BACKGROUND In a stepped wedge, cluster randomised trial, clusters receive the intervention at different time points, and the order in which they received it is randomised. Previous systematic reviews of stepped wedge trials have documented a steady rise in their use between 1987 and 2010, which was attributed to the design's perceived logistical and analytical advantages. However, the intervent...

Background: In a stepped wedge, cluster randomised trial, clusters receive the intervention at different time points, and the order in which they received it is randomised. Previous systematic reviews of stepped wedge trials have documented a steady rise in their use between 1987 and 2010, which was attributed to the design’s perceived logistical and analytical advantages. However, the interven...

Administration of L-DOPA (sc) to neonatal rats suspended in harnesses induces coordinated stepping of all four limbs (diagonal progression; L-DOPA-induced air-stepping) by 5 days of age. Because NMDA also induces locomotion in several species, NMDA receptor activation may be required for L-DOPA to elicit coordinated air-stepping. The purpose of the present experiment was to determine if the NMD...

objective the purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of complications of endotracheal intubation (eti) in neonates. methods the newborns that were admitted and needed urgent or semi-urgent intubation were enrolled in this study over a 1 year period. route for intubation in all cases were orotracheal. cases were not routinely sedated or paralyzed. the patients were clinically and radi...

background and purpose: inserting a nasogastric tube, though a common clinical procedure with widespread use for critically ill patients, can produce unexpected complications so that tube misplacement into the lungs is a potential complication with serious consequences. the reliability of common bedside methods to differentiate between pulmonary and gastric placement has not been acceptable. th...

hydraulics of stepped spillway is a very complicated phenomenon, as it consists of a two phase flow passing through a set of designed steps. the steps increase the rate of energy dissipation taking place on the spillway face. turbulence, flow aeration and energy dissipation are the main tasks in the design of such structures. this study consists of the experimental investigation to determine th...

Stepped-frequency radar can increase the degree of freedom range dimension by adding a tiny stepping frequency between neighboring pulse carrier frequencies, which has clear advantage in countering false target jamming. However, when jamming is released self-defense jammer carried target, information coupled to Doppler frequency. This makes it impossible for stepped-frequency extract accurately...

BACKGROUND Three arguments are usually invoked in favour of stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trials: the logistic convenience of implementing an intervention in phases, the ethical benefit of providing the intervention to all clusters, and the potential to enhance the social acceptability of cluster randomised controlled trials. Are these alleged benefits real? We explored the logist...

In cluster randomised trials, randomisation increases internal study validity. If enough clusters are randomised, an unadjusted analysis should be unbiased. If a smaller number of clusters are included, stratified or matched randomisation can increase comparability between trial arms. In addition, an adjusted analysis may be required; nevertheless, randomisation removes the possibility for syst...