E. Janavičius „Surface position errors formation for axel type parts”. Mechanical Engineering Master‘s Theses / Leader ass.prof J.Rimkus; Siauliai University, Chair of mechanical Technology. – Siauliai, 2006 – 31p. The investigation work „Surface position errors formation for axle type parts�� consists of 28 figures, 5 references. Subject of investigation is surface position errors of the parts. Aim of the investigation is formation of surface position errors in manufacturing process. Axel type parts surface position errors formation during treatment, are presented in the work. The surface position error chains are made with a help of graphs. It is hard to estimate what will be the eventual measurement after the part is fully made, because of the errors that appear in the manufacturing process. In this work were analyzed what surface position errors appears and disappears and witch stays after manufacturing process is over. Using graphs and incidentic matrix were analyzed different surface position errors occasions.

An estimated 70,000 preventable medication errors occur in Canada annually, causing up to 23,750 deaths. Medication errors increase when the number of medications being administered increases. Therefore, people with multi-morbidity who take several medications at once are more vulnerable to medication errors. Medication errors can be prevented by developing and managing an efficient healthcare system integrated with technology. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, in particular, has been shown to improve the quality of health care and increase patient safety. NFC has a powerful ability to identify and track objects such as patients and medications; its identification and tracking abilities give it significant potential especially in detecting drug interaction and drug allergy. The main objective of this thesis is to present a novel solution using NFC-enabled smartphone integrated with NFC application to detect and update drug allergies and drug interactions for people with multi-morbidity during medication administration. / The system has been implemented using Samsung Nexus S smartphone with Android 2.3.6 platform, MIFARE Classic 1K tags, and a database populated with 10 patients’ record and 30 medications. The system was validated for the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), accuracy, and computational and communicational cost.

Genetics is concerned with inheritance, genomics with the study of genomes. Bioinformatics provides the tools to study the interface between the two. If a particular locus in the human genome could have 100 discrete alleles, then the genome (comprising an estimated 80,000 genes), could harbor 8 million different alleles. To record information about each of these alleles in a meaningful and systematic fashion is a task for the Mutation Database domain of bioinformatics. The HUGO Mutation Database Initiative is an international effort to capture, record and distribute information about variation in genomes. This initiative comprises a growing number of Locus-Specific Mutation databases, and a few large Federated Genomic databases [Cotton et al., 1998]. / Here I present work on a well recognized prototypical Locus-Specific database: PAHdb. PAHdb is a relatively large curated relational database. / This graduate project has had two major aims: to improve PAHdb , by careful analysis of version 1.0 and revision of its design, resulting in PAHdb version 2.0; to document the redesign process and share the experience by the conception of guidelines for content and structure of mutation databases in general. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Several of the inborn errors of vitamin B$ sb{12}$ (cobalamin, Cbl) metabolism (cblC, cblD, cblE, cblF, cblG) are associated with homocystinuria and hypomethioninemia due to a functional deficiency of the cytoplasmic enzyme methionine synthase which requires methylcobalamin (MeCbl) as a cofactor. We compared the growth of cultured fibroblasts from controls with those from patients with a selective deficiency of MeCbl (cblE and cblG) and with those from patients with a defect in both MeCbl and adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) (cblC, cblD and cblF). Cells were grown in methionine and folic acid free media and in fully supplemented medium. Control cells were able to grow in the deficient medium supplied with homocysteine, cobalamin and folate, while mutant cells were not, due to their inability to synthesize methionine from its immediate metabolic precursor, homocysteine. This differential growth is useful for screening for genetic defects of methionine biosynthesis. Moreover, by correcting methionine auxotrophy in these cells, it may be possible to isolate genes which code for the products that are deficient in these disorders.

This thesis involves three essays that explore the theory and application of econometric analysis to labour market interventions. One essay is methodological, and two essays are applications. The first essay contributes to the literature on inference with data sets containing within-cluster correlation. The essay highlights a problem with current practices when the number of clusters is 11 or fewer. Current practices can result in p-values that are not point identified but are instead p-value intervals. The chapter provides Monte Carlo evidence to support a proposed solution to this problem. The second essay analyzes a labour market intervention within Canada--the Youth Hires program--which aimed to reduce youth unemployment. We find evidence that the program was able to increase employment among the targeted group. However, the impacts are only present for males, and we find evidence of displacement effects amongst the non-targeted group. The third essay examines a set of Graduate Retention Programs that several Canadian provinces offer. These programs are aimed at mitigating future skill shortages. Once the solution proposed in the first essay is applied, I find little evidence of the effectiveness of these programs in attracting or retaining recent graduates. / Thesis (Ph.D, Economics) -- Queen's University, 2013-07-05 15:56:33.805

The three studies reported in this thesis investigated the contributing factors of L2 writing among adult ESL learners in the academic setting. The major purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between L2 proficiency, writing strategies, writing attitude, writing errors and L2 writing performance. This thesis aimed to provide insights for the contributing factors that are predictive of L2 writing performance in adult ESL learners, studying in English and non-English dominant settings. Study 1 (reported in Chapter 3) focused on determining the appropriate measures for investigating the individual factors of writing performance; particularly learners’ writing strategies, learners’ second language proficiency, first language (L1) interference and their relation to writing performance. Thirty-one intermediate students of L2 served as participants. A measure of vocabulary size and a writing strategy questionnaire were administered to the students. Findings in this study indicated that most of the participants’ planning strategies were limited to having a mental or written plan whereas over half of the respondents reported that they always start with an introduction and were more likely to stop drafting after a few sentences. In terms of drafting strategies, it was found that most respondents reread what they had written to get ideas on how to continue but did not go back to their outline to make changes in it. With regard to L1 use, a majority of participants do not write bits of text in their native language. Nevertheless, quite a number of participants indicated that they would write in their L1 if they don’t know a word in English. Findings in this study also suggested that participants’ biggest concerns were related to grammar and vocabulary, which resulted in them making surface level changes and checking. An overall analysis of participants’ writing output and responses from the questionnaire also provided important insights to the improvement of the measures. The revision process included rewording and rephrasing ambiguous items, removing irrelevant items from the questionnaire and restructuring the writing task for the next study. In Study 2 (presented in Chapter 4), a follow-up study was conducted to examine L2 writers’ proficiency level, writing attitude, writing errors and writing strategies in an English-dominant setting. Nine research questions were designed to guide the study framework and gather specific data regarding the research aims. A writing measure, vocabulary tests and a questionnaire were administered to the students. Findings from Study 2 indicated that L2 proficiency, particularly vocabulary size, was related to writing performance. In addition, it was also discovered that L2 writers who performed poorly were prone to performing writing strategies related to surface level checking. Therefore, it was concluded that linguistic barriers in L2 affect both writing performance and students’ ability in applying the effective strategies in writing. Apart from that, Study 2 also found that the use of L1 and translation into L2 was associated with lower writing performance. Additionally, Study 2 found that pronoun, word and sentence errors were the most prevalent errors among ESL students. A possible reason for this is because L2 students need to work with two languages while writing, mainly the grammar rules in English which are not found in their L1 as well as their own native language. Thus, L2 students face the challenge of working out English grammar rules while writing. Overall, findings in this study suggest that prevalent writing errors in English may be a sign of L1 interference and that as the use of L1 increases, writing performance decreases. In Study 3 (reported in Chapter 5), the role of proficiency level, writing attitude, writing errors and writing strategies was explored by measuring the relationship between writing attitude scores, errors in writing, strategy use and essay scores. Additionally, the role of L2 proficiency in writing performance was also investigated by assessing the relationship between vocabulary size scores, writing errors and writing performance. Findings from Study 3 revealed unexpected findings with regard to the relationship between L1 use and writing performance among the three sample groups. L1 use was found to be correlated with writing performance for Group A but not Groups B and C. It was argued that L2 writers of different L2 proficiency level and academic experience may have different orientations of L1 use. Further work on the impact of L1 use on L2 writing will be needed in order to provide insights into this area. With regard to writing errors, a relationship between errors and writing performance was reported. It was found that subject verb agreement error appeared to be a common factor for the three groups in the study that was related to writing performance. In addition, errors were also significantly correlated with L2 proficiency, suggesting that as L2 proficiency increased, errors decreased. Overall, Study 3 argues for the importance of developing and enhancing learners’ L2 proficiency to reduce errors and improve learners’ writing performance. Additionally, Study 3 also argues for the need to emphasize effective writing strategies in the ESL writing classroom.

Regression models with correlated errors lead to nonadditivity of the information matrix. This makes the usual approach of design optimization (approximation with a continuous design, application of an equivalence theorem, numerical calculations by a gradient algorithm) impossible. A method is presented that allows the construction of a gradient algorithm by altering the information matrices through adding of supplementary noise. A heuristic is formulated to circumvent the nonconvexity problem and the method is applied to typical examples from the literature. (author's abstract) / Series: Forschungsberichte / Institut für Statistik

This study attempts to discover and describe patterns of variation in college students' overt attitudes toward a limited set of grammatical and lexical variables, the shibboleths of edited written American English usage. The basic instrument used in the study is a 115 item multiple choice questionnaire prepared by the researcher. Fifteen questions were designed to assess the respondents' social, economic, and demographic backgrounds, whereas the major part of the questionnaire elicited judgments about one hundred English sentences offering the choice between the attributes "good," "bad," and "I can't decide." This questionnaire was administered to 172 students in nine freshman composition classes during the spring semester of 1994 at Ball State University. The study sought to discover and describe systematic relationships between the answers to the first set of questions (extralinguistic data) and the second set of questions (linguistic data) by using various analytical methods and statistical techniques, such as correlation coefficients, chi-square tests, and multidimensional scaling.It was hypothesized that variation in subjects' overt judgments about linguistic variables would parallel the findings of numerous sociolinguistic studies about variation in linguistic production, and hence would pattern along the social and demographic characteristics of the subjects. However, although this study found considerable variation in the freshman students' judgments about the usage shibboleths, it did not find social or demographic correlates to the respondents' judgments.By investigating the nature of the variation in freshman composition students' notions about linguistic correctness, this study attempted to answer questions which have not been asked by traditional usage studies, sociolinguistics, or composition research. Moreover, this study has added support for linguists' claims that the traditional "mistakes" in usage handbooks have almost no empirical basis, even if they remain the favorites of most handbook authors and English teachers. / Department of English

Tikslas: Įvertinti visuomenės vaistinę pasiekiančių gydytojų išrašytų receptų klaidas. Uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti klaidingų receptų (RP) pasitaikymo dažnį; 2. Įvertinti visuomenės vaistinę pasiekiančių RP klaidų pobūdį ir dažnį; 3. Palyginti RP pasitaikančių klaidų dažnį pagal recepto formą. Metodika: Tyrimas buvo atliktas nuo 2013 m. birželio mėn. iki 2013 m. spalio mėn. Tyrimo metodas – dokumentų analizė. Standartizuotoje analizės formoje buvo vertinamas RP išrašymo atitikimas Lietuvos Respublikos (LR) teisės aktuose (TA) nustatytiems reikalavimams, bet nefiksuojami asmenis identifikuoti galintys duomenys. Tyrime dalyvavo visi atsitiktinai pasirinktomis dienomis į tiriamą visuomenės vaistinę patekę 1 ir 3 formos RP Iš viso tirti 1174 1 ir 3 formos RP (1 formos – 806; 3 formos 368). Duomenys analizuoti taikant statistinę programą SPSS 17.00. Rezultatai: Tyrimas parodė, kad net 38% visų tirtų RP neatitinka LR TA nustatytų reikalavimų. Dažniausios klaidos - atskiros struktūrinės recepto dalys neteisingai ar visai neužpildytos. 1 formos receptuose klaidų pasitaikė dažniau nei 3 formos (p<0,05). Klaidingi buvo 43% 1 formos RP ir atitinkamai 26% 3 formos RP 1 formos receptuose daugiausiai klaidų pasitaikė informacijos apie pacientą dalyje (26% - nepabraukta, suaugusiajam ar vaikui skirtas vaistinis preparatas (VP) , 2% - su trūkstamais vardo, pavardės ar gimimo metų duomenimis bei 2% - su trūkstamu ambulatorinės kortelės nr. arba adresu). Informacijos apie vaistą dalyje:... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim: To evaluate prescribing errors made by doctors in prescriptions in community pharmacy. Tasks: 1. Identify frequency of incorrect prescriptions. 2. Estimate the nature and frequency of prescription errors. 3. Compare 1st and 3rd form frequency of incorrect prescriptions. Methodology: The study conducted between June 2013 and October 2013 in the community pharmacy of Lithuania and based on methodology - analysis of documents. The compliance of Legal Acts of the Republic of Lithuania of prescriptions was assessed in standardized analysis form, but the data which may identify a person were not recorded. The study included all randomly 1st and 3rd form prescriptions partaking in community pharmacy of selected days. Total 1174 1st and 3rd form prescription were analyzed. (1st form – 806, 3rd form - 368). The statistical analysis of the quantitative findings was performed using the data accumulation and analysis software package SPSS version 17.0 for Windows. P-values less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. Results: The study showed that 38% of all investigated prescriptions were not met the requirements of Legal Acts of the Republic of Lithuania. The most common mistake – the individual structural components of prescriptions were incorrect or incompletely filled. Errors were occurred more often in 1st form prescriptions (43%) than in 3rd form (26%) (p<0,05). The most of errors were related with information about patients in 1st form prescriptions (26% were not... [to full text]

Methionine synthase (MS) is a vitamin B12(cobalamin;cbl) dependent enzyme that catalyses the methylation of homocysteine to methionine. It uses methyl-cbl as coenzyme and in ethyl tetrahydrofolate as the methyl donor. Methionine sythase reductase (MSR) maintains MS in it active state using S-adenosyl methionine as the methyl donor. Functional MS deficiency may occur as a result of a defect in either enzyme. Patients with this disorder have been classified into two complemetation groups according to which protein is defective: cblG patients are deficient in MS and cblE patients in MSR. A subset of cblG, known as cblG variant, is unique in showing barely detectable MS activity and failure of cbl incorporation into MS in patient fibroblasts. I report the mutations responsible for three cblG variant patients, two of them siblings, and connect their phenotype to lack of protein expression. I also report the cloning of the MSR cDNA, aided by confirming the identity of the cDNA through the discovery of two deleterious mutations in three cblE patients. These findings contribute to the overall understanding of functional MS deficiency.