scholarly journals Basic statistical considerations for physiology: The journal Temperature toolbox

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron R Caldwell ◽  
Samuel Cheuvront

The average environmental and occupational physiologist may find statistics are difficult to interpret and use since their formal training in statistics is limited. Unfortunately, poor statistical practices can generate erroneous or at least misleading results and distorts the evidence in the scientific literature. These problems are exacerbated when statistics are used as thoughtless ritual that is performed after the data are collected. The situation is worsened when statistics are then treated as strict judgements about the data (i.e., significant versus non-significant) without a thought given to how these statistics were calculated or their practical meaning. We propose that researchers should consider statistics at every step of the research process whether that be the designing of experiments, collecting data, analysing the data or disseminating the results. When statistics are considered as an integral part of the research process, from start to finish, several problematic practices can be mitigated. Further, proper practices in disseminating the results of a study can greatly improve the quality of the literature. Within this review, we have included a number of reminders and statistical questions researchers should answer throughout the scientific process. Rather than treat statistics as a strict rule following procedure we hope that readers will use this review to stimulate a discussion around their current practices and attempt to improve them. The code to reproduce all analyses and figures within the manuscript can be found at https:// http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/BQGDH

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Sebastian Bernat

The objective of the studies was to recognise the need for and possibilities of preserving and revitalizing the soundscapes of health resorts in Poland. The research process included an analysis of the legal environment determining the functioning of Polish health resorts. Noise hazards and values of soundscapes were identified and acoustic revitalization measures were proposed for the selected health resorts. A review of scientific literature was performed and health resort surveys and audit reports were conducted. The next stage was focussed on the questionnaire sent out to the local governments of health resort districts and towns in Poland. The discussion referred, inter alia, to the recommendations of the team of experts in the field of changes within the spa treatment system in Poland. The conducted studies demonstrated that most health resorts in Poland have some soundscape values. However, these values may be lost because of the threat of noise from transport and tourism. Health resorts in Poland thus need revitalization measures aimed at achieving a high quality of soundscape.


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
M. I. Vasileva

The aim of the study was to investigate approaches to the formation of general educational skills. A survey examining the design and research process was carried out by 6th-grade Russian students over the course of an extracurricular project entitled «Names of Modern Professions». In the paper, the selection of the «Lexicology» section for such activities carried out by school pupils is substantiated and stages of work on the project are described. The applied methodology involves theoretical analysis of scientific literature, formative experimentation, analysis of products of educational activities, observation and description. It is concluded that the design of extracurricular research activities in the Russian language contributes to the formation of general educational competencies in conducting surveys and searching for information on the basis of subject skills.


Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Tinashe Mangwanda ◽  
Joel B. Johnson ◽  
Janice S. Mani ◽  
Steve Jackson ◽  
Shaneel Chandra ◽  
...  

The rum industry is currently worth USD 16 billion, with production concentrated in tropical countries of the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific regions. The primary feedstock for rum production is sugar cane molasses, a by-product of sugar refineries. The main variables known to affect rum quality include the composition of the molasses, the length of fermentation, and the type of barrels and length of time used for aging the rum. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the impact of these variables on rum quality, and to highlight current challenges and opportunities in the production of rum from molasses. In order to achieve this, we review the relevant contemporary scientific literature on these topics. The major contemporary challenges in the rum production industry include minimising the effects of variability in feedstock quality, ensuring the fermentation process runs to completion, preventing microbial contamination, and the selection and maintenance of yeast strains providing optimum ethanol production. Stringent quality management practices are required to ensure consistency in the quality and organoleptic properties of the rum from batch to batch. Further research is required to fully understand the influences of many of these variables on the final quality of the rum produced.


Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 786-804
Author(s):  
Alison Ward ◽  
Diana Schack Thoft ◽  
Helen Lomax ◽  
Jacqueline Parkes

In dementia research, there is limited knowledge about how people with dementia experience their daily life including how they experience the services they attend. This means a lack of knowledge about how people with dementia judge the quality of services provided for them. In this study visual and creative methods were used to understand the experience of people with early stage dementia who attend an adult school, Voksenskolen for Undervisning og Kommunikation (VUK) in Denmark. The study explored the students’ experience of being a student at VUK and what it means to engage in life-long learning. Alongside the aim to evaluate the service provided for them, seen from their perspective. Photo-elicitation was used, with cameras provided to each student, who took photographs of their school and home life. Students’ photographs were used to support focus group discussions, with the images integral to the process of talking about and recalling stories. Ten students were recruited to participate in four weekly sessions. Two groups were run with five students in each group. Each session was video recorded, these sessions were then transcribed and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Visual images were found to support the students’ memory of current experiences and prompted reminiscences about the past, leading to rich descriptions about being a student at VUK and their experiences of living with dementia. Being able to attend VUK was found to be important for these students with dementia, providing them with a sense of purpose, a way to support their cognitive function and also to develop new friendships. The method provided a way for people with dementia to be active in the research process and provide their perspective about a novel service, which promotes an ethos of learning and development.


Author(s):  
Kirsanov S.I.

Despite nearly a century of research on diseases affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), masticatory muscles and associated structures, this problem still remains open. Pain syndrome caused by TMJ diseases ranks first in terms of prevalence among non-odontogenic pain syn-dromes in the maxillofacial region and leads to a signifi-cant deterioration in the quality of life of patients. The high prevalence of these diseases in female patients and the presence of a number of factors of a somatic, psycho-logical and social nature, contributing to such a high prevalence, indicate the need for more close attention of researchers to these aspects, which can become a way to develop new effective methods for the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ diseases in this category of patients. A review of scientific literature was carried out in order to identify topical scientific issues related to the study, di-agnosis and treatment of TMJ diseases.


Author(s):  
Fernanda Capella Rugno ◽  
Marysia Mara Rodrigues do Prado De Carlo

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify and evaluate the evidence found in the international scientific literature on the application of the Palliative Outcome Scale (POS) in clinical practice and research in Palliative Care (PC). Method: integrative literature review, through the search of publications in journals indexed in PubMed / MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO and CINAHL databases, between the years 1999 and 2014. Results: the final sample consisted of 11 articles. In the data analysis, the articles were classified into 2 units of analysis (studies using the POS as a resource in research and studies using the POS in clinical practice), in which the information was presented in the form of sub-themes related to publications of the selected studies, highlighting the synthesis of the results. Conclusion: POS emerged as an important tool for measuring outcomes to assess the quality of life of patients and families, of the quality of care provided and the PC service organization. The international scientific literature on the application of POS proved to be relevant to the advancement and consolidation of the field of knowledge related to PC.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 69-76
Author(s):  
Cecília Nogueira Valença ◽  
Lorena Mara Nóbrega de Azevêdo ◽  
Aline Galúcio de Oliveira ◽  
Samuel Sóstenes Araújo de Medeiros ◽  
Fernanda Aparecida Soares Malveira ◽  
...  

Objetivos: Conhecer a produção científica sobre auditoria em enfermagem e identificar a importância do registro de enfermagem no prontuário para a auditoria. Método: Revisão bibliográfica narrativa, para qual selecionou-se artigos relacionados à auditoria em enfermagem e registros de enfermagem nas bases eletrônicas Scientific Electronic Library Online, e Literatura Latinoamericana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, publicados entre 2000 e 2010. Resultados: Os artigos analisados sob caráter qualitativo indicaram que há poucos estudos sobre a temática. Foi identificado que auditoria de enfermagem, atualmente, é realizada pelo método retrospectivo no prontuário e está voltada para o âmbito contábil, e que os registros de enfermagem possuem qualidade insatisfatória para servir de instrumento de coleta de dados. Conclusão: Há perspectivas que a auditoria passe a investigar a qualidade do cuidado, e possuir um caráter educativo que possibilite a qualidade da assistência.


Author(s):  
Perttu Salovaara

Purpose It has recently become more acknowledged that there is a quality of “messiness” to the qualitative research process. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the fieldpath approach—a hermeneutically inspired framework—to account for the non-linearity, uncertainty and ambiguity of the research process. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper reviews how the scope of hermeneutics has been partly misunderstood. The paper discusses how the scope of hermeneutics has lately been expanded by works such as Günter Figal’s (2010) Objectivity: The Hermeneutical and Philosophy. Findings The fieldpath approach proposes that a heightened relation to materiality enables the messiness of the process to be preserved, while at the same time offering a way to find one’s footing in the midst of ontologically incomplete phenomena that are still—in a processual fashion—forming and becoming. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. In addition to the research mentioned here, more studies would be needed to legitimise, test and refine the approach. Practical implications Objectivity provides an additional criterion for researchers to lean on when facing the non-linearity and unexpected turns inherent in the qualitative research process. Social implications The stress on materiality involves an ethical dimension. Post-human ethics are concerned with the future environmental consequences and sustainability of the material world. The way that matter matters in our methodologies is of primary importance. Originality/value First, the paper emphasises that hermeneutics, contrary to the common perception, does offer criteria for evaluating between interpretations. Second, it introduces the notion of hermeneutic objectivity, which stresses the importance of materiality for interpretations. Third, it introduces the fieldpath approach, which, based on the previous criterion of hermeneutic objectivity, allows for the messiness of the research process, while also preserving a tight grip on the hermeneutic imperative of “understanding in a new way”.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrián Pastor-Barceló ◽  
Vicente Prado-Gascó ◽  
Pilar Bustillo-Casero

Purpose: This research focuses on the construction and validation of a scale designed to assess the quality of the supervised classes: Interaction on Supervised Classes Scale (ISCS).Design/methodology/approach: This is a descriptive correlational study. For the construction of the scale three phases were performed in which different experts assessed the adequacy of the items. Finally, the psychometric properties of the final version were studied in a sample of 314 consumers (69.1% women) aged between 18 and 77 with an average of 39.33 years (SD=12.25).Findings: The scale presents adequate validity and reliability, being a useful tool for measuring the interaction in Supervised Classes.Research limitations/implications: The sampling, non-probabilistic or convenience, have taken the sample of a unique sports facility and the small sample size.Practical implications: The ISCS allows managers to receive better feedback, allowing them to obtain deeper insight into the quality and satisfaction of the service. According to its results, the managers may implement different strategies to improve quality in a key service within sports centers.Originality/value: For the first time the interaction between customers and between customers and employees is evaluated both inside and outside the center, a topic that had not yet been studied in the scientific literature. The scale can be applied to any type of directed activity, and will allow a greater understanding of the quality of service.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Brinkman

Over the course of his 14-year career at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, artist and engraver John Conrad Hansen rendered hundreds of beautiful and accurate scientific illustrations of animals – mostly extinct fossil vertebrates. His principal media were oil paintings, pencil, pen-and-ink and wash drawings. Many of his illustrations have been published in the scientific literature. His oil paintings, on the other hand, were made for display alongside specimens in the Field Museum's exhibits. Despite the quality of Hansen's full-colour reconstructions, few of them have been seen outside the Museum. A small, representative sample of his work is reproduced here, along with a brief account of his troubled life and career.


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