WorldWideScience

Sample records for prevalence puts searchers

  1. The altruistic searcher

    OpenAIRE

    Smyth, Barry; Coyle, Maurice; Briggs, Peter

    2009-01-01

    Recently researchers have argued that the prevailing view of Web search, as a solitary activity, is flawed: that, in reality, Web search can be an inherently collaborative task. In this paper we describe and evaluate an approach to collaborative Web search that seeks to enhance mainstream search engines by harnessing the past search experiences of communities of likeminded searchers in order to adapt the result-lists of traditional search engines so that they reflect the niche interests of co...

  2. Filling of a Poisson trap by a population of random intermittent searchers

    KAUST Repository

    Bressloff, Paul C.; Newby, Jay M.

    2012-01-01

    We extend the continuum theory of random intermittent search processes to the case of N independent searchers looking to deliver cargo to a single hidden target located somewhere on a semi-infinite track. Each searcher randomly switches between a

  3. Universal principles governing multiple random searchers on complex networks: The logarithmic growth pattern and the harmonic law

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Tongfeng; Zhang, Jie; Small, Michael; Harandizadeh, Bahareh; Hui, Pan

    2018-03-01

    We propose a unified framework to evaluate and quantify the search time of multiple random searchers traversing independently and concurrently on complex networks. We find that the intriguing behaviors of multiple random searchers are governed by two basic principles—the logarithmic growth pattern and the harmonic law. Specifically, the logarithmic growth pattern characterizes how the search time increases with the number of targets, while the harmonic law explores how the search time of multiple random searchers varies relative to that needed by individual searchers. Numerical and theoretical results demonstrate these two universal principles established across a broad range of random search processes, including generic random walks, maximal entropy random walks, intermittent strategies, and persistent random walks. Our results reveal two fundamental principles governing the search time of multiple random searchers, which are expected to facilitate investigation of diverse dynamical processes like synchronization and spreading.

  4. The CpG island searcher: a new WWW resource.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takai, Daiya; Jones, Peter A

    2003-01-01

    Clusters of CpG dinucleotides in GC rich regions of the genome called "CpG islands" frequently occur in the 5' ends of genes. Methylation of CpG islands plays a role in transcriptional silencing in higher organisms in certain situations. We have established a CpG-island-extraction algorithm, which we previously developed [Takai and Jones, 2002], on a web site which has a simple user interface to identify CpG islands from submitted sequences of up to 50kb. The web site determines the locations of CpG islands using parameters (lower limit of %GC, ObsCpG/ExpCpG, length) set by the user, to display the value of parameters on each CpG island, and provides a graphical map of CpG dinucleotide distribution and borders of CpG islands. A command-line version of the CpG islands searcher has also been developed for larger sequences. The CpG Island Searcher was applied to the latest sequence and mapping information of human chromosomes 20, 21 and 22, and a total of 2345 CpG islands were extracted and 534 (23%) of them contained first coding exons and 650 (28%) contained other exons. The CpG Island Searcher is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.cpgislands.com or http://www.uscnorris.com/cpgislands/cpg.cgi.

  5. Job Searchers, Job Matches and the Elasticity of Matching

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Broersma, L.; van Ours, J.C.

    1998-01-01

    This paper stresses the importance of a specification of the matching function in which the measure of job matches corresponds to the measure of job searchers. In many empirical studies on the matching function this requirement has not been fulfilled because it is difficult to find information about

  6. Multiobjective memetic estimation of distribution algorithm based on an incremental tournament local searcher.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Kaifeng; Mu, Li; Yang, Dongdong; Zou, Feng; Wang, Lei; Jiang, Qiaoyong

    2014-01-01

    A novel hybrid multiobjective algorithm is presented in this paper, which combines a new multiobjective estimation of distribution algorithm, an efficient local searcher and ε-dominance. Besides, two multiobjective problems with variable linkages strictly based on manifold distribution are proposed. The Pareto set to the continuous multiobjective optimization problems, in the decision space, is a piecewise low-dimensional continuous manifold. The regularity by the manifold features just build probability distribution model by globally statistical information from the population, yet, the efficiency of promising individuals is not well exploited, which is not beneficial to search and optimization process. Hereby, an incremental tournament local searcher is designed to exploit local information efficiently and accelerate convergence to the true Pareto-optimal front. Besides, since ε-dominance is a strategy that can make multiobjective algorithm gain well distributed solutions and has low computational complexity, ε-dominance and the incremental tournament local searcher are combined here. The novel memetic multiobjective estimation of distribution algorithm, MMEDA, was proposed accordingly. The algorithm is validated by experiment on twenty-two test problems with and without variable linkages of diverse complexities. Compared with three state-of-the-art multiobjective optimization algorithms, our algorithm achieves comparable results in terms of convergence and diversity metrics.

  7. Multiobjective Memetic Estimation of Distribution Algorithm Based on an Incremental Tournament Local Searcher

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaifeng Yang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel hybrid multiobjective algorithm is presented in this paper, which combines a new multiobjective estimation of distribution algorithm, an efficient local searcher and ε-dominance. Besides, two multiobjective problems with variable linkages strictly based on manifold distribution are proposed. The Pareto set to the continuous multiobjective optimization problems, in the decision space, is a piecewise low-dimensional continuous manifold. The regularity by the manifold features just build probability distribution model by globally statistical information from the population, yet, the efficiency of promising individuals is not well exploited, which is not beneficial to search and optimization process. Hereby, an incremental tournament local searcher is designed to exploit local information efficiently and accelerate convergence to the true Pareto-optimal front. Besides, since ε-dominance is a strategy that can make multiobjective algorithm gain well distributed solutions and has low computational complexity, ε-dominance and the incremental tournament local searcher are combined here. The novel memetic multiobjective estimation of distribution algorithm, MMEDA, was proposed accordingly. The algorithm is validated by experiment on twenty-two test problems with and without variable linkages of diverse complexities. Compared with three state-of-the-art multiobjective optimization algorithms, our algorithm achieves comparable results in terms of convergence and diversity metrics.

  8. Using ‘search transitions’ to study searchers investment of effort: experiences with client and server side logging

    OpenAIRE

    Pharo, Nils; Nordlie, Ragnar

    2013-01-01

    We are investigating the value of using the concept ‘search transition’ for studying effort invested in information search processes. In this paper we present findings from a comparative study of data collected from client and server side loggings. The purpose is to see what factors of effort can be captured from the two logging methods. The data stems from studies of searchers interaction with an XML information retrieval system. The searchers interaction was simultaneously logged by a scree...

  9. Einstein the searcher his work explained from dialogues with Einstein

    CERN Document Server

    Moszkowski, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    This volume, first published in 1921, presents a series of portraits of Einstein, thus offering glimpses in the character and private reflections of the man who changed the course of modern science. Intended neither as a biography, nor as a résumé of Einsteinian physics, Einstein: The Searcher instead focusses on Einstein's relationship with the scientific project as he himself conceived it, and so is still of contemporary significance for those puzzled by the spirit of scientific enquiry.

  10. Online Training and Practice Manual for ERIC Data Base Searchers. 2nd Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markey, Karen; Cochrane, Pauline A.

    Revised to reflect changes in both DIALOG and ERIC, this second edition of a self-improvement manual for online searchers who wish to refine their skills presents three basic approaches to searching and provides illustrations from DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP database. The manual is divided into two parts: an 8-step model of the total search process which…

  11. Expert searcher, teacher, content manager, and patient advocate: an exploratory study of clinical librarian roles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Maria C; Maggio, Lauren A

    2013-01-01

    The research explored the roles of practicing clinical librarians embedded in a patient care team. Six clinical librarians from Canada and one from the United States were interviewed to elicit detailed descriptions of their clinical roles and responsibilities and the context in which these were performed. Participants were embedded in a wide range of clinical service areas, working with a diverse complement of health professionals. As clinical librarians, participants wore many hats, including expert searcher, teacher, content manager, and patient advocate. Unique aspects of how these roles played out included a sense of urgency surrounding searching activities, the broad dissemination of responses to clinical questions, and leverage of the roles of expert searcher, teacher, and content manager to advocate for patients. Detailed role descriptions of clinical librarians embedded in patient care teams suggest possible new practices for existing clinical librarians, provide direction for training new librarians working in patient care environments, and raise awareness of the clinical librarian specialty among current and budding health information professionals.

  12. A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of OPAC Screen Changes on Searching Behavior and Searcher Success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blecic, Deborah D.; Dorsch, Josephine L.; Koenig, Melissa H.; Bangalore, Nimala S.

    1999-01-01

    Describes a longitudinal study of four sets of OPAC (online public access catalog) transaction logs that examined the effects of screen changes in helping searchers improve their search behavior. Results show that while screen changes initially had a positive impact on search behavior, they were not always sustained over time. (Author/LRW)

  13. Optimizing Search Patterns for Multiple Searchers Prosecuting a Single Contact In the South China Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-01

    the target relative to the searcher. The final aspect consists of "force requirements and their economy ." Without a limit on available forces, the...required effect with the greatest economy of forces" [4]. 1.2 Applications and Previous Research The application of SDT extends to multiple scenarios...Applying the math that sank U-boats to today’s intel problems. Defense News. [Online]. Available: http: //www.defensenews.com/article/20130705

  14. Secrets of the Super Net Searchers: The Reflections, Revelations, and Hard-Won Wisdom of 35 of the World's Top Internet Researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basch, Reva

    This book presents the collected wisdom of 35 leading Internet hunters and gatherers. Through interviews, these experts offer insights, anecdotes, tips, techniques, and case histories which will raise the "searching IQ" of any serious Internet user. The Super Net Searchers explain how they find valuable information on the Internet,…

  15. Filling of a Poisson trap by a population of random intermittent searchers

    KAUST Repository

    Bressloff, Paul C.

    2012-03-01

    We extend the continuum theory of random intermittent search processes to the case of N independent searchers looking to deliver cargo to a single hidden target located somewhere on a semi-infinite track. Each searcher randomly switches between a stationary state and either a leftward or rightward constant velocity state. We assume that all of the particles start at one end of the track and realize sample trajectories independently generated from the same underlying stochastic process. The hidden target is treated as a partially absorbing trap in which a particle can only detect the target and deliver its cargo if it is stationary and within range of the target; the particle is removed from the system after delivering its cargo. As a further generalization of previous models, we assume that up to n successive particles can find the target and deliver its cargo. Assuming that the rate of target detection scales as 1/N, we show that there exists a well-defined mean-field limit N→ in which the stochastic model reduces to a deterministic system of linear reaction-hyperbolic equations for the concentrations of particles in each of the internal states. These equations decouple from the stochastic process associated with filling the target with cargo. The latter can be modeled as a Poisson process in which the time-dependent rate of filling λ(t) depends on the concentration of stationary particles within the target domain. Hence, we refer to the target as a Poisson trap. We analyze the efficiency of filling the Poisson trap with n particles in terms of the waiting time density f n(t). The latter is determined by the integrated Poisson rate μ(t)=0tλ(s)ds, which in turn depends on the solution to the reaction-hyperbolic equations. We obtain an approximate solution for the particle concentrations by reducing the system of reaction-hyperbolic equations to a scalar advection-diffusion equation using a quasisteady-state analysis. We compare our analytical results for the

  16. Making Life Easier for the Visually Impaired Web Searcher: It Is Now Clearer How This Should and Can Be Done, but Implementation Lags. A Review of: Sahib, N. G., Tombros, A., & Stockman, T. (2012. A comparative analysis of the information-seeking behavior of visually impaired and sighted searchers. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(2, 377–391. doi: 10.1002/asi.21696

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Laval Hunsucker

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective – To determine how the behaviour of visually impaired persons significantly differs from that of sighted persons in the carrying out of complex search tasks on the internet.Design – A comparative observational user study, plus semi-structured interviews.Setting – Not specified.Subjects – 15 sighted and 15 visually impaired persons, all of them experienced and frequent Internet search engine users, of both sexes and varying in age from early twenties to mid-fifties.Methods – The subjects carried out self selected complex search tasks on their own equipment and in their own familiar environments. The investigators observed this activity to some extent directly, but for the most part via video camera, through use of a screen-sharing facility, or with screen-capture software. They distinguished four stages of search task activity: query formulation, search results exploration, query reformulation, and search results management. The visually impaired participants, of whom 13 were totally blind and two had only marginal vision, were all working with text-to-speech screen readers and depended exclusively for all their observed activity on those applications’ auditory output. For data analysis, the investigators devised a grounded-theory based coding scheme. They employed a search log format for deriving further quantitative data which they later controlled for statistical significance (two-tailed unpaired t-test; p Main Results – The investigators found significant differences between the sighted participants’ search behaviour and that of the visually impaired searchers. The latter displayed a clearly less “orienteering” (O'Day & Jeffries, 1993 disposition and style, more often starting out with already relatively long and comprehensive combinations of relatively precise search terms; “their queries were more expressive” (p. 386. They submitted fewer follow-up queries, and were considerably less inclined to attempt

  17. Searchers' relevance judgments and criteria in evaluating Web pages in a learning style perspective

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Papaeconomou, Chariste; Zijlema, Annemarie F.; Ingwersen, Peter

    2008-01-01

    The paper presents the results of a case study of searcher's relevance criteria used for assessments of Web pages in a perspective of learning style. 15 test persons participated in the experiments based on two simulated work tasks that provided cover stories to trigger their information needs. Two...... learning styles were examined: Global and Sequential learners. The study applied eye-tracking for the observation of relevance hot spots on Web pages, learning style index analysis and post-search interviews to gain more in-depth information on relevance behavior. Findings reveal that with respect to use......, they are statistically insignificant. When interviewed in retrospective the resulting profiles tend to become even similar across learning styles but a shift occurs from instant assessments with content features of web pages replacing topicality judgments as predominant relevance criteria....

  18. Auf der Spur der Neutrino-Oszillationen

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    Neutrinos, these ghostly particles, which penetrate almost into everything what is put on their way, have a further astonishing characteristic: they can be transformed into another variety: the searchers talk of "Neutrino oscillations"

  19. Convergent Validity of the PUTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valerie Cathérine Brandt

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Premonitory urges are a cardinal feature in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Severity of premonitory urges can be assessed with the Premonitory Urge for Tic Disorders Scale (PUTS. However, convergent validity of the measure has been difficult to assess due to the lack of other urge measures.We investigated the relationship between average real-time urge intensity assessed by an in-house developed real-time urge monitor, measuring urge intensity continuously for 5mins on a visual analogue scale, and general urge intensity assessed by the PUTS in 22 adult Tourette patients (mean age 29.8+/- 10.3; 19 male. Additionally, underlying factors of premonitory urges assessed by the PUTS were investigated in the adult sample using factor analysis and were replicated in 40 children and adolescents diagnosed with Tourette syndrome (mean age 12.05 +/- 2.83 SD, 31 male.Cronbach’s alpha for the PUTS10 was acceptable (α = .79 in the adult sample. Convergent validity between average real-time urge intensity scores (as assessed with the real-time urge monitor and the 10-item version of the PUTS (r = .64 and the 9-item version of the PUTS (r = .66 was good. A factor analysis including the 10 items of the PUTS and average real-time urge intensity scores revealed three factors. One factor included the average real-time urge intensity score and appeared to measure urge intensity, while the other two factors can be assumed to reflect the (sensory quality of urges and subjective control, respectively. The factor structure of the 10 PUTS items alone was replicated in a sample of children and adolescents.The results indicate that convergent validity between the PUTS and the real-time urge assessment monitor is good. Furthermore, the results suggest that the PUTS might assess more than one dimension of urges and it may be worthwhile developing different sub-scales of the PUTS assessing premonitory urges in terms of intensity and quality, as well as subjectively

  20. Putting instruction sequences into effect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bergstra, J.A.

    2011-01-01

    An attempt is made to define the concept of execution of an instruction sequence. It is found to be a special case of directly putting into effect of an instruction sequence. Directly putting into effect of an instruction sequences comprises interpretation as well as execution. Directly putting into

  1. Sensorimotor Rhythm Neurofeedback Enhances Golf Putting Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Ming-Yang; Huang, Chung-Ju; Chang, Yu-Kai; Koester, Dirk; Schack, Thomas; Hung, Tsung-Min

    2015-12-01

    Sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity has been related to automaticity during skilled action execution. However, few studies have bridged the causal link between SMR activity and sports performance. This study investigated the effect of SMR neurofeedback training (SMR NFT) on golf putting performance. We hypothesized that preelite golfers would exhibit enhanced putting performance after SMR NFT. Sixteen preelite golfers were recruited and randomly assigned into either an SMR or a control group. Participants were asked to perform putting while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded, both before and after intervention. Our results showed that the SMR group performed more accurately when putting and exhibited greater SMR power than the control group after 8 intervention sessions. This study concludes that SMR NFT is effective for increasing SMR during action preparation and for enhancing golf putting performance. Moreover, greater SMR activity might be an EEG signature of improved attention processing, which induces superior putting performance.

  2. 76 FR 31851 - Safety Zone; Put-in-Bay Fireworks, Fox's the Dock Pier; South Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, OH

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard 33 CFR Part 165 [Docket No. USCG-2011-0417] RIN 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Put-in-Bay Fireworks, Fox's the Dock Pier; South Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, OH AGENCY.... Add Sec. 165.T09-0417 as follows: Sec. 165.T09-0417 Safety Zone; Put-In-Bay Fireworks, Fox's the Dock...

  3. Putting Emotional Intelligence To Work

    CERN Document Server

    Ryback, David

    2012-01-01

    Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work offers a new paradigm of communication for the 21st-century workplace. Beginning with the thoughts of communication pioneer Carl Rogers, this book covers the origins and history of emotional intelligence, why it is essential at this point in the changing marketplace, how to delegate and negotiate more effectively, and how to change yourself to become a more effective player. An EQ (Emotional Quotient) survey helps you determine where you are on the scale of executive intelligence. Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work leaves you with a greater understand

  4. Tobacco consumption prevalence and pattern among residents of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    East African Journal of Public Health ... The prevalence of cigarette smoking was 7.1% and the smokers had smoked for an average of 14.3 ± 5.2 years. ... Stringent policies on smoking including delineation of smoking zone should be put in place to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and subsequently burdens of ...

  5. A Call-Put Duality for Perpetual American Options

    OpenAIRE

    Alfonsi, Aurélien; Jourdain, Benjamin

    2006-01-01

    International audience; It is well known that in models with time-homogeneous local volatility functions and constant interest and dividend rates, the European Put prices are transformed into European Call prices by the simultaneous exchanges of the interest and dividend rates and of the strike and spot price of the underlying. This paper investigates such a Call Put duality for perpetual American options. It turns out that the perpetual American Put price is equal to the perpetual American C...

  6. Application of the Putting Women First protocol in a study on violence against immigrant women in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torrubiano-Domínguez, Jordi; Vives-Cases, Carmen

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we describe our experience of using the Putting Women First protocol in the design and implementation of a cross-sectional study on violence against women (VAW) among 1607 immigrant women from Morocco, Ecuador and Romania living in Spain in 2011. The Putting Women First protocol is an ethical guideline for VAW research, which includes recommendations to ensure the safety of the women involved in studies on this subject. The response rate in this study was 59.3%. The prevalence of VAW cases last year was 11.7%, of which 15.6% corresponded to Ecuadorian women, 10.9% to Moroccan women and 8.6% to Romanian women. We consider that the most important goal for future research is the use of VAW scales validated in different languages, which would help to overcome the language barriers encountered in this study. Copyright © 2012 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  7. Valuing put options on single stock futures: Does the put-call parity relationship hold in the South African derivatives market?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Biebuyck

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This study attempts to determine whether mispricing of options on single stock futures is present in the South African derivatives market. The valuation of options on single stock futures is considered through the put-call parity relationship. The theoretical fair values obtained, are compared to the actual market values over a period of three years, that is, from 2009 to 2011. Only put options are considered in this research.The results show that arbitrage put option opportunities do present themselves for the chosen shares. The actual put options were found to be underpriced in 5 out of 6 (83% of the cases considered over the evaluation periods chosen. The mispricing was significant for both the BHP Billiton options with 100% and in the case of Sasol options (66% of the time. Whether profitable arbitrage opportunities is possible, will depend on the magnitude of the mispricing and the transaction fees payable. Further, more extensive research may help identify tendencies which may be of use for the formulation of arbitrage strategies

  8. Prevalence of Dermatoses in Tribal Population of Kalrayan Hill (South Arcot District

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Mahalingam

    1986-01-01

    Full Text Available A sample survey was conducted to find out the prevalence of dermatoses among the tribal population of Kalrayan hill in South Arcot district who were recently found out .from the hidden spots of the hill. The prevalence of dermatoses was 40% among the 242 screened. Scabies had a prevalence of 22.7% and was more among the tribal s chool children put in huts, emphasizing the need for adequate shelter and health education. The low frequency of nutritional dermatoses 3.7% is attributed to the implementation of the noon-meal scheme. Surprising low prevalence rate for leprosy (1.7% in this highly endemic district of South Arcot needs further probing to find out some clues for protection from leprosy.

  9. ICRP putting wealth before health

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, P.

    1990-01-01

    Reductions in recommended dose limits for radiation workers set by the International Commission for Radiological Protection do not go far enough. The ICRP has put industry profitability before worker safety, and their recommendations should not be the basis for UK or European law. (author)

  10. Biophysical investigation of type A PutAs reveals a conserved core oligomeric structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korasick, David A. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Singh, Harkewal [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Pemberton, Travis A. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Luo, Min [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Dhatwalia, Richa [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Tanner, John J. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia MO USA

    2017-08-01

    Many enzymes form homooligomers, yet the functional significance of self-association is seldom obvious. Herein, we examine the connection between oligomerization and catalytic function for proline utilization A (PutA) enzymes. PutAs are bifunctional enzymes that catalyze both reactions of proline catabolism. Type A PutAs are the smallest members of the family, possessing a minimal domain architecture consisting of N-terminal proline dehydrogenase and C-terminal l-glutamate-γ-semialdehyde dehydrogenase modules. Type A PutAs form domain-swapped dimers, and in one case (Bradyrhizobium japonicum PutA), two of the dimers assemble into a ring-shaped tetramer. Whereas the dimer has a clear role in substrate channeling, the functional significance of the tetramer is unknown. To address this question, we performed structural studies of four-type A PutAs from two clades of the PutA tree. The crystal structure of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus PutA covalently inactivated by N-propargylglycine revealed a fold and substrate-channeling tunnel similar to other PutAs. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and analytical ultracentrifugation indicated that Bdellovibrio PutA is dimeric in solution, in contrast to the prediction from crystal packing of a stable tetrameric assembly. SAXS studies of two other type A PutAs from separate clades also suggested that the dimer predominates in solution. To assess whether the tetramer of B. japonicum PutA is necessary for catalytic function, a hot spot disruption mutant that cleanly produces dimeric protein was generated. The dimeric variant exhibited kinetic parameters similar to the wild-type enzyme. These results implicate the domain-swapped dimer as the core structural and functional unit of type A PutAs.

  11. DIST/AVC Out-Put Definition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkinson, Gene L.

    The first stage of development of a management information system for DIST/AVC (Division of Instructional Technology/Audio-Visual Center) is the definition of out-put units. Some constraints on the definition of output units are: 1) they should reflect goals of the organization, 2) they should reflect organizational structure and procedures, and…

  12. Applying Knowledge of Species-Typical Scavenging Behavior to the Search and Recovery of Mammalian Skeletal Remains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Alexandria; Stillman, Richard; Smith, Martin J; Korstjens, Amanda H

    2016-03-01

    Forensic investigations involving animal scavenging of human remains require a physical search of the scene and surrounding areas. However, there is currently no standard procedure in the U.K. for physical searches of scavenged human remains. The Winthrop and grid search methods used by police specialist searchers for scavenged remains were examined through the use of mock red fox (Vulpes vulpes) scatter scenes. Forty-two police specialist searchers from two different regions within the U.K. were divided between those briefed and not briefed with fox-typical scavenging information. Briefing searchers with scavenging information significantly affected the recovery of scattered bones (χ(2) = 11.45, df = 1, p = 0.001). Searchers briefed with scavenging information were 2.05 times more likely to recover bones. Adaptions to search methods used by searchers were evident on a regional level, such that searchers more accustom to a peri-urban to rural region recovered a higher percentage of scattered bones (58.33%, n = 84). © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  13. Quiet Eye Training Facilitates Competitive Putting Performance in Elite Golfers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vine, Samuel J.; Moore, Lee J.; Wilson, Mark R.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a brief quiet eye (QE) training intervention aimed at optimizing visuomotor control and putting performance of elite golfers under pressure, and in real competition. Twenty-two elite golfers (mean handicap 2.7) recorded putting statistics over 10 rounds of competitive golf before attending training individually. Having been randomly assigned to either a QE training or Control group, participants were fitted with an Applied Science Laboratories Mobile Eye tracker and performed 20 baseline (pre-test) putts from 10 ft. Training consisted of video feedback of their gaze behavior while they completed 20 putts; however the QE-trained group received additional instructions related to maintaining a longer QE period. Participants then recorded their putting statistics over a further 10 competitive rounds and re-visited the laboratory for retention and pressure tests of their visuomotor control and putting performance. Overall, the results were supportive of the efficacy of the QE training intervention. QE duration predicted 43% of the variance in putting performance, underlying its critical role in the visuomotor control of putting. The QE-trained group maintained their optimal QE under pressure conditions, whereas the Control group experienced reductions in QE when anxious, with subsequent effects on performance. Although their performance was similar in the pre-test, the QE-trained group holed more putts and left the ball closer to the hole on missed putts than their Control group counterparts in the pressure test. Importantly, these advantages transferred to the golf course, where QE-trained golfers made 1.9 fewer putts per round, compared to pre-training, whereas the Control group showed no change in their putting statistics. These results reveal that QE training, incorporated into a pre-shot routine, is an effective intervention to help golfers maintain control when anxious. PMID:21713182

  14. The Perpetual American Put Option for Jump-Diffusions

    OpenAIRE

    Aase, Knut K.

    2010-01-01

    -This is the author's version of the article"The Perpetual American Put Option for Jump-Diffusions" Energy Systems pp 493-507. We solve a specific optimal stopping problem with an infinite time horizon, when the state variable follows a jump-diffusion. The novelty of the paper is related to the inclusion of a jump component in this stochastic process. Under certain conditions, our solution can be interpreted as the price of an American perpetual put option. We characterize the continuation...

  15. Heating being put into service

    CERN Multimedia

    2016-01-01

    The SMB-SE group would like to inform you that, the central heating will start this year, on Monday 3 October 2016, and will be progressively and depending on the weather forecast put into service throughout. All buildings will have heating within the following few days. Thank you for your understanding. The CERN heating team SMB-SE

  16. Enhancing the control of force in putting by video game training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fery, Y A; Ponserre, S

    2001-10-10

    Even if golf video games provide no proprioceptive afferences on actual putting movement, they may give sufficient substitutive visual cues to enhance force control in this skill. It was hypothesized that this usefulness requires, however, two conditions: the video game must provide reliable demonstrations of actual putts, and the user must want to use the game to make progress in actual putting. Accordingly, a video game was selected on the basis of its fidelity to the real-world game. It allowed two different methods of adjusting the virtual player's putting force in order to hole a putt: an analogue method that consisted of focusing on the virtual player's movement and a symbolic method that consisted of focusing on the movement of a gauge on a scale representing the virtual player's putting force. The participants had to use one of these methods with either the intention of making progress in actual putting or in a second condition to simply enjoy the game. Results showed a positive transfer of video playing to actual putting skill for the learning group and also, to a lesser degree, for the enjoyment group; but only when they used the symbolic method. Results are discussed in the context of how vision may convey force cues in sports video games.

  17. Putting politics first.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, Jacob S

    2008-01-01

    The greatest lesson of the failure of comprehensive health reform in the early 1990s is that politics comes first. Even the best-laid policy plans are worthless if they lack the political support to pass. Putting politics first means avoiding the overarching mistake of the Clinton reformers: envisioning a grand policy compromise rather than hammering out a real political compromise. It also means addressing the inevitable fears of those who believe that they are well protected by our eroding employment-based system. And it means formulating political strategies that are premised on the contemporary realities of the hyperpolarized U.S. political environment, rather than wistfully recalled images of the bipartisan politics of old.

  18. Putting Opportunism in the Back Seat

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foss, Nicolai; Weber, Libby

    2013-01-01

    TCE and its applications in management research put more emphasis on opportunism than on bounded rationality. By augmenting the bounded rationality assumption to include interpretive limitations, we show that there are sources of costly conflict that are not rooted in opportunism. Moreover, we show...

  19. Redesigned purification yields a fully functional PutA protein dimer from Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, E D; Wood, J M

    1992-06-25

    Proline utilization by Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium requires expression of genes putP (encoding a proline transporter) and putA. Genetic data indicate that the PutA protein is both put repressor and a respiratory chain-linked dehydrogenase. We report a redesigned purification procedure as well as the physical characteristics and biological activities of the PutA protein purified from E. coli. The purified protein was homogeneous as determined by electrophoresis performed under denaturing and nondenaturing conditions. Its N-terminal sequence corresponded to that predicted by the DNA sequence. We showed copurification of proline and delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase activities. Purified PutA protein bound put DNA in vitro in an electrophoretic band-shift assay and it could be reconstituted to inverted membrane vesicles, yielding proline dehydrogenase activity. The Stokes radius and Svedberg coefficient of the protein were determined to be 7.1 nm and 9.9 S, respectively. These hydrodynamic data revealed that the protein in our preparation was dimeric with a molecular mass of 293 kDa and that it had an irregular shape indicated by the friction factor (f/f0) of 1.6.

  20. Multicultural Education Course Put into Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jun, Eun Jeong

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the ways in which two teachers who have previously taken a multicultural education course put into practice multicultural teaching in a first grade afterschool program. Banks' five dimensions of multicultural education are used as the theoretical framework for analyzing past research on multicultural education courses and for…

  1. Putting Portugal on the Map

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Ferrão

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper argues the need to “put Portugal on the map” in a double sense: in a prospective way, in order to place the country on the required map(s, something which entails strategic vision and capacity for action; and in an analytical way – to enable us to understand Portugal from the map(s it is part of, which presupposes a capacity to analyse and understand the current state of affairs. By drawing inspiration from the polymorphic vision on the spatialities of contemporary societies and economies defended by Jessop, Brenner and Jones (2008, we propose the creation of a unifying reference framework to “put Portugal on the map”, using a combination of five elements: territory as a geographic location; territory as a unit of reference of the nation-state; places; geographic scales; and networks. The polymorphic nature of the spatialities that characterize, or should characterize, Portugal’s place in the world reflects several, and even contradictory, ethical values, interests, preferences, and options. Accordingly, the supported polymorphic spatialities ought to stir up controversy based on knowledge and arguments that are solid from a theoretical and empirical stance, and should make explicit the objectives and values they are based on.

  2. Forecasting future prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Syria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Ali, Radwan; Mzayek, Fawaz; Rastam, Samer; M Fouad, Fouad; O'Flaherty, Martin; Capewell, Simon; Maziak, Wasim

    2013-05-25

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly becoming a major public health problem worldwide. Estimating the future burden of diabetes is instrumental to guide the public health response to the epidemic. This study aims to project the prevalence of T2DM among adults in Syria over the period 2003-2022 by applying a modelling approach to the country's own data. Future prevalence of T2DM in Syria was estimated among adults aged 25 years and older for the period 2003-2022 using the IMPACT Diabetes Model (a discrete-state Markov model). According to our model, the prevalence of T2DM in Syria is projected to double in the period between 2003 and 2022 (from 10% to 21%). The projected increase in T2DM prevalence is higher in men (148%) than in women (93%). The increase in prevalence of T2DM is expected to be most marked in people younger than 55 years especially the 25-34 years age group. The future projections of T2DM in Syria put it amongst countries with the highest levels of T2DM worldwide. It is estimated that by 2022 approximately a fifth of the Syrian population aged 25 years and older will have T2DM.

  3. Perpetual American put options in a level-dependent volatility model

    OpenAIRE

    Ekström, Erik

    2003-01-01

    We find the explicit value of perpetual American put options in the constant elasticity of variance model using the concept of smooth fit. We show that the price is increasing in the volatility and convex in the underlying stock price. Moreover, as the model converges to the standard Black and Scholes model, the value of the put is shown to approach the `correct' limit.

  4. Effects on topic familiarity on online search behaviour and use of relevance criteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wen, Lei; Ruthven, Ian; Borlund, Pia

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental study on the effect of topic familiarity on the assessment behaviour of online searchers. In particular we investigate the effect of topic familiarity on the resources and relevance criteria used by searchers. Our results indicate that searching on an unfamiliar...... topic leads to use of more generic and fewer specialised resources and that searchers employ different relevance criteria when searching on less familiar topics....

  5. The science of golf putting a complete guide for researchers, players and coaches

    CERN Document Server

    Dias, Gonçalo

    2015-01-01

    This SpringerBrief explores the motor performance and biomechanics of golf putting, providing methodologies, studies and approaches to this concept. Presenting outcomes of research published over the past six years, it offers guidelines from a scientifically oriented perspective, and employs new technologies and mathematical methods to assess golf putting. The chapters cover aspects such as pendulum-like motion in sports, setting up the experimental design, and performance metrics for putting variables. Paving the way for an improved understanding of what leads to failure and success in golf putting, this book offers an invaluable reference source for sports scientists, engineers and mathematicians, as well as golfers.

  6. Putting Petri nets to work in Industry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aalst, van der W.M.P.

    1994-01-01

    Petri nets exist for over 30 years. Especially in the last decade Petri nets have been put into practive extensively. Thanks to several useful extensions and the availability of computer tools, Petri nets have become a mature tool for modelling and analysing industrial systems. This paper describes

  7. Big meeting puts the case for LHC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1990-01-01

    It was a workshop on a scale to match the ultimate goal. When some 500 physicists met in Aachen, Germany, in October to put the research case for the proposed Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the turnout was among the biggest attendances of the year

  8. Putting to a bigger hole: Golf performance relates to perceived size

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witt, Jessica K.; Linkenauger, Sally A.; Bakdash, Jonathan Z.; Proffitt, Dennis R.

    2011-01-01

    When engaged in a skilled behaviour such as occurs in sports, people's perceptions relate optical information to their performance. In current research we demonstrate the effects of performance on size perception in golfers. We found golfers who played better judged the hole to be bigger than golfers who did not play as well (Study 1). In follow-up laboratory experiments, participants putted on a golf mat from a location near or far from the hole then judged the size of the hole. Participants who putted from the near location perceived the hole to be bigger than participants who putted from the far location. Our results demonstrate that perception is influenced by the perceiver's current ability to act effectively in the environment. PMID:18567258

  9. Putting Knowledge to Work: Collaborating, Influencing and Learning ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2017-02-15

    Feb 15, 2017 ... Download PDF ... Putting Knowledge to Work explores how the brains of such ... She previously worked with Statistics Canada, Graybridge Malkam, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Human Resources and Skills ...

  10. THE IDIOM OF KRIVI PUT KOD SENJA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ankica Čilaš Šimpraga

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The idiom of Krivi Put kod Senja is part of West-Štokavian dialect. The basics of phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical characteristics of idiom are considered in this article. Research confirmed common features with idioms of Bunjevo beyond Velebit’s part of hinterland of Senj.

  11. The perpetual American put option for jump-diffusions with applications

    OpenAIRE

    Aase, Knut K.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, we solve an optimal stopping problem with an infinite time horizon, when the state variable follows a jump-diffusion. Under certain conditions our solution can be interpreted as the price of an American perpetual put option, when the underlying asset follows this type of process. We present several examples demonstrating when the solution can be interpreted as a perpetual put price. This takes us into a study of how to risk adjust jump-diffusions. One key observatio...

  12. Effect of Putting Grip on Eye and Head Movements During the Golf Putting Stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George K. Hung

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this article is to determine the effect of three different putting grips (conventional, cross-hand, and one-handed on variations in eye and head movements during the putting stroke. Seven volunteer novice players, ranging in age from 21 to 22 years, participated in the study. During each experimental session, the subject stood on a specially designed platform covered with artificial turf and putted golf balls towards a standard golf hole. The three different types of grips were tested at two distances: 3 and 9 ft. For each condition, 20 putts were attempted. For each putt, data were recorded over a 3-s interval at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. Eye movements were recorded using a helmet-mounted eye movement monitor. Head rotation about an imaginary axis through the top of the head and its center-of-rotation was measured by means of a potentiometer mounted on a fixed frame and coupled to the helmet. Putter-head motion was measured using a linear array of infrared phototransistors embedded in the platform. The standard deviation (STD, relative to the initial level was calculated for eye and head movements over the duration of the putt (i.e., from the beginning of the backstroke, through the forward stroke, to impact. The averaged STD for the attempted putts was calculated for each subject. Then, the averaged STDs and other data for the seven subjects were statistically compared across the three grip conditions. The STD of eye movements were greater (p < 0.1 for conventional than cross-hand (9 ft and one-handed (3 and 9 ft grips. Also, the STD of head movements were greater (p < 0.1; 3 ft for conventional than cross-hand and one-handed grips. Vestibulo-ocular responses associated with head rotations could be observed in many 9 ft and some 3 ft putts. The duration of the putt was significantly longer (p < 0.05; 3 and 9 ft for the one-handed than conventional and cross-hand grips. Finally, performance, or percentage putts made, was

  13. On-the-job-training, job search and job mobility

    OpenAIRE

    Josef Zweimüller; Rudolf Winter-Ebmer

    2003-01-01

    This paper analyzes the impact of formal training on worker mobility. Using data from the Swiss Labor Force Survey, we find that both general and specific training significantly affects on-the-job search activities. The effect of training on actual job mobility differs between searchers and non-searchers. In line with human capital theory, we find that specific (general) training has a negative (positive) impact on job mobility for previous non-searchers. For individuals who have been looking...

  14. A new approach to the study of Gold Putting | Dias | South African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of this study was to apply non-linear techniques in the analysis of golf putting performance. How players adapt to the variability that emerges from the putting execution and how they self-organize their performance toward the task constraints was investigated. The sample consisted of 10 adult male golfers ...

  15. Putting Opportunism in the Back Seat

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foss, Nicolai; Weber, Libby

    2013-01-01

    TCE and its applications in management research put more emphasis on opportunism than on bounded rationality. By augmenting the bounded rationality assumption to include interpretive limitations, we show that there are sources of costly conflict that are not rooted in opportunism. Moreover, we show...... that bounded rationality may drive opportunism. All hierarchal forms are inherently subject to specific bounded-rationality-based conflicts, thus have different capacities to mitigate bounded-rationality-based transaction costs....

  16. "Big Bang"test put off until May 2008

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    "First tests in a scientific project aimed at solving mysteries of the universe and the "Big Bang" which created it have been put off from November to late april or early May next year, an official said yesterday." (2/3 page)

  17. Distance and slope constraints: adaptation and variability in golf putting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dias, Gonçalo; Couceiro, Micael S; Barreiros, João; Clemente, Filipe M; Mendes, Rui; Martins, Fernando M

    2014-07-01

    The main objective of this study is to understand the adaptation to external constraints and the effects of variability in a golf putting task. We describe the adaptation of relevant variables of golf putting to the distance to the hole and to the addition of a slope. The sample consisted of 10 adult male (33.80 ± 11.89 years), volunteers, right handed and highly skilled golfers with an average handicap of 10.82. Each player performed 30 putts at distances of 2, 3 and 4 meters (90 trials in Condition 1). The participants also performed 90 trials, at the same distances, with a constraint imposed by a slope (Condition 2). The results indicate that the players change some parameters to adjust to the task constraints, namely the duration of the backswing phase, the speed of the club head and the acceleration at the moment of impact with the ball. The effects of different golf putting distances in the no-slope condition on different kinematic variables suggest a linear adjustment to distance variation that was not observed when in the slope condition.

  18. Performance and Kinematic Differences in Putting Between Healthy and Disabled Elite Golfers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gryc Tomáš

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Golfers with disability are limited in the execution of the full golf swing, but their performance in putting may be comparable because this stroke does not demand significant strength, balance and range of motion. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare putting performance, kinetic and kinematic consistency between golfers with different disabilities and healthy athletes. The participants consisted of three disabled athletes (perinatal cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, below knee lower limb amputee and three healthy golfers (age 34 ± 4.5 years, body height 178 ± 3.3 cm, body mass 83 ± 6.2 kg. The golfers’ movements were recorded by active 3D markers for kinematic analyses; the subjects performed 10 trials of a 6 m putting task while standing on separate force platforms placed under each lower limb. Putting performance was measured by the distance of the final ball position to the centre of the hole. ANOVA analyses did not show any differences in clubhead speed and total ball distance from the hole. The consistency of those two parameters expressed by the coefficient of variation (CV was CV = 0.5% or better in both groups for clubhead speed and ranged from CV = 0.40 to 0.61% in healthy and CV = 0.21 to 0.55% in disabled athletes for total error distance. The main effect ANOVA showed differences in weight shift, hip and shoulder kinematics (p < 0.05 between healthy players and all players with disability. All disabled athletes shifted their weight toward the healthy side (towards the healthy lower limb and alternated the end of the swing. The player with below knee amputation had the lowest range of motion in the shoulder joint during the putting stroke. The players with perinatal cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis had the largest range of motion in the hips. Putting performance of disabled golfers was similar to healthy athletes. During training of disabled players, coaches should pay attention to the specificity of a

  19. How Does Pricing of Day-ahead Electricity Market Affect Put Option Pricing?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Raouf Sheybani

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, impacts of day-ahead market pricing on behavior of producers and consumers in option and day-ahead markets and on option pricing are studied. To this end, two comprehensive equilibrium models for joint put option and day-ahead markets under pay-as-bid and uniform pricing in day-ahead market are presented, respectively. Interaction between put option and day-ahead markets, uncertainty in fuel price, day-ahead market pricing, and elasticity of consumers to strike price, premium price, and day-ahead price are taken into account in these models. By applying the presented models to a test system impact of day-ahead market pricing on equilibrium of joint put option and day-ahead markets are studied.

  20. Muscular power, neuromuscular activation, and performance in shot put athletes at preseason and at competition period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kyriazis, Thomas A; Terzis, Gerasimos; Boudolos, Konstantinos; Georgiadis, Georgios

    2009-09-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate changes in shot put performance, muscular power, and neuromuscular activation of the lower extremities, between the preseason and the competition period, in skilled shot put athletes using the rotational technique. Shot put performance was assessed at the start of the pre-season period as well as after 12 weeks, at the competition period, in nine shot putters. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the right vastus lateralis muscle was recorded during all shot put trials. Maximum squat strength (1RM) and mechanical parameters during the countermovement jump (CMJ) on a force platform were also determined at pre-season and at competition period. Shot put performance increased 4.7% (p phase was increased significantly (p training period. Shot put performance was significantly related with muscular power and takeoff velocity during the CMJ, at competition period (r = 0.66, p competition period.

  1. Characterizing Internet searchers of smoking cessation information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, Nathan K; Graham, Amanda L

    2006-09-19

    The Internet is a viable channel to deliver evidence-based smoking cessation treatment that has the potential to make a large population impact on reducing smoking prevalence. There is high demand for smoking cessation information and support on the Internet. Approximately 7% (10.2 million) of adult American Internet users have searched for information on quitting smoking. Little is known about these individuals, their smoking status, what type of cessation services they are seeking on the Internet, or how frequently these searches for cessation information are conducted. The primary goal of this study was to characterize individuals who search for smoking cessation information on the Internet to determine appropriate triage and treatment strategies. The secondary goal was to estimate the incidence of searches for cessation information using publicly available search engine data. We recruited individuals who clicked on a link to a leading smoking cessation website (QuitNet) from within the results of a search engine query. Individuals were "intercepted" before seeing the QuitNet home page and were invited to participate in the study. Those accepting the invitation were routed to an online survey about demographics, smoking characteristics, preferences for specific cessation services, and Internet search patterns. To determine the generalizability of our sample, national datasets on search engine usage patterns, market share, and keyword rankings were examined. These datasets were then used to estimate the number of queries for smoking cessation information each year. During the 10-day study period, 2265 individuals were recruited and 29% (N = 655) responded. Of these, 59% were female and overall tended to be younger than the previously characterized general Internet population. Most (76%) respondents were current smokers; 17% had quit within the last 7 days, and 7% had quit more than 7 days ago. Slightly more than half of active smokers (53%) indicated that they

  2. Putting lexical constraints in context into the visual-world paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novick, Jared M; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L; Trueswell, John C

    2008-06-01

    Prior eye-tracking studies of spoken sentence comprehension have found that the presence of two potential referents, e.g., two frogs, can guide listeners toward a Modifier interpretation of Put the frog on the napkin... despite strong lexical biases associated with Put that support a Goal interpretation of the temporary ambiguity (Tanenhaus, M. K., Spivey-Knowlton, M. J., Eberhard, K. M. & Sedivy, J. C. (1995). Integration of visual and linguistic information in spoken language comprehension. Science, 268, 1632-1634; Trueswell, J. C., Sekerina, I., Hill, N. M. & Logrip, M. L. (1999). The kindergarten-path effect: Studying on-line sentence processing in young children. Cognition, 73, 89-134). This pattern is not expected under constraint-based parsing theories: cue conflict between the lexical evidence (which supports the Goal analysis) and the visuo-contextual evidence (which supports the Modifier analysis) should result in uncertainty about the intended analysis and partial consideration of the Goal analysis. We reexamined these put studies (Experiment 1) by introducing a response time-constraint and a spatial contrast between competing referents (a frog on a napkin vs. a frog in a bowl). If listeners immediately interpret on the... as the start of a restrictive modifier, then their eye movements should rapidly converge on the intended referent (the frog on something). However, listeners showed this pattern only when the phrase was unambiguously a Modifier (Put the frog that's on the...). Syntactically ambiguous trials resulted in transient consideration of the Competitor animal (the frog in something). A reading study was also run on the same individuals (Experiment 2) and performance was compared between the two experiments. Those individuals who relied heavily on lexical biases to resolve a complement ambiguity in reading (The man heard/realized the story had been...) showed increased sensitivity to both lexical and contextual constraints in the put-task; i

  3. High Prevalence and Low Awareness of Hypertension in a Market Population in Enugu, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ifeoma I. Ulasi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. A community-based study put the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria at 32.8%. Market workers in Nigeria lead sedentary life style and often depend on salt-laden fast food while at work. Method. An unselected population of market workers were screened for hypertension and its risk factors by a pretested, structured questionnaire, clinical examination, and laboratory investigation. Hypertension was defined as BP ≥ 140 and/or ≥ 90 mmHg or being on drug therapy. Results. Forty-two percent of the screened population were hypertensive. Of this number, 70.6% did not know they were hypertensive before the screening. More males than females (=.022 were hypertensive. Prevalence of hypertension increased with age from 5.4% in the age group <20 years to 80% in the age group ≥70 years. Conclusion. The prevalence of hypertension in market workers in this study was 42%, and the majority of them were unaware of their disease.

  4. Interaction between HIV awareness, knowledge, safe sex practice and HIV prevalence: evidence from Botswana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Ranjan; Sinha, Kompal

    2012-05-01

    This paper makes methodological and empirical contributions to the study of HIV in the context of Botswana, a country with high HIV prevalence. Comparable evidence is presented from India to put the Botswana results in perspective. The results point to the strong role played by affluence and education in increasing HIV knowledge, promoting safe sex and reducing HIV prevalence. The study presents African evidence on the role played by the empowerment of women in promoting safe sex practices such as condom use. The lack of significant association between HIV prevalence and safe sex practice points to the danger of HIV-infected individuals spreading the disease through multiple sex partners and unprotected sex. This danger is underlined by the finding that females with multiple sex partners are at higher risk of being infected with HIV. These results take on special policy significance in the context of Botswana, where the issue of multiple sex partners has not been adequately addressed in the programme to contain the spread of HIV.

  5. Some particular problems put by operating experimental reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Candiotti, C.; Mabeix, R.; Uguen, R.

    1960-01-01

    On basis of a six years experience in operating research reactors, the authors explain, first, the difference in their utilization between these piles and another similar ones and, after, in consequence, they set off corresponding servitudes. These servitudes put very particular problems in operating itself, maintenance, modifications or additions on these apparatus. (author) [fr

  6. Marketing support of putting on the own trade marks in the retail sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firsova S.

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The article summarizes the practical experience of putting own trade mark by the domestic enterprise on the food market of Ukraine. The author has investigated the marketing strategy of putting on the own trade mark and evaluated its results for the enterprise, formed and implemented to the practice the measures for evaluating the attractiveness of company’s own trade mark.

  7. IMPROVING THE STUDENTS’ EFL WRITING ABILITY THROUGH “PUT YOURSELF IN THE PICTURE” STRATEGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Lukman Syafii

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: This Action research was intended to improve the students’ EFL writing ability through “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy. This research involved 33 first year managemen major of students A of Muhammadiyah University of Ponorogo in the academic year 2015/2016. This research was conducted in two cycles by following the procedures of the action research, namely, planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Each cycle of the research encompassed three meetings. The data of the research were gathered through observation checklists, field notes, questionnaire, and portfolio. The findings of research showed that “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy has proven effectively to improve the student’ writing ability. The improvement could be seen from the increase of the students’ average writing score. Besides, “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy can increase the students’ participation during the process of writing. Key words: “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy, writing ability

  8. Put order picking system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đurđević Dragan D.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays the warehouse is very important logistic component of the supply chain, where order-picking systems have important role. Due to the significant impact on logistics performance permanent goals are to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of these systems. To achieve these goals, there are different researches, and their success is determined by the achieved performances. Performances order picking process are dependent on the applied technology concepts of order-picking system, as well as the ways in which it is organized and managed. In addition to the standard conceptions (the man to good and good to the man is one of the newer, so-called. 'put' system - the inverse order-picking. The aim of this paper is to describe this concept, point out its core strengths and weaknesses and provide a basis that may be of importance in the development of warehouse technological solutions and application of this order-picking systems concept.

  9. Optimal random search for a single hidden target.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snider, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    A single target is hidden at a location chosen from a predetermined probability distribution. Then, a searcher must find a second probability distribution from which random search points are sampled such that the target is found in the minimum number of trials. Here it will be shown that if the searcher must get very close to the target to find it, then the best search distribution is proportional to the square root of the target distribution regardless of dimension. For a Gaussian target distribution, the optimum search distribution is approximately a Gaussian with a standard deviation that varies inversely with how close the searcher must be to the target to find it. For a network where the searcher randomly samples nodes and looks for the fixed target along edges, the optimum is either to sample a node with probability proportional to the square root of the out-degree plus 1 or not to do so at all.

  10. Risky Drinking Can Put a Chill on Your Summer Fun

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... on Your Summer Fun Print version Risky Drinking Can Put a Chill on Your Summer Fun Summer ... adults involve the use of alcohol. 1 Swimmers can get in over their heads. Alcohol impairs judgment ...

  11. Young adult international adoptees' search for birth parents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tieman, Wendy; van der Ende, Jan; Verhulst, Frank C

    2008-10-01

    This study examines international adoptees and factors associated with searching for birth parents. A total of 1,417 international adoptees in The Netherlands, aged 24 to 30 years, were divided into 4 groups: uninterested nonsearchers, interested nonsearchers, searchers, and reunited searchers. In total, 32% of adoptees had searched. Although the majority of searchers were well-adjusted, they had more problems--mainly internalizing problems--than uninterested nonsearchers. These problems, however, were not caused by the search itself. It is concluded that searching is the product of natural curiosity influenced by external factors such as the divorce of adoptive parents and the options for searching. Copyright 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

  12. Flexible Multilingual Education: Putting Children's Needs First

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Jean-Jacques

    2014-01-01

    This book examines the benefits of multilingual education that puts children's needs and interests above the individual languages involved. It advocates flexible multilingual education, which builds upon children's actual home resources and provides access to both the local and global languages that students need for their educational and…

  13. Workplace Violence toward Physicians and Nurses: Prevalence and Correlates in Macau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Teris; Lee, Paul H; Yip, Paul S F

    2017-08-04

    This paper sets out to estimate the prevalence of workplace violence in relation to socio-demographic characteristics of physicians and nurses working in healthcare settings in Macau. Background : Concerted efforts worldwide to reduce workplace violence (WPV) have not yet removed medical-related professionals from the threat of patients', family members', and colleagues' physical and other assaults in Southeast Asia. Methods : The study employs a cross-sectional design to estimate the prevalence and examines the socio-economic and psychological correlates of WPV among medical doctors and nurses in Macau. The data collection period spanned from August to December 2014. Multiple logistic regression examines the prevalence rates of WPV and its associated factors in doctors and nurses. Results : A total of 107 doctors (14.9%) and 613 nurses (85.1%) participated in the study; 57.2% had suffered WPV in the preceding year. The most common forms of workplace violence were verbal abuse (53.4%), physical assault (16.1%), bullying/harassment (14.2%), sexual harassment (4.6%), and racial harassment (2.6%). Most violence was perpetrated by patients and their relatives, colleagues, and supervisors. Conclusions: WPV remains a significant concern in healthcare settings in Macau. Macau's local health authority should consider putting in place a raft of zero-tolerance policies designed to prevent it.

  14. Workplace Violence toward Physicians and Nurses: Prevalence and Correlates in Macau

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Teris; Lee, Paul H.; Yip, Paul S. F.

    2017-01-01

    This paper sets out to estimate the prevalence of workplace violence in relation to socio-demographic characteristics of physicians and nurses working in healthcare settings in Macau. Background: Concerted efforts worldwide to reduce workplace violence (WPV) have not yet removed medical-related professionals from the threat of patients’, family members’, and colleagues’ physical and other assaults in Southeast Asia. Methods: The study employs a cross-sectional design to estimate the prevalence and examines the socio-economic and psychological correlates of WPV among medical doctors and nurses in Macau. The data collection period spanned from August to December 2014. Multiple logistic regression examines the prevalence rates of WPV and its associated factors in doctors and nurses. Results: A total of 107 doctors (14.9%) and 613 nurses (85.1%) participated in the study; 57.2% had suffered WPV in the preceding year. The most common forms of workplace violence were verbal abuse (53.4%), physical assault (16.1%), bullying/harassment (14.2%), sexual harassment (4.6%), and racial harassment (2.6%). Most violence was perpetrated by patients and their relatives, colleagues, and supervisors. Conclusions: WPV remains a significant concern in healthcare settings in Macau. Macau’s local health authority should consider putting in place a raft of zero-tolerance policies designed to prevent it. PMID:28777333

  15. Urbanization and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Southern Asia: A systematic analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheema, Arsalan; Adeloye, Davies; Sidhu, Simrita; Sridhar, Devi; Chan, Kit Yee

    2014-01-01

    Background Diabetes mellitus is one of the diseases considered to be the main constituents of the global non–communicable disease (NCD) pandemic. Despite the large impact that NCDs are predicted to have, particularly in developing countries, estimates of disease burden are sparse and inconsistent. This systematic review transparently estimates prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Southern Asia, its association with urbanization and provides insight into the policy challenges facing the region. Methods The databases Medline and PubMed were searched for population–based studies providing estimates of diabetes prevalence in the Southern Asia region. Studies using WHO diagnostic criteria of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0mmol/L and/or 2h–plasma glucose (2hPG) ≥11.1mmol/L were included. Data from eligible studies was extracted into bubble graphs, and trend lines were applied to UNPD figures to estimate age–specific prevalence in the regional population. Estimates specific to sex, area of residency, and diagnostic method were compared and trends analysed. Results A total of 151 age–specific prevalence estimates were extracted from 39 studies. Diabetes prevalence was estimated to be 7.47% for 2005 and 7.60% for 2010. Prevalence was strongly associated with increased age, male gender and urban residency (P 1). Conclusion Diabetes prevalence in Southern Asia is high and predicted to increase in the future as life expectancy rises and the region continues to urbanise. Countries in this region need to improve NCD surveillance and monitoring so policies can be informed with the best evidence. Programs for prevention need to be put in place, and health system capacity and access needs to be assessed and increased to deal with the predicted rise in NCD prevalence. PMID:24976963

  16. Put reading first: Positive effects of direct instruction and scaffolding ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Put reading first: Positive effects of direct instruction and scaffolding for ESL learners struggling with reading. ... are intended to open up for debate a topic of critical importance to the country's education system. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  17. The role of anxiety in golf putting performance

    OpenAIRE

    Kenny, Ian; MacNamara, Aine; Shafat, Amir; Dunphy, Orla; Murphy, Sinead; O'Connor, Kenneth; Ryan, Tara; Waldron, Gerry

    2009-01-01

    peer-reviewed INTRODUCTION: Anxiety???s influence on performance continues to be one of the main research interests for sport psychologists (Hanin, 2000). It is apparent, though, that there is a lack of empirical research characterising the multi-disciplinary effect of anxiety on sports performance. The current study aimed to ascertain biomechanical (accuracy, movement variability) and psychological (anxiety) markers to determine how anxiety affects golf putting. METHOD: 22 healthy s...

  18. On search games that include ambush

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alpern, S.; Fokkink, R.; Gal, S.; Timmer, M.

    2013-01-01

    We present a stochastic game that models ambush/search in a finite region Q which has area but no other structure. The searcher can search a unit area of Q in unit time or adopt an "ambush" mode for a certain period. The searcher "captures" the hider when the searched region contains the hider's

  19. Dewey Decimal Classification Online Project: Evaluation of a Library Schedule and Index Integrated into the Subject Searching Capabilities of an Online Catalog. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markey, Karen; Demeyer, Anh N.

    In this research project, subject terms from the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Schedules and Relative Index were incorporated into an online catalog as searcher's tools for subject access, browsing, and display. Four features of the DDC were employed to help searchers browse for and match their own subject terms with the online catalog's…

  20. Carbon dioxide removal and tradeable put options at scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockley, Andrew; Coffman, D.’Maris

    2018-05-01

    Options are derivative contracts that give the purchaser the right to buy (call options) or sell (put options) a given underlying asset at a particular price at a future date. The purchaser of a put option may exercise the right to sell the asset to the issuer at any point in the future before the expiration of the contract. These rights may be contracted directly between two parties (i.e. over-the-counter), or may be sold publicly on formal exchanges, such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange. If the latter, they are called tradeable put options (TPOs) because they can be bought and sold by third-parties via a secondary market. The World Bank has a Pilot Auction Facility for methane and carbon mediation which uses TPOs in carbon-relevant markets, giving producers (of e.g. forest restoration) a floor price for their product [1]. This enables long-term producer planning. We discuss the potentially broader use of these options contracts in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) markets generally and at scale. We conclude that they can, if priced correctly, encourage rapid investment both in CDR technology and in operational capacity. TPOs could do this without creating the same type of systemic risk associated with other instruments (e.g. long-dated futures). Nevertheless, the widespread use of such instruments potentially creates novel risks. These include the political risk of premature closure [2] (conventionally rendered as ‘counting your chickens before they are hatched’) and the economic risk of overpaying for carbon removal services. These instruments require careful structuring, and do not inoculate the CDR market against regulatory disruption, or political pressure. Accordingly, we note the potential for the development of TPO markets in CDR, but we urge caution in respect of identified risks.

  1. Choosing put option parameters based on quantiles from the distribution of portfolio value

    OpenAIRE

    Bell, Peter Newton

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores how a put option changes the probability distribution of portfolio value. The paper extends the model introduced in Bell (2014) by allowing both the quantity and strike price to vary. I use the 5% quantile from the portfolio distribution to measure riskiness and compare different put options. I report a so-called ‘quantile surface’ that shows the quantile across different combinations of quantity and strike price. I find that it is possible to maximize the quantile by ...

  2. Transfer of mechanical energy during the shot put

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Błażkiewicz Michalina

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyse transfer of mechanical energy between body segments during the glide shot put. A group of eight elite throwers from the Polish National Team was analysed in the study. Motion analysis of each throw was recorded using an optoelectronic Vicon system composed of nine infrared camcorders and Kistler force plates. The power and energy were computed for the phase of final acceleration of the glide shot put. The data were normalized with respect to time using the algorithm of the fifth order spline and their values were interpolated with respect to the percentage of total time, assuming that the time of the final weight acceleration movement was different for each putter. Statistically significant transfer was found in the study group between the following segments: Right Knee – Right Hip (p = 0.0035, Left Hip - Torso (p = 0.0201, Torso – Right Shoulder (p = 0.0122 and Right Elbow – Right Wrist (p = 0.0001. Furthermore, the results of cluster analysis showed that the kinetic chain used during the final shot acceleration movement had two different models. Differences between the groups were revealed mainly in the energy generated by the hips and trunk.

  3. "Danish women put up with less"

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leine, Marie; Mikkelsen, Henrik Hvenegaard

    2018-01-01

    women put up with less”—and that the report was, in effect, invalid. In this article we outline the discursive space that emerges when the mass media seeks to tackle symptoms of inequality in Denmark. We argue that the ideology of gender equality comes to construct a dominant discourse, which silences...... symptoms of inequality. Thereby, gendered violence in Denmark is rendered invisible in public awareness.......Denmark is a country that has been heralded for its high levels of gender equality for decades. One would have expected, then, that the recent EU report that ranked Denmark as the EU-member country with the highest occurrence of physical violence towards women would have created a public uproar...

  4. PUTTING COMMUNICATION FRONT AND CENTER IN INSTITUTIONAL THEORY AND ANALYSIS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cornelissen, J.P.; Durand, R.; Fiss, P.C.; Lammers, J.C.; Vaara, E.

    2015-01-01

    We conceptualize the roots of cognitive, linguistic, and communicative theories of institutions and outline the promise and potential of a stronger communication focus for institutional theory. In particular, we outline a theoretical approach that puts communication at the heart of theories of

  5. Swine-Flu Plans Put E-Learning in the Spotlight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Michelle R.; Ash, Katie

    2009-01-01

    Last school year, many educators were caught unprepared when schools closed in response to cases of swine flu. This time around, both the federal government and school districts are putting specific online-learning measures in place to get ready for possible closures or waves of teacher and student absences because of a flu outbreak. To prepare…

  6. Resolution of low-velocity control in golf putting differentiates professionals from amateurs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasegawa, Yumiko; Fujii, Keisuke; Miura, Akito; Yamamoto, Yuji

    2017-07-01

    It is difficult for humans to apply small amounts of force precisely during motor control. However, experts who have undergone extended training are thought to be able to control low-velocity movement with precision. We investigated the resolution of motor control in golf putting. A total of 10 professional and 10 high-level amateur golfers participated. Putting distances were 0.6-3.3 m, in increments of 0.3 m. We measured the impact velocity and the club-face angle at impact, and the acceleration profile of the downswing. The professionals showed significantly smaller coefficients of variation with respect to impact velocity and smaller root mean square errors in relation to acceleration profiles than did the amateurs. To examine the resolution of motor control for impact velocity, we investigated intra-participant differences in the impact velocity of the club head at two adjacent distances. We found that professionals had higher velocity precision when putting small distance intervals than did amateurs. That is, professionals had higher resolution of low-velocity control than did high-level amateurs. Our results suggest that outstanding performance at a task involves the ability to recognise small distinctions and to produce appropriate movements.

  7. Bounds for the American perpetual put on a stock index

    OpenAIRE

    Paulsen, V.

    2001-01-01

    Let us consider n stocks with dependent price processes each following a geometric Brownian motion. We want to investigate the American perpetual put on an index of those stocks. We will provide inner and outer boundaries for its early exercise region by using a decomposition technique for optimal stopping.

  8. Effects of physical randomness training on virtual and laboratory golf putting performance in novices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pataky, T C; Lamb, P F

    2018-06-01

    External randomness exists in all sports but is perhaps most obvious in golf putting where robotic putters sink only 80% of 5 m putts due to unpredictable ball-green dynamics. The purpose of this study was to test whether physical randomness training can improve putting performance in novices. A virtual random-physics golf-putting game was developed based on controlled ball-roll data. Thirty-two subjects were assigned a unique randomness gain (RG) ranging from 0.1 to 2.0-times real-world randomness. Putter face kinematics were measured in 5 m laboratory putts before and after five days of virtual training. Performance was quantified using putt success rate and "miss-adjustment correlation" (MAC), the correlation between left-right miss magnitude and subsequent right-left kinematic adjustments. Results showed no RG-success correlation (r = -0.066, p = 0.719) but mildly stronger correlations with MAC for face angle (r = -0.168, p = 0.358) and clubhead path (r = -0.302, p = 0.093). The strongest RG-MAC correlation was observed during virtual training (r = -0.692, p golf putting kinematics. Adaptation to external physical randomness during virtual training may therefore help golfers adapt to external randomness in real-world environments.

  9. The Posture of Putting One's Palms Together Modulates Visual Motion Event Perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Godai; Gyoba, Jiro

    2018-02-01

    We investigated the effect of an observer's hand postures on visual motion perception using the stream/bounce display. When two identical visual objects move across collinear horizontal trajectories toward each other in a two-dimensional display, observers perceive them as either streaming or bouncing. In our previous study, we found that when observers put their palms together just below the coincidence point of the two objects, the percentage of bouncing responses increased, mainly depending on the proprioceptive information from their own hands. However, it remains unclear if the tactile or haptic (force) information produced by the postures mostly influences the stream/bounce perception. We solved this problem by changing the tactile and haptic information on the palms of the hands. Experiment 1 showed that the promotion of bouncing perception was observed only when the posture of directly putting one's palms together was used, while there was no effect when a brick was sandwiched between the participant's palms. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the strength of force used when putting the palms together had no effect on increasing bounce perception. Our findings indicate that the hands-induced bounce effect derives from the tactile information produced by the direct contact between both palms.

  10. Managing coherence via put/get windows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumrich, Matthias A [Ridgefield, CT; Chen, Dong [Croton on Hudson, NY; Coteus, Paul W [Yorktown Heights, NY; Gara, Alan G [Mount Kisco, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Irvington, NY; Heidelberger, Philip [Cortlandt Manor, NY; Hoenicke, Dirk [Ossining, NY; Ohmacht, Martin [Yorktown Heights, NY

    2011-01-11

    A method and apparatus for managing coherence between two processors of a two processor node of a multi-processor computer system. Generally the present invention relates to a software algorithm that simplifies and significantly speeds the management of cache coherence in a message passing parallel computer, and to hardware apparatus that assists this cache coherence algorithm. The software algorithm uses the opening and closing of put/get windows to coordinate the activated required to achieve cache coherence. The hardware apparatus may be an extension to the hardware address decode, that creates, in the physical memory address space of the node, an area of virtual memory that (a) does not actually exist, and (b) is therefore able to respond instantly to read and write requests from the processing elements.

  11. Managing coherence via put/get windows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumrich, Matthias A [Ridgefield, CT; Chen, Dong [Croton on Hudson, NY; Coteus, Paul W [Yorktown Heights, NY; Gara, Alan G [Mount Kisco, NY; Giampapa, Mark E [Irvington, NY; Heidelberger, Philip [Cortlandt Manor, NY; Hoenicke, Dirk [Ossining, NY; Ohmacht, Martin [Yorktown Heights, NY

    2012-02-21

    A method and apparatus for managing coherence between two processors of a two processor node of a multi-processor computer system. Generally the present invention relates to a software algorithm that simplifies and significantly speeds the management of cache coherence in a message passing parallel computer, and to hardware apparatus that assists this cache coherence algorithm. The software algorithm uses the opening and closing of put/get windows to coordinate the activated required to achieve cache coherence. The hardware apparatus may be an extension to the hardware address decode, that creates, in the physical memory address space of the node, an area of virtual memory that (a) does not actually exist, and (b) is therefore able to respond instantly to read and write requests from the processing elements.

  12. Clipboard: Putting T cells to sleep: a new paradigm for immune ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2006-11-13

    Nov 13, 2006 ... Home; Journals; Journal of Biosciences; Volume 31; Issue 5. Clipboard: Putting T cells to sleep: a new paradigm for immune evasion by persistent viruses. Shweta Dubey Shahid Jameel. Volume 31 Issue 5 December 2006 pp 497-501 ...

  13. Suicidality among Hong Kong nurses: prevalence and correlates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Teris; Lee, Paul H; Yip, Paul S F

    2016-04-01

    The study estimates the prevalence and examines the socio-economic and psychological correlates of suicidality among professional nurses in Hong Kong. Suicide rates among middle-aged employed groups have been increasing over the past few decades. There is a concern that medical occupational groups worldwide are at elevated risk of suicide. Nonetheless there are few population-based studies of suicide dealing with working-age Asian nurses. The study uses a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected in Hong Kong over 4 weeks from October-November 2013. Statistical methods including descriptive analysis and univariate and multivariate cumulative logit modelling were used to examine the weighted prevalence rates of past-year suicidality and its associated factors in nurses. A total of 850 nurses participated in the study; 14·9% of participants had contemplated suicide while 2·9% had attempted suicide once or more in the past year. Women report suicidal thoughts or attempts more often than men. Religion, poor health, deliberate self-harm, depressive symptoms and poor self-perceived physical and mental health were significantly associated with nurses' suicidality. Nurse professionals are not immune from mental health issues. Hong Kong's local health authority should put in place a raft of suicide prevention initiatives to promote mental wellness in the profession. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Insect density-plant density relationships: a modified view of insect responses to resource concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Petter; Löfstedt, Christer; Hambäck, Peter A

    2013-12-01

    Habitat area is an important predictor of spatial variation in animal densities. However, the area often correlates with the quantity of resources within habitats, complicating our understanding of the factors shaping animal distributions. We addressed this problem by investigating densities of insect herbivores in habitat patches with a constant area but varying numbers of plants. Using a mathematical model, predictions of scale-dependent immigration and emigration rates for insects into patches with different densities of host plants were derived. Moreover, a field experiment was conducted where the scaling properties of odour-mediated attraction in relation to the number of odour sources were estimated, in order to derive a prediction of immigration rates of olfactory searchers. The theoretical model predicted that we should expect immigration rates of contact and visual searchers to be determined by patch area, with a steep scaling coefficient, μ = -1. The field experiment suggested that olfactory searchers should show a less steep scaling coefficient, with μ ≈ -0.5. A parameter estimation and analysis of published data revealed a correspondence between observations and predictions, and density-variation among groups could largely be explained by search behaviour. Aphids showed scaling coefficients corresponding to the prediction for contact/visual searchers, whereas moths, flies and beetles corresponded to the prediction for olfactory searchers. As density responses varied considerably among groups, and variation could be explained by a certain trait, we conclude that a general theory of insect responses to habitat heterogeneity should be based on shared traits, rather than a general prediction for all species.

  15. Grey Literature Searching for Health Sciences Systematic Reviews: A Prospective Study of Time Spent and Resources Utilized.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Ahlam A; Ratajeski, Melissa A; Bertolet, Marnie

    To identify estimates of time taken to search grey literature in support of health sciences systematic reviews and to identify searcher or systematic review characteristics that may impact resource selection or time spent searching. A survey was electronically distributed to searchers embarking on a new systematic review. Characteristics of the searcher and systematic review were collected along with time spent searching and what resources were searched. Time and resources were tabulated and resources were categorized as grey or non-grey. Data was analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Out of 81 original respondents, 21% followed through with completion of the surveys in their entirety. The median time spent searching all resources was 471 minutes, and of those a median of 85 minutes were spent searching grey literature. The median number of resources used in a systematic review search was four and the median number of grey literature sources searched was two. The amount of time spent searching was influenced by whether the systematic review was grant funded. Additionally, the number of resources searched was impacted by institution type and whether systematic review training was received. This study characterized the amount of time for conducting systematic review searches including searching the grey literature, in addition to the number and types of resources used. This may aid searchers in planning their time, along with providing benchmark information for future studies. This paper contributes by quantifying current grey literature search patterns and associating them with searcher and review characteristics. Further discussion and research into the search approach for grey literature in support of systematic reviews is encouraged.

  16. Putting women’s eyesight first

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damian Facciolo

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Two-thirds of blindness and visual impairment occurs in women, and recent prevalence surveys in Vietnam and China show an imbalance in the coverage of services across some areas. We know that, compared to men, women account for the greater burden of blindness from cataract. Women and girls face numerous barriers in accessing eye care services and are less likely to utilise them.

  17. Putting science on the agenda

    CERN Multimedia

    2012-01-01

    The job of CERN Director-General comes with a lot of responsibility, and that’s particularly true today. We’re living through a period of unique circumstances for science. Positive indicators, such as a renewal of interest in physical sciences at the University level and unprecedented public interest in the LHC, are aligning with storm clouds in the form of a prolonged economic crisis that will put downward pressure on everyone’s budgets.   That means that science has to make its voice heard if it’s to preserve support, and if it wants to be in a position to play the role it must in navigating the major societal challenges of our time. For that reason, I have been a fairly rare sight at CERN of late. Last week, I was in Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. It was my second time at Davos, and I used the opportunity to argue that science should be more closely linked to the political thread of the meeting. I think my argument was he...

  18. Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw bovine milk and milk products from central highlands of Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seyoum, Eyasu Tigabu; Woldetsadik, Daniel Asrat; Mekonen, Tesfu Kassa; Gezahegn, Haile Alemayehu; Gebreyes, Wondwossen Abebe

    2015-11-30

    Listeria monocytogenes is of major significance in human and veterinary medicine. Most human Listeria infections are foodborne and the association of contaminated milk and dairy produce consumption with human listeriosis is noteworthy. In Ethiopia, there is limited data regarding the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in raw bovine milk and dairy products. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in raw bovine milk and dairy produce. A total of 443 milk and milk product samples were microbiologically analyzed following methods recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual to isolate Listeria spp. The overall prevalence of Listeria spp. was 28.4% and specifically that of L. monocytogenes was 5.6%. Taking the prevalence of Listeria spp. into consideration, cheese was found to be highly contaminated at 60%, followed by pasteurized milk samples (40%), raw milk (18.9%) and yoghurt (5%). Considering the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes only, raw milk had the lowest contamination while cheese had the highest, followed by pasteurized milk and yoghurt. Raw milk and milk products produced in urban and peri-urban areas of central Ethiopia were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, L. monocytogenes. The detection of this pathogen in raw milk and milk products warrants an urgent regulatory mechanism to be put in place and also the potential role of milk processing plants in the contamination of dairy products should be investigated.

  19. Instructions to "put the phone down" do not improve the quality of bystander initiated dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Todd B; Saini, Devashish; Pepper, Tracy; Mirza, Muzna; Nandigam, Hari Krishna; Kaza, Niroop; Cofield, Stacey S

    2008-02-01

    The quality of early bystander CPR appears important in maximizing survival. This trial tests whether explicit instructions to "put the phone down" improve the quality of bystander initiated dispatch-assisted CPR. In a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial, subjects were randomized to a modified version of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) version 11.2 protocol or a simplified protocol, each with or without instruction to "put the phone down" during CPR. Data were recorded from a Laerdal Resusci Anne Skillreporter manikin. A simulated emergency medical dispatcher, contacted by cell phone, delivered standardized instructions. Primary outcome measures included chest compression rate, depth, and the proportion of compressions without error, with correct hand position, adequate depth, and total release. Time was measured in two distinct ways: time required for initiation of CPR and total amount of time hands were off the chest during CPR. Proportions were analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum tests and time variables with ANOVA. All tests used a two-sided alpha-level of 0.05. Two hundred and fifteen subjects were randomized-107 in the "put the phone down" instruction group and 108 in the group without "put the phone down" instructions. The groups were comparable across demographic and experiential variables. The additional instruction to "put the phone down" had no effect on the proportion of compressions administered without error, with the correct depth, and with the correct hand position. Likewise, "put the phone down" did not affect the average compression depth, the average compression rate, the total hands-off-chest time, or the time to initiate chest compressions. A statistically significant, yet trivial, effect was found in the proportion of compressions with total release of the chest wall. Instructions to "put the phone down" had no effect on the quality of bystander initiated dispatcher-assisted CPR in this trial.

  20. Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder among road traffic accident survivors: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Wanli; Gong, Lina; Xia, Miaojuan; Dai, Wenjie

    2018-01-01

    Involvement in road traffic accidents (RTAs) may put individuals at increased risk for a wide range of psychiatric disorders, among which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents a public health issue. However, a great disparity was observed among studies exploring the prevalence of PTSD among RTA survivors. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the pooled prevalence of PTSD among RTA survivors. Electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched to identify relevant studies. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by 2 investigators, and a meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using the Cochran Q test and quantified using the I statistic. Subgroup analyses were performed to identify the source of the heterogeneity. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using Egger linear test. Fifteen eligible studies containing 6804 RTA survivors were identified in this meta-analysis, of which 1489 were identified with PTSD. The pooled prevalence of PTSD among RTA survivors was 22.25% (95% confidence interval: 16.71%-28.33%). A high degree of heterogeneity was observed across studies (I = 97.1%, P < .001), with reported PTSD prevalence ranging from 6.3% to 58.3%. Subgroup analyses found that the prevalence of PTSD among RTA survivors varied significantly across studies in relation to the instrument used to assess PTSD, country, race, gender, and education level (P < .05). The high pooled prevalence of PTSD among RTA survivors found in this study significantly underscores the need for providing timely and effective intervention strategies for RTA survivors. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. SHOT PUT O’BRIAN TECHNIQUE, EXTENDING THE ANALYSIS OF TECHNIQUE FROM FOUR TO SIX PHASES WITH THE DESCRIPTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zlatan Saračević

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Due to the complexity of the motion, shot put technique is described in phases for easier analysis, easer learning of technique and error correction. It is complete so that in its implementation the transition from phase to phase is not noticed. In aforementioned and described phases of O'Brian spinal shot put technique a large distance, emptiness and disconnection appear between the initial position phase and a phase of overtaking the device, which in the training methods and training technique in primary and secondary education, as well as for students and athletes beginners in shot put represents a major problem regarding connecting, training and technique advancement. Therefore, this work is aimed at facilitating the methods of training of shot put technique, extending from four to six phases, which have been described and include the complete O'Brian technique.

  2. An improved method of studying user-system interaction by combining transaction log analysis and protocol analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jillian R. Griffiths

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper reports a novel approach to studying user-system interaction that captures a complete record of the searcher's actions, the system responses and synchronised talk-aloud comments from the searcher. The data is recorded unobtrusively and is available for later analysis. The approach is set in context by a discussion of transaction logging and protocol analysis and examples of the search logging in operation are presented

  3. Prevalence of malnutrition in various political, economic, and geographic settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klek, Stanislaw; Krznaric, Zeljko; Gundogdu, Riza Haldun; Chourdakis, Michael; Kekstas, Gintautas; Jakobson, Triin; Paluszkiewicz, Piotr; Vranesic Bender, Darija; Uyar, Mehmet; Demirag, Kubilay; Poulia, Kalliopi Anna; Klimasauskas, Andrius; Starkopf, Joel; Galas, Aleksander

    2015-02-01

    Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) represents a critical public health concern. Therefore, Fight Against Malnutrition (FAM) should be a state priority, but the degree to which this is true appears to differ considerably among European countries. The aim of this study was to put the problem into perspective by comparing the prevalence of malnutrition in countries from opposite parts of the continent. Six countries-Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, and Turkey-participated in the study. A short questionnaire was used to assess DRM: its prevalence, the current situation in hospitals, regulations for reimbursement, and general healthcare circumstances. Data from ESPEN's NutritionDay 2006 were used to broaden the perspective. At admission in October 2012, 4068 patients were assessed. The study was performed in 160 hospitals and 225 units with 9143 beds. The highest proportions of patients with 3 or more points on the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 were observed in Estonia (80.4%) and Turkey (39.4%), whereas the lowest were in Lithuania (14.2%). The provision of nutrition support was best in Turkey (39.4% required intervention, 34.4% received intervention) and Poland (21.9% and 27.8%, respectively). Nutrition support teams (NSTs) are active in some countries, whereas in others they virtually do not exist. The prevalence of malnutrition was quite high in some countries, and the nutrition approach differed among them. It could be the result of the lack of reimbursement, inactive or nonexistent NSTs, and low nutrition awareness. Those facts confirmed that the continuation of FAM activities is necessary. © 2013 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

  4. Workplace violence towards nurses in Hong Kong: prevalence and correlates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Teris; Yip, Paul S F

    2017-02-14

    Nurses are especially vulnerable to violent and other forms of aggression in the workplace. Nonetheless, few population-based studies of workplace violence have been undertaken among working-age nurse professionals in Hong Kong in the last decade. The study estimates the prevalence and examines the socio-economic and psychological correlates of workplace violence (WPV) among professional nurses in Hong Kong. The study uses a cross-sectional survey design. Multivariate logistic regression examines the weighted prevalence rates of WPV and its associated factors for a population of nurses. A total of 850 nurses participated in the study. 44.6% had experienced WPV in the preceding year. Male nurses reported more WPV than their female counterparts. The most common forms of WPV were verbal abuse/bullying (39.2%), then physical assault (22.7%) and sexual harassment (1.1%). The most common perpetrators of WPV were patients (36.6%) and their relatives (17.5%), followed by colleagues (7.7%) and supervisors (6.3%). Clinical position, shift work, job satisfaction, recent disturbances with colleagues, deliberate self-harm (DSH) and symptoms of anxiety were significantly correlated with WPV for nurses. WPV remains a significant concern for healthcare worldwide. Hong Kong's local health authority should put in place a raft of zero-tolerance measures to prevent WPV in healthcare settings.

  5. Necessary, but Not Sufficient: Critiquing the Role of Information and Communication Technology in Putting Knowledge into Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulaiman V., Rasheed; Hall, Andy; Kalaivani, N. J.; Dorai, Kumuda; Reddy, T. S. Vamsidhar

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This article reviews the experience of ICT applications as a tool for putting research derived knowledge into use for innovation in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach: The article uses the contemporary understanding of communication and innovation in reviewing the experience of ICTs in putting new knowledge into use in South Asia.…

  6. Don't Get Rode Hard and Put Away Wet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galloway, Robin

    2012-01-01

    Back in the old days, some folks reckoned an equine was just a disposable tool to get their jobs done. They might ride a horse hard, so it was sweaty, panting, and broken down. When done they would throw it out to pasture without proper grooming. This is probably the origin of the expression to "get rode hard and put away wet." As…

  7. Putting Reusability First: A Paradigm Switch in Remote Laboratories Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romain Vérot

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present a new devices brought online thanks to our Collaborative Remote Laboratories framework. Whereas previous devices integrated in our remote laboratory belongs to the domain of electronics, such as Vector Network Analyzers, the devices at the concern in this paper are, on one hand, an antenna workbench, and on the other, an homemade switching device, which embeds several electronic components. Because the middleware and framework for our environment were designed to be reusable, we wanted to put it to the test by integrating new and different devices in our Online Engineering catalog. After presenting the devices to be put online, we will expose the software development efforts required in regards to the reusability of the solution. As a consequence, the expose work and results tend to make the Online Engineering software architects to think reusability first, breaking with the current trends to implement Remote Labs one after the other, without much reusability, apart the capitalized experience. In this, we defend a paradigm switch in our current engineering approaches for Remote Laboratories implementations: Reusability should be thought first.

  8. Intermittent random walks for an optimal search strategy: one-dimensional case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oshanin, G; Wio, H S; Lindenberg, K; Burlatsky, S F

    2007-01-01

    We study the search kinetics of an immobile target by a concentration of randomly moving searchers. The object of the study is to optimize the probability of detection within the constraints of our model. The target is hidden on a one-dimensional lattice in the sense that searchers have no a priori information about where it is, and may detect it only upon encounter. The searchers perform random walks in discrete time n = 0,1,2,...,N, where N is the maximal time the search process is allowed to run. With probability α the searchers step on a nearest-neighbour, and with probability (1-α) they leave the lattice and stay off until they land back on the lattice at a fixed distance L away from the departure point. The random walk is thus intermittent. We calculate the probability P N that the target remains undetected up to the maximal search time N, and seek to minimize this probability. We find that P N is a non-monotonic function of α, and show that there is an optimal choice α opt (N) of α well within the intermittent regime, 0 opt (N) N can be orders of magnitude smaller compared to the 'pure' random walk cases α = 0 and α = 1

  9. Performance of some numerical Laplace inversion methods on American put option formula

    Science.gov (United States)

    Octaviano, I.; Yuniar, A. R.; Anisa, L.; Surjanto, S. D.; Putri, E. R. M.

    2018-03-01

    Numerical inversion approaches of Laplace transform is used to obtain a semianalytic solution. Some of the mathematical inversion methods such as Durbin-Crump, Widder, and Papoulis can be used to calculate American put options through the optimal exercise price in the Laplace space. The comparison of methods on some simple functions is aimed to know the accuracy and parameters which used in the calculation of American put options. The result obtained is the performance of each method regarding accuracy and computational speed. The Durbin-Crump method has an average error relative of 2.006e-004 with computational speed of 0.04871 seconds, the Widder method has an average error relative of 0.0048 with computational speed of 3.100181 seconds, and the Papoulis method has an average error relative of 9.8558e-004 with computational speed of 0.020793 seconds.

  10. CDMA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ock, Yun Cheol

    2003-07-01

    This book is comprised of summary of mobile communication : CT, TRS, Cellular mobile communication, digital communication, Is-95 and Friedns and PCS system, Basic concept : tools of mathematics, system, signal analysis of Fourier, Sampling, DB and Bandwidth, noise and OSI 7 Layer, DSSS and Code theory : spread spectrum, CDM/CDMA communication mode, code theory and PN code, CDMA Demodulator : Searcher engine, function by searcher engine, Finger demodulator and searcher task, control power : the reason for forward control power and reverse control power, open loop power control, closed loop power control and outer loop power control, Hand off : Parameter for hand off MASHO, new soft hand off, hard hand off, MAHHO and Access hand off, Radio transmission technique : interleaving and Modulation, Is-95, COMA 2000 : COMA 2000 System, Idle state and registration, vocoder : voice source coding and QCELP

  11. Narrative Review: Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Homeless Youth-What Do We Know About Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevalence and Risk?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caccamo, Alexandra; Kachur, Rachel; Williams, Samantha P

    2017-08-01

    Homelessness affects an estimated 1.6 million US youth annually. Compared with housed youth, homeless youth are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, including inconsistent condom use, multiple sex partners, survival sex, and alcohol/drug use, putting them at increased sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk. However, there is no national estimate of STD prevalence among this population. We identified 10 peer-reviewed articles (9 unique studies) reporting STD prevalence among homeless US youth (2000-2015). Descriptive and qualitative analyses identified STD prevalence ranges and risk factors among youth. Eight studies reported specific STD prevalence estimates, mainly chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Overall STD prevalence among homeless youth ranged from 6% to 32%. STD rates for girls varied from 16.7% to 46%, and from 9% to 13.1% in boys. Most studies were conducted in the Western United States, with no studies from the Southeast or Northeast. Youths who experienced longer periods of homelessness were more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. Girls had lower rates of condom use and higher rates of STDs; boys were more likely to engage in anal and anonymous sex. Additionally, peer social networks contributed to protective effects on individual sexual risk behavior. Sexually transmitted disease prevalence estimates among homeless youth fluctuated greatly by study. Sexually transmitted disease risk behaviors are associated with unmet survival needs, length of homelessness, and influence of social networks. To promote sexual health and reduce STD rates, we need better estimates of STD prevalence, more geographic diversity of studies, and interventions addressing the behavioral associations identified in our review.

  12. Brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis prevalence in livestock from pastoralist communities adjacent to Awash National Park, Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tschopp, Rea; Bekele, Shiferaw; Moti, Tesfaye; Young, Douglas; Aseffa, Abraham

    2015-06-15

    This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in local cattle and goat breeds of Oromo and Afar pastoralist communities living in two distinct parts around the Awash National Park. A questionnaire survey was carried out to assess information on husbandry, milk consumption habits, and on knowledge-attitude-practice regarding both diseases. Among a total of 771 animals from all sites tested by comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CIDT) none were BTB reactors with the >4mm cut-off. Using the >2mm cut-off, individual apparent prevalence was 0.9% (95%CI: 0.23-3.56%) in cattle and 0.7% (95%CI: 0.12-3.45%) in goats. Herd prevalence in Oromia and Afar sites was 0% and 66.7% respectively in goats and 16.7% and 50% in cattle. Among the 327 animals tested by enzyme linked immunoassay for brucellosis, 4.8% (95%CI: 1.2-17.1%) of cattle and 22.8% (95%CI: 5.98-29.5%) of goats were reactors. Highest individual prevalence of both diseases was found in Afar settlements with brucellosis being as high as 50%. Respondent ethnicity was the only risk factor for brucellosis positivity in goats in the univariable risk factor analysis. Knowledge about the diseases was poor. Raw goat milk was regularly consumed by women and children, putting them at risk for brucellosis. This study highlighted an increased prevalence gradient of BTB and brucellosis from West to East along the study sites with high brucellosis individual prevalence and abortion rates among Afar settlements in particular. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Web-page Prediction for Domain Specific Web-search using Boolean Bit Mask

    OpenAIRE

    Sinha, Sukanta; Duttagupta, Rana; Mukhopadhyay, Debajyoti

    2012-01-01

    Search Engine is a Web-page retrieval tool. Nowadays Web searchers utilize their time using an efficient search engine. To improve the performance of the search engine, we are introducing a unique mechanism which will give Web searchers more prominent search results. In this paper, we are going to discuss a domain specific Web search prototype which will generate the predicted Web-page list for user given search string using Boolean bit mask.

  14. Flipping the Educational System: Putting Teachers at the Heart of Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneyber, René

    2014-01-01

    This article describes an initiative led by two classroom teachers from the Netherlands to put teachers back at the centre of the educational process. The article argues that the educational system has become inverted, with those who are most influential (teachers) having the least opportunity to influence. The challenge is to "flip the…

  15. Putting a spin on circulating reference, or how to rediscover the scientific subject.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kochan, Jeff

    2015-02-01

    Bruno Latour claims to have shown that a Kantian model of knowledge, which he describes as seeking to unite a disembodied transcendental subject with an inaccessible thing-in-itself, is dramatically falsified by empirical studies of science in action. Instead, Latour puts central emphasis on scientific practice, and replaces this Kantian model with a model of "circulating reference." Unfortunately, Latour's alternative schematic leaves out the scientific subject. I repair this oversight through a simple mechanical procedure. By putting a slight spin on Latour's diagrammatic representation of his theory, I discover a new space for a post-Kantian scientific subject, a subject brilliantly described by Ludwik Fleck. The neglected subjectivities and ceaseless practices of science are thus re-united. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Importance of the High-Expression of Proline Transporter PutP to the Adaptation of Escherichia coli to High Salinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasaki, Hideaki; Sato, Daichi; Oshima, Akinobu

    2017-01-01

     The effect of the amount of the proline transporter PutP expression on the mechanism of adaptation of E. coli cells to high salinity was analyzed. The PutP gene derived from the E. coli expression plasmid was introduced into the E. coli cell, and a high PutP expression strain was developed. At 1.2 M NaCl culture condition, the growth of normal E. coli cells was inhibited, whereas high ProP expression cells showed growth under 2.5 M NaCl conditions. The uptake of proline by E. coli as a compatible solute and substrate for metabolization was in good accordance with those seen in cell growth. These data suggested that the amount of the proline transporter PutP expression played an important role in the adaptation of E. coli cells to high saline conditions.

  17. Climate-smart conservation: putting adaption principles into practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Bruce A.; Glick, Patty; Edelson, Naomi; Staudt, Amanda

    2014-01-01

    Climate change already is having significant impacts on the nation’s species and ecosystems, and these effects are projected to increase considerably over time. As a result, climate change is now a primary lens through which conservation and natural resource management must be viewed. How should we prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change on wildlife and their habitats? What should we be doing differently in light of these climatic shifts, and what actions continue to make sense? Climate-Smart Conservation: Putting Adaptation Principles into Practice offers guidance for designing and carrying out conservation in the face of a rapidly changing climate. Addressing the growing threats brought about or accentuated by rapid climate change requires a fundamental shift in the practice of natural resource management and conservation. Traditionally, conservationists have focused their efforts on protecting and managing systems to maintain their current state, or to restore degraded systems back to a historical state regarded as more desirable. Conservation planners and practitioners will need to adopt forward-looking goals and implement strategies specifically designed to prepare for and adjust to current and future climatic changes, and the associated impacts on natural systems and human communities—an emerging discipline known as climate change adaptation. The field of climate change adaptation is still in its infancy. Although there is increasing attention focused on the subject, much of the guidance developed to date has been general in nature, concentrating on high-level principles rather than specific actions. It is against this backdrop that this guide was prepared as a means for helping put adaptation principles into practice, and for moving adaptation from planning to action.

  18. Will the Convention on Biological Diversity put an end to biological control?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lenteren, van J.C.; Cock, M.J.W.; Brodeur, J.; Barratt, B.I.P.; Bigler, F.; Bolckmans, K.; Haas, F.; Mason, P.G.; Parra, J.R.P.

    2011-01-01

    Will the Convention on Biological Diversity put an end to biological control? Under the Convention on Biological Diversity countries have sovereign rights over their genetic resources. Agreements governing the access to these resources and the sharing of the benefits arising from their use need to

  19. Building a semantic search engine with games and crowdsourcing

    OpenAIRE

    Wieser, Christoph

    2014-01-01

    Semantic search engines aim at improving conventional search with semantic information, or meta-data, on the data searched for and/or on the searchers. So far, approaches to semantic search exploit characteristics of the searchers like age, education, or spoken language for selecting and/or ranking search results. Such data allow to build up a semantic search engine as an extension of a conventional search engine. The crawlers of well established search engines like Google, Yahoo! or Bing ...

  20. Prevalence of hyperuricemia and relation of serum uric acid with cardiovascular risk factors in a developing country

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shamlaye C

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The prevalence of hyperuricemia has rarely been investigated in developing countries. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of hyperuricemia and the association between uric acid levels and the various cardiovascular risk factors in a developing country with high average blood pressures (the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, population mainly of African origin. Methods This cross-sectional health examination survey was based on a population random sample from the Seychelles. It included 1011 subjects aged 25 to 64 years. Blood pressure (BP, body mass index (BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, total and HDL cholesterol, serum triglycerides and serum uric acid were measured. Data were analyzed using scatterplot smoothing techniques and gender-specific linear regression models. Results The prevalence of a serum uric acid level >420 μmol/L in men was 35.2% and the prevalence of a serum uric acid level >360 μmol/L was 8.7% in women. Serum uric acid was strongly related to serum triglycerides in men as well as in women (r = 0.73 in men and r = 0.59 in women, p Conclusions This study shows that the prevalence of hyperuricemia can be high in a developing country such as the Seychelles. Besides alcohol consumption and the use of antihypertensive therapy, mainly diuretics, serum uric acid is markedly associated with parameters of the metabolic syndrome, in particular serum triglycerides. Considering the growing incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome worldwide and the potential link between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular complications, more emphasis should be put on the evolving prevalence of hyperuricemia in developing countries.

  1. Putts that get missed on the right: investigating lateralized attentional biases and the nature of putting errors in golf.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Ross; Turnbull, Oliver H

    2010-02-01

    Although the effects of lateral biases in visual attention ("pseudoneglect") have been examined in real-world settings, this phenomenon has yet to be considered within the realm of sporting performance. In the present study, we investigated the effects of pseudoneglect on putting errors in golf. Novice golfers (n = 30) performed 90 putting trials followed by a series of pseudoneglect tasks: requiring participants to bisect lines manually and with a biomechanical bisection tool. All pseudoneglect measures were performed with both the left and right hands. Results demonstrated a leftward bias for all the pseudoneglect tasks, and a rightward bias for putting error. Moreover, the results revealed that individuals who bisected lines to the left on the Bisection Tool (the typical class of pseudoneglect error for humans) with the left hand (the hand that typically produces the greatest pseudoneglect bias) displayed significantly smaller rightward putting errors. Moreover, these individuals also holed more putts. No other pseudoneglect tasks were shown to impact on putting performance. Our findings suggest that lateralized attentional biases have a significant effect on sport performance; they appear to influence a wide range of precision-based sports (e.g. shooting, archery). Findings are also discussed in terms of the processes that are likely to be involved in this effect.

  2. Access to data and material for research: Putting empirical evidence into perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rodriguez, V.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this article is to put into critical perspective the empirical findings on secrecy and withholding in research. In other words, by taking existing empirical literature into account, it is intended that a crucial question is answered: Is secrecy and withholding in research harmful or

  3. Organizations putting in place in case of accident in a french nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noc, B.; Queniart, D.

    1987-01-01

    In case of accident entraining radiological consequences on or near the site of nuclear power reactor, organizations are putting in place. These organizations include as well as side of operating authority (generally Electricite de France) or public organizations including safety organizations (Service Central de Surete des Installations Nucleaires, Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire), one local organization and one centralized national organization. Informations exchange and coordination necessary between these organizations are governed by protocols. These protocols include particularly, the problems of mobilizing experts and of dealing with the saturation of normal telecommunications channels. The lessons acquired during accident simulation exercises carried out in recent years are progressively put in place in these protocols [fr

  4. Lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among men who have sex with men: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Zhenzhou; Feng, Tiejian; Fu, Hanlin; Yang, Tubao

    2017-12-21

    Suicide is a leading cause of death among men who have sex with men (MSM) and suicidal ideation may put individuals at higher risk of suicide. A great disparity of lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM was observed across studies, indicating the importance of a reliable estimation of the pooled lifetime prevalence. However, the only one published meta-analysis estimating the pooled lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM was conducted in 2008 with only 2 eligible studies. Subsequently, there was a rapid increase of publications about lifetime suicidal ideation among MSM, suggesting that an update on the pooled lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM was necessary. Therefore, this study aimed to update the estimation of the pooled lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM. Electronic databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus (social science), Embase and PsycInfo were searched until September 2017 to identify relevant studies. Cross-sectional studies exploring the lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM were enrolled. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochran Q test and quantified using the I 2 statistic. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using both Begg's rank test and Egger's linear test, and an Egger's funnel plot for asymmetry was presented. Subgroup analyses were performed according to the geographic area, sample source and HIV status. Nineteen studies with a total of 26,667 MSM were included, of which 9374 were identified with suicidal ideation. A high degree of heterogeneity (P ≤ 0.001, I 2 =99.2%) was observed among the eligible studies, with the reported prevalence ranging from 13.18 to 55.80%. The pooled lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation among MSM by a random effects model was 34.97% (95% confidence interval: 28.35%-41.90%). Both the Begg's rank test and Egger's linear test indicated low possibility of publication bias. Subgroup analyses showed that the lifetime prevalence of

  5. HIV infection among foreign transsexual sex workers in Rome: prevalence, behavior patterns, and seroconversion rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spizzichino, L; Zaccarelli, M; Rezza, G; Ippolito, G; Antinori, A; Gattari, P

    2001-07-01

    The Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma E (ASL-RME) outpatient clinic is the main reference center in Rome for HIV testing of foreign people. To define the prevalence and incidence of HIV infection among foreign transsexual sex workers attending the center. A cross-sectional, follow-up study was conducted. Between 1993 and 1999, 353 transsexuals attended the ASL-RME. They were from Colombia (n = 208), Brazil (n = 122), and other countries (n = 23). Most of these transsexuals reported having 5 to 10 partners per day. The overall HIV prevalence was 38.2%, which multivariate analysis found to be associated with origin from Brazil and a higher number of sex partners. The observed HIV seroconversion rate was 4.1 per 100 person-years, and non-regular condom use was the only factor related to seroconversion. The data from this study suggest that promotion of safer sex practices and regular condom use still is the main priority among marginalized population subgroups, such as foreign prostitutes, involved in sex activities that put them at risk for HIV infection.

  6. Workplace violence towards nurses in Hong Kong: prevalence and correlates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teris Cheung

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nurses are especially vulnerable to violent and other forms of aggression in the workplace. Nonetheless, few population-based studies of workplace violence have been undertaken among working-age nurse professionals in Hong Kong in the last decade. Methods The study estimates the prevalence and examines the socio-economic and psychological correlates of workplace violence (WPV among professional nurses in Hong Kong. The study uses a cross-sectional survey design. Multivariate logistic regression examines the weighted prevalence rates of WPV and its associated factors for a population of nurses. Results A total of 850 nurses participated in the study. 44.6% had experienced WPV in the preceding year. Male nurses reported more WPV than their female counterparts. The most common forms of WPV were verbal abuse/bullying (39.2%, then physical assault (22.7% and sexual harassment (1.1%. The most common perpetrators of WPV were patients (36.6% and their relatives (17.5%, followed by colleagues (7.7% and supervisors (6.3%. Clinical position, shift work, job satisfaction, recent disturbances with colleagues, deliberate self-harm (DSH and symptoms of anxiety were significantly correlated with WPV for nurses. Conclusions WPV remains a significant concern for healthcare worldwide. Hong Kong’s local health authority should put in place a raft of zero-tolerance measures to prevent WPV in healthcare settings.

  7. Putting the spiritual into practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia von Boguslawski

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to examine how Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical ideas were reflected and put into practice in the lives of the Finnish couple Olly (Olga Donner (1881–1956, neé Sinebrychoff and Uno Donner (1872–1958. They encountered anthroposophy in 1913 and subsequently embraced it as the guiding principle of their lives. Through a close examination of these two people we aim to shed light on how a new worldview like anthroposophy, which was gaining followers in early twentieth-century Finland, was also a manifestation of wider changes in religious culture in Europe. Our perspective could be described as biographical in the sense that it has been characterised by Simone Lässig (2008: 11 who writes that ‘the reconstruction of individual life courses helps to discover more about the context – for example, about daily rituals, pious practices, or kinship relationship’. Thus, the biographical perspective serves as a tool for grasping how something as deeply personal as an anthroposophical worldview was understood and practised, not only by Olly and Uno Donner, but also by a larger group of people who in the early twentieth century were looking for new ways to make sense of the surrounding world.

  8. Putting the sun to work in Sacramento

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osborn, D.E.

    2000-01-01

    At dawn this morning, the sun went to work for customers of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). The largest photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the world, adjacent to the closed nuclear power plant at Rancho Seco, generated enough electricity for over a thousand customers, rooftop solar water heaters lowered thousands of residential electric bills and rooftop PV systems turned hundreds of Sacramento homes into mini power plants. SMUD, in partnership with their customers-owners, is leading the way in putting the sun to work today. SMUD plans to have at least half of its energy come from energy efficiency, existing hydroelectric plants and renewable resources in this decade. SMUD expects investments made in solar power today to provide its customer-owners with substantial long-term energy, environmental and community benefits. This article describes some of SMUD's efforts

  9. Web life: Faraday's Cage Is Where You Put Schrödinger's Cat

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Faraday's Cage Is Where You Put Schrödinger's Cat (FCIWYPSC) is a blog written by Cherish Bauer-Reich, who is pursuing a PhD in geophysics at the University of Minnesota while also working part-time as a research engineer at North Dakota State University (NDSU), some 250 miles away.

  10. Prevalence of visual impairment in El Salvador: inequalities in educational level and occupational status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Rius

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of blindness, visual impairment, and related eye diseases and conditions among adults in El Salvador, and to explore socioeconomic inequalities in their prevalence by education level and occupational status, stratified by sex. METHODS: Based upon the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB methodology, this nationwide sample comprised 3 800 participants (3 399 examined ≥ 50 years old from 76 randomly selected clusters of 50 persons each. The prevalence of blindness, visual impairment and related eye diseases and conditions, including uncorrected refractive error (URE, was calculated for categories of education level and occupational status. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to calculate odds ratios (ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs and stratified by sex. RESULTS: Age-adjusted prevalence was 2.4% (95% CI: 2.2-2.6 for blindness (men: 2.8% (95% CI: 2.5-3.1; women: 2.2% (95% CI: 1.9-2.5 and 11.8% (95% CI: 11.6-12.0 for moderate visual impairment (men: 10.8% (95% CI: 10.5-11.1; women: 12.6% (95% CI: 12.4-12.8. The proportion of visual impairment due to cataract was 43.8% in men and 33.5% in women. Inverse gradients of socioeconomic inequalities were observed in the prevalence of visual impairment. For example, the age-adjusted OR (AOR was 3.4 (95% CI: 2.0-6.4 for visual impairment and 4.3 (95% CI: 2.1-10.4 for related URE in illiterate women compared to those with secondary education, and 1.9 (95% CI: 1.1-3.1 in cataract in unemployed men. CONCLUSIONS: Blindness and visual impairment prevalence is high in the El Salvador adult population. The main associated conditions are cataract and URE, two treatable conditions. As socioeconomic and gender inequalities in ocular health may herald discrimination and important barriers to accessing affordable, good-quality, and timely health care services, prioritization of public eye health care and disability policies should be put in place

  11. Prevalence of visual impairment in El Salvador: inequalities in educational level and occupational status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rius, Anna; Guisasola, Laura; Sabidó, Meritxell; Leasher, Janet L; Moriña, David; Villalobos, Astrid; Lansingh, Van C; Mujica, Oscar J; Rivera-Handal, José Eduardo; Silva, Juan Casrlos

    2014-11-01

    To examine the prevalence of blindness, visual impairment, and related eye diseases and conditions among adults in El Salvador, and to explore socioeconomic inequalities in their prevalence by education level and occupational status, stratified by sex. Based upon the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) methodology, this nationwide sample comprised 3 800 participants (3 399 examined) ≥ 50 years old from 76 randomly selected clusters of 50 persons each. The prevalence of blindness, visual impairment and related eye diseases and conditions, including uncorrected refractive error (URE), was calculated for categories of education level and occupational status. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and stratified by sex. Age-adjusted prevalence was 2.4% (95% CI: 2.2-2.6) for blindness (men: 2.8% (95% CI: 2.5-3.1); women: 2.2% (95% CI: 1.9-2.5)) and 11.8% (95% CI: 11.6-12.0) for moderate visual impairment (men: 10.8% (95% CI: 10.5-11.1); women: 12.6% (95% CI: 12.4-12.8)). The proportion of visual impairment due to cataract was 43.8% in men and 33.5% in women. Inverse gradients of socioeconomic inequalities were observed in the prevalence of visual impairment. For example, the age-adjusted OR (AOR) was 3.4 (95% CI: 2.0-6.4) for visual impairment and 4.3 (95% CI: 2.1-10.4) for related URE in illiterate women compared to those with secondary education, and 1.9 (95% CI: 1.1-3.1) in cataract in unemployed men. Blindness and visual impairment prevalence is high in the El Salvador adult population. The main associated conditions are cataract and URE, two treatable conditions. As socioeconomic and gender inequalities in ocular health may herald discrimination and important barriers to accessing affordable, good-quality, and timely health care services, prioritization of public eye health care and disability policies should be put in place, particularly among women, the unemployed, and

  12. Launch Velocities in Successful Golf Putting: An Analytical Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John F. Mahoney

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study is concerned with the special case of a putted ball intersecting a standard golf hole at its diameter. The velocity of the ball at the initial rim of the hole is termed the launch velocity and depending upon its value the ball may either be captured or it may escape capture by jumping over the hole. The critical value of the launch velocity (V is such that lesser values result in capture while greater values produce escape. Purpose: Since the value of the V entered prominently in some theoretical studies of putting, the aim of the current study is to provide an original re-evaluation of V and to contrast our results with existing results. Method: This analytical analysis relies on trigonometry in conjunction with Newtonian mechanics and the mathematics of projectiles. The results of a recent study into the mathematics of a bouncing ball which included the notions of restitution and friction were also employed in the analysis. Results: If bouncing and slipping do not occur when the ball hits the far rim of the hole our analysis produces a value of V of 1.356 m/s. When bouncing and slipping are present we find that V is at least 1.609 m/s but increases beyond this value as slipping and friction become greater. Useful relations which relate the dynamics and geometry of the ball to V are provided. Conclusion: Since ambient conditions may influence the extent of bounce and slippage we conjecture that the value of V is not unique.

  13. Intimate partner violence among female drug users admitted to the general hospital: screening and prevalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldentey, Clara; Tirado Muñoz, Judit; Ferrer, Tessie; Fonseca Casals, Francina; Rossi, Paola; Mestre-Pintó, Juan Ignacio; Torrens Melich, Marta

    2017-06-28

    Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem worldwide. Several factors have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of IPV, such as substance use. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of IPV among women entering Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) for any medical/surgical reason, and who had a diagnosis of substance use disorder. Secondly, it was intended to psychometrically validate the Spanish version of the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with Harm, Screamed (HITS) questionnaire. All patients were assessed by two IPV questionnaires, the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) and HITS. Out of 52 patients interviewed, 46 answered both questionnaires. According to the CAS questionnaire, 23 patients (50%) experienced IPV at some point in their lives and 11 (23.9%) in the last year. Cannabis consumption was also associated with an increased severity of IPV (95% CI 3.5-28.9, p = .013).According to the HITS questionnaire, there was a prevalence of 39.1% (18 patients) in the last 12 months. HITS had a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 78% relative to the CAS questionnaire. A cut-off score x∈ [6.7], derived through ROC analysis, correctly discriminated 91% of the victims and 100% of the non-victims. The results obtained showed that the prevalence of IPV was very high among women who suffered from more than one substance use disorder. Therefore, it is highly recommended to systematically screen for IPV victimization by putting the HITS questionnaire into practice.

  14. Putting Together a Blue Sky: Laying the Foundation for Staff Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Searcy, Jeny

    2012-01-01

    Evaluation time can be like putting together a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is all sky--what, exactly, is the point? When all is said and done, one ends up with a big blue blob--nothing to show for all the effort. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Performance reviews can and should be an effective means of communication for both parties…

  15. The Human Dimension: Putting the Person into Personalised Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horne, Rob

    2017-04-01

    Technological advances enabling us to personalise medical interventions at the biological level must be matched by parallel advances in how we support the informed choices essential to patient and public participation. We cannot take participation for granted. To be truly personalised, medicine must take account of the perceptions and capabilities that shape participation. To do this, we need a better understanding of how people perceive personalised medicine and how they judge its value and risks. To realise the promise of 4P medicine we need to personalise at the psychosocial as well as biological dimension, putting the person into personalised medicine.

  16. Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS): replication and extension of psychometric properties in youth with chronic tic disorders (CTDs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raines, Jeremy M; Edwards, Kimberly R; Sherman, Martin F; Higginson, Christopher I; Winnick, Joel B; Navin, Kelly; Gettings, Julie M; Conteh, Fatmata; Bennett, Shannon M; Specht, Matthew W

    2018-04-01

    Individuals with chronic tic disorders (CTDs) frequently describe aversive subjective sensory sensations that precede their tics. The first aim of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of a standardized self-report measure to assess premonitory urges in CTDs, The Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS), by replicating the analyses of Woods et al. (J Dev Behav Pediatr 26:397-403, 2005) using a sample twice the size of theirs. The second aim was to conduct an exploratory factor analysis of the PUTS. Eighty-four youth with CTDs, recruited from a pediatric OCD and tic specialty clinic, completed the PUTS while their caregivers completed The Parent Tic Questionnaire (PTQ) and a demographic measure. Consistent with (Woods et al. J Dev Behav Pediatr 26:397-403, 2005), the PUTS was found to be internally consistent (α = 0.82) and significantly correlated with overall tic severity as measured by the PTQ (r = 0.24, p tics than the frequency or intensity of tics.

  17. HBV and HIV co-infection: Prevalence and clinical outcomes in tertiary care hospital Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhtar, Ali; Khan, Amer Hayat; Sulaiman, Syed Azhar Syed; Soo, Chow Ting; Khan, Kashifullah

    2016-03-01

    According to WHO, Malaysia has been classified as a concentrated epidemic country due to progression of HIV infection in the population of injecting drug users. The main objectives of current study are to determine the prevalence of HBV among HIV-positive individuals in a tertiary care hospital of Malaysia and to assess the predictors involved in the outcomes of HIV-HBV co-infected patients. A retrospective, cross-sectional study is conducted at Hospital Palau Pinang, Malaysia. The collection of socio-demographic data as well as clinical data is done with the help of data collection form. Data were analyzed after putting the collected values of required data by using statistical software SPSS version 20.0 and P > 0.05 is considered as significant. Results show that the overall prevalence of HBV was 86 (13%) including 495 (74.5%) males and 169 (25.5%) females among a total of 664 HIV-infected patients. It was observed that there is a high prevalence of HIV-HBV co-infection in males 76 (11.4%) as compared to females 10 (1.5%) (P = 0.002). The median age of the study population was 39 years. The statistical significant risk factors involved in the outcomes of HIV-HBV co-infected patients were observed in the variables of gender, age groups, and injecting drug users. The findings of the present study shows that the prevalence of HBV infection among HIV-positive patients was 13% and the risk factors involved in the outcomes of HIV-HBV co-infected patients were gender, age, and intravenous drug users. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Case Study: Puttin' on the Ritz: How to Put Science into Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herreid, Clyde Freeman

    2017-01-01

    There are multiple ways to put science into a case. This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue discusses different ways of presenting science in case studies.

  19. The Impact of User Knowledge on Web Search Satisfaction

    OpenAIRE

    Fadhilah M. Yamin; T. Ramayah

    2011-01-01

    Problem statement: Searching on the web is a tedious process as it requires knowledge and skills on what and how to search. What to search is basically, the core of the searching activity as it represents the need of the searcher. How to search is related to the knowledge on how the facilities available on the web can be utilized in order to achieve the needs. Search satisfaction is the level of measurement that describes the achievement of the searcher towards his/her information needs. Appr...

  20. The genetic and phenotypic variability of interspecific hybrid bermudagrasses (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) used on golf course putting greens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reasor, Eric H; Brosnan, James T; Trigiano, Robert N; Elsner, J Earl; Henry, Gerald M; Schwartz, Brian M

    2016-10-01

    Some interspecific hybrid bermudagrass cultivars used on golf course putting greens are genetically unstable, which has caused phenotypically different off-type grasses to occur in production nurseries and putting surfaces. Management practices to reduce the occurrence of off-type grasses in putting green surfaces and the effect they can have on putting quality and performance need to be researched until genetically stable cultivars are developed. Golf course putting green surfaces in subtropical and tropical climates are typically planted with an interspecific hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy), because of the superior putting quality and performance of these cultivars. 'Tifgreen' was one of the first interspecific hybrids developed for putting green use in lieu of common bermudagrass. However, off-type grasses began appearing in established Tifgreen stands soon after commercial release. Off-type grasses are those with different morphology and performance when compared to the surrounding, desirable cultivar. Off-types have the potential to decrease surface uniformity, which negatively affects putting surface quality. However, several unique off-types from Tifgreen have been selected as commercial cultivars, the first being 'Tifdwarf'; then 'Floradwarf', 'MS-Supreme', 'Pee Dee-102', and 'TL-2', identified later. The cultivars 'Champion Dwarf', 'P-18', 'RJT', and 'Emerald Dwarf' were subsequently selected as off-types in Tifdwarf. The naturally occurring off-types and cultivars that have been identified within the Tifgreen family have widely differing phenotypes; however, they are reported to be genetically similar, supporting the hypothesis that their occurrence is a result of somatic mutations. Genetic instability in currently available commercial cultivars is likely to lead to the continued presence of off-types in production nurseries and putting greens. Additional research is needed to understand the nature of

  1. Can operations put the MPS into an unsafe state?

    CERN Document Server

    Ponce, L

    2011-01-01

    During the 2010 run, the MPS have been additionally stressed by the commissioning of operational procedures and systems tests. As requested by the MPS external review committee, human factors have to be further minimized and discipline reinforced when increasing the stored beam energies towards and beyond the 2010 target of 30 MJ. This talk will present a synthesis of the Evian discussion on MPS and human factors, with an emphasis on the tools and procedures to be put in place for the 2011 run in order to ensure the machine safety during standard beam operation and after periods of machine developments or technical stops.

  2. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Latin America and the Caribbean: modelling the determinants, prevalence, population at risk and costs of control at sub-national level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josh Colston

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available We present an example of a tool for quantifying the burden, the population in need of intervention and resources need to contribute for the control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH infection at multiple administrative levels for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC. The tool relies on published STH prevalence data along with data on the distribution of several STH transmission determinants for 12,273 sub-national administrative units in 22 LAC countries taken from national censuses. Data on these determinants was aggregated into a single risk index based on a conceptual framework and the statistical significance of the association between this index and the STH prevalence indicators was tested using simple linear regression. The coefficient and constant from the output of this regression was then put into a regression formula that was applied to the risk index values for all of the administrative units in order to model the estimated prevalence of each STH species. We then combine these estimates with population data, treatment thresholds and unit cost data to calculate total control costs. The model predicts an annual cost for the procurement of preventive chemotherapy of around US$ 1.7 million and a total cost of US$ 47 million for implementing a comprehensive STH control programme targeting an estimated 78.7 million school-aged children according to the WHO guidelines throughout the entirety of the countries included in the study. Considerable savings to this cost could potentially be made by embedding STH control interventions within existing health programmes and systems. A study of this scope is prone to many limitations which restrict the interpretation of the results and the uses to which its findings may be put. We discuss several of these limitations.

  3. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Latin America and the Caribbean: modelling the determinants, prevalence, population at risk and costs of control at sub-national level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colston, Josh; Saboyá, Martha

    2013-05-01

    We present an example of a tool for quantifying the burden, the population in need of intervention and resources need to contribute for the control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection at multiple administrative levels for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The tool relies on published STH prevalence data along with data on the distribution of several STH transmission determinants for 12,273 sub-national administrative units in 22 LAC countries taken from national censuses. Data on these determinants was aggregated into a single risk index based on a conceptual framework and the statistical significance of the association between this index and the STH prevalence indicators was tested using simple linear regression. The coefficient and constant from the output of this regression was then put into a regression formula that was applied to the risk index values for all of the administrative units in order to model the estimated prevalence of each STH species. We then combine these estimates with population data, treatment thresholds and unit cost data to calculate total control costs. The model predicts an annual cost for the procurement of preventive chemotherapy of around US$ 1.7 million and a total cost of US$ 47 million for implementing a comprehensive STH control programme targeting an estimated 78.7 million school-aged children according to the WHO guidelines throughout the entirety of the countries included in the study. Considerable savings to this cost could potentially be made by embedding STH control interventions within existing health programmes and systems. A study of this scope is prone to many limitations which restrict the interpretation of the results and the uses to which its findings may be put. We discuss several of these limitations.

  4. Occupational hand injuries: a current review of the prevalence and proposed prevention strategies for physical therapists and similar healthcare professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyer, Giles; Michael, Jimmy; Inklebarger, James

    2018-03-01

    Hand injury is the second most common work-related musculoskeletal injury among physical therapists (PTs) and other manual therapy professionals such as osteopaths, physiotherapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. However, the nature and extent of this problem have not been fully explored yet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to review the existing literature published on the prevalence, risk factors, consequences, and prevention of hand injuries among PTs and similar healthcare professionals. The lifetime prevalence of hand injuries was about 15%-46%, and the annual prevalence was reported as 5%-30%. Thumb injuries were found to be the most prevalent of all injuries, accounting more than 50% of all hand-related problems. The most significant risk factors for job-related hand injuries were performing manual therapy techniques, repetitive workloads, treating many patients per day, continued work while injured or hurt, weakness of the thumb muscles, thumb hypermobility, and instability at the thumb joints. PTs reported modifying treatment technique, taking time off on sick leave, seeking intervention, shifting the specialty area, and decreasing patient contact hours as the major consequences of these injuries. The authors recommend that PTs should develop specific preventive strategies and put more emphasis on the use of aids and equipment to reduce the risk of an unnecessary injury. Copyright © 2018 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. GAT 3 - fuel cells and their management (PACoGES). Progress report; GAT 3 - piles a combustible et leur gestion (PACoGES). Rapport final (juillet 2002 a juin 2004)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lamy, C.

    2005-07-01

    The Topic Analysis Group PACoGES ('Piles a Combustible et leur Gestion') has conducted thoughts on fuel cells and their management with all the searchers concern with researches and developments on fuel cells and in particular on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC, ITSOFC) running at high temperature (600 to 1000 C). This has concerned about 200 searchers working in about fifty laboratories (CNRS, CEA, EDF, GDF, INRETS, CNAM, Armines, and several industrial teams). Here is given the final report 2002-2004 concerning all the researches carried out by this Group. (O.M.)

  6. A note on the pricing of the perpetual American capped power put option

    OpenAIRE

    Sakagami, Yoshitaka

    2012-01-01

    We give an explicit solution to the perpetual American capped power put option pricing problem in the Black-Scholes-Merton Model. The approach is mainly based on free-boundary formulation and verification. For completeness we also give an explicit solution to the perpetual American standard power (≥1) option pricing problem.

  7. Prevalence and factors associated with smoking intentions among non-smoking and smoking adolescents in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hock, Lim Kuang; Ghazali, Sumarni Mohamad; Cheong, Kee Chee; Kuay, Lim Kuang; Li, Lim Hui; Huey, Teh Chien; Ying, Chan Ying; Yen, Yeo Lay; Ching, Fiona Goh Swee; Yi, Khoo Yi; Lin, Chong Zhuo; Ibrahim, Normala; Mustafa, Amal Nasir

    2014-01-01

    Intention to smoke is a valid and reliable factor for predicting future smoking habits among adolescents. This factor, however, has received inadequate attention in Malaysia. The present paper elaborates the prevalence and factors associated with intent to initiate or to cease smoking, among adolescent nonsmokers and smokers in Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia. A total of 2,300 secondary school students aged 13-16 years were selected through a two-stage stratified sampling method. A set of standardized questionnaires was used to assess the smoking behavior among adolescents and the inter-personal and intra-personal factors associated with smoking intention (intention to initiate smoking or to cease smoking). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors related to smoking intention. The prevalence of intention to smoke in the future or to cease smoking among non- smoking adolescents and current smokers were 10.7% and 61.7% respectively. Having friends who smoke, social influence, and poor knowledge about the ill effects on health due to smoking showed significant relationships with intention to smoke in the future among non-smokers. Conversely, perceived lower prevalence of smoking among peers, weak contributory social influence, and greater awareness of the ill effects of smoking are factors associated with the intention to cease smoking sometime in the future. The study found that prevalence of intention to initiate smoking is low among non-smokers while the majority of current smokers intended to cease smoking in the future. Existing anti-smoking programmes that integrate the factors that have been identified in the current study should be put in motion to reduce the prevalence of intention to initiate smoking and increase the intention to cease smoking among adolescents.

  8. Condom use errors and problems among young women who put condoms on their male partners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Stephanie A; Graham, Cynthia A; Yarber, William L; Crosby, Richard A

    2003-01-01

    To comprehensively assess condom use errors and problems reported by women who apply condoms, given the lack of data on this aspect of condom use. Data from a questionnaire survey, using a 3-month recall period, was analyzed for a convenience sample of 102 college women who put condoms on their male partner(s) for sex (vaginal, anal, or oral). The percentage of the sample reporting that an error or problem occurred at least once is presented. Fifty-one percent put the condom on after starting sex, and 15% took the condom off before ending sex. Forty-eight percent wanted a condom but didn't have one, 46% did not leave space at the tip, 30% put the condom on wrong side up and had to flip the condom over, 26% did not use a lubricant, and 15% wanted a water-based lubricant and did not have any available. Twenty-five percent reported that their partners lost erections in association with condom use. Twenty-eight percent reported breakage, slippage, or both. Higher error scores were found for those who reported: 1) breakage or slippage, 2) partner erection problems, 3) use of another form of contraception, and 4) not having received instruction in correct condom use. Educating women as well as men about correct condom use, in addition to promoting consistent condom use, may be an important public health strategy.

  9. 'Cloak' and 'Wholeness'– iconicity of the lexemes 'telo' and 'put'

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bašić Ivana

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Analysis of the lexemes telo and put arrives to the conclusion that the original iconicity of the lexeme telo “body” (<*tel- “a flat surface, a plank” represents the formation of the amorphous, unformed substance under a pressure, compressing, or division (a cutting off or separation and refers to the earth or tree as a form of matter. Put/plot (

  10. Prevalence and time trends in diabetes and physical inactivity among adult West African populations: the epidemic has arrived.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abubakari, A R; Lauder, W; Jones, M C; Kirk, A; Agyemang, C; Bhopal, R S

    2009-09-01

    To determine the prevalence and distribution of, and trends in, physical inactivity and diabetes in adult West African populations. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Literature searches were conducted using four electronic databases. Journal hand searches and examination of citations of relevant articles were also undertaken. To be included, studies had to be population based, use clearly defined criteria for measuring diabetes and physical inactivity, present data that allowed calculation of the prevalence of diabetes or physical inactivity, and sample adult participants. Studies retrieved were appraised critically. Meta-analysis was performed using the DerSimonian-Laird random effect model. Twenty-one reports were retrieved for diabetes and 15 reports were retrieved for physical in/activity. Most studies (10 for diabetes and six for physical activity) were conducted solely among urban populations. The prevalence of diabetes in West Africa was approximately 4.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-9.0] in urban adults and 2.6% (95%CI 1.5-4.4) in rural adults, and was similar in men and women [prevalence ratio (PR) 1.36, 95%CI 0.96-1.92]. Cumulative time trend analyses suggested an increase in the prevalence of diabetes among adults in urban West Africa, from approximately 3.0% (95%CI 1.0-7.0) to 4.0% (95%CI 2.0-9.0) in the past 10 years. The prevalence of inactivity in West Africa was 13% (95%CI 9.0-18.0). An association was found between physical inactivity and being older (> or = 50 years) (PR 1.82, 95%CI 1.36-2.44), female gender (PR 1.62, 95%CI 1.41-1.87) and urban residence (PR 2.04, 95%CI 1.58-2.63). Diabetes and physical inactivity are important public health issues in urban West Africa, with similar prevalences to wealthy industrialized countries. There is an urgent need for policy makers, politicians and health promotion experts to put measures in place to encourage active lifestyles and control diabetes in urban West Africa.

  11. Don’t put your family at risk

    CERN Multimedia

    Computer Security Team

    2013-01-01

    How easy is it to fall into the trap of cyber-criminals? Get one’s online banking password stolen? Lose photos to third parties? It's easier than you think. One single click to open a malicious attachment or a malicious web page is sufficient to put your family at risk.   Sometimes adversaries even call you in order to get their malicious job done. Once their malware is installed on your home computer, it records all your activity, monitors your online banking activities, steals your passwords, activates your computer’s microphone and camera, and sends all that data back to the adversary. This person can now do whatever they want: take money from your bank account, order books with your Amazon password, deface your Facebook profiles, send strange messages to your peers, or post the captured images of your daughter in front of the computer on dodgy web sites. Not only can you lose (lots of!) money, but having strange messages sent on your b...

  12. On the Perpetual American Put Options for Level Dependent Volatility Models with Jumps

    OpenAIRE

    Bayraktar, Erhan

    2007-01-01

    We prove that the perpetual American put option price of level dependent volatility model with compound Poisson jumps is convex and is the classical solution of its associated quasi-variational inequality, that it is $C^2$ except at the stopping boundary and that it is $C^1$ everywhere (i.e. the smooth pasting condition always holds).

  13. Chance and strategy in search processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreau, M; Bénichou, O; Loverdo, C; Voituriez, R

    2009-01-01

    We consider a searcher in quest of a target in two situations: in the presence of an infinite number of identical, Poisson distributed targets, and in the presence of a unique target in a finite territory. The searcher alternates intensive search phases, during which it scans the neighbouring territory but does not move, and displacement phases with no target detection. We study the problem of determining the best strategy of displacement for minimizing the mean search time: either a deterministic or a stochastic trajectory. With a reasonable simplifying hypothesis, we show that for Poisson distributed targets, deterministic, self-avoiding trajectories are more efficient than stochastic ones if the detection process involves no memory skills and can be modelled by a Markov process. In contrast, if the detection process is not Markovian, it can be better for the searcher to follow a stochastic trajectory rather than a self-avoiding trajectory, and we give an explicit example of such a memory law. In the case of a unique target, self-avoiding trajectories are always better if an infinite time is available for the search, whereas stochastic trajectories can be more efficient if the searcher has to find the target before a given deadline. Moreover, we show that the gain due to a deterministic trajectory, compared to a stochastic one, is not significant in the case of a large network containing a unique target. Additionally, for various examples of displacement trajectories, we compute the overall mean search time and study its minimization as a function of the mean duration of the detection process

  14. A Study of Families’ Experiences of Putting Their Elders in Nursing Homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farahnaz Chireh Hafshjani

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the major challenges facing society today is increasing proportion of its elderly population. Nowadays, elderliness along with its all psychological, socio-cultural, ideological and economic aspects have become a serious and challenging issue affecting families in developing and developed countries. Thus, the current study aimed to examine families’ experiences of putting their elders in nursing homes. A phenomenological research method was employed to pursue this qualitative study. The samples of the study were selected through purposive sampling method; and data collection proceeded until it reached to the data saturation within 10 participants. The instruments adopted by the researcher include note-taking and in-depth and unstructured interviews with the families of the elderly who put their elders in nursing homes. The obtained data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step process of analysis. The four general themes derived include isolation, peace, abusiveness, children’s inability to look after their elders and guilty conscience; each of which contained some sub-themes. According to the results, it is essential to take the social, economic and health support of the elderly into consideration and to provide the necessary context for improving the life quality of the elderly residing in nursing homes through formulating, planning and making appropriate policies.

  15. Gross motor skills in toddlers: Prevalence and socio-demographic differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldman, Sanne L C; Jones, Rachel A; Santos, Rute; Sousa-Sá, Eduarda; Okely, Anthony D

    2018-05-19

    Gross motor skills (GMS) are a vital component of a child's development. Monitoring levels and correlates of GMS is important to ensure appropriate strategies are put in place to promote these skills in young children. The aim of this study was to describe the current level of GMS development of children aged 11-29months and how these levels differ by age, sex, BMI and socio-economic status. Cross-sectional study. This study involved children from 30 childcare services in NSW, Australia. GMS were assessed using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition. Prevalence was reported using the gross motor quotient and both raw and standard scores for locomotor, object manipulation and stationary subtests. Socio-demographics were collected via parent questionnaires. Analyses included t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA and linear regression models. This study included 335 children (mean age=19.80±4.08months, 53.9% boys). For the gross motor quotient, 23.3% of the children scored below average. For the GMS subtests, 34.3% of children scored below average for locomotion, 10.1% for object manipulation and 0.3% for stationary. Boys were more proficient in object manipulation than girls (p=0.001). GMS were negatively associated with age and a higher socio-economic status (all pstudy to show the prevalence of below average at locomotor skills in toddlers is higher than reported in normative samples. Early commencement of GMS promotion is recommended with a focus on locomotor skills and girls' object manipulation skills. Copyright © 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. "Putting My Man Face on": A Grounded Theory of College Men's Gender Identity Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Keith E.; Jones, Susan R.

    2009-01-01

    The theory that emerged from this constructivist grounded theory study of 10 college men's experiences depicts their gender identity as developed through constant interaction with society's expectations of them as men. In order to try to meet these perceived expectations, participants described putting on a performance that was like wearing a mask…

  17. Regularity of the exercise boundary for American put options on assets with discrete dividends

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jourdain, B.; Vellekoop, M.

    2009-01-01

    We analyze the regularity of the optimal exercise boundary for the American Put option when the underlying asset pays a discrete dividend at a known time td during the lifetime of the option. The ex-dividend asset price process is assumed to follow Black-Scholes dynamics and the dividend amount is a

  18. Putting science at the heart of European policy

    CERN Multimedia

    2015-01-01

    One year ago, the incoming European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker shocked the scientific world by scrapping the post of Chief Scientific Advisor. This week, the Commission made amends by launching a well-considered Scientific Advisory Mechanism (SAM) that not only puts science back at the heart of policy, but does so in a much more structured and robust way than conferring such responsibility on a single individual.     The SAM has two independent strands: an advisory group of seven scientists, and funding through the Horizon 2020 programme for national academies and learned societies to network and collaborate on policy issues. Both are backed up by a secretariat at Commission headquarters in Brussels. When Mr Juncker scrapped the role of Chief Scientific Advisor, it was against a backdrop of sometimes vitriolic attacks on the incumbent, Anne Glover, due to her outspoken views on GMOs. Mr Juncker’s move was seen by some as simply giving in to a powerful lob...

  19. Case studies in control putting theory to work

    CERN Document Server

    Juričić, Đani

    2013-01-01

    Case Studies in Control presents a framework to facilitate the use of advanced control concepts in real systems based on two decades of research and over 150 successful applications for industrial end-users from various backgrounds. In successive parts the text approaches the problem of putting the theory to work from both ends, theoretical and practical. The first part begins with a stress on solid control theory and the shaping of that theory to solve particular instances of practical problems. It emphasizes the need to establish by experiment whether a model-derived solution will perform properly in reality. The second part focuses on real industrial applications based on the needs and requirements of end-users. Here, the engineering approach is dominant but with theoretical input of varying degree depending on the particular process involved. Following the illustrations of the progress that can be made from either extreme of the well-known theory–practice divide, the text proceeds to a third part relate...

  20. Evaluation of off-type grasses in hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) putting greens using genotyping-by-sequencing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Use of hybrid ultradwarf bermudagrasses (UDBG; Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) on golf course putting greens is increasing in the southern United States. However, off-type grasses within many putting surfaces have been observed. To explore the genetic variation among UD...

  1. A national survey of the prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminths in Malaŵi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaba Bina

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Past estimates have put the prevalence of schistosomiasis between 40% and 50% in the Malawi population overall based on studies undertaken ten years or more ago. More recent surveys in known high risk areas find similar levels. However control measures, changing ecology and migration may have led to changes in the prevalence of schistosomiasis in different parts of Malawi. A national schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH survey was undertaken to measure the distribution, prevalence and intensity of infection in November 2002. Methods A school was selected randomly from a random sample of 30 Traditional Authorities stratified by six distinct ecological zones, and 1,664 year 3 pupils (9–10 year olds were questioned about recent illnesses and "red urine". Samples of urine and faeces were examined for the presence of eggs using the standard Kato-Katz technique for soil-transmitted helminths and intestinal schistosomiasis and urine samples using the filtration technique for Schistosoma haematobium. Results The prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni is 0.4% (95% CI 0–1.3%, S. haematobium 6.9% (95% CI 1.9 – 11.9%, hookworm 1.3% (95% CI 0.4–2.3%, Ascariasis 0.5% (95% CI 0.1–1.0% and trichuriasis 0% in year 3 pupils (modal age 10 years of age. Intensity of infection is low for all infections except for 2.5% who have high intensity S. haematobium infection. The "red urine" question is 67% sensitive and 80% specific for positive S. haematobium microscopy. Conclusions The reduction in prevalences may be real as a result of recent control measures, or false if historical results were based on surveys of high risk populations. Another explanation is that this survey used an unrepresentative sample of schools. Detailed analysis suggests this is unlikely. Recommendations include the use of a 30% positive threshold for the "red urine" screening question to be used in schoolchildren in high prevalence areas. This survey

  2. Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Patrick; Regenstein, Elliot

    2012-01-01

    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and mathematics represent a sea change in standards-based reform and their implementation is the movement's next--and greatest--challenge. Yet, while most states have now set forth implementation plans, these tomes seldom address the crucial matter of cost. Putting a Price Tag on the…

  3. Estimation of HPV prevalence in young women in Scotland; monitoring of future vaccine impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanagh, Kimberley; Sinka, Katy; Cuschieri, Kate; Love, John; Potts, Alison; Pollock, Kevin G J; Cubie, Heather; Donaghy, Martin; Robertson, Chris

    2013-11-05

    Estimation of pre-immunisation prevalence of HPV and distribution of HPV types is fundamental to understanding the subsequent impact of HPV vaccination. We describe the type specific prevalence of HPV in females aged 20-21 in Scotland who attended or defaulted from cervical screening using three specimen types; from attenders liquid based cytology and from defaulters urine or self-taken swabs. Residual liquid based cytology samples (n = 2148), collected from women aged 20-21 attending for their first smear were genotyped for HPV. A sample (n = 709) from women who had defaulted from screening was also made available for HPV testing through the use of postal testing kits (either urine samples (n = 378) or self-taken swabs (n = 331)). Estimates of prevalence weighted by deprivation, and for the postal testing kit, also by reminder status and specimen type were calculated for each HPV type. The distribution of HPV types were compared between specimen types and the occurrence of multiple high-risk infections examined. The influence of demographic factors on high-risk HPV positivity and multiple infections was examined via logistic regression. The prevalence of any HPV in young women aged 20-21 was 32.2% for urine, 39.5% for self-taken swab, and 49.4% for LBC specimens. Infection with vaccine specific types (HPV 16, 18) or those associated with cross-protection (HPV 31, 33, 45, 51) was common. Individuals were more likely to test positive for high-risk HPV if they resided in an area of high deprivation or in a rural area. The overall distribution of HPV types did not vary between defaulters and attenders. Multiple infections occurred in 48.1% of high-risk HPV positive individuals. Excluding vaccine types the most common pairing was HPV 56 and 66. Understanding of the pre-immunisation prevalence of HPV in young women puts Scotland in a prime position to assess the early effect of vaccination as the first highly vaccinated cohorts of individuals enter the screening

  4. Avulsion of the Lesser Trochanter Following a Shot Put Sport Session

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed H. Grissa

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Avulsion of the lesser trochanter is an uncommon injury. In children and adolescents it usually occurs as a sports injury via traumatic avulsion of the psoas major tendon. In adults, isolated fractures of the lesser trochanter are most commonly pathological due to metastatic tumor invasion of the proximal femur. This case report documents how a 14-year-old boy, who presented with an avulsion of the lesser trochanter of the proximal femur following a seemingly atraumatic shot put session at a track and field event, was diagnosed and successfully treated with a conservative approach.

  5. Putting the horse before the cart: a pragmatist analysis of knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luís M. Augusto

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The definition of knowledge as justified true belief is the best we presently have. However, the canonical tripartite analysis of knowledge does not do justice to it due to a Platonic conception of a priori truth that puts the cart before the horse. Within a pragmatic approach, I argue that by doing away with a priori truth, namely by submitting truth to justification, and by accordingly altering the canonical analysis of knowledge, this is a fruitful definition. So fruitful indeed that it renders the Gettier counterexamples vacuous, allowing positive work in epistemology and related disciplines.

  6. Intermittent search strategies revisited: effect of the jump length and biased motion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rojo, F; Budde, C E [Fa.M.A.F., Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Ciudad Universitaria, X5000HUA Cordoba (Argentina); Revelli, J; Wio, H S [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria and CSIC, E-39005 Santander (Spain); Oshanin, G [Laboratoire de Physique Theorique de la Matiere Condensee, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 5 (France); Lindenberg, Katja [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0340 (United States)

    2010-08-27

    We study the kinetics of a search of a single fixed target by a large number of searchers performing an intermittent biased random walk in a homogeneous medium. Our searchers carry out their walks in one of two states between which they switch randomly. One of these states (search phase) is a nearest-neighbor walk characterized by the probability of stepping in a given direction (i.e. the walks in this state are not necessarily isotropic). The other (relocation phase) is characterized by the length of the jumps (i.e. when in this state a walker does not perform a nearest-neighbor walk). Within such a framework, we propose a model to describe the searchers' dynamics, generalizing results of our previous work. We have obtained, and numerically evaluated, analytic results for the mean number of distinct sites visited up to a maximum evolution time. We have studied the dependence of this quantity on both the transition probability between the states and the parameters that characterize each state. In addition to our theoretical approach, we have implemented Monte Carlo simulations, finding excellent agreement between the theoretical-numerical and simulations results.

  7. Intermittent search strategies revisited: effect of the jump length and biased motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rojo, F; Budde, C E; Revelli, J; Wio, H S; Oshanin, G; Lindenberg, Katja

    2010-01-01

    We study the kinetics of a search of a single fixed target by a large number of searchers performing an intermittent biased random walk in a homogeneous medium. Our searchers carry out their walks in one of two states between which they switch randomly. One of these states (search phase) is a nearest-neighbor walk characterized by the probability of stepping in a given direction (i.e. the walks in this state are not necessarily isotropic). The other (relocation phase) is characterized by the length of the jumps (i.e. when in this state a walker does not perform a nearest-neighbor walk). Within such a framework, we propose a model to describe the searchers' dynamics, generalizing results of our previous work. We have obtained, and numerically evaluated, analytic results for the mean number of distinct sites visited up to a maximum evolution time. We have studied the dependence of this quantity on both the transition probability between the states and the parameters that characterize each state. In addition to our theoretical approach, we have implemented Monte Carlo simulations, finding excellent agreement between the theoretical-numerical and simulations results.

  8. Putting conflict management into practice: a nursing case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vivar, Cristina García

    2006-04-01

    This paper is intended to put knowledge in conflict management into practice through reflecting on a nursing case study. Nursing organizations are particularly vulnerable to conflict as the context of nurses' work may be difficult and stressful. Power conflict is argued to be an important source of tension within nursing units. Learning to manage conflict at an early stage is therefore crucial to the effective functioning of nursing organizations. A nursing case study that illustrates power conflict in an oncology nursing unit is displayed and reflection on conflict management from the case is provided. There is no appropriate or inappropriate strategy to deal with conflict. However, detecting initial symptoms of conflict and adopting the most effective behaviour to conflict resolution is essential in nursing units. Further nursing education in conflict management for staff nurses and nurse managers is greatly needed.

  9. Major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder in Korean subway drivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyoung-Ryoul; Yim, Hyeon Woo; Jo, Sun-Jin; Choi, Bongkyoo; Jeong, Seung Hee; Lee, Kang Sook; Park, Jong-Ik; Chang, Sung Man

    2013-05-01

    The purposes of this study are to investigate the prevalence of major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean subway drivers, and find the association between these disorders and the drivers' person-under-train (PUT) experiences. A total of 826 subway drivers who participated in a cross-sectional work and health survey were included for this study. The Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 was applied to assess major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and PTSD. The date of PUT, whether victim died, and how many PUTs the drivers experienced were asked using a structured questionnaire. The standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) for lifetime prevalence of panic disorder and PTSD in subway drivers were 13.3 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 6.6-22.4) and 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1-3.4), respectively. In lifetime prevalence, after adjusting for age, education, income, and working career, the drivers who experienced PUT had significantly higher risks for panic disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 4.2, 95 % CI 1.2-16.6) and PTSD (OR = 4.4, 95 % CI 1.3-16.4). In 1-year prevalence, the drivers who experienced PUT had a significantly higher risk for PTSD (OR = 11.7, 95 % CI 1.9-225.8). There was no significant value of SPR and OR in major depressive disorder. This study suggests that Korean subway drivers are at higher risk for panic disorder and PTSD compared to the general population, and PUT experience is associated with panic disorder and PTSD. Drivers who have experienced PUT should be treated quickly, sympathetically, and sensitively by a psychological professional and their colleagues, so they can return to work soon.

  10. Protests put top job for ex-CERN boss in limbo

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-02-01

    When Luciano Maiani was selected by the Italian government at the end of December to run the country's largest research organization, the National Research Council (CNR), his appointment seemed a formality. His nomination was warmly welcomed by Italian researchers, who believe that his scientific credentials and administrative experience make him the ideal person to try and turn round the demoralized and bureaucratic CNR, and minister for universities and research, Fabio Mussi, extolled his virtues. But as Physics World went to press, Maiani's appointment remained in limbo, with the members of parliament previously expected to rubber stamp the selection putting their decision on hold after discovering that Maiani was one of the 66 letter writers asking for the Pope's visit to be annulled.

  11. Putting Qumran, Jesus and his movement into relief

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eben Scheffler

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available After referring briefly to the fantasies regarding the origins of Christianity as elicited by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 (Dupont-Sommer, Allegro, Thiering, the purpose of the contribution is to put the Jesus movement into relief in the context of first-century Judaism. The identity of the Qumranites is argued to be Essene scribes. The identity, ideology and practices of the latter are compared with those of Jesus of Nazareth and the movement he elicited using the following rubrics: (1 Jesus, the teacher of righteousness and the powers that be; (2 asceticism versus itinerary charismaticism; (3 caring versus lack of caring for the sick, poor and marginalised; (4 elitist priests and scribes versus lower-class peasants; (5 the interpretation of the law; (6 religious and daily practices (baptism, ritual meal, sacrifice, prayer, community of possessions, scribal activity; (7 religious views or ideology (kingdom of God, the new covenant, light and darkness, politics. The result is a picture of Jesus (with his focus on human suffering in sharp relief versus Qumran and facets of the early church.

  12. ALICE TPC gas system is the first of the LHC experiments to be put on line

    CERN Document Server

    Maximilien Brice

    2006-01-01

    Picture 01 : the Physics Department's DT1 gas systems team in their laboratory. Picture 02 : Chilo Garabatos (ALICE) and Stefan Haider (PH-DT1-GS) in front of the gas system for the ALICE TPC which has just been put on line.

  13. Genotypic and phenotypic evaluation of off-type grasses in hybrid Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] putting greens using genotyping-by-sequencing and morphological characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reasor, Eric H; Brosnan, James T; Staton, Margaret E; Lane, Thomas; Trigiano, Robert N; Wadl, Phillip A; Conner, Joann A; Schwartz, Brian M

    2018-01-01

    Interspecific hybrid bermudagrass [ Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] is one of the most widely used grasses on golf courses, with cultivars derived from 'Tifgreen' or 'Tifdwarf' particularly used for putting greens. Many bermudagrass cultivars established for putting greens can be genetically unstable and lead to the occurrence of undesirable off-type grasses that vary in phenotype. The objective of this research was to genetically and phenotypically differentiate off-type grasses and hybrid cultivars. Beginning in 2013, off-type and desirable hybrid bermudagrass samples were collected from golf course putting greens in the southeastern United States and genetically and phenotypically characterized using genotyping-by-sequencing and morphology. Genotyping-by-sequencing determined that 11% (5) of off-type and desirable samples from putting greens were genetically divergent from standard cultivars such as Champion, MiniVerde, Tifdwarf, TifEagle, and Tifgreen. In addition, genotyping-by-sequencing was unable to genetically distinguish all standard cultivars from one another due to their similar origin and clonal propagation; however, over 90,000 potentially informative nucleotide variants were identified among the triploid hybrid cultivars. Although few genetic differences were found in this research, samples harvested from golf course putting greens had variable morphology and were clustered into three distinct phenotypic groups. The majority of off-type grasses in hybrid bermudagrass putting greens were genetically similar with variable morphological traits. Off-type grasses within golf course putting greens have the potential to compromise putting surface functionality and aesthetics.

  14. Lurking on the Internet: A Small-Group Assignment that Puts a Human Face on Psychopathology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowman, Joseph; Judge, Abigail M.; Wiss, Charles

    2010-01-01

    Lurking on the Internet aims to put a human face on psychopathology for the abnormal psychology course. Student groups are assigned major diagnostic categories and instructed to search the Internet for discussion forums, individual blogs, or YouTube videos where affected individuals discuss their symptoms and lives. After discussing the ethics of…

  15. Limitations of gaze transfer: without visual context, eye movements do not to help to coordinate joint action, whereas mouse movements do.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Romy; Helmert, Jens R; Pannasch, Sebastian

    2014-10-01

    Remote cooperation can be improved by transferring the gaze of one participant to the other. However, based on a partner's gaze, an interpretation of his communicative intention can be difficult. Thus, gaze transfer has been inferior to mouse transfer in remote spatial referencing tasks where locations had to be pointed out explicitly. Given that eye movements serve as an indicator of visual attention, it remains to be investigated whether gaze and mouse transfer differentially affect the coordination of joint action when the situation demands an understanding of the partner's search strategies. In the present study, a gaze or mouse cursor was transferred from a searcher to an assistant in a hierarchical decision task. The assistant could use this cursor to guide his movement of a window which continuously opened up the display parts the searcher needed to find the right solution. In this context, we investigated how the ease of using gaze transfer depended on whether a link could be established between the partner's eye movements and the objects he was looking at. Therefore, in addition to the searcher's cursor, the assistant either saw the positions of these objects or only a grey background. When the objects were visible, performance and the number of spoken words were similar for gaze and mouse transfer. However, without them, gaze transfer resulted in longer solution times and more verbal effort as participants relied more strongly on speech to coordinate the window movement. Moreover, an analysis of the spatio-temporal coupling of the transmitted cursor and the window indicated that when no visual object information was available, assistants confidently followed the searcher's mouse but not his gaze cursor. Once again, the results highlight the importance of carefully considering task characteristics when applying gaze transfer in remote cooperation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Geographic Prevalence and Mix of Regional Cuisines in Chinese Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingwei Zhu

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Previous research on the geographies of food put a considerable focus on analyzing how different types of food or ingredients are consumed across different places. Little is known, however, about how food culture is manifested through various cooking traditions as well as people’s perceptions over different culinary styles. Using a data set captured from one of the largest online review sites in China (www.dianping.com, this study demonstrates how geo-referenced social review data can be leveraged to better understand the geographic prevalence and mix of regional cuisines in Chinese cities. Based on information of millions of restaurants obtained in selected cities (i.e., provincial capitals and municipalities under direct supervision of the Chinese central government, we first measure by each city the diversity of restaurants that serve regional Chinese cuisines using the Shannon entropy, and analyze how cities with different characteristics are geographically distributed. A hierarchical clustering algorithm is then used to further explore the similarities of consumers’ dining options among these cities. By associating each regional Chinese cuisine to its origin, we then develop a weighted distance measure to quantify the geographic prevalence of each cuisine type. Finally, a popularity index (POPU is introduced to quantify consumers’ preferences for different regional cuisines. We find that: (1 diversity of restaurants among the cities shows an “east–west” contrast that is in general agreement with the socioeconomic divide in China; (2 most of the cities have their own unique characteristics, which are mainly driven by a large market share of the corresponding local cuisine; (3 there exists great heterogeneity of the geographic prevalence of different Chinese cuisines. In particular, Chuan and Xiang, which are famous for their spicy taste, are widely distributed across the mainland China and (4 among the top-tier restaurants ranked

  17. Putting an end to nuclear energy: why and how

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dessus, Benjamin; Laponche, Bernard

    2011-01-01

    This short book demonstrates the necessity and possibility to put an end to nuclear energy. First, it sweeps away the fallacious reasoning of nuclear supporters, like the energy independence, the safety and security aspects, the electricity cost, the greenhouse gases abatement. Then, it replaces the ending of nuclear energy in the more general framework of a worldwide energy transition, with its constraints and risks, which has become a necessity considering the geographical disparities of energy consumption. According to the author, the particular energy situation of France would lead the country to isolation and to an energy impasse while other worldwide and regional scenarios exist which would lead to exit the crisis and to reach a new energy civilization. Finally, a reasoned scenario of nuclear energy exit is proposed for France which is based on other power generation means. Such an energy transition will require some political and social conditions which are discussed. (J.S.)

  18. Putting the learner in the spotlight – Future directions for English teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne P A Swan

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper asserts that English teachers’ understanding of their professionalism enables them to ‘put the learner in the spotlight’ through their highly-developed awareness of local contexts of English use. Changing attitudes to English language teacher identity include a revaluation of the’ native-non-native speaker’ dichotomy which is fast becoming irrelevant as teachers assert new identities based on factors such as professional beliefs about their teaching, understanding their students’ needs and understanding the role of English in their contexts. In a globalising world, these aspects no longer require ‘so-called’ native speaker skills, such as pronunciation and knowledge of ‘English’ culture. In fact, dwelling at length on the issues surrounding native and non-native speaker teacher identity tends to cloud understanding of what qualities English teachers need. Interviews with multilingual teachers of English, working in a variety of countries, have revealed an understanding of the diminishing importance of the ‘native speaker’ and the concomitant growth in the confidence of the multilingual teacher. This confidence has been acquired through depth of linguistic knowledge, through observance of other cultures, and through resistance to the encroachment of English by finding a place for the language which satisfies the needs of multilingual users without requiring subservience. In discovering these strengths of multilingual teachers, I show how stepping outside the boundaries of one’s own limited environment allows English language teachers, wherever they come from, to develop a truly enlightened international professionalism which puts learners firmly in the spotlight.

  19. Correction of bias in belt transect studies of immotile objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, D.R.; Pospahala, R.S.

    1970-01-01

    Unless a correction is made, population estimates derived from a sample of belt transects will be biased if a fraction of, the individuals on the sample transects are not counted. An approach, useful for correcting this bias when sampling immotile populations using transects of a fixed width, is presented. The method assumes that a searcher's ability to find objects near the center of the transect is nearly perfect. The method utilizes a mathematical equation, estimated from the data, to represent the searcher's inability to find all objects at increasing distances from the center of the transect. An example of the analysis of data, formation of the equation, and application is presented using waterfowl nesting data collected in Colorado.

  20. Putting Leininger's nursing theory "culture care diversity and universality" into operation in the curriculum--Part 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Villiers, L; van der Wal, D

    1995-12-01

    The culturally diverse South African society necessitates inclusion of transcultural nursing in the curriculum. This article focuses on research regarding the putting of Leininger's nursing theory into operation in the curriculum to provide a scientific base for the inclusion of such nursing. The research process and results are discussed.

  1. Tourism's collapse puts Gambian women at risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coker, M S

    1995-06-01

    Despite efforts of the Gambian government, which established a ministry in 1981 that would tackle gender issues, improve women's health, and promote empowerment, women are underrepresented in government and business, and 84% are illiterate. Child mortality is among the highest in Africa; 134 children per 1000 die before their fifth birthday. In the mid-1980s austerity measures adopted by the World Bank and IMF left the ministry without funds. Rice and vegetable production, the main source of income for women, fell in the 1990s. In 1994, paddy production dropped 23% from the previous year; this was due to a lack of technical and financial assistance. The collapse of tourism with Capt. Yahya Jammeh's seizure of power has put prostitutes catering to tourists out of work, but women who have lost jobs in the hotel industry may be pushed into local prostitution to survive. The impact of this on the HIV/AIDS epidemic is unclear. Although Gambia is one of the world's most aid-dependent countries (more than a quarter of the GNP before the coup), corruption and mismanagement in the nongovernmental sector is widespread. The director of the Women in Development Programme, a $15m World Bank project, was forced to resign over allegations of fraud. The political process sidelines women; only village chiefs, who are traditionally men, are allowed to vote when new heads are elected.

  2. To put nuclear technical expertise at the service of local authorities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laffin, R.; Domeneghetti, B.

    2016-01-01

    The MARN (Mission of support for the management of the nuclear risk) was founded in 1995 to assure the interface between the actors of the nuclear world (nuclear power plant operators, ASN and IRSN) and official bodies at the national scale (ministry of interior) or local scale (prefecture). The MARN takes part in the definition of the crisis exercises and is in charge of organizing the simulation of the media pressure during the exercise. The MARN can also intervene in a real nuclear crisis and its work consists in putting into perspective the technical appreciations and recommendations of nuclear experts and to translate them into operational options for the Prefect. (A.C.)

  3. Households facing constraints. Fuel poverty put into context

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dubois, Ute; Meier, Helena

    2014-01-01

    The present paper discusses the concept of fuel poverty taking into account the arbitrages made by households when they are facing economic constraints. Fuel poverty is still lacking a common definition throughout Europe: while the UK and France have (different) official definitions, there is still no definition in a country like Germany, or at the European level. Where definitions exist, they often consider that fuel poor households have high energy needs. The possibility of being fuel poor even without having high energy needs and the various arbitrage possibilities of households - i.e. to under-spend and use too little energy - are not systematically discussed. Our paper tries to fill that gap by putting fuel poverty into the larger context of constraints faced by households. Based on a graphical analysis, it shows that different situations of fuel poverty might occur. It results in the identification of two distinct fuel poverty problems: an ''energy inequality'' problem, reflected by the fact that some households pay disproportionately high energy bills, and an ''energy affordability'' problem that can affect a larger share of the population. It finally explores the two types of fuel poverty for European countries and discusses policy implications.

  4. Putting equity center stage: challenging evidence-free reforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitehead, Margaret; Dahlgren, Göran; McIntyre, Di

    2007-01-01

    Do we have an "evidence-free zone" around the health sector reforms that have taken place over the past few decades? Certainly, many of the policy prescriptions have been based on ideology and assumptions about the likely impact of policies, rather than evidence-based. The provision of health care is increasingly treated as a commodity that can be subjected to the same prescription as other goods: privatization, competition, deregulation, decentralization. Evidence has slowly emerged over the 1990s and early 2000s on the adverse effects of these policy prescriptions on equity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, but a shift in policy is barely perceptible. There is a need for a fresh approach that puts equity center stage. A gap that must be filled is on the "demand" or "need" side: in particular, the impact of policy changes on families and communities. This article is the first in a series of eight articles that present the findings of studies that attempt to fill this gap, helping to develop a more evidence-based approach to equity and health sector policy from the users'/potential patients' perspective.

  5. Minimum Time Search in Uncertain Dynamic Domains with Complex Sensorial Platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanillos, Pablo; Besada-Portas, Eva; Lopez-Orozco, Jose Antonio; de la Cruz, Jesus Manuel

    2014-01-01

    The minimum time search in uncertain domains is a searching task, which appears in real world problems such as natural disasters and sea rescue operations, where a target has to be found, as soon as possible, by a set of sensor-equipped searchers. The automation of this task, where the time to detect the target is critical, can be achieved by new probabilistic techniques that directly minimize the Expected Time (ET) to detect a dynamic target using the observation probability models and actual observations collected by the sensors on board the searchers. The selected technique, described in algorithmic form in this paper for completeness, has only been previously partially tested with an ideal binary detection model, in spite of being designed to deal with complex non-linear/non-differential sensorial models. This paper covers the gap, testing its performance and applicability over different searching tasks with searchers equipped with different complex sensors. The sensorial models under test vary from stepped detection probabilities to continuous/discontinuous differentiable/non-differentiable detection probabilities dependent on distance, orientation, and structured maps. The analysis of the simulated results of several static and dynamic scenarios performed in this paper validates the applicability of the technique with different types of sensor models. PMID:25093345

  6. Efficient search by optimized intermittent random walks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oshanin, Gleb; Lindenberg, Katja; Wio, Horacio S; Burlatsky, Sergei

    2009-01-01

    We study the kinetics for the search of an immobile target by randomly moving searchers that detect it only upon encounter. The searchers perform intermittent random walks on a one-dimensional lattice. Each searcher can step on a nearest neighbor site with probability α or go off lattice with probability 1 - α to move in a random direction until it lands back on the lattice at a fixed distance L away from the departure point. Considering α and L as optimization parameters, we seek to enhance the chances of successful detection by minimizing the probability P N that the target remains undetected up to the maximal search time N. We show that even in this simple model, a number of very efficient search strategies can lead to a decrease of P N by orders of magnitude upon appropriate choices of α and L. We demonstrate that, in general, such optimal intermittent strategies are much more efficient than Brownian searches and are as efficient as search algorithms based on random walks with heavy-tailed Cauchy jump-length distributions. In addition, such intermittent strategies appear to be more advantageous than Levy-based ones in that they lead to more thorough exploration of visited regions in space and thus lend themselves to parallelization of the search processes.

  7. Prevalence of stuttering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porfert, A R; Rosenfield, D B

    1978-01-01

    The prevalence of stuttering in a university population was 2.1%; 3.4% were former stutterers. More men than women stuttered. Right handed female stutterers were less likely to have "lost" their stutter than were right handed males. Stutterers, past stutterers, and questionable stutterers all had a family history of stuttering. The significant prevalence of stuttering, the increased prevalence among males, the lack of a decline of this disorder over the past few decades despite the increased number of speech clinicians and data concerning handedness, emphasise the need to investigate organic causes of stuttering. PMID:731247

  8. Putting the Testing Effect to the Test. Why and When is Testing effective for Learning in Secondary School

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dirkx, Kim

    2014-01-01

    Dirkx, K. J. H. (2014, 11 April). Putting the testing effect to the test. Why and when is testing effective for learning in secondary school. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Heerlen: Open University of the Netherlands

  9. Superconductors. Applications to electronics and electro-technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baixeras, J.

    1998-01-01

    This book replaces superconductivity in its historical background and gives the current and potential applications of superconductors. It is devoted to searchers, engineers and engineer students. (O.M.)

  10. 78 FR 53677 - Safety Zone; Battle of Lake Erie Fireworks, Lake Erie, Put-In-Bay, OH

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-30

    ... Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks. This rule is not an economically significant rule and does not create an environmental risk to health or risk to safety that may disproportionately affect children. 11... of fireworks in the vicinity of Put-In-Bay, OH on September 1, 2013. The Captain of the Port Detroit...

  11. 4-10 December's Young searchers' meeting days

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besse, Adrien; Abdel Khalek, Samah; Basara, Laurent; Schwoerer, Maud; Bernard, Guilhem; Martin-Burtart, Nicolas; Bouhou, Boutayeb; Zidi, Mohamed Sadok; Cellier-Holzem, Flora; Sanselme, Lilian; Leong, Lou Sai; Bonnand, Romain; Sounalet, Thomas; Marchand, Benoit; David, Sabes; Coste, Benoit; Dbeyssi, Alaa; Bertella, Claudia; Biteau, Jonathan; Zabi, Alexandre; Ponthieu, Nicolas; Heller, Matthieu; Hadjidakis, Cynthia; Chabod, Sebastien; Valencia Palomo, Lizardo; Bernat, Pauline; Da Silva, Jonathan; Louedec, Karim; Roa Romero, Diego Alejandro; Amouroux, Charlotte; Tartare, Mathieu; Daci, Nadir; Nguyen, Chi Linh; Espitalier, Gregory; Guilbaud, Maxime; Barrillon, Pierre; Khelifi, Bruno; Chabert, Eric; Clement, Emmanuel; Bongard, Sebastien; Ferrero, Andrea; Cossin, Isabelle; Torres Machado, Diego; Blondel, Sophie; Beaupere, Nicolas; Akar, Simon; Teinturier, Marthe; Davignon, Olivier; Paredes, Daniela; Hurier, Guillaume; Zambelli, Laura; Martin Sanchez, Alexandra; Rigault, Mickael

    2011-12-01

    This publication gathers 51 contributions made by PhD students and session coordinators on traditional topics (astro-particles, cosmology, standard model) and on instrumentation, neutrinos, nuclear physics and hadronics. As far as astro-particles are concerned, the subjects were: Life and work of astro-particles; Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 02, a particle sensor on the International Space Station; Anisotropy of cosmic radiation between 10 GeV and 100 TeV; H.E.S.S. and the cosmic accelerators called blazars; Ultra-high energy neutrinos at the Pierre Auger Laboratory; Autonomous radio-detection of high-energy cosmic rays with Codalema. The second theme was 'Beyond the standard model': Physics beyond the standard model; Probing the photon helicity: from BABAR to LHCb; The search for a new physics in the t t invariant mass spectrum with the CMS experiment; To connect supersymmetry and dark matter; Fine tuning in the NMSSM according to the results at 1fb"-"1 of the LHC; Search for new physics in events with 4 top quarks in the ATLAS experiment. For cosmology: Cosmological context; Physical properties of type Ia supernovae, the contribution of SNLS and SNFactory experiments; Reconstruction and analysis of the Sungaev-Zel'dovich effect with Planck; Local host galaxy properties of type Ia supernovae from the Nearby SuperNovae Factory; Observational cosmology with the Planck satellite: the re-ionization. For instrumentation: Introduction to instrumentation; ALFA, Absolute Luminosity For Atlas; Development of the mirrors for the second generation gravitational waves detector Advanced Virgo; EASIER, a radio detector at the Pierre Auger Laboratory; Spectral analysis algorithms in on-board gamma spectrometry; For the Standard Model: Introduction to the session; Triggering optimisation on electrons in CMS; The search for the Higgs boson in the process of vector boson fusion production and study of photon trigger with ATLAS at the LHC; Analysis of the Charmless decay B"0 → ρπ in the LHCb experiment; Correction of radiations in the final state in H → ZZ"* → 4I; Towards a measurement of the γ angle of the CKM theory via the B"0 → D"0K"+"0 disintegration with the LHCb detector; Measurement of the photon pair production cross section in the LHC with the ATLAS detector; The search for the Higgs in the 4-electron channel in ATLAS; Search for the Higgs boson in the H → γγ decay channel with the ATLAS detector. For neutrinos: Neutrino physics; The search for the double β disintegration without neutrino emission in the NEMO experiments; Coincident searches between gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos with the ANTARES and LIGO/Virgo detectors; Use of the NA61-SHINE data to improve the prediction of the neutrino beam at T2K. For hadronic physics: A phenomenological study of helicity amplitudes of high energy exclusive lepto-production of the ρ-meson; Proton antiproton annihilation into heavy leptons at PANDA experiment; Study of the density of particles charged in collisions of heavy ions in the ALICE experiment at the LHC; Photon + heavy-flavor jet production at Tevatron and LHC; Quarkonium production in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions with the ALICE experiment at the LHC; Loop calculations in gage theories. The last theme was nuclear physics and applications: Introduction to the session; Measurement of mass yields of the reaction "2"4"1Am(2n,f) at the Lohengrin spectrometer; Xenon mobility in uranium dioxide; Ga-Ni coating obtained by electrodeposition in chloride environment

  12. Prevalência de asma em escolares Prevalence of asthama in schoolchildren

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio J. Amorim

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: avaliar a prevalência dos sintomas e da doença de asma em crianças, em razão da alta freqüência de pacientes pediátricos com sintomas sugestivos da doença e da falta de dados de prevalência nesta população. MÉTODOS: Num estudo transversal, foram avaliados 2.735 escolares na faixa etária de 6-7 anos (crianças e 3.509 na de 13-14 anos (adolescentes, escolhidos por amostragem aleatória. Os dados foram coletados em 1998-99 utilizando-se o questionário escrito traduzido do International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC, previamente testado e validado. O questionário dirigido às crianças foi respondido pelos seus responsáveis, enquanto os adolescentes responderam em sala de aula. Os dados foram transcritos e analisados pelo programa EPI-info. RESULTADOS: Taxa de devolução: 73,2% (6-7 anos e 94% (13-14 anos. Prevalência dos sintomas nas crianças e adolescentes: sibilos alguma vez, 46,7% e 44,3% (p OBJECTIVE: to assess the prevalence of asthma symptoms and of asthma in children due to the high frequency of pediatrics patients with symptoms suggestive of the disease and to the lack of data regarding prevalence of asthma in this population. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study with 2,735 school-age children aged 6-7 years and 3,509 adolescents aged 13-14 years selected by random sampling. Data were collected between 1998 and 1999 using a translated version of the questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children, which has been previously tested and approved. Guardians were responsible for answering the questionnaire of younger children, whereas adolescents answered their own, in classroom. The data were computed and analyzed using EPI-info software. RESULTS: The response rates for questionnaires were 73.2% (6-7-years old and 94% (13-14 years old. The prevalence of symptoms in children and adolescents were, respectively: wheezing ever 46.7% and 44.3% (P<0.05; wheezing

  13. Reliability of an experimental method to analyse the impact point on a golf ball during putting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Ashley K; Mitchell, Andrew C S; Hughes, Gerwyn

    2015-06-01

    This study aimed to examine the reliability of an experimental method identifying the location of the impact point on a golf ball during putting. Forty trials were completed using a mechanical putting robot set to reproduce a putt of 3.2 m, with four different putter-ball combinations. After locating the centre of the dimple pattern (centroid) the following variables were tested; distance of the impact point from the centroid, angle of the impact point from the centroid and distance of the impact point from the centroid derived from the X, Y coordinates. Good to excellent reliability was demonstrated in all impact variables reflected in very strong relative (ICC = 0.98-1.00) and absolute reliability (SEM% = 0.9-4.3%). The highest SEM% observed was 7% for the angle of the impact point from the centroid. In conclusion, the experimental method was shown to be reliable at locating the centroid location of a golf ball, therefore allowing for the identification of the point of impact with the putter head and is suitable for use in subsequent studies.

  14. Putting your human resource department to work for you.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McConnell, C R

    1991-06-01

    As a staff function, human resources is organized as a service activity. Service activities render no patient care; they do not advance the work of the organization. However, they support the performance of the organization's work and in a practical sense become necessary. For example, if a pure service, such as building maintenance, did not exist, the facility's physical plant would gradually self-destruct. Similarly, without human resources to see to the maintenance of the work force, the overall suitability and capability of that work force will steadily erode. Recognize human resources for what it is--an essential service function required to help the organization run as efficiently as possible. Learn what the HR department does, and especially learn why the department does what it does. Provide input to the human resource department. Forge a continuing working relationship with the HR department, making it clear that you expect service from this essential service department. Challenge the HR department to do more, to do better, and to continually improve service--and put the human resource department to work for you and your employees.

  15. Super Searchers on Madison Avenue: Top Advertising and Marketing Professionals Share Their Online Research Strategies. Super Searchers, Volume XI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villamora, Grace Avellana

    This book presents interviews with 13 research professionals that contain favorite online search strategies and research tools, anecdotes, "how to" survival tips, and best-practice examples. The appendix lists referenced sites and sources in the following categories: (1) online resources; (2) books, annuals, newsletters, magazines, and…

  16. A prevalência de fibromialgia: uma revisão de literatura The prevalence of fibromyalgia: a literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alane B. Cavalcante

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO INTRODUÇÃO E OBJETIVO: este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma revisão da literatura sobre a prevalência da fibromialgia (FM na população a partir dos critérios propostos pelo American College of Rheumatology (ACR. MÉTODOS: foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico do período de 1990 a 2005 nas bases de dados MedLine, Lilacs, Embase e ISI. Foram utilizadas as palavras-chave "fibromialgia" e "prevalência" e as correspondentes em inglês, "fibromyalgia" e "prevalence". Foram selecionados 97 artigos e, após leitura dos resumos, foram excluídos os que se referiam à prevalência em doenças. Somente 30 abordavam o tema prevalência da fibromialgia na população. Os artigos selecionados foram agrupados em cinco categorias: a prevalência da FM em populações adultas; b prevalência da FM em mulheres; c prevalência da FM em crianças e adolescentes; d prevalência da FM em populações específicas; e prevalência de dor crônica e difusa na população, segundo os critérios do ACR. RESULTADOS: a literatura aponta a prevalência da FM na população com valores entre 0,66 e 4,4%, sendo mais prevalente em mulheres do que em homens, especialmente na faixa etária entre 35 e 60 anos. Os estudos com crianças e adolescentes e em grupos especiais são escassos e pouco conclusivos. A prevalência de dor crônica difusa na população em geral também tem poucos estudos, com valores entre 11 e 13%. CONCLUSÃO: mais estudos sobre prevalência de dor crônica e difusa devem ser estimulados, assim como os de prevalência na população adulta, crianças e jovens.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the literature concerning of the prevalence of fibromyalgia in general population using the criteria from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR. METHODS: The literature envolved the period of 1990 to 2005, in the databases Medline, Lilacs, Embase and ISI. The keywords "fibromialgia" and "prevalência" and

  17. Habitat properties are key drivers of Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) prevalence in Ixodes ricinus populations of deciduous forest fragments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrmann, Steffen; Ruyts, Sanne C; Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael; Bauhus, Jürgen; Brunet, Jörg; Cousins, Sara A O; Deconchat, Marc; Decocq, Guillaume; De Frenne, Pieter; De Smedt, Pallieter; Diekmann, Martin; Gallet-Moron, Emilie; Gärtner, Stefanie; Hansen, Karin; Kolb, Annette; Lenoir, Jonathan; Lindgren, Jessica; Naaf, Tobias; Paal, Taavi; Panning, Marcus; Prinz, Maren; Valdés, Alicia; Verheyen, Kris; Wulf, Monika; Liira, Jaan

    2018-01-08

    and their hosts and hence the transmission likelihood. Diluting effects of more diverse habitat patches would pose another reason to maintain or restore high biodiversity in forest patches of rural landscapes. We suggest classifying habitat patches by their regulating services as dilution and amplification habitat, which predominantly either decrease or increase B. burgdorferi prevalence at local and landscape scale and hence LB risk. Particular emphasis on promoting LB-diluting properties should be put on the management of those habitats that are frequently used by humans. In the light of these findings, climate change may be of little concern for LB risk at local scales, but this should be evaluated further.

  18. Training in virtual environments: putting theory into practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moskaliuk, Johannes; Bertram, Johanna; Cress, Ulrike

    2013-01-01

    Virtual training environments are used when training in reality is challenging because of the high costs, danger, time or effort involved. In this paper we argue for a theory-driven development of such environments, with the aim of connecting theory to practice and ensuring that the training provided fits the needs of the trained persons and their organisations. As an example, we describe the development of VirtualPolice (ViPOL), a training environment for police officers in a federal state of Germany. We provided the theoretical foundation for ViPOL concerning the feeling of being present, social context, learning motivation and perspective-taking. We developed a framework to put theory into practice. To evaluate our framework we interviewed the stakeholders of ViPOL and surveyed current challenges and limitations of virtual training. The results led to a review of a theory-into-practice framework which is presented in the conclusion. Feeling of presence, social context, learning motivation and perspective-taking are relevant for training in virtual environments. The theory-into-practice framework presented here supports developers and trainers in implementing virtual training tools. The framework was validated with an interview study of stakeholders of a virtual training project. We identified limitations, opportunities and challenges.

  19. Households facing constraints. Fuel poverty put into context

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dubois, Ute [ISG Business School, Paris (France); Meier, Helena [Koeln Univ. (Germany). Energiewirtschaftliches Inst.

    2014-02-15

    The present paper discusses the concept of fuel poverty taking into account the arbitrages made by households when they are facing economic constraints. Fuel poverty is still lacking a common definition throughout Europe: while the UK and France have (different) official definitions, there is still no definition in a country like Germany, or at the European level. Where definitions exist, they often consider that fuel poor households have high energy needs. The possibility of being fuel poor even without having high energy needs and the various arbitrage possibilities of households - i.e. to under-spend and use too little energy - are not systematically discussed. Our paper tries to fill that gap by putting fuel poverty into the larger context of constraints faced by households. Based on a graphical analysis, it shows that different situations of fuel poverty might occur. It results in the identification of two distinct fuel poverty problems: an ''energy inequality'' problem, reflected by the fact that some households pay disproportionately high energy bills, and an ''energy affordability'' problem that can affect a larger share of the population. It finally explores the two types of fuel poverty for European countries and discusses policy implications.

  20. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Hydatidiform Mole among Patients Undergoing Uterine Evacuation at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivier Mulisya

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with hydatidiform molar gestations amongst patients undergoing uterine evacuation at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH, Mbarara, Uganda. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study carried out from November 2016 to February 2017. All patients admitted for uterine evacuation for nonviable pregnancy were included. The study registered 181 patients. Data were collected on sociodemographics, medical conditions, obstetrics, and gynecological factors. The evacuated tissue received a full gross and histopathologic examination. Cases of pathologically suspected complete hydatidiform mole were confirmed by p57 immunohistochemistry. Data were analyzed using STATA 13. Results. The prevalence of hydatidiform mole was 6.1% (11/181. All detected moles were complete hydatidiform moles, and there were no diagnosed partial hydatidiform moles. Clinical diagnosis of molar pregnancy was suspected in 13 patients, but only 69.2% (9/13 were confirmed as molar pregnancies histologically. Two cases were clinically unsuspected. Factors that had a significant relationship with complete hydatidiform mole included maternal age of 35 years and above (aOR 13.5; CI: 1.46–125.31; p=0.00, gestational age beyond the first trimester at the time of uterine evacuation (aOR 6.2; CI: 1.07–36.14; p=0.04, and history of previous abortion (aOR 4.3; CI: 1.00–18.57; p=0.05. Conclusion. The prevalence of complete hydatidiform mole was high at 6.1%. Associated risk factors included advanced maternal age (35 years and above, history of previous abortions, and gestational age beyond the first trimester at the time of evacuations. Recommendations. We recommend putting in place capacity to do routine histopathological examination of all products of conception especially those at high risk for a molar gestation either by clinical suspicion or by risk factors including advanced maternal age, advanced gestational

  1. Smoking prevalence among qualified nurses in the Republic of Ireland and their role in smoking cessation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donovan, Geraldine

    2009-06-01

    Smoking is the leading preventable cause of premature mortality, killing approximately 6000 people in Ireland each year. On 29 March 2004, the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants. This study took place after the introduction of this smoking ban. An admission to hospital provides an opportunity to help people stop smoking. Nurses' role and wide availability puts them in a prime position to encourage people to quit smoking. To examine the smoking prevalence among qualified nurses at a large university teaching hospital in Cork Southern Ireland and their role in smoking cessation. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using a calculated sample of 430 qualified nurses (with a 70% response rate). A structured questionnaire was used. It was found that 21% (n = 63) of nurses were smokers, 23% (n = 70) were ex-smokers and 56% (n = 167) were non-smokers. The highest prevalence of smokers was found in the age groups 20-25 years (28%, n = 17) and 26-30 years (34%, n = 21). Nurses working within psychiatric care (47.4%) and coronary care (33.3%) had the highest smoking prevalence among the nurses who smoked. The study found that there was a significant difference between the attitudes of smokers and non-smokers, 89% (n = 211) of non-smokers strongly agreed that cigarette smoke represents a major risk to health in comparison with only 65% (n = 41) of smokers. Only 14% (n = 43) of the nurses surveyed had received training in smoking cessation. Lack of time (74%) and lack of training (65%) were the two main reasons given by nurses for not giving smoking cessation advice to patients. Nurses' potential in preventive health care has been largely under-utilized. Lack of time and training are major factors inhibiting nurses' role in smoking cessation with their patients.

  2. Where to put your money to get their money: a bank advertising awareness study

    OpenAIRE

    James B. Bexley; Karen Sherrill

    2017-01-01

    Commercial banks have many options when selecting an advertising medium. Where should a bank put its money in order to obtain the highest return? Should this medium change based on the target audience? This paper examines a number of different mediums for bank advertising and analyzes by age and by gender the efficacy of each. The authors administered a survey to over three hundred participants of varying ages asking them if they have seen bank advertisements on television, social media or th...

  3. Prevalence of Occupational Exposure to Pathogens and Reporting Behaviour among Cypriot Nurses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios Efstathiou

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Occupational exposure to pathogens forms a major concern among nurses, the largest team among healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, international literature marks high rates of occupational exposure to pathogens among nurses. Data from these studies allow to the implementation of prevention programs to avoid such incidences.Aim:To assess the prevalence of Cypriot nurses’ occupational exposure to pathogens as well as their reporting behaviour following such incidences.Methodology: A cross sectional survey has been conducted among a convenience sample of 577 nurses, during March and May 2010.Results: Our analysis demonstrated that almost half of Cypriot nurses (48.4% had at least one incidence of occupational exposure to pathogens, with more than 20% of the exposed nurses having been exposed via more than one mode. The majority of them have made a report of the incident, according to the policy of their hospital. Main reasons for not reporting such a critical incident included being too busy and forgetfulness.Conclusions: The results indicate that exposure to pathogens among Cypriot nurses is high, a fact that puts them into danger for acquiring an infection. A risk management program should be implemented to reduce such incidents.

  4. From third degree to third generation interrogation strategies: putting science into the art of criminal interviewing

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-03-01

    tacitly suggest that a confession is the fastest and best way to end the interrogation .73 71 Ibid...Kelly, and Miller found approximately 45 percent of civilian interrogators use it as well.292 Because this percentage suggests the technique is...TO THIRD-GENERATION INTERROGATION STRATEGIES: PUTTING SCIENCE INTO THE ART OF CRIMINAL INTERVIEWING by Desmond S. O’Neill March 2017

  5. Putting children forward for epilepsy surgery: A qualitative study of UK parents' and health professionals' decision-making experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heath, Gemma; Abdin, Shanara; Begum, Rahima; Kearney, Shauna

    2016-08-01

    Against a backdrop of recommendations for increasing access to and uptake of early surgical intervention for children with medically intractable epilepsy, it is important to understand how parents and professionals decide to put children forward for epilepsy surgery and what their decisional support needs are. The aim of this study was to explore how parents and health professionals make decisions regarding putting children forward for pediatric epilepsy surgery. Individual interviews were conducted with nine parents of children who had undergone pediatric epilepsy surgery at a specialist children's hospital and ten healthcare professionals who made up the children's epilepsy surgery service multidisciplinary healthcare team (MDT). Three MDT meetings were also observed. Data were analyzed thematically. Four themes were generated from analysis of interviews with parents: presentation of surgery as a treatment option, decision-making, looking back, and interventions. Three themes were generated from analysis of interviews/observations with health professionals: triangulating information, team working, and patient and family perspectives. Parents wanted more information and support in deciding to put their child forward for epilepsy surgery. They attempted to balance the potential benefits of surgery against any risks of harm. For health professionals, a multidisciplinary approach was seen as crucial to the decision-making process. Advocating for the family was perceived to be the responsibility of nonmedical professionals. Decision-making can be supported by incorporating families into discussions regarding epilepsy surgery as a potential treatment option earlier in the process and by providing families with additional information and access to other parents with similar experiences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Medical Education and Curriculum Reform: Putting Reform Proposals in Context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Kam Yin Chan, MD, MB.BS, MHA

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to elaborate criteria by which the principles of curriculum reform can be judged. To this end, the paper presents an overview of standard critiques of medical education and examines the ways medical curriculum reforms have responded to these critiques. The paper then sets out our assessment of these curriculum reforms along three parameters: pedagogy, educational context, and knowledge status. Following on from this evaluation of recent curriculum reforms, the paper puts forward four criteria with which to gauge the adequacy medical curriculum reform. These criteria enable us to question the extent to which new curricula incorporate methods and approaches for ensuring that its substance: overcomes the traditional opposition between clinical and resource dimensions of care; emphasizes that the clinical work needs to be systematized in so far as that it feasible; promotes multi-disciplinary team work, and balances clinical autonomy with accountability to non-clinical stakeholders.

  7. Online Health Search Experience: Sentiments from South East Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anushia Inthiran

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Performing an online health search is a popular activity conducted on the Internet. Research studies from developed countries provide information on source used, type of search performed and devices used to perform the search. However, the same cannot be said about the online health information searching scene in South East Asia. Online health information searching is gaining popularity in South East Asia. Citizens in these countries are turning to the Internet to obtain health information quickly. Current research studies pertaining to online health information searching in South East Asian is limited, particularly relating to search experiences of South East Asian health searchers. Search experience is pertinent asit could deter or encourage the possibility of conducting future health searches. In this research study, a user study was conducted to describe the online search experience of South East Asian health searchers. A face to face interview with 50 participants was conducted. The interview was audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results indicate participants have positive and negative search experiences. In some cases, post search outcomes influenced the search experience. Results of this research study contribute to the growing domain of knowledge in relation to online health information searching. Results of this study also provide an understanding pertaining to the search experience of South East Asian online health searchers.

  8. Sickness presenteeism: The prevalence of coming to work while ill among paediatric resident physicians in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Kevin J; Vayalumkal, Joseph V

    2017-05-01

    Sickness presenteeism is defined as the act of attending one's job despite ill-health. Recently, physicians and other health care workers have become the focus of sickness presenteeism research, because presenteeism in this population can put patients at risk of infection. There are currently no data on this topic among physicians in Canada. The aim of this study was to investigate sickness presenteeism in paediatric resident physicians in Canada. We conducted an anonymous, online, cross-sectional survey study in which all paediatric residents in Canada were eligible. Outcomes of interest included prevalences of sickness presenteeism, sickness during the study period and voluntary self-appointed personal protective equipment use when engaging in sickness presenteeism. Response rate was 56.5% (N=323). During the previous 2 months, 61% (95% confidence interval [CI] 55.7 to 66.3) of respondents reported having experienced an illness and 59% (95% CI 53.7 to 64.5) of respondents had come to work sick. Of those who reported becoming ill during the study period, 97.0% (95% CI 94.6 to 99.4) reported coming to work while sick. There was no difference in prevalence when comparing across post-graduate year training levels. Extra personal protective equipment was used by 86% (95% CI 82.1 to 91.7) when engaging in sickness presenteeism. Sickness presenteeism is a common phenomenon among paediatric resident physicians. Our results should influence residents and supervising staff physicians to encourage appropriate self-care at home, rather than presenteeism.

  9. artificial neural network model for low strength rc beam shear capacity

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    RESEARCH PAPER. Keywords: Shear strength, reinforced concrete, Artificial Neural Network, design equations ... searchers using artificial intelligence to im- prove on theoretical ...... benefit to humanity or a waste of time?” The. Structural ...

  10. Prevalence of COPD in Copenhagen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabricius, Peder; Løkke, Anders; Marott, Jacob Louis

    2011-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: COPD is a leading cause of death worldwide; however, prevalence estimates have varied considerably in previous studies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of COPD in Copenhagen using data from the 4th examination of The Copenhagen City Heart Study......, to investigate the relationship between tobacco consumption and COPD, and to characterize the subjects with COPD with regard to BMI, dyspnoea, treatment with respiratory medication and co-morbidities. METHODS: 6236 people participated. All non-asthmatic participants aged 35 years or older with adequate lung...... function data were included for the final prevalence analyses (n = 5,299). COPD staging was done according to the GOLD criteria. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of COPD was 17.4%. The prevalence increased with age and was higher among males. 6.2% had mild COPD, 9.2% had moderate COPD, and 2.0% had severe...

  11. High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Associated Risk Factors among Employed Women in a Sunny Industrial City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassannia, Tahereh; GhaznaviRad, Ehsan; Vakili, Rosita; Taheri, Sohaila; Rezaee, Seyed Abdolrahim

    2015-01-01

    Vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern associated with the pathogenesis of several chronic disorders, particularly in women. To evaluate serum vitamin D levels and its deficiency and risk factors among employed women in a sunny industrial city. In this cross-sectional study, serum vitamin D levels, biochemical and hematological factors were assessed in 382 healthy employed women. Demographic information was collected using a standard questionnaire and data was analyzed by SPSS software. The mean vitamin D serum level was 22 ± 19.8 ng/ml. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were 62 % and 12.94 %, respectively. Deficiency was more common among younger subjects (Organizations (15 ng/ml).Vitamin D deficiency was associated with the lack of sunlight exposure at home, and taking anti-hypertensive medications. The common symptoms in deficiency condition were history of hyperlipidemia, depression, weakness, fatigue, finger tingling, leg cramps, and body and muscle pain. Moreover, LDL-cholesterol serum levels were significantly higher in the vitamin D deficiency group, with a prevalence of 40 %. The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency including depression, weakness, fatigue, tingling, leg cramps and body and muscle pain have been observed in more than 90 % after recruitment and treatment. Therefore, for improving the health and productivity of employees, a routine monitoring system for vitamin D and the other factors should be put in place.

  12. The serum bank of EuroPrevall - the prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vieths, Stefan; Reese, Gerald; Ballmer-Weber, Barbara K.; Beyer, Kerstin; Burney, Peter; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Summers, Collin; Ree, Ronald van; Mills, Clare

    2008-01-01

    EuroPrevall is an EU-funded multidisciplinary project including 62 institutions from 22 countries. EuroPrevall studies the prevalence and distribution of food allergies in infants, children, adolescents, and adults in Europe, threshold doses for allergenic foods, the role of the environment in food

  13. On perpetual American put valuation and first-passage in a regime-switching model with jumps

    OpenAIRE

    Jiang, Z.; Pistorius, M. R.

    2008-01-01

    In this paper we consider the problem of pricing a perpetual American put option in an exponential regime-switching L\\'{e}vy model. For the case of the (dense) class of phase-type jumps and finitely many regimes we derive an explicit expression for the value function. The solution of the corresponding first passage problem under a state-dependent level rests on a path transformation and a new matrix Wiener-Hopf factorization result for this class of processes.

  14. Prevalence and risk factors of periodontal disease among pre-conception Chinese women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hong; Su, Yi; Xiong, Xu; Harville, Emily; Wu, Hongqiao; Jiang, Zhijun; Qian, Xu

    2016-12-01

    Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic infectious diseases. It has been reported that periodontal disease is associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm birth, low birth weight, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Given the fact that the treatment for periodontal disease during pregnancy was ineffective in improving pregnancy outcomes by most of studies, the pre-conception period has been put forward as a more optimal time. However, very few studies have reported the prevalence of periodontal disease among pre-conception women. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors of periodontal disease among Chinese pre-conception women. A survey was conducted among pre-conception women at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Changzhou, China between January 2012 and December 2014. A total of 987 pre-conception women were recruited for a full-mouth dental examination after providing informed consent. A dental examination was carried out by probing six sites per tooth using a manual UNC-15 probe and a recording form. The overall rate of periodontal disease among participants was 73.9% (729/987) (95% confidence interval (CI): 71.0-76.6%). Among women with periodontal disease, 48.0% of cases were mild, 50.9% were moderate and 1.1% were severe. Self-reported bleeding during tooth brushing was the only significant predictive factor for overall periodontal disease (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.71, 95% CI: 2.24, 6.15, P periodontal disease (aOR: 5.17, 95% CI: 3.05, 8.79, P periodontal disease was found in pre-conception Chinese women. Women who have bleeding during tooth brushing could be at increased risk of periodontal disease, and might require further oral health care.

  15. Does corporate social responsibility put reputation at risk by inviting activist targeting? An empirical test among European SMEs.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Graafland, Johan

    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is believed to improve a company’s reputation. However,CSR may also put reputation at risk by making the company a more attractive target for activists’campaigns. We test this effect on a sample of 1355 European small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs). We find

  16. Modeling of the radiative field in complex geometries using computerized graphical tools. Application to comfort characterization in environments equipped with important radiative sources; Modelisation du champ radiatif dans des geometries complexes a l`aide d`outils infographiques. Application a la caracterisation du confort dans les ambiances munies de sources radiatives importantes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manolescu, M; Sperandio, M; Allard, F [La Rochelle Universite, 17 - La Rochelle, LEPTAB (France)

    1997-12-31

    Bibliographic studies in the domain of radiant heat transfers in complex geometries demonstrate the impossibility of resolving such problems using classical analytical methods. The numerical analysis can theoretically be performed successfully but requires enormous computer means. The contribution of this study consists in using computerized graphical techniques to treat general problems of radiant heat transfers in complex geometries. This paper presents the model used, the calculation technique and the optimizations that allow to greatly reduce the computer memory required and the calculation time. The code developed uses evocative images for the synthetic presentation of results which facilitate the searcher`s and conceiver`s choices. Finally, an application to the characterization of thermal comfort in residential environments is developed to illustrate the potentialities of this method. (J.S.) 19 refs.

  17. Modeling of the radiative field in complex geometries using computerized graphical tools. Application to comfort characterization in environments equipped with important radiative sources; Modelisation du champ radiatif dans des geometries complexes a l`aide d`outils infographiques. Application a la caracterisation du confort dans les ambiances munies de sources radiatives importantes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manolescu, M.; Sperandio, M.; Allard, F. [La Rochelle Universite, 17 - La Rochelle, LEPTAB (France)

    1996-12-31

    Bibliographic studies in the domain of radiant heat transfers in complex geometries demonstrate the impossibility of resolving such problems using classical analytical methods. The numerical analysis can theoretically be performed successfully but requires enormous computer means. The contribution of this study consists in using computerized graphical techniques to treat general problems of radiant heat transfers in complex geometries. This paper presents the model used, the calculation technique and the optimizations that allow to greatly reduce the computer memory required and the calculation time. The code developed uses evocative images for the synthetic presentation of results which facilitate the searcher`s and conceiver`s choices. Finally, an application to the characterization of thermal comfort in residential environments is developed to illustrate the potentialities of this method. (J.S.) 19 refs.

  18. Prevalence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Al-Darwish

    2014-07-01

    Conclusion: Results indicated that dental caries prevalence among school children in Qatar has reached critical levels, and is influenced by socio-demographic factors. The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth values obtained in this study were the second highest detected in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

  19. How prevalent is 'food addiction'?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian eMeule

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Increasing evidence suggests that binge eating-related disorders could be related to addiction-like eating patterns due to the addictive potential of hyperpalatable foods. Subsequently, important implications have been derived for treatment of those disorders and even political actions. However, studies on the prevalence of food addiction are rare. Few recent studies investigated addictive eating in children, adolescents, and adults. This mini-review presents these first attempts to assess addictive eating and how prevalent addictive eating patterns were in the respective studies. It is concluded that the prevalence of food addiction is increased in obese individuals and even more so in obese patients with binge eating disorder. However, prevalence of food addiction is not sufficient to account for the obesity epidemic. Conversely, an arguably high prevalence of food addiction can also be found in under-, normal-, and overweight individuals. Future studies may investigate which factors are associated with addictive eating in non-obese individuals.

  20. Prevalence of Food Additive Intolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Charlotte Bernhard

    1994-01-01

    The prevalence estimates vary with a factor 100. As the results vary so do the study populations. 6 If the different study populations are accounted for, a common conclusion can be drawn: Food additive intolerance is found in adults with atopic symptoms from the respiratory tract and skin. The prevalence......1 The existing prevalence estimates of food additive intolerance(1-4) are being reviewed. 2 In the EEC report the estimated frequency of food additive intolerance is 0.03% to 0.15% based on data from patient groups. 3 The British population study results in a prevalence estimate of 0.......026%. The challenged population is 81 children and adults with a history of reproducible clinical symptoms after ingestion of food additives. 4 In the Danish population study a prevalence of 1-2% is found in children age 5-16. In this study a total of 606 children mainly with atopic disease have been challenged. 5...

  1. Campus Suicide Prevention and Intervention: Putting Best Practice Policy into Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    Washburn, Cheryl A.; Mandrusiak, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Findings from biannual American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment surveys have highlighted the prevalence of depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicides on Canadian university campuses and the need for comprehensive suicide prevention programs. This article explores how one large western Canadian university…

  2. Mille studenti diventano ricercatori per un giorno

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    Thanks to all european Maserclasses, organised by Eppog, from 15 to 30 March, in twenty differents countries, Students will be will be accompanied by real searchers to study the properties of particles. (1/3 page)

  3. Un projet met au point un micro-ordinateur pour piéger les criminels "haute technologie"

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    A team of german and swiss searchers developped a criminalistic system on personal computer the fatest in the world. The project is called IT FORENSIC and is supported by the EUREKA network. (3/4 page)

  4. Analysis of self-reported versus biomarker based smoking prevalence: methodology to compute corrected smoking prevalence rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Ram B

    2017-07-01

    Prevalence of smoking is needed to estimate the need for future public health resources. To compute and compare smoking prevalence rates by using self-reported smoking statuses, two serum cotinine (SCOT) based biomarker methods, and one urinary 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) based biomarker method. These estimates were then used to develop correction factors to be applicable to self-reported prevalences to arrive at corrected smoking prevalence rates. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for 2007-2012 for those aged ≥20 years (N = 16826) were used. Self-reported prevalence rate for the total population computed as the weighted number of self-reported smokers divided by weighted number of all participants was 21.6% and 24% when computed by weighted number of self-reported smokers divided by the weighted number of self-reported smokers and nonsmokers. The corrected prevalence rate was found to be 25.8%. A 1% underestimate in smoking prevalence is equivalent to not being able to identify 2.2 million smokers in US in a given year. This underestimation, if not corrected, could lead to serious gap in the public health services available and needed to provide adequate preventive and corrective treatment to smokers.

  5. [The impact of broadened diagnostic criteria on the prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus in China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, X F; Han, X R; Yang, Z Y; Hu, Y H; Tang, J L

    2017-05-06

    Objective: The burden of chronic disease has been continuously increasing in China since the early 1980s. Besides the worsening of risk factors, the change in diagnostic criteria is very likely an important explanation for the increase in the prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus, three commonest, major chronic conditions that can lead to major vascular events and deaths. This study aims to estimate the contribution of changes in diagnostic criteria to the increase in the prevalence of the three conditions in China. Methods: The data from two representative nation-wide surveys in China in 2002 and 2009, with 145 254 and 8 813 adults included respectively, were used to estimate the prevalence rate of the three conditions and the proportion attributable to the change in diagnostic criteria around year 2000. The new and old cutoff values for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia were 140/90 and 160/95 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), 5.7 and 6.2 mmol/L, and 7.0 and 7.8 mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence was standardized according to the distribution of age, sex and rural-urban residence of the 2000 national census of the country so as to compare between the old and new diagnostic criteria and project the situation for the entire country. Results: The standardized prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus for the entire Chinese adult population in 2002 was 8.21%, 1.71% and 1.43% according to the immediate previous diagnostic criteria, and 19.18%, 3.53% and 2.66% according to the new criteria. In 2009, the prevalence was 11.89%, 9.34% and 4.29% according to the old criteria, and 24.78%, 18.36% and 6.55% according to the new criteria. The total cumulative prevalence of the three conditions was increased by 124% in 2002 and 95% in 2009 as a result of change in diagnostic criteria. Put it differently, the change in diagnostic criteria increased the number of the three conditions from 2002 to 2009 by approximately 359

  6. Un nouvel espoir pour guérir le cancer

    CERN Multimedia

    Chavas, Jean-Paul

    2006-01-01

    Hadrontherapy, a nano scalpel. Presentation made by Madjid Boutemeur, searcher and professor of atomic, nuclear and particle physics; he presented a new technology coming from the fundamental research and applicable for medicine: hadrontherapy. (1/3 page)

  7. Putting houses in place: rebuilding communities in post-tsunami Sri Lanka.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruwanpura, Kanchana N

    2009-07-01

    This paper interrogates the social and political geographies of resettlement and reconstruction of temporary and permanent shelters, which are fundamental to rebuilding tsunami-affected communities. War and ethnic cleavages are an endemic feature of Sri Lanka's social polity, and uneven development processes in the country are clearly visible. This paper draws attention to these spaces of inequality by drawing on in-depth interviews and participant observation carried out in Eastern and Southern Sri Lanka. It argues that communities' concerns and anxieties regarding displacement and resettlement have tended to be articulated against prevailing fault lines of war and inequality. This is the backdrop against which communities negotiated the recovery process. My fieldwork shows that it is critical to understand that disaster and development relief are ingrained within context specificities. Relief efforts therefore need to recognise that the process of 'putting houses in place' should be embedded within local social relations.

  8. Putting informed and shared decision making into practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towle, Angela; Godolphin, William; Grams, Garry; Lamarre, Amanda

    2006-12-01

    To investigate the practice, experiences and views of motivated and trained family physicians as they attempt to implement informed and shared decision making (ISDM) in routine practice and to identify and understand the barriers they encounter. Patient involvement in decision making about their health care has been the focus of much academic activity. Although significant conceptual and experimental work has been done, ISDM rarely occurs. Physician attitudes and lack of training are identified barriers. Qualitative analysis of transcripts of consultations and key informant group interviews. Six family physicians received training in the ISDM competencies. Audiotapes of office consultations were made before and after training. Transcripts of consultations were examined to identify behavioural markers associated with each competency and the range of expression of the competencies. The physicians attended group interviews at the end of the study to explore experiences of ISDM. The physicians liked the ISDM model and thought that they should put it into practice. Evidence from transcripts indicated they were able to elicit concerns, ideas and expectations (although not about management) and agree an action plan. They did not elicit preferences for role or information. They sometimes offered choices. They had difficulty achieving full expression of any of the competencies and integrating ISDM into their script for the medical interview. The study also identified a variety of competency-specific barriers. A major barrier to the practice of ISDM by motivated physicians appears to be the need to change well-established patterns of communication with patients.

  9. The serum bank of EuroPrevall - the prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vieths, Stefan; Reese, Gerald; Ballmer-Weber, Barbara K; Beyer, Kerstin; Burney, Peter; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Summers, Collin; Ree, Ronald van; Mills, Clare

    2008-10-01

    EuroPrevall is an EU-funded multidisciplinary project including 62 institutions from 22 countries. EuroPrevall studies the prevalence and distribution of food allergies in infants, children, adolescents, and adults in Europe, threshold doses for allergenic foods, the role of the environment in food allergy, the socioeconomic impact of food allergy, and novel diagnostic tools for food allergies. The EuroPrevall serum bank (EPASB), containing samples from approximately 70,000 subjects, is a major tool to achieve these goals. EPASB is coordinated by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany. Local sera collections are administered at the University of Amsterdam (NL), the University Hospital of Manchester (UK), Charité Hospital (DE) and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. The EPASB coordinator and managing partners distribute samples for experimental work and regulate access. The overall aim is to provide sera to fulfil EuroPrevall research goals. The EPASB coordinator and managing partners suggest appropriate sera for addressing specific scientific and diagnostic questions. The serum bank will be maintained after termination of the project, but subsequent investigations must be in accordance with the original research goals of EuroPrevall. Thus, the contributors of the sera retain control over their future use. This rule prevents investigation of questions outside the scope of EuroPrevall, e.g. the allergenicity of genetically-modified foods.

  10. Competitive state anxiety and self-confidence: intensity and direction as relative predictors of performance on a golf putting task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlain, Sean T; Hale, Bruce D

    2007-06-01

    This study considered relationships between the intensity and directional aspects of competitive state anxiety as measured by the modified Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2(D) (Jones & Swain, 1992) in a sample of 12 experienced male golfers. Anxiety and performance scores from identical putting tasks performed under three different anxiety-manipulated competitive conditions were used to assess both the predictions of Multidimensional Anxiety Theory (MAT; Martens et al., 1990) and the relative value of intensity and direction in explaining performance variance. A within-subjects regression analysis of the intra-individual data showed partial support for the three MAT hypotheses. Cognitive anxiety intensity demonstrated a negative linear relationship with performance, somatic anxiety intensity showed a curvilinear relationship with performance, and self-confidence intensity revealed a positive linear relation. Cognitive directional anxiety illustrated a positive linear relationship with putting performance. Multiple regression analyses indicated that direction (42% of variance) was a better predictor of performance than intensity (22%).

  11. Prevalence of Parasitic Contamination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, Yazan

    2016-01-01

    One of the main ways in transmitting parasites to humans is through consuming contaminated raw vegetables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of parasitological contamination (helminthes eggs, Giardia and Entamoeba histolytica cysts) of salad vegetables sold at supermarkets and street vendors in Amman and Baqa’a – Jordan. A total of 133 samples of salad vegetables were collected and examined for the prevalence of parasites. It was found that 29% of the samples were contaminated with different parasites. Of the 30 lettuce, 33 tomato, 42 parsley and 28 cucumber samples examined the prevalence of Ascaris spp. eggs was 43%, 15%, 21% and 4%; Toxocara spp. eggs was 30%, 0%, 0% and 4%; Giardia spp. cysts was 23%, 6%, 0% and 0%; Taenia/Echinococcus eggs was 20%, 0%, 5% and 0%; Fasciola hepatica eggs was 13%, 3%, 2% and 0%; and E. histolytica cysts was 10%, 6%, 0% and 0%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of parasite in salad vegetables either between supermarkets and street vendors, or between Amman and Baqa’a, Ascaris spp. was found to be the highest prevalent parasite in salad vegetables from supermarkets and street vendors and from Amman and Baqa’a. Our results pointed out that, the parasitic contamination of salad vegetables found in our study might be caused by irrigating crops with faecal contaminated water. We concluded that salad vegetables sold in Amman and Baqa’a may cause a health risk to consumers.

  12. Quasi-steady-state analysis of two-dimensional random intermittent search processes

    KAUST Repository

    Bressloff, Paul C.

    2011-06-01

    We use perturbation methods to analyze a two-dimensional random intermittent search process, in which a searcher alternates between a diffusive search phase and a ballistic movement phase whose velocity direction is random. A hidden target is introduced within a rectangular domain with reflecting boundaries. If the searcher moves within range of the target and is in the search phase, it has a chance of detecting the target. A quasi-steady-state analysis is applied to the corresponding Chapman-Kolmogorov equation. This generates a reduced Fokker-Planck description of the search process involving a nonzero drift term and an anisotropic diffusion tensor. In the case of a uniform direction distribution, for which there is zero drift, and isotropic diffusion, we use the method of matched asymptotics to compute the mean first passage time (MFPT) to the target, under the assumption that the detection range of the target is much smaller than the size of the domain. We show that an optimal search strategy exists, consistent with previous studies of intermittent search in a radially symmetric domain that were based on a decoupling or moment closure approximation. We also show how the decoupling approximation can break down in the case of biased search processes. Finally, we analyze the MFPT in the case of anisotropic diffusion and find that anisotropy can be useful when the searcher starts from a fixed location. © 2011 American Physical Society.

  13. Quasi-steady-state analysis of two-dimensional random intermittent search processes

    KAUST Repository

    Bressloff, Paul C.; Newby, Jay M.

    2011-01-01

    We use perturbation methods to analyze a two-dimensional random intermittent search process, in which a searcher alternates between a diffusive search phase and a ballistic movement phase whose velocity direction is random. A hidden target is introduced within a rectangular domain with reflecting boundaries. If the searcher moves within range of the target and is in the search phase, it has a chance of detecting the target. A quasi-steady-state analysis is applied to the corresponding Chapman-Kolmogorov equation. This generates a reduced Fokker-Planck description of the search process involving a nonzero drift term and an anisotropic diffusion tensor. In the case of a uniform direction distribution, for which there is zero drift, and isotropic diffusion, we use the method of matched asymptotics to compute the mean first passage time (MFPT) to the target, under the assumption that the detection range of the target is much smaller than the size of the domain. We show that an optimal search strategy exists, consistent with previous studies of intermittent search in a radially symmetric domain that were based on a decoupling or moment closure approximation. We also show how the decoupling approximation can break down in the case of biased search processes. Finally, we analyze the MFPT in the case of anisotropic diffusion and find that anisotropy can be useful when the searcher starts from a fixed location. © 2011 American Physical Society.

  14. Prevalence of food allergy/intolerance in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Charlotte Bernhard

    1997-01-01

    Discussed in this paper is the prevalence of allergy and intolerance to foods in Europe. Prevalence of allergy to food additives is not included. A fully reliable estimate of the prevalence of food allergy/intolerance does not exist. Prevalence changes with age, as does the relative importance...... of the most common food allergens. The cumulative prevalence of allergy and intolerance to cow's milk during the first year of life is approximately 2%. The total prevalence of food allergy/intolerance in children is not as well documented. In 18-month-old infants the Danish estimate is 6.5%. The high...... prevalence of peanut allergy (0.5%) in British children is not reflected in the results from other European countries. Milk, egg, fish and oranges seem to be the most common causes of allergy and intolerance in European infants and children. Results from epidemiological studies combined with the knowledge...

  15. End-Users: Dreams or Dollars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Stephen E.

    1987-01-01

    Examines strategies for marketing online searching to new users, discusses reasons why people become online searchers, and presents data on the business information market. The pricing issue and special librarians as a market segment are also considered. (EM)

  16. Local Navon letter processing affects skilled behavior: a golf-putting experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Michael B; Dawkins, Gemma

    2015-04-01

    Expert or skilled behaviors (for example, face recognition or sporting performance) are typically performed automatically and with little conscious awareness. Previous studies, in various domains of performance, have shown that activities immediately prior to a task demanding a learned skill can affect performance. In sport, describing the to-be-performed action is detrimental, whereas in face recognition, describing a face or reading local Navon letters is detrimental. Two golf-putting experiments are presented that compare the effects that these three tasks have on experienced and novice golfers. Experiment 1 found a Navon effect on golf performance for experienced players. Experiment 2 found, for experienced players only, that performance was impaired following the three tasks described above, when compared with reading or global Navon tasks. It is suggested that the three tasks affect skilled performance by provoking a shift from automatic behavior to a more analytic style. By demonstrating similarities between effects in face recognition and sporting behavior, it is hoped to better understand concepts in both fields.

  17. Valuing call options on single stock futures: Does the put-call parity relationship hold in the South African derivatives market?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biebuyck, A.

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Research has shown that violations of put-call parity do occur and that these violations present an investor with opportunities to profit from arbitrage deals. Mispricing may lead to significant superior returns and maximisation of shareholders’ wealth if found and acted upon in a timely manner. This study attempts to determine whether this mispricing of financial derivatives is present in the South African derivatives market. This will be achieved through the valuation of options on single stock futures using the put-call parity relationship. The theoretical fair values obtained, is compared to the actual market values over a period of three years, that is, from 2009 to 2011. The results show that arbitrage opportunities do present themselves for the chosen shares. Further research may involve more shares over a longer period to determine whether any pattern may exist which may form the basis of an arbitrage trading strategy

  18. A multilevel model for cardiovascular disease prevalence in the US and its application to micro area prevalence estimates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Congdon Peter

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Estimates of disease prevalence for small areas are increasingly required for the allocation of health funds according to local need. Both individual level and geographic risk factors are likely to be relevant to explaining prevalence variations, and in turn relevant to the procedure for small area prevalence estimation. Prevalence estimates are of particular importance for major chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. Methods A multilevel prevalence model for cardiovascular outcomes is proposed that incorporates both survey information on patient risk factors and the effects of geographic location. The model is applied to derive micro area prevalence estimates, specifically estimates of cardiovascular disease for Zip Code Tabulation Areas in the USA. The model incorporates prevalence differentials by age, sex, ethnicity and educational attainment from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Influences of geographic context are modelled at both county and state level, with the county effects relating to poverty and urbanity. State level influences are modelled using a random effects approach that allows both for spatial correlation and spatial isolates. Results To assess the importance of geographic variables, three types of model are compared: a model with person level variables only; a model with geographic effects that do not interact with person attributes; and a full model, allowing for state level random effects that differ by ethnicity. There is clear evidence that geographic effects improve statistical fit. Conclusion Geographic variations in disease prevalence partly reflect the demographic composition of area populations. However, prevalence variations may also show distinct geographic 'contextual' effects. The present study demonstrates by formal modelling methods that improved explanation is obtained by allowing for distinct geographic effects (for counties and states and for

  19. Prevalência de dor musculoesquelética em professores Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jefferson Paixão Cardoso

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo descreve a prevalência de dor musculoesquelética segundo variáveis sociodemográficas e ocupacionais de professores do ensino básico. Um estudo epidemiológico de corte transversal, de caráter censitário, incluiu todos os 4.496 professores do ensino fundamental da rede municipal de Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. As prevalências de dor musculoesquelética em membros inferiores (41,1%, membros superiores (23,7% e dorso (41,1% foram elevadas. A prevalência global de dor musculoesquelética relacionada a qualquer um dos três segmentos corporais foi de 55%. A dor musculoesquelética foi mais prevalente, nos três segmentos investigados, entre as mulheres, os mais velhos, de nível educacional médio, casados, com três ou mais filhos e que trabalhavam mais de quatorze anos como docente. A prevalência de dor músculoesquelética associou-se às seguintes variáveis ocupacionais: tempo de trabalho superior a cinco anos na escola estudada, elevado esforço físico, outra atividade remunerada não docente e calor em sala de aula. Esses achados alertam para a necessidade de adoção de políticas públicas para melhoria das condições de trabalho do professor.The article describes the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain according to socio-demographic and occupational variables among elementary school teachers. A cross-sectional study included all 4,496 school teachers of the municipal elementary education network of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. There was a high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in lower limbs (41.1%, upper limbs (23.7% and back (41.1%. The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal pain related to any of the three body segments was 55%. Musculoskeletal pain was more prevalent in the three body segments investigated: among women, the elderly, those with high-level school education, married, with three or more children, and who had worked over fourteen years as teachers. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was associated with the

  20. Prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish populations: A reanalysis of dementia prevalence surveys, 1990-2008

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boix Raquel

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This study describes the prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish elderly. Methods We identified screening surveys, both published and unpublished, in Spanish populations, which fulfilled specific quality criteria and targeted prevalence of dementia in populations aged 70 years and above. Surveys covering 13 geographically different populations were selected (prevalence period: 1990-2008. Authors of original surveys provided methodological details of their studies through a systematic questionnaire and also raw age-specific data. Prevalence data were compared using direct adjustment and logistic regression. Results The reanalyzed study population (aged 70 year and above was composed of Central and North-Eastern Spanish sub-populations obtained from 9 surveys and totaled 12,232 persons and 1,194 cases of dementia (707 of Alzheimer's disease, 238 of vascular dementia. Results showed high variation in age- and sex-specific prevalence across studies. The reanalyzed prevalence of dementia was significantly higher in women; increased with age, particularly for Alzheimer's disease; and displayed a significant geographical variation among men. Prevalence was lowest in surveys reporting participation below 85%, studies referred to urban-mixed populations and populations diagnosed by psychiatrists. Conclusion Prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Central and North-Eastern Spain is higher in females, increases with age, and displays considerable geographic variation that may be method-related. People suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Spain may approach 600,000 and 400,000 respectively. However, existing studies may not be completely appropriate to infer prevalence of dementia and its subtypes in Spain until surveys in Southern Spain are conducted.

  1. Privacy Perspectives for Online Searchers: Confidentiality with Confidence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duberman, Josh; Beaudet, Michael

    2000-01-01

    Presents issues and questions involved in online privacy from the information professional's perspective. Topics include consumer concerns; query confidentiality; securing computers from intrusion; electronic mail; search engines; patents and intellectual property searches; government's role; Internet service providers; database mining; user…

  2. Biblio-Link and Pro-Cite: The Searcher's Workstation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyle, Norman; McNamara, Kathleen

    1987-01-01

    Describes the Biblio-Link and Pro-Cite software packages, which can be used together to create local databases with downloaded records, or to reorganize and repackage downloaded records for client reports. (CLB)

  3. Putting informed and shared decision making into practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towle, Angela; Godolphin, William; Grams, Garry; LaMarre, Amanda

    2006-01-01

    Abstract Objective  To investigate the practice, experiences and views of motivated and trained family physicians as they attempt to implement informed and shared decision making (ISDM) in routine practice and to identify and understand the barriers they encounter. Background  Patient involvement in decision making about their health care has been the focus of much academic activity. Although significant conceptual and experimental work has been done, ISDM rarely occurs. Physician attitudes and lack of training are identified barriers. Design  Qualitative analysis of transcripts of consultations and key informant group interviews. Settings and participants  Six family physicians received training in the ISDM competencies. Audiotapes of office consultations were made before and after training. Transcripts of consultations were examined to identify behavioural markers associated with each competency and the range of expression of the competencies. The physicians attended group interviews at the end of the study to explore experiences of ISDM. Results  The physicians liked the ISDM model and thought that they should put it into practice. Evidence from transcripts indicated they were able to elicit concerns, ideas and expectations (although not about management) and agree an action plan. They did not elicit preferences for role or information. They sometimes offered choices. They had difficulty achieving full expression of any of the competencies and integrating ISDM into their script for the medical interview. The study also identified a variety of competency‐specific barriers. Conclusion  A major barrier to the practice of ISDM by motivated physicians appears to be the need to change well‐established patterns of communication with patients. PMID:17083559

  4. Prevalence of chronic conditions in Australia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Harrison

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence of chronic conditions among patients seeing a general practitioner (GP, patients attending general practice at least once in a year, and the Australian population. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A sub-study of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health program, a continuous national study of general practice activity conducted between July 2008 and May 2009. Each of 290 GPs provided data for about 30 consecutive patients (total 8,707 indicating diagnosed chronic conditions, using their knowledge of the patient, patient self-report, and patient's health record. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estimates of prevalence of chronic conditions among patients surveyed, adjusted prevalence in patients who attended general practice at least once that year, and national population prevalence. RESULTS: Two-thirds (66.3% of patients surveyed had at least one chronic condition: most prevalent being hypertension (26.6%, hyperlipidaemia (18.5%, osteoarthritis (17.8%, depression (13.7%, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (11.6%, asthma (9.5% and Type 2 diabetes (8.3%. For patients who attended general practice at least once, we estimated 58.8% had at least one chronic condition. After further adjustment we estimated 50.8% of the Australian population had at least one chronic condition: hypertension (17.4%, hyperlipidaemia (12.7%, osteoarthritis (11.1%, depression (10.5% and asthma (8.0% being most prevalent. CONCLUSIONS: This study used GPs to gather information from their knowledge, the patient, and health records, to provide prevalence estimates that overcome weaknesses of studies using patient self-report or health record audit alone. Our results facilitate examination of primary care resource use in management of chronic conditions and measurement of prevalence of multimorbidity in Australia.

  5. Prevalence, circumstances and consequences of non-fatal road ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    hefere

    injuries as well as improve safety associated with unintentional injuries. Keywords: .... a drink that contains alcohol (such as beer, wine, spirits, etc.)? ..... whether the systematic road safety management systems that they put in place over about.

  6. Meta Search Engines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garman, Nancy

    1999-01-01

    Describes common options and features to consider in evaluating which meta search engine will best meet a searcher's needs. Discusses number and names of engines searched; other sources and specialty engines; search queries; other search options; and results options. (AEF)

  7. ‘‘When You Make Manager, We Put a Big Mountain in Front of You’’

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kornberger, Martin; Justesen, Lise; Mouritsen, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Previous studies of the socialization of trainee accountants put emphasis on how disciplinary power mechanisms shape their professional identities. Literature on the ongoing growth and commercialization of the Big 4 Accounting Firms suggests that senior employees, and especially partners, have...... the complex organizational network of a Big 4 Firm. We conclude our paper with a discussion of power effects of the rite of passage, how it shapes the identity of managers, and the practice of managerial work in a Big 4 Accounting Firm....

  8. Putting Leininger’s nursing theory ‘culture care diversity and universality’ into operation in the curriculum – Part 1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. de Villiers

    1995-03-01

    Full Text Available The culturally diverse South African society necessitates inclusion of transcultural nursing in the curriculum. This article focuses on research regarding the putting of Leininger's nursing theory into operation in the curriculum to provide a scientific base for the inclusion of such nursing. The research process and results are discussed.

  9. Prevalence of urticaria in Cartagena, Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Andrés Miranda-Machado

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: In Colombia, there have been studies on the prevalence of allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Prevalence studies of urticaria in Colombia are scarce. Objective: Our objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of urticaria in Cartagena (Colombia in order to contribute to national epidemiological estimates of disease. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study in the city of Cartagena was conducted and 547 patients aged 1-58 years treated at the Allergy specialist consultation in care centers selected for this study between April and July 2015 were included, through non-probabilistic sampling. Results: The prevalence of urticaria in the care centers selected of city of Cartagena (Colombia was 7.1 % (4 % children and adults 3.1 %. 3.4 % prevalence of acute urticaria and 3.6 % of chronic urticaria was estimated. Conclusion: 46.1 % reported having a poor quality of life associated with urticaria.

  10. Increasing autism prevalence in metropolitan New Jersey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zahorodny, Walter; Shenouda, Josephine; Howell, Sandra; Rosato, Nancy Scotto; Peng, Bo; Mehta, Uday

    2014-02-01

    High baseline autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates in New Jersey led to a follow-up surveillance. The objectives were to determine autism spectrum disorder prevalence in the year 2006 in New Jersey and to identify changes in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder or in the characteristics of the children with autism spectrum disorder, between 2002 and 2006. The cohorts included 30,570 children, born in 1998 and 28,936 children, born in 1994, residing in Hudson, Union, and Ocean counties, New Jersey. Point prevalence estimates by sex, ethnicity, autism spectrum disorder subtype, and previous autism spectrum disorder diagnosis were determined. For 2006, a total of 533 children with autism spectrum disorder were identified, consistent with prevalence of 17.4 per 1000 (95% confidence interval = 15.9-18.9), indicating a significant increase in the autism spectrum disorder prevalence (p autism spectrum disorder was broad, affecting major demographic groups and subtypes. Boys with autism spectrum disorder outnumbered girls by nearly 5:1. Autism spectrum disorder prevalence was higher among White children than children of other ethnicities. Additional studies are needed to specify the influence of better awareness of autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates and to identify possible autism spectrum disorder risk factors. More resources are necessary to address the needs of individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder.

  11. A systematic review of the prevalence of schizophrenia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukanta Saha

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Understanding the prevalence of schizophrenia has important implications for both health service planning and risk factor epidemiology. The aims of this review are to systematically identify and collate studies describing the prevalence of schizophrenia, to summarize the findings of these studies, and to explore selected factors that may influence prevalence estimates. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Studies with original data related to the prevalence of schizophrenia (published 1965-2002 were identified via searching electronic databases, reviewing citations, and writing to authors. These studies were divided into "core" studies, "migrant" studies, and studies based on "other special groups." Between- and within-study filters were applied in order to identify discrete prevalence estimates. Cumulative plots of prevalence estimates were made and the distributions described when the underlying estimates were sorted according to prevalence type (point, period, lifetime, and lifetime morbid risk. Based on combined prevalence estimates, the influence of selected key variables was examined (sex, urbanicity, migrant status, country economic index, and study quality. A total of 1,721 prevalence estimates from 188 studies were identified. These estimates were drawn from 46 countries, and were based on an estimated 154,140 potentially overlapping prevalent cases. We identified 132 core studies, 15 migrant studies, and 41 studies based on other special groups. The median values per 1,000 persons (10%-90% quantiles for the distributions for point, period, lifetime, and lifetime morbid risk were 4.6 (1.9-10.0, 3.3 (1.3-8.2, 4.0 (1.6-12.1, and 7.2 (3.1-27.1, respectively. Based on combined prevalence estimates, we found no significant difference (a between males and females, or (b between urban, rural, and mixed sites. The prevalence of schizophrenia in migrants was higher compared to native-born individuals: the migrant-to-native-born ratio median (10

  12. The EuroPrevall-INCO surveys on the prevalence of food allergies in children from China, India and Russia: the study methodology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wong, G. W. K.; Mahesh, P. A.; Ogorodova, L.; Leung, T. F.; Fedorova, O.; Holla, A. D.; Fernandez-Rivas, M.; Clare Mills, E. N.; Kummeling, I.; van Ree, R.; Yazdanbakhsh, M.; Burney, P.

    2010-01-01

    P>Background: Very little is known regarding the global variations in the prevalence of food allergies. The EuroPrevall-INCO project has been developed to evaluate the prevalence of food allergies in China, India and Russia using the standardized methodology of the EuroPrevall protocol used for

  13. [Prevalence and diagnosis of depression in Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belló, Mariana; Puentes-Rosas, Esteban; Medina-Mora, María Elena; Lozano, Rafael

    2005-01-01

    To present the prevalence of depressive episodes, as well as the percentage of the population with medical diagnosis. The definition of depression was based on a schedule with DSM IV diagnostic criteria. Using data from the 2002-2003 National Assessment Performance Survey, the prevalence of depression was estimated at the national level, by sex, age, education, size of residence community, and state. The percentage of individuals with medically diagnosed depression and the percentage of those under treatment were also estimated. The national prevalence of depression was 4.5%: 5.8% in women and 2.5% in men. The prevalence of depression increased with age and decreased with higher education. Among males, the prevalence was higher in rural than urban communities. A large percentage of affected individuals have no medical diagnosis. Depression is a frequent disease in adults.A higher prevalence is associated with social vulnerability. The low percentage of diagnosis represents a challenge for mental health service planning and provision.

  14. Pappas and Tepe's Pathways to Knowledge Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, Nancy P.; Pappas, Marjorie L.; Tepe, Ann E.

    2002-01-01

    Describes the Pathways to Knowledge model for helping students achieve information literacy in library media programs. Discusses the searcher's thinking, information search or seeking, and instructional strategies; information skills; the six stages in the model, including appreciation, presearch, search, interpretation, communication, and…

  15. From translation to navigation of different discourses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Livonen, Mirja; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

    1998-01-01

    ' own search experience. Data further suggest that searchers navigate these discourses dynamically and have preferences for certain discourses. Conceptualizing the selection of search terms as a meeting place of different discourses provides new insights into the complex nature of the search term...

  16. The spatial distribution of gender differences in obesity prevalence differs from overall obesity prevalence among US adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gartner, Danielle R; Taber, Daniel R; Hirsch, Jana A; Robinson, Whitney R

    2016-04-01

    Although obesity disparities between racial and socioeconomic groups have been well characterized, those based on gender and geography have not been as thoroughly documented. This study describes obesity prevalence by state, gender, and race and/or ethnicity to (1) characterize obesity gender inequality, (2) determine if the geographic distribution of inequality is spatially clustered, and (3) contrast the spatial clustering patterns of obesity gender inequality with overall obesity prevalence. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to calculate state-specific obesity prevalence and gender inequality measures. Global and local Moran's indices were calculated to determine spatial autocorrelation. Age-adjusted, state-specific obesity prevalence difference and ratio measures show spatial autocorrelation (z-score = 4.89, P-value obesity prevalence and obesity gender inequalities are not the same. High and low values of obesity prevalence and gender inequalities cluster in different areas of the United States. Clustering of gender inequality suggests that spatial processes operating at the state level, such as occupational or physical activity policies or social norms, are involved in the etiology of the inequality and necessitate further attention to the determinates of obesity gender inequality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Target templates: the precision of mental representations affects attentional guidance and decision-making in visual search.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hout, Michael C; Goldinger, Stephen D

    2015-01-01

    When people look for things in the environment, they use target templates-mental representations of the objects they are attempting to locate-to guide attention and to assess incoming visual input as potential targets. However, unlike laboratory participants, searchers in the real world rarely have perfect knowledge regarding the potential appearance of targets. In seven experiments, we examined how the precision of target templates affects the ability to conduct visual search. Specifically, we degraded template precision in two ways: 1) by contaminating searchers' templates with inaccurate features, and 2) by introducing extraneous features to the template that were unhelpful. We recorded eye movements to allow inferences regarding the relative extents to which attentional guidance and decision-making are hindered by template imprecision. Our findings support a dual-function theory of the target template and highlight the importance of examining template precision in visual search.

  18. Anemia do lactente: etiologia e prevalência Anemia in infancy: etiology and prevalence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Claret C.M. Hadler

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Objetivo: verificar a prevalência de anemia, anemia ferropriva e deficiência de ferro em lactentes, de unidade pública de saúde, no município de Goiânia, Brasil, analisar e correlacionar as variáveis bioquímicas e hematológicas. Métodos: realizou-se estudo transversal. De 120 mães entrevistadas, foram incluídos 110 lactentes de 6 a 12 meses de idade, a termo e não gemelares. Dados socioeconômicos e hematológicos foram obtidos. Colheu-se sangue venoso dos lactentes em jejum para realização do hemograma completo por contagem eletrônica, ferro sérico, ferritina sérica e proteína C-reativa, os quais foram utilizados na avaliação da etiologia ferropriva nos anêmicos. Crianças com hemoglobina Objective: To verify the prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency anemia and iron deficiency in infants, at a Public Health Unit in the city of Goiânia - Brazil; to analyze and to correlate the hematologic and biochemical variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. One hundred and ten full-term infants of the 120 mothers interviewed were included. The infants aged between six and twelve months and there were not twins. Socioeconomic and hematologic data was obtained. Venous blood was taken from fasting infants in order to carry out a complete hemogram through electronic cell counting, serum iron, serum ferritin and C-reactive protein, which were used in the evaluation of the etiology of iron deficiency in the anemic infants. Children with hemoglobin < 11g/dL were considered anemic. Results: The prevalence of anemia was 60.9%. In the diagnosis of the iron deficiency etiology in infants without an inflammation process, when considering the alteration of hemoglobin plus two more indices among mean corpuscular volume (MCV or mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH or serum ferritin or serum iron, the prevalence of the iron deficiency was 87%. Nevertheless, when red cell distribution width (RDW was included in the indices, the

  19. Prevalência de dispepsia e fatores sociodemográficos Prevalence of dyspepsia and associated sociodemographic factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandro Schreiber de Oliveira

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Medir a prevalência e distribuição de dispepsia e dispepsia freqüente por subtipos na população com 20 anos ou mais segundo características socioeconômicas e demográficas. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, de base populacional, com 3.934 indivíduos moradores na cidade de Pelotas (RS, entrevistados em seus domicílios, de outubro de 1999 a janeiro de 2000. Dispepsia foi definida como dor ou desconforto no andar superior do abdome e/ou náuseas no ano anterior à entrevista (conforme critérios Roma I e II. Dispepsia freqüente incluiu o registro de dispepsia mais de seis vezes e/ou náuseas, uma vez por mês ou mais. Esses desfechos foram analisados por idade, sexo, cor da pele, escolaridade, renda e estado civil. Os dados foram analisados por meio do teste qui-quadrado de Pearson de associação para variáveis categóricas e teste de tendência linear, quando aplicável. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de dispepsia foi de 44,4% e de dispepsia freqüente, 27,4%. A prevalência de dispepsia tipo refluxo, úlcera, dismotilidade e não especificada foi, respectivamente, 19,4%, 6,3%, 13,9% e 16,6%; para dispepsia freqüente foram 14,7%, 4,9%, 11,2% e 6,8%, respectivamente. As mulheres apresentaram cerca de 50% mais dispepsia freqüente. Indivíduos mais jovens e de menor renda apresentaram maiores prevalências de dispepsia e dispepsia freqüente. Análise de acordo com critérios de Roma II mostrou prevalências de 15,9% e 7,5% para dispepsia e dispepsia freqüente, respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: A dispepsia constitui um problema prevalente na população estudada. A maioria dos indivíduos apresentaram mais de um subtipo de dispepsia.OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence of dyspepsia and distribution of dyspepsia and frequent dyspepsia in subgroups of adults (20 years and older according to their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out comprising 3,934 subjects living in

  20. PREVALENCE OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI TEN YEARS AGO COMPARED TO THE CURRENT PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING UPPER ENDOSCOPY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frugis, Sandra; Czeczko, Nicolau Gregori; Malafaia, Osvaldo; Parada, Artur Adolfo; Poletti, Paula Bechara; Secchi, Thiago Festa; Degiovani, Matheus; Rampanazzo-Neto, Alécio; D Agostino, Mariza D

    2016-01-01

    Helicobacter pylori has been extensively studied since 1982 it is estimated that 50% of the world population is affected. The literature lacks studies that show the change of its prevalence in the same population over time. To compare the prevalence of H. pylori in 10 years interval in a population that was submitted to upper endoscopy in the same endoscopy service. Observational, retrospective and cross-sectional study comparing the prevalence of H. pylori in two samples with 10 years apart (2004 and 2014) who underwent endoscopy with biopsy and urease. Patients were studied in three consecutive months of 2004, compared to three consecutive months of 2014. The total number of patients was 2536, and 1406 in 2004 and 1130 in 2014. There were positive for H. pylori in 17 % of the sample as a whole. There was a significant decrease in the prevalence from 19.3% in 2004 to 14.1% in 2014 (pmundial esteja afetada. A literatura carece de estudos que mostrem a mudança de sua prevalência em uma mesma população ao longo do tempo. Comparar a prevalência do H.pylori no intervalo de 10 anos em população que realizou endoscopia digestiva alta no mesmo serviço de endoscopia. Estudo observacional, retrospectivo e transversal, comparando a prevalência de H. pylori em duas amostras com intervalo de 10 anos (2004 e 2014) que realizaram endoscopia digestiva alta com biópsias e teste da urease para a pesquisa de H. pylori. Foram estudados pacientes em três meses consecutivos de 2004, comparados aos de três meses consecutivos de 2014. O número total de pacientes avaliados foi 2536, sendo 1406 em 2004 e 1130 em 2014. Constatou-se resultado positivo para H.pylori em 17% da amostra como um todo. Houve queda significativa da prevalência de H.pylori de 19,3% em 2004 para 14,1% em 2014 (p<0.005). Houve redução de 5,2% da prevalência de H. pylori comparando-se dois períodos de três meses consecutivos com intervalo de 10 anos em duas amostras populacionais equivalentes.

  1. Changing prevalence and antibiotic drug resistance pattern of pathogens seen in community-acquired pediatric urinary tract infections at a tertiary care hospital of North India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patwardhan, Vrushali; Kumar, Dinesh; Goel, Varun; Singh, Sarman

    2017-01-01

    The aim and objective of this study was to assess the temporal changes in the microbiological profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of uropathogens in pediatric community-acquired UTI. This is a retrospective analysis of data collected over a Scattered period of 5 years. The baseline data collected were from January to December 2009, and the second period considered for comparison was from January to December 2014. Urine specimens from children (Antibiotic sensitivity was put up by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines. In the year 2009, 340 of 2104 (16.15%) urine specimens yielded significant colony count, whereas in 2014, it was 407 of 2212 (18.39%) ( P = 0.051). Escherichia coli was the predominant pathogen and was significantly more prevalent in girls than in boys ( P resistance to ampicillin (from 40.29% to 58.72%), amoxyclav (from 26.17% to 40.54%), nitrofurantoin (from 28.82% to 39.06%), and norfloxacin (from 30% to 41.42%). However, the maximum increase in the resistance was noted for co-trimoxazole from 35.58% in 2009 to 63.39% in 2014 ( P = 0.0000058). The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) has also significantly increased from 21.7% to 33.16% ( P = 0.0045). Although E. coli remains the prime pathogen in pediatric UTI, the prevalence of resistance has dramatically increased over the 5-year study period. Our study highlights the emergence of community-acquired ESBL-producing uropathogens in children proclaiming treatment challenges.

  2. The prevalence of stroke and associated disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Mahony, P G; Thomson, R G; Dobson, R; Rodgers, H; James, O F

    1999-06-01

    There are limited data available on the prevalence of stroke in the United Kingdom. Such data are important for the assessment of the health needs of the population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of stroke and the prevalence of associated dependence in a district of northern England. This was a two-stage point prevalence study. A valid screening questionnaire was used to identify stroke survivors from an age- and sex-stratified sample of the population aged 45 years and over in a family health services authority district. This was followed by assessment of stroke patients with scales of disability and handicap. The overall prevalence of stroke was found to be 17.5/1000 (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 17.0, 18.0). The prevalence of stroke-associated dependence was 11.7/1000 (95 per cent CI 11.3, 12.1). Self-reported comorbidity was most commonly due to circulatory and musculoskeletal disorders. The prevalence of stroke in this district is considerably higher than current guidelines and previous results suggest. Nevertheless, the result from this study combined with that from a previous study in another district in the United Kingdom should allow those interested in epidemiologically based health needs assessment to make reasonable estimates of the burden of stroke in their area.

  3. Intrinsic position uncertainty impairs overt search performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semizer, Yelda; Michel, Melchi M

    2017-08-01

    Uncertainty regarding the position of the search target is a fundamental component of visual search. However, due to perceptual limitations of the human visual system, this uncertainty can arise from intrinsic, as well as extrinsic, sources. The current study sought to characterize the role of intrinsic position uncertainty (IPU) in overt visual search and to determine whether it significantly limits human search performance. After completing a preliminary detection experiment to characterize sensitivity as a function of visual field position, observers completed a search task that required localizing a Gabor target within a field of synthetic luminance noise. The search experiment included two clutter conditions designed to modulate the effect of IPU across search displays of varying set size. In the Cluttered condition, the display was tiled uniformly with feature clutter to maximize the effects of IPU. In the Uncluttered condition, the clutter at irrelevant locations was removed to attenuate the effects of IPU. Finally, we derived an IPU-constrained ideal searcher model, limited by the IPU measured in human observers. Ideal searchers were simulated based on the detection sensitivity and fixation sequences measured for individual human observers. The IPU-constrained ideal searcher predicted performance trends similar to those exhibited by the human observers. In the Uncluttered condition, performance decreased steeply as a function of increasing set size. However, in the Cluttered condition, the effect of IPU dominated and performance was approximately constant as a function of set size. Our findings suggest that IPU substantially limits overt search performance, especially in crowded displays.

  4. Prevalence of schizophrenia: recent developments

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The long held view that schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population has been shown to be an overestimate and in fact derived from incorrect data.1 Also, for many years, it was believed that the prevalence of schizophrenia varied little between sites.2,3 It is in fact the case that the estimates of the prevalence of ...

  5. Increasing Autism Prevalence in Metropolitan New Jersey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zahorodny, Walter; Shenouda, Josephine; Howell, Sandra; Rosato, Nancy Scotto; Peng, Bo; Mehta, Uday

    2014-01-01

    High baseline autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates in New Jersey led to a follow-up surveillance. The objectives were to determine autism spectrum disorder prevalence in the year 2006 in New Jersey and to identify changes in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder or in the characteristics of the children with autism spectrum disorder,…

  6. Developmental delay in the Amazon: The social determinants and prevalence among rural communities in Peru.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westgard, Christopher; Alnasser, Yossef

    2017-01-01

    The consequences of poor child development are becoming increasingly recognized. Programs are being put in place around the world to improve child development by providing healthy and stimulating environments for children. However, these programs often have limited reach and little is known about the prevalence of developmental delay in under-developed communities. The current study set-out to better understand the prevalence of developmental delay in rural communities in the Amazon region of Peru. Also, it explores social determinants that are associated with any delay. Cross-sectional study by evaluating developmental delay in children under 4 years utilizing Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). Additionally, conducting a social determinants questionnaire answered by caretakers to identify social drivers for developmental delay. The data was analyzed with multi-variant analysis to measure association. The prevalence of developmental delay in the Amazonian communities was 26.7% (19.3% in communication, 11.4% in gross motor skills, 8% in both) (N = 596). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between developmental delay and; level of education (OR 0.64, p = 0.009), age of mother during child's birth (OR 0.96, p = 0.002), visits by community health agents (OR 0.73, p = 0.013), and river as primary water source (OR 2.39, p = 0.001). The social determinants questionnaire revealed that 39% of the mothers had their first child before the age of 17, nearly half stopped going to school before the age of 12 (52%), 29% gave birth at home, 13% breast fed for less than 7 months, and 50% of the children had diarrhea in the last month. There is still a great need to improve the conditions for child development in the Amazon region of Peru. One-fourth of the children suffer from developmental delay, which will likely impede their potentials for life unless something is done. The impact of education, age of mother at birth of the child

  7. Developmental delay in the Amazon: The social determinants and prevalence among rural communities in Peru.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Westgard

    Full Text Available The consequences of poor child development are becoming increasingly recognized. Programs are being put in place around the world to improve child development by providing healthy and stimulating environments for children. However, these programs often have limited reach and little is known about the prevalence of developmental delay in under-developed communities. The current study set-out to better understand the prevalence of developmental delay in rural communities in the Amazon region of Peru. Also, it explores social determinants that are associated with any delay. Cross-sectional study by evaluating developmental delay in children under 4 years utilizing Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3. Additionally, conducting a social determinants questionnaire answered by caretakers to identify social drivers for developmental delay. The data was analyzed with multi-variant analysis to measure association. The prevalence of developmental delay in the Amazonian communities was 26.7% (19.3% in communication, 11.4% in gross motor skills, 8% in both (N = 596. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between developmental delay and; level of education (OR 0.64, p = 0.009, age of mother during child's birth (OR 0.96, p = 0.002, visits by community health agents (OR 0.73, p = 0.013, and river as primary water source (OR 2.39, p = 0.001. The social determinants questionnaire revealed that 39% of the mothers had their first child before the age of 17, nearly half stopped going to school before the age of 12 (52%, 29% gave birth at home, 13% breast fed for less than 7 months, and 50% of the children had diarrhea in the last month. There is still a great need to improve the conditions for child development in the Amazon region of Peru. One-fourth of the children suffer from developmental delay, which will likely impede their potentials for life unless something is done. The impact of education, age of mother at birth of

  8. Pressure ulcer prevalence and prevention practices: a cross-sectional comparative survey in Norway and Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Z; Johansen, E; Etten, M van; Strapp, H; Solbakken, T; Smith, B Eskerud; Faulstich, J

    2015-08-01

    This study explored whether the risk assessment method, structured versus clinical judgment, influences pressure ulcer (PU) prevalence or prevention strategies. A cross section survey design was employed with use of a pre-designed data collection instrument. Following ethical approval and consent, data was gathered from two acute care settings, one in Norway (clinical judgment) and one in Ireland (structured risk assessment using the Maelor Score). Data were obtained from 180 patients, 59 in Norway and 121 in Ireland. Of the patients 48% were male and 49% were female, gender was not recorded for 3%. The most common age bracket was 70-99 years of age, 46% of the study population. PU prevalence was 54% in the Norwegian site with the majority of PUs (69%) being category 1, and 12% in the Irish site with the majority (50%) being category 2. Only 8% of patients in the Norwegian site were risk assessed on admission compared with 85% in the Irish site. No dynamic mattresses and four pressure redistribution cushions were in use in the Norwegian site, whereas, in the Irish site, 27 dynamic mattresses and 11 pressure redistribution cushions were used, the majority (44%) for high-risk individuals. Of those at risk of PU development, 15% in the Norwegian site and 56% in the Irish site had a documented repositioning care plan when in bed, and 0% in the Norwegian site and 13% in the Irish site for when seated on a chair. There were inconsistencies in approach to PU risk assessment and prevention across the two clinical settings. However, prevalence rates differed, mainly relating to category 1 PU damage. Even though formal risk assessment is well established in the Irish site, this is not necessarily followed up with appropriated PU prevention. Thus, the method of risk assessment does not seem to influence subsequent care planning, questioning the role of formal risk assessment; however, despite this, risk assessment does put a focus on an important clinical problem. In the

  9. Prevalence and Intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis, Prevalence of Malaria and Nutritional Status of School Going Children in Honduras

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejia Torres, Rosa Elena; Franco Garcia, Dora Nelly; Fontecha Sandoval, Gustavo Adolfo; Hernandez Santana, Adriana; Singh, Prabhjot; Mancero Bucheli, Sandra Tamara; Saboya, Martha; Paz, Mirian Yolanda

    2014-01-01

    Background Many small studies have been done in Honduras estimating soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) prevalence but a country-wide study was last done in 2005. The country has the highest burden of malaria among all Central American countries. The present study was done to estimate country-wide STH prevalence and intensity, malaria prevalence and nutritional status in school going children. Methods and Findings A cross-sectional study was conducted following PAHO/WHO guidelines to select a sample of school going children of 3rd to 5th grades, representative of ecological regions in the country. A survey questionnaire was filled; anthropometric measurements, stool sample for STH and blood sample for malaria were taken. Kato-Katz method was used for STH prevalence and intensity and rapid diagnostic tests, microscopy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for malaria parasite detection. A total of 2554 students were studied of which 43.5% had one or more STH. Trichuriasis was the most prevalent (34%) followed by ascariasis (22.3%) and hookworm (0.9%). Ecological regions II (59.7%) and VI (55.6%) in the north had the highest STH prevalence rates while IV had the lowest (10.6%). Prevalence of one or more high intensity STH was low (1.6%). Plasmodium vivax was detected by PCR in only 5 students (0.2%), all of which belonged to the same municipality; no P. falciparum infection was detected. The majority of children (83%) had normal body mass index for their respective age but a significant proportion were overweight (10.42%) and obese (4.35%). Conclusions Biannual deworming campaigns would be necessary in ecological regions II and VI, where STH prevalence is >50%. High prevalence of obesity in school going children is a worrying trend and portends of future increase in obesity related diseases. Malaria prevalence, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, was low and provides evidence for Honduras to embark on elimination of the disease. PMID:25330010

  10. Prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminthiasis, prevalence of malaria and nutritional status of school going children in honduras.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejia Torres, Rosa Elena; Franco Garcia, Dora Nelly; Fontecha Sandoval, Gustavo Adolfo; Hernandez Santana, Adriana; Singh, Prabhjot; Mancero Bucheli, Sandra Tamara; Saboya, Martha; Paz, Mirian Yolanda

    2014-10-01

    Many small studies have been done in Honduras estimating soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) prevalence but a country-wide study was last done in 2005. The country has the highest burden of malaria among all Central American countries. The present study was done to estimate country-wide STH prevalence and intensity, malaria prevalence and nutritional status in school going children. A cross-sectional study was conducted following PAHO/WHO guidelines to select a sample of school going children of 3rd to 5th grades, representative of ecological regions in the country. A survey questionnaire was filled; anthropometric measurements, stool sample for STH and blood sample for malaria were taken. Kato-Katz method was used for STH prevalence and intensity and rapid diagnostic tests, microscopy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used for malaria parasite detection. A total of 2554 students were studied of which 43.5% had one or more STH. Trichuriasis was the most prevalent (34%) followed by ascariasis (22.3%) and hookworm (0.9%). Ecological regions II (59.7%) and VI (55.6%) in the north had the highest STH prevalence rates while IV had the lowest (10.6%). Prevalence of one or more high intensity STH was low (1.6%). Plasmodium vivax was detected by PCR in only 5 students (0.2%), all of which belonged to the same municipality; no P. falciparum infection was detected. The majority of children (83%) had normal body mass index for their respective age but a significant proportion were overweight (10.42%) and obese (4.35%). Biannual deworming campaigns would be necessary in ecological regions II and VI, where STH prevalence is >50%. High prevalence of obesity in school going children is a worrying trend and portends of future increase in obesity related diseases. Malaria prevalence, both symptomatic and asymptomatic, was low and provides evidence for Honduras to embark on elimination of the disease.

  11. Burnout among workers in emergency Departments in Palestinian hospitals: prevalence and associated factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdan, Motasem; Hamra, Asma'a Abu

    2017-06-15

    Working in Emergency Departments (EDs) entails high work pressure and stress due to witnessing human suffering and the unpredictable nature of the work. This environment puts personnel at risk of burnout. This analysis aims to assess burnout levels and associated risk factors among health workers in EDs in Palestinian hospitals. Also, it examines the association between burnout and workplace violence, as well as with job turnover. Cross-sectional design utilising a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from all workers at 14 EDs; 8 from the West Bank and 6 from the Gaza Strip. Burnout was measured using Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. A total of 444 workers (response rate 74.5%) participated: 161(36.3%) nurses, 142(32.0%) physicians and 141(31.7%) administrative personnel. Results showed high levels of burnout among EDs workers; 64.0% suffered from high emotional exhaustion, 38.1% from high depersonalization and 34.6% from low personal accomplishment. In addition, high levels of emotional exhaustion (72.3%) was significantly prevalent among physicians compared to nurses (69.8%) and administrative workers (51.4%) (p nurses (48.8%) compared to physicians (32.1%) and administrative workers (31.9%) (p burnout among the three groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, high degree of burnout was more prevalent among EDs workers in the West Bank than among those working in the Gaza Strip (OR 2.02, 95% CI = 1.11-3.69, p = 0.019), and higher among younger workers (aged ≤30 years old) than their older counterparts (OR 2.4, 95% CI = 1.302-4.458, p = 0.005). Exposure to physical violence was significantly associated with having a high degree of burnout (OR 2.017 95% CI = 1.121-3.631, p = 0.019), but no association was observed with regards to exposure to verbal violence (p > 0.05). Finally, burnout was significantly associated with workers' intention to leave work at EDs (p Burnout is considerably prevalent among EDs' workers

  12. Prevalência de depressão na doença de Parkinson Prevalence of depression in Parkinson's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Iuriko Kawasaki Nakabayashi

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXTO: O reconhecimento da prevalência da depressão em pacientes com doença de Parkinson (DP é necessário para o desenvolvimento de práticas direcionadas ao tratamento da depressão e a melhora na qualidade de vida deles. OBJETIVO: Identificar na literatura indexada estudos relacionados à prevalência de depressão na DP, visto que normalmente há sub-reconhecimento e subdiagnóstico da comorbidade. MÉTODOS: Levantamento de artigos no PubMed, LILACS e SciELO que cumpriram com as palavras-chave: prevalence, depression e Parkinson. Critérios para inclusão: artigos nos idiomas inglês, português e espanhol, sem limite de tempo. Excluíram-se artigos relacionados ao tratamento da DP e validação de escalas. RESULTADOS: Selecionaram-se 20 artigos com taxas de prevalência de depressão de 1,8% a 68,1%. Seis estudos foram casos-controle, dois foram coortes, um, longitudinal prospectivo e 13, transversais. Quanto à técnica de avaliação, oito empregaram entrevista clínica, nove utilizaram apenas instrumentos de auto-avaliação, um empregou entrevista clínica e instrumentos de auto-avaliação e quatro consultaram bancos de dados. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de depressão variou de acordo com a metodologia, porém, em geral, as taxas foram bastante elevadas. Evidenciou-se a necessidade de definições mais precisas sobre depressão na DP para se estabelecer uma taxa de prevalência mais acurada.BACKGROUND: The recognition of depression prevalence in Parkinson's disease (PD is necessary for the development of treatment techniques as well as the improvement in the patient's quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To identify in the literature studies related to the prevalence of depression in PD. METHODS: The search for articles was based on PubMed, LILACS and SciELO matching the key-words prevalence, depression and Parkinson. Inclusion criteria of articles were: papers in English, Portuguese and Spanish; without time limitation. Articles related

  13. Enabling South-Africa: development of an intelligent gateway

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Evans, ED

    1993-08-01

    Full Text Available are catered for on all host protocols. The resulting gateway is operated on a sound business footing for the benefit of end-users and expert searchers in Southern Africa. The development of the system and the business are described in the paper....

  14. Electronic publishing: electric book or battery brochure?

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Wyk, J

    1993-08-01

    Full Text Available are catered for on all host protocols. The resulting gateway is operated on a sound business footing for the benefit of end-users and expert searchers in Southern Africa. The development of the system and the business are described in the paper....

  15. Entity Ranking using Wikipedia as a Pivot

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Kaptein; P. Serdyukov; A.P. de Vries (Arjen); J. Kamps

    2010-01-01

    htmlabstractIn this paper we investigate the task of Entity Ranking on the Web. Searchers looking for entities are arguably better served by presenting a ranked list of entities directly, rather than a list of web pages with relevant but also potentially redundant information about

  16. Expanding user’s query with tag-neighbors for effective medical information retrieval

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Durao, Frederico; Bayyapu, Karunakar Reddy; Xu, Guandong

    2014-01-01

    Medical information is a natural human demand. Existing search engines on the Web often are unable to handle medical search well because they do not consider its special requirements. Often a medical information searcher is uncertain about his exact questions and unfamiliar with medical terminology...

  17. Prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma haematobium urinary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    period 1987 - 1989. Prevalence rates were low to moderate with an overaJl prevalence of 42%. These ranged from approximately 10% in the low-prevalence ... PH. DC. C. C. Appieton. PI-lD. Department of Zoology, University of Tr

  18. Influence of country-level differences on COPD prevalence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aaron SD

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Shawn D Aaron,1 Andrea S Gershon,2 Yuan Gao,1 Jenna Yang,1 GA Whitmore1,3 On behalf of the Canadian Respiratory Research Network 1Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 2Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, ON, 3Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada Purpose: Studies suggest that COPD prevalence may vary between countries. We conducted an ecological study of data from COPD prevalence articles to assess the influence of differences in country-level risk factors on COPD prevalence. Patients and methods: Our study covered English language articles published during 2003–2014. Qualified articles used spirometry to assess COPD prevalence and used representative samples from national or subnational populations. Stepwise binomial regression was used to analyze associations between study- and country-level factors and COPD prevalence. Results: Eighty articles provided 1,583 measures of COPD prevalence for subjects in different sex, age, and smoking categories for 112 districts in 41 countries. Adjusted prevalence rates for COPD were significantly lower for Australia/New Zealand and the Mediterranean and significantly higher for Latin America, compared to North America, Southeast Asia, and Northern Europe. Country-level socioeconomic development variables had an uneven and mixed association with COPD prevalence. High elevation above sea level was shown to be a protective factor for COPD. Study-level variables for the established risk factors of sex, age, and smoking explained 64% of variability in COPD prevalence. Country-level risk factors raised the explanatory power to 72%. Approximately 28% of worldwide variability in COPD prevalence remained unexplained. Conclusion: Our study suggests that COPD prevalence varies across world regions, even after adjustment for established risk factors. Major country-level risk factors contributing to the worldwide epidemic of COPD remain

  19. Smoking prevalence: a comparison of two American surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodu, B; Cole, P

    2009-09-01

    To compare smoking prevalence estimates from two nationally representative surveys in the USA. Smoking prevalence estimates derived from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for the period 1998-2005. Comparisons according to age (18-34 or 35+ years) and according to smoking frequency (every day or some days). In 1998, the prevalence of smoking in both surveys was nearly identical at 24%. From 1999 to 2005, a divergence occurred in smoking prevalence found by the NSDUH and the NHIS. By 2005, NHIS prevalence had declined to 20.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 20.3-21.5], but the NSDUH estimate was 25.4% (95%CI 24.6-26.2), amounting to 9.1 million more smokers. In 1999, prevalence among 18-34 year olds in the NSDUH was only 18% (95%CI 13-22) higher than that in the NHIS, but that difference had doubled by 2005, when smoking prevalence among 18-34 year olds was 36% (95%CI 30-41) higher in the NSDUH than in the NHIS. NSDUH and NHIS prevalence among 35+ year olds were similar in 1999 and 2001, but the difference was 13% (95%CI 9-18) in 2005. Higher smoking prevalence estimates in the NSDUH were largely due to much higher estimates for some-day smoking in that survey, although every-day smoking prevalence among 18-34 year-olds was also higher in the NSDUH than in the NHIS. These results raise doubt about the recent decline in smoking prevalence described by the NHIS. Further investigation of the NSDUH/NHIS discrepancy may lead to better surveys and to a clearer picture of smoking trends in the USA.

  20. Prevalence of burnout among musculoskeletal radiologists

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chew, Felix S.; Porrino, Jack A.; Mulcahy, Hyojeong; Relyea-Chew, Annemarie [University of Washington, Department of Radiology, Seattle, WA (United States); Mulcahy, Michael J. [Central Washington University, Department of Sociology, Ellensburg, WA (United States)

    2017-04-15

    Burnout is a job-related psychological syndrome with three aspects: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and perceived lack of personal accomplishment. Burnout is associated with deleterious effects on both workers and their work. When burnout affects physicians, their well-being, longevity, and care of patients are at risk. Recent studies concerning physician burnout treat specialists such as radiologists as one group. We studied burnout in musculoskeletal (MSK) subspecialist radiologists. An institutional review board exemption was obtained. Society of Skeletal Radiology members received invitations to an anonymous survey that included questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory trademark (MBI) measuring all three aspects of burnout. The response rate was 36.4% (433/1190). The prevalence of emotional exhaustion was 61.7% (255/413), of depersonalization 53.3% (219/411), and of perceived lack of personal accomplishment 39.6% (161/407). Only 19.5% (79/405) of MSK radiologists reported no burnout, while 80.5% (326/405) reported burnout along one or more dimensions. For all three dimensions, the prevalence was higher and the mean severity was worse for private practice compared with academic practice. The prevalence of burnout was affected more by practice setting than by gender. Burnout prevalence and severity also varied systematically with years since completion of training. Among MSK radiologists, we found a much higher prevalence and greater severity of burnout than has been previously reported for radiologists and other physicians. There were differences in prevalence and severity of burnout among practice settings, genders, and longevity cohorts. (orig.)

  1. Prevalence of burnout among musculoskeletal radiologists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chew, Felix S.; Porrino, Jack A.; Mulcahy, Hyojeong; Relyea-Chew, Annemarie; Mulcahy, Michael J.

    2017-01-01

    Burnout is a job-related psychological syndrome with three aspects: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and perceived lack of personal accomplishment. Burnout is associated with deleterious effects on both workers and their work. When burnout affects physicians, their well-being, longevity, and care of patients are at risk. Recent studies concerning physician burnout treat specialists such as radiologists as one group. We studied burnout in musculoskeletal (MSK) subspecialist radiologists. An institutional review board exemption was obtained. Society of Skeletal Radiology members received invitations to an anonymous survey that included questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory trademark (MBI) measuring all three aspects of burnout. The response rate was 36.4% (433/1190). The prevalence of emotional exhaustion was 61.7% (255/413), of depersonalization 53.3% (219/411), and of perceived lack of personal accomplishment 39.6% (161/407). Only 19.5% (79/405) of MSK radiologists reported no burnout, while 80.5% (326/405) reported burnout along one or more dimensions. For all three dimensions, the prevalence was higher and the mean severity was worse for private practice compared with academic practice. The prevalence of burnout was affected more by practice setting than by gender. Burnout prevalence and severity also varied systematically with years since completion of training. Among MSK radiologists, we found a much higher prevalence and greater severity of burnout than has been previously reported for radiologists and other physicians. There were differences in prevalence and severity of burnout among practice settings, genders, and longevity cohorts. (orig.)

  2. Prevalence of Mood Disorders in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Reza Pouretemad

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective:To study the prevalence and demographic characteristics of mood disorders among Iranian adults. Method: In this cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study (age > 18 in Iran, 25180 individuals were selected through a randomized cluster sampling method for a diagnosis using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS. They were then interviewed at home by 250 trained clinical psychologists. Results: The estimated lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD and Minor Depressive Disorder (mDD were 3.1% and 0.3% respectively. Also, the estimated lifetime prevalence of Bipolar Mood disorder (BMD type I and type II were 0.1% and 0.7% respectively. The current prevalence of MDD, mDD, BMD-I, and BMD-II were 1.8%, 0.2%, 0.04%, and 0.3% respectively. Mood disorders were associated with female gender, lower education, being married, being middle-aged, living in cities, and not being a homemaker. Conclusion: The prevalence of mood disorders was lower among Iranian adults than reported in Western studies, and a number of demographic associations differed from those reported in Western studies. Important cultural differences in the nature or manifestation of depression are implied by these results.

  3. Estimating the global prevalence of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waddington‐Cruz, Márcia; Botteman, Marc F.; Carter, John A.; Chopra, Avijeet S.; Hopps, Markay; Stewart, Michelle; Fallet, Shari; Amass, Leslie

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Introduction: This study sought to estimate the global prevalence of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (ATTR‐FAP). Methods: Prevalence estimates and information supporting prevalence calculations was extracted from records yielded by reference‐database searches (2005–2016), conference proceedings, and nonpeer reviewed sources. Prevalence was calculated as prevalence rate multiplied by general population size, then extrapolated to countries without prevalence estimates but with reported cases. Results: Searches returned 3,006 records; 1,001 were fully assessed and 10 retained, yielding prevalence for 10 “core” countries, then extrapolated to 32 additional countries. ATTR‐FAP prevalence in core countries, extrapolated countries, and globally was 3,762 (range 3639–3884), 6424 (range, 1,887–34,584), and 10,186 (range, 5,526–38,468) persons, respectively. Discussion: The mid global prevalence estimate (10,186) approximates the maximum commonly accepted estimate (5,000–10,000). The upper limit (38,468) implies potentially higher prevalence. These estimates should be interpreted carefully because contributing evidence was heterogeneous and carried an overall moderate risk of bias. This highlights the requirement for increasing rare‐disease epidemiological assessment and clinician awareness. Muscle Nerve 57: 829–837, 2018 PMID:29211930

  4. Prevalence of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in the multi-ethnic Penang Island, Malaysia, and a review of worldwide prevalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hor, Jyh Yung; Lim, Thien Thien; Chia, Yuen Kang; Ching, Yee Ming; Cheah, Chun Fai; Tan, Kenny; Chow, Han Bing; Arip, Masita; Eow, Gaik Bee; Easaw, P E Samuel; Leite, M Isabel

    2018-01-01

    Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) occurs worldwide in all ethnicities. Recently, population-based studies have shown that NMOSD is more common among non-White populations. There is scarce data about NMOSD prevalence in South East Asian populations. (1) A population-based study was undertaken to estimate NMOSD prevalence in the multi-ethnic Penang Island, Malaysia, comprising Chinese, Malays, and Indians. Medical records of NMOSD patients followed up at the Penang General Hospital (the neurology referral centre in Penang Island) were reviewed. The 2015 diagnostic criteria of the International Panel for NMO Diagnosis were used for case ascertainment. (2) A review of population-based prevalence studies of NMOSD worldwide was carried out. PubMed and conference proceedings were searched for such studies. Of the 28 NMOSD patients, 14 were residents of Penang Island on prevalence day [13 (93%) Chinese and one (7%) Malay]. All 14 patients were females and aquaporin 4 seropositive. The prevalence of NMOSD in Penang Island was 1.99/100,000 population; according to ethnicities, the prevalence in Chinese was significantly higher than in Malays (3.31/100,000 vs 0.43/100,000, respectively, p = 0.0195). Based on our and other population-based studies, among Asians, East Asian origin populations (Chinese and Japanese) appear to have higher NMOSD prevalence than other Asian ethnic groups. Worldwide, Blacks seem to have the highest NMOSD prevalence. More studies in different geographical regions and ethnic groups will be useful to further inform about potential factors in NMOSD pathogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Putting to point the production process of iodine-131 by dry distillation (Preoperational tests)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alanis M, J.

    2002-12-01

    With the purpose of putting to point the process of production of 131 I, one of the objectives of carrying out the realization of operational tests of the production process of iodine-131, it was of verifying the operation of each one of the following components: heating systems, vacuum system, mechanical system and peripheral equipment that are part of the production process of iodine-131, another of the objectives, was settling down the optimal parameters that were applied in each process during the obtaining of iodine-131, it is necessary to point out that this objective is very important, since the components of the equipment are new and its behavior during the process is different to the equipment where its were carried out the experimental studies. (Author)

  6. Verbal-motor attention-focusing instructions influence kinematics and performance on a golf-putting task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munzert, Jörn; Maurer, Heiko; Reiser, Mathias

    2014-01-01

    The authors examined how varying the content of verbal-motor instructions and requesting an internal versus external focus influenced the kinematics and outcome of a golf putting task. On Day 1, 30 novices performed 120 trials with the instruction to focus attention either on performing a pendulum-like movement (internal) or on the desired ball path (external). After 20 retention trials on Day 2, they performed 20 transfer trials with the opposite instruction. Group differences for retention and a group by block interaction showed that external instruction enhanced movement outcome. Kinematic data indicated that specific instruction content influenced outcomes by eliciting changes in movement execution. Switching from the external to the internal focus instruction resulted in a more pendulum-like movement.

  7. Prevalence of risky health behaviors among the students of Khorramabad universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    maziye Momen-nasab

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Certain behaviors put people at high risk of premature death, disability or chronic diseases. The most common of such behaviors are smoking, bad eating habits, low physical activity, drug abusing and alcohol consumption, violent and injury and finally sexual high risk behavior. These behaviors are established during youth and extend to the adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these behaviors among young people in Khorramabad. Materials and methods: In this cross sectional study, 700 students were participated. The assessment tool was a two – part self administrated questionnaire, consisted of demographic data and questions in 10 parts. Data was analyzed with SPSS V9.6 by X2 and Fisher exact test. Results: 67.1% of the students were female and 87.6% were single. The mean of their age was 21.26 years. 44.1% of them never used the seat belt of their cars. 13.9% had carried a weapon. 5.7% had an attempt for suicide. 25.1% of the university students had smoked cigarettes, 6% had drank alcohol an 8.3% had drug abuse. 32% of whom that experienced sexual intercourse had more than two partners and 39.8% of them had not used a condom. More than 90% had not eaten 5 servings /day of fruits and vegetables. More than 70 % had insufficient amount of physical activity. Conclusion: Health education at national and local levels can reduce these behaviors among youth.

  8. [Rotator cuff tear athropathy prevalence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra-Soriano, F; Encalada-Díaz, M I; Ruiz-Suárez, M; Valero-González, F S

    2017-01-01

    Glenohumeral arthritis secondary to massive rotator cuff tear presents with a superior displacement and femoralization of the humeral head with coracoacromial arch acetabularization. The purpose of this study was to establish prevalence of rotator cuff tear artropathy (CTA) at our institution. Four hundred electronic records were reviewed from which we identified 136 patients with rotator cuff tears. A second group was composed with patients with massive cuff tears that were analized and staged by the Seebauer cuff tear arthropathy classification. Thirty four patients with massive rotator cuff tears were identified, 8 male and 26 female (age 60.1 ± 10.26 years). Massive rotator cuff tear prevalence was 25%. CTA prevalence found in the rotator cuff group was 19 and 76% in the massive cuff tears group. Patients were staged according to the classification with 32% in stage 1a, 11% 1b, 32% 2a and 0% 2b. CTA prevalence in patients with rotator cuff tears and massive cuff tears is higher than the one reported in American population. We consider that a revision of the Seebauer classification to be appropriate to determine its reliability.

  9. Prevalence of blood parasites in seabirds - a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quillfeldt Petra

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction While blood parasites are common in many birds in the wild, some groups seem to be much less affected. Seabirds, in particular, have often been reported free from blood parasites, even in the presence of potential vectors. Results From a literature review of hemosporidian prevalence in seabirds, we collated a dataset of 60 species, in which at least 15 individuals had been examined. These data were included in phylogenetically controlled statistical analyses of hemosporidian prevalence in relation to ecological and life-history parameters. Haemoproteus parasites were common in frigatebirds and gulls, while Hepatozoon occurred in albatrosses and storm petrels, and Plasmodium mainly in penguins. The prevalence of Haemoproteus showed a geographical signal, being lower in species with distribution towards polar environments. Interspecific differences in Plasmodium prevalence were explained by variables that relate to the exposure to parasites, suggesting that prevalence is higher in burrow nesters with long fledgling periods. Measures of Plasmodium, but not Haemoproteus prevalences were influenced by the method, with PCR-based data resulting in higher prevalence estimates. Conclusions Our analyses suggest that, as in other avian taxa, phylogenetic, ecological and life-history parameters determine the prevalence of hemosporidian parasites in seabirds. We discuss how these relationships should be further explored in future studies.

  10. Dutch diabetes prevalence estimates (DUDE-1)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleefstra, Nanne; Landman, Gijsw. D.; Van Hateren, Kornelis J. J.; Meulepas, Marianne; Romeijnders, Arnold; Rutten, Guy E. H.; Klomp, Maarten; Houweling, Sebastiaan T.; Bilo, Henk J. G.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Recent decades have seen a constant upward projection in the prevalence of diabetes. Attempts to estimate diabetes prevalence rates based on relatively small population samples quite often result in underestimation. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the Dutch

  11. Dutch diabetes prevalence estimates (DUDE-1)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleefstra, Nanne; Landman, Gijsw. D.; Van Hateren, Kornelis J. J.; Meulepas, Marianne; Romeijnders, Arnold; Rutten, Guy E. H.; Klomp, Maarten; Houweling, Sebastiaan T.; Bilo, Henk J. G.

    Background: Recent decades have seen a constant upward projection in the prevalence of diabetes. Attempts to estimate diabetes prevalence rates based on relatively small population samples quite often result in underestimation. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the Dutch

  12. Tuberculosis prevalence surveys: rationale and cost

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Glaziou, P.; van der Werf, M. J.; Onozaki, I.; Dye, C.; Borgdorff, M. W.; Chiang, C.-Y.; Cobelens, F.; Enarson, D. A.; Gopi, P. G.; Holtz, T. H.; Kim, S. J.; van Leth, F.; Lew, W.-J.; Lonnroth, K.; van Maaren, P.; Narayanan, P. R.; Williams, B.

    2008-01-01

    This article is the first of the educational series 'Assessing tuberculosis (TB) prevalence through population-based surveys'. The series will give overall guidance in conducting cross-sectional surveys of pulmonary TB (PTB) disease. TB prevalence surveys are most valuable in areas where

  13. Prevalência de angina pectoris em Pelotas, RS Prevalence of angina pectoris in Pelotas, south of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Alves

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A cardiopatia isquêmica é a doença responsável pelo maior número de mortes no mundo, sendo a angina sua principal manifestação. OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência de angina e de possível angina e sua distribuição conforme as principais características sócio-demográficas entre adultos com idade igual ou maior que 40 anos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional com moradores da área urbana da cidade de Pelotas (RS entre os meses de outubro e dezembro de 2007. Foi adotado o plano de amostragem por conglomerados em dois estágios - setores censitários e domicílios. As prevalências de angina e de possível angina foram definidas de acordo com o questionário de Rose. Essas condições foram avaliadas conforme as características sócio-demográficas: idade, sexo, cor da pele, condição econômica e escolaridade. Para a coleta dos dados, foram aplicados questionários padronizados por meio de entrevista com os indivíduos em seus domicílios. A taxa de não respondentes foi de 6,8%. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de angina entre os 1.680 indivíduos participantes do estudo foi de 8,2 % (IC 95%: 6,7 - 9,6, enquanto a de possível angina, 12,3% (IC 95%: 10,6 - 14,0. As prevalências de angina e de possível angina foram maiores entre os indivíduos do sexo feminino, de cor da pele preta/parda, de pior condição econômica e de menor escolaridade. A prevalência de angina foi maior entre indivíduos mais velhos. Não se observou diferença para possível angina. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de angina e de possível angina mostrou-se alta, acometendo cerca de 20% da população de Pelotas.BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world and angina is its cardinal manifestation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of angina and possible angina and its distribution by main demographic and socioeconomic characteristics among adults 40 years of age or older. METHODS: This is a population

  14. The Causal Foundations of Structural Equation Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-16

    and Baumrind (1993).” This, together with the steady influx of statisticians into the field, has left SEM re- searchers in a quandary about the...considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 51 1173–1182. Baumrind , D. (1993). Specious causal attributions in social sciences: The

  15. How doctors search

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykke, Marianne; Price, Susan; Delcambre, Lois

    2012-01-01

    Professional, workplace searching is different from general searching, because it is typically limited to specific facets and targeted to a single answer. We have developed the semantic component (SC) model, which is a search feature that allows searchers to structure and specify the search to co...

  16. Blueprint of a Cross-Lingual Web Retrieval Collection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sigurbjörnsson, B.; Kamps, J.; de Rijke, M.; van Zwol, R.

    2005-01-01

    The world wide web is a natural setting for cross-lingual information retrieval; web content is essentially multilingual, and web searchers are often polyglots. Even though English has emerged as the lingua franca of the web, planning for a business trip or holiday usually involves digesting pages

  17. Entity ranking using Wikipedia as a pivot

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaptein, R.; Serdyukov, P.; de Vries, A.; Kamps, J.; Huang, X.J.; Jones, G.; Koudas, N.; Wu, X.; Collins-Thompson, K.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the task of Entity Ranking on the Web. Searchers looking for entities are arguably better served by presenting a ranked list of entities directly, rather than a list of web pages with relevant but also potentially redundant information about these entities. Since

  18. Academic search in response to major scientific events

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, X.; de Rijke, M.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we look at the search behavior of users of an academic search engine and in particular, their query patterns following the occurrence of major scientific events. We select Nobel Prize announcements as major scientific events and observe how academic searchers behave in response to

  19. An Evaluation of the Interactive Query Expansion in an Online Library Catalogue with a Graphical User Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancock-Beaulieu, Micheline; And Others

    1995-01-01

    An online library catalog was used to evaluate an interactive query expansion facility based on relevance feedback for the Okapi, probabilistic, term weighting, retrieval system. A graphical user interface allowed searchers to select candidate terms extracted from relevant retrieved items to reformulate queries. Results suggested that the…

  20. Prevalence of Paget's disease of bone in Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gennari, Luigi; Di Stefano, Marco; Merlotti, Daniela; Giordano, Nicola; Martini, Giuseppe; Tamone, Cristina; Zatteri, Roberto; De Lucchi, Roberto; Baldi, Carlo; Vattimo, Angelo; Capoccia, Silvia; Burroni, Luca; Geraci, Simone; De Paola, Vincenzo; Calabrò, Anna; Avanzati, Annalisa; Isaia, Giancarlo; Nuti, Ranuccio

    2005-10-01

    We examined the prevalence of PDB in Italy from radiological, scintigraphic, and biochemical surveys in two Italian towns. Prevalence rates varied from 0.7% to 2.4%, were higher in males than in females, and slightly differed between the two towns. Unlike previous studies in populations of British descent, no secular trend for a decreasing prevalence emerged. Clinical, radiological, and necropsy data from different countries suggested pronounced geographical variations in the prevalence of Paget's disease of bone (PDB). Despite the impact of the disease on the population, there are limited data on the prevalence of PDB in Italy. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PDB in the district of Siena (Central Italy) and Turin (Northern Italy) from radiological, biochemical, and scintigraphic surveys. We examined a sample of 1778 consecutive pelvic radiographs performed between 1999 and 2000 at the Hospital Radiology Unit in Siena and 6609 pelvic radiographs performed in 1986-1987, 1992-1993, and 1999-2002 from the Radiology Department of Molinette Hospital in Turin. In Siena, 7906 consecutive (99m)TC-MDP bone scans performed over a 4-year period (January 2000 to May 2004) were also screened for the presence of PDB, and the prevalence of elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels (>300 UI/liter) was estimated from 7449 computerized medical records over a 3-year period (January 2000 to February 2003). The finding of PDB on the pelvic radiograph and bone scan was based on standardized radiological criteria. At the end of the radiological surveys, 16/1778 pelvic PDB cases (8 males and 8 females) were observed in Siena and 41/6609 (27 males and 14 females) in Turin. The crude prevalence of the disease was 0.89% in Siena and 0.62% in Turin. Given that pelvic involvement is commonly described in 60-90% of PDB patients, the estimated overall prevalence of PDB ranged from 1.0% to 1.5% in Siena and from 0.7% to 1.0% in Turin. No decrease in the prevalence

  1. Prevalence of dental anomalies in Indian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Santosh; Doni, Bharati; Kaswan, Sumita; Rahman, Farzan

    2013-10-01

    Developmental anomalies of the dentition are not infrequently observed by the dental practitioner. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of dental anomalies in the Indian population. A retrospective study of 4133 panoramic radiographs of patients, who attended the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Jodhpur Dental College General Hospital between September 2008 to December 2012 was done. The ages of the patients ranged from 13 to 38 years with a mean age of 21.8 years. The orthopantomographs (OPGs) and dental records were examined for any unusual finding such as congenitally missing teeth, impactions, ectopic eruption, supernumerary teeth, odontoma, dilacerations, taurodontism, dens in dente, germination and fusion, among others. 1519 (36.7%) patients had at least one dental anomaly. The congenitally missing teeth 673 (16.3%) had the highest prevalence, followed by impacted teeth 641 (15.5%), supernumerary teeth 51 (1.2%) and microdontia 41 (1.0%). Other anomalies were found at lower prevalence ranging from transposition 7 (0.1%) to ectopic eruption 30 (0.7%). The most prevalent anomaly in the Indian population was congenitally missing teeth (16.3%), and the second frequent anomaly was impacted teeth (15.5%), whereas, macrodontia, odontoma and transposition were the least frequent anomalies, with a prevalence of 0.2%, 0.2% and 0.1% respectively. While the overall prevalence of these anomalies may be low, the early diagnosis is imperative for the patient management and treatment planning. Key words:Dental anomaly, prevalence, panoramic radiography.

  2. Green marketing - How to put an environmental spin on your energy product, service, program or project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flynn, J.

    1992-01-01

    This paper examines how some smart marketers have quickly picked up on the new consumer interest in protecting the environment, turned it into increased sales and profits and at the same time effectively increased energy conservation. They asked their product developers to improve the environmental benefits of their existing products and to design some new ones. Then they asked their advertising writers to put an environmental spin on their product advertising. Next they made frequent visits to the bank with the increased sales revenues from an expanding market share and at the same time are doing something worthwhile in energy and environmental conservation

  3. The electronuclear cycle: from fission to new reactor systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belier, G.; Cugnon, J.; Lapoux, V.; Liatard, E.; Porquet, Marie-Genevieve; Rudolf, G.

    2006-09-01

    The Joliot Curie School trains each year, and since 1981, PhD students, post-Doctorates and researchers on scientific breakthroughs performed in a topic related to nuclear physics, in a broad range. These proceedings brings together the 11 lectures given at the 2006 session of Joliot Curie School on the topic of the electronuclear cycle: - Fission: from phenomenology to theory (Berger, J.F.); - Physics of nuclear reactors (Baeten, P.); - Data modeling and evaluation (Bauge, E.; Hilaire, S.); - Measurement of cross sections of interest for minor actinides incineration (Jurado, B.); - Spallation data and modelling for hybrid reactors (Boudard, A.); - Nuclear wastes: overview (Billard, I.); - Long living nuclear wastes transmutation processes and feasibility (Varaine, F.); - Hybrid reactors: recent advances for a demonstrator (Billebaud, A.); - Systems of the future and strategy (David, S.); - Non-nuclear energies (Nifenecker, H.); - Fundamental physics with ultracold neutrons (Protasov, K). The last section is a compilation of abstracts of presentations given by Young searchers' (Young searchers' seminars)

  4. Effect of preparation duration diminution in shot put through neurovegetative activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Dittmar

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available Recently, time allocated to athletes concentration has been reduced to 1 minute. Increased activation and focused attention are thought to be important operations which influence performance during preparation. The aim of the study was to test whether reducing preparation time has an effect on subjects’ mental activity and consequently on performance. Ten subjects took part in the experiment. Each subject had to perform 14 throws: a 7 with preparation b 7 with no preparation. Autonomic nervous system activity was continuously recorded through six variables (2 electrodermal, 2 thermovascular and 2 cardiorespiratory variables. Performance was comparable in preparation and non-preparation modalities. Subjects increase their activation before throwing, however more rapidly without preparation time. Thus, performance was obtained through the same activation level whatever the time allocated to prepare. Shot-put performance seems to be dependent upon execution quality but also on reaching an optimal activation level. Phasic autonomic responses (related to focused attention and movement programming were recorded during preparation and execution. Only a weak relationship was evidenced between vegetative responses in preparation and execution phases. Thus, vegetative responses during the preparation phase did not attest mental operations such as focusing attention on a technical aspect.

  5. Prevalence of intestinal helminth infection among school children in Maksegnit and Enfranz Towns, northwestern Ethiopia, with emphasis on Schistosoma mansoni infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gashaw, Fikru; Aemero, Mulugeta; Legesse, Mengistu; Petros, Beyene; Teklehaimanot, Tilahun; Medhin, Girmay; Berhe, Nega; Mekonnen, Yalemtsehay; Erko, Berhanu

    2015-10-31

    Schistosomiasis is endemic in Ethiopia and previously unknown transmission foci have been reported from time to time in different parts of the country. Further surveys are required in areas where endemicity of the disease is not known to cover them with control program if transmission is taking place. This study, therefore, aims to assess the magnitude of schistosomiasis mansoni and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Maksegnit and Enfranz Towns, northwestern Ethiopia. Cross-sectional parasitological and malacological surveys were conducted in three schools found in Maksegnit and Enfranz Towns. Stool specimens were collected from 550 randomly selected school children (age range 5 to 17 years) and processed for microscopic examination using Kato-Katz method (single smear per stool sample). Malacological survey was conducted in Gumara and Garno Rivers found in the study areas. Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails collected from the two rivers were individually exposed to artificial light in order to induce cercarial shedding. Laboratory-bred Swiss albino mice were exposed to the cercariae and definite identification of the schistosome species was made based on morphology. The overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was found to be 49%; however, it varied by schools, with Selam having 60.7%, and Maksegnit Number 1 and 2 having 45.8 and 39.6%, respectively. The respective mean intensity of S. mansoni infection among school children in Selam, Maksegnit Number 1 and Maksegnit Number 2 Schools were 243, 194 and 183 eggs per gram of stool (epg). In all the study areas there was no difference in prevalence of S. mansoni infection in relation to age, however, the prevalence varied by sex, with males having highest prevalence (54.5% vs 44.1%) (p = 0.012). Adult S. mansoni worms were harvested from mice exposed to cercariae shed from B. pfeifferi on the 6(th) week post-exposure. The prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides single infection was 16.5% while its co-infection with S

  6. Prevalence of COPD in Copenhagen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabricius, Peder; Løkke, Anders; Marott, Jacob Louis

    2011-01-01

    COPD is a leading cause of death worldwide; however, prevalence estimates have varied considerably in previous studies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of COPD in Copenhagen using data from the 4th examination of The Copenhagen City Heart Study, to investigate...... the relationship between tobacco consumption and COPD, and to characterize the subjects with COPD with regard to BMI, dyspnoea, treatment with respiratory medication and co-morbidities....

  7. Decreasing prevalence of the full metabolic syndrome but a persistently high prevalence of dyslipidemia among adult Arabs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nasser M Al-Daghri

    Full Text Available A decade has passed since metabolic syndrome (MetS was documented to be highly prevalent in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No follow-up epidemiologic study was done. This study aims to fill this gap. In this cross-sectional, observational study, a total of 2850 randomly selected Saudi adults aged 18-55 years were recruited. Subjects' information was generated from a database of more than 10,000 Saudi citizens from the existing Biomarkers Screening in Riyadh Program (RIYADH Cohort, Saudi Arabia. Anthropometrics included body mass index (BMI, blood pressure, as well as waist and hip circumferences. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile were determined using routine laboratory procedures. The definition of ATP-III (NHANES III was used for the diagnosis of the full MetS. The overall prevalence of complete MetS was 35.3% [Confidence-Interval (CI 33.5-37.01]. Age-adjusted prevalence according to the European standard population is 37.0%. Low HDL-cholesterol was the most prevalent of all MetS risk factors, affecting 88.6% (CI 87.5-89.7 and hypertriglyceridemia the second most prevalent, affecting 34% (CI 32.3-35.7 of the subjects. The prevalence of the full MetS decreased from previous estimates but remains high, while dyslipidemia remains extremely high, affecting almost 90% of middle-aged Arabs. Screening for dyslipidemia among Saudi adults is warranted, especially among those most at risk. Scientific inquiry into the molecular causes of these manifestations should be pursued as a first step in the discovery of etiologic therapies.

  8. SHORT COMMUNICATION High prevalence of Plasmodium ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dell

    Volume 20, Number 1, January 2018. 1. SHORT COMMUNICATION ... This study was designed to establish the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria among HIV infected populations. ... The prevalence of P. falciparum was high among HIV seropositive individuals in the Lake Victoria Zone, which calls for additional ...

  9. Prevalence of food sensitization and probable food allergy among adults in India: the EuroPrevall INCO study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mahesh, P. A.; Wong, Gary W. K.; Ogorodova, L.; Potts, J.; Leung, T. F.; Fedorova, O.; Holla, Amrutha D.; Fernandez-Rivas, M.; Clare Mills, E. N.; Kummeling, I.; Versteeg, S. A.; van Ree, R.; Yazdanbakhsh, M.; Burney, P.

    2016-01-01

    Data are lacking regarding the prevalence of food sensitization and probable food allergy among general population in India. We report the prevalence of sensitization and probable food allergy to 24 common foods among adults from general population in Karnataka, South India. The study was conducted

  10. ERICA: smoking prevalence in Brazilian adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Figueiredo, Valeska Carvalho; Szklo, André Salem; Costa, Letícia Casado; Kuschnir, Maria Cristina C; da Silva, Thiago Luiz Nogueira; Bloch, Katia Vergetti; Szklo, Moyses

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalences of tobacco use, tobacco experimentation, and frequent smoking among Brazilian adolescents. METHODS We evaluated participants of the cross-sectional, nation-wide, school-based Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), which included 12- to 17-year-old adolescents from municipalities of over 100 thousand inhabitants. The study sample had a clustered, stratified design and was representative of the whole country, its geographical regions, and all 27 state capitals. The information was obtained with self-administered questionnaires. Tobacco experimentation was defined as having tried cigarettes at least once in life. Adolescents who had smoked on at least one day over the previous 30 days were considered current cigarette smokers. Having smoked cigarettes for at least seven consecutive days was an indicator for regular consumption of tobacco. Considering the complex sampling design, prevalences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated according to sociodemographic and socio-environmental characteristics. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents. Among these, 18.5% (95%CI 17.7-19.4) had smoked at least once in life, 5.7% (95%CI 5.3-6.2) smoked at the time of the research, and 2.5% (95%CI 2.2-2.8) smoked often. Adolescents aged 15 to 17 years had higher prevalences for all indicators than those aged 12 to 14 years. The prevalences did not differ significantly between sexes. The highest prevalences were found in the South region and the lowest ones, in the Northeast region. Regardless of sex, the prevalences were found to be higher for adolescents who had had paid jobs, who lived with only one parent, and who reported having been in contact with smokers either inside or outside their homes. Female public school adolescents were found to smoke more than the ones from private schools. CONCLUSIONS Tobacco use among adolescents is still a challenge. Intending to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among young

  11. ERICA: smoking prevalence in Brazilian adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeska Carvalho Figueiredo

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalences of tobacco use, tobacco experimentation, and frequent smoking among Brazilian adolescents. METHODS We evaluated participants of the cross-sectional, nation-wide, school-based Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA, which included 12- to 17-year-old adolescents from municipalities of over 100 thousand inhabitants. The study sample had a clustered, stratified design and was representative of the whole country, its geographical regions, and all 27 state capitals. The information was obtained with self-administered questionnaires. Tobacco experimentation was defined as having tried cigarettes at least once in life. Adolescents who had smoked on at least one day over the previous 30 days were considered current cigarette smokers. Having smoked cigarettes for at least seven consecutive days was an indicator for regular consumption of tobacco. Considering the complex sampling design, prevalences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated according to sociodemographic and socio-environmental characteristics. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents. Among these, 18.5% (95%CI 17.7-19.4 had smoked at least once in life, 5.7% (95%CI 5.3-6.2 smoked at the time of the research, and 2.5% (95%CI 2.2-2.8 smoked often. Adolescents aged 15 to 17 years had higher prevalences for all indicators than those aged 12 to 14 years. The prevalences did not differ significantly between sexes. The highest prevalences were found in the South region and the lowest ones, in the Northeast region. Regardless of sex, the prevalences were found to be higher for adolescents who had had paid jobs, who lived with only one parent, and who reported having been in contact with smokers either inside or outside their homes. Female public school adolescents were found to smoke more than the ones from private schools. CONCLUSIONS Tobacco use among adolescents is still a challenge. Intending to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use

  12. Prevalence of breast arterial calcification in hypertensive patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cetin, M.; Cetin, R.; Tamer, N.

    2004-01-01

    AIM: To determine the age-specific prevalence of breast arterial calcifications in patients with systemic hypertension. METHODS: The mammograms and patient records of 2406 women who underwent screening or diagnostic mammography were reviewed retrospectively. Mammograms were evaluated for the presence of arterial calcification and results were coded. Hypertension was defined as use of anti-hypertensive agents and diabetes was defined as use of oral hypoglycaemic agents or insulin. RESULTS: The prevalence of breast arterial calcification among hypertensives (17.6%) was lower than among diabetics (25.4%). The prevalence in the non-diabetic, non-hypertensive group was lowest (7.3%). The prevalence increased with age in all three groups. The highest prevalence was found in diabetics older than 60 years (81.8%). Breast arterial calcification was not found among women younger than 40 years. CONCLUSION: Breast arterial calcification is associated with hypertension and prevalence increases with age. Breast arterial calcification on mammograms may indicate unsuspected hypertension especially in non-diabetic patients

  13. Putting Yourself on the Line: Self-Esteem and Expressing Affection in Romantic Relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luerssen, Anna; Jhita, Gugan Jote; Ayduk, Ozlem

    2017-07-01

    Although expressing affection is an important way to connect to a romantic partner, it also involves putting yourself on the line-revealing dependence on your partner. Extending the risk-regulation model, we hypothesized that individuals with lower self-esteem (SE), who are concerned about vulnerability in relationships, experience less rewarding reactions to expressing affection, and believe that their partners respond less positively to receiving affection. We assessed these predictions across two studies that measured retrospective reports, reactions to an in vivo exchange and responses in daily life. We found that participants with lower SE expressed less affection and experienced less positive emotional, cognitive, and physiological reactions when doing so. Participants with lower SE believed that their partners derived fewer benefits from their affection despite that their partners experienced normative boosts in positive emotion and relationship satisfaction during these exchanges. The consequences of these findings for relationship functioning and SE are discussed.

  14. Development of an OLAP Based Fuzzy Logic System for Supporting Put Away Decision

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.H.Chung

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available In today`s rapidly changing and globally volatile world, manufacturers pay strong efforts on conducting lean production, outsourcing their components, and management on the complex supply chain. Warehouse management plays a vital role to be a successful player in the any kinds of industry which put-away process is a key activity that brings significant influence and challenges to warehouse performance. In this dynamic operating environment, minimizing the operation mistakes and providing accurate real time inventory information to stakeholder become the basic requirements to be an order qualifier. An OLAP based intelligent system called Fuzzy Storage Assignment System (FSAS is proposed to increase availability of decision support data and convert the human knowledge into system for tackling the storage location assignment problem (SLAP. To validate the feasibility of this proposed system, a prototype will be worked out for a third party logistics company.

  15. The issue of prevalence of autism/asd

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamil Özerk

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available From a purely educationist perspective, gaining a deeper understanding of several aspects related to the prevalence of autism/ASD in a given population is of great value in planning and improving educational and psychological intervention for treatment, training, and teaching of children with this disorder. In this article, I present and discuss numerous facets of prevalence studies, beginning with assessing the changes in diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD over time. Based on the existing available research literature and empirical studies published during 2000 to 2016, I address the geographical-dimension and age-dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD. Over 50 studies from 21 countries reveals that prevalence rates of autism/ASD among children are on rise. There are inter-national and intra-national, regional/territorial variations with regard to prevalence rates, and I present and discuss possible factors/factor-groups that can explain these variations. Regardless of their geographic location, children with autism/ASD can be treated, trained, and taught, but to do so effectively requires reliable prevalence studies that can properly inform policy makers and higher institutions about the steps that must be taken in the field in order to improve the learning conditions of these children with special needs. Moving forward, it’s essential that studies of geographical dimension and age dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD must be supplemented by other (i.e. gender, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and language dimensions to help give us the perspective we need to grapple with this increasingly common disorder.

  16. The Issue of Prevalence of Autism/ASD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamil ÖZERK

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available From a purely educationist perspective, gaining a deeper understanding of several aspects related to the prevalence of autism/ASD in a given population is of great value in planning and improving educational and psychological intervention for treatment, training, and teaching of children with this disorder. In this article, I present and discuss numerous facets of prevalence studies, beginning with assessing the changes in diagnostic manuals (DSM and ICD over time. Based on the existing available research literature and empirical studies published during 2000 to 2016, I address the geographical-dimension and age-dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD. Over 50 studies from 21 countries reveals that prevalence rates of autism/ASD among children are on rise. There are inter-national and intra-national, regional/territorial variations with regard to prevalence rates, and I present and discuss possible factors/factor-groups that can explain these variations. Regardless of their geographic location, children with autism/ASD can be treated, trained, and taught, but to do so effectively requires reliable prevalence studies that can properly inform policy makers and higher institutions about the steps that must be taken in the field in order to improve the learning conditions of these children with special needs. Moving forward, it’s essential that studies of geographical dimension and age dimension of prevalence of autism/ASD must be supplemented by other (i.e. gender, socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and language dimensions to help give us the perspective we need to grapple with this increasingly common disorder.

  17. Prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Villalobos, José Antonio; Andrés-De Llano, Jesús María; Rodríguez-Molinero, Luis; Garrido-Redondo, Mercedes; Sacristán-Martín, Ana María; Martínez-Rivera, María Teresa; Alberola-López, Susana; Sánchez-Azón, María Isabel

    2014-01-01

    Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is characterized by a pattern of negative, defiant, disobedient and hostile behavior toward authority figures. ODD is one of the most frequent reasons for clinical consultation on mental health during childhood and adolescence. ODD has a high morbidity and dysfunction, and has important implications for the future if not treated early. To determine the prevalence of ODD in schoolchildren aged 6-16 years in Castile and Leon (Spain). Population study with a stratified multistage sample, and a proportional cluster design. Sample analyzed: 1,049. Cases were defined according to DSM-IV criteria. An overall prevalence rate of 5.6% was found (95% CI: 4.2%-7%). Male gender prevalence=6.8%; female=4.3%. Prevalence in secondary education=6.2%; primary education=5.3%. No significant differences by gender, age, grade, type of school, or demographic area were found. ODD prevalence without considering functional impairment, such as is performed in some research, would increase the prevalence to 7.4%. ODD cases have significantly worse academic outcomes (overall academic performance, reading, maths and writing), and worse classroom behavior (relationship with peers, respect for rules, organizational skills, academic tasks, and disruption of the class). Castile and Leon has a prevalence rate of ODD slightly higher to that observed in international publications. Depending on the distribution by age, morbidity and clinical dysfunctional impact, an early diagnosis and a preventive intervention are required for health planning. Copyright © 2013 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  18. Prevalence of Stuttering in Javanroud\\'s Bilingual Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiva Mohammadi

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Study of prevalence of stuttering in Iranian bilingual societies is essential for determine the effects of linguistic factors in stuttering and therapy demands in these bilingual societies. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of stuttering among Javanrud’s bilingual students. Materials & Methods: In this cross- sectional, descriptive and analytical study, all of bilingual students of Javanrud’s schools were examined and in order to this purpose, teacher referral method was used for the primary screening of speech disorders at all. Essential information about speech disorders specifically stuttering had been given to teachers before this primary step. Then researcher diagnosed stuttering students based on personal interview, reading, spontaneous speech and description of serial images that tell a story in Kurdish and Persian. Data were analysed by statistical tests such as Chi-square and Logistic Regression. Results: Among 11425 bilingual students of Javanrud’s schools, 129 students were identified as stutterers. These findings indicated that overall prevalence of stuttering in this population is 1/13 percent. Among primary, guidance and high school students the prevalence of stuttering was 2/06, 0/87 and 0/5 percent respectively. Prevalence of stuttering among boys was 1/35 and among girls was 0/88 percent. An overall male/female ratio was 1/5. Prevalence of stuttering in primary, guidance and high school was differ from each other significantly (P<0/001. Prevalence of stuttering in male was higher than female significantly (P=0/034. Conclusion: Prevalence of stuttering among Javanrood’s bilingual students was higher than accepted prevalence in monolinguals (1%. Risk of being stuttering in male was higher than female.

  19. Proposal of thinking process model based on putting a question to oneself for problem solving by skilled engineers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukumoto, Toshihiko; Kishi, Yoshiki

    2007-01-01

    The retirement of the skilled engineers and researchers, who have been working in the field of water chemistry of BWRs since the establishment of Japanese BWRs, has been accelerating so that it is necessary to preserve and share the knowledge and know-how of these skilled engineers and to effectively and securely inherit them to the following generations. Moreover, in order for other engineers to share knowledge, including the tacit knowledge of a skilled engineer, it is necessary not only to understand the knowledge obtained as the results of the thinking of the skilled engineers but also to externalize and experience their thinking processes as the processes of problem solving that produced the results. The target of this research is to build a new thinking process model that can externalize thinking processes effectively by analyzing the knowledge and thinking contents of the skilled engineers for investigating causes of changes in the quality of reactor water in boiling water reactor type power plants. As part of this research, we found out a new metacognitive activity, Putting a Question to Oneself, which plays a large role in the thinking process structure. In addition, we developed a new fundamental thinking process model, which can externalize thinking processes effectively by integrating the concept of Putting a Question to Oneself into the thinking process model. (author)

  20. How doctors apply semantic components to specify search in work-related information retrieval

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykke, Marianne; Price, Susan L.; Delcambre, Lois L. M.

    2012-01-01

    Workplace searching is often context-specific and targets a “right answer” within some domain-specific aspect of the search topic. We have developed the semantic component (SC) model that allows searchers to specify a search within context-specific aspects of the main topic of documents. The goal...

  1. End-User Searching in a Large Library Network: A Case Study of Patent Attorneys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vollaro, Alice J.; Hawkins, Donald T.

    1986-01-01

    Reports results of study of a group of end users (patent attorneys) doing their own online searching at AT&T Bell Laboratories. Highlights include DIALOG databases used by the attorneys, locations and searching modes, characteristics of patent attorney searchers, and problem areas. Questionnaire is appended. (5 references) (EJS)

  2. Prevalence Rates of Mental Disorders in Chilean Prisons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mundt, Adrian P.; Alvarado, Rubén; Fritsch, Rosemarie; Poblete, Catalina; Villagra, Carolina; Kastner, Sinja; Priebe, Stefan

    2013-01-01

    Objective High rates of mental disorders have been reported for prison populations worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present study aimed to establish prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisoners. Method A nationwide random sample of 1008 prisoners was assessed in 7 penal institutions throughout Chile. Twelve-month prevalence rates were established using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and compared to the prevalence rates previously published for the general population. Results Prevalence rates were 12.2% (95% CI, 10.2-14.1) for any substance use disorder, 8.3% (6.6-10.0) for anxiety disorders, 8.1% (6.5-9.8) for affective disorders, 5.7% (4.4-7.1) for intermittent explosive disorders, 2.2% (1.4-3.2) for ADHD of the adult, and 0.8% (0.3-1.3) for non-affective psychoses. Significantly higher prevalence rates among prisoners as compared to the general population in Chile were seen for major depression (6.1% vs. 3.7% males, Z=2.58, pprison population than in the general population. One-year prevalence rates of alcohol abuse (2.3% vs. 3.9%; Z=-2.04; pprison population than in the general population. Conclusions Service provision for prison populations in Chile should acknowledge high rates of depression and illicit drug use. Overall prevalence rates are lower than reported in other LMICs. Previous research in prison populations in LMICs might have overestimated prevalence rates of mental disorders. PMID:23894415

  3. ACCOUNTING FOR USERS' INFLATED ASSESSMENTS OF ONLINE CATALOG SEARCH PERFORMANCE AND USEFULNESS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles R. Hildreth

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available User-oriented approaches to information retrieval (IR system performance evaluation assign a major role to user satisfaction with search results and overall system performance. Expressed satisfaction with search results is often used as a measure of utility. Many research studies indicate that users of on-line library catalogs (OPACs and other IR systems often express satisfaction with poor search results. This phenomenon of "false positives," inflated assessments of search results and system performance, has not been adequately explained. Non-performance factors such as interface style and ease of use may have an affect on a searcher's satisfaction with search results. The research described in this report investigates this phenomenon. This paper presents the findings of an experimental study which compared users' search performance and assessments of ease of use, system usefulness, and satisfaction with search results after use of a Web OPAC or its conventional counterpart. The primary questions addressed by this research center on the influence of two experimental factors, OPAC search interface style and search task level of difficulty, on the dependent variables: actual search performance, perceptions of ease of use and system usefulness, and assessments of satisfaction with search results. The study also investigated associations between perceived ease of use, system usefulness, and satisfaction with search results. Lastly, the study looked for associations between the dependent variables and personal characteristics. No association was found between satisfaction with search results and actual search performance. Web OPAC searchers outperformed Text OPAC searchers, but search task level of difficulty is a major determinant of search success. A strong positive correlation was found between perceptions of system ease of use and assessments of search results.

  4. Variation of a test's sensitivity and specificity with disease prevalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeflang, Mariska M G; Rutjes, Anne W S; Reitsma, Johannes B; Hooft, Lotty; Bossuyt, Patrick M M

    2013-08-06

    Anecdotal evidence suggests that the sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test may vary with disease prevalence. Our objective was to investigate the associations between disease prevalence and test sensitivity and specificity using studies of diagnostic accuracy. We used data from 23 meta-analyses, each of which included 10-39 studies (416 total). The median prevalence per review ranged from 1% to 77%. We evaluated the effects of prevalence on sensitivity and specificity using a bivariate random-effects model for each meta-analysis, with prevalence as a covariate. We estimated the overall effect of prevalence by pooling the effects using the inverse variance method. Within a given review, a change in prevalence from the lowest to highest value resulted in a corresponding change in sensitivity or specificity from 0 to 40 percentage points. This effect was statistically significant (p disease prevalence; there was no such systematic effect for sensitivity. The sensitivity and specificity of a test often vary with disease prevalence; this effect is likely to be the result of mechanisms, such as patient spectrum, that affect prevalence, sensitivity and specificity. Because it may be difficult to identify such mechanisms, clinicians should use prevalence as a guide when selecting studies that most closely match their situation.

  5. High HIV prevalence among a high-risk subgroup of women attending sexually transmitted infection clinics in Pune, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Shruti H; Gupta, Amita; Sahay, Seema; Godbole, Sheela V; Joshi, Smita N; Reynolds, Steven J; Celentano, David D; Risbud, Arun; Mehendale, Sanjay M; Bollinger, Robert C

    2006-01-01

    To investigate changes over a decade in prevalence and correlates of HIV among high-risk women attending sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Pune, India, who deny a history of commercial sex work (CSW). Cross-sectional. From 1993 to 2002, 2376 women attending 3 STI clinics in Pune were offered HIV screening. Women who denied CSW were included (n = 1020). Of 1020 women, 21% were HIV infected. The annual HIV prevalence increased from 14% in 1993 to 29% in 2001-2002 (P women were older, more often employed, less likely to be currently married, and more likely to report condom use. In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with HIV were calendar period (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.9 for 1997-1999 vs. 1993-1996; 95% CI, 1.2-3.0; AOR, 2.3 for 2000-2002 vs. 1993-1996; 95% CI, 1.5-3.6), lack of formal education (AOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4-2.9), having been widowed (AOR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.6-6.1), current employment (AOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.6), and genital ulcer disease on examination (AOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7). Women attending STI clinics in India who deny a history of CSW represent a small, hidden subgroup, likely put at risk for HIV because of high-risk behavior of their male partners, generally their husbands. Educational and awareness efforts that have targeted other subgroups in India (men and CSWs) should also focus on these hard-to-reach women. Risk reduction in this subgroup of Indian women would also be expected to reduce perinatal infections in India.

  6. Prevalence of Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in Finnish Slaughter Pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahikainen Ibañez, T; Laukkanen-Ninios, R; Hakkinen, M; Johansson, T; Vilar, M; Korkeala, H

    2016-04-01

    The prevalence of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica was determined in tonsil and intestinal content samples from 388 healthy fattening pigs at the four biggest Finnish slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses process 73% of pigs in Finland. Tonsil samples were tested by PCR targeted for yadA, and intestinal samples were cultured. All pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates represented bioserotype 4/O:3. The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil samples was 60% (95% confidence limit, 55.4 to 65.1%), and its prevalence in intestinal samples was 26% (95% confidence limit, 22.1 to 31.2%). The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil and intestinal samples varied between the four slaughterhouses. The tonsil prevalence of Y. enterocolitica was higher in slaughterhouse B, and the prevalence in intestinal content was higher in slaughterhouse C. There were more positive results in both tonsil and intestinal samples in pigs coming from fattening farms than in pigs coming from farrowing-and-fattening farms. A seasonal variation was observed in the prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in intestinal samples, with the highest prevalence during July and August, but no seasonal variation was detected in tonsil samples.

  7. Prevalence of dementia and major subtypes in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lobo, A; Launer, L J; Fratiglioni, L

    2000-01-01

    The last comparison of prevalence figures of dementia across European studies was 10 years ago. Using studies conducted in the 1990s, the authors compare the age- and sex-specific prevalence of dementia, AD, and vascular dementia (VaD) across European population-based studies of persons 65 years...... and older. Data from these studies were also pooled to obtain stable estimates of age- and sex-specific prevalence. A total of 2346 cases of mild to severe dementia were identified in 11 cohorts. Age-standardized prevalence was 6.4% for dementia (all causes), 4.4% for AD, and 1.6% for VaD. The prevalence...... of dementia increased continuously with age and was 0.8% in the group age 65 to 69 years and 28.5% at age 90 years and older. The corresponding figures for AD (53.7% of cases) were 0.6% and 22.2%, and for VaD (15.8% of cases), 0.3% and 5.2%. Variation of AD prevalence across studies was greatest for men...

  8. The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a community sample of Iranian population: Iranian PCOS prevalence study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hosseinpanah Farhad

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the heavy burden and impact of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS in reproduction and public health, estimates regarding its prevalence at community levels are limited. We aimed to ascertain prevalence of PCOS in a community based sample using the National Institute of Health (NIH, the Rotterdam consensus (Rott. and the Androgen Excess Society (AES criteria. Methods Using the stratified, multistage probability cluster sampling method, 1126 women were randomly selected from among reproductive aged women of different geographic regions of Iran. PCOS were diagnosed using universal assessment of ultrasonographic parameters, hormonal profiles and clinical histories. Results The mean +/- SD of age of study population was 34.4 +/- 7.6 years. Estimated prevalence of idiopathic hirsutism was 10.9% (95% CI: 8.9-12.9%; 8.3% of women had only oligo/anovulation and 8.0% had only polycystic ovaries. The prevalence of PCOS was 7.1% (95% CI: 5.4-8.8% using the NIH definition, 11.7% (95% CI: 9.5-13.7% by AES criteria and 14.6% (95% CI: 12.3-16.9% using the Rott definition. Conclusions At community level, widespread screening of Rotterdam criteria will increase the estimated prevalence of PCOS over twofold. Establishing an explicit and contemporaneous method for definition and screening of each PCOS criteria has important investigational implications and increase the comparability of published research.

  9. GeoSearcher: Location-Based Ranking of Search Engine Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watters, Carolyn; Amoudi, Ghada

    2003-01-01

    Discussion of Web queries with geospatial dimensions focuses on an algorithm that assigns location coordinates dynamically to Web sites based on the URL. Describes a prototype search system that uses the algorithm to re-rank search engine results for queries with a geospatial dimension, thus providing an alternative ranking order for search engine…

  10. When Does Social Capital Matter? Non-Searching for Jobs across the Life Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Steve; Elder, Glen H., Jr.

    2006-01-01

    Non-searchers--people who get their jobs without engaging in a job search--are often excluded from investigations of the role of personal relationships in job finding processes. This practice fails to capture the scope of informal job matching activity and underestimates the effectiveness of social capital. Moreover, studies typically obtain…

  11. Download this PDF file

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adele

    The aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive model of preventative medicine for communities to reduce disease, dis- ability and premature death throughout the life cycle. The au- thor, C. David Jenkins is an internationally recognised re- searcher, health worker and Professor of Preventative Medi- cine and ...

  12. Citation Rate of Highly-Cited Papers in 100 Kinesiology-Related Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knudson, Duane

    2015-01-01

    This study extended previous research on several citation-based bibliometric variables for highly cited articles in a large (N = 100) number of journals related to Kinesiology. Total citations and citation rate of the 30 most highly cited articles in each journal were identified by searchers of "Google Scholar (GS)". Other major…

  13. to view fulltext PDF

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2017-07-25

    Jul 25, 2017 ... This lecture workshop on differential equations and its applications provide a forum to young re- searchers and faculty members to interact with eminent speakers and to enhance their cognizance in the field of differential equations. The proposed course broadly covers topics such as basics of. Differential ...

  14. The EuroPrevall surveys on the prevalence of food allergies in children and adults: background and study methodology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kummeling, I.; Mills, E. N. C.; Clausen, M.; Dubakiene, R.; Pérez, C. Farnãndez; Fernández-Rivas, M.; Knulst, A. C.; Kowalski, M. L.; Lidholm, J.; Le, T.-M.; Metzler, C.; Mustakov, T.; Popov, T.; Potts, J.; van Ree, R.; Sakellariou, A.; Töndury, B.; Tzannis, K.; Burney, P.

    2009-01-01

    Background: The epidemiological surveys in children and adults of the EU-funded multidisciplinary Integrated Project EuroPrevall, launched in June 2005, were designed to estimate the currently unknown prevalence of food allergy and exposure to known or suspected risk factors for food allergy across

  15. EFFECTS OF AZADIRACHTIN ON THE SUNN PEST, EURYGASTER INTEGRICEPS PUT. (HETEROPTERA, SCUTELLERIDAE IN THE LABORATORY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Müjgan KIVAN

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available To investigate the effect of azadirachtin on different stages of the sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Put. (Het., Scutelleridae in the laboratory, a commercial neem insecticide (NeemAzal T/S was applied at dose of 0.5 % by dipping insects. No effect was observed for 1. instar nymphs at 1 day after application, although adults had slightly effect (20 %. Adults and nymphs were infl uenced 7 days after the treatment and mortality rates for adults and nymphs were recorded 44.0 and 51.9 %, respectively. The hatching of treated eggs was reduced than control. These results indicate that NeemAzal T/S may be used in integrated sunn pest management, but should be evaluated for fi eld efficacy.

  16. Wildlife disease prevalence in human-modified landscapes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brearley, Grant; Rhodes, Jonathan; Bradley, Adrian; Baxter, Greg; Seabrook, Leonie; Lunney, Daniel; Liu, Yan; McAlpine, Clive

    2013-05-01

    Human-induced landscape change associated with habitat loss and fragmentation places wildlife populations at risk. One issue in these landscapes is a change in the prevalence of disease which may result in increased mortality and reduced fecundity. Our understanding of the influence of habitat loss and fragmentation on the prevalence of wildlife diseases is still in its infancy. What is evident is that changes in disease prevalence as a result of human-induced landscape modification are highly variable. The importance of infectious diseases for the conservation of wildlife will increase as the amount and quality of suitable habitat decreases due to human land-use pressures. We review the experimental and observational literature of the influence of human-induced landscape change on wildlife disease prevalence, and discuss disease transmission types and host responses as mechanisms that are likely to determine the extent of change in disease prevalence. It is likely that transmission dynamics will be the key process in determining a pathogen's impact on a host population, while the host response may ultimately determine the extent of disease prevalence. Finally, we conceptualize mechanisms and identify future research directions to increase our understanding of the relationship between human-modified landscapes and wildlife disease prevalence. This review highlights that there are rarely consistent relationships between wildlife diseases and human-modified landscapes. In addition, variation is evident between transmission types and landscape types, with the greatest positive influence on disease prevalence being in urban landscapes and directly transmitted disease systems. While we have a limited understanding of the potential influence of habitat loss and fragmentation on wildlife disease, there are a number of important areas to address in future research, particularly to account for the variability in increased and decreased disease prevalence. Previous studies

  17. Identification and Pathogenicity of Bacteria Associated with Etiolation and Decline of Creeping Bentgrass Golf Course Putting Greens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Joseph A; Ma, Bangya; Tredway, Lane P; Ritchie, David F; Kerns, James P

    2018-01-01

    Bacterial etiolation and decline has developed into a widespread issue with creeping bentgrass (CBG) (Agrostis stolonifera) putting green turf. The condition is characterized by an abnormal elongation of turfgrass stems and leaves that in rare cases progresses into a rapid and widespread necrosis and decline. Recent reports have cited bacteria, Acidovorax avenae and Xanthomonas translucens, as causal agents; however, few cases exist where either bacterium were isolated in conjunction with turf exhibiting bacterial disease symptoms. From 2010 to 2014, turfgrass from 62 locations submitted to the NC State Turf Diagnostic Clinic exhibiting bacterial etiolation and/or decline symptoms were sampled for the presence of bacterial pathogens. Isolated bacteria were identified using rRNA sequencing of the 16S subunit and internal transcribed spacer region (16S-23S or ITS). Results showed diverse bacteria isolated from symptomatic turf and A. avenae and X. translucens were only isolated in 26% of samples. Frequently isolated bacterial species were examined for pathogenicity to 4-week-old 'G2' CBG seedlings and 8-week-old 'A-1' CBG turfgrass stands in the greenhouse. While results confirmed pathogenicity of A. avenae and X. translucens, Pantoea ananatis was also shown to infect CBG turf; although pathogenicity varied among isolated strains. These results illustrate that multiple bacteria are associated with bacterial disease and shed new light on culturable bacteria living in CBG turfgrass putting greens. Future research to evaluate additional microorganisms (i.e., bacteria and fungi) could provide new information on host-microbe interactions and possibly develop ideas for management tactics to reduce turfgrass pests.

  18. Combined prevalence of impaired glucose level or diabetes and its correlates in Lusaka urban district, Zambia: a population based survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nsakashalo-Senkwe Mutale

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Developing countries are undergoing an epidemiological transition, from Communicable or Infectious to 'Non-Communicable' diseases (NCDs, such that cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes were responsible for 60% of all deaths globally in 2005, with more than 75% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. A survey was conducted to determine among other objectives the prevalence of diabetes and its association with physical fitness and biological factors. Methods A cross sectional study utilizing a modified World Health Organization's STEPwise approach to surveillance of NCDs was conducted in Lusaka district, Zambia. A multi-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select study participants of age 25 years or older. All eligible members of a household that was selected were invited to participate in the study. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR, and adjusted odds ratios (AOR together with their 95% Confidence Intervals (CI were obtained using Complex samples logistic regression Results A total of 1928 individuals participated in the survey, of which 33.0% were males. About half of the participants were of age 25-34 years (53.2%, and about a third of the respondents had attained secondary level of education (35.8%. The combined prevalence for impaired glucose level or diabetes was 4.0%. Age and mild hypertension were significantly associated with impaired levels of glucose or diabetes. Compared to participants in the age group 25-34 years, older participants were more likely to have impaired glucose level or diabetes (AOR = 2.49 (95%CI [1.35, 2.92] for 35-44 years age group, and AOR = 3.80 (95%CI [2.00, 7.23] for 45 + years age group. Mild hypertension was associated with impaired glucose level or diabetes (AOR = 2.57 (95%CI [1.44, 4.57]. Conclusions The prevalence of diabetes in Lusaka district has not reached an alarming level and it is now that interventions targeting the younger age

  19. Seasonal variation in the prevalence of preeclampsia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Janani

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Hypertension in pregnancy is one of the three factors of maternal mortality. Etiology of the disease is unknown, but the many factors contributing to the identification and control of it can be taken a step to prevent and reduce the symptoms of the disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of preeclampsia (high-blood pressure in different seasons of the year. Methods: The present retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on more than 8,000 pregnant women visiting Assali specialized hospital from 2011 to 2013. Required data was collected through questionnaire checklist. The Chi-square test with multiple comparisons was used to compare the frequencies of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH according to the month of year, and adjustment of multiplicity was conducted using Bonferroni's method. Student's t-test was used to compare the means of PIH prevalence rates. In all analyses, P < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance. Results: In these 8000 woman admitted to labor, overall prevalence of PIH was 3.8 ± 0.6%. The prevalence rate of PIH was highest in the summer (4.5% and lowest frequent in the winter (2.7%, respectively. In July, the prevalence rate was significantly higher than those for any other month (4.7%, and in March, it was lower prevalence than for any month (2.2%, respectively. Using the Chi-square test, a significant difference between the incidence of disease was observed in summer and winter (P < 0.001. Conclusion: The prevalence rate of PIH was higher for delivery in summer and early spring and lowest for winter delivery among Khorramabad women based on these results; it seems that changes in temperature and humidity in different seasons can affect preeclampsia, and preeclampsia increases with increasing frequency temperature.

  20. [Using log-binomial model for estimating the prevalence ratio].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Rong; Gao, Yan-hui; Yang, Yi; Chen, Yue

    2010-05-01

    To estimate the prevalence ratios, using a log-binomial model with or without continuous covariates. Prevalence ratios for individuals' attitude towards smoking-ban legislation associated with smoking status, estimated by using a log-binomial model were compared with odds ratios estimated by logistic regression model. In the log-binomial modeling, maximum likelihood method was used when there were no continuous covariates and COPY approach was used if the model did not converge, for example due to the existence of continuous covariates. We examined the association between individuals' attitude towards smoking-ban legislation and smoking status in men and women. Prevalence ratio and odds ratio estimation provided similar results for the association in women since smoking was not common. In men however, the odds ratio estimates were markedly larger than the prevalence ratios due to a higher prevalence of outcome. The log-binomial model did not converge when age was included as a continuous covariate and COPY method was used to deal with the situation. All analysis was performed by SAS. Prevalence ratio seemed to better measure the association than odds ratio when prevalence is high. SAS programs were provided to calculate the prevalence ratios with or without continuous covariates in the log-binomial regression analysis.

  1. Prevalência do aleitamento materno Prevalence of breastfeeding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amauri Pinto da Silva

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar os indicadores de aleitamento materno em consultórios particulares e centros de saúde no município de Lins, SP, e comparar a prevalência de aleitamento materno exclusivo dessa região com a encontrada em outras pesquisas. MÉTODOS: Estudo de corte transversal com amostra aleatória de 255 crianças de quatro a doze meses de idade, estratificada por sexo, condição socioeconômica e escolaridade dos pais. Foram avaliados os indicadores de aleitamento materno em dois grupos de crianças: as acompanhadas em consultórios particulares e as acompanhadas em centros de saúde. Foram utilizados questionários respondidos pelos responsáveis. Os dados desta pesquisa foram comparados aos de outros estudos. RESULTADOS: Apesar de haver diferenças significativas nas condições de renda, estrato social e escolaridade dos pais, não houve diferença significativa nos índices de aleitamento materno entre os dois grupos. No grupo total, a prevalência de aleitamento materno exclusivo aos quatro meses foi de 61,1% e a mediana de aleitamento materno exclusivo foi de 120 dias. Os resultados foram superiores aos dos demais estudos consultados. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados mostraram diferenças relacionadas às condições socioeconômicas, porém, os índices de aleitamento materno foram semelhantes entre os dois grupos. Os resultados de aleitamento materno exclusivo foram superiores aos das demais pesquisas.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the breastfeeding indicators registered for two groups of infants in the city of Lins, São Paulo, Brazil. To compare the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in this area with data found in other studies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 255 infants between 4 and 12 months of age, found in two groups: the infants attended at private medical offices, and those attended at the county health care centers of the city of Lins. The subjects were stratified by sex, parental socioeconomic class and

  2. Prevalence and course of pseudothrombocytopenia in outpatients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froom, Paul; Barak, Mira

    2011-01-01

    The prevalence and course of pseudothrombocytopenia in outpatients is uncertain. In a cohort study of 687,955 members of a health maintenance organization, we extracted 36,780 consecutive automated complete blood count test results and determined the point prevalence of pseudothrombocytopenia during a one-month period. We also calculated a retrospective cumulative prevalence over the past 5 years. There were 1105 (2.7%) patients with platelet counts of 100-149×10(9)/L and 304 (0.8%) with counts values, or the reference limit value should be lowered to 100×10(9)/L.

  3. Quality Risk Management: Putting GMP Controls First.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Donnell, Kevin; Greene, Anne; Zwitkovits, Michael; Calnan, Nuala

    2012-01-01

    to be any control that is put in place to assure product quality and regulatory compliance. This improved approach is also based on how the detectability of risks is assessed. This is important because when producing medicines, it is not always good practice to place a high reliance upon detection-type controls in the absence of an adequate level of assurance in the manufacturing process that leads to the finished medicine.

  4. Socioeconomic status is associated with global diabetes prevalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zhiye; Yu, Dan; Yin, Xueyao; Zheng, Fenping; Li, Hong

    2017-07-04

    The incidence of diabetes is increasing globally. We investigated the relationship between diabetes prevalence and patient socioeconomic status across multiple countries. We searched PubMed to identify population-based surveys reporting diabetes prevalence between 1990 and May 2016. Search results were filtered, and Human Development Index (HDI) values from the United Nations Development Programme were used to assess socioeconomic status for a given nation. Our analysis included 45 national surveys from 32 countries. Diabetes prevalence was positively correlated with national HDI (r = 0.421 P = 0.041) in developing countries, and negatively correlated with HDI (r = -0.442 P = 0.045) in developed countries. Diabetes prevalence trends were the same in women and men, although men were associated with increased diabetes risk in developed countries (r = 0.459 P = 0.048). Thus, diabetes prevalence rises with increasing HDI in developing countries, and this is reversed in developed countries. Ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between diabetes and socioeconomic status at global level using HDI values. These results will aid in evaluating global diabetes prevalence and risk with respect to patient socioeconomic status, and will be useful in the development of policies that help reduce disease incidence.

  5. The prevalence of umbilical and epigastric hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burcharth, J; Pedersen, M S; Pommergaard, H-C

    2015-01-01

    in Denmark on December 31st, 2010 was performed. Within this population all umbilical and epigastric hernia repairs from January 1st, 2006 to December 31st, 2010 were identified using data from the Danish National Hospital Register, and 5-year prevalence estimates were calculated. RESULTS: The study...... hernia repairs was seen in males aged 60-70 years with a 5-year prevalence of 0.53 % (95 % CI 0.51-0.56 %) and the highest age-specific 5-year prevalence of epigastric hernia repair was seen in 40-50 year females with a 5-year prevalence of 0.086 % (95 % CI 0.077-0.095 %). CONCLUSION: The gender and age...

  6. Prevalence of gestrointestinal symptoms in pregnancy | Audu ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prevalence of gestrointestinal symptoms in pregnancy. BM Audu, SK Mustapha. Abstract. Objectives: This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms among healthy pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Methods: Questionnaires were ...

  7. Prevalence of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection among Female ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Alasia Datonye

    prevalence of and predictive risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis infection among female undergraduate students of ... manage and associated with severe sequelae. Key Words: – Prevalence; Chlamydia trachomatis; ... genital infection during pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, premature delivery and ...

  8. Post-operative pain prevalence, predictors, management practices ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MWASHAMBWA

    developing countries however, the prevalence of post-operative pain is relatively very high and pain control strategies ... Keywords: post-operative pain, prevalence, predictors, pain management, satisfaction, Tanzania. Introduction ..... perception and patterns of cerebral activation during noxious heat stimulation in humans.

  9. Accidental hypothermia in Poland – estimation of prevalence, diagnostic methods and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosiński, Sylweriusz; Darocha, Tomasz; Gałązkowski, Robert; Drwiła, Rafał

    2015-02-06

    The incidence of hypothermia is difficult to evaluate, and the data concerning the morbidity and mortality rates do not seem to fully represent the problem. The aim of the study was to estimate the actual prevalence of accidental hypothermia in Poland, as well as the methods of diagnosis and management procedures used in emergency rooms (ERs). A specially designed questionnaire, consisting of 14 questions, was mailed to all the 223 emergency rooms (ER) in Poland. The questions concerned the incidence, methods of diagnosis and risk factors, as well as the rewarming methods used and available measurement instruments. The analysis involved data from 42 ERs providing emergency healthcare for the population of 5,305,000. The prevalence of accidental hypothermia may have been 5.05 cases per 100.000 residents per year. Among the 268 cases listed 25% were diagnosed with codes T68, T69 or X31, and in 75% hypothermia was neither included nor assigned a code in the final diagnosis. The most frequent cause of hypothermia was exposure to cold air alongside ethanol abuse (68%). Peripheral temperature was measured in 57%, core temperature measurement was taken in 29% of the patients. Peripheral temperature was measured most often at the axilla, while core temperature measurement was predominantly taken rectally. Mild hypothermia was diagnosed in 75.5% of the patients, moderate (32-28°C) in 16.5%, while severe hypothermia (less than 28°C) in 8% of the cases. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was carried out in 7.5% of the patients. The treatment involved mainly warmed intravenous fluids (83.5%) and active external rewarming measures (70%). In no case was extracorporeal rewarming put to use. The actual incidence of accidental hypothermia in Polish emergency departments may exceed up to four times the official data. Core temperature is taken only in one third of the patients, the treatment of hypothermic patients is rarely conducted in intensive care wards and extracorporeal rewarming

  10. Prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children: A community-based study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Mouzan, Mohammed; Foster, Peter J.

    2010-01-01

    There is no published information on the prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence data.The prevalence of nutritional indicators in the form of underweight, stunting, and wasting in a national sample of children younger than 5 years of age was calculated using the new WHO standards as reference. Calculations were performed using the corresponding WHO software. The prevalence of moderate and severe underweight, wasting and stunting, was defined as the proportion of children whose weight for age, weight for height, and height for age were below -2 and -3 standard deviation scores, respectively.The number of children younger than 5 years of age was 15 516 and 50.5% were boys. The prevalence of moderate and severe underweight was 6.9% and 1.3%, respectively. The prevalence of moderate and severe wasting was 9.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Finally, the prevalence of moderate and severe stunting was 10.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The prevalence was lower in girls for all indicators. Comparison of the prevalence of nutritional indicators in selected countries demonstrates large disparity with an intermediate position for Saudi Arabia.This report establishes the national prevalence of malnutrition among Saudi children. Compared to data from other countries, these prevalence rates are still higher than other countries with less economic resources, indicating that more efforts are needed to improve the nutritional status of children (Author).

  11. Restless legs syndrome: relationship between prevalence and latitude.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koo, Brian B

    2012-12-01

    Restless legs syndrome (RLS) has a broad worldwide prevalence between 0.01% and 18.3%. While differences in RLS definitions and data ascertainment methods account for some variability, other factors likely contribute. The circadian nature of RLS and the fact that RLS symptoms track with endogenous melatonin levels suggest that light or ultraviolet radiation (UVR) may be related to RLS expression. As the amount of UVR decreases with latitude, we considered the potential effect of geography on RLS prevalence with the thought being that RLS prevalence rises with increasing latitude. RLS epidemiologic studies were sought via Pubmed search in the period between January 1, 1992 and November 15, 2010. Prevalence was mapped for each country or specific region studied and examined by continent. Pearson's correlational testing was carried out for RLS prevalence and latitude of the region studied. Global RLS prevalence ranges from 0.01% in Africa, 0.7% to 12.5% in Asia, 2.0% to 18.9% in the Americas, and 3.2% to 18.3% in Europe. Mapping RLS prevalence by country or region in both the Americas and in Europe suggests increasing RLS frequency with greater northern latitude. RLS prevalence is positively correlated with northern latitude in both North America and Europe with correlation coefficients of r = 0.77 (0.15, 0.96; p = 0.02) and r = 0.74 (0.44, 0.89; p = 0.0002), respectively. In Europe, lower latitudinal countries like Greece and Turkey had RLS prevalence (per 1,000 persons) of 38 and 34, respectively, middle latitudinal countries like France and England of 108 and 86, respectively, and high latitudinal countries like Norway and Iceland of 143 and 183, respectively. RLS epidemiology indicates an increase in RLS frequency in northern latitudinal countries as a function of distance from the equator, an effect most evident in Europe. This suggests that factors that track with latitude like UVR may be involved in the expression of RLS.

  12. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Central Venous Stenosis among Prevalent Hemodialysis Patients, a Single Center Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, Osama O; El-Magzoub, Abdul-Rahman A; Elamin, Sarra

    2014-01-01

    Central vein stenosis (CVS) is a common complication of central venous catheter (CVC) insertion. In this study we evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of CVS among hemodialysis (HD) patients in a single center in Sudan, using Doppler ultrasound as a screening tool. The study included 106 prevalent HD patients. For every patient, we performed Duplex Doppler for the right and left jugular, subclavian and femoral veins. A patient was considered to have hemodynamically significant stenosis if the pre-stenosis to the post-stenosis velocities ratio was ≥ 2.5 or they had complete vein occlusion. Overall, 28.3% of patients had Doppler detected CVS, including 25.5% with hemodynamically significant stenosis and 2.8% with compromised flow. The prevalence of CVS was 68.4% among symptomatic patients compared to 19.5% in asymptomatic patients. The prevalence of CVS among patients with history of 0-1, 2-3 and ≥ 4 central venous catheters was 3.4%, 29.4% and 53.8% respectively (p=0.00). CVS was not more common in patients with history of previous/current jugular or femoral vein catheterization compared to no catheter placement in these veins (28.3% vs 28.6% and 35% vs 26.7% respectively; p >0.1). However, CVS was significantly more common in patients with previous/ current subclavian vein catheterization compared to no catheter placement in this vein (47.8% vs 22.9%, p = 0.02). CVS is highly prevalent among studied HD patients, particularly in the presence of suggestive clinical signs. The number of HD catheter placements and subclavian vein utilization for dialysis access impose a significantly higher risk of CVS.

  13. Prevalência de TDAH em quatro escolas públicas brasileiras ADHD prevalence in four brazilian plublic schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosiane da Silva Fontana

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência de transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH em crianças de quatro escolas públicas brasileiras. MÉTODO: Estudo de prevalência. A população consistiu em todos os alunos de 1ª à 4ª séries do ensino fundamental com idades entre 6 e 12 anos de quatro escolas públicas (CIEPs. Na primeira etapa do estudo, os professores efetuaram triagem para TDAH utilizando os critérios diagnósticos do Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais - IV Edição (DSM-IV. A triagem resultou em dois grupos de crianças: suspeitos e não suspeitos. Na segunda etapa, os pais das crianças suspeitas foram convidados a comparecerem à escola para entrevista com os pesquisadores e preenchimento dos critérios diagnósticos de TDAH, anamnese e exame físico pediátrico e neurológico. Ao final desta etapa, as crianças foram classificadas em "casos" de TDAH e crianças "indeterminadas" (crianças que preenchiam parcialmente os critérios diagnósticos. RESULTADOS: De uma população de 602 alunos, 461 fizeram parte do estudo. A prevalência de TDAH considerando o conjunto das 4 escolas foi 13%. A proporção masculino: feminino foi 2:1. O subtipo de TDAH mais freqüente foi o misto com 61,7% dos casos. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de TDAH nestes escolares brasileiros (13% é mais elevada que a prevalência tradicionalmente mencionada (3-5%. O sexo masculino foi mais acometido que o feminino e o subtipo de TDAH mais prevalente foi o misto, ambos de acordo com estudos anteriores.OBJECTIVE: To define the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD in children from four Brazilian public elementary schools. METHOD: Study population consisted of all students from the first through fourth grades, age range 6-12 years, who attended four public elementary schools (CIEPs. This prevalence study comprised two steps. During the first step, school teachers screened their own pupils for ADHD using

  14. Decomposing Racial Disparities in Obesity Prevalence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singleton, Chelsea R.; Affuso, Olivia; Sen, Bisakha

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Racial disparities in obesity exist at the individual and community levels. Retail food environment has been hypothesized to be associated with racial disparities in obesity prevalence. This study aimed to quantify how much food environment measures explain racial disparities in obesity at the county level. Methods Data from 2009 to 2010 on 3,135 U.S. counties were extracted from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Environment Atlas and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and analyzed in 2013. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition was used to quantify the portion of the gap in adult obesity prevalence observed between counties with a high and low proportion of African American residents is explained by food environment measures (e.g., proximity to grocery stores, per capita fast food restaurants). Counties were considered to have a high African American population if the percentage of African American residents was >13.1%, which represents the 2010 U.S. Census national estimate of percentage African American citizens. Results There were 665 counties (21%) classified as a high African American county. The total gap in mean adult obesity prevalence between high and low African American counties was found to be 3.35 percentage points (32.98% vs 29.63%). Retail food environment measures explained 13.81% of the gap in mean age-adjusted adult obesity prevalence. Conclusions Retail food environment explains a proportion of the gap in adult obesity prevalence observed between counties with a high proportion of African American residents and counties with a low proportion of African American residents. PMID:26507301

  15. Hepatitis B prevalence in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, N; Hay, G; Cowan, S

    2013-01-01

    The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Denmark is not clear. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic HBV infection in Denmark. The capture–recapture method was used to estimate the total population diagnosed with chronic HBV infection......, and the capture–recapture estimate of the total population diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B was 7,112 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6,953–10,747). Only 17% of the identified patients attended recommended clinical care according to national guidelines. Including undiagnosed patients, the current population...

  16. Prevalência de lesões em corredores de rua e fatores associados Prevalence of injuries and associated factors among street runners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriano Akira Ferreira Hino

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a prevalência de lesões esportivas e os fatores associados em corredores de rua por meio de um inquérito de morbidade referida. Os participantes foram selecionados por convite e por voluntariedade entre os corredores do Circuito de Ruas da Cidade de Curitiba-PR. Foram entrevistados 295 indivíduos (77,3% homens. As prevalências foram descritas de acordo com as variáveis de estudo e a regressão de Poisson foi utilizada para testar as associações (p The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of sports-related injuries and associated factors in street runners through a referred morbidity survey. Participants were selected by invitation and by volunteering among the runners from the Curitiba City Street Running Circuit during the months of September to November. 295 runners were interviewed (77.3% men. Prevalence rates were described accordingly to the study variables and Poisson regression was employed to test associations (p/ prevalence of sport injures occurred in the last six months was 28.5% (29.8% for men and 23.9% for women. Higher prevalence rates were observed among those aged from 30.1 - 45yr (32.8%; overweight/obese (35.2%; women training more than 30min/day (31.3%; and men training more than 60 min/day (34.2%. None of the variables analyzed were associated with self-reported sport injuries. The majority of injured subjects (60.5% remained less than three months away from training and those with training volume between 31 and 60 min/day were more likely to show this condition (prevalence ratio/ =/ 2.44; CI95% = 0.99-6.06; p = 0.05. It is concluded that sports injuries prevalence is observed in 1/3 of men and 1/4 of women. The variables investigated were not associated with prevalence of sport injuries in street runners and the injuries severity is associated with training volume.

  17. Seismic analysis of HD 43587Aa, a solar-like oscillator in a multiple system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boumier, P.; Benomar, O.; Baudin, F.; Verner, G.; Appourchaux, T.; Lebreton, Y.; Gaulme, P.; Chaplin, W.; García, R.A.; Hekker, S.; Regulo, C.; Salabert, D.; Stahn, T.; Elsworth, Y.; Gizon, L.; Hall, M.; Mathur, S.; Michel, E.; Morel, T.; Mosser, B.; Poretti, E.; Rainer, M.; Roxburgh, I.; do Nascimento Jr., J.D.; Samadi, R.; Auvergne, M.; Chaintreuil, S.; Baglin, A.; Catala, C.

    2014-01-01

    Context. The object HD 43587Aa is a G0V star observed during the 145-day LRa03 run of the COnvection, ROtation and planetary Transits space mission (CoRoT), for which complementary High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectra with S/N > 300 were also obtained. Its visual magnitude

  18. Dewey Decimal Classification Online Project: Interim Reports to the Council on Library Resources, April 1984, September 1984, and February 1985.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markey, Karen; Demeyer, Anh N.

    This research project focuses on the implementation and testing of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system as an online searcher's tool for subject access, browsing, and display in an online catalog. The research project comprises 12 activities. The three interim reports in this document cover the first seven of these activities: (1) obtain…

  19. Prevalence and co-prevalence of comorbidities in Belgian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a transversal, descriptive study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermans, Michel P; Dath, Nicolas

    2018-02-01

    Most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have at least one comorbid chronic disease. These comorbidities increase disease burden and costs and may impact the selection of glucose-lowering therapies. The aim of our study was to describe the prevalence and co-prevalence of comorbidities in patients with T2DM in Belgium. This was a single centre, transversal, descriptive study performed at Saint-Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. T2DM patients aged >18 years presenting to the outpatient diabetes clinic and regularly followed (≥1 year) between July 2011 and 2016 were included in the database. Information on descriptive characteristics was collected and several comorbidities were assessed. Overall, 778 patients were included. The median age was 68 years. The most frequently observed comorbidities were hypertension (85.5%), metabolic syndrome (MetS; 84.6%) and non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis (71.7%). 78.5% of the T2DM patients had ≥4 comorbidities. The highest co-prevalence of comorbidities was the combination of MetS and hypertension (75.8%), MetS and overweight (60.5%), and hypertension and overweight (56.6%). The observed prevalence and co-prevalence of comorbidities in T2DM Belgian patients was high, with 95.0% patients having at least two comorbid conditions.

  20. EFFECT OF TRAINING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION DRIVING SCHOOL Case of the teaching of O'Brien shot put style

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aymen Hawani

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to compare three different pedagogical approaches to training of complex motor skill: shot put style translation (O'Brien. The first is to introduce learning situations using an 'Audiovisual Projection' '(APA. The second is essentially based on demonstration of gesture, supported by verbal instructions (ADG. The third is based exclusively on verbal instructions (ACV. To do this, a group of 87 trainees from three classes of 7th base year participated in this study. Their average age was between 12 and 14 years, an average height of about ± 1.60m and a weight of 55 kg ±. All they had no practical experience in athletic activity, specifically in Shot Put. To each of three classes one of the three approaches was applied as well as 8 sessions alternating with three assessment sessions. The results showed that performance of trainees after using of the first approach (APA was relatively better than that was achieved with using of other two approaches, especially when training of complex motor tasks, specific to the chosen style of throwing. This allows to deduce the existence of a relationship between complexity of the motor action to be reproduce and interpretation of audiovisual messages, presented by the coach in the middle of training cycle.

  1. EFFECT OF TRAINING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION DRIVING SCHOOL Case of the teaching of O'Brien shot put style

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hawani Aymen

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to compare three different pedagogical approaches to training of complex motor skill: shot put style translation (O'Brien. The first is to introduce learning situations using an 'Audiovisual Projection' '(APA. The second is essentially based on demonstration of gesture, supported by verbal instructions (ADG. The third is based exclusively on verbal instructions (ACV. To do this, a group of 87 trainees from three classes of 7th base year participated in this study. Their average age was between 12 and 14 years, an average height of about ± 1.60m and a weight of 55 kg ±. All they had no practical experience in athletic activity, specifically in Shot Put. To each of three classes one of the three approaches was applied as well as 8 sessions alternating with three assessment sessions. The results showed that performance of trainees after using of the first approach (APA was relatively better than that was achieved with using of other two approaches, especially when training of complex motor tasks, specific to the chosen style of throwing. This allows to deduce the existence of a relationship between complexity of the motor action to be reproduce and interpretation of audiovisual messages, presented by the coach in the middle of training cycle.

  2. The prevalence of stalking in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Aa, S.; Kunst, M.J.J.

    2009-01-01

    Over eight years after the enactment of the Dutch anti-stalking provisions there are still no figures detailing the prevalence of stalking in The Netherlands. This article aims to estimate the lifetime and annual prevalence of this form of victimization within the Dutch population. Questionnaires

  3. Prevalence, Progression and Associated Risk Factors of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Introduction: The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) ranges between 4.5% and 57% and is independently associated with cardiovascular disease burden irrespective of symptoms. Two thirds of cases are thought to be asymptomatic and may go unrecognised. Local prevalence and natural progression of ...

  4. Prevalence, antibiotic-resistance properties and enterotoxin gene ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prevalence, antibiotic-resistance properties and enterotoxin gene profile of Bacillus cereus strains isolated from milk-based baby foods. ... Conclusion: Considerable prevalence of resistant and toxigenic B. cereus and high consumption of milk-based infant foods in Iran, represent an important public health issue which ...

  5. Prevalence of Rotavirus in shellfish from Southern Kerala

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vysakh Mohan

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To study the prevalence of Rotavirus in shellfish from Southern Kerala. Materials and Methods: The shellfish samples after processing was concentrated using proteinase K. RNA was isolated from the concentrated samples using phenol chloroform method. Rota viral RNA was detected using reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction. Results: A low prevalence of 2.5% (5/200 was obtained during the study. Rotavirus was detected in 2 out of 60 brown mussels (3.33%, 2 out of 70 yellow clams (2.86% and 1 out of 70 black clams (1.43%. Conclusion: Low prevalence of Rotavirus was obtained in our study. A more extensive study need to be conducted to estimate the prevalence of enteric virus in shellfish.

  6. The prevalence of childhood asthma in China: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yangzong Yangzong

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is well known that the prevalence of asthma has been reported to increase in many places around the world during the last decades. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify and review studies of asthma prevalence among children in China and address time trends and regional variation in asthma. Methods A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI databases. Selected articles had to describe an original study that showed the prevalence of asthma among children aged 0−14 years. Results A total of 74 articles met the inclusion criteria. The lifetime prevalence of asthma varied between 1.1% in Lhasa (Tibet and 11.0% in Hong Kong in studies following the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC protocol. The prevalence was 3% or lower in most articles following Chinese diagnostic criteria. One article reported the results from two national surveys and showed that the current average prevalence of asthma for the total study population had increased from 1990 to 2000 (0.9% to 1.5%. The lowest current prevalence was found in Lhasa (0.1% in 1990, 0.5% in 2000. Conclusions The prevalence of childhood asthma was generally low, both in studies following the ISAAC and Chinese diagnostic criteria. Assessment of time trends and regional variations in asthma prevalence was difficult due to insufficient data, variation in diagnostic criteria, difference in data collection methods, and uncertainty in prevalence measures. However, the findings from one large study of children from 27 different cities support an increase in current prevalence of childhood asthma from 1990 to 2000. The lowest current prevalence of childhood asthma was found in Tibet.

  7. Prevalence of Mathematic Disability in Primary Schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siavash Talepasand

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: One of the issues that have consistently been the concern for the health affair specialists and cure and massive social governors in health fields is the rate of disorders prevalence, diseases and the related subjects to epidemiology. Purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mathematic disability amongst primary schools of Karaj. Methods: Totally 432 students were selected with multi-stage sampling method. Participants completed Raven test, Frostig Visual-Perception test and Wepman Auditory discrimination test, Rutter behavioral questionnaire and Iran Key-math test. In order to diagnosis mathematic disability, inter criterion was normal quotient intelligence and out criteria were to have one of visual perception, auditory and behavioral problems. The participants whose total standard scores in Iran Key-math test were one standard deviation below the mean were selected as a mathematical disability (MD. Results: The mathematic disability prevalence in primary students was estimated 0.46%. In addition, proportion of mathematic disability prevalence was not function of gender or grade. Discussion: The findings demonstrated that the prevalence of mathematic disability is much less than the previous researches. A possible explanation was that inappropriate screening co morbid disorders with the mathematic disability. The theoretical implications of findings are discussed in detail.

  8. Understanding HIV-related posttraumatic stress disorder in South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A number of epidemiological studies have attempted to measure the prevalence of HIV-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review of the literature identified eight relevant studies that put current estimates of the prevalence of HIV-related PTSD between 4.2% and 40%. Even the ...

  9. Prevalence of sleep bruxism in children: A systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Machado

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of sleep bruxism (SB in children is subject to discussions in the literature.OBJECTIVE: This study is a systematic literature review aiming to critically assess the prevalence of SB in children.METHODS: Survey using the following research databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, Lilacs and BBO, from January 2000 to February 2013, focusing on studies specifically assessing the prevalence of SB in children.RESULTS: After applying the inclusion criteria, four studies were retrieved. Among the selected articles, the prevalence rates of SB ranged from 5.9% to 49.6%, and these variations showed possible associations with the diagnostic criteria used for SB.CONCLUSION: There is a small number of studies with the primary objective of assessing SB in children. Additionally, there was a wide variation in the prevalence of SB in children. Thus, further, evidence-based studies with standardized and validated diagnostic criteria are necessary to assess the prevalence of SB in children more accurately.

  10. Prevalence of sleep bruxism in children: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, Eduardo; Dal-Fabbro, Cibele; Cunali, Paulo Afonso; Kaizer, Osvaldo Bazzan

    2014-01-01

    Prevalence of sleep bruxism (SB) in children is subject to discussions in the literature. This study is a systematic literature review aiming to critically assess the prevalence of SB in children. Survey using the following research databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, Lilacs and BBO, from January 2000 to February 2013, focusing on studies specifically assessing the prevalence of SB in children. After applying the inclusion criteria, four studies were retrieved. Among the selected articles, the prevalence rates of SB ranged from 5.9% to 49.6%, and these variations showed possible associations with the diagnostic criteria used for SB. There is a small number of studies with the primary objective of assessing SB in children. Additionally, there was a wide variation in the prevalence of SB in children. Thus, further, evidence-based studies with standardized and validated diagnostic criteria are necessary to assess the prevalence of SB in children more accurately.

  11. Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Area Promotes Implicit Motor Learning in a Golf Putting Task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Frank F; Yeung, Andrew Y; Poolton, Jamie M; Lee, Tatia M C; Leung, Gilberto K K; Masters, Rich S W

    2015-01-01

    Implicit motor learning is characterized by low dependence on working memory and stable performance despite stress, fatigue, or multi-tasking. However, current paradigms for implicit motor learning are based on behavioral interventions that are often task-specific and limited when applied in practice. To investigate whether cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) area during motor learning suppressed working memory activity and reduced explicit verbal-analytical involvement in movement control, thereby promoting implicit motor learning. Twenty-seven healthy individuals practiced a golf putting task during a Training Phase while receiving either real cathodal tDCS stimulation over the left DLPFC area or sham stimulation. Their performance was assessed during a Test phase on another day. Verbal working memory capacity was assessed before and after the Training Phase, and before the Test Phase. Compared to sham stimulation, real stimulation suppressed verbal working memory activity after the Training Phase, but enhanced golf putting performance during the Training Phase and the Test Phase, especially when participants were required to multi-task. Cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC may foster implicit motor learning and performance in complex real-life motor tasks that occur during sports, surgery or motor rehabilitation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Prevalence of upper limb disorders among female librarians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandy, R

    2013-09-01

    Work as a librarian involves exposure to potential risk factors for developing upper limb disorders. The prevalence of upper limb symptoms has, however, not previously been assessed in this occupational group. To estimate the 7-day and annual prevalence of self-reported neck and upper limb symptoms in librarians and to examine associations with specific tasks and ergonomic risk factors. A cross-sectional study using components of the standardized Nordic questionnaire. The study population consisted of librarians employed by a large local authority, and data collection was by means of a self-administered questionnaire. from studies on keyboard workers and on the general population were used as comparators. The 7-day prevalence of self-reported neck and upper limb pain in female librarians was 42% (95% confidence interval (CI) 33.7-50.5) and the annual prevalence was 65% (95% CI 56.6-72.8). The prevalence of reported wrist and hand pain increased with increased working involving a wide thumb-index span (P librarians was high, but there was insufficient evidence to confirm whether the prevalence was higher than in the general population or among keyboard workers. Working with a wide thumb-index span was associated with reporting upper limb symptoms.

  13. Do We Really Know the Prevalence of MIH?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, M; Boj, J R; Espasa, E

    2016-01-01

    To analyze the existing variability on molar incisor hypomineralization prevalence in the literature; to distinguish the various molar incisor hypomineralization prevalence rates in different countries, areas, and regions of the world; and to know the valid diagnostic criteria used for the correct identification of molar incisor hypomineralization prevalence. A literature review from Medline and Cochrane Library online databases was performed using five terms individually or in combination. Articles not reporting diagnostic criteria employed and articles not written English were excluded. The results were analyzed by country, region, year of study, sample size, range of age, and prevalence rate. A total of 37 articles in English were selected from 1987 to 2014 and from those only 14 employed the EAPD's 2003 diagnostic criteria. The reported age range varied from 5.5 to 17 years; the most frequently range used was 7 to 9 years. A wide prevalence range from 2.8% to 44% was found and 82.61% of the articles reported calibrated examiners. Comparison among the results of the studies is difficult due to the use of different indexes and diagnostic criteria, the analysis variability, selection methods, and different age groups. In reality, we are probably far from knowing the real MIH prevalence.

  14. Re-energising Europe. Putting the EU on track for 100% renewable energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    White, A.; Anderson, J. [WWF European Policy Office, Brussels (Belgium)

    2013-02-15

    The report shows where Europe needs to be by 2030 in order to reach a fully renewable energy system by 2050. The key findings are that Europe has significant untapped potential for cutting energy use and maximising indigenous power sources that could deliver cheaper and more secure energy. However, this potential is at risk because of a lack of political ambition. There is a particular need for greater clarity on policy frameworks for renewable energy and energy efficiency after 2020 just one investment cycle away. Based on recent research by ECOFYS for WWF, by 2030, the EU: (a) could be using at least 38% less energy (compared to a business as usual projection; (b) could be generating more than 40% of its energy from renewable sources, and (c), by doing both, could reduce its energy related greenhouse emissions by 50% compared to 1990 levels. Achieving such levels would put the EU on track to delivering a 100% renewably powered energy system by 2050 at the latest. It should be noted that while biomass use has been assessed based on the global model, a more detailed sustainability vision for biomass use in Europe is needed.

  15. prevalence and risk

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    owner

    2012-12-26

    Dec 26, 2012 ... increase the frequency of occurrence of hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia is a ... not only in increased frequency of falciparum malaria, but also .... of illness before presentation. Table 3: Prevalence of hypoglycaemia according to time of last meal. Table 4, shows the higher the parasite density the greater.

  16. Prevalence of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in the European Union.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willey, Cynthia J; Blais, Jaime D; Hall, Anthony K; Krasa, Holly B; Makin, Andrew J; Czerwiec, Frank S

    2017-08-01

    Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease, but estimates of its prevalence vary by >10-fold. The objective of this study was to examine the public health impact of ADPKD in the European Union (EU) by estimating minimum prevalence (point prevalence of known cases) and screening prevalence (minimum prevalence plus cases expected after population-based screening). A review of the epidemiology literature from January 1980 to February 2015 identified population-based studies that met criteria for methodological quality. These examined large German and British populations, providing direct estimates of minimum prevalence and screening prevalence. In a second approach, patients from the 2012 European Renal Association‒European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry and literature-based inflation factors that adjust for disease severity and screening yield were used to estimate prevalence across 19 EU countries (N = 407 million). Population-based studies yielded minimum prevalences of 2.41 and 3.89/10 000, respectively, and corresponding estimates of screening prevalences of 3.3 and 4.6/10 000. A close correspondence existed between estimates in countries where both direct and registry-derived methods were compared, which supports the validity of the registry-based approach. Using the registry-derived method, the minimum prevalence was 3.29/10 000 (95% confidence interval 3.27-3.30), and if ADPKD screening was implemented in all countries, the expected prevalence was 3.96/10 000 (3.94-3.98). ERA-EDTA-based prevalence estimates and application of a uniform definition of prevalence to population-based studies consistently indicate that the ADPKD point prevalence is <5/10 000, the threshold for rare disease in the EU. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA.

  17. Prevalence of Hypertension in School going Adolescents in Rural ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: The prevalence of hypertension seems to be increasing in children and adults in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Different studies have been carried out on the prevalence of hypertension amongst adolescents living in urban areas reflecting this seeming increase in the prevalence of hypertension. However ...

  18. Putting our differences to work the fastest way to innovation, leadership, and high performance

    CERN Document Server

    Kennedy, Debbe

    2008-01-01

    In this rapidly changing world, organisations of every type are finding that putting our differences to work is the most powerful accelerator for generating new levels of innovation, energy, leadership and employee engagement needed for high performance. This new book is a practical guide to the strategies and steps needed to make differences the drivers of success. Debbe Kennedy shows that leveraging all the dimensions of difference -- from thinking styles, perspectives, experience, position, goals, competencies, work habits, culture and management style to traditional diversity rubrics such as gender, race, ethnicity, physical abilities, sexual orientation and age -- can accelerate teams' and organisations' performance. Kennedy's book is a practical guide for leaders at all levels that begins with a compelling invitation to pioneer a new era leadership history. It establishes the need for change, sets the course of action, offers proof points and defines five distinctive qualities all leaders need to add to...

  19. Putting Like a Pro: The Role of Positive Contagion in Golf Performance and Perception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Charles; Linkenauger, Sally A.; Bakdash, Jonathan Z.; Joy-Gaba, Jennifer A.; Profitt, Dennis R.

    2011-01-01

    Many amateur athletes believe that using a professional athlete's equipment can improve their performance. Such equipment can be said to be affected with positive contagion, which refers to the belief of transference of beneficial properties between animate persons/objects to previously neutral objects. In this experiment, positive contagion was induced by telling participants in one group that a putter previously belonged to a professional golfer. The effect of positive contagion was examined for perception and performance in a golf putting task. Individuals who believed they were using the professional golfer's putter perceived the size of the golf hole to be larger than golfers without such a belief and also had better performance, sinking more putts. These results provide empirical support for anecdotes, which allege that using objects with positive contagion can improve performance, and further suggest perception can be modulated by positive contagion. PMID:22028804

  20. Prevalence and predictive factors of post-traumatic hypopituitarism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klose, M; Juul, A; Poulsgaard, L

    2007-01-01

    To estimate the prevalence and predictive factors of hypopituitarism following traumatic brain injury (TBI).......To estimate the prevalence and predictive factors of hypopituitarism following traumatic brain injury (TBI)....

  1. The impact of different diagnostic criteria on PTSD prevalence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    O'Connor, Maja; Lasgaard, Mathias; Spindler, Helle

    2007-01-01

    The diagnostic criteria for PTSD have undergone several changes in the last two decades. This may in part explain the great variance in PTSD prevalence found in existing research. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of different diagnostic criteria and different combinations...... of criteria on PTSD prevalence. A sample of 242 Danish social work students (M =29.2 years) completed a list of potentially traumatizing events, major life events and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. A considerable difference in PTSD prevalence as a result of different diagnostic criteria of PTSD was found....... Future meta-analyses and reviews of PTSD prevalence must take into account the impact of changing criteria on prevalence. Clinicians also need to address this issue when assessing PTSD...

  2. Periodontal Bacteria and Prediabetes Prevalence in ORIGINS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demmer, R.T.; Jacobs, D.R.; Singh, R.; Zuk, A.; Rosenbaum, M.; Papapanou, P.N.; Desvarieux, M.

    2015-01-01

    Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus are known to be associated. The relationship between periodontal microbiota and early diabetes risk has not been studied. We investigated the association between periodontal bacteria and prediabetes prevalence among diabetes-free adults. ORIGINS (the Oral Infections, Glucose Intolerance and Insulin Resistance Study) cross sectionally enrolled 300 diabetes-free adults aged 20 to 55 y (mean ± SD, 34 ± 10 y; 77% female). Prediabetes was defined as follows: 1) hemoglobin A1c values ranging from 5.7% to 6.4% or 2) fasting plasma glucose ranging from 100 to 125 mg/dL. In 1,188 subgingival plaque samples, 11 bacterial species were assessed at baseline, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, and Actinomyces naeslundii. Full-mouth clinical periodontal examinations were performed, and participants were defined as having no/mild periodontitis vs. moderate/severe periodontitis per the definition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / American Academy of Periodontology. Modified Poisson regression evaluated prediabetes prevalence across bacterial tertiles. Prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals for third vs. first tertiles are presented. All analyses were adjusted for cardiometabolic risk factors. All results presented currently arise from the baseline cross section. Prediabetes prevalence was 18%, and 58% of participants had moderate/severe periodontitis. Prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals) summarizing associations between bacterial levels and prediabetes were as follows: A. actinomycetemcomitans, 2.48 (1.34, 4.58), P = 0.004; P. gingivalis, 3.41 (1.78, 6.58), P = 0.0003; T. denticola, 1.99 (0.992, 4.00), P = 0.052; T. forsythia, 1.95 (1.0, 3.84), P = 0.05; A. naeslundii, 0.46 (0.25, 0.85), P = 0.01. The prevalence ratio for prediabetes among participants with moderate/severe vs. no/mild periodontitis was 1.47 (0.78, 2.74), P

  3. Mapping Historic Hookworm Disease Prevalence in the Southern Us, Comparing Percent Prevalence with Percent Soil Drainage Type Using GIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice L. Anderson

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Mapping of Historic US Hookworm prevalence data from the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission (early 1900s using current GIS (Geographic Information System software (county shape files illustrates the extremely high prevalence of hookworm disease (Uncariasis in the Southeastern US at the time. Some counties in 7 states recorded 50% to 100% of the population with positive screens for hookworm in a monumental surveillance and treatment campaign. Narrative descriptions mentioned higher prevalence in “sand districts” vs. “clay districts”. In order to validate this description for historic data, further GIS databases (STATSGO were used to classify and quantify the % acreage in Eastern North Carolina falling into moderately- to well-drained soil types. These were then mapped and compared with the historic prevalence data. Most severely infested counties had at least 50% moderately to well-drained soil. Further analysis on soil data for other states with “coastal plains” could provide more background information on Environmental conditions for hookworm prevalence and distribution in US history. “Since history has no properly scientific value, its only purpose is educative. And if historians neglect to educate the public, if they fail to interest it intelligently in the past, then all their historical learning is valueless except in so far as it educates themselves”. Trevelyan, (1922.

  4. Prevalência de síndrome pré-menstrual em atletas Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome in athletes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Aparecida Gaion

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available A síndrome pré-menstrual (SPM é um conjunto de sintomas emocionais e físicos que afeta negativamente as atividades diárias das mulheres durante o período pré-menstrual. Embora seja um tema bastante estudado na população em geral, existe uma lacuna na literatura a respeito da presença de SPM em atletas. Dessa forma, o objetivo do estudo foi analisar a prevalência de SPM em atletas. Foi desenvolvido um estudo do tipo inquérito, com 57 atletas, com idade entre 18 e 47 anos, de 11 modalidades esportivas. Para identificar a presença de SPM, utilizou-se uma ficha autoaplicável baseada nos critérios do American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG, 2000; a confirmação diagnóstica foi feita através do preenchimento de um diário de sintomas durante dois ciclos menstruais consecutivos (baseado no ACOG, 2000. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se teste de Shapiro-Wilk e teste exato de Fisher, adotando P The premenstrual syndrome (PMS is a set of emotional and physical symptoms that adversely affects the daily activities of women during the pre-menstrual period. Despite being a theme quite discussed in the general population, there is still a gap in the literature concerning the presence of PMS in athletes. Thus, the objective of the study was to analyze the prevalence of PMS in athletes. An inquiry study with 57 athletes age range of 18 and 47 years from 11 sport modalities was developed. A self-applicable sheet based on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists criteria (ACOG, 2000 was used to identify the presence of PMS ; the diagnostic confirmation was performed through the answer of a symptoms diary during two consecutive menstrual cycles (based on ACOG, 2000. Shapiro Wilks test and Fisher's exact test, adopting a P<0.05 were used for the data analysis. The prevalence of PMS retrospectively estimated was of 68% while the estimated prevalence through the follow-up with the diaries was of 48%. Breast soreness

  5. Prevalence and characteristics of peripheral retinal degeneration in Chinese adults with high myopia: a cross-sectional prevalence survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Dennis S C; Fan, Dorothy S P; Chan, Wai-Man; Tam, Barbara S M; Kwok, Alvin K H; Leung, Alfred T S; Parsons, Hugh

    2005-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to study the prevalence of peripheral retinal findings in adult Chinese patients with high myopia (refraction degeneration (51.2%), followed by lattice degeneration in 12.2% and retinal holes in 7.5% of eyes. A positive correlation was noted between axial length and the lesions of pigmentary degeneration and pavingstone degeneration. The prevalence of retinal holes was 6.4% and 30.0% in eyes with axial length of or = 30 mm, respectively (chi-squared test, p = 0.006). A high prevalence of peripheral retinal degenerations was found in adult Chinese high myopes. The presence of retinal holes was positively correlated with very high myopia of an axial length of > or = 30 mm.

  6. Variation of a test’s sensitivity and specificity with disease prevalence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leeflang, Mariska M.G.; Rutjes, Anne W.S.; Reitsma, Johannes B.; Hooft, Lotty; Bossuyt, Patrick M.M.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test may vary with disease prevalence. Our objective was to investigate the associations between disease prevalence and test sensitivity and specificity using studies of diagnostic accuracy. Methods: We used data from 23 meta-analyses, each of which included 10–39 studies (416 total). The median prevalence per review ranged from 1% to 77%. We evaluated the effects of prevalence on sensitivity and specificity using a bivariate random-effects model for each meta-analysis, with prevalence as a covariate. We estimated the overall effect of prevalence by pooling the effects using the inverse variance method. Results: Within a given review, a change in prevalence from the lowest to highest value resulted in a corresponding change in sensitivity or specificity from 0 to 40 percentage points. This effect was statistically significant (p disease prevalence; there was no such systematic effect for sensitivity. Interpretation: The sensitivity and specificity of a test often vary with disease prevalence; this effect is likely to be the result of mechanisms, such as patient spectrum, that affect prevalence, sensitivity and specificity. Because it may be difficult to identify such mechanisms, clinicians should use prevalence as a guide when selecting studies that most closely match their situation. PMID:23798453

  7. The Prevalence of Intraventricular Haemorrhage and Associated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Prevalence of Intraventricular Haemorrhage and Associated Risk Factors in Preterm Neonates in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University Teaching ... any-IVH generated at the time of analysis was used in determining the prevalence of IVH and also as the dependent variable in multivariate logistic regression.

  8. Subsuming the ground: how local realities of the Ferghana valley, the Narmada dams and the BTC pipeline are put to use on the web

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marres, N.; Rogers, R.

    2008-01-01

    Studies of the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seek to come to terms with a particular problem of political globalization. While global forums are widely attributed the capacity to put in place the conditions for the resolution of

  9. Estimating the prevalence of infertility in Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushnik, Tracey; Cook, Jocelynn L.; Yuzpe, A. Albert; Tough, Suzanne; Collins, John

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND Over the past 10 years, there has been a significant increase in the use of assisted reproductive technologies in Canada, however, little is known about the overall prevalence of infertility in the population. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of current infertility in Canada according to three definitions of the risk of conception. METHODS Data from the infertility component of the 2009–2010 Canadian Community Health Survey were analyzed for married and common-law couples with a female partner aged 18–44. The three definitions of the risk of conception were derived sequentially starting with birth control use in the previous 12 months, adding reported sexual intercourse in the previous 12 months, then pregnancy intent. Prevalence and odds ratios of current infertility were estimated by selected characteristics. RESULTS Estimates of the prevalence of current infertility ranged from 11.5% (95% CI 10.2, 12.9) to 15.7% (95% CI 14.2, 17.4). Each estimate represented an increase in current infertility prevalence in Canada when compared with previous national estimates. Couples with lower parity (0 or 1 child) had significantly higher odds of experiencing current infertility when the female partner was aged 35–44 years versus 18–34 years. Lower odds of experiencing current infertility were observed for multiparous couples regardless of age group of the female partner, when compared with nulliparous couples. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that the prevalence of current infertility has increased since the last time it was measured in Canada, and is associated with the age of the female partner and parity. PMID:22258658

  10. Prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian P Mundt

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: High rates of mental disorders have been reported for prison populations worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs. The present study aimed to establish prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisoners. METHOD: A nationwide random sample of 1008 prisoners was assessed in 7 penal institutions throughout Chile. Twelve-month prevalence rates were established using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI and compared to the prevalence rates previously published for the general population. RESULTS: Prevalence rates were 12.2% (95% CI, 10.2-14.1 for any substance use disorder, 8.3% (6.6-10.0 for anxiety disorders, 8.1% (6.5-9.8 for affective disorders, 5.7% (4.4-7.1 for intermittent explosive disorders, 2.2% (1.4-3.2 for ADHD of the adult, and 0.8% (0.3-1.3 for non-affective psychoses. Significantly higher prevalence rates among prisoners as compared to the general population in Chile were seen for major depression (6.1% vs. 3.7% males, Z=2.58, p<0.05 and illicit drug use (3.3% vs. 0.6% males with drug abuse, Z=2.04, p<0.05; 2.6% vs. 0.1% females with drug abuse, Z=5.36, p<0.001; 3.4% vs. 1.1% males with drug dependence, Z=3.70; p<0.001. Dysthymia (6.5% vs. 15.6%, Z=-2.39, p<0.05, simple (3.3% vs. 11.5%, Z=-3.13, p<0.001 and social phobias (3.9% vs. 9.7%, Z=2.38, p<0.05 were significantly less frequent in the female prison population than in the general population. One-year prevalence rates of alcohol abuse (2.3% vs. 3.9%; Z=-2.04; p<0.05 and dependence (2.7% vs. 8.2%; Z=-5.24; p<0.001 were less prevalent in the male prison population than in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Service provision for prison populations in Chile should acknowledge high rates of depression and illicit drug use. Overall prevalence rates are lower than reported in other LMICs. Previous research in prison populations in LMICs might have overestimated prevalence rates of mental disorders.

  11. Geographical differences in the prevalence of hypospadias in Finland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aho, Martti Olavi; Koivisto, Anna-Maija; Juhani Tammela, Teuvo Leo; Auvinen, Anssi-Pekka

    2003-01-01

    Hypospadias is one of the most common congenital anomalies but the etiology is not fully understood. There seem to be genetic, endocrinological, and environmental factors involved. Great geographical variation in the prevalence of hypospadias has been reported both between and within countries. We studied the determinants of geographical variation in the prevalence of hypospadias in Finland. All patients treated for hypospadias in 1970-1996 before the age of 9 years among boys born in 1970-1986 were identified in the national hospital discharge registry. Prevalence of hypospadias was calculated for each of the 355 municipalities in Finland. Demographic data were obtained from Statistics Finland. Association of the explanatory factors with prevalence of hypospadias was assessed using Poisson regression methods. The prevalence of operated hypospadias varied between provinces and between university hospital districts, from a ratio of 0.65 to a ratio of 1.01. An association between the prevalence of hypospadias and the remoteness from the closest city was observed. There was no association with level of education, social class, or occupation. The observed differences in the prevalence of operated hypospadias in Finland may have several explanations. Different levels of ascertainment and both genetic and environmental factors can not be ruled out

  12. Prevalence and prevalence trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors at four chinese regional blood centers between 2000 and 2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Changqing

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In China, high prevalence of HBV and HCV parallels with the growing epidemic of syphilis and HIV in the general population poses a great threat to blood safety. This study investigated the prevalence of serologic markers for transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs among four Chinese blood centers. Methods We examined whole blood donations collected from January 2000 through December 2010 at four Chinese blood centers. Post-donation testing of TTIs (HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis were conducted using two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for each seromarker. The prevalence of serologic markers for TTIs (% was calculated and additional analysis was conducted to examine donor characteristics associated with positive TTIs serology. Results Of the 4,366,283 donations, 60% were from first-time donors and 40% were from repeated donors. The overall prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was 0.08%, 0.86%, 0.51% and 0.47%, respectively. The prevalence profile of TTIs varied among different blood centers and appeared at relatively high levels. Overall, the prevalence of HBsAg and HCV demonstrated a decline trend among four blood centers, while the prevalence of HIV and syphilis displayed three different trends: constantly steady, continually increasing and declining among different centers. Conclusions This study reflects the risk of TTIs has been greatly reduced in China, but blood transfusion remains an ongoing risk factor for the spread of blood-borne infections, and further work and improvements are needed to strengthen both safety and availability of blood in China.

  13. Molar Incisor Hypomineralization, Prevalence, and Etiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sulaiman Mohammed Allazzam

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the prevalence and possible etiological factors associated with molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH among a group of children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A group of 8-12-year-old children were recruited (n=267  from the Pediatric Dental Clinics at the Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University. Children had at least one first permanent molar (FPM, erupted or partially erupted. Demographic information, children’s medical history, and pregnancy-related data were obtained. The crowns of the FPM and permanent incisors were examined for demarcated opacities, posteruptive breakdown (PEB, atypical restorations, and extracted FPMs. Children were considered to have MIH if one or more FPM with or without involvement of incisors met the diagnostic criteria. Results. MIH showed a prevalence of 8.6%. Demarcated opacities were the most common form. Maxillary central incisors were more affected than mandibular (P=0.01. The condition was more prevalent in children with history of illnesses during the first four years of life including tonsillitis (P=0.001, adenoiditis (P=0.001, asthma (P=0.001, fever (P=0.014, and antibiotics intake (P=0.001. Conclusions. The prevalence of MIH is significantly associated with childhood illnesses during the first four years of life including asthma, adenoid infections, tonsillitis, fever, and antibiotics intake.

  14. Ability to Cope with Pain Puts Migraine Surgery Patients in Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gfrerer, Lisa; Lans, Jonathan; Faulkner, Heather R; Nota, Sjoerd; Bot, Arjan G J; Austen, William Gerald

    2018-01-01

    Candidates for migraine surgery are chronic pain patients with significant disability. Currently, migraine-specific questionnaires are used to evaluate these patients. Analysis tools widely used in evaluation of better understood pain conditions are not typically applied. This is the first study to include a commonly used pain questionnaire, the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) that is used to determine patients' pain coping abilities and function. It is an important predictor of pain intensity/disability in patients with musculoskeletal pain, as low scores have been associated with poor outcome. Ninety patients were enrolled prospectively and completed the Migraine Headache Index and PSEQ preoperatively and at 12 months postoperatively. Scores were evaluated using paired t tests and Pearson correlation. Representative PSEQ scores for other pain conditions were chosen for score comparison. All scores improved significantly from baseline (p migraine surgery was higher than seen in other pain conditions after treatment (112 percent). Preoperative PSEQ scores did not influence postoperative outcome. The PSEQ successfully demonstrates the extent of debility in migraine surgery patients by putting migraine pain in perspective with other known pain conditions. It further evaluates functional status, rather than improvement in migraine characteristics, which significantly adds to our understanding of outcome. Poor preoperative PSEQ scores do not influence outcome and should not be used to determine eligibility for migraine surgery. Therapeutic, IV.

  15. Pricing of American Put Option under a Jump Diffusion Process with Stochastic Volatility in an Incomplete Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuang Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the pricing of American options in an incomplete market in which the dynamics of the underlying risky asset is driven by a jump diffusion process with stochastic volatility. By employing a risk-minimization criterion, we obtain the Radon-Nikodym derivative for the minimal martingale measure and consequently a linear complementarity problem (LCP for American option price. An iterative method is then established to solve the LCP problem for American put option price. Our numerical results show that the model and numerical scheme are robust in capturing the feature of incomplete finance market, particularly the influence of market volatility on the price of American options.

  16. Measures of Disease Frequency: Prevalence and Incidence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Noordzij, Marlies; Dekker, Friedo W.; Zoccali, Carmine; Jager, Kitty J.

    2010-01-01

    To describe how often a disease or another health event occurs in a population, different measures of disease frequency can be used. The prevalence reflects the number of existing cases of a disease. In contrast to the prevalence, the incidence reflects the number of new cases of disease and can be

  17. High-low search for a point in an interval

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shah, M.

    2011-01-01

    Analysis of the high-low search game for a point on an interval. By limiting the number of guesses for the searcher, it is possible to study the game numerically. The principal motivation for this analysis is an old and open question due to Baston, Bostock and Alpern: is the optimal strategy for the

  18. Regional variation in asthma symptom prevalence in Latin American children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallol, Javier; Solé, Dirceu; Baeza-Bacab, Manuel; Aguirre-Camposano, Viviana; Soto-Quiros, Manuel; Baena-Cagnani, Carlos

    2010-08-01

    This study investigates the distribution pattern of asthma symptom prevalence in Latin American children aged 13-14 years. A randomized, cross-sectional and multicentric study on the prevalence and severity of asthma symptoms (lifetime asthma, current wheezing, and frequent sleep disturbance by wheezing) was conducted in 165,917 schoolchildren from 56 centers in 17 Latin American countries, as part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), Phase Three. The prevalence of lifetime asthma prevalence ranged from 1.2% to 33.1%, whereas current wheezing went from 3.9% to 30.8% and frequent sleep disturbance from 0.6% to 6.1%. An important proportion of centers (55%) reported a prevalence of asthma symptoms over 15%. There was no significant correlation between asthma symptom prevalence and latitude, altitude, or tropical setting. At country level, the prevalence of asthma was not associated with gross national income (GNI), proportion of population under the poverty line, or ancestry. This study suggests that ecological interactions, probably typical for each locality, may be the main determinants for the large variability of asthma prevalence in Latin America. The high prevalence of asthma symptoms found in children living in areas with low socioeconomic development would challenge the protective role against asthma of factors related to low hygiene and poverty; contrarily, in this region they would act as risk factors.

  19. Prevalence of Anemia in Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mujica-Coopman, María F; Brito, Alex; López de Romaña, Daniel; Ríos-Castillo, Israel; Coris, Héctor; Olivares, Manuel

    2015-06-01

    In Latin America and the Caribbean, anemia has been a public health problem that affects mainly women of childbearing age and children under 6 years of age. However, the current prevalence of anemia in this region is unknown. To examine the latest available prevalence data on anemia in Latin America and the Caribbean. A systematic review was conducted in 2011 and updated in 2014. Studies determining the prevalence of anemia conducted in apparently healthy populations with national or regional representativeness were included in the review. The lowest prevalence rates of anemia among children under 6 years of age were found in Chile (4.0%), Costa Rica (4.0%), Argentina (7.6%), and Mexico (19.9%). In Nicaragua, Brazil, Ecuador, El Panama, and Honduras, anemia was a moderate public health problem, with prevalence ranging Salvador, Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, from 20.1% to 37.3%. Anemia was a severe public health problem in Guatemala, Haiti, and Bolivia. The prevalence of anemia among women of childbearing age was lowest in Chile (5.1%). In Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Honduras, and Argentina, anemia was a mild public health problem, with prevalence ranging from 7.6% to 18.7%. In Guatemala, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia, anemia was a moderate public health problem, with prevalence ranging from 21.4% to 38.3%. Panama and Haiti had the highest reported prevalence rates (40.0% and 45.5%, respectively), and anemia was considered a severe public health problem in those countries. Anemia remains a public health problem in children under 6 years of age and women of childbearing age in most Latin America and Caribbean countries for which data are available.

  20. HIV prevalence by ethnic group covaries with prevalence of herpes simplex virus-2 and high-risk sex in Uganda: An ecological study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenyon, Chris R

    2018-01-01

    HIV prevalence varies from 1.7% to 14.8% between ethnic groups in Uganda. Understanding the factors responsible for this heterogeneity in HIV spread may guide prevention efforts. We evaluated the relationship between HIV prevalence by ethnic group and a range of risk factors as well as the prevalence of herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), syphilis and symptomatic STIs in the 2004/2005 Uganda HIV/AIDS Sero-Behavioural Survey-a two stage, nationally representative, population based survey of 15-59-year-olds. Spearman's correlation was used to assess the relationship between HIV prevalence and each variable. There was a positive association between HIV prevalence and HSV-2, symptomatic STIs and high-risk sex (sex with a non-cohabiting, non-marital partner) for women. Non-significant positive associations were present between HIV and high-risk sex for men and lifetime number of partners for men and women. Variation in sexual behavior may contribute to the variations in HIV, HSV-2 and other STI prevalence by ethnic group in Uganda. Further work is necessary to delineate which combinations of risk factors determine differential STI spread in Uganda.

  1. Search features of digital libraries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alastair G. Smith

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Traditional on-line search services such as Dialog, DataStar and Lexis provide a wide range of search features (boolean and proximity operators, truncation, etc. This paper discusses the use of these features for effective searching, and argues that these features are required, regardless of advances in search engine technology. The literature on on-line searching is reviewed, identifying features that searchers find desirable for effective searching. A selective survey of current digital libraries available on the Web was undertaken, identifying which search features are present. The survey indicates that current digital libraries do not implement a wide range of search features. For instance: under half of the examples included controlled vocabulary, under half had proximity searching, only one enabled browsing of term indexes, and none of the digital libraries enable searchers to refine an initial search. Suggestions are made for enhancing the search effectiveness of digital libraries, for instance by: providing a full range of search operators, enabling browsing of search terms, enhancement of records with controlled vocabulary, enabling the refining of initial searches, etc.

  2. Mate choice and the evolutionary stability of a fixed threshold in a sequential search strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond Cheng

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The sequential search strategy is a prominent model of searcher behavior, derived as a rule by which females might sample and choose a mate from a distribution of prospective partners. The strategy involves a threshold criterion against which prospective mates are evaluated. The optimal threshold depends on the attributes of prospective mates, which are likely to vary across generations or within the lifetime of searchers due to stochastic environmental events. The extent of this variability and the cost to acquire information on the distribution of the quality of prospective mates determine whether a learned or environmentally canalized threshold is likely to be favored. In this paper, we determine conditions on cross-generational perturbations of the distribution of male phenotypes that allow for the evolutionary stability of an environmentally canalized threshold. In particular, we derive conditions under which there is a genetically determined threshold that is optimal over an evolutionary time scale in comparison to any other unlearned threshold. These considerations also reveal a simple algorithm by which the threshold could be learned.

  3. Studies on the Prevalence, Knowledge, and Practices Toward ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF. OLIVER OSUAGWA

    2015-06-01

    Jun 1, 2015 ... Teenagers (10-19yrs) had the highest malaria prevalence rate and were followed by ... Keywords: Cluster sampling, Malaria, Prevalence, Knowledge, Practices, ... annual rainfall and humidity were relatively .... Alcohol/ Don't.

  4. prevalence of biting and non-biting flies in relation to species

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    The biting effects on resident animals and ... and second largest tourist destination in Nigeria will require concerted efforts to put in proper ... hosts from pool of available susceptible hosts (Okoth ..... communities of the lower Cross River Basin.

  5. The prevalence of primary hereditary hemochromatosis in central Anatolia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaca, Halit; Güven, Kadri; Önal, Müge; Gürsoy, Şebnem; Başkol, Mevlüt; Özkul, Yusuf

    2013-01-01

    Hereditary hemochromatosis is an autosomal recessive disorder associated with the HFE genes. Early identification and diagnosis is important as end stage organ damage may occur if treatment is delayed.. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of hereditary hemochromatosis in Kayseri and surroundings known as Central Anatolia. 2304 participants (1220 males, 1084 females) who were older then the age of 17 were included in the study conducted between December 2005 and December 2006 in Kayseri, Turkey. Transferin saturation was measured from overnight fasting blood samples. Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, and transferin saturation were measured. Serum ferritin levels and hereditary hemochromatosis genetic analysis were also performed after an overnight fasting blood samples from participants whose transferin saturation results were more than 50% in man and more than 45% in women. The homozygote C282Y mutation and heterozygote C282Y mutation prevalences were found as 0.08% (1/1220) and 0.08% (1/1220) in male participants, respectively. The heterozygote H63D mutation prevalence was found in 0.09% (1/1084) of female participants. Calculated prevalences in general population are as follows; The homozygote C282Y mutation prevalence is 0.043% (1/2304), the heterozygote C282Y mutation prevalence is 0.043% (1/2304) and the heterozygote H63D mutation prevalence is 0.043% (1/2304). The prevalence of hereditary hemochromatosis in Central Anatolia is 0.043% (1/2304). Because of the relatively low frequency, population screening studies are not cost-effective.

  6. Human papilloma virus prevalence in a multiethnic screening population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kang Mei; Stephen, Josena K; Ghanem, Tamer; Stachler, Robert; Gardner, Glendon; Jones, Lamont; Schweitzer, Vanessa P; Hall, Francis; Divine, George; Worsham, Maria J

    2013-03-01

    The goal was to determine the prevalence of high-risk HPV16 using saliva in a screening population in Detroit, Michigan. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to detect HPV16 in saliva DNA from 349 screening subjects without head and neck cancer (HNC), 156 with HNC, and 19 controls. Cut points for human papilloma virus (HPV) positivity were >0 and >0.001 copy/cell. Proportions were compared between groups using exact χ(2) or Fisher exact tests (P 0, each group had an overall HPV prevalence of more than 5%, with a higher prevalence of 30.8% in the HNC patient group. At a cut point >0.001, the prevalence was lower: 0% in the control, 1.2% in the screening, and 16.7% in the HNC group. In the latter, for both cut points, HPV prevalence was different across sites (0, women in the screening group had a higher prevalence of HPV than did men (P = .010), and at >0.001, the prevalence was higher for men in the HNC group than for women (P = .035). In the screening group, at >0, only African Americans had a higher prevalence than Caucasian Americans (P = .025). In the screening group, a 6.9% and 1.2% screening rate was noted at cut points >0 and >0.001, respectively. The results provide data to inform public health considerations of the feasibility of saliva as a screening tool in at-risk populations with the long-term goal of prophylactic vaccination against oral HPV.

  7. GOOD HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOUR DECREASE PREVALENCE OF SEXUAL TRANSMITTED DISSEASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Purwaningsih Purwaningsih

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The homosexual behaviour were become indicators of sexually transmitted diseases’s (STDs prevalencies. Prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in homosexual community was very high but until recently study it was conducted sporadically. The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation of homosexual behaviour with prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs in Mobile Clinic Community Centre of IGAMA collaborating with Public Health Centre Sumberpucung of Malang Regency. Method:  Analytic design with cross sectional methode was used in this study. The population were all visitors of Mobile Clinic Community Centre of IGAMA collaborating with Public Health Centre Sumberpucung of Malang Regency (353 people. Sample were 40 people who met to the inclusion criteria. The independent variable was homosexual behaviour and the dependent variable was prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs. Data for homosexual behaviour were collected by using questionnaire and indhept interview with content analyze and data for prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs were collected by using laboratorium test for STDs. Result: The research result was presented in the form diagram, table of cross tabulation and analyzed by using Spearman Rho with significance level ρ=0.005. The result showed that there was correlation of homosexual knowledge (ρ=0.001, attitude (ρ=0.000 and  practice (ρ=0.000 with prevalence of STDs. Dsicussion:  It can be concluded that the better knowledge, attitude and practice of homosexual could be decrease prevalence of STDs. Futher studies are recomended to analyze the correlation between homosexual behaviour and prevalence of STDs with Health Believe approach.

  8. PREVALENCE OF BOVINE (1)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    408 heads of cattle to determine the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis and assess its public health implications. A comparative ..... (78.6%) of the respondents consume raw and poorly heat ... compromises related to certain stress factors.

  9. Prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhan-Zhan; Li, Ya-Ming; Lei, Xian-Yang; Zhang, Dan; Liu, Li; Tang, Si-Yuan; Chen, Lizhang

    2014-01-01

    About 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and college students with suicidal ideation are at high risk of suicide. The prevalence of suicidal ideation in college students has been estimated extensively, but quantitative syntheses of overall prevalence are scarce, especially in China. Accurate estimates of prevalence are important for making public policy. In this paper, we aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students. Databases including PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Web of Knowledge, Wangfang (Chinese database) and Weipu (Chinese database) were systematically reviewed to identify articles published between 2004 to July 2013, in either English or Chinese, reporting prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students. The strategy also included a secondary search of reference lists of records retrieved from databases. Then the prevalence estimates were summarized using a random effects model. The effects of moderator variables on the prevalence estimates were assessed using a meta-regression model. A total of 41 studies involving 160339 college students were identified, and the prevalence ranged from 1.24% to 26.00%. The overall pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students was 10.72% (95%CI: 8.41% to 13.28%). We noted substantial heterogeneity in prevalence estimates. Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence of suicidal ideation in females is higher than in males. The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students is relatively high, although the suicide rate is lower compared with the entire society, suggesting the need for local surveys to inform the development of health services for college students.

  10. Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Refractory Hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armario, Pedro; Calhoun, David A; Oliveras, Anna; Blanch, Pedro; Vinyoles, Ernest; Banegas, Jose R; Gorostidi, Manuel; Segura, Julián; Ruilope, Luis M; Dudenbostel, Tanja; de la Sierra, Alejandro

    2017-12-07

    We aimed to estimate the prevalence of refractory hypertension (RfH) and to determine the clinical differences between these patients and resistant hypertensives (RH). Secondly, we assessed the prevalence of white-coat RfH and clinical differences between true- and white-coat RfH patients. The present analysis was conducted on the Spanish Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Registry database containing 70 997 treated hypertensive patients. RH and RfH were defined by the presence of elevated office blood pressure (≥140 and/or 90 mm Hg) in patients treated with at least 3 (RH) and 5 (RfH) antihypertensive drugs. White-coat RfH was defined by RfH with normal (<130/80 mm Hg) 24-hour blood pressure. A total of 11.972 (16.9%) patients fulfilled the standard criteria of RH, and 955 (1.4%) were considered as having RfH. Compared with RH patients, those with RfH were younger, more frequently male, and after adjusting for age and sex, had increased prevalence of target organ damage, and previous cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of white coat RfH was lower than white-coat RH (26.7% versus 37.1%, P <0.001). White-coat RfH, in comparison with those with true RfH, showed a lower prevalence of both left ventricular hypertrophy (22% versus 29.7%; P =0.018) and microalbuminuria (28.3% versus 42.9%; P =0.047). The prevalence of RfH was low and these patients had a greater cardiovascular risk profile compared with RH. One out of 4 patients with RfH have normal 24-hour blood pressure and less target organ damage, thus indicating the important role of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in guiding antihypertensive therapy in difficult-to-treat patients. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  11. Putting all your eggs in one basket: life-history strategies, bet hedging, and diversification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Andrew Edward; Li, Yexin Jessica; Griskevicius, Vladas; Neuberg, Steven L; Kenrick, Douglas T

    2013-05-01

    Diversification of resources is a strategy found everywhere from the level of microorganisms to that of giant Wall Street investment firms. We examine the functional nature of diversification using life-history theory-a framework for understanding how organisms navigate resource-allocation trade-offs. This framework suggests that diversification may be adaptive or maladaptive depending on one's life-history strategy and that these differences should be observed under conditions of threat. In three studies, we found that cues of mortality threat interact with one index of life-history strategy, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), to affect diversification. Among those from low-SES backgrounds, mortality threat increased preferences for diversification. However, among those from high-SES backgrounds, mortality threat had the opposite effect, inclining people to put all their eggs in one basket. The same interaction pattern emerged with a potential biomarker of life-history strategy, oxidative stress. These findings highlight when, and for whom, different diversification strategies can be advantageous.

  12. Anisometropia prevalence in a highly astigmatic school-aged population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobson, Velma; Harvey, Erin M; Miller, Joseph M; Clifford-Donaldson, Candice E

    2008-07-01

    To describe prevalence of anisometropia, defined in terms of both sphere and cylinder, examined cross-sectionally, in school-aged members of a Native American tribe with a high prevalence of astigmatism. Cycloplegic autorefraction measurements, confirmed by retinoscopy and, when possible, by subjective refraction were obtained from 1041 Tohono O'odham children, 4 to 13 years of age. Astigmatism > or =1.00 diopter (D) was present in one or both eyes of 462 children (44.4%). Anisometropia > or =1.00 D spherical equivalent (SE) was found in 70 children (6.7%), and anisometropia > or =1.00 D cylinder was found in 156 children (15.0%). Prevalence of anisometropia did not vary significantly with age or gender. Overall prevalence of significant anisometropia was 18.1% for a difference between eyes > or =1.00 D SE or cylinder. Vector analysis of between-eye differences showed a prevalence of significant anisometropia of 25.3% for one type of vector notation (difference between eyes > or =1.00 D for M and/or > or =0.50 D for J0 or J45), and 16.2% for a second type of vector notation (between-eye vector dioptric difference > or =1.41). Prevalence of SE anisometropia is similar to that reported for other school-aged populations. However, prevalence of astigmatic anisometropia is higher than that reported for other school-aged populations.

  13. Gender differences in asthma prevalence: variations with socioeconomic disadvantage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chittleborough, Catherine R; Taylor, Anne W; Dal Grande, Eleonora; Gill, Tiffany K; Grant, Janet F; Adams, Robert J; Wilson, David H; Ruffin, Richard E

    2010-01-01

    Socioeconomic inequalities in health have been shown to vary for different diseases and by gender. This study aimed to examine gender differences in associations between asthma and socioeconomic disadvantage. Socioeconomic variables were assessed among men and women in the North West Adelaide Health Study, a representative population cohort (n = 4060) aged 18 years and over in metropolitan South Australia. Asthma was determined from spirometry and self-reported doctor diagnosis. The prevalence of asthma was 12.0% (95% CI: 11.1-13.1), and was significantly higher among women (13.5%) than men (10.5%). For participants aged 18-64 years a higher prevalence of asthma was associated with an education level of secondary school or lower, or not being in the paid labour force among men, and with a gross annual household income of $20,000 or less among women. Among socioeconomically advantaged groups, the prevalence of asthma was significantly higher among women than men. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with higher asthma prevalence, although this varied by gender depending on the indicator of socioeconomic position used. Men with low education or those not employed in the paid labour force had higher asthma prevalence than more socioeconomically advantaged men. Women with low income had higher asthma prevalence than those with higher income. Among all socioeconomically advantaged groups, and also the low-income group, women experienced a higher prevalence of asthma than men.

  14. The prevalence of Giardia infection in dogs and cats, a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies from stool samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouzid, Maha; Halai, Kapil; Jeffreys, Danielle; Hunter, Paul R

    2015-01-30

    Giardia has a wide range of host species and is a common cause of diarrhoeal disease in humans and animals. Companion animals are able to transmit a range of zoonotic diseases to their owners including giardiasis, but the size of this risk is not well known. The aim of this study was to analyse giardiasis prevalence rates in dogs and cats worldwide using a systematic search approach. Meta-analysis enabled to describe associations between Giardia prevalence and various confounding factors. Pooled prevalence rates were 15.2% (95% CI 13.8-16.7%) for dogs and 12% (95% CI 9.2-15.3%) for cats. However, there was very high heterogeneity between studies. Meta-regression showed that the diagnostic method used had a major impact on reported prevalence with studies using ELISA, IFA and PCR reporting prevalence rates between 2.6 and 3.7 times greater than studies using microscopy. Conditional negative binomial regression found that symptomatic animals had higher prevalence rates ratios (PRR) than asymptomatic animals 1.61 (95% CI 1.33-1.94) in dogs and 1.94 (95% CI 1.47-2.56) in cats. Giardia was much more prevalent in young animals. For cats >6 months, PRR=0.47 (0.42-0.53) and in dogs of the same age group PRR=0.36 (0.32-0.41). Additionally, dogs kept as pets were less likely to be positive (PRR=0.56 (0.41-0.77)) but any difference in cats was not significant. Faecal excretion of Giardia is common in dogs and slightly less so in cats. However, the exact rates depend on the diagnostic method used, the age and origin of the animal. What risk such endemic colonisation poses to human health is still unclear as it will depend not only on prevalence rates but also on what assemblages are excreted and how people interact with their pets. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Prevalence of common food allergies in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nwaru, B I; Hickstein, L; Panesar, S S

    2014-01-01

    Allergy to cow's milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish constitutes the majority of food allergy reactions, but reliable estimates of their prevalence are lacking. This systematic review aimed to provide up-to-date estimates of their prevalence in Europe.Studies published...... synthesis and 42 studies in the meta-analyses. Although there were significant heterogeneity between the studies, the overall pooled estimates for all age groups of self-reported lifetime prevalence of allergy to cow's milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish were 6.0% (95% confidence...... interval: 5.7-6.4), 2.5% (2.3-2.7), 3.6% (3.0-4.2), 0.4% (0.3-0.6), 1.3% (1.2-1.5), 2.2% (1.8-2.5), and 1.3% (0.9-1.7), respectively. The prevalence of food-challenge-defined allergy to cow's milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish was 0.6% (0.5-0.8), 0.2% (0.2-0.3), 0.1% (0...

  16. Strong Country Level Correlation between Syphilis and HSV-2 Prevalence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenyon, Chris Richard; Tsoumanis, Achilleas

    2016-01-01

    Background. Syphilis is curable but Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) is not. As a result, the prevalence of syphilis but not HSV-2 may be influenced by the efficacy of national STI screening and treatment capacity. If the prevalence of syphilis and HSV-2 is found to be correlated, then this makes it more likely that something other than differential STI treatment is responsible for variations in the prevalence of both HSV-2 and syphilis. Methods. Simple linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between national antenatal syphilis prevalence and HSV-2 prevalence in women in two time periods: 1990–1999 and 2008. Adjustments were performed for the laboratory syphilis testing algorithm used and the prevalence of circumcision. Results. The prevalence of syphilis was positively correlated with that of HSV-2 for both time periods (adjusted correlations, 20–24-year-olds: 1990–99: R 2 = 0.54, P < 0.001; 2008: R 2 = 0.41, P < 0.001 and 40–44-year-olds: 1990–99: R 2 = 0.42, P < 0.001; 2008: R 2 = 0.49, P < 0.001). Conclusion. The prevalence of syphilis and HSV-2 is positively correlated. This could be due to a common set of risk factors underpinning both STIs. PMID:27069710

  17. High fructose corn syrup and diabetes prevalence: a global perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goran, Michael I; Ulijaszek, Stanley J; Ventura, Emily E

    2013-01-01

    The overall aim of this study was to evaluate, from a global and ecological perspective, the relationships between availability of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Using published resources, country-level estimates (n =43 countries) were obtained for: total sugar, HFCS and total calorie availability, obesity, two separate prevalence estimates for diabetes, prevalence estimate for impaired glucose tolerance and fasting plasma glucose. Pearson's correlations and partial correlations were conducted in order to explore associations between dietary availability and obesity and diabetes prevalence. Diabetes prevalence was 20% higher in countries with higher availability of HFCS compared to countries with low availability, and these differences were retained or strengthened after adjusting for country-level estimates of body mass index (BMI), population and gross domestic product (adjusted diabetes prevalence=8.0 vs. 6.7%, p=0.03; fasting plasma glucose=5.34 vs. 5.22 mmol/L, p=0.03) despite similarities in obesity and total sugar and calorie availability. These results suggest that countries with higher availability of HFCS have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes independent of obesity.

  18. Finding the faithless: perceived atheist prevalence reduces anti-atheist prejudice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gervais, Will M

    2011-04-01

    Although prejudice is typically positively related to relative outgroup size, four studies found converging evidence that perceived atheist prevalence reduces anti-atheist prejudice. Study 1 demonstrated that anti-atheist prejudice among religious believers is reduced in countries in which atheists are especially prevalent. Study 2 demonstrated that perceived atheist prevalence is negatively associated with anti-atheist prejudice. Study 3 demonstrated a causal relationship: Reminders of atheist prevalence reduced explicit distrust of atheists. These results appeared distinct from intergroup contact effects. Study 4 demonstrated that prevalence information decreased implicit atheist distrust. The latter two experiments provide the first evidence that mere prevalence information can reduce prejudice against any outgroup. These findings offer insights about anti-atheist prejudice, a poorly understood phenomenon. Furthermore, they suggest both novel directions for future prejudice research and potential interventions that could reduce a variety of prejudices.

  19. The prevalence of thyrotoxicosis-related seizures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Tae-Jin; Kim, Sun-Jung; Kim, Gyu Sik; Choi, Young-Chul; Kim, Won-Joo

    2010-09-01

    Central nervous system dysfunction, such as hyperexcitation, irritability, and disturbance of consciousness, may occur in patients with thyrotoxicosis. There are also a few case reports of seizures attributed to thyrotoxicosis. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of seizures that appeared to be related to the thyrotoxic state in patients with thyrotoxicosis. We retrospectively determined the prevalence and clinical features of seizures in 3382 patients with hyperthyroidism. Among patients with seizures, we excluded those with other causes of seizures or a history of epilepsy. We did not exclude two patients in whom later work-up showed an abnormal magnetic resonance imaging, as their seizures resolved after they became euthyroid. Among the 3382 patients with hyperthyroidism, there were seven patients (0.2%) with seizures who met our criteria. Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurred in four patients (57%), complex partial seizures with secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurred in two patients (29%), and one patient had a focal seizure (14%). The initial electroencephalography (EEG) was normal in two patients (29%), had generalized slow activity in four patients (57%), and had diffuse generalized beta activity in one patient (14%). On magnetic resonance imaging, one patient had diffuse brain atrophy, and one had an old basal ganglia infarct. After the patients became euthyroid, the EEG was repeated and was normal in all patients. During follow-up periods ranging from 18 to 24 months, none of the patients had seizures. Hyperthyroidism is the precipitating cause of seizures in a small percentage of these patients. In these patients, the prognosis is good if they become euthyroid. The prevalence of thyrotoxicosis-related seizures reported here can be used in conjunction with the prevalence of thyrotoxicosis in the population to estimate the prevalence of thyrotoxicosis-related seizures in populations.

  20. National and subnational hypertension prevalence estimates for the Republic of Ireland: better outcome and risk factor data are needed to produce better prevalence estimates.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Barron, Steve

    2014-01-10

    Hypertension is a global public health challenge. National prevalence estimates can conceal important differences in prevalence in subnational areas. This paper aims to develop a consistent set of national and subnational estimates of the prevalence of hypertension in a country with limited data for subnational areas.

  1. Farm-to-School Programmes in the USA: An Examination of State-Level Enacted, Pending and Vetoed or Dead Bills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Olivia M.; Ghelardini, Lauren; Keene, Kristin L.; Stewart, Kendra B.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence and distribution of state-level legislation regulating farm-to-school programmes throughout the United States of America (USA). The research is timely given national goals put forth by the Let's Move Campaign and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to reduce childhood obesity prevalence and…

  2. Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    . ... while statistical analysis was done using STATA soft- ware version 8 (STATA Corp., College station, TX). Prevalence of G6PD and HbAS in bivariate variables ... Multivariate logis- .... technique (Enevold et al., 2007) found prevalence of.

  3. Spatial prediction of Plasmodium falciparum prevalence in Somalia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noor, Abdisalan M; Clements, Archie C A; Gething, Peter W; Moloney, Grainne; Borle, Mohammed; Shewchuk, Tanya; Hay, Simon I; Snow, Robert W

    2008-08-21

    Maps of malaria distribution are vital for optimal allocation of resources for anti-malarial activities. There is a lack of reliable contemporary malaria maps in endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This problem is particularly acute in low malaria transmission countries such as those located in the horn of Africa. Data from a national malaria cluster sample survey in 2005 and routine cluster surveys in 2007 were assembled for Somalia. Rapid diagnostic tests were used to examine the presence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in finger-prick blood samples obtained from individuals across all age-groups. Bayesian geostatistical models, with environmental and survey covariates, were used to predict continuous maps of malaria prevalence across Somalia and to define the uncertainty associated with the predictions. For analyses the country was divided into north and south. In the north, the month of survey, distance to water, precipitation and temperature had no significant association with P. falciparum prevalence when spatial correlation was taken into account. In contrast, all the covariates, except distance to water, were significantly associated with parasite prevalence in the south. The inclusion of covariates improved model fit for the south but not for the north. Model precision was highest in the south. The majority of the country had a predicted prevalence of or = 5% prevalence were predominantly in the south. The maps showed that malaria transmission in Somalia varied from hypo- to meso-endemic. However, even after including the selected covariates in the model, there still remained a considerable amount of unexplained spatial variation in parasite prevalence, indicating effects of other factors not captured in the study. Nonetheless the maps presented here provide the best contemporary information on malaria prevalence in Somalia.

  4. Prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students: a meta-analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhan-Zhan Li

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: About 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and college students with suicidal ideation are at high risk of suicide. The prevalence of suicidal ideation in college students has been estimated extensively, but quantitative syntheses of overall prevalence are scarce, especially in China. Accurate estimates of prevalence are important for making public policy. In this paper, we aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Web of Knowledge, Wangfang (Chinese database and Weipu (Chinese database were systematically reviewed to identify articles published between 2004 to July 2013, in either English or Chinese, reporting prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students. The strategy also included a secondary search of reference lists of records retrieved from databases. Then the prevalence estimates were summarized using a random effects model. The effects of moderator variables on the prevalence estimates were assessed using a meta-regression model. RESULTS: A total of 41 studies involving 160339 college students were identified, and the prevalence ranged from 1.24% to 26.00%. The overall pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students was 10.72% (95%CI: 8.41% to 13.28%. We noted substantial heterogeneity in prevalence estimates. Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence of suicidal ideation in females is higher than in males. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students is relatively high, although the suicide rate is lower compared with the entire society, suggesting the need for local surveys to inform the development of health services for college students.

  5. Prevalence of Congenital Malformations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akhavan Karbasi Sedighah

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Congenital malformation (CM will begin to emerge as one of the major childhood health problems .Treatment and rehabilitation of children with congenital malformations are costly and complete recovery is usually impossible. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of CM in Yazd central city of the Islamic Republic of Iran to find out if there has been any difference in the rate and types of CM in this area. This descriptive-observational study carried on 4800 births delivered at all maternity hospitals in Yazd from October 2003 to June 2004. Prevalence of CM was 2.83% (2.86 % in male and 2.68 % in female out of the 136 cases 69(51.88% were males and 64 (48.12% were females and 3 with ambiguous genitalia. Positive family history of CM in sibling was in only 6 cases (4.41%.Overall, musculoskeletal (0.83%, central nerv-ous system (0.47% and genital system (0.37% were accounted as the most common. Frequency of CM was more seen in still birth (12.5% as in comparison to live birth (2.71%. There was not statistical difference be-tween prevalence of CM and neonatal's gender, gestational age, birth order and mother's age, drug ingestion, illness and parental consanguinity. In this study the overall prevalence of congenital malformation among the newborn was higher than those previous reported in Iran and determining the causes of this difference needs more extensive studies.

  6. Condoning stereotyping? How awareness of stereotyping prevalence impacts expression of stereotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duguid, Michelle M; Thomas-Hunt, Melissa C

    2015-03-01

    The deleterious effects of stereotyping on individual and group outcomes have prompted a search for solutions. One approach has been to increase awareness of the prevalence of stereotyping in the hope of motivating individuals to resist natural inclinations. However, it could be that this strategy creates a norm for stereotyping, which paradoxically undermines desired effects. The present research demonstrates that individuals who received a high prevalence of stereotyping message expressed more stereotypes than those who received a low prevalence of stereotyping message (Studies 1a, 1b, 1c, and 2) or no message (Study 2). Furthermore, working professionals who received a high prevalence of stereotyping message were less willing to work with an individual who violated stereotypical norms than those who received no message, a low prevalence of stereotyping message, or a high prevalence of counter-stereotyping effort message (Study 3). Also, in a competitive task, individuals who received a high prevalence of stereotyping message treated their opponents in more stereotype-consistent ways than those who received a low prevalence of stereotyping message or those who received a high prevalence of counter-stereotyping effort message (Study 4). PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  7. The results of nocturnal visual surveys are influenced by lamp properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lardner, B.; Savidge, J.A.; Rodda, G.H.; Reed, R.N.; Adams, A.A.Y.

    2009-01-01

    We conducted standardized visual searches at night for brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) and geckos, where we alternated between spotlight and floodlight lamps. Floodlights rendered us 25% more snakes and 71% more geckos than did spotlights. We show data on searcher variability and discuss what might affect the relative benefit of different lamp types. ?? 2009 Brill Academic Publishers.

  8. Information Behaviors and Information Literacy Skills of LIS Students: An International Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Laura; Kurbanoglu, Serap; Boustany, Joumana; Dogan, Guleda; Becker, Peter; Blumer, Eliane; Chowdhury, Sudatta; Dobreva, Milena; Gendina, Natalia; Grgic, Ivana Hebrang; Haddow, Gaby; Koltay, Tibor; Kortelainen, Terttu; Krakowska, Monika; Majid, Shaheen; Mezhova, Marina; Repanovici, Angela; Rudžioniene, Jurgita; Schneider, Rene; Terra, Ana Lucia; Todorova, Tania Y.

    2015-01-01

    Librarians are expected to be expert searchers, and developing information literacy skills to navigate the vast world of information is a focus of most library and information science (LIS) programs. It is important to understand the information literacy and behaviors of LIS students to see if they are employing the skills they will need to assist…

  9. S.P.S.S. User's Manual #1-#4. Basic Program Construction in S.P.S.S.; S.P.S.S. Non-Procedural Statements and Procedural Commands; System Control Language and S.P.S.S.; Quick File Equate Statement Reference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earl, Lorna L.

    This series of manuals describing and illustrating the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was planned as a self-teaching instrument, beginning with the basics and progressing to an advanced level. Information on what the searcher must know to define the data and write a program for preliminary analysis is contained in manual 1,…

  10. Prevalence of scabies and impetigo worldwide: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romani, Lucia; Steer, Andrew C; Whitfeld, Margot J; Kaldor, John M

    2015-08-01

    Scabies is a skin disease that, through secondary bacterial skin infection (impetigo), can lead to serious complications such as septicaemia, renal disease, and rheumatic heart disease. Yet the worldwide prevalence of scabies is uncertain. We undertook a systematic review, searching several databases and the grey literature, for population-based studies that reported on the prevalence of scabies and impetigo in a community setting. All included studies were assessed for quality. 2409 articles were identified and 48 studies were included. Data were available for all regions except North America. The prevalence of scabies ranged from 0·2% to 71·4%. All regions except for Europe and the Middle East included populations with a prevalence greater than 10%. Overall, scabies prevalence was highest in the Pacific and Latin American regions, and was substantially higher in children than in adolescents and adults. Impetigo was common, particularly in children, with the highest prevalence in Australian Aboriginal communities (49·0%). Comprehensive scabies control strategies are urgently needed, such as a community-based mass drug administration approach, along with a more systematic approach to the monitoring of disease burden. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. PREVALENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS IN BIRJAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Taheri

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available AbstractINTRODUCTION: This population-based study was conducted to assess the prevalenceof overweight and obesity in high schools in the city of Birjand in Khorasan Province,Eastern Iran.METHODS: In this descriptive study, we attempted to determine the prevalence ofoverweight and obesity in Iranian adolescents attending high school in Birjand in 2005.A sample of 2230 high school students (1115 boys and 1115 girls aged 15-18 years wasselected via stepwise random sampling in four districts of Birjand. Overweight andobesity were defined based on the 85th and 95th percentiles of BMI for age, respectively,as proposed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC in 2000.RESULTS: The overall prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 6.1% and 2.3%,respectively. The prevalence of overweight was 5% in boys and 7.1% in high school girls.The prevalence of obesity was 2.8% and 1.8% in high school boys and girls, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in high schools in the city ofBirjand is lower than figures reported by other studies conducted in Iran and in othercountries.Key Words: Prevalence, overweight, obesity, adolescents.

  12. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among elderly Mexicans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz-Rodríguez, María Araceli; Yáñez-Velasco, Lucía; Carnevale, Alessandra; Romero-Hidalgo, Sandra; Bernal, Demetrio; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos; Rojas, Rosalba; Villa, Antonio; Tur, Josep A

    2017-11-01

    One of the most prevalent chronic diseases among elderly population is the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of MetS and associated factors among Mexican elderly people. Cross-sectional survey carried out in Mexico (2007). A random sample (n=516) of the elderly population (≥65years; 277 female, 239 male) was interviewed. Anthropometric and analytical measurements, and a general questionnaire incorporating questions related to socio-demographic and life-style factors were used. MetS definition AHA/NHLBI/IDF was applied. The prevalence of MetS in the elderly (≥65years) was of 72.9% (75.7% men; 70.4% women). Participants with values above MetS cut-off points were 92.4% (hypertension), 77.8% (hypertriglyceridemia), 77.1% (low HDL-cholesterol), 71.1% (hyperglycaemia), and 65.4% (central obesity). People with MetS showed higher values of anthropometric and biochemical variables than those without MetS, except for the height, cholesterol and creatinine. Mid-high education level (9-12 years), no smokers and former smokers, and Central-Western inhabitants of Mexico were associated with MetS components. BMI status was the main determinant of MetS prevalence and MetS components. The reported prevalence of MetS among the elderly Mexican population was higher than those previously obtained in the geographical area, showing a major public health problem in Mexican elders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Prevalence of food allergies in South Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arakali, Schweta R; Green, Todd D; Dinakar, Chitra

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the published medical literature on the prevalence and types of food allergies in South Asia. A PubMed search was performed using the keywords India and food allergy, Asia and food allergy, and South Asia and food allergy for any period. Articles cited in selected studies were reviewed for their appropriateness of inclusion into this review. Publications were included that were original research and fit the topic of food allergy and South Asia. South Asia is defined as region inclusive of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. A total of 169 articles were initially identified, and 47 were reviewed in detail for inclusion in this review. The primary focus was placed on 10 studies that consisted of case reports of newly reported or documented food allergy, survey studies that investigated food allergy prevalence in specific demographics, and prospective and cross-sectional studies with case controls, all of which investigated food allergy prevalence by allergy testing in a selected population. The medical literature on the prevalence and types of food allergy in South Asia indicates that there is a variety of unusual and unique allergens and an overall low incidence of food allergy. There is also an association of increased food allergy prevalence in individuals who live in metropolitan regions or who migrate to communities that have adopted westernization. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The prevalence of predisposing deformity in osteoarthritic hip joints

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klit, Jakob; Gosvig, Kasper; Jacobsen, Steffen

    2011-01-01

    relationship in both sexes with the clinical presentation. The study cohort which fulfilled these inclusion criteria consisted of 322 females (149 right hips and 173 left hips) and 162 males (77 right hips and 85 left hips) with osteoarthritis. We found an overall prevalence of predisposing hip deformities...... in females of 62.4% and in males of 78.9%. Minor and major deformities showed the same prevalence. Both sexes had a comparable prevalence of minor and major hip joint deformity, except for pistol grip deformity, which was more prevalent in men. We concluded that 'idiopathic osteoarthritis' is uncommon......, and that even minor predisposing deformities are associated with hip osteoarthritis....

  15. HIV prevalence and trends among pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HIV prevalence and trends among pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria: a 5-year ... trends in HIV prevalence to ascertain the current course of the HIV epidemic in ... Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HIV and its ...

  16. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in young adults in Uganda ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: We observed significant gender differences in the prevalence of obesity among young adults in Uganda. Contrary to expectation, we did not observe significant rural-urban differences in the prevalence of overweight. Keywords: Obesity; overweight; prevalence; Uganda; young adults. African Health Sciences ...

  17. The prevalence of food allergy: A meta-analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rona, Roberto J.; Keil, Thomas; Summers, Colin

    2007-01-01

    Background: There is uncertainty about the prevalence of food allergy in communities. Objective: To assess the prevalence of food allergy by performing a meta-analysis according to the method of assessment used. Methods: The foods assessed were cow's milk, hen's egg, peanut, fish, shellfish....... The meta-analysis included only original studies. They were stratified by age groups: infant/preschool, school children, and adults. Results: A total of 934 articles were identified, but only 51 were considered appropriate for inclusion. The prevalence of self-reported food allergy was very high compared...

  18. Population aging, macroeconomic changes, and global diabetes prevalence, 1990-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudharsanan, Nikkil; Ali, Mohammed K; Mehta, Neil K; Narayan, K M Venkat

    2015-01-01

    Diabetes is an important contributor to global morbidity and mortality. The contributions of population aging and macroeconomic changes to the growth in diabetes prevalence over the past 20 years are unclear. We used cross-sectional data on age- and sex-specific counts of people with diabetes by country, national population estimates, and country-specific macroeconomic variables for the years 1990, 2000, and 2008. Decomposition analysis was performed to quantify the contribution of population aging to the change in global diabetes prevalence between 1990 and 2008. Next, age-standardization was used to estimate the contribution of age composition to differences in diabetes prevalence between high-income (HIC) and low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs). Finally, we used non-parametric correlation and multivariate first-difference regression estimates to examine the relationship between macroeconomic changes and the change in diabetes prevalence between 1990 and 2008. Globally, diabetes prevalence grew by two percentage points between 1990 (7.4 %) and 2008 (9.4 %). Population aging was responsible for 19 % of the growth, with 81 % attributable to increases in the age-specific prevalences. In both LMICs and HICs, about half the growth in age-specific prevalences was from increasing levels of diabetes between ages 45-65 (51 % in HICs and 46 % in LMICs). After age-standardization, the difference in the prevalence of diabetes between LMICs and HICs was larger (1.9 % point difference in 1990; 1.5 % point difference in 2008). We found no evidence that macroeconomic changes were associated with the growth in diabetes prevalence. Population aging explains a minority of the recent growth in global diabetes prevalence. The increase in global diabetes between 1990 and 2008 was primarily due to an increase in the prevalence of diabetes at ages 45-65. We do not find evidence that basic indicators of economic growth, development, globalization, or urbanization were related

  19. P-21: Prevalence of Neck Pain Among Athletes: A Systematic Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Hooshmand

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: Many studies have investigated the prevalence of neck pain (NP and its risk factors in general population. However, the prevalence of NP among athletes has not been systematically investigated yet. We aimed to systematically review the NP prevalence in athletes. As respects of various definitions of NP, response rates and reliability of studies instruments, we considered risk of bias for including studies. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in Sep 2015, using PubMed, Ovid SP Medline, ISI and Google Scholar. We included studies in English that reported the prevalence of NP in an athletic population in a specifically defined period of time. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies' quality, and performed data extractions. RESULTS: Of 1675 titles identified, 8 articles were assessed for bias risk and 6 with low and moderate risk were included. NP was shown to be prevalent in athletes with a oneweek prevalence ranging from 8% to 45%, a one-year prevalence ranging from 38% to 73% and life-time prevalence about 48%. CONCLUSION: Similar to general population, the prevalence of NP in the athletes is high. Therefore, more studies regarding pain prevalences and risk factors may be useful for planning the educational programs, appropriate rehabilitation protocols, and development of preventive guidelines. Researchers are encouraged to perform epidemiologic studies with low risk of bias in this regard.

  20. Child maltreatment in Germany: prevalence rates in the general population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witt, Andreas; Brown, Rebecca C; Plener, Paul L; Brähler, Elmar; Fegert, Jörg M

    2017-01-01

    Child maltreatment and its consequences are considered a major public health problem. So far, there is only one study from Germany reporting prevalence rates on different types of maltreatment. A representative sample of the German general population was examined for experiences of child maltreatment using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) between September and November 2016. A total of 2510 (53.3% female) participants between 14 and 94 years (M = 48.8 years) were enrolled. Besides the CTQ, a range of sociodemographic information was collected. The interrelatedness of different types of maltreatment was examined using configuration analysis and predictors for maltreatment were identified by performing binary logistic regression analyses. Overall, 2.6% (f: 3.9%, m: 1.2%) of all participants reported severe emotional abuse, 3.3% (f: 3.4%, m: 3.3%) severe physical abuse, 2.3% (f: 3.7%, m: 0.7%) severe sexual abuse, 7.1% (f: 8.1%, m: 5.9%) severe emotional neglect and 9% (f: 9.2%, m: 8.9%) severe physical neglect. Women were more likely to report at least moderate sexual and emotional abuse than men. The largest difference between age groups was reported for physical neglect, with participants aged over 70 years reporting the highest rates. Participants who reported childhood maltreatment were more likely to be unemployed or have lower educational outcomes. The most common combination of maltreatment types were physical and emotional neglect, all five types of maltreatment combined and physical and emotional neglect and physical abuse combined. Child maltreatment, especially physical neglect is common in the German population. Women seem to be at greater risk for sexual and emotional abuse than men. Knowledge about different types of maltreatment based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) can help to put findings of future studies into an epidemiological and societal context.

  1. Diabetes incidence and projections from prevalence surveys in Fiji.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrell, Stephen; Lin, Sophia; Tukana, Isimeli; Linhart, Christine; Taylor, Richard; Vatucawaqa, Penina; Magliano, Dianna J; Zimmet, Paul

    2016-11-25

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) incidence is traditionally derived from cohort studies that are not always feasible, representative, or available. The present study estimates T2DM incidence in Fijian adults from T2DM prevalence estimates assembled from surveys of 25-64 year old adults conducted over 30 years (n = 14,288). T2DM prevalence by five-year age group from five population-based risk factor surveys conducted over 1980-2011 were variously adjusted for urban-rural residency, ethnicity, and sex to previous censuses (1976, 1986, 1996, 2009) to improve representativeness. Prevalence estimates were then used to calculate T2DM incidence based on birth cohorts from the age-period (Lexis) matrix following the Styblo technique, first used to estimate annual risk of tuberculosis infection (incidence) from sequential Mantoux population surveys. Poisson regression of year, age, sex, and ethnicity strata (n = 160) was used to develop projections of T2DM prevalence and incidence to 2020 based on various scenarios of population weight measured by body mass index (BMI) change. T2DM prevalence and annual incidence increased in Fiji over 1980-2011. Prevalence was higher in Indians and men than i-Taukei and women. Incidence was higher in Indians and women. From regression analyses, absolute reductions of 2.6 to 5.1% in T2DM prevalence (13-26% lower), and 0.5-0.9 per 1000 person-years in incidence (8-14% lower), could be expected in 2020 in adults if mean population weight could be reduced by 1-4 kg, compared to the current period trend in weight gain. This is the first application of the Styblo technique to calculate T2DM incidence from population-based prevalence surveys over time. Reductions in population BMI are predicted to reduce T2DM incidence and prevalence in Fiji among adults aged 25-64 years.

  2. Prevalence and characteristics of articular manifestations in human ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prevalence and characteristics of articular manifestations in human immune virus infection. ... Objectives: To determine the prevalence, types and characteristics of articular manifestations in the anti-retroviral treatment naive HIV infected patients. Design: Cross sectional descriptive study. Setting: Comprehensive care clinic ...

  3. Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Type 58 in Women With or ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chicago Il, USA). Results: Overall HPV prevalence was 65.2% (277/425), with 85.9% (238/277) single and 14.1% (39/277) multiple infection. The most prevalent HPV types were HPVs 16, 58, 18, 31, and 45. HPV 16 was the most prevalent ...

  4. Putting Personal Knowledge Management under the Macroscope of Informing Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrich Schmitt

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper introduces a novel Personal Knowledge Management (PKM concept and prototype system. The system’s objective is to aid life-long-learning, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork of individuals throughout their academic and professional life and as contributors and beneficiaries of organizational and societal performance. Such a scope offers appealing and viable opportunities for stakeholders in the educational, professional, and developmental context. To further validate the underlying PKM application design, the systems thinking techniques of the transdiscipline of Informing Science (IS are employed. By applying Cohen’s IS-Framework, Leavitt’s Diamond Model, the IS-Meta Approach, and Gill’s and Murphy’s Three Dimensions of Design Task Complexity, the more specific KM models and methodologies central to the PKMS concept are aligned, introduced, and visualized. The extent of this introduction offers an essential overview, which can be deepened and broadened by using the cited URL and DOI links pointing to the available resources of the author’s prior publications. The paper emphasizes the differences of the proposed meme-based PKM System compared to its traditional organizational document-centric counterparts as well as its inherent complementing synergies. As a result, it shows how the system is closing in on Vannevar Bush’s still unfulfilled vison of the ‘Memex’, an as-close-as-it-gets imaginary ancestor celebrating its 70th anniversary as an inspiring idea never realized. It also addresses the scenario recently put forward by Levy which foresees a decentralizing revolution of knowledge management that gives more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups. Accordingly, it also touches on the PKM potential in terms of Kuhn’s Scientific Revolutions and Disruptive Innovations.

  5. Prevalência de asma em adolescentes na cidade de Fortaleza, CE Prevalence of asthma among adolescents in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria de Fátima Gomes de Luna

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência de asma em adolescentes (13-14 anos na cidade de Fortaleza, CE. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal utilizando o questionário do International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood e envolvendo 3.015 adolescentes de escolas públicas e privadas entre 2006 e 2007. RESULTADOS: As prevalências de "sibilos alguma vez na vida", "sibilos nos últimos doze meses" (asma ativa e "asma alguma vez na vida" (asma diagnosticada foram, respectivamente, 44,1%, 22,6% e 11,6%. As prevalências de "sibilos alguma vez na vida" (p = 0,001, "1-3 crises de sibilos nos últimos 12 meses" (p = 0,001; asma ativa (p = 0,002; "sono interrompido por sibilos menos que uma vez por semana" (p OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of asthma among adolescents (13-14 years of age in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 3,015 adolescents at public and private schools between 2006 and 2007. The participants completed the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalences of "wheezing ever", "wheezing within the last 12 months" (active asthma and "asthma ever" (physician-diagnosed asthma were 44.1%, 22.6% and 11.6%, respectively. The prevalences of "wheezing ever" (p = 0.001, "1-3 wheezing attacks within the last 12 months" (p = 0.001, active asthma (p = 0.002, "sleep disturbed due to wheezing less than one night per week" (p < 0.001 and "dry cough at night" (p < 0.001 were higher among girls. Private school students presented higher prevalences of "wheezing ever", active asthma, "1-3 wheezing attacks within the last 12 months", "4-12 wheezing attacks within the last 12 months" and physician-diagnosed asthma (p < 0.001 for all, as well as of "exercise-induced wheezing" (p = 0.032. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of asthma and asthma-related symptoms in students aged 13-14 years in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil, was high, predominantly among girls and private

  6. A Review of the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiang; Allison, Carrie

    2010-01-01

    Electronic databases and bibliographies were searched for English language articles on the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Asia over time to estimate prevalence. The overall reported prevalence of ASD in recent studies was higher than the previously reported in Asia. The average prevalence of ASD before 1980 was around 1.9/10,000 while…

  7. Prevalence of astigmatism in Native American infants and children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Erin M; Dobson, Velma; Clifford-Donaldson, Candice E; Green, Tina K; Messer, Dawn H; Miller, Joseph M

    2010-06-01

    To describe the prevalence of high astigmatism in infants and young children who are members of a Native American tribe with a high prevalence of astigmatism. SureSight autorefraction measurements were obtained for 1461 Tohono O'odham children aged 6 months to 8 years. The prevalence of astigmatism >2.00 diopters was 30% in Tohono O'odham children during infancy (6 months to O'odham infants show a high prevalence of astigmatism, which decreases in the second year of life. However, the prevalence of high astigmatism in Tohono O'odham children increases by age 2 to <3 years to a level near that seen in infancy and remains at that level until at least age 8 years. Longitudinal data are needed to determine whether the increase in high astigmatism after infancy occurs in infants who had astigmatism as infants or is due to the development of high astigmatism in children who did not show astigmatism during infancy.

  8. The Prevalence of Encopresis in a Multicultural Population

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wal, M.F.; Benninga, M.A.; Hira Sing, R.A.

    2005-01-01

    BACKGROUND:: Population-based studies on the prevalence of encopresis in children are scarce and generally outdated. Prevalence estimates based on clinical studies are unreliable because parents tend to be reticent to seek medical help for this problem. Professional help is necessary, however,

  9. Prevalence of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eskes, Silvia A.; Endert, Erik; Fliers, Eric; Wiersinga, Wilmar M.

    2010-01-01

    Context: Autoimmune hypophysitis can result in GH deficiency (GHD) and is associated with other autoimmune endocrine diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Recent studies suggest a high prevalence (5%) of GHD in Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Objective: Our objective was to establish the prevalence of GHD

  10. The prevalence of encopresis in a multicultural population

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wal, M. F.; Benninga, M. A.; Hirasing, R. A.

    2005-01-01

    Background: Population-based studies on the prevalence of encopresis in children are scarce and generally outdated. Prevalence estimates based on clinical studies are unreliable because parents tend to be reticent to seek medical help for this problem. Professional help is necessary, however,

  11. Refusal bias in the estimation of HIV prevalence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssens, Wendy; van der Gaag, Jacques; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F.; Tanović, Zlata

    2014-01-01

    In 2007, UNAIDS corrected estimates of global HIV prevalence downward from 40 million to 33 million based on a methodological shift from sentinel surveillance to population-based surveys. Since then, population-based surveys are considered the gold standard for estimating HIV prevalence. However,

  12. The Prevalence of food hypersensitivity in young adults

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østerballe, Morten; Mørtz, Charlotte G; Hansen, Tine Kjær

    2009-01-01

    by questionnaire, skin prick test (SPT) and histamin release (HR) followed by oral challenge to the most common allergenic foods. FHS was divided into primary and secondary FHS. Primary FHS was defined as being independent of pollen sensitization, whereas secondary FHS was defined as reactions to pollen related......Osterballe M, Mortz CG, Hansen TK, Andersen KE, Bindslev-Jensen C. The Prevalence of food hypersensitivity in young adults. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2009. (c) 2009 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/SA rising prevalence of food hypersensitivity (FHS) and severe allergic...... reactions to foods have been reported in the last decade. However, little is known on the prevalence in young adults. This study estimated the prevalence of FHS to the most common allergenic foods in an unselected population of young adults. We investigated a cohort of 1272 young adults 22 years of age...

  13. ADHD in Tunisian Adolescents: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mhalla, Ahmed; Guedria, Asma; Brahem, Takoua; Amamou, Badii; Sboui, Wiem; Gaddour, Naoufel; Gaha, Lotfi

    2018-01-01

    The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of ADHD in a population of high school students and to explore the factors associated with this disorder. This was a cross-sectional study that had included 447 high school students. The diagnosis of ADHD was made by the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale translated in Arabic language. The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were evaluated by a preestablished questionnaire. The self-esteem was assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The prevalence of ADHD was 18.1%. The logistic regression analysis showed an association between the diagnosis of ADHD and the bad relationships with parents (odds ratio [OR] = 16.43; p antecedents (OR = 12.16; p antecedents (OR = 3.16; p = .009). The prevalence of ADHD in this study was one of the highest prevalence reported. The factors associated with ADHD may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

  14. Prevalence and correlates of hypertension in Maharashtra, India: A multilevel analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahadev D Bhise

    Full Text Available In the last few decades, the prevalence of hypertension has been drastically increased in India. The present study estimates the current prevalence of hypertension and its correlates in the state of Maharashtra. The variation in the prevalence of hypertension associated with individual-level characteristics is explained at the community and district level.Data is used from the recent round of District Level Household & Facility Survey (DLHS-4, 2012-13. The DLHS-4 has used the nationally representative sample, collected through multistage stratified sampling procedure. A similar sampling frame, used in NSSO-2007-08, has been followed. The chi-square test is used to show the significance level of the association between the estimated prevalence of hypertension and its correlates. Multilevel regression analysis is carried out to investigate the effects of individual and community level factors on the prevalence of hypertension.The overall prevalence of hypertension is 25% in Maharashtra, and a huge variation in the prevalence of hypertension is found across the districts. Dhule, Gadchiroli (with a low HDI rank, Mumbai and Satara (with higher HDI rank are the districts with the higher (above 30% prevalence of high blood pressure. The prevalence also significantly varies according to different correlates. The prevalence of high blood pressure is higher among elderly population (40%, among males (28%, in the urban areas (27% and in the richest wealth quintile (28%. The prevalence is also higher among cigarette smokers (31%, alcohol consumers (30% and people with obesity (38% as compared to their counterparts. The results of the multilevel analysis show that the older and obese persons are at four-time higher risk of hypertension. Again, age, sex, marital status, place of residence, wealth status, unhealthy habits (i.e. smoking and alcohol consumption and BMI are significantly associated with hypertension. The results of VPC statistics show that 14% of

  15. The Prevalence of Burnout Among US Neurosurgery Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shakir, Hakeem J; McPheeters, Matthew J; Shallwani, Hussain; Pittari, Joseph E; Reynolds, Renée M

    2017-10-27

    Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Its prevalence among US physicians exceeds 50% and is higher among residents/fellows. This is important to the practice of neurosurgery, as burnout is associated with adverse physical health, increased risk of substance abuse, and increased medical errors. To date, no study has specifically addressed the prevalence of burnout among neurosurgery residents. To determine and compare the prevalence of burnout among US neurosurgery residents with published rates for residents/fellows and practicing physicians from other specialties. We surveyed 106 US neurosurgery residency training programs to perform a descriptive analysis of the prevalence of burnout among residents. Data on burnout among control groups were used to perform a cross-sectional analysis. Nonparametric tests assessed differences in burnout scores among neurosurgery residents, and the 2-tailed Fisher's exact test assessed burnout between neurosurgery residents and control populations. Of approximately 1200 US neurosurgery residents, 255 (21.3%) responded. The prevalence of burnout was 36.5% (95% confidence interval: 30.6%-42.7%). There was no significant difference in median burnout scores between gender (P = .836), age (P = .183), or postgraduate year (P = .963) among neurosurgery residents. Neurosurgery residents had a significantly lower prevalence of burnout (36.5%) than other residents/fellows (60.0%; P burnout than other residents/fellows and practicing physicians. The underlying causes for these findings were not assessed and are likely multifactorial. Future studies should address possible causes of these findings. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

  16. Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsuwat, Obaidallah Buraykan; Alzahrani, Abdulrahman Ahmad; Alzhrani, Mohammed Abdullah; Alkhathami, Ali Mesfer; Mahfouz, Mohammad Eid Mahmoud

    2018-03-01

    Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common chronic gastrointestinal tract disease. The incidence is higher in Asian and Arab countries. In Saudi Arabia, there are few studies that have assessed the prevalence of GERD among some cities' communities. Hence, this study aims to study the prevalence of GERD among the general population of Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the prevalence of GERD among the community of Saudi Arabia. The sample was randomly gathered through self-administered validated GERD questionnaire (GerdQ) to diagnose GERD, during the period from November to December 2016. The sociodemographic data was assessed for all participants. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21.0 (SPSS); the t -test was used to assess the association of GERD and sociodemographic data. The sample was comprised of 2,043 participants. Female and male were 51.8% and 48.2%, respectively. Mean age was 29.6 years with the standard deviation of 10.5 years. The GERD prevalence was 28.7%. It was found statistically significant among divorced/widow (34.9%, P = 0.003). In contrast, there was no association between GERD's prevalence and gender, age, residence status, education level, occupation, and blood group (P > 0.05). The prevalence of GERD among Saudi population is higher than that in Western countries and East Asia. It affects divorced/widow, obese and those with a sedentary lifestyle. It is advocated that national programs and educational campaigns for prevention of this disease and its complications should be established.

  17. The prevalence of food allergy: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rona, Roberto J; Keil, Thomas; Summers, Colin; Gislason, David; Zuidmeer, Laurian; Sodergren, Eva; Sigurdardottir, Sigurveig T; Lindner, Titia; Goldhahn, Klaus; Dahlstrom, Jorgen; McBride, Doreen; Madsen, Charlotte

    2007-09-01

    There is uncertainty about the prevalence of food allergy in communities. To assess the prevalence of food allergy by performing a meta-analysis according to the method of assessment used. The foods assessed were cow's milk, hen's egg, peanut, fish, shellfish, and an overall estimate of food allergy. We summarized the information in 5 categories: self-reported symptoms, specific IgE positive, specific skin prick test positive, symptoms combined with sensitization, and food challenge studies. We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for publications since 1990. The meta-analysis included only original studies. They were stratified by age groups: infant/preschool, school children, and adults. A total of 934 articles were identified, but only 51 were considered appropriate for inclusion. The prevalence of self-reported food allergy was very high compared with objective measures. There was marked heterogeneity between studies regardless of type of assessment or food item considered, and in most analyses this persisted after age stratification. Self-reported prevalence of food allergy varied from 1.2% to 17% for milk, 0.2% to 7% for egg, 0% to 2% for peanuts and fish, 0% to 10% for shellfish, and 3% to 35% for any food. There is a marked heterogeneity in the prevalence of food allergy that could be a result of differences in study design or methodology, or differences between populations. We recommend that measurements be made by using standardized methods, if possible food challenge. We need to be cautious in estimates of prevalence based only on self-reported food allergy.

  18. General morbidity prevalence in the Delhi slums

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marimuthu P

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Research Question: What is the sickness prevalence in the slums of a metropolitan city? Objectives: To estimate the morbidity prevalence with reference to a socio-economic and demographic perspective of the slum population of Delhi. Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted and data were collected by a two-stage random sampling method. In the first stage, slum locations were selected and in the second stage households were selected. Participants: Data were collected from 1049 households consisting of 5358 individuals′ information. Results: The overall morbidity prevalence is 15.4%. It is 14.7 and 16.3% for males and females, respectively but the differences are not statistically significant. The reported higher morbidity prevalence and the illiteracy status are significantly associated. Diseases of the respiratory system appear to be very high among slum dwellers. Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that the number of years of staying in the slum area, presence of a separate kitchen, type of house, it being Pucca or Kuccha, types of toilet pits or open defecation are the important environmental factors for the reports of higher morbidity patterns from the slum area.

  19. Prevalence of major skin diseases of cattle and associated risk ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dermatophilosis was significantly (p<0.05) higher in animals 2-5 years of age, cross breed and semi-intensively managed cattle. Generally, the prevalence of tick was high, that of lice and mange mite was moderate prevalence whereas the prevalence of dermatophillosis, skin wart, LSD and photosensitization was low.

  20. Neutrons put the brakes on stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gill, Katynna

    2006-01-01

    Don't you hate it when you're driving along, put your foot on the brake and feel that juddering feeling through the pedal? It happens when the disc brake rotors become distorted through normal use of the brakes. To the car manufacturing industry it's called r unout , and is a multimillion dollar warranty problem each year. Not to mention a pain for drivers! Dr Maurice Ripley and Dr Oliver Kirstein from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) wanted to figure out whether runout is caused by residual stresses from the manufacturing process or by normal use of the brake, so they decided to test and compare a used and new brake disc. 'To picture what metal looks like at the atomic level, imagine spheres stacked evenly around each other in all three dimensions,' explained Kirstein. T he spheres represent atoms in the metal and the structure is called a metallic lattice.' We're familiar with the idea that metal expands when it gets hot - the atoms get excited with the heat and have the energy to move further away from each other, so spaces between the atoms in the lattice get larger. 'When parts of the metal are heated up and cool down at different rates, you may end up with a distorted lattice with some parts expanded and others not,' explained Kirstein. 'This unevenness in the lattice creates residual stress.' While a bunch of methods were available to test the discs, Kirstein and Ripley picked neutrons from ANSTO's HIFAR (High Flux Australian Reactor) as their tool of choice. 'Neutrons allow us to look at the inside of the metal without damaging it,' said Kirstein. 'They can penetrate through the iron, so we were able to take measurements at a series of points at different depths through the brake disc.' Word around the car industry is that when residual stresses are relaxed through heating of the brake disc during use, the discs could potentially distort, causing the runout and that juddering feeling. But everyone was clueless as to what

  1. GLOBAL PATTERNS OF LEPTOSPIRA PREVALENCE IN VERTEBRATE RESERVOIR HOSTS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen-Ranberg, Emilie U; Pipper, Christian; Jensen, Per M

    2016-07-01

    Leptospirosis is a widespread emerging bacterial zoonosis. As the transmission is believed to be predominantly waterborne, human incidence is expected to increase in conjunction with global climate change and associated extreme weather events. Providing more accurate predictions of human leptospirosis requires more detailed information on animal reservoirs that are the source of human infection. We evaluated the prevalence of Leptospira in vertebrates worldwide and its association with taxonomy, geographic region, host biology, ambient temperature, and precipitation patterns. A multivariate regression analysis with a meta-analysis-like approach was used to analyze compiled data extracted from 300 Leptospira-related peer reviewed papers. A fairly uniform Leptospira infection prevalence of about 15% was found in the majority of mammalian families. Higher prevalence was frequently associated with species occupying urban habitats, and this may explain why climatic factors were not significantly correlated with prevalence as consistently as expected. Across different approaches of the multiple regression analyses, the variables most frequently correlated with Leptospira infection prevalence were the host's ability to swim, minimum ambient temperature, and methodologic quality of the study. Prevalence in carnivores was not associated with any climatic variable, and the importance of environmental risk factors were indicated to be of lesser consequence in nonhuman mammals. The dataset is made available for further analysis.

  2. Prevalence of myasthenia gravis in the Catalan county of Osona.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aragonès, J M; Altimiras, J; Roura, P; Alonso, F; Bufill, E; Munmany, A; Alfonso, S; Illa, I

    The reported prevalence of myasthenia gravis ranges between 5 and 24 cases per 100,000, and people over 65years account for less than 50% of all cases. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of myasthenia gravis in the county of Osona were studied in patients younger and older than 65. The study draws from the county-based prospective myasthenia gravis register implemented by the Neurology Department at Hospital General de Vic in 1991. The prevalence of myasthenia gravis was 32.89×10 5 inhabitants (95%CI, 23.86-41.91). The standardized prevalence (European population) was 35.47×10 5 inhabitants (95%CI, 26.10-44.84). The ratio of women to men was 1.3. Overall, the group of patients older than 65 accounted for 62.75% of all cases. The prevalence of myasthenia gravis increased considerably in older age groups. No cases were registered among patients under 25years old, prevalence was 21.87×10 5 in the 25 to 64 age group, and prevalence in patients over 65 years increased to 122.35×10 5 . The clinical characteristics prior to treatment and at the cut-off date are similar (P>.05) in patients younger than 65 and those aged 65 and older. These figures show the highest prevalence rate reported to date. This high prevalence is due to the rate observed among patients older than 65. These results provide a new warning that myasthenia gravis may be underdiagnosed in the elderly population. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Interhospital differences and case-mix in a nationwide prevalence survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanerva, M; Ollgren, J; Lyytikäinen, O

    2010-10-01

    A prevalence survey is a time-saving and useful tool for obtaining an overview of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) either in a single hospital or nationally. Direct comparison of prevalence rates is difficult. We evaluated the impact of case-mix adjustment on hospital-specific prevalences. All five tertiary care, all 15 secondary care and 10 (25% of 40) other acute care hospitals took part in the first national prevalence survey in Finland in 2005. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria served to define HCAI. The information collected included demographic characteristics, severity of the underlying disease, use of catheters and a respirator, and previous surgery. Patients with HCAI related to another hospital were excluded. Case-mix-adjusted HCAI prevalences were calculated by using a multivariate logistic regression model for HCAI risk and an indirect standardisation method. Altogether, 587 (7.2%) of 8118 adult patients had at least one infection; hospital-specific prevalences ranged between 1.9% and 12.6%. Risk factors for HCAI that were previously known or identified by univariate analysis (age, male gender, intensive care, high Charlson comorbidity and McCabe indices, respirator, central venous or urinary catheters, and surgery during stay) were included in the multivariate analysis for standardisation. Case-mix-adjusted prevalences varied between 2.6% and 17.0%, and ranked the hospitals differently from the observed rates. In 11 (38%) hospitals, the observed prevalence rank was lower than predicted by the case-mix-adjusted figure. Case-mix should be taken into consideration in the interhospital comparison of prevalence rates. Copyright 2010 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Colijn, Johanna M.; Buitendijk, Gabriëlle H. S.; Prokofyeva, Elena; Alves, Dalila; Cachulo, Maria L.; Khawaja, Anthony P.; Cougnard-Gregoire, Audrey; Merle, Bénédicte M. J.; Korb, Christina; Erke, Maja G.; Bron, Alain; Anastasopoulos, Eleftherios; Meester-Smoor, Magda A.; Segato, Tatiana; Piermarocchi, Stefano; de Jong, Paulus T. V. M.; Vingerling, Johannes R.; Topouzis, Fotis; Creuzot-Garcher, Catherine; Bertelsen, Geir; Pfeiffer, Norbert; Fletcher, Astrid E.; Foster, Paul J.; Silva, Rufino; Korobelnik, Jean-François; Delcourt, Cécile; Klaver, Caroline C. W.; Ajana, Soufiane; Arango-Gonzalez, Blanca; Arndt, Verena; Bhatia, Vaibhav; Bhattacharya, Shomi S.; Biarnés, Marc; Borrell, Anna; Bühren, Sebastian; Calado, Sofia M.; Cougnard-Grégoire, Audrey; Dammeier, Sascha; de Jong, Eiko K.; de la Cerda, Berta; den Hollander, Anneke I.; Diaz-Corrales, Francisco J.; Diether, Sigrid; Emri, Eszter; Endermann, Tanja; Ferraro, Lucia L.; Garcia, Míriam; Heesterbeek, Thomas J.; Honisch, Sabina; Bergen, Arthur

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a frequent, complex disorder in elderly of European ancestry. Risk profiles and treatment options have changed considerably over the years, which may have affected disease prevalence and outcome. We determined the prevalence of early and late AMD in

  5. Association of HIV prevalence and concurrency of sexual ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Association of HIV prevalence and concurrency of sexual partnerships in South Africa's language groups: An ecological analysis. C Kenyon. Abstract. Background. There is considerable variation in HIV prevalence between different language groups in South Africa (SA). Sexual partner concurrency has been linked to the ...

  6. Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Colijn, Johanna M; Buitendijk, Gabriëlle H S; Prokofyeva, Elena

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a frequent, complex disorder in elderly of European ancestry. Risk profiles and treatment options have changed considerably over the years, which may have affected disease prevalence and outcome. We determined the prevalence of early and late AMD...

  7. Prevalence and determinants of erectile dysfunction among diabetic patients attending in hospitals of central and northwestern zone of Tigray, northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seid, Awole; Gerensea, Hadgu; Tarko, Shambel; Zenebe, Yosef; Mezemir, Rahel

    2017-03-15

    The prevalence of erectile dysfunction among diabetic men varies between 35-90%. Although erectile dysfunction is widespread among men with diabetes, the condition often remains undiagnosed and demands appropriate assessment and prompt treatment. Erectile dysfunction can affect all aspects of a patient's life including physical, emotional, social, sexual, and relationships. The main aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and determinants of erectile dysfunction among diabetic patients attending hospitals in the Central and Northwest zone of Tigray, Ethiopia. A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 249 male diabetic patients attending five hospitals in the Central and Northwestern Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia using systematic random sampling. The data was collected from January 1 - February 30, 2016 and was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Correlation and multivariate logistic regression was employed to test associations between independent and outcome variables. The mean age of study participants was 43.39 years and the mean duration of diabetes diagnosis was 6.22 years. The overall prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 69.9%, with 32.9% suffering from mild, 31.7% moderate, and 5.2% severe erectile dysfunction. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that erective dysfunction was significantly predicted by old age (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =15.013, CI:3.212-70.166), longer duration of diabetes (AOR = 3.77, CI:1.291-11.051), and lower monthly income (AOR = 0.285, CI:0.132-0.615). No association was found with body mass index, co-morbidity, glycemic control, and alcohol consumption. The prevalence of erective dysfunction in this study population was very high. Age, income, and duration of diabetes were the independent predictors of erectile dysfunction. Nearly all of the patients in the sample (97%) had not been screened or treated for erectile dysfunction. Assessment and management of erectile dysfunction in the

  8. Asma em escolares do Recife - comparação de prevalências: 1994-95 e 2002 Asthma in schoolchildren from Recife, Brazil. Prevalence comparison: 1994-95 and 2002

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murilo C. A. Britto

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Descrever a prevalência atual (2002 de asma e suas variantes em escolares da cidade do Recife, comparando os dados com o período de 1994-95; analisar a relação entre instrução materna e o surgimento ou o agravamento da asma; e avaliar a acurácia diagnóstica da prevalência anual de sibilância como indicador de asma. MÉTODO: Em um corte transversal, estudou-se, por questionário escrito, uma amostra probabilística de escolares de 13 e 14 anos em Recife, em 1994-95 (n = 3.086 e 2002 (n = 2.774, como parte do projeto ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. RESULTADOS: Em 1994-95 e 2002, as prevalências foram, respectivamente: cumulativa de asma referida, 21 e 18,2%; cumulativa de sibilância, 39 e 38%; anual de sibilância, 19,7 e 19,4%; anual de tosse equivalente de asma, 31 e 38%; anual de sibilância desencadeada por exercício, 20,6 e 23,8%. A prevalência anual de crises, estratificada em 1 a 3, 4 a 12 e mais de 12 foi: 16,3, 2,7 e 1% em 1994-95 e 15,2, 1,2 e 0,4% em 2002. A prevalência anual de crises que comprometeram o sono foi, respectivamente, de 13 e 10,3%; a prevalência de crises com prejuízo da fala foi de 4,8 e 4,1%. Nível mais elevado de instrução materna associou-se a maior prevalência cumulativa de asma referida, prevalência cumulativa e anual de sibilância. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de asma e suas formas graves é elevada em escolares adolescentes do Recife e está associada a maior instrução materna.OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of asthma and asthma variants in schoolchildren from Recife in 2002, and to compare these data with data from 1994-95; to analyze the relationship between maternal schooling and the presence of asthma or worsening asthma; and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the yearly prevalence of wheezing as an asthma indicator. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. A probabilistic sample of 3,086 and 2,774 13- and 14-year-old students answered a

  9. Prevalence of asthma in regional Victorian schoolchildren.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, C F; Bishop, J; Dalton, M; Caust, J; Nolan, T M; Olinsky, A; Phelan, P D

    1992-06-15

    To determine whether the high prevalence of reported asthma in Melbourne schoolchildren is seen in rural Victoria. A questionnaire on respiratory symptoms was distributed to children to be completed by parents and returned to the school. Results were compared with a previous Melbourne study. Two hundred and twenty-seven government and non-government primary schools in five rural regions of Victoria: coast, wheatbelt, riverland, highland and Latrobe valley. All children enrolled in grade 2 were invited to join the study. Parents completed questionnaires for 4661 children after 4886 questionnaires were distributed (response rate, 95%). History of wheeze in the past 12 months. The overall prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was 23.6%. There was a significant difference overall in this rate across the five rural areas and Melbourne, with the Latrobe Valley (26.2%) and highland areas (25.0%) having the highest rate, and the wheatbelt the lowest (19.6%). The spectrum of severity of asthma was similarly distributed across rural regions, although severe episodes were significantly more frequently reported by parents from rural areas than by parents in Melbourne. The reported use of bronchodilators and diagnosis of asthma showed a similar pattern of variation to that of the 12-month prevalence of wheeze. The prevalence of asthma in 7-year-old children is similar for rural Victoria as a whole compared with Melbourne, but there is variability in asthma prevalence in individual rural areas which is difficult to account for in terms of known environmental precipitants.

  10. Metabolic syndrome prevalence among Northern Mexican adult population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salas, Rogelio; Bibiloni, Maria del Mar; Ramos, Esteban; Villarreal, Jesús Z; Pons, Antoni; Tur, Josep A; Sureda, Antoni

    2014-01-01

    Dietary habits in the Mexican population have changed dramatically over the last few years, which are reflected in increased overweight and obesity prevalence. The aim was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and associated risk factors in Northern Mexican adults aged ≥ 16 years. The study was a population-based cross-sectional nutritional survey carried out in the State of Nuevo León, Mexico. The study included a sub-sample of 1,200 subjects aged 16 and over who took part in the State Survey of Nutrition and Health-Nuevo León 2011/2012. Anthropometric measurements, physical activity, blood pressure and fasting blood tests for biochemical analysis were obtained from all subjects. The prevalence of MetS in Mexican adults aged ≥ 16 years was 54.8%, reaching 73.8% in obese subjects. This prevalence was higher in women (60.4%) than in men (48.9%) and increased with age in both genders. Multivariate analyses showed no evident relation between MetS components and the level of physical activity. Obese adults, mainly women, are particularly at risk of developing MetS, with the associated implications for their health. The increasing prevalence of MetS highlights the need for developing strategies for its early detection and prevention.

  11. Prevalence of diabetic complications in rural Goa, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nafisa C Vaz

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective : To determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM and its associated diabetic complications in rural Goa, India. Materials and Methods: A community-based study was carried out in a rural setting in Goa, India. About 1,266 participants were selected by systematic random sampling. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and were subjected to anthropometric, clinical evaluation and biochemical investigations. American Diabetes Association criteria were used to determine the prevalence of diabetes and standard operational definitions were used to define the diabetic complications. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 14.0 while chi-square and chi-square for trend were the tests used. Results: Among the total 1,266 study participants about 130 (10.3% were diabetics. The prevalence of the associated diabetic complications were as follows viz. neuropathy (60%, CHD (32.3% and cataract (20%, retinopathy (15.4%, peripheral vascular disease (11.5% and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs (6.9%. A significant rising trend in the prevalence of all diabetic complications was observed with advancing duration of diabetes. Conclusion: The prevalence of DM and its associated complications was higher among the diabetic individuals in the rural setting of Goa, India. All the associated diabetic complications observed need to be addressed with appropriate prevention and control strategies.

  12. Metabolic syndrome prevalence among Northern Mexican adult population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rogelio Salas

    Full Text Available Dietary habits in the Mexican population have changed dramatically over the last few years, which are reflected in increased overweight and obesity prevalence. The aim was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS and associated risk factors in Northern Mexican adults aged ≥ 16 years.The study was a population-based cross-sectional nutritional survey carried out in the State of Nuevo León, Mexico. The study included a sub-sample of 1,200 subjects aged 16 and over who took part in the State Survey of Nutrition and Health-Nuevo León 2011/2012. Anthropometric measurements, physical activity, blood pressure and fasting blood tests for biochemical analysis were obtained from all subjects. The prevalence of MetS in Mexican adults aged ≥ 16 years was 54.8%, reaching 73.8% in obese subjects. This prevalence was higher in women (60.4% than in men (48.9% and increased with age in both genders. Multivariate analyses showed no evident relation between MetS components and the level of physical activity.Obese adults, mainly women, are particularly at risk of developing MetS, with the associated implications for their health. The increasing prevalence of MetS highlights the need for developing strategies for its early detection and prevention.

  13. The geography of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Botswana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin; Campbell, Eugene K; Rakgoasi, Serai Dan; Madi-Segwagwe, Banyana C; Fako, Thabo T

    2012-01-01

    Botswana has the second-highest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rate in the world, with one in three adults infected. However, there is significant geographic variation at the district level and HIV prevalence is heterogeneous with the highest prevalence recorded in Selebi-Phikwe and North East. There is a lack of age-and location-adjusted prevalence maps that could be used for targeting HIV educational programs and efficient allocation of resources to higher risk groups. We used a nationally representative household survey to investigate and explain district level inequalities in HIV rates. A Bayesian geoadditive mixed model based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques was applied to map the geographic distribution of HIV prevalence in the 26 districts, accounting simultaneously for individual, household, and area factors using the 2008 Botswana HIV Impact Survey. Overall, HIV prevalence was 17.6%, which was higher among females (20.4%) than males (14.3%). HIV prevalence was higher in cities and towns (20.3%) than in urban villages and rural areas (16.6% and 16.9%, respectively). We also observed an inverse U-shape association between age and prevalence of HIV, which had a different pattern in males and females. HIV prevalence was lowest among those aged 24 years or less and HIV affected over a third of those aged 25-35 years, before reaching a peak among the 36-49-year age group, after which the rate of HIV infection decreased by more than half among those aged 50 years and over. In a multivariate analysis, there was a statistically significant higher likelihood of HIV among females compared with males, and in clerical workers compared with professionals. The district-specific net spatial effects of HIV indicated a significantly higher HIV rate of 66% (posterior odds ratio of 1.66) in the northeast districts (Selebi-Phikwe, Sowa, and Francistown) and a reduced rate of 27% (posterior odds ratio of 0.73) in Kgalagadi North and Kweneng West districts

  14. Age- and sex-specific prevalence and ten-year risk for cardiovascular disease of all 16 risk factor combinations of the metabolic syndrome - A cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moebus Susanne

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Based on the AHA/NHLBI-definition three out of five cardiometabolic traits must be present for the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome (MetS, resulting in 16 different combination types. The associated cardiovascular risk may however be different and specific combination may be indicative of an increased risk, furthermore little is known to which extent these 16 combinations contribute to the overall prevalence of MetS. Here we assessed the prevalence of all 16 combination types of MetS, analyzed the impact of age and gender on prevalence rates, and estimated the 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI of each MetS combination type. Methods We used data of the German Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Project (GEMCAS, a cross-sectional study, performed during October 2005, including 35,869 participants (aged 18-99 years, 61% women. Age-standardized prevalence and 10-year PROCAM and ESC risk scores for MI were calculated. Results In both men and women the combination with elevated waist-circumference, blood pressure and glucose (WC-BP-GL was the most frequent combination (28%, however a distinct unequal distribution was observed regarding age and sex. Any combination with GL was common in the elderly, whereas any combination with dyslipidemia and without GL was frequent in the younger. Men without MetS had an estimated mean 10-year risk of 4.7% (95%-CI: 4.5%-4.8% for MI (PROCAM, whereas the mean 10-year risk of men with MetS was clearly higher (age-standardized 7.9%; 7.8-8.0%. In women without MetS the mean 10-year risk for MI was 1.1%, in those with MetS 2.3%. The highest impact on an estimated 10-year risk for MI (PROCAM was observed with TG-HDL-GL-BP in both sexes (men 14.7%, women 3.9%. However, we could identify combinations with equal risks of non-fatal and fatal MI compared to participants without MetS. Conclusions We observed large variations in the prevalence of all 16 combination types and their

  15. Prevalence & consequences of anaemia in pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalaivani, K

    2009-11-01

    Prevalence of anaemia in India is among the highest in the world. Prevalence of anaemia is higher among pregnant women and preschool children. Even among higher income educated segments of population about 50 per cent of children, adolescent girls and pregnant women are anaemic. Inadequate dietary iron, folate intake due to low vegetable consumption, perhaps low B12 intake and poor bioavailability of dietary iron from the fibre, phytate rich Indian diets are the major factors responsible for high prevalence of anaemia. Increased requirement of iron during growth and pregnancy and chronic blood loss contribute to higher prevalence in specific groups. In India, anaemia is directly or indirectly responsible for 40 per cent of maternal deaths. There is 8 to 10-fold increase in MMR when the Hb falls below 5 g/dl. Early detection and effective management of anaemia in pregnancy can contribute substantially to reduction in maternal mortality. Maternal anaemia is associated with poor intrauterine growth and increased risk of preterm births and low birth weight rates. This in turn results in higher perinatal morbidity and mortality, and higher infant mortality rate. A doubling of low birth weight rate and 2 to 3 fold increase in the perinatal mortality rates is seen when the Hb is anaemia contributes to intergenerational cycle of poor growth in the offspring. Early detection and effective management of anaemia in pregnancy can lead to substantial reduction in undernutrition in childhood, adolescence and improvement in adult height.

  16. Prevalence of problematic internet use in Slovenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Macur Mirna

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Internet use is an integral part of our everyday activities; however, Internet use may become problematic and harmful in a minority of cases. The majority of reported prevalence rates of problematic Internet use refer to adolescent samples, whereas epidemiological studies on representative adult populations are lacking. This study aimed to reveal the prevalence and characteristics of problematic Internet use in Slovenia.

  17. Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akhondzadeh Shahin

    2004-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Estimates of the annual prevalence for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD were consistent across the international sites range, 1.9% – 2.5%. The nine population surveys, which used Diagnostic Interview Schedule, estimated a six-month prevalence of OCD ranging from 0.7% to 2.1%. This study performed in order to determine the prevalence of OCD in a population-based study among Iranian adults aged 18 and older and to study the association of them with factors such as sex, marital status, education, type of occupation and residential area. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide epidemiological study of the Iranian population aged 18 and older was designed to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and their association with the above mentioned factors. 25180 individuals were selected and interviewed through a randomized systematic and cluster sampling method from all Iranian households. Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV criteria were used in diagnosis of OCD. 250 clinical psychologists interviewed the selected subjects face to face at their homes. Results The prevalence of OCD in Iran is 1.8% (0.7% and 2.8% in males and females; respectively. 50.3% of the survey sample were men, 49.9% women, 29.1% single, 67.45% married, 0.4% separated or divorced, 2.5% widow/widower and 4% undetermined. All of the above-mentioned factors were examined in the univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Although the data did not fit the models well, but in univariate models, sex, the category "single" of marital status, age, the categories "business" and "housewife" and residential areas showed significant effect adjusting for the factors, but the models didn't fit the data properly. Conclusion The study suggests that the prevalence of OCD is not rare in the community of Iran and is within the range of other countries. Similar to prior

  18. Cadmium Exposure is Associated with the Prevalence of Dyslipidemia

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    Zhou Zhou

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Cadmium is a widespread environmental and occupational pollutant that accumulates in human body with a biological half-life exceeding 10 years. Cadmium exposure has been demonstrated to increase rates of cardiovascular diseases. Whether occupational cadmium exposure is associated with the increase in the prevalence of dyslipidemia and hence contributes to the risk of cardiovascular diseases is still equivocal. To test the hypothesis that exposure to cadmium is related to the prevalence of dyslipidemia, we examined the associations between blood cadmium concentration and the prevalence of dyslipidemia in workers occupationally exposed to cadmium in China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey on demographic data, blood cadmium level and lipid profile in cadmium exposed workers from seven cadmium smelting factories in central and southwestern China was conducted. We measured blood cadmium concentration and lipid components of 1489 cadmium exposed workers. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was compared across blood cadmium quartiles. Associations between the blood cadmium concentrations and the prevalence of dyslipidemia were assessed using confounder adjusted linear and logistic regressions. Results: The blood cadmium concentration was 3.61±0.84µg/L ( mean ±SD. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in this occupational population was 66.3%. Mean blood cadmium concentration of workers with dyslipedemia was significantly higher than that of workers without dyslipidemia (p Conclusion: Elevated blood cadmium concentration is associated with prevalence of dyslipidemia. Cadmium exposure could alter lipid metabolism in humans. It is imperative to control cadmium exposure of occupational population in cadmium related industries and reduce adverse health effects.

  19. Prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Karnal district, Haryana state, India

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    Kalra Sanjay

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Little work has been done on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in north India. This paper reports the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal district of Haryana state, India. Materials and methods Prevalence of type 1 diabetes was assessed by a hospital-based registry and by analysis of data contributed by chemists and other physicians. Results The overall prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal district is 10.20/100,000 population, with a higher prevalence in urban (26.6/100,000 as compared to rural areas (4.27/100,000. Karnal city, with a population of 222017, has a relatively high prevalence of type 1 diabetes (31.9/100,000. The prevalence in men is higher (11.56/100,000 than in women (8.6/100,000. In the 5 to 16 years age group, the prevalence is 22.22/100,000, while in the 0-5 years age group, prevalence is 3.82/100,000. Conclusions This report highlights the urban-rural and male-female gradient in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal, north India.

  20. Analysis of the prevalence of atelectasis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery

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    Letícia Baltieri

    Full Text Available Abstract Background and objective: To observe the prevalence of atelectasis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and the influence of the body mass index (BMI, gender and age on the prevalence of atelectasis. Method: Retrospective study of 407 patients and reports on chest X-rays carried out before and after bariatric surgery over a period of 14 months. Only patients who underwent bariatric surgery by laparotomy were included. Results: There was an overall prevalence of 37.84% of atelectasis, with the highest prevalence in the lung bases and with greater prevalence in women (RR = 1.48. There was a ratio of 30% for the influence of age for individuals under the age of 36, and of 45% for those older than 36 (RR = 0.68. There was no significant influence of BMI on the prevalence of atelectasis. Conclusion: The prevalence of atelectasis in bariatric surgery is 37% and the main risk factors are being female and aged over 36 years.

  1. Analysis of the prevalence of atelectasis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baltieri, Letícia; Peixoto-Souza, Fabiana Sobral; Rasera-Junior, Irineu; Montebelo, Maria Imaculada de Lima; Costa, Dirceu; Pazzianotto-Forti, Eli Maria

    To observe the prevalence of atelectasis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery and the influence of the body mass index (BMI), gender and age on the prevalence of atelectasis. Retrospective study of 407 patients and reports on chest X-rays carried out before and after bariatric surgery over a period of 14 months. Only patients who underwent bariatric surgery by laparotomy were included. There was an overall prevalence of 37.84% of atelectasis, with the highest prevalence in the lung bases and with greater prevalence in women (RR=1.48). There was a ratio of 30% for the influence of age for individuals under the age of 36, and of 45% for those older than 36 (RR=0.68). There was no significant influence of BMI on the prevalence of atelectasis. The prevalence of atelectasis in bariatric surgery is 37% and the main risk factors are being female and aged over 36 years. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  2. HIV / AIDS prevalence testing - merits, methodology and outcomes ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HIV / AIDS prevalence testing - merits, methodology and outcomes of a survey conducted at a large mining organisation in South Africa. ... These baseline prevalence data also provide an opportunity for monitoring of proposed interventions using cross-sectional surveys at designated intervals in the future. South African ...

  3. Prevalence and socioeconomic correlates of autism among children ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and socio-economic determinants of autism among children attending primary and secondary schools in South East, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that assessed the prevalence and socio-economic pattern of childhood autism ...

  4. Prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt: associations with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Research on the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempt, and cormorbid psychiatric disorders in post-conflict areas is still limited. Aim: We explored the prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempt, associated psychiatric disorders and HIV/AIDS in post-conflict Northern Uganda, an area that experienced civil strife ...

  5. Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, J R; Rodriguez, S; Sosa Henriquez, M; Batista, E; Corujo, E; Font de Mora Turon, A; Hernandez Hernandez, D; Betancor Leon, P

    1989-02-01

    In the island of Lanzarote of the Province of Las Palmas, which is part of the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, the prevalence of multiple sclerosis is 15 per 100,000. The prevalence of MS in Lanzarote seems related more to ethnic conditions than to geography.

  6. The prevalence of food allergy: a meta-analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rona, Roberto J.; Keil, Thomas; Summers, Colin; Gislason, David; Zuidmeer, Laurian; Sodergren, Eva; Sigurdardottir, Sigurveig T.; Lindner, Titia; Goldhahn, Klaus; Dahlstrom, Jorgen; McBride, Doreen; Madsen, Charlotte

    2007-01-01

    There is uncertainty about the prevalence of food allergy in communities. To assess the prevalence of food allergy by performing a meta-analysis according to the method of assessment used. The foods assessed were cow's milk, hen's egg, peanut, fish, shellfish, and an overall estimate of food

  7. Harnessing the uncertainty monster: Putting quantitative constraints on the intergenerational social discount rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewandowsky, Stephan; Freeman, Mark C.; Mann, Michael E.

    2017-09-01

    There is broad consensus among economists that unmitigated climate change will ultimately have adverse global economic consequences, that the costs of inaction will likely outweigh the cost of taking action, and that social planners should therefore put a price on carbon. However, there is considerable debate and uncertainty about the appropriate value of the social discount rate, that is the extent to which future damages should be discounted relative to mitigation costs incurred now. We briefly review the ethical issues surrounding the social discount rate and then report a simulation experiment that constrains the value of the discount rate by considering 4 sources of uncertainty and ambiguity: Scientific uncertainty about the extent of future warming, social uncertainty about future population and future economic development, political uncertainty about future mitigation trajectories, and ethical ambiguity about how much the welfare of future generations should be valued today. We compute a certainty-equivalent declining discount rate that accommodates all those sources of uncertainty and ambiguity. The forward (instantaneous) discount rate converges to a value near 0% by century's end and the spot (horizon) discount rate drops below 2% by 2100 and drops below previous estimates by 2070.

  8. Interim report of the subcommittee on putting fast breeder reactors in practical use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    Light water reactors are expected to be the main power reactors in Japan for considerably long period hereafter, however, the basic policy of long term energy utilization is to use the plutonium and depleted uranium recovered by the reprocessing of spent fuel for fast breeder reactors, in view of the effective use of energy resources and the energy security. At present, the experimental FBR ''Joyo'' is in operation, and the preparation work was started for the prototype FBR ''Monju'', aiming at the criticality at the end of fiscal 1990. In the discussion, it was confirmed that for the practical use of FBRs, the improvement of their economy is the most important. But the construction cost for the Monju and the type of the demonstration FBR are not yet decided, and there are many uncertain elements. The demand and supply of uranium and the prospect of FBR development, the appropriate way of FBR development in Japan, the trend of FBR development in Japan and foreign countries, the evaluation of the economy of FBRs and the time of putting in practical use, the schedule of FBR development, the cost reduction in FBRs, the fuel cycle and others are reported. (Kako, I.)

  9. VALUATION OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE: HOW DO YOU PUT A VALUE ON FREE?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús García-García

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to assess the financial reporting framework applied to open source software. Open sourcing software developments means sharing technology and resources with communities worldwide to help eliminate the digital divide, create economic opportunity, and support equal access to technology. Therefore, a methodological approach is needed to assess properly the performance and the value generation potential and to put such measure into organizational reports. International financial reporting framework is checked over conditions to allow value recognition of open sourced assets. Linux kernel development value is estimated to reflect worth of open source developments despite absence of book value due to inexistence of a single cost source. Several attempts to estimate a valuation of open source software have been performed previously. However, this study is the first to judge suitability of accounting framework to report on this value. The main finding is that open sourced assets do not fully accomplish conditions to be included in financial reports. We seek to stimulate academic and professional debate about the pursuit of valuation of a large and efficient ecosystem of software innovation, freely available to society.

  10. Prevalência e fatores de risco para tabagismo em adolescentes Prevalence and risk factors for smoking among adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maura C Malcon

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: O tabagismo é uma das principais causas de enfermidades evitáveis e incapacidades prematuras. Nesse sentido, realizou-se estudo com o objetivo de medir a prevalência e estudar fatores de risco associados ao tabagismo nos adolescentes. MÉTODOS: A partir de um delineamento transversal de base populacional, estudou-se uma amostra representativa de 1.187 adolescentes de 10 a 19 anos, da zona urbana de Pelotas, sul do Brasil. Todos os adolescentes da amostra, de cada domicílio, foram entrevistados por meio de questionário pré-codificado, individual e confidencial. Utilizou-se o teste de Kaplan-Meier para análise da curva de sobrevida. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de tabagismo na amostra foi de 12,1% (IC95% 10,3%-14%. As prevalências foram similares para os sexos femininos e masculinos. Os fatores de risco para tabagismo na análise multivariada, por regressão logística, foram: maior idade, odds ratio (OR de 28,7 (11,5-71,4, irmãos mais velhos fumantes, OR de 2,4 (1,5-3,8, três ou mais amigos fumantes, OR de 17,5 (8,8-34,8 e baixa escolaridade OR de 3,5 (1,5-8,0. CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de tabagismo na adolescência mostrou-se alta, na cidade de Pelotas. Campanhas antitabágicas devem ser direcionadas à comunidade e à família tendo o adolescente como alvo. Medidas legais adotadas pelo governo são importantes para impedir o acesso dos adolescentes ao cigarro.OBJECTIVE: Tobacco smoking is one of the main causes of preventable disease and premature disability. Th estudy was aimed at measuring smoking prevalence and related risk factors among adolescents. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out in a representative sample of 1,187 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years living in the urban area of Pelotas, southern Brazil. All adolescents were interviewed separately using a confidential coded questionnaire. Kaplan-Meier test was performed for survival curve analysis. RESULTS: The overall smoking prevalence

  11. [Prevalence of ankyloglossia in newborns in Asturias (Spain)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    González Jiménez, D; Costa Romero, M; Riaño Galán, I; González Martínez, M T; Rodríguez Pando, M C; Lobete Prieto, C

    2014-08-01

    The prevalence of ankyloglossia has been estimated at around 4% of live births. Its prevalence at national level is unknown. Multicenter, prospective observational study. Six hospitals in Asturias took part. All newborns were examined on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 months. Coryllos and Hazelbaker criteria were used to diagnose ankyloglossia. The prevalence in the 667 newborns examined was 12.11% (95% CI: 9.58 to 14.64), of whom 62% were male. One in 4 children with ankyloglossia had a family history. According to Coryllos' classification, type II was the most common (54%). The prevalence of ankyloglossia in Asturias was 2 to t3 times higher than expected. The diagnostic criteria for ankyloglossia needs to be unified, and further studies are required to determine the association with breastfeeding difficulties and other health problems. Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  12. Toxoplasmosis Prevalence in Sheep in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W Nurcahyo

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. A research on toxoplasmosis prevalence in sheep was conducted in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. The objective of the research was to understand the prevalence level of toxoplasmosis in sheep using skin test method by taking the membrane protein of tachyzoit produced in vivo. The research was initiated by producing the tachyzoit membrane protein at the testing animals, later the obtained protein was prepared and used in the skin test method. At the end of the research agglutination test was conducted to confirm the diagnosis using card agglutination test. An optimal dosage of tachyzoit membrane protein used in sheep as the basic material of the skin test was 1.5 mg/ml/head. Result showed the reaction of skin was thickening and the duration after being injected intradermally varied from 12 to 30 minutes in various sizes from 8 to 19 millimetres. The skin test method showed that the prevalence level of toxoplasmosis in Yogyakarta was more than 70%. Key Words: toxoplasmosis, prevalence, skin test

  13. Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Denmark 1950-2005

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bentzen, Joan; Meulengracht Flachs, Esben; Stenager, Egon

    2010-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system of unknown aetiology. Its prevalence varies by ethnicity and place: persons of northern European descent are at increased risk while persons living at lower latitudes appear to be protected against the disease. The Danish...... Multiple Sclerosis Registry is a national registry established in 1956 after a population-based survey which receives information from numerous sources. It is considered to be more than 90% complete, with a validity of 94%. Using data from the Registry, we calculated prevalences per 100,000 inhabitants....... The standardized prevalence of multiple sclerosis increased from 58.8 (95% confidence interval: 54.9-62.7) in 1950 to 154.5 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval: 148.8-160.2) in 2005, and the female to male ratio increased from 1.31 in 1950 to 2.02 in 2005. The increase in prevalence is due to both increased...

  14. Prevalence and patterns of HIV transmitted drug resistance in Guatemala.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila-Ríos, Santiago; Mejía-Villatoro, Carlos R; García-Morales, Claudia; Soto-Nava, Maribel; Escobar, Ingrid; Mendizabal, Ricardo; Girón, Amalia; García, Leticia; Reyes-Terán, Gustavo

    2011-12-01

    To assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diversity and the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in Guatemala. One hundred forty-five antiretroviral treatment-naïve patients referred to the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City were enrolled from October 2010 to March 2011. Plasma HIV pol sequences were obtained and TDR was assessed with the Stanford algorithm and the World Health Organization (WHO) TDR surveillance mutation list. HIV subtype B was highly prevalent in Guatemala (96.6%, 140/145), and a 2.8% (4/145) prevalence of BF1 recombinants and 0.7% (1/145) prevalence of subtype C viruses were found. TDR prevalence for the study period was 8.3% (12/145) with the Stanford database algorithm (score > 15) and the WHO TDR surveillance mutation list. Most TDR cases were associated with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) (83.3%, 10/12); a low prevalence of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors was observed in the cohort (Guatemala. TDR prevalence in Guatemala was at the intermediate level. Most TDR cases were associated with NNRTIs. Further and continuous TDR surveillance is necessary to gain more indepth knowledge about TDR spread and trends in Guatemala and to optimize treatment outcomes in the country.

  15. Prevalence of sickle cell gene among apparently healthy under-two ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    None of the subjects had SCD and the prevalence of sickle cell trait (SCT) among them was 22%. Premarital counselling intervention in families seemed to increase the prevalence of SCT when compared to those not counselled but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.30). The lower prevalence of SCT among children ...

  16. Chronic widespread pain prevalence in the general population: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, P; Steultjens, M; Riskowski, J

    2018-01-01

    Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a significant burden in communities. Understanding the impact of population-dependent (e.g., age, gender) and contextual-dependent (e.g. survey method, region, inequality level) factors have on CWP prevalence may provide a foundation for population-based strategies to address CWP. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to estimate the global prevalence of CWP and evaluate the population and contextual factors associated with CWP. A systematic review of CWP prevalence studies (1990-2017) in the general population was undertaken. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine CWP prevalence, and study population data and contextual factors were evaluated using a meta-regression. Thirty-nine manuscripts met the inclusion criteria. Study CWP prevalence ranged from 1.4% to 24.0%, with CWP prevalence in men ranging from 0.8% to 15.3% and 1.7% to 22.1% in women. Estimated overall CWP prevalence was 9.6% (8.0-11.2%). Meta-regression analyses showed gender, United Nations country development status, and human development index (HDI) influenced CWP prevalence, while survey method, region, methodological and reporting quality, and inequality showed no significant effect on the CWP estimate. Globally CWP affects one in ten individuals within the general population, with women more likely to experience CWP than men. HDI was noted to be the socioeconomic factor related to CWP prevalence, with those in more developed countries having a lower CWP prevalence than those in less developed countries. Most CWP estimates were from developed countries, and CWP estimates from countries with a lower socioeconomic position is needed to further refine the global estimate of CWP. This systematic review and meta-analysis updates the current global CWP prevalence by examining the population-level (e.g. age, gender) and contextual (e.g. country development status; survey style; reporting and methodologic quality) factors associated with CWP prevalence. This analyses

  17. Prevalence of Obesity in Hail Region, KSA: In a Comprehensive Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hussain Gadelkarim Ahmed

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Obesity contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. We, therefore, aimed to provide epidemiological data on the prevalence of obesity in Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA. Methodology. Data were collected during cross-sectional survey which included 5000 Saudi selected from 30 primary health care centers (PHCs in Hail Region. Results. The overall prevalence of obesity in Hail was 63.6%. Moreover, the prevalence of males was 56.2% and the prevalence of females was 71%. Conclusion. Obesity is prevalent in the Hail Region which necessitates urgent interventions including health education.

  18. Family planning use: prevalence, pattern and predictors among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Introduction: High fertility,high birth rates and low family planning prevalence rate is a common feature in developing countries with consequent rapid population growth. Family planning has saved the lives and protected the health of millions of women and children. This study aims to ascertain prevalence, pattern and ...

  19. Infection prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni and associated risk ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bheema

    prevalence rate, identifying risk factors of infection and high-risk groups. ... other hand, the highest (31.2%) prevalence was recorded in children with ages ranging from 10 ..... School children and their teachers were acknowledged for ... transmission and infection with S. mansoni in village in the South eastern Brazil. Mem.

  20. Short Communication: Prevalence of hypertension and variation of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Short Communication: Prevalence of hypertension and variation of blood pressure with age among adolescents in Chetla, India. I Saha, B Paul, A Dasgupta. Abstract. This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension and variation of blood pressure with age among ...