We describe a new resource for developers of QRS detection algorithms that provides a standardized assessment of algorithm performance that is blinded, objective, independent, and reproducible. This overcomes the problems of using a single data set for both development and assessment that leads to favorably biased estimates of performance. Keywords— Electrocardiograms (ECG), QRS detection, perf...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) is the preferred measure of disability in cerebrovascular clinical trials, but its value is restricted by interobserver variability. Poor reliability reduces the statistical power of clinical trials and leads to underestimation of effect size. Strategies to improve mRS grading are required. Video training has previously improved application...

The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) convened an invited workshop (August 2008) to address coordination between ecological risk assessment (ERA) and natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). Although ERA and NRDA activities are performed under a number of statutory and regulatory authorities, the primary focus of the workshop was on ERA and NRDA as currently practiced ...

Although similar to firms in other industries that strive to increase their operational efficiency by implementing IT/IS, hospitals face difficulties in obtaining the corresponding benefits of investing in IT/ IS. This study investigates the relations among IT/IS performance, IT maturity, IT/IS assessment, IT/IS resource allocation, and user satisfaction in hospitals. IT/IS performance in hospi...

Communities located near multiple sources of pollution, including current and former industrial sites, major roadways, and agricultural operations, are often predominantly low-income, with a large percentage of minorities and non-English speakers. These communities face additional challenges that can affect the health of their residents, including limited access to health care, a shortage of gr...

OBJECTIVE through a descriptive study, we determined the factors that influence the decision-making process for allocating funds to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes, and the extent to which formal decision tools are used in the municipality of KwaDukuza, South Africa. METHODS we conducted 35 key informant interviews in KwaDukuza. The interview questions addressed specific resource...

Resource or task assignment problems have been studied extensively in military network environments as efficient and effective resource allocation is the key to successful mission completion. However, existing works on asset‐task assignment problems are based only on the best match between functionalities of a node and requirements of a task. We propose a composite trust based task assignment p...

The aim of this study was to map soil erosion on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The G2 model, an empirical model for month-time step erosion assessments, was used. Soil losses in Cyprus were mapped at a 100 m cell size, while sediment yields at a sub-basin scale of 0.62 km2 mean size. The results indicated a mean annual erosion rate of 11.75 t ha−1 y−1, with October and November being the ...

Chemical probes are essential tools for understanding biological systems and for target validation, yet selecting probes for biomedical research is rarely based on objective assessment of all potential compounds. Here, we describe the Probe Miner: Chemical Probes Objective Assessment resource, capitalizing on the plethora of public medicinal chemistry data to empower quantitative, objective, da...