Impact Of Different Methodologies Research Articles

Price and income elasticities of industrial electricity demand in Brazil: estimates and implications of COVID-19

PurposeThis study aims to examine the price and income elasticities of short- and long-run industrial electricity demand in Brazil between 2003 and 2020. The research also examines the impacts of COVID-19 in Brazil’s industrial electricity sector, including an analysis in states more and less industrialized.Design/methodology/approachDynamic adjustments models in panel data are used to present robust estimates and analyze the impact of different methodologies on reported elasticities.FindingsThe short-run price elasticity is estimated at −0.448, while the long-run values are around −1.60. Regarding income elasticity, the value is 0.069 in the short-run and is concentrated in 0.25 in the long-run. The inelastic results of income show that the industrial demand for electric energy follows the trend of loss of competitiveness of the Brazilian industry in the past years. In addition, the price of natural gas, the level of employment, and, in specific cases, the level of imports also influence industrial electricity demand.Originality/valueThe research is a pioneer in the investigation of the industrial behavior of electricity of the Brazilian industrial branch, using as control variables, the average temperature, and the level of rainfall, this one, so important for a country whose main source is hydroelectric. In addition, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study, which is prepared to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on electric consumption in the industrial sector, investigating these impacts, including in the states considered more and less industrialized. The estimates generated may help in the design of the Brazilian energy policy.

Metabolic Pathway Analysis: Advantages and Pitfalls for the Functional Interpretation of Metabolomics and Lipidomics Data.

Over the past decades, pathway analysis has become one of the most commonly used approaches for the functional interpretation of metabolomics data. Although the approach is widely used, it is not well standardized and the impact of different methodologies on the functional outcome is not well understood. Using four publicly available datasets, we investigated two main aspects of topological pathway analysis, namely the consideration of non-human native enzymatic reactions (e.g., from microbiota) and the interconnectivity of individual pathways. The exclusion of non-human native reactions led to detached and poorly represented reaction networks and to loss of information. The consideration of connectivity between pathways led to better emphasis of certain central metabolites in the network; however, it occasionally overemphasized the hub compounds. We proposed and examined a penalization scheme to diminish the effect of such compounds in the pathway evaluation. In order to compare and assess the results between different methodologies, we also performed over-representation analysis of the same datasets. We believe that our findings will raise awareness on both the capabilities and shortcomings of the currently used pathway analysis practices in metabolomics. Additionally, it will provide insights on various methodologies and strategies that should be considered for the analysis and interpretation of metabolomics data.

Learning musculoskeletal anatomy through new technologies: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective:to investigate the influence of the application of new methodologies on learning and the motivation of students of the Anatomy discipline.Method:randomized, longitudinal, prospective, intervention study. Sixty-two students were recruited to assess the impact of different methodologies. The sample was randomized to compare the results of teaching with a 3D atlas, ultrasound and the traditional method. The parameters were assessed through a satisfaction evaluation questionnaire and anatomical charts. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine statistical significance.Results:in terms of the usefulness of the seminars, 98.1% of the students considered them to be very positive or positive, stating that they had stimulated their interest in anatomy. The students who learned with the 3D atlas improved their understanding of anatomy (p=0.040). In general, the students improved their grades by around 20%.Conclusion:the traditional method combined with new technologies increases the interest of students in human anatomy and enables them to acquire skills and competencies during the learning process.

Price and income elasticities of residential and industrial electricity demand in the European Union

This study examines the short- and long-run price and income elasticities of residential and industrial electricity demand in the European Union between 1996 and 2016. Instrumental variable models using the between estimator, as well as dynamic panel models are employed to present robust estimates, and to assess the impact of different methodologies on the reported elasticities. The long-run price elasticity of residential electricity consumption is estimated between −0.53 and −0.56. These elasticities are more inelastic than that of industrial electricity use, which is reported between −0.75 and −1.01. The choice of different econometric methodologies has only moderate impact on the estimates. While long-run residential income elasticity estimates are moderately inelastic and estimated around 0.61, industrial electricity use tends to be closely tied to income, with elasticities between 0.76 and 1.08. Electricity demand in all sectors is highly price and income inelastic in the short run. Additionally, population density, temperatures, and policy measures also influence sectoral electricity use. The above estimates can aid the design of European energy and environmental policy.

Difference between transition metal cation substitution and Nonstoichiometric addition on nanostructure and thermoelectric performance of complex oxide ceramics

This work presents the impact of different methodologies in introducing the transition metal dopants into the thermoelectric Ca3Co4O9 ceramics and their resultant nanostructure and electrical transport properties. The polycrystalline ceramics samples are with designed nominal composition of cation substitution of Ca3Co4-xCuxO9 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1) and cation non-stoichiometric addition of Ca3Co4CuyO9 (y = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1), respectively. At low-temperature regime, the electrical resistivity decreased to the lowest values for each set of samples, upon the minute Cu doping with x = 0.01, and the electrical resistivity increase with Cu doping level. The Seebeck coefficient presents little change among Ca3Co4-xCuxO9 samples. By contrast, the Seebeck coefficient was significantly increased especially in the low-temperature regime in samples of Ca3CuyCo4O9, when the Cu addition level is over y = 0.05. While the grain size and crystal texture status are almost unchanged among Ca3Co4-xCuxO9 samples, non-stoichiometric Cu addition substantially triggered the grain growth, and essentially change the misfit relationship between the Ca2CoO3 and CoO2 layers within the unit cell. The present study demonstrates a novel approach for hierarchically modifying the structure of complex oxide ceramics to tune their thermoelectric properties through cation non-stoichiometric addition.

Beyond surface selection: The impact of different methodologies on tribological measurements

Emerging links between food friction and sensory texture have prompted an increase in food tribology studies. Soft tribological surfaces (e.g. elastomers) are used in these studies to mimic conditions in the oral cavity. However, measurement protocols and tribological surfaces vary among food tribological studies. Because the majority of these studies use empirical measurements, it is difficult to quantitatively compare their results. Although the effects of surface hydrophobicity, roughness, and modulus on friction coefficient measurements have been examined, there has been little study of variability due to differences in measurement parameters. Therefore, this study examined the effect of different measurement parameters on friction coefficient magnitude and variation. Tribological data were affected by multiple measurement parameters. A measurement protocol that yielded repeatable measurements with low variation was proposed based on these results. It is suggested that a standard protocol for food tribological measurements be adopted to enable proper data comparison among studies.

Characterization of polyethylene wear particle: The impact of methodology

Due to the prevalence of problems caused by wear particles, the reduced durability of total joint replacements is well documented. The characterization of wear debris enables the size and morphology of these wear particles to be measured and provides an assessment of the biological response in vivo. However, the impact of different methodologies of particle analysis is not yet clear. Hence, the aim of this investigation was to analyze the influence of different particle characterization methods performed by three research centers within the scope of a “round robin test”. To obtain knowledge about possible pitfalls, single steps of the particle characterization process (storage, pore size of the filter, coating durations by gold sputtering and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) magnification) were analyzed. The round robin test showed significant differences between the research groups, especially for the morphology of the particles. The SEM magnification was identified as having the greatest influence on the size and shape of the particles, followed by the storage conditions of the wear particle containing lubricant. Gold sputter coating and filter pore size also exhibit significant effects. However, even though they are statistically significant, it should be emphasized that the differences are small. In conclusion, particle characterization is a complex analytical method with a multiplicity of influencing factors. It becomes apparent that a comparison of wear particle results between different research groups is challenging.

Potential impact of different methodologies for detecting EGFR mutations in selecting chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer.

e19006 Background: Mutation analysis of the kinase domain of EGFR (exons 18-21) is a standard recommended procedure for patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC patients whose tumor harbors certain EGFR mutations have notable responses to EGFR inhibitors. Several different methodologies are available as published assays or commercially available kits and include Sanger Sequencing, allele specific PCR (ASP) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Differences in the design of these three assays dictate which clinically relevant mutations will be detected. Methods: Sanger Sequencing of EGFR found 518 potentially clinically actionable mutations and 45 variants of unknown significance of the 4307 samples tested. To assess which clinically relevant EGFR mutations will be detected by the ASP and RFLP, we performed an in silico analysis of all observed mutations against the design specification of the ASP and RFLP assays. The RFLP assay used in this assessment was developed in our laboratory and is designed to detect all G719 mutations, all exon 19 deletions, all exon 20 insertions and the specific mutations T790M, L858R, L861R and L861Q. A commercially available ASP kit designed to detect 29 mutations in the kinase domain was also analyzed in this study. Results: Based on the performance characteristics assumed by the RFLP and ASP assays, the analytical sensitivities for detecting clinically actionable mutations of the two methodologies are 98.8% and 86.7% respectively, when compared to Sanger Sequencing. It is notable that the RFLP assay missed the S768I mutation (0% detected) whereas the assay did not detect some G719 mutations, exon 19 deletions, and exon 20 insertions (76.3, 86.6 and 35.3% detected respectively). Conclusions: Sequencing is still the preferred method of mutation detection in EGFR for NSCLC as it is the most comprehensive. However, if tumor nuclei are limited a more sensitive method than sequencing is required; EGFR mutation detection by RFLP would identify more of the potentially clinically relevant mutations than ASP. The ASP method would produce false negative results in 13.3% of patients expected to respond to EGFR inhibitors.

Impact of Different Methodologies on the Detection of Point Mutations in Routine Air-dried Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Smears

Currently the best method to select suspicious thyroid nodules for surgery is fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. However, FNA cytology has some inherent limitations, which can partly be overcome by molecular analysis. Therefore, molecular testing for somatic mutations has emerged as the most promising approach for molecular FNA diagnostics. The objective of this methodological study was to evaluate the feasibility of detecting BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS mutations from routine air-dried thyroid FNA smears, and to find an optimal method for detecting these mutations in FNA samples. DNA was extracted from 110 routine air-dried FNA smears and the corresponding surgically obtained formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. The presence of BRAF, NRAS, HRAS, and KRAS mutations was assessed by real-time PCRs and high resolution melting analysis, and/or pyrosequencing in comparison to real-time PCRs using hybridization probes and fluorescence melting curve analysis. The high-resolution melting-PCRs revealed a significantly lower number of PCR failures and questionable results, and detected more mutations than the PCRs using hybridization probes. The number of PCR failures ranging from 14-16% by high-resolution melting-PCRs could be further reduced to 5-14% by adding pyrosequencing assays. Moreover, pyrosequencing increased the specificity of the assays, up to 98-100%, while the sensitivity ranged between 32-63%. In summary, the mutation detection, especially in air-dried FNA samples, improves when using PCR assays in combination with high resolution melting analysis. Additional improvement can be obtained by subsequent pyrosequencing in comparison to previously described real-time PCRs using hybridization probes and fluorescence melting curve analysis.

The process of evidence‐based medicine and the search for meaning

Evidence based medicine is the present backbone of rational and objective, modern medical problem solving and is a meeting ground for quantitative and qualitative researchers alike as it culminates into applying the fruits of clinical research to the individual patient. A systematic enquiry into the evolving paradigms in EBM is a need of the hour. A qualitative enquiry examining the impact of different methodologies in EBM and their role in generating meaning interpretable at individual levels. Present day outcome based research deals less with patients as individuals than as populations. Evidence based medicine struggles to apply the fruits of population based research to individuals who are often not as predictable as linear quantitative research would like them to be. The present EBM literature neglects a lot of events it doesn't believe to be statistically significant and perhaps here is an area that needs to be improved on - it assumes that because associations are demonstrated between interventions and outcomes in RCTs/meta-analysis, these associations are linear and causal in the real world. While they may be demonstrated repeatedly in highly controlled environments, in the real 'uncontrolled' world of clinical practice with real people, their validity breaks down. One needs to make the EBM standard model patient-individual (a projection of collective patient event data) resemble the real human individual patient so that optimal EBM individual data that matches our query can be easily and quickly spotted from the dense jungle of information that has grown over the years. This hints at rethinking our entire research methodology and modifying it to suit the needs of the individual patient.

Measurement of seizure freedom in adjunctive therapy studies in refractory partial epilepsy: the levetiracetam experience

ABSTRACT Purpose To assess the advantages and disadvantages of six methodologies used in calculating seizure freedom rates in placebo‐controlled, adjunctive therapy trials of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in partial epilepsy, and two methodologies for long‐term follow‐up studies. Methods Data from levetiracetam trials were used to illustrate the impact of different methodologies on seizure freedom rates. Seizure‐freedom data for several new AEDs were identified from the published medical literature using MEDLINE and from a recent comprehensive textbook. Results Most randomized, placebo‐controlled add‐on clinical trials of new AEDs contain little or no information about seizure freedom. Importantly, the methodology used can profoundly affect results when calculating seizure‐free rates. Seizure freedom data should be reported as well as the methodology used. The minimum duration for assessing seizure freedom should be the entire stable dose period in short‐term trials and at least six months for long‐term follow‐up studies. It is proposed that the seizure freedom rates be calculated and reported with at least two different methodologies, one that considers patients withdrawing from treatment without having had a seizure as successes, and one that considers the same patients as failures. For an effective and well‐tolerated AED, seizure freedom rates will be consistent across the two methodologies. Conclusions Seizure freedom is the ultimate goal of AED therapy and should be reported for all clinical trials. Methodological differences among the few clinical studies reporting seizure freedom rates make it difficult to compare results across trials. Improved reporting of methodologies and seizure‐free rates is warranted.

CD38 as a prognostic marker in CLL

Cell-surface expression of CD38 in CLL has been recognised recently as a marker of progressive disease and poor outcome. In contrast to traditional staging systems, CD38 is able to identify progressive cases at an early stage. Measurement of CD38, in conjunction with other novel prognostic factors such as p53 and ZAP-70 helps to identify patients who might benefit from early and more intensive therapy. In addition, CD38 positivity can predict unmutated IgVH gene mutation status in most cases. These features, together with its easy applicability, render CD38 a valuable tool in the routine diagnostics of CLL. Questions remaining to be clarified about CD38 include the incidence and significance of its variations during the course of the disease, the optimal method to define CD38 positivity and the impact of different methodologies on results. Only after these issues are resolved can the definitive place of CD38 be defined in the diagnostics of CLL.

Déjà vu all over again

Déjà vu all over again

Impact of Different Methodologies on the Estimation of Antibiotic Tissue Penetration

Impact of Different Methodologies on the Estimation of Antibiotic Tissue Penetration