Percentage Of Alarms Research Articles

“Pink Boarding Pass”: Perianesthesia/Perioperative Transfer of Care

Transfer of care is the communication between healthcare providers for every patient as they move from one provider to another. The Joint Commission estimates approximately 80 percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication during the hand-off between healthcare providers. This alarming percentage validates the need for standardization of the hand-off, which is essential to providing safe patient care. The objective of the project is to enhance the quality and safety of our patients by improving communication between staff members. •There is a “Boarding Pass” generated from the surgical schedule and a work sheet is used to communicate information about the patient. •The “Boarding Pass” verifies all information on the consent matches the surgical schedule. •Upon transfer to OR, we review the work sheet and also compare “Boarding Pass” which states the patient’s name and surgery to verify accuracy. •When the patient leaves the OR the same worksheet is used by CRNA to give report to PACU nurse. •There are two sheets in use- one that the preoperative nurse transfers to CRNA and another that CRNA provides to PACU nurse. The team decided to combine these into one worksheet to ensure that the preoperative sheet stays with the patient throughout their surgical stay.

Individual differences in response speed and accuracy are associated to specific brain activities of two interacting systems.

The study investigates the neurocognitive stages involved in the speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT). Contrary to previous approach, we did not manipulate speed and accuracy instructions: participants were required to be fast and accurate in a go/no-go task, and we selected post-hoc the groups based on the subjects’ spontaneous behavioral tendency. Based on the reaction times, we selected the fast and slow groups (Speed-groups), and based on the percentage of false alarms, we selected the accurate and inaccurate groups (Accuracy-groups). The two Speed-groups were accuracy-matched, and the two Accuracy-groups were speed-matched. High density electroencephalographic (EEG) and stimulus-locked analyses allowed us to observe group differences both before and after the stimulus onset. Long before the stimulus appearance, the two Speed-groups showed different amplitude of the Bereitschaftspotential (BP), reflecting the activity of the supplementary motor area (SMA); by contrast, the two Accuracy-groups showed different amplitude of the prefrontal negativity (pN), reflecting the activity of the right prefrontal cortex (rPFC). In addition, the post-stimulus event-related potential (ERP) components showed differences between groups: the P1 component was larger in accurate than inaccurate group; the N1 and N2 components were larger in the fast than slow group; the P3 component started earlier and was larger in the fast than slow group. The go minus no-go subtractive wave enhancing go-related processing revealed a differential prefrontal positivity (dpP) that peaked at about 330 ms; the latency and the amplitude of this peak were associated with the speed of the decision process and the efficiency of the stimulus-response mapping, respectively. Overall, data are consistent with the view that speed and accuracy are processed by two interacting but separate neurocognitive systems, with different features in both the anticipation and the response execution phases.

A GIS-based assessment of lake-effect snow warnings in Upstate New York

Lake-effect snow (LES) occurs downwind of the Great Lakes every late autumn and winter. This phenomenon often generates significant localized snowfall that can cripple one section of a community while the remainder is spared. Detrimental impacts on travel from snowfall rates of 2.5 cm h –1 (1 in h –1 ) are not uncommon. Storm-total snowfall gradients of 12.5 cm km –1 (8 in mi –1 ) also have been documented. Twenty-four-hour snowfall measurements taken by National Weather Service (NWS) observers during Lake Ontario LES events were collected. Utilizing a geographic information system, snowfall was interpolated from spotter reports with the kriging method. Then, the area of warning-criteria snowfall was compared to the area of the corresponding county-based LES warning for calculation of false alarm percentage. This warning performance evaluator identified the proportion of a county-based LES warning that received sub-warning-criteria snowfall. Percent of false alarm was calculated using temporally comparable snowfall reports and all available reports from each event. A total of 13 events from the 2009–2010 through 2011–2012 LES seasons were analyzed. The average percent of false alarm was approximately 90%. This suggests the NWS should consider smaller warning polygons. Limited-size warnings would enable meteorologists to provide greater specificity regarding the location of anticipated significant snowfall, while simultaneously reducing the number of people who are unnecessarily warned.

A Theoretical Model for Detection of Advanced Persistent Threat in Networks and Systems Using a Finite Angular State Velocity Machine (FAST-VM)

Intrusion detection systems have undergone numerous years of study and yet a great deal of problems remain; primarily a high percentage of false alarms and abysmal detection rates. A new type of threat has emerged that of Advanced Persistent Threat. This type of attack is known for being sophisticated and slow moving over a long period of time and is found in networked systems. Such threats may be detected by evaluation of large numbers of state variables describing complex system operation and state transitions over time. Analysis of such large numbers of variables is computationally inefficient especially if it is meant to be done in real time. The paper develops a completely new theoretical model that appears to be able to distill high order state variable data sets down to the essence of analytic changes in a system with APT operating. The model is based on the computationally efficient use of integer vectors. This approach has the capability to analyze threat over time, and has potential to detect, predict and classify new threat as being similar to threat already detected. The model presented is highly theoretical at this point with some initial prototype work demonstrated and some initial performance data.

Arterial and Retinal Vascular Changes in Hypertensive and Prehypertensive Adolescents

Increasing evidence suggests that arterial hypertension (AHT) may begin in childhood and result in the premature development of cardiovascular disease. In view of this, we believed it would be important to investigate the early vascular changes related to early hypertension at the micro- and macrovascular levels both under normal circumstances and after cold-induced sympathetic stimulation. In a cohort of 121 adolescent subjects, we measured peripheral and central blood pressure (pBP and cBP, respectively), pulse pressure (PP), and the augmentation index (AIx), as well as retinal vascular diameters, at baseline and during a cold pressor test (CPT). We measured the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) and calculated the retinal arteriolar-to-venular ratio (AVR). We compared macro- and microvascular alterations among normotensive (NT), prehypertensive (PHT), and hypertensive (HT) adolescents. Of the adolescent subjects in the study, 54.5% were NT, 25.6% were PHT, and 19.8% were HT. With regard to BMI, central systolic BP (cSBP), aortic pulse pressure (AoPP), and CRAE, the PHT adolescents had values similar to those in the HT group but significantly different than those in the NT group. In the studied population, there was a positive and significant correlation of AIx with cSBP and a negative association of CRAE with both cSBP and peripheral SBP (pSBP). We describe the evolution of these parameters during and after sympathetic stimulation. As compared with the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension in large studies, involving teenagers and children, an alarming percentage (45.5%) of the adolescents in our study were HT or PHT. Higher pSBP and cSBP were associated with narrower retinal arterioles but not with changes of arterial elasticity. With particular regard to CRAE, the PHT group was more closely related to the HT group than to the NT group. There were no differences among the NT, PHT, and HT groups in the results of the CPT.

The anthropometric match between high school learners and commercial adjustable computer chairs

Background : A South African study illustrated that the school computer chair was the least ergonomic aspect of a school computer workstation and this may explain why computer usage was the only predictor of cervical pain among high school students (Smith et al. 2007). An alarming percentage of South African learners do not match the usual school chair dimensions according to accepted criteria for chair height, depth and width. This implies that the majority of students are sitting in chairs that are both too short and too shallow for their body dimensions (Van Niekerk et al. 2011). Method : The sample included all commercially available adjustable chairs, distributed in the Cape Metropole area and which are being sold for R500 or less. The seat height, depth and width was measured and matched to the students' anthropometric measurements. Results : Only the height measurement of one chair matched more than 95% of the students. None of the chairs showed a match for all of the dimensions. Conclusion : The findings of this study indicate that even if schools want to improve the chair profile, they will not be able to do so as no commercial chair matched the students' anthropometric measurements.

Causes of banking crises: Deregulation, credit booms and asset bubbles, then and now

We examine similarities in the run-up to banking crises using two criteria for their predictability: i) the percentage of a specified number of years prior to a crisis correctly called; and ii) the percentage of true alarms of total alarms for a crisis. Using panel logit models we find that a banking crisis will be sparked by the collapse of a real asset bubble. While such bubbles are associated with popular stories of a new era and an increasingly deregulated financial system, in most cases, this would occur even in the absence of sustained surges of capital inflow, accumulation of public debt, low interest rate policies, or structural shocks. We also find that an increase in income inequality inflated the recent housing bubble.

Do Irrelevant Sounds Impair the Maintenance of All Characteristics of Speech in Memory?

Several studies have shown that maintaining in memory some attributes of speech, such as the content or pitch of an interlocutor's message, is markedly reduced in the presence of background sounds made of spectrotemporal variations. However, experimental paradigms showing this interference have only focused on one attribute of speech at a time, and thus differ from real-life situations in which several attributes have to be memorized and maintained simultaneously. It is possible that the interference is even greater in such a case and can occur for a broader range of background sounds. We developed a paradigm in which participants had to maintain the content, pitch and speaker size of auditorily presented speech information and used various auditory distractors to generate interference. We found that only distractors with spectrotemporal variations impaired the detection, which shows that similar interference mechanisms occur whether there are one or more speech attributes to maintain in memory. A high percentage of false alarms was observed with these distractors, suggesting that spectrotemporal variations not only weaken but also modify the information maintained in memory. Lastly, we found that participants were unaware of the interference. These results are similar to those observed in the visual modality.

Entrepreneurship and sustainability: Can business really alleviate poverty?

An alarming percentage of the world’s population lives below the poverty line of less than USD 2 per day. Various approaches to poverty alleviation have been implemented through governmental policy reforms as well as the work of non-governmental organizations. Many approaches have focused on disparities evident in gender, employment, education and decision making, seeking to address limitations in these areas. However, mostly unabated poverty levels and a growing global population require a new approach to improving the living standards of those in Less Developed Countries. This can be achieved by boosting local economies with the support of entrepreneurial activities operating on the small and micro-scale.

Ultraviolet-Fluorescent Tattoo Location of Cutaneous Biopsy Site

Cutaneous biopsies often heal with little or no scarring. Prior studies have shown an alarming percentage of patients who incorrectly identify biopsy sites at the time of surgery. To investigate the safety and utility of an ultraviolet (UV)-fluorescent tattoo for biopsy site identification. A preclinical proof of concept was established with skin culture. An UV-fluorescent tattoo was applied to discarded neonatal foreskin in culture medium. The stability of the tattooed skin was examined clinically and histologically. One patient with a recurrent basal cell carcinoma in a difficult-to-identify location underwent tattoo application at the time of biopsy to demarcate the site. The patient was monitored for tattoo reaction and referred for surgical excision. The cultured tissue exhibited stable UV fluorescence with daily washing. Tissue histology demonstrated tattoo particles lining the skin edge under fluorescent microscopy. The patient was reluctant to undergo another surgical procedure and instead returned to our clinic at 3 months and 17 months after the biopsy for management of other tumors. The patient had no symptoms of allergic reaction to the tattoo dye. The fluorescent tattoo remains invisible under visible light and visible only under Wood's light. The present study documents the utility of an UV-fluorescent tattoo to locate a biopsy site.

POPS: a school-based prevention programme for eating disorders

Aim Disordered eating is a significant social and economic issue in Western societies. Weight and shape concerns are highly prevalent during adolescence and an alarming percentage of adolescents already show disturbed eating patterns. Sociocultural factors like the beauty ideal promoted by the media and social agents are among the main reasons for this trend. Prevention programmes which focus on established protective and risk factors are needed to counteract problematic developments as early as possible.

Improving school governance through participative democracy and the law

There is an inextricable link between democracy, education and the law. After 15 years of constitutional democracy, the alarming percentage of dysfunctional schools raises questions about the efficacy of the system of local school governance. We report on the findings of quantitative and qualitative research on the democratisation of schools and the education system in North-West Province. Several undemocratic features are attributable to systemic weaknesses of traditional models of democracy as well as the misapplication of democratic and legal principles. The findings of the qualitative study confirmed that parents often misconceive participatory democracy for political democracy and misunderstand the role of the school governing body to be a political forum. Despite the shortcomings, the majority of the respondents agreed that parental participation improves school effectiveness and that the decentralised model of local school governance should continue. Recommendations toeffect the inculcation of substantive democratic knowledge, values and attitudes into school governance are based on theory of deliberative democracy and principles of responsiveness, accountability and justification of decisions through rational discourse.Keywords: accountability; deliberative democracy; participation; school governance

HBV, HCV and HIV among patients with Hemophilia in Khartoum- Sudan

Background : Hepatitis B, C and HIV infections and their impact forms one of the major health problems worldwide and in Sudan. Studies of hepatitis B, C and HIV virus among hemophiliacs in Sudan are lacking. Objectives : The main objective is to determine the screening, vaccination, seroconversion of hepatitis B, C and HIV among Sudanese hemophilic patients registered in Hemophilia Center Khartoum Teaching Hospital. Methods : During the period from July to November 2008, sixty two hemophilic male patients were randomly selected from hemophilic patients attending Hemophilic Center and were studied using simple direct standardized interview questionnaire and a blood sample from each patient was taken after consent for screening for hepatitis B, C and HIV. Results : Out of the 62 patients, 39 (62.9%) were found to be screened before this study. Out of these 23(58.97%) were fully vaccinated for HB V, 23.08 % were partially vaccinated and seven had no vaccination at all. Only one patient had seroconverted to HBsAg positive. HCV was detected in eight patient one of them was also found to have HIV infection. Conclusion : The low figures of HBs Ag positivity we got in this study is probably an under estimation of the actual prevalence of HBV as we did not use other serological marker and modern technology for detection of exposure to HBV. To determine the real magnitude of the problem we have to applying other markers like HBc Antibody in the screening procedures which are simple and cost effective. The coverage of our hemophilic patients with HBV vaccine was 52% so a significant number of our patients are at risk of contracting HBV. Unlike HIV, HCV was detected in an alarming percentage. Health education is a cornerstone in prevention of these serious viral infections.

Network specific false alarm reduction in intrusion detection system

ABSTRACTIntrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are used to find the security violations in computer networks. Usually IDSs produce a vast number of alarms that include a large percentage of false alarms. One of the main reason for such false alarm generation is that, in most cases IDSs are run with default set of signatures. In this paper, a scheme for network specific false alarm reduction in IDS is proposed. A threat profile of the network is created and IDS generated alarms are correlated using neural network. Experiments conducted in a test bed have successfully filtered out most of the false alarms for a range of attacks yet maintaining the Detection Rate. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stroke Alert Program Improves Recognition and Evaluation Time of In-Hospital Ischemic Stroke

An inpatient stroke alert program is effective in decreasing evaluation time for in-hospital strokes, although response times remain significantly longer than those in the emergency department. It is capable of increasing the percentage of ischemic strokes identified by the hospital's stroke team, at the cost of an increased percentage of false alarms.

A Forewarning Indicator System for Financial Crises: the Case of Six Central and Eastern European Countries

We propose a measure of the probability of crises associated with an aggregate indicator, where the percentage of false alarms and the proportion of missed signals can be combined to give an appreciation of the vulnerability of an economy. In this perspective, the important issue is not only to determine whether a system produces true predictions of a crisis, but also whether there are forewarning signs of a forthcoming crisis prior to its actual occurrence. To this end, we adopt the approach initiated by Kaminsky, Lizondo and Reinhart (1998), analyzing each indicator and calculating each threshold separately. We depart from this approach in that each country is also analyzed separately, permitting the creation of a more “custom-made” early warning system for each one.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in Aligarh: A seven year experience

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in Aligarh: A seven year experience

An Eclectic Approach to Network Service Failure Detection Based on Multicriteria Analysis with an Example of Mixing Probabilistic Context Free Grammar Models

A method of failure detection in telecommunication networks is presented. This is a meta-method that correlates alarms raised by failure-detection modules based on various philosophies. The correlation takes into account two main characteristics of each module and the whole metamethod: the percentage of false alarms and the percentage of omitted failures. The trade-off between them is tackled with aspiration-based multicriteria analysis. The alarms are cor- related using linear classification by support vector machines. An example of the profitability of correlating alarms in such way is shown. This is an example of probabilistic context free grammars (PCFGs), used to model the proper runtime paths of network services (and thus usable for detecting an improper behavior of the services). It is shown that the linearly mixing PCFGs can add context handling to the PCFG model, thus augmenting the capabilities of the model.

Randomized controlled trial of ionization and photoelectric smoke alarm functionality

Objective:To compare functionality, reasons for non-function, and nuisance alarm levels of two common types of smoke alarms after installation in low- to mid-level income households in King County, Washington.Methods:Randomized controlled...

A Forewarning Indicator System for Financial Crises: The Case of Six Central and Eastern European Countries

We propose a measure of the probability of crises associated with an aggregate indicator, where the percentage of false alarms and the proportion of missed signals can be combined to give an appreciation of the vulnerability of an economy. In this perspective, the important issue is not only to determine whether a system produces true predictions of a crisis, but also whether there are forewarning signs of a forthcoming crisis prior to its actual occurrence. To this end, we adopt the approach initiated by Kaminsky, Lizondo and Reinhart (1998), analyzing each indicator and calculating each threshold separately. We depart from this approach in that each country is also analyzed separately, permitting the creation of a more custom-made early warning system for each one.