scholarly journals Review of Racially Equitable Admissions Practices in STEM Doctoral Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Sonia F. Roberts ◽  
Elana Pyfrom ◽  
Jacob A. Hoffman ◽  
Christopher Pai ◽  
Erin K. Reagan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Bridge Programs ◽  
Holistic Review ◽  
Composite Scores

This study reviews literature on racially equitable admissions practices relevant to graduate programs in STEM. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores correlate more strongly with race, gender, and socioeconomic status than performance metrics for research during or after graduate school. Structural changes to admissions processes that can improve equity of admissions decisions and reduce correlations between admissions decisions and demographic data include using holistic review or composite scores that quantize more components of an application, removing hard limits on course requirements, admitting students as a cohort instead of to individual faculty sponsors, and diversifying admissions committees. Some alternative scoring methods attempt to measure personality traits, but performing these measurements during admissions may present difficulties. Bridge programs—whether they are implemented as collaborations with a minority-serving institution, a personalized educational program for each student admitted to a program, or a stand-alone program before the doctoral degree program—may be able to improve both recruitment and retention of students with underrepresented racial and ethnic identities in their field of study. Finally, financial barriers to applications can disproportionately affect underrepresented applicants due to systemic racism. We end with recommendations for graduate programs to improve equity in admissions processes.

scholarly journals Review of Racially Equitable Admissions Practices in STEM Doctoral Programs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia F. Roberts ◽  
Elana Pyfrom ◽  
Jacob A. Hoffman ◽  
Christopher Pai ◽  
Erin Reagan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Bridge Programs ◽  
Composite Scores

This study reviews literature on racially equitable admissions practices relevant to graduate programs in STEM. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores correlate more strongly with race, gender, and socioeconomic status than performance metrics for research during or after graduate school. Structural changes to admissions processes that can improve equity of admissions decisions and reduce correlations between admissions decisions and demographic data include using holisticreview or composite scores that quantize more components of an application, removing hard limits on course requirements, admitting students as a cohort instead of to individual faculty sponsors, and diversifying admissions committees. Some alternative scoring methods attempt to measure personality traits, but performing these measurements during admissions may present difficulties. Bridge programs—whether they are implemented as collaborations with a minority-serving institution,a personalized educational program for each student admitted to a program, or a stand-alone program before the doctoral degree program—may be able to improve both recruitment and retention of students with underrepresented racial and ethnic identities in their field of study. Finally, financial barriers to applications can disproportionately affect underrepresented applicants due to systemic racism. We end with recommendations for graduate programs to improve equity in admissions processes.

I. A profile of attenders at psychiatric outpatient clinics in Ireland's Eastern Health Board Region

2000 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winifred O'Neill ◽  
James H O'Boyle ◽  
Violet Harford ◽  
Conrad Cooper ◽  
Teresa Igoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Flow ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Health Gain ◽  
Diagnostic Category ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
Outpatient Clinics ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Eastern Health ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Psychiatric Outpatient

AbstractObjectives: The aim of this study was to determine the profile of attenders at psychiatric outpatient clinics in community health centres in Dublin.Method: A chart review was undertaken retrospectively on attenders at two clinics in different socioeconomic areas. Demographic data and information on services was recorded. Psychiatric outpatient clinic functioning in a community setting was observed during the period of the study.Results: The findings of this study suggest that attenders at psychiatric OPD clinics are more likely to be long-term, in the 40-50 year age group, female, unemployed and eligible for free medical care within the General Medical Services (GMS). Mood (affective) disorders was the largest diagnostic category. There were financial barriers to patient discharge to primary care and shared care with general practitioners.Conclusions: Opportunitie s have been identified to improve communication and optimise patient flow through the psychiatric OPD system. Such improvements in clinic function would be likely to lead to enhanced health gain for attenders.

scholarly journals Does a relationship exist between the number of training or competition hours and the presence of sonographic alterations in the shoulder of CrossFit athletes?

2019 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 09-17
Author(s):  
Claudia Juan Vigar ◽  
Francesc Medina-Mirapeix
Keyword(s):  
Shoulder Pain ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Ac Joint ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Long Head ◽  
Sonographic Pattern

Introduction CrossFit is a sport that is on the rise and has a known injury rate thanks to studies that have affirmed that the shoulder is the area that suffers the most damage. To date, no objective tool has been used to evaluate this. The aim of the present study was to determine the frequency of structural sonographic alterations in CrossFit athletes and its relationship with accumulated hours of practice and/or competition in the sport and shoulder pain. Material and Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with sonographic assessments performed on 208 shoulders of 104 participants at official CrossFit gyms in Barcelona, between April and May 2017. The participants were requested to complete a specific questionnaire on CrossFit sports practice that included demographic data, the existence of pain, data on training routines, and clinical history. Ultrasound (US) examinations were made on the supraspinatus tendons (SST), on the long head of the biceps (LHB), and on the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. Results The presence of focal hypoechoic areas (FHAs) in the LHB (48.1%) and in the SST (60.6%) were the most common alterations in this sample, whereas, at the level of the AC joint, the most common disorder was the presence of cortical defects (30.3%). Shoulder pain was present in 37.5% of the participants. The probability of experiencing pain increased when the athletes accumulated > 1,000 hours of training (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0). In these athletes, the probability of presenting a focal hypoechoic area (FHA) decreased in the LHB (OR = 0.3), and the width of the SST increased a mean of 0.5 mm (p < 0.01). In athletes who participated in competitions, the sonographic pattern also presented an increased width of the SST and LHB tendons; however, this was not related with an increased probability of experiencing pain. Conclusions The sonographic pattern of the shoulder of CrossFit athletes presented structural changes in the SST and LHB tendons when subjects accumulated > 1,000 hours of training or when they participated in competitions. It is essential to relate the sonographic findings with the clinical findings of a patient to define whether these findings are, indeed, pathological. The probability of experiencing pain in the shoulder doubles when > 1,000 hours of CrossFit training are accumulated. This finding bears no relation with competing.

scholarly journals The MVTec Anomaly Detection Dataset: A Comprehensive Real-World Dataset for Unsupervised Anomaly Detection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bergmann ◽  
Kilian Batzner ◽  
Michael Fauser ◽  
David Sattlegger ◽  
Carsten Steger
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Anomaly Detection ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Generative Adversarial Networks ◽  
Natural Image ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Unsupervised Anomaly Detection

AbstractThe detection of anomalous structures in natural image data is of utmost importance for numerous tasks in the field of computer vision. The development of methods for unsupervised anomaly detection requires data on which to train and evaluate new approaches and ideas. We introduce the MVTec anomaly detection dataset containing 5354 high-resolution color images of different object and texture categories. It contains normal, i.e., defect-free images intended for training and images with anomalies intended for testing. The anomalies manifest themselves in the form of over 70 different types of defects such as scratches, dents, contaminations, and various structural changes. In addition, we provide pixel-precise ground truth annotations for all anomalies. We conduct a thorough evaluation of current state-of-the-art unsupervised anomaly detection methods based on deep architectures such as convolutional autoencoders, generative adversarial networks, and feature descriptors using pretrained convolutional neural networks, as well as classical computer vision methods. We highlight the advantages and disadvantages of multiple performance metrics as well as threshold estimation techniques. This benchmark indicates that methods that leverage descriptors of pretrained networks outperform all other approaches and deep-learning-based generative models show considerable room for improvement.

scholarly journals The microvascular and morphostructural changes of nails in psoriatic patients with nail disease; a link between ultrasound and videocapillaroscopy findings in the nailfold

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibel Bakirci Ureyen ◽  
Rabia Oztas Kara ◽  
Zeynep Erturk ◽  
Mahizer Yaldiz
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Color Doppler ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Plate Thickness ◽  
Nail Plate ◽  
Resistive Index ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Microvascular Changes ◽  
Psoriatic Nail Disease ◽  
Nail Disease

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the link between nail fold vessel resistive index (NVRI) measured by ultrasound (US) and capillary loops diameters measured using nailfold videocapillarascopy (NVC), and to assess the morphological appearance of the nail bed in patients with psoriatic nail disease (PND) as compared with healthy controls (HCs).Material and methods: This study was conducted in patients with PND and HCs. General demographic data were collected and clinical assessments were performed for all subjects. The nail plate thickness (NPT) was measured on gray scale using US. The NVRI was measured using color Doppler (CD) US. The measurements of the apical, arterial, venous limb diameters and morpho-structural changes (tortuous, cross-linked capillaries) were assessed using NVC.Results: Thirty-four patients with PND and 15 HCs were enrolled in this study. The two groups were matched for age and body mass index (BMI). Patients with PND had higher NPT and NVRI in comparison with HCs [(20 (17-23) vs 14 (14-15), p<0.001), (0.55 (0.51-0.61) vs 0.43 (0.38-0.49), p<0.001), respectively]. A higher proportion of patients with PND had tortuous capillaries than HCs (62% and 20% respectively, p=0.005). The mean NVRI was higher in patients with PND who had tortuous capillaries than patients who did not have tortuous capillaries (0.58 (0.7) and 0.52 (0.09), respectively p=0.033).Conclusion: Microvascular changes can be detected easily using non-invasive methods such as US and NVC. These methods can provide an objective data to better assess PND.

scholarly journals Two-Stage Frame Extraction in Video Analysis for Accurate Prediction of Object Tracking by Improved Deep Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 322-335
Author(s):  
R. Rajesh Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Feature Extraction ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Time Behavior ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Keyframe Extraction ◽  
Wide Range

Recently, the information extraction from graphics and video summarizing using keyframes have benefited from a recent look at the visual content-based method. Analysis of keyframes in a movie may be done by extracting visual elements from the video clips. In order to accurately anticipate the path of an item in real-time, the visible components are utilized. The frame variations with low-level properties such as color and structure are the basis of the rapid and reliable approach. This research work contains 3 phases: preprocessing, two-stage extraction, and video prediction module. Besides, this framework on object track estimation uses the probabilistic deterministic process to arrive at an estimate of the object. Keyframes for the whole video sequence are extracted using a proposed two-stage feature extraction approach by CNN feature extraction. An alternate sequence is first constructed by comparing the color characteristics of neighboring frames in the original series to those of the generated one. When an alternate arrangement is compared to the final keyframe sequence, it is found that there are substantial structural changes between consecutive frames. Three keyframe extraction techniques based on on-time behavior have been employed in this study. A keyframe extraction optimization phase termed as "Adam" optimizer, dependent on the number of final keyframes is then introduced. The proposed technique outperforms the prior methods in computational cost and resilience across a wide range of video formats, video resolutions, and other parameters. Finally, this research compares SSIM, MAE, and RMSE performance metrics with the traditional approach.

scholarly journals Membership in and Presence of Voluntary Organisations during the Swedish Fertility Transition, 1880-1949

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 3-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Junkka
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Fertility Transition ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Level Information ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Voluntary Organisations

This article investigates the association between, participation in, and exposure to voluntary organisations and marital fertility during the European fertility transition from 1880 to 1949. This is achieved using individual-level longitudinal demographic data from northern Sweden linked with individual-level information on voluntary organisation membership and contextual level information on organisation activity. How living near an organisation influenced fertility is measured using mixed effect Cox regressions. The association to participation for both men and women is tested by matching members to a control group through propensity score matching before estimating differences in risks of another birth using Cox regressions. The results show that being exposed to an organisation was related to lower fertility. Joining a union or a temperance organisation showed even stronger negative associations, but only for male members, while female members showed no significant difference in fertility. The results suggest that reproductive decisions were not simple responses by the individual couple to structural changes but were also shaped within the social networks of which they were a part.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned Implementing a Province-Wide Smoking Cessation Initiative in Ontario’s Cancer Centres

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
William K. Evans ◽  
R. Truscott ◽  
E. Cameron ◽  
A. Peter ◽  
R. Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Financial Barriers

Purpose: A large body of evidence clearly shows that cancer patients experience significant health benefits with smoking cessation. Cancer Care Ontario, the provincial agency responsible for the quality of cancer services in Ontario, has undertaken a province-wide smoking cessation initiative. The strategies used, the results achieved, and the lessons learned are the subject of the present article. Methods: Evidence related to the health benefits of smoking cessation in cancer patients was reviewed. A steering committee developed a vision statement for the initiative, created a framework for implementation, and made recommendations for the key elements of the initiative and for smoking cessation best practices. Results: New ambulatory cancer patients are being screened for their smoking status in each of Ontario’s 14 regional cancer centres. Current or recent smokers are advised of the benefits of cessation and are directed to smoking cessation resources as appropriate. Performance metrics are captured and used to drive improvement through quarterly performance reviews and provincial rankings of the regional cancer centres. Conclusions: Regional smoking cessation champions, commitment from Cancer Care Ontario senior leadership, a provincial secretariat, and guidance from smoking cessation experts have been important enablers of early success. Data capture has been difficult because of the variety of information systems in use and non-standardized administrative and clinical processes. Numerous challenges remain, including increasing physician engagement; obtaining funding for key program elements, including in-house resources to support smoking cessation; and overcoming financial barriers to access nicotine replacement therapy. Future efforts will focus on standardizing processes to the extent possible, while tailoring the approaches to the populations served and the resources available within the individual regional cancer programs.

scholarly journals Does Disease Activity Influence the Levels of Uric Acid in Psoriatic Arthritis?

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Bruna Burko Rocha Chu ◽  
João Pedro Villela Veiga Pereira da Cunha ◽  
João Matheus Tussolini Marcon ◽  
Letícia Eduarda de Arruda Prado ◽  
Felipe Luis Silva Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uric Acid ◽  
Psoriatic Arthritis ◽  
Disease Activity ◽  
Vascular Dysfunction ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Minimal Disease ◽  
Composite Scores

Background: Hyperuricemia is not only associated with the development of gout but also with renal and vascular dysfunction. The prevalence of this condition has already been studied in psoriasis, but there are a few studies that have been carried out in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Some studies have shown an association with metabolic syndrome, while others with the extent of cutaneous involvement, but there are no studies that have evaluated the disease activity with compound indexes. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine if disease activity, measured by different composite scores, influences the levels of uric acid. Method: This was a cross-sectional, observational study, which included 52 PsA patients. Clinical assessments included dactylitis, tender and swollen joint counts, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Leeds Enthesis Index, Minimal Disease Activity and Disease Activity for Psoriatic Arthritis. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid levels ≥ 6mg/dL in females and ≥ 7mg/dL in males. Results: Among the 52 included patients, 55.76% were female. The mean age was 54.9 ± 11.6 years. Hyperuricemia occurred in 26.92%. Demographic data, diet, comorbidities and medication were similar between patients with and without hyperuricemia. Patients with hyperuricemia had higher waist circumference (p <0.0046). There was no difference in disease activity between groups, either in the isolated items or in the composite indexes. There was a significant difference in uric acid levels according to the classification of chronic kidney disease by estimated glomerular filtration rate (p=0.0016). Individuals using leflunomide had significantly lower levels of uric acid than those who were not using (p=0.0071). Conclusion: This study supports the notion that, in PsA, hyperuricemia is more related to metabolic factors than to disease activity.

scholarly journals Work in Progress: Aligning What We Want With What We Seek: Increasing Comprehensive Review in the Graduate Admissions Process

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
La'Tonia Stiner-Jones ◽  
Wolfgang Windl
Keyword(s):  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Underrepresented Minority Students ◽  
Bridge Program ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

To improve the identification of students likely to complete a graduate degree, we sought to change our process and the way we evaluate students for admission. For this, we changed the application and review process to include an assessment of applicants’ non-cognitive variables based on Sedlacek’s work and the Fisk-Vanderbilt MS-PhD Bridge Program admissions model. In 2016, our Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department piloted the incorporation of these changes. Consequently, MSE increased the enrollment of women and underrepresented minority students by 19% and 57%, respectively and we will be evaluating the impact of the changes on performance metrics and completion rates over time. Ahead of this application cycle, we have made changes to the applications of more of our graduate programs in the college. Most recently, we were asked to create a plan for the university. As changes continue, we will evaluate outcomes and impact within the college and across the university over time, which we hope will inform best practices for improving completion of graduate degrees and diversity of graduate programs.

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