illustrations in a companion volume (Simulation of the Firm through a Budget Computer Program, Mattessich 1964b). Five years later (in 1969) Rene Pardo and Remy Landau co-presented “LANPAR” (LANguage for Programming Arrays at Random) at Random Corporation. This electronic spreadsheet type was also used on mainframe computers for budgeting at Bell Canada, AT&amp;T, Bell operating companies, and General Motors. In 1978, Dan Bricklin and Robert Frankston introduced VisiCalc, the first commercialized spreadsheet program for personal desktop (Apple) computers. This program became the trailblazer for future developments of electronic spreadsheets.

NMR Kinetics of the SN2 Reaction between BuBr and I–: An Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory Exercise

A simple organic chemistry experiment is described that investigates the kinetics of the reaction between 1-bromobutane (BuBr) and iodide (I–) as followed by observing the disappearance of BuBr and the appearance of 1-iodobutane (BuI) using 1H NMR spectroscopy. In small groups of three to four, students acquire data to examine the concentration-dependence of both the organic substrate and the nucleophile under pseudo-first-order and second-order conditions. After data processing, students analyze three data sets (one second-order experiment, and two first-order experiments with different concentrations of iodide) using an electronic spreadsheet. Students discuss the experimentally determined rate law, comparing it to that predicted for this SN2 reaction.

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Mis-alignment between IT knowledge/skills importance and IT knowledge/skills integration level into the accounting curriculum in Egypt

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate the alignment between the information technology (IT) knowledge/skills importance or required by the business environment and the IT knowledge/skills integration level in the accounting curriculum in the specific context of Egyptian universities.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected from a survey of 249 accountant lecturers by emails.Findings– The results indicate that the most important technologies are generalized audit software, embedded audit modules/real-time modules, small business accounting software, computer-aided systems engineering tools, test data and tax return preparation software, and the most technologies integrated in the accounting curriculum in Egypt are wording processing, electronic spreadsheets and electronic presentations. These results mean there is a gap between what is required and what is integrated in the accounting curriculum.Originality/value– This study is the first attempt to investigate the alignment between the IT required and integrated in the accounting curriculum, especially in Egypt.

Building reproductive health research and audit capacity and activity in the Pacific Islands (BRRACAP) study: methods, rationale and baseline results.

BackgroundClinical research and audit in reproductive health is essential to improve reproductive health outcomes and to address the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. Research training, mentoring and a supportive participatory research environment have been shown to increase research activity and capacity in low to middle income countries (LMIC). This paper details the methods, rationale and baseline findings of a research program aimed at increasing clinical research activity and audit in the six Pacific Islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and the Solomon Islands.MethodTwenty-eight clinician participants were selected by the five Ministries of Health and the Fiji National University to undergo a research capacity building program which includes a research workshop and mentoring support to perform research and audit as teams in their country. Data on the participants’ characteristics, knowledge and experiences were collected from structured interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, and an online survey. The interviews and the two focus groups were audio-recorded and all replies were analysed in a thematic framework.ResultsThe 28 participants included 9 nurses/midwives, 17 medical doctors of whom 8 were specialists in reproductive health and 2 other health workers. Most (24, 86%) were required to perform research as part of their employment and yet 17 (61%) were not confident in writing a research proposal, 13 (46%) could not use an electronic spreadsheet and the same number had not analysed quantitative data. The limited environmental enablers contributed to poor capacity with only 11 (46%) having access to a library, 10 (42%) receiving management support and 6 (25%) having access to an experienced researcher. Barriers to research that affected more than 70% of the participants were time constraints, poor coordination, no funding and a lack of skills.ConclusionBuilding a research capacity program appropriate for the diversity of Pacific clinicians required research evidence and collaborative effort of key stakeholders in the Pacific Islands and the region. The participants had limited research knowledge, skills and experience and would require individualized training and continuous intensive mentorship to realize their potential as clinician researchers for their services in the Pacific.

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An analytical model for calculating internal dose conversion coefficients for non-human biota

To assess the radiation burden of non-human living organisms, dose coefficients are available in the literature, precalculated by assuming an ellipsoidal shape of each organism. A previously developed analytical method was applied for the determination of absorbed fractions inside ellipsoidal volumes from alpha, beta, and gamma radiations to the calculation of dose conversion coefficients (DCCs) for 15 reference organisms, animals and plants, either terrestrial, amphibian, or aquatic, and six radionuclides ((14)C, (90)Sr, (60)Co, (137)Cs, (238)U, and (241)Am). The results were compared with the reference values reported in Publication 108 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, in which a different calculation approach for DCCs was employed. The results demonstrate that the present analytical method, originally intended for applications in internal dosimetry of nuclear medicine therapy, gives consistent results for all the beta-, beta-gamma-, and alpha-emitting radionuclides tested in a wide range of organism masses, between 8 mg and 1.3 kg. The applicability of the method proposed can take advantage from its ease of implementation in an ordinary electronic spreadsheet, allowing to calculate, for virtually all possible radionuclide emission spectra, the DCCs for ellipsoidal models of non-human living organisms in the environment.

An analytical model to calculate absorbed fractions for internal dosimetry with alpha, beta and gamma emitters

We developed a general model for the calculation of absorbed fractions in ellipsoidal volumes of soft tissue uniformly filled with alpha, beta and gamma emitting radionuclides. The approach exploited Monte Carlo simulations with the Geant4 code to determine absorbed fractions in ellipsoids characterized by a wide range of dimensions and ellipticities, for monoenergetic emissions of each radiation type. The so-obtained absorbed fractions were put in an analytical relationship with the 'generalized radius', calculated as 3 V/S , where V is the ellipsoid volume and S its surface. Radiation-specific parametric functions were obtained in order to calculate the absorbed fraction of a given radiation in a generic ellipsoidal volume. The dose from a generic radionuclide can be calculated through a process of summation and integration over the whole radionuclide emission spectrum, profitably implemented in an electronic spreadsheet. We compared the results of our analytical calculation approach with those obtained from the OLINDA/EXM computer software, finding a good agreement in a wide range of sphere radii, for the high-energy pure beta emitter 90 Y, the commonly employed beta-gamma emitter 131 I, and the pure alpha emitter 213 Po. The generality of our approach makes it useful an easy to implement in clinical dosimetry calculations as well as in radiation safety estimations when doses from internal radionuclide uptake are to be taken into account.

&lt;b&gt;Use of excel worksheets with user-friendly interface to minimize the makespan in a permutation flow shop production system

Current research addresses the Permutation Flow Shop scheduling problem, characterized as Production Scheduling in Batch Process (PSBP) to minimize total time to complete the schedule (Makespan). A method to approach the problem of production scheduling is to turn it into Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and to solve it by using commercial mathematical programming packages. An electronic spreadsheet with user-friendly interface (ESUFI) was developed in Microsoft Excel. Results showed that it is possible to use ESUFI to solve small problems.

Electronic Spreadsheet: Building Knowledge for Social Practices

For this, we draw general objective to evaluate the use of spread sheets in the school environment as a teaching resource to assist in the understanding of basic mathematical concepts of the curriculum of school education related financial mathematics. The technique for data collection was participant observation, combined with an open questionnaire applied to high school students of a public school in the city of Jaragua do Sul, Santa Catarina. In this study, we concluded that the use of the spread sheet in the teaching and learning of mathematical content is effective, since the student builds knowledge in a dynamic mode, contextualized through educational activities involving financial mathematical content.

A longitudinal study of weight gain in pregnancy in Malawi: unconditional and conditional standards

To monitor weight gain during pregnancy and assess its relation with perinatal health outcomes, both unconditional (cross-sectional) and conditional (longitudinal) standards of maternal weight are needed. This study aimed to develop and validate unconditional and conditional maternal weight standards for use in Malawi, Africa. Longitudinal data were drawn from an antenatal care intervention study conducted in Malawi. Participants were selected for this analysis if they had a healthy profile defined by body mass index and infectious disease measures and delivered healthy singletons defined by birth weight, gestational age, and neonatal survival status. A total of 1733 measurements from 358 women were randomly split to form development and validation samples. Unconditional and conditional standards were developed and validated. An electronic spreadsheet implements the calculations. Weight gain during pregnancy was substantially slower in this cohort than the US Institute of Medicine recommendation. The percentiles increased linearly; therefore, the use of the conditional standards is robust to inaccuracy in gestational age estimates. The standards can facilitate researchers and clinicians to examine maternal weight and weight gain and estimate their associations with pregnancy outcomes in Malawi. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00131235.

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Estimating neonatal nursing staff requirement by activity analysis

Background: Nursing staff requirements for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are often determined by number of admitted patients even though activity analysis provides a more objective estimation. This study estimates nursing staff requirements by activity analysis in an Armed Forces facility. Materials & Methodology: A prospective observational study between 2 7 January 2014 and 26 February 2014 (31 days) in the NICU of tertiary care teaching hospital of Armed Forces where timing of all nursing activities performed during study period by NICU staff was recorded to the nearest minute by self-reporting. Nursing activities were classified as Direct (40 activities) and Indirect (23 activities) α-priori. Data was entered on an electronic spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) and relevant analysis performed. Results: During study period, there were 32 neonates (total 238 patient-days) in NICU and 18 (57patient-days) in step-down nursery. There was no patient on invasive ventilation nor was any surgical neonate admitted during this period. Direct Nursing Care activities totaled 59499 minutes (80.4.0) and Indirect ones 14490 minutes (19.6%). All nursing activities took 44 hours per day when 24 nurse-hours per day was the available time. This worked out to a practical requirement of three nurses in each shift for such activity load. Conclusions: Based on activity analysis, this study identifies the need for three nurses in each shift for a NICU providing Level II neonatal care with an average of 8 neonates in the NICU and 2 in the step-down nursery and agrees with other such studies available in literature.

Use of Excel worksheets with user-friendly interface in batch process (PSBP) to minimize the makespan

In the chemical industry, the necessity for scheduling is becoming more pronounced, especially in batch production mode. Nowadays, planning industrial activities is a necessity for survival. Intense competition requires diversified products and delivery in accordance with the requirements of consumers. These activities require quick decision making and the lowest possible cost, through an efficient Production Scheduling. So, this work addresses the Permutation Flow Shop scheduling problem, characterized as Production Scheduling in Batch Process (PSBP), with the objective of minimizing the total time to complete the schedule (Makespan). A method to approach the problem of production scheduling is to turn it into Mixed Integer Linear Programming- MILP, and to solve it using commercial mathematical programming packages. In this study an electronic spreadsheet with user-friendly interface (ESUFI) was developed in Microsoft Excel. The ease of manipulation of the ESUFI is quite evident, as with the use of VBA language a user-friendly interface could be created between the user and the spreadsheet itself. The results showed that it is possible to use the ESUFI for small problems.

184-P: KEEP REAGENT RECEIPT AND QUALITY CONTROL UNDER CONTROL

Reagent receipt and quality control is very important in each laboratory, our aim was to implement an easy and efficient system that would document the receipt of each reagent and automatically trigger QC testing prior to use. The following steps were implemented: 1) One key technologist was identified to oversee the process. 2) An electronic Excel-based reagent tracking spreadsheet was developed. The information recorded on the tracking spreadsheet includes: reagent name, lot number, order date, receipt date, date of QC, technologist performing QC, date of QC review, date the reagent was put in-use, and, last date the reagent was in-use. The spreadsheet is simple to complete and a filtering option was added for easy searching. 3) A procedure was written and competency was documented. 4) QC testing to be completed within one week of reagent receipt was assigned by the key technologist to a specific workbench. 5) A simplified reagent QC guideline was developed. 6) QC data were reviewed for acceptability by the key technologist. 7) All QC data were then approved by the supervisor. 8) An audit of the tracking system was performed monthly. In January of 2013, after six months of implementing the system, we performed an audit of thirty random patient charts focusing on the completeness and documentation of reagent QC. The results of this audit revealed that all reagents used were documented and QC testing was complete. This represented a significant improvement over audit findings prior to the implementation of the tracking system. Streamlining reagent receiving and quality control testing is extremely important in every laboratory. Its successful implementation requires everyone’s participation. We have found that our restructured systematic process is not only easily monitored, but also 1)easily adhered to by all personnel, 2)saves time and facilitates inventory control, 3)avoids midnight reagent crises, and (best of all), 4)we are always ready for inspection.