Tiny galaxies help unravel dark matter mystery

CERN Multimedia

O'Hanlon, Larry

2007-01-01

"The 70-year effort to unravel the mysteries of dark matter just got a big boost from some very puny galaxies. In the pas few years, a score of dwarf galaxies have been discovered hanging about the fringes of the Milky way. Now new measurements of the few stars int hese dwarfs reveal them to be dark mater distilleries, with upwards of 1'000 times more dark than normal matter." (3 pages)

The three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline materials unravelled by synchrotron light

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ludwig, W.; King, A.; Herbig, M.

2011-01-01

The three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline materials unravelled by synchrotron light Synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer new possibilities for non-destructive bulk characterization of polycrystalline materials. Minute changes in electron density (diff...

Milestones and Impact Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grandjean Philippe

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Environmental Health has just received its first Impact Factor by Thomson ISI. At a level of 2.48, this achievement is quite satisfactory and places Environmental Health in the top 25% of environmental science journals. When the journal was launched in 2002, it was still unclear whether the Open Access publishing model could be made into a viable commercial enterprise within the biomedical field. During the past eight years, Open Access journals have become widely available, although still covering only about 15% of journal titles. Major funding agencies and institutions, including prominent US universities, now require that researchers publish in Open Access journals. Because of the profound role of scientific journals for the sharing of results and communication between researchers, the advent of Open Access may be of as much significance as the transition from handwriting to printing via moveable type. As Environmental Health is an electronic Open Access journal, the numbers of downloads at the journal website can be retrieved. The top-20 list of articles most frequently accessed shows that all of them have been downloaded over 10,000 times. Back in 2002, the first article published was accessed only 49 times during the following month. A year later, the server had over 1,000 downloads per month, and now the total number of monthly downloads approaches 50,000. These statistics complement the Impact Factor and confirm the viability of Open Access in our field of research. The advent of digital media and its decentralized mode of distribution - the internet - have dramatically changed the control and financing of scientific information dissemination, while facilitating peer review, accelerating editorial handling, and supporting much needed transparency. Both the meaning and means of "having an impact" are therefore changing, as will the degree and way in which scientific journals remain "factors" in that impact.

Factors impacting on contraceptive practices: Introduction and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of this literature review is to identify and describe factors impacting on the contraceptive practices of women. The discussion includes factors impacting positively or negatively on contraceptive practices in terms of age-related issues, education and status, religion, socio-cultural beliefs, values and norms, knowledge ...

Survivability of systems under multiple factor impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korczak, Edward; Levitin, Gregory

2007-01-01

The paper considers vulnerable multi-state series-parallel systems operating under influence of external impacts. Both the external impacts and internal failures affect system survivability, which is determined as the probability of meeting a given demand. The external impacts are characterized by several destructive factors affecting the system or its parts simultaneously. In order to increase the system's survivability a multilevel protection against the destructive factors can be applied to its subsystems. In such systems, the protected subsystems can be destroyed only if all of the levels of their protection are destroyed. The paper presents an algorithm for evaluating the survivability of series-parallel systems with arbitrary configuration of multilevel protection against multiple destructive factor impacts. The algorithm is based on a composition of Boolean and the Universal Generating Function techniques. Illustrative examples are presented

Steady Impact Factor Growth for MDPI Open Access Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Thiesen

2012-09-01

Full Text Available For the past three years MDPI has announced the newly released impact factors for its Open Access journals by the means of an annual editorial [1–3]. In 2012 we are—once again—pleased to report that the growth of the impact factors of MDPI’s Open Access journals continues. This year’s edition of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR, which is published annually by Thomson Reuters, includes 10 journals published by MDPI, including three that have received their first official Impact Factors—International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH, Materials and Nutrients. Table 1 reports the latest Impact Factors for 2011. Figure 1 graphically depicts the evolution of the Impact Factors for four MDPI open access journals that have received Impact Factors in the past. Table 2 reports the ranking of the MDPI journals within the subject categories of the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE.

[The impact factor--a reliable sciento-metric parameter?].

Science.gov (United States)

Meenen, N M

1997-08-01

With shortage of research funds and increasing competition for medical posts, performance indicators and control instruments are being looked for in order to be able to allot research funds and make professorial appointments in relation to scientific performance. Incomprehensibly for many, the impact factor has become the decisive scientometric indicator at German universities despite of substantial systematic limitations. The impact factor is derived from the journal citation reports. Its basis of calculation entails the following problems: the editorial board of the private Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) decides on whether a journal is to be classified as a source journal. The citation index of all journals is calculated from their citations alone. Crucial means of influencing the impact factor result from self-citations and citation groups in these source journals. Languages other than English and other than Latin alphabets are appreciably disadvantaged by the citation index, which is why for example despite its international significance the rapid development of the osteosynthesis technique in German speaking countries went unnoticed by British and American orthopedic surgeons and scientists. The articles on postgraduate training necessarily published by clinicians in the respective language of their country are not cited because the addresses of such publications do not engage in research. Clinical disciplines (especially highly specialized disciplines such as trauma and hand surgery) thus attain appreciably lower impact factors for their journals than basic disciplines and interdisciplinary clinical sectors which lead the ranking of journals. The period covered in calculating the impact factor is only 2 years. Very modern and widely disseminated organs of publication with a short information halflife are favored. From the 10 objectively most often cited and most important journals for the scientific society, only 2 are to be found amongst those

Unraveling "Braid": Puzzle Games and Storytelling in the Imperative Mood

Science.gov (United States)

Arnott, Luke

2012-01-01

"Unraveling Braid" analyzes how unconventional, non-linear narrative fiction can help explain the ways in which video games signify. Specifically, this essay looks at the links between the semiotic features of Jonathan Blow's 2008 puzzle-platform video game Braid and similar elements in Georges Perec's 1978 novel "Life A User's Manual," as well as…

Unraveling Unprecedented Charge Carrier Mobility through Structure Property Relationship of Four Isomers of Didodecyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsutsui, Yusuke; Schweicher, Guillaume; Chattopadhyay, Basab; Sakurai, Tsuneaki; Arlin, Jean-Baptiste; Ruzié, Christian; Aliev, Almaz; Ciesielski, Artur; Colella, Silvia; Kennedy, Alan R; Lemaur, Vincent; Olivier, Yoann; Hadji, Rachid; Sanguinet, Lionel; Castet, Frédéric; Osella, Silvio; Dudenko, Dmytro; Beljonne, David; Cornil, Jérôme; Samorì, Paolo; Seki, Shu; Geerts, Yves H

2016-09-01

The structural and electronic properties of four isomers of didodecyl[1]-benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C12-BTBT) have been investigated. Results show the strong impact of the molecular packing on charge carrier transport and electronic polarization properties. Field-induced time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements unravel an unprecedented high average interfacial mobility of 170 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for the 2,7-isomer, holding great promise for the field of organic electronics. © 2016 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Theoretical difference between impact factor and influence factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đilda Pečarić

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Bibliometric constructions of "knowledge maps" and "cognitive structures of science" do not differentiate between impact and influence factors. The difference can be constructedaccording to different meaning and interpretation of the terms reference and citation. Reference is "acknowledgment which one author gives to another", whereas citation is "acknowledgment which one document receives from another". Development of Information Science according to period and subject area is analyzed on the corpus of citation literature retrieved from doctoral dissertations in Information Science from 1978 to 2007 at Croatian universities. The research aim is to indicate the difference between document impact factor and author's influence factor (i.e. reference ability to produce effects on actions, behavior, and opinions of authors of doctoral theses. The influence factor serves to distinguish the key role of cited authors in time and according to the duration of the influence (the average age for cited papers of dominant authors in different periods is between eight and ten years. The difference between linear and interactive communication seems vital for the interpretation of cited half-life, i.e. the attitude of one science community towards used information resources and cognitive heritage. The analyzed corpus of 22,210 citations can be divided into three communication phases according to influence factor criteria: in the phase of dialogue and interactive communication 25% of bibliographic units are cited in the first four years; in the second phase another 25% of units are cited from the fifth to the ninth year; after ten years, in the dominant linear communication phase, approximately 30% of units are cited.

Unravelling the influence of smoking initiation and cessation on premature mortality using a common latent factor model

OpenAIRE

Silvia Balia; Andrew M. Jones

2007-01-01

Duration models for lifespan and smoking, that focus on the socio-economic gradient in smoking durations and length of life, are estimated controlling for individual-specific unobservable heterogeneity by means of a latent factor model. The latent factor influences the risk of starting and quitting smoking as well as the hazard of mortality. Frailty could in°uence smoking behaviour through two mechanisms: the effect of life expectancy on initiation of smok- ing and the impact of adverse healt...

It all unraveled from there: case report of a central venous catheter guidewire unraveling.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerkle, Samuel; Emdadi, Vanessa; Mancinelli, Marc

2014-12-01

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters can present challenges to emergency physicians in the process of central venous catheter (CVC) placement. A 68-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with severe shortness of breath and was intubated. A central line was placed after the intubation to facilitate peripheral access. A CVC guidewire unraveled during placement after getting caught on an IVC filter. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Emergency physicians should be aware of the complications that IVC filters can cause in the placement of CVCs. Imaging and identification of IVC filters beforehand will allow for proper planning of how to manage the case in which a filter catches on the guidewire. Simple anecdotal techniques, such as advancing the guidewire and spinning the guidewire between the fingers, can facilitate the removal of the guide wire from the IVC filter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The pragmatics of a diachronic journal impact factor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingwersen, Peter

2012-01-01

), consisting of a three-year citation window over a one year publication window. The DJIF online data collection and calculation is exemplified and compared to the present synchronous journal impact factor. The paper discusses briefly the dimensions of currency, robustness, understandability and comparability...... to other impact factors used in research evaluation....

Unraveling protein-protein interactions in clathrin assemblies via atomic force spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Albert J; Lafer, Eileen M; Peng, Jennifer Q; Smith, Paul D; Nossal, Ralph

2013-03-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM), single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), and single particle force spectroscopy (SPFS) are used to characterize intermolecular interactions and domain structures of clathrin triskelia and clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). The latter are involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME) and other trafficking pathways. Here, we subject individual triskelia, bovine-brain CCVs, and reconstituted clathrin-AP180 coats to AFM-SMFS and AFM-SPFS pulling experiments and apply novel analytics to extract force-extension relations from very large data sets. The spectroscopic fingerprints of these samples differ markedly, providing important new information about the mechanism of CCV uncoating. For individual triskelia, SMFS reveals a series of events associated with heavy chain alpha-helix hairpin unfolding, as well as cooperative unraveling of several hairpin domains. SPFS of clathrin assemblies exposes weaker clathrin-clathrin interactions that are indicative of inter-leg association essential for RME and intracellular trafficking. Clathrin-AP180 coats are energetically easier to unravel than the coats of CCVs, with a non-trivial dependence on force-loading rate. Published by Elsevier Inc.

QED radiative corrections to impact factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuraev, E.A.; Lipatov, L.N.; Shishkina, T.V.

2001-01-01

We consider radiative corrections to the electron and photon impact factors. The generalized eikonal representation for the e + e - scattering amplitude at high energies and fixed momentum transfers is violated by nonplanar diagrams. An additional contribution to the two-loop approximation appears from the Bethe-Heitler mechanism of fermion pair production with the identity of the fermions in the final state taken into account. The violation of the generalized eikonal representation is also related to the charge parity conservation in QED. A one-loop correction to the photon impact factor for small virtualities of the exchanged photon is obtained using the known results for the cross section of the e + e - production during photon-nuclei interactions

Cell functional enviromics: Unravelling the function of environmental factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alves Paula M

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background While functional genomics, focused on gene functions and gene-gene interactions, has become a very active field of research in molecular biology, equivalent methodologies embracing the environment and gene-environment interactions are relatively less developed. Understanding the function of environmental factors is, however, of paramount importance given the complex, interactive nature of environmental and genetic factors across multiple time scales. Results Here, we propose a systems biology framework, where the function of environmental factors is set at its core. We set forth a "reverse" functional analysis approach, whereby cellular functions are reconstructed from the analysis of dynamic envirome data. Our results show these data sets can be mapped to less than 20 core cellular functions in a typical mammalian cell culture, while explaining over 90% of flux data variance. A functional enviromics map can be created, which provides a template for manipulating the environmental factors to induce a desired phenotypic trait. Conclusion Our results support the feasibility of cellular function reconstruction guided by the analysis and manipulation of dynamic envirome data.

Complete Impact Factor (CIF: A full index to evaluate journal impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WenJun Zhang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this article, a full index to evaluate journal impact, Complete Impact Factor (CIF, was proposed. In general, CIF= total citations for published articles in the journal since it has been sponsored / total number of published articles of the journal since it has been sponsored. CIF changes dynamically over time.

[The Impact of Medical And Non-Medical Factors on Population Mortality: Environment Factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Samorodskaia, I V; Semenov, V Yu; Boitsov, S A

2017-09-01

The second analysis was implemented concerning results of study evaluating impact of environmental factors on indices of population mortality on the basis of hard copy and digital publications in Russian and English in 1990-2016. It is established that air pollution by tiny particles of different origin results in a reliable increasing of risk of premature death independently of level of economic development and geographical positioning of country. In European countries this occurrence conditions shortage of of life-span on 8-13 months. The industrial factors are a cause of about 30% of involuntary occupational traumas. The limitation of access to clear drinking water specific to developing countries conditions death of more than 3 million people annually. The impact of waves of cold and heat on mortality depends on particular region, their duration and intensity, level of economic development of country, social economic conditions and age of particular groups of population and is estimated in 1-16% of additional deaths. The global climate warming is associated with decreasing of level of mortality. the negative impact of environment is increased by residing in underdeveloped regions, lower social economic status, lower level of education, population density, shortcomings of architecture and public space, the factors of environment play a significant role in population mortality. As regards their impact an uncertainty exists: it is quite difficult to separate an impact of single factor. So, different approaches are applied in different studies.

Low cost drip irrigation in Burkina Faso : unravelling actors, networks and practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wanvoeke, M.J.V.

2015-01-01

Title: Low cost drip irrigation in Burkina Faso: Unravelling Actors, Networks and Practices

In Burkina Faso, there is a lot of enthusiasm about Low Cost Drip Irrigation (LCDI) as a tool to irrigate vegetables, and thus improve food security,

Unraveling the unsustainability spiral in sub-Saharan Africa: an agent based modeling approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofwegen, van G.; Becx, G.A.; Broek, van den J.A.; Koning, N.B.J.

2007-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa is trapped in a complex unsustainability spiral with demographic, biophysical, technical and socio-political dimensions. Unravelling the spiral is vital to perceive which policy actions are needed to reverse it and initiate sustainable pro-poor growth. The article presents an

Integrating multiple omics to unravel mechanisms of Cyclosporin A induced hepatotoxicity in vitro

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hof, Van den W.F.P.M.; Ruiz Aracama, Ainhoa; Summeren, Van Anke; Jennen, D.G.J.; Gaj, Stan; Coonen, M.L.J.; Brauers, Karen; Wodzig, W.K.W.H.; Delft, van J.H.M.; Kleinjans, J.C.S.

2015-01-01

In order to improve attrition rates of candidate-drugs there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying drug-induced hepatotoxicity. We aim to further unravel the toxicological response of hepatocytes to a prototypical cholestatic compound by integrating transcriptomic and

Structured plant metabolomics for the simultaneous exploration of multiple factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasilev, Nikolay; Boccard, Julien; Lang, Gerhard; Grömping, Ulrike; Fischer, Rainer; Goepfert, Simon; Rudaz, Serge; Schillberg, Stefan

2016-11-17

Multiple factors act simultaneously on plants to establish complex interaction networks involving nutrients, elicitors and metabolites. Metabolomics offers a better understanding of complex biological systems, but evaluating the simultaneous impact of different parameters on metabolic pathways that have many components is a challenging task. We therefore developed a novel approach that combines experimental design, untargeted metabolic profiling based on multiple chromatography systems and ionization modes, and multiblock data analysis, facilitating the systematic analysis of metabolic changes in plants caused by different factors acting at the same time. Using this method, target geraniol compounds produced in transgenic tobacco cell cultures were grouped into clusters based on their response to different factors. We hypothesized that our novel approach may provide more robust data for process optimization in plant cell cultures producing any target secondary metabolite, based on the simultaneous exploration of multiple factors rather than varying one factor each time. The suitability of our approach was verified by confirming several previously reported examples of elicitor-metabolite crosstalk. However, unravelling all factor-metabolite networks remains challenging because it requires the identification of all biochemically significant metabolites in the metabolomics dataset.

Unraveling the genetic etiology of adult antisocial behavior: A genome-wide association study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tielbeek, J.J.; Medland, S.E.; Benyamin, B.; Byrne, E.M.; Heath, A.C.; Madden, P.A.F.; Martin, N.G.; Wray, N.R.; Verweij, K.J.H.

2012-01-01

Crime poses a major burden for society. The heterogeneous nature of criminal behavior makes it difficult to unravel its causes. Relatively little research has been conducted on the genetic influences of criminal behavior. The few twin and adoption studies that have been undertaken suggest that about

Full Open Access Journals Have Increased Impact Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu-Kun Lin

2009-06-01

Full Text Available We are pleased to report the increase of the impact factors of MDPI journals during 2007 and 2008. In 2005 and part of 2006, the use of a two tier publication system, whereby we offered full Open Access publication to those authors willing to contribute financially to support this option, while providing the alternative choice of free publication without Open Access for those authors who preferred not to pay, resulted in the obviously decreased impact factors seen in 2006 [...

Erectile dysfunction: prevalence, risk factors and involvement of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusion: The present review indicates the need for research to unravel the role of β-blockers in the manifestation of ED in hypertensive males, whom there are no contributory factors such as sedentary lifestyle, aging, stress and anxiety, etc. Keywords: Hypertension, Antihypertensive drugs, β-Blockers, Propranolol, ...

Impact of product-related factors on immunogenicity of biotherapeutics.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Satish Kumar

2011-02-01

All protein therapeutics have the potential to be immunogenic. Several factors, including patient characteristics, disease state, and the therapy itself, influence the generation of an immune response. Product-related factors such as the molecule design, the expression system, post-translational modifications, impurities, contaminants, formulation and excipients, container, closure, as well as degradation products are all implicated. However, a critical examination of the available data shows that clear unequivocal evidence for the impact of these latter factors on clinical immunogenicity is lacking. No report could be found that clearly deconvolutes the clinical impact of the product attributes on patient susceptibility. Aggregation carries the greatest concern as a risk factor for immunogenicity, but the impact of aggregates is likely to depend on their structure as well as on the functionality (e.g., immunostimulatory or immunomodulatory) of the therapeutic. Preclinical studies are not yet capable of assessing the clinically relevant immunogenicity potential of these product-related factors. Simply addressing these risk factors as part of product development will not eliminate immunogenicity. Minimization of immunogenicity has to begin at the molecule design stage by reducing or eliminating antigenic epitopes and building in favorable physical and chemical properties. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Limited impact of Cntn4 mutation on autism-related traits in developing and adult C57BL/6J mice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Molenhuis, Remco T; Bruining, Hilgo; Remmelink, Esther; de Visser, Leonie; Loos, Maarten; Burbach, J Peter H; Kas, Martien J H

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Mouse models offer an essential tool to unravel the impact of genetic mutations on autism-related phenotypes. The behavioral impact of some important candidate gene models for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not yet been studied, and existing characterizations mostly describe

Impact factor analysis: combining prediction with parameter ranking to reveal the impact of behavior on health outcome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Doryab, Afsaneh; Frost, Mads; Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria

2015-01-01

An increasing number of healthcare systems allow people to monitor behavior and provide feedback on health and wellness. Most applications, however, only offer feedback on behavior in form of visualization and data summaries. This paper presents a different approach—called impact factor analysis—...... in monitoring and control of mental illness, and we argue that the impact factor analysis can be useful in the design of other health and wellness systems....... ten bipolar patients, in which we were able to estimate mood values with an average mean absolute error of 0.5. This was used to rank the behavior parameters whose variations indicate changes in the mental state. The rankings acquired from our algorithms correspond to the patients’ rankings......, identifying physical activity and sleep as the highest impact parameters. These results revealed the feasibility of identifying behavioral impact factors. This data analysis motivated us to design an impact factor inference engine as part of the MONARCA system. To our knowledge, this is a novel approach...

Development Value Chains meet Business Supply Chains : The concept of Global Value Chains unraveled

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Drost (Sarah); J.C.A.C. van Wijk (Jeroen); S.R. Vellema (Sietze)

2011-01-01

textabstractValue chain promotion is considered a key element of private sector development strategies and pro-poor growth. However, (value) chain concepts are rather complex and unclear. This paper unravels the concept of global value chains and studies the diversity of key value chain-related

Review of Selected Macroeconomic Factors Impacting Building ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management ... This study therefore investigates the impact of macro-economic indicators on the prices of ... factors, Construction projects, Procurement, prices, Building Materials, Delivery ...

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, J X; Nielsen, P H

2001-04-01

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization references for each region were calculated on the basis of an inventory of all of the region's environmental emissions in 1990. The normalization reference was determined as the total environmental impact potential for the area in question in 1990 (EP(j)90) divided by the population. The weighting factor was determined as the normalization reference (ER(j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 based on Chinese political reduction plans, ER(j)T2000. This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, nutrient enrichment, photochemical ozone formation and generation of bulk waste, hazardous waste and slag and ashes.

Perceived Factors Impacting School Music Programs: The Teacher's Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Abril, Carlos R.; Bannerman, Julie K.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary music teachers' perceptions of factors impacting their music programs and teaching positions as well as the actions these teachers take in response to those factors. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What factors are perceived to impact music programs and teaching…

Perceptions of Factors Impacting Longevity among Hawai'i Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomioka, Michiyo; Braun, Kathryn; Homma, Mieko; Nobuhara, Hiroaki; Kubota, Tomio; Sakai, Hiromichi

2017-03-01

With increased life expectancy, people need more education about healthy aging. This paper examines older adult perceptions regarding various factors impacting longevity, including genetics, lifestyle, and the environment. Data were collected from 733 Hawai'i adults age 50 years and older (39% Caucasian, 27% Japanese, 19% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHOPI), 9% Chinese, and 7% Filipino) through randomized telephone interviews. Participants were asked to rate a variety of factors as having "great impact," "some impact," or "no impact" on lifespan. Regardless of ethnicity, more than half of the participants felt that eating habits, exercise, health information, health care, and the environment had great impact on lifespan. Less than half felt that economic status and community had great impact. Compared to the all ethnic groups, Filipino respondents were significantly less likely to feel that smoking (44%, compared with an average across all race/ethnicities of 64%) and stress (48%, average 62%) had great impact. Chinese participants were more likely to feel that drinking alcohol (64%) had great impact (average 38%). Filipinos and Chinese were more likely to perceive that working conditions have great impact (65% and 56%, respectively; average 45%), and NHOPI and Filipinos were more likely to perceive the natural environment as having great impact (59% and 54%, respectively; average 46%). Findings suggest that cultural values and experiences may shape older adults' perceptions of factors associated with lifespan, providing guidance for health professionals on how to tailor health messages to older adults in different ethnic groups.

Prioritisation of Risk Factors Impacting on Construction Contractors ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Consideration for risk factors impacting on cash flow forecasts has been identified as a key issue affecting contractors‟ cash flow management. ... ranks), to arrive at sixteen major risk factors that are responsible for the variation between contractors‟ cash out forecasts and the actual expenditure during project execution.

The Impact Of Demographic Factors On Organisational Commitment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Study Investigated the Impact of demographic factors on organization commitment among workers in selected work organizations in Lagos State of Nigeria. This was for the purpose of ascertaining the relevance of demographic factors on workers' commitment to organizations goal achievement in Nigeria. The ex-post ...

Refining dermatology journal impact factors using PageRank.

Science.gov (United States)

Dellavalle, Robert P; Schilling, Lisa M; Rodriguez, Marko A; Van de Sompel, Herbert; Bollen, Johan

2007-07-01

Thomson Institute for Scientific Information's journal impact factor, the most common measure of journal status, is based on crude citation counts that do not account for the quality of the journals where the citations originate. This study examines how accounting for citation origin affects the impact factor ranking of dermatology journals. The 2003 impact factors of dermatology journals were adjusted by a weighted PageRank algorithm that assigned greater weight to citations originating in more frequently cited journals. Adjusting for citation origin moved the rank of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology higher than that of the Archives of Dermatology (third to second) but did not affect the ranking of the highest impact dermatology journal, the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The dermatology journals most positively affected by adjusting for citation origin were Contact Dermatitis (moving from 22nd to 7th in rankings) and Burns (21st to 10th). Dermatology journals most negatively affected were Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery (5th to 14th), the Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery (19th to 27th), and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings (26th to 34th). Current measures of dermatology journal status do not incorporate survey data from dermatologists regarding which journals dermatologists esteem most. Adjusting for citation origin provides a more refined measure of journal status and changes relative dermatology journal rankings.

Emergency medicine journal impact factor and change compared to other medical and surgical specialties.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Joshua C; Menegazzi, James J; Yealy, Donald M

2012-11-01

A journal impact factor represents the mean number of citations per article published. Designed as one tool to measure the relative importance of a journal, impact factors are often incorporated into academic evaluation of investigators. The authors sought to determine how impact factors of emergency medicine (EM) journals compare to journals from other medical and surgical specialties and if any change has taken place over time. The 2010 impact factors and 5-year impact factors for each journal indexed by the Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were collected, and EM, medical, and surgical specialties were evaluated. The maximum, median, and interquartile range (IQR) of the current impact factor and 5-year impact factor in each journal category were determined, and specialties were ranked according to the summary statistics. The "top three" impact factor journals for each specialty were analyzed, and growth trends from 2001 through 2010 were examined with random effects linear regression. Data from 2,287 journals in 31 specialties were examined. There were 23 EM journals with a current maximum impact factor of 4.177, median of 1.269, and IQR of 0.400 to 2.176. Of 23 EM journals, 57% had a 5-year impact factor available, with a maximum of 4.531, median of 1.325, and IQR of 0.741 to 2.435. The top three EM journals had a mean standard deviation (±SD) impact factor of 3.801 (±0.621) and median of 4.142 and a mean (±SD) 5-year impact factor of 3.788 (±1.091) and median of 4.297, with a growth trend of 0.211 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.177 to 0.245; p journals ranked no higher than 24th among 31 specialties. Emergency medicine journals rank low in impact factor summary statistics and growth trends among 31 medical and surgical specialties. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Brazilian impact factor of physics journals - the third side of the coin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José R. Mohallem

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The lack of correlation between the Journal Impact Factors and the most cited Brazilian papers in physics is statistically demonstrated. The existence of an effective "Brazilian Impact Factor" is observed, being its values, in general, lower than the international Impact Factors. In some cases, discrepancies from the international values are huge, leading to doubts on whether it is appropriate to use this indicator to judge Brazilian scientists.

The introduction of the 5-year impact factor : does it benefit statistics journals?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nierop, Erjen

In this paper, we investigate the effects of the introduction of 5-year impact factors. We collect impact factor data for all disciplines available in the Journal Citation Reports. For all these categories, we give insights into the relationship between the traditional 2-year impact factor and the

Impact factor and its role in academic promotion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Russell

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Richard Russell,1 Dave Singh21Wrexham Park Hospital, Berkshire, UK; 2Northwest Lung Research Centre, South Manchester University Hospitals Trust, Manchester, UKThis statement was adopted unanimously at the May 17, 2009 meeting of the International Respiratory Journal Editors Roundtable.In our collective experience as editors of international peer-reviewed journals, we propose that the impact factor calculated for individual journals should not be used as a basis for evaluating the significance of an individual scientist’s past performance or scientific potential. There are several reasons not to equate the impact factor of a journal in which the scientist publishes with the quality of the scientist’s research.

Unraveling uranium induced oxidative stress related responses in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Part I: responses in the roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanhoudt, Nathalie; Vandenhove, Hildegarde; Horemans, Nele; Remans, Tony; Opdenakker, Kelly; Smeets, Karen; Bello, Daniel Martinez; Wannijn, Jean; Van Hees, May; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Cuypers, Ann

2011-06-01

When aiming to evaluate the environmental impact of uranium contamination, it is important to unravel the mechanisms by which plants respond to uranium stress. As oxidative stress seems an important modulator under other heavy metal stress, this study aimed to investigate oxidative stress related responses in Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to uranium concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 μM for 1, 3 and 7 days. Besides analyzing relevant reactive oxygen species-producing and -scavenging enzymes at protein and transcriptional level, the importance of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle under uranium stress was investigated. These results are reported separately for roots and leaves in two papers: Part I dealing with responses in the roots and Part II unraveling responses in the leaves and presenting general conclusions. Results of Part I indicate that oxidative stress related responses in the roots were only triggered following exposure to the highest uranium concentration of 100 μM. A fast oxidative burst was suggested based on the observed enhancement of lipoxygenase (LOX1) and respiratory burst oxydase homolog (RBOHD) transcript levels already after 1 day. The first line of defense was attributed to superoxide dismutase (SOD), also triggered from the first day. The enhanced SOD-capacity observed at protein level corresponded with an enhanced expression of iron SOD (FSD1) located in the plastids. For the detoxification of H(2)O(2), an early increase in catalase (CAT1) transcript levels was observed while peroxidase capacities were enhanced at the later stage of 3 days. Although the ascorbate peroxidase capacity and gene expression (APX1) increased, the ascorbate/dehydroascorbate redox balance was completely disrupted and shifted toward the oxidized form. This disrupted balance could not be inverted by the glutathione part of the cycle although the glutathione redox balance could be maintained. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypothetical influence of non-indexed Spanish journals on the impact factor of radiological journals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miguel-Dasit, Alberto; Aleixandre, Rafael; Valderrama, Juan C.; Marti-Bonmati, Luis; Sanfeliu, Pilar

2005-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the hypothetical changes in the 2001 impact factor of 52 radiological journals included in the Science Citation Index-Journal Citation Reports by also counting cites proceeding from 73 Spanish journals on different medical specialties. Also, to estimate the possible impact factor of the official Spanish radiology journal, Radiologia, not included in this database. Materials and methods: A modified 2001 impact factor of 52 radiological journals and Radiologia was obtained by adding the number of cites in 1999 and 2000 from the medical Spanish journals. Data were obtained by consulting the 2001 edition of the Journal Citation Reports in the 'Web of Science' database. Results: The 16,985 bibliographical references were analysed (232 of them to radiological journals). The journal with the largest increase in its 2001 impact factor (from 1.83 to 1.90) was Radiologic Clinics of North America. European Journal of Radiology was the European journal with the highest increase (from 1.084 to 1.110) in the difference between the 2001 modified and original impact factor. The modified 2001 impact factor of the 34 American journals was statistically higher (P = 0.016) than that of the 18 European journals (1.64 versus 0.93). Differences between the 2001 modified and original impact factor were slightly higher in the American journals (no statistically significant difference). The 2001 impact factor of Radiologia was 0.056. Discussion: Differences between the 2001 original and modified impact factor were small, but larger in the American journals. The 2001 impact factor of Radiologia was modest, although similar to other publications included in the Journal Citation Reports

The Impact of Soft Factors on Quality Improvement in Manufacturing Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Shiau Wei; Fauzi Ahmad, Md; Kong, Mei Wan

2017-08-01

Nowadays, soft factors have become the key factors of success in quality improvement of an organisation. Many organisations have neglected the importance of soft factors, this may influence the organisational performance. Hence, the purpose of this research is to examine the impact of soft factors on quality improvement in manufacturing industries. Six hypotheses were examined while considering six dimensions of soft factors including management commitment, customer focus, supplier relationship, employee involvement, training and education, and reward and recognition that have a positive impact on quality improvement. In this study, eighty one managers from the quality department were randomly selected in the manufacturing industry in Batu Pahat, Johor. The questionnaires were distributed to them. The researcher analysed the quantitatively collected data using descriptive analysis and correlation analysis. The findings of this study revealed that all soft factors are correlated to the quality improvement in an organisation with a high significant value but the regression analysis shows that the supplier relationship and employee involvement has more significant impact on quality improvement as compared to other soft factors which contributes of this study.

Impact of "JOBM": ISI Impact Factor Places the "Journal of Organizational Behavior Management" Third in Applied Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Hantula, Donald A.

2006-01-01

The ISI Impact Factor for "JOBM" is 1.793, placing it third in the JCR rankings for journals in applied psychology with a sharply accelerating linear trend over the past 5 years. This article reviews the Impact Factor and raises questions regarding its reliability and validity and then considers a citation analysis of "JOBM" in light of the…

Evaluating impact level of different factors in environmental impact assessment for incinerator plants using GM (1, N) model.

Science.gov (United States)

Pai, T Y; Chiou, R J; Wen, H H

2008-01-01

In this study, the impact levels in environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of 10 incinerator plants were quantified and discussed. The relationship between the quantified impact levels and the plant scale factors of BeiTou, LiZe, BaLi, LuTsao, RenWu, PingTung, SiJhou and HsinChu were constructed, and the impact levels of the GangShan (GS) and YongKong (YK) plants were predicted using grey model GM (1, N). Finally, the effects of plant scale factors on impact levels were evaluated using grey model GM (1, N) too. According to the predicted results of GM, the relative errors of topography/geology/soil, air quality, hydrology/water quality, solid waste, noise, terrestrial fauna/flora, aquatic fauna/flora and traffic in the GS plant were 17%, 14%, 15%, 17%, 75%, 16%, 13%, and 37%, respectively. The relative errors of the same environmental items in the YK plant were 1%, 18%, 10%, 40%, 37%, 3%, 25% and 33%, respectively. According to GM (1, N), design capacity (DC) and heat value (HV) were the plant scale factors that affected the impact levels significantly in each environmental item, and thus were the most significant plant scale factors. GM (1, N) was effective in predicting the environmental impact and analyzing the reasonableness of the impact. If there is an EIA for a new incinerator plant to be reviewed in the future, the official committee of the Taiwan EPA could review the reasonableness of impact levels in EIA reports quickly.

Electrophysiology as a tool to unravel the origin of pancreatic pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lelic, Dina; Olesen, Søren Schou; Graversen, Carina

2014-01-01

Intense abdominal pain is the most common symptom in chronic pancreatitis, but the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood and pain management remains a significant clinical challenge. The focus of pain origin in chronic pancreatitis traditionally has been on the pancreatic gland...... for generation of evoked potentials and hence to study brain reorganization due to pain in chronic pancreatitis. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the current methods and findings in electroencephalography as a tool to unravel the origin of pancreatic pain....

Information unraveling revisited: disclosure of horizontal attributes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Celik, Levent

2014-01-01

Roč. 62, č. 1 (2014), s. 113-136 ISSN 0022-1821 Grant - others:UK(CZ) UNCE 204005/2012 Institutional support: PRVOUK-P23 Keywords : product quality * competition Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 1.039, year: 2014

Unraveling the Anticancer Effect of Curcumin and Resveratrol

Science.gov (United States)

Pavan, Aline Renata; da Silva, Gabriel Dalio Bernardes; Jornada, Daniela Hartmann; Chiba, Diego Eidy; Fernandes, Guilherme Felipe dos Santos; Man Chin, Chung; dos Santos, Jean Leandro

2016-01-01

Resveratrol and curcumin are natural products with important therapeutic properties useful to treat several human diseases, including cancer. In the last years, the number of studies describing the effect of both polyphenols against cancer has increased; however, the mechanism of action in all of those cases is not completely comprehended. The unspecific effect and the ability to interfere in assays by both polyphenols make this challenge even more difficult. Herein, we analyzed the anticancer activity of resveratrol and curcumin reported in the literature in the last 11 years, in order to unravel the molecular mechanism of action of both compounds. Molecular targets and cellular pathways will be described. Furthermore, we also discussed the ability of these natural products act as chemopreventive and its use in association with other anticancer drugs. PMID:27834913

Measuring Long-Term Impact Based on Network Centrality: Unraveling Cinematic Citations

Science.gov (United States)

Spitz, Andreas; Horvát, Emőke-Ágnes

2014-01-01

Traditional measures of success for film, such as box-office revenue and critical acclaim, lack the ability to quantify long-lasting impact and depend on factors that are largely external to the craft itself. With the growing number of films that are being created and large-scale data becoming available through crowd-sourced online platforms, an endogenous measure of success that is not reliant on manual appraisal is of increasing importance. In this article we propose such a ranking method based on a combination of centrality indices. We apply the method to a network that contains several types of citations between more than 40,000 international feature films. From this network we derive a list of milestone films, which can be considered to constitute the foundations of cinema. In a comparison to various existing lists of ‘greatest’ films, such as personal favourite lists, voting lists, lists of individual experts, and lists deduced from expert polls, the selection of milestone films is more diverse in terms of genres, actors, and main creators. Our results shed light on the potential of a systematic quantitative investigation based on cinematic influences in identifying the most inspiring creations in world cinema. In a broader perspective, we introduce a novel research question to large-scale citation analysis, one of the most intriguing topics that have been at the forefront of scientific enquiries for the past fifty years and have led to the development of various network analytic methods. In doing so, we transfer widely studied approaches from citation analysis to the the newly emerging field of quantification efforts in the arts. The specific contribution of this paper consists in modelling the multidimensional cinematic references as a growing multiplex network and in developing a methodology for the identification of central films in this network. PMID:25295877

Measuring long-term impact based on network centrality: unraveling cinematic citations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Spitz

Full Text Available Traditional measures of success for film, such as box-office revenue and critical acclaim, lack the ability to quantify long-lasting impact and depend on factors that are largely external to the craft itself. With the growing number of films that are being created and large-scale data becoming available through crowd-sourced online platforms, an endogenous measure of success that is not reliant on manual appraisal is of increasing importance. In this article we propose such a ranking method based on a combination of centrality indices. We apply the method to a network that contains several types of citations between more than 40,000 international feature films. From this network we derive a list of milestone films, which can be considered to constitute the foundations of cinema. In a comparison to various existing lists of 'greatest' films, such as personal favourite lists, voting lists, lists of individual experts, and lists deduced from expert polls, the selection of milestone films is more diverse in terms of genres, actors, and main creators. Our results shed light on the potential of a systematic quantitative investigation based on cinematic influences in identifying the most inspiring creations in world cinema. In a broader perspective, we introduce a novel research question to large-scale citation analysis, one of the most intriguing topics that have been at the forefront of scientific enquiries for the past fifty years and have led to the development of various network analytic methods. In doing so, we transfer widely studied approaches from citation analysis to the the newly emerging field of quantification efforts in the arts. The specific contribution of this paper consists in modelling the multidimensional cinematic references as a growing multiplex network and in developing a methodology for the identification of central films in this network.

Heavy Quark Impact Factor at Next-to-leading Level

OpenAIRE

Ciafaloni, Marcello; Rodrigo, German

2000-01-01

We further analyze the definition and the calculation of the heavy quark impact factor at next-to-leading (NL) log(s) level, and we provide its analytical expression in a previously proposed k-factorization scheme. Our results indicate that k-factorization holds at NL level with a properly chosen energy scale, and with the same gluonic Green's function previously found in the massless probe case.

Expressing stochastic unravellings using random evolution operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salgado, D; Sanchez-Gomez, J L

2002-01-01

We prove how the form of the most general invariant stochastic unravelling for Markovian (recently given in the literature by Wiseman and Diosi) and non-Markovian but Lindblad-type open quantum systems can be attained by imposing a single mathematical condition upon the random evolution operator of the system, namely a.s. trace preservation (a.s. stands for almost surely). The use of random operators ensures the complete positivity of the density operator evolution and characterizes the linear/non-linear character of the evolution in a straightforward way. It is also shown how three quantum stochastic evolution models - continuous spontaneous localization, quantum state diffusion and quantum mechanics with universal position localization - appear as concrete choices for the noise term of the evolution random operators are assumed. We finally conjecture how these operators may in the future be used in two different directions: both to connect quantum stochastic evolution models with random properties of space-time and to handle noisy quantum logical gates

Prioritization of factors impacting on performance of power looms using AHP

Science.gov (United States)

Dulange, S. R.; Pundir, A. K.; Ganapathy, L.

2014-08-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical success factors influencing the performance of power loom textiles, to evaluate their impact on the organizational performance and to find out the effect of these factors on the organizational performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Solapur (Maharashtra) industrial sector using AHP. In the methodology adopted, factors are identified through the literature survey and finalization of these factors is done by taking the opinion of experts in the Indian context. By cognitive map, the relation between these factors (direct and indirect effect) is determined and cause and effect diagram is prepared. Then these factors are arranged hierarchically and tree diagram is prepared. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among the experts; data is collected. Using expert choice software data is filled to quantify by pair-wise comparison of these factors and are prioritized. The weights demonstrate several key findings: local and global priority reveals that there is a substantial effect of the human resource, product style, and volume on the organizational performance. The skills and technology upgradation impact on organizational performance. Maintenance plays an important role in improving the organizational performances of the SMEs. Overall, the results showed the central role of the operational factors are important. The research is subject to the normal limitations of AHP. The study is using perceptual data provided by Experts which may not provide clear measures of impact factors. However, this can be overcome using more experts to collect data in future studies. Interestingly, the findings here may be generalisable outside Solapur like Ichalkarnji, Malegaon, and Bhiwadi (Maharashtra). Solapur power loom SMEs should consider AHP as an innovative tool for quantification of factors impacting on performance and improving operational and organizational performance in today's dynamic

Socio-cultural factors impacting male involvement in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Socio-cultural factors impacting male involvement in the management of infertile couples at the Kenyatta National Hospital. ... that may influence male participation in the management of the infertile couples attending the KNH Infertility Clinic.

The impact of socio-economic factors on the performance of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of socio-economic factors on the performance of community ... the work ethic and the level of participation in rural development performance ... the factors responsible for the poor performance of community development projects.

Sense and nonsense about the impact factor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Opthof, T.

1997-01-01

The impact factor is based on citations of papers published by a scientific journal. It has been published since 1961 by the Institute for Scientific Information. It may be regarded as an estimate of the citation rate of a journal's papers, and the higher its value, the higher the scientific esteem

Population impact of familial and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Holger J; Nielsen, Philip R; Pedersen, Carsten B

2014-01-01

Although several studies have examined the relative contributions of familial and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, few have additionally examined the predictive power on the individual level and simultaneously examined the population impact associated with a wide range of familial...... 4.50-5.31). The study showed that risk factors with highest predictive power on the individual level have a relatively low population impact. The challenge in future studies with direct genetic data is to examine gene-environmental interactions that can move research beyond current approaches...... and environmental risk factors. The authors present rate ratios (IRR), population-attributable risks (PAR) and sex-specific cumulative incidences of the following risk factors: parental history of mental illness, urban place of birth, advanced paternal age, parental loss and immigration status. We established...

A review of major factors influencing plant responses to recreation impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Kuss, Fred R.

1986-09-01

This article reviews some of the more important factors found to influence the susceptibility of plants to trampling impacts associated with recreational use of natural areas. A three-way interaction mediates plant responses to impacts: plant x environment x stress level(s). Plant responses vary in part according to the genetic constitution of the plant, life and growth form, the adaptive flexibility of the plant, and anatomical differences inherent to growth habit and morphology. Other factors that influence plant sensitivities to impacts are the habitat environments in which plants grow, since a number of conditions such as moisture excesses or deficiencies, nitrogen or oxygen starvation, late frosts, etc., cause physiological injury and may increase plant sensitivity to impacts. Among the environmental factors that may increase or lessen plant sensitivities to impacts are soil moisture levels, canopy density, elevation, aspect, microclimate, soil drainage, texture, fertility and productivity. Seasonal influences also bear consideration since environmental changes and phonological and physiological events are mediated by time of year. Stresses are caused by both direct and indirect forms of impact and vary according to season of use, frequency and amount of use, and the type of activity. These interactions are further complicated by evidence that inter- and intraspecific competition, antagonism, and commensalism may influence differences in the sensitivity of plant communities to impacts.

Unraveling dual feeding associated molecular complexity of salivary glands in the mosquito Anopheles culicifacies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Punita Sharma

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Mosquito salivary glands are well known to facilitate meal acquisition, however the fundamental question on how adult female salivary gland manages molecular responses during sugar versus blood meal uptake remains unanswered. To investigate these responses, we analyzed a total of 58.5 million raw reads generated from two independent RNAseq libraries of the salivary glands collected from 3–4 day-old sugar and blood fed Anopheles culicifacies mosquitoes. Comprehensive functional annotation analysis of 10,931 contigs unraveled that salivary glands may encode diverse nature of proteins in response to distinct physiological feeding status. Digital gene expression analysis and PCR validation indicated that first blood meal significantly alters the molecular architecture of the salivary glands. Comparative microscopic analysis also revealed that first blood meal uptake not only causes an alteration of at least 12–22% of morphological features of the salivary glands but also results in cellular changes e.g. apoptosis, confirming together that adult female salivary glands are specialized organs to manage meal specific responses. Unraveling the underlying mechanism of mosquito salivary gene expression, controlling dual feeding associated responses may provide a new opportunity to control vector borne diseases.

The impact of extended half-life versus conventional factor product on hemophilia caregiver burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Carolyn E; Powell, Victoria E; Su, Jun; Zhang, Jie; Eldar-Lissai, Adi

2018-05-01

Extended half-life factor products have reduced annualized bleeding rates in hemophilia patients. The impact of extended half-life versus conventional factor products on hemophilia caregiver burden has not been investigated. This study aimed to evaluate caregiver burden in extended half-life versus conventional factor products for hemophilia A and B. This cross-sectional web-based study of caregivers of people with hemophilia A or B was recruited from a panel research company and by word of mouth. Participants completed the Hemophilia Caregiver Impact measure, the PedsQL Family Impact Module (PedsQL), and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI). We also collected demographic, insurance coverage, and medical information related to the hemophilia patient(s). Burden differences were assessed using linear regression and matched cohort analyses. The sample (n = 448) included 49 people who were caring for people on extended half-life factor products. Worse caregiver burden was associated with more infusions per week and more bleeds in the past 6 months. Regression analyses suggested that caring for someone who is on a extended half-life factor product is associated with lower emotional impact (β = - 0.11, p factor product had lower Emotional Impact and Practical Impact scores (t = - 2.95 and - 2.94, respectively, p factor product infusions of extended half-life factor products appears to reduce the emotional distress and practical burden of caregiving. Future work should evaluate the longitudinal impact.

The ecological impacts of marine debris: unraveling the demonstrated evidence from what is perceived.

Science.gov (United States)

Rochman, Chelsea M; Browne, Mark Anthony; Underwood, A J; van Franeker, Jan A; Thompson, Richard C; Amaral-Zettler, Linda A

2016-02-01

Anthropogenic debris contaminates marine habitats globally, leading to several perceived ecological impacts. Here, we critically and systematically review the literature regarding impacts of debris from several scientific fields to understand the weight of evidence regarding the ecological impacts of marine debris. We quantified perceived and demonstrated impacts across several levels of biological organization that make up the ecosystem and found 366 perceived threats of debris across all levels. Two hundred and ninety-six of these perceived threats were tested, 83% of which were demonstrated. The majority (82%) of demonstrated impacts were due to plastic, relative to other materials (e.g., metals, glass) and largely (89%) at suborganismal levels (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue). The remaining impacts, demonstrated at higher levels of organization (i.e., death to individual organisms, changes in assemblages), were largely due to plastic marine debris (> 1 mm; e.g., rope, straws, and fragments). Thus, we show evidence of ecological impacts from marine debris, but conclude that the quantity and quality of research requires improvement to allow the risk of ecological impacts of marine debris to be determined with precision. Still, our systematic review suggests that sufficient evidence exists for decision makers to begin to mitigate problematic plastic debris now, to avoid risk of irreversible harm.

Unraveling the genetic etiology of adult antisocial behavior: a genome-wide association study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorim J Tielbeek

Full Text Available Crime poses a major burden for society. The heterogeneous nature of criminal behavior makes it difficult to unravel its causes. Relatively little research has been conducted on the genetic influences of criminal behavior. The few twin and adoption studies that have been undertaken suggest that about half of the variance in antisocial behavior can be explained by genetic factors. In order to identify the specific common genetic variants underlying this behavior, we conduct the first genome-wide association study (GWAS on adult antisocial behavior. Our sample comprised a community sample of 4816 individuals who had completed a self-report questionnaire. No genetic polymorphisms reached genome-wide significance for association with adult antisocial behavior. In addition, none of the traditional candidate genes can be confirmed in our study. While not genome-wide significant, the gene with the strongest association (p-value = 8.7×10(-5 was DYRK1A, a gene previously related to abnormal brain development and mental retardation. Future studies should use larger, more homogeneous samples to disentangle the etiology of antisocial behavior. Biosocial criminological research allows a more empirically grounded understanding of criminal behavior, which could ultimately inform and improve current treatment strategies.

Impact factor for high-energy two and three jets diffractive production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boussarie, R. [LPT, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, 91405, Orsay (France); Grabovsky, A.V. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics and Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Szymanowski, L. [National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), Warsaw (Poland); Wallon, S. [UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Faculté de Physique, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05 (France); LPT, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, 91405, Orsay (France)

2015-04-10

We present the calculation of the impact factor for the photon to quark, antiquark and gluon transition within Balitsky’s shock-wave formalism. We also rederive the impact factor for photon to quark and antiquark transition. These results provide the necessary building blocks for further phenomenological studies of inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering as well as for two and three jets diffractive production which go beyond approximations discussed in the literature.

Impact factor for high-energy two and three jets diffractive production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boussarie, R.; Grabovsky, A.V.; Szymanowski, L.; Wallon, S.

2015-01-01

We present the calculation of the impact factor for the photon to quark, antiquark and gluon transition within Balitsky’s shock-wave formalism. We also rederive the impact factor for photon to quark and antiquark transition. These results provide the necessary building blocks for further phenomenological studies of inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering as well as for two and three jets diffractive production which go beyond approximations discussed in the literature

The interaction of antibodies with lipid membranes unraveled by fluorescence methodologies

Science.gov (United States)

Figueira, Tiago N.; Veiga, Ana Salomé; Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.

2014-12-01

The interest and investment in antibody therapies has reached an overwhelming scale in the last decade. Yet, little concern has been noticed among the scientific community to unravel important interactions of antibodies with biological structures other than their respective epitopes. Lipid membranes are particularly relevant in this regard as they set the stage for protein-protein recognition, a concept potentially inclusive of antibody-antigen recognition. Fluorescence techniques allow experimental monitoring of protein partition between aqueous and lipid phases, deciphering events of adsorption, insertion and diffusion. This review focuses on the available fluorescence spectroscopy methodologies directed to the study of antibody-membrane interactions.

Swimmer’s itch: etiology, impact, and risk factors in Europe

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Soldánová, Miroslava; Selbach, C.; Kalbe, M.; Kostadinova, Aneta; Sures, B.

2013-01-01

Roč. 29, č. 2 (2013), s. 65-74 ISSN 1471-4922 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP505/10/1562 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : bird schistosomes * Trichobilharzia * swimmer's itch * Lymnaeidae * ecological factors * risk factors * Europe Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 6.217, year: 2013 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492212002000

Characterisation factors for life cycle impact assessment of sound emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cucurachi, S; Heijungs, R

2014-01-15

Noise is a serious stressor affecting the health of millions of citizens. It has been suggested that disturbance by noise is responsible for a substantial part of the damage to human health. However, no recommended approach to address noise impacts was proposed by the handbook for life cycle assessment (LCA) of the European Commission, nor are characterisation factors (CFs) and appropriate inventory data available in commonly used databases. This contribution provides CFs to allow for the quantification of noise impacts on human health in the LCA framework. Noise propagation standards and international reports on acoustics and noise impacts were used to define the model parameters. Spatial data was used to calculate spatially-defined CFs in the form of 10-by-10-km maps. The results of this analysis were combined with data from the literature to select input data for representative archetypal situations of emission (e.g. urban day with a frequency of 63 Hz, rural night at 8000 Hz, etc.). A total of 32 spatial and 216 archetypal CFs were produced to evaluate noise impacts at a European level (i.e. EU27). The possibility of a user-defined characterisation factor was added to support the possibility of portraying the situation of full availability of information, as well as a highly-localised impact analysis. A Monte Carlo-based quantitative global sensitivity analysis method was applied to evaluate the importance of the input factors in determining the variance of the output. The factors produced are ready to be implemented in the available LCA databases and software. The spatial approach and archetypal approach may be combined and selected according to the amount of information available and the life cycle under study. The framework proposed and used for calculations is flexible enough to be expanded to account for impacts on target subjects other than humans and to continents other than Europe. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unraveling the atomic structure of ultrafine iron clusters

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hongtao

2012-12-18

Unraveling the atomic structures of ultrafine iron clusters is critical to understanding their size-dependent catalytic effects and electronic properties. Here, we describe the stable close-packed structure of ultrafine Fe clusters for the first time, thanks to the superior properties of graphene, including the monolayer thickness, chemical inertness, mechanical strength, electrical and thermal conductivity. These clusters prefer to take regular planar shapes with morphology changes by local atomic shuffling, as suggested by the early hypothesis of solid-solid transformation. Our observations differ from observations from earlier experimental study and theoretical model, such as icosahedron, decahedron or cuboctahedron. No interaction was observed between Fe atoms or clusters and pristine graphene. However, preferential carving, as observed by other research groups, can be realized only when Fe clusters are embedded in graphene. The techniques introduced here will be of use in investigations of other clusters or even single atoms or molecules.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND IMPACT FACTORS IN COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdan Florin FILIP

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper starts from the premise that the performance of the economies of different countries, respectively their economic growth, is sinthtically expressed by the GDP growth indicator, whose dynamics evolves under the impact of a variety of determining factors, including some of financial-monetary nature. Thus, there are highlighted specific causal linkages and influences of economic and financial factors represented by certain indicators (inflation, unemployment, exports as percentage of GDP, imports as percentage of GDP, domestic credit as percentage of GDP, non-performing loans rate to GDP growth rate, by using econometric methods. Much of the paper is focused on on shaping an econometric model in which GDP growth rate is dependent variable and the other mentioned indicators are impact factors, respectively determinant variables. Along the mentioned determining factors, in our model is evaluated also the impact of the manifestation of the recent financial crisis, considering it as an additional determinant dummy variable. By processing the data for a group of countries of Central and Eastern Europe over the period 2000-2013, there result findings on the impact of each of the determining factors on the economic growth in the countries concerned and are formulated the appropriate assessments and conclusions.

Impact factor for high-energy two and three jets diffractive production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boussarie, R.; Grabovsky, A.V.; Szymanowski, L.; Wallon, S.

2014-01-01

We present the calculation of the impact factor for the γ (∗) →qq-barg transition within Balitsky’s high energy operator expansion. We also rederive the impact factor for the γ (∗) →qq-bar transition within the same framework. These results provide the necessary building blocks for further phenomenological studies of inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering, as well as, for two and three jets diffractive production, which go beyond approximations discussed in the literature.

Impact factor for high-energy two and three jets diffractive production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boussarie, R. [Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Bât. 210, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS,91405 Orsay (France); Grabovsky, A.V. [Physics Department, Novosibirsk State University,2 Pirogova street, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Theory division, Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics,11 Lavrenteva avenue, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Szymanowski, L. [Theoretical Physics Division, National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ),Hoza 69, 00-681 Warsaw (Poland); Wallon, S. [Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Bât. 210, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS,91405 Orsay (France); UPMC Université Paris 06, Faculté de Physique,4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

2014-09-02

We present the calculation of the impact factor for the γ{sup (∗)}→qq-barg transition within Balitsky’s high energy operator expansion. We also rederive the impact factor for the γ{sup (∗)}→qq-bar transition within the same framework. These results provide the necessary building blocks for further phenomenological studies of inclusive diffractive deep inelastic scattering, as well as, for two and three jets diffractive production, which go beyond approximations discussed in the literature.

The Status of Cognitive Psychology Journals: An Impact Factor Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Togia, Aspasia

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact factor of cognitive psychology journals indexed in the Science and Social Sciences edition of "Journal Citation Reports" ("JCR") database over a period of 10 consecutive years. Cognitive psychology journals were indexed in 11 different subject categories of the database. Their mean impact factor…

The top-ten in journal impact factor manipulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Falagas, Matthew E; Alexiou, Vangelis G

2008-01-01

A considerable part of the scientific community is, at least to some degree, involved in the "impact factor game". Editors strive to increase their journals' impact factor (IF) in order to gain influence in the fields of basic and applied research and scientists seek to profit from the "added value" of publishing in top IF journals. In this article we point out the most common "tricks" of engineering and manipulating the IF undertaken by a portion of professionals of the scientific publishing industry. They attempt to increase the nominator or decrease the denominator of the IF equation by taking advantage of certain design flaws and disadvantages of the IF that permit a degree of artificial and arbitrary inflation. Some of these practices, if not scientifically unethical, are at least questionable and should be abandoned. Editors and publishers should strive for quality through fair and thoughtful selection of papers forwarded for peer review and editorial comments that enhance the quality and scientific accuracy of a manuscript.

The importance of the impact of political risk factors in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rudolf Essel

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Political risk factors often impact negatively on the financial results of an enterprise, industry, geographical region or an entire country. In severe cases they may even lead to financial disasters. Previous research (by Essel identified 10 specific political risk factors which are common to emerging market economies. As South Africa is a developing country with an emerging market economy, these 10 political risk factors should also be present in this country. This paper focuses on the importance of the impact of political risk factors on an agent’s total annual claims amount when underwriting political risk insurance in South Africa. The objective of this research paper embodies the improvement of financial decision-making by a particular enterprise, industry, geographical region or country operating in an emerging market economy, pertaining to the importance of the impact of political risk factors. A literature study as well as an empirical survey was done to achieve the study’s objective. The conclusions of this research should also be valuable to other enterprises, industries, geographical regions or countries which operate in an emerging market economy.

Factors Impacting Online Ratings for Otolaryngologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Calixto, Nathaniel E; Chiao, Whitney; Durr, Megan L; Jiang, Nancy

2018-06-01

To identify factors associated with online patient ratings and comments for a nationwide sample of otolaryngologists. Ratings, demographic information, and written comments were obtained for a random sample of otolaryngologists from HealthGrades.com and Vitals.com . Online Presence Score (OPS) was based on 10 criteria, including professional website and social media profiles. Regression analyses identified factors associated with increased rating. We evaluated for correlations between OPS and other attributes with star rating and used chi-square tests to evaluate content differences between positive and negative comments. On linear regression, increased OPS was associated with higher ratings on HealthGrades and Vitals; higher ratings were also associated with younger age on Vitals and less experience on HealthGrades. However, detailed correlation studies showed weak correlation between OPS and rating; age and graduation year also showed low correlation with ratings. Negative comments more likely focused on surgeon-independent factors or poor bedside manner. Though younger otolaryngologists with greater online presence tend to have higher ratings, weak correlations suggest that age and online presence have only a small impact on the content found on ratings websites. While most written comments are positive, deficiencies in bedside manner or other physician-independent factors tend to elicit negative comments.

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Jianxin; Nielsen, Per Henning

2001-01-01

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization...... was determined as the normalization reference (ER ( j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 abased on Chinese political reduction plans, ER ( j)(T2000). This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming...

Why do statistics journals have low impact factors?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Nierop, Erjen

In this paper, we answer the question why statistics journals get lower impact factors than journals in other disciplines. We analyze diffusion patterns of papers in several journals in various academic fields. To obtain insights into the diffusion of the citation counts of the papers, the data are

Ethiopia: The Impact of External Factors on the Security of the Country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Záhořík

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In last decade, Ethiopia witnesses so far unseen economic growth while the transformation to democracy more or less failed. Due to the fact that the Horn of Africa belongs to the most unstable regions in Africa, external factors play a significant role in shaping and reshaping of internal politics of each state. In this study, we will focus on an analysis of external factors and their impact on security and politics in Ethiopia. As we argue, it is these factors that have a substantial impact on Ethiopian politics and security.

DEPENDENCE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CRITICAL QUALITY FACTORS AND SOCIAL IMPACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Álvarez García

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper shows the results of the empirical study conducted in 186 tourist accommodation businesses in Spain certified under the “Q for Tourist Quality”, own System Quality Management. It was raised with the purpose of analyzing the structure of the relationship between critical quality factors and results-social impact, how they operate and the level of their influence on obtaining these results within the company. Starting from a deep theoretical revision we propose a theoretical model together with the hypotheses to be tested, and we proceed to validation using the technique of Structural Equation Models. The results obtained show that companies wishing to improve their social impact should take into account that leadership is the most important factor to achieve it. Leadership indirectly affects the social impact through its influence on alliances and resources, quality policy/planning, personnel management and learning.

Social media impact factor: the top ten dermatology journals on facebook and twitter

OpenAIRE

Karimkhani, Chante; Gamble, Ryan; Dellavalle, Robert P

2014-01-01

Academic journals are mainly rated according to their impact factors. However, considering the enormous worldwide impact of social media, journals and potential authors may want to take social media impact into account.

Social media impact factor: the top ten dermatology journals on Facebook and Twitter.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimkhani, Chante; Gamble, Ryan; Dellavalle, Robert P

2014-04-16

Academic journals are mainly rated according to their impact factors. However, considering the enormous worldwide impact of social media, journals and potential authors may want to take social media impact into account.

Post-stroke depression: Prevalence, associated factors and impact ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of post-stroke depression (PSD), its associated factors and impact on quality of life (QoL) among outpatients in a Nigerian hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 140 adults made up of 70 stroke survivors and matched controls with stable hypertension.

Norming of Student Evaluations of Instruction: Impact of Noninstructional Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Nargundkar, Satish; Shrikhande, Milind

2014-01-01

Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEIs) from about 6,000 sections over 4 years representing over 100,000 students at the college of business at a large public university are analyzed, to study the impact of noninstructional factors on student ratings. Administrative factors like semester, time of day, location, and instructor attributes like…

NLO corrections to the photon impact factor: Combining real and virtual corrections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartels, J.; Colferai, D.; Kyrieleis, A.; Gieseke, S.

2002-08-01

In this third part of our calculation of the QCD NLO corrections to the photon impact factor we combine our previous results for the real corrections with the singular pieces of the virtual corrections and present finite analytic expressions for the quark-antiquark-gluon intermediate state inside the photon impact factor. We begin with a list of the infrared singular pieces of the virtual correction, obtained in the first step of our program. We then list the complete results for the real corrections (longitudinal and transverse photon polarization). In the next step we defined, for the real corrections, the collinear and soft singular regions and calculate their contributions to the impact factor. We then subtract the contribution due to the central region. Finally, we combine the real corrections with the singular pieces of the virtual corrections and obtain our finite results. (orig.)

Construction cost impacts related to manpower, material, and equipment factors in contractor firms perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Husin, Saiful; Abdullah, Riza, Medyan; Afifuddin, Mochammad

2017-11-01

Risk can be defined as consequences which possible happened inscrutably. Although an activity has planned as good as possible, but it keep contains uncertainty. Implementation of construction project was encountering various risk impacts from a number of risk factors. This study was intended to analyze the impacts of construction cost to for contractor firms as construction project executor related to the factors of manpower, material and equipment. The study was using data obtained from questionnaires distributed to 15 large qualification contractor firms. The period of study classified into conflict period (2000-2004), post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction period (2005-2009), and post rehabilitation and reconstruction period (2010-present). The statistical analysis of severity index and variance used to analyze the data. The three risk factors reviewed generally affected the cost in a medium impact. The high impact occurred in minor variables, which are `increase in material prices', `theft of materials', and `the fuel scarcity'. In overall, the three risk factors and the observed period contributed significant impact on construction costs.

[Impact factors and bibliometrics of science. Does pure science really exist?].

Science.gov (United States)

Sochman, J; Belán, A

2003-01-01

The impact factor is an artificially created indicator which when applied separately does not achieve the value attributed to it. In its assessment a number of different influences are projected which cause partial mistakes with a cumulative effect. It can have an even worse effect if the impact factor is incorrectly conceived or inadequately handled. Only in a long-term review using specific corrections it can serve to determine really top class periodicals but only within the framework of a single scientific discipline. It is not suitable for comparison of interdisciplinary journals. It should be used very carefully in the evaluation of authors. However it is still used in various types of administrative management. From the submitted paper it may seen that with a certain amount of overstatement it is personified and acts on its own. Its personification is homo sapiens scientometricus who evaluates himself as well as his environment which is represented by mere homo sapiens scientificus. In addition to the impact factor the authors discuss also other indicators and some aspects of scientometry.

γ*→ρT impact factor with twist three accuracy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anikin, I. V.; Ivanov, D. Yu.; Pire, B.; Szymanowski, L.; Wallon, S.

2009-01-01

We evaluate the impact factor of the transition γ*→ρ T taking into account the twist 3 contributions. We show that a gauge invariant expression is obtained with the help of QCD equations of motion. Our results are free of end-point singularities. This opens the way to a consistent treatment of factorization for exclusive processes with a transversally polarized vector meson.

A South African perspective on factors that impact on the adoption ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A South African perspective on factors that impact on the adoption and meaningful use of health information technologies. ... These results indicate that a wide range of factors need to be addressed and involve a multitude of stakeholders. Keywords: health information technology, adoption, meaningful use, South Africa, ...

Impacts of geo-physical factors and human disturbance on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We examined vegetation-disturbance-environment relationships in the Xiaomengyang Section of Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve (XNR) using multivariate analysis to understand the impacts of geo-physical factors and human disturbance on vegetation along the highway corridor. We found that native forests were the best ...

Limited impact of Cntn4 mutation on autism-related traits in developing and adult C57BL/6J mice

OpenAIRE

Molenhuis, Remco T.; Bruining, Hilgo; Remmelink, Esther; de Visser, Leonie; Loos, Maarten; Burbach, J. Peter H.; Kas, Martien J. H.

2016-01-01

Background Mouse models offer an essential tool to unravel the impact of genetic mutations on autism-related phenotypes. The behavioral impact of some important candidate gene models for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not yet been studied, and existing characterizations mostly describe behavioral phenotypes at adult ages, disregarding the developmental nature of the disorder. In this context, the behavioral influence of CNTN4, one of the strongest suggested ASD candidate genes, is unknown...

Multi-Factor Impact Analysis of Agricultural Production in Bangladesh with Climate Change

Science.gov (United States)

Ruane, Alex C.; Major, David C.; Yu, Winston H.; Alam, Mozaharul; Hussain, Sk. Ghulam; Khan, Abu Saleh; Hassan, Ahmadul; Al Hossain, Bhuiya Md. Tamim; Goldberg, Richard; Horton, Radley M.;

The Use of Twitter by Radiology Journals: An Analysis of Twitter Activity and Impact Factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Brendan S; Redmond, Ciaran E; Nason, Gregory J; Healy, Gerard M; Horgan, Niall A; Heffernan, Eric J

2016-11-01

Medical journals use social media as a means to disseminate new research and interact with readers. The microblogging site Twitter is one such platform. The aim of this study was to analyze the recent use of Twitter by the leading radiology journals. The top 50 journals by Impact Factor were included. Twitter profiles associated with these journals, or their corresponding societies, were identified. Whether each journal used other social media platforms was also recorded. Each Twitter profile was analyzed over a one-year period, with data collected via Twitonomy software. Klout scores of social media influence were calculated. Results were analyzed in SPSS using Student's t test, Fisher contingency tables, and Pearson correlations to identify any association between social media interaction and Impact Factors of journals. Fourteen journals (28%) had dedicated Twitter profiles. Of the 36 journals without dedicated Twitter profiles, 25 (50%) were associated with societies that had profiles, leaving 11 (22%) journals without a presence on Twitter. The mean Impact Factor of all journals was 3.1 ± 1.41 (range, 1.7-6.9). Journals with Twitter profiles had higher Impact Factors than those without (mean, 3.37 vs 2.14; P Twitter profiles and those associated with affiliated societies (P = .47). Since joining Twitter, 7 of the 11 journals (64%) experienced increases in Impact Factor. A greater number of Twitter followers was correlated with higher journal Impact Factor (R 2  = 0.581, P = .029). The investigators assessed the prevalence and activity of the leading radiology journals on Twitter. Radiology journals with Twitter profiles have higher Impact Factors than those without profiles, and the number of followers of a journal's Twitter profile is positively associated with Impact Factor. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adult Prostitution Recidivism: Risk Factors and Impact of a Diversion Program

Science.gov (United States)

Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique E.; Hickle, Kristine E.; Loubert, Martha Perez; Egan, Tom

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors and the impact of a prostitution diversion program on prostitution recidivism. Risk factors and recidivism were explored using chi-square, t tests, and survival analysis. Participants were 448 individuals who were arrested for prostitution and attended a prostitution-focused diversion…

Impact factors for Reggeon-gluon transition in N=4 SYM with large number of colours

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fadin, V.S., E-mail: fadin@inp.nsk.su [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of SD RAS, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Fiore, R., E-mail: roberto.fiore@cs.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Gruppo collegato di Cosenza, Arcavacata di Rende, I-87036 Cosenza (Italy)

2014-06-27

We calculate impact factors for Reggeon-gluon transition in supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory with four supercharges at large number of colours N{sub c}. In the next-to-leading order impact factors are not uniquely defined and must accord with BFKL kernels and energy scales. We obtain the impact factor corresponding to the kernel and the energy evolution parameter, which is invariant under Möbius transformation in momentum space, and show that it is also Möbius invariant up to terms taken into account in the BDS ansatz.

Review of Impact Factors on Decommissioning Strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Taesik; Jung, Hyejin; Kim, Younggook [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

This article is prepared to factor out decommissioning strategies mostly appropriate to the decommissioning Kori-1 nuclear power plant. Terms used to delineate the lifetime of an authorized facility and of the associated licensing process consists of six core stages such as siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning. The term decommissioning implies the administrative and technical actions taken to allow the removal of some or all of the regulatory controls from a facility except for the part of a disposal facility in which the radioactive waste is emplaced. Whole range of each process of decommissioning should be considered throughout the other five stages. The decommissioning process is typically composed of its planning, conducting actions and terminating the authorization. In order to achieve the successful decommissioning, the impact factor on the strategy should be analyzed and evaluated to optimally apply to Kori-1 project. From my perspective, among eight factor, stakeholder’s consideration and spent fuel management are considered the key elements we have to concentrate on to smoothly go ahead for successful decommissioning of Kori-1.

Evaluating the impact of grade crossing safety factors through signal detection theory

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-22

The purpose of this effort was to apply signal detection theory to descriptively model the impact : of five grade crossing safety factors to understand their effect on driver decision making. The : safety factors consisted of: improving commercial mo...

Not So Fast: Inflation in Impact Factors Contributes to Apparent Improvements in Journal Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Neff, Bryan D.; Olden, Julian D.

2010-01-01

The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) impact factor has become an important standard for assessing journal quality. Here we propose that impact factors may be subject to inflation analogous to changes in monetary prices in economics. The possibility of inflation came to light as a result of the observation that papers published today tend…

ANALYSIS AND PARTICULARITIES OF EXTERNAL FACTORS IMPACT ON ECONOMICAL RESULTS OF STRATEGIC OBJECTS PLANNING DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Gromov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Summary. The relevance of the scientific problem described in the article are: to determine changes in economic performance, the effectiveness of the sectoral components of the service sector from the effects of environmental factors, which allows them to reach the planned long-term economic performance; management decision-making about structural and organizational changes, implementation of investment projects in the renovation and modernization of fixed capital, the creation of technology, process and product innovations directly connected with the impact analysis of such external factors as economic, socio-cultural, legal, political, innovative. The structure of the article is formed on the basis of presentation of the impact of specific groups of environmental factors on the competitiveness and economic performance of industry components of services based on the technology of strategic planning; complience of logical sequence of presentation of materials, establishing a causal relationship, the interaction of factors and elements of studied problems and objects. Features of external factors impact on the effectiveness of macro-economic entities, sectoral components of services are to the adequacy of the measures and strategies to counter the negative impact on the economic development of the objects of strategic development. Features of status changes and influence of internal factors on local and sectoral socio-economic systems dictate the need for a part of the available resources, the level of efficiency of the use of labor resources, fixed and current assets. The contribution of the author in a scientific perspective of this topic is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the main groups of external factors on economic activities of the service sector development; identifying features of internal factors impact on the economic and innovative development of strategic planning objects.

Quantifying the impact of exogenous non-economic factors on UK transport oil demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broadstock, David C.; Hunt, Lester C.

2010-01-01

This paper attempts to quantify the impact of exogenous non-economic factors on UK transport oil demand (in addition to income, price, and fuel efficiency) by estimating the demand relationship for oil transport for 1960-2007 using the structural time series model. From this, the relative impact on UK transport oil demand from income, price, and efficiency are quantified. Moreover, the relative impact of the non-economic factors is also quantified, based on the premise that the estimated stochastic trend represents behavioural responses to changes in socio-economic factors and changes in lifestyles and attitudes. The estimated elasticities for income, price and efficiency are 0.6, -0.1, and -0.3, respectively, and it is shown that for efficiency and price the overall contribution is relatively small, whereas the contribution from income and non-economic factors is relatively large. This has important implications for policy makers keen to reduce transport oil consumption and associated emissions, but not willing to reduce the trend rate of economic growth. Taxes and improved efficiency only have a limited impact; hence, a major thrust of policy should perhaps be on educating and informing consumers to persuade them to change their lifestyle and attitudes and thus reduce their consumption through the non-economic instruments route.

Quantifying the impact of exogenous non-economic factors on UK transport oil demand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broadstock, David C.; Hunt, Lester C. [Surrey Energy Economics Centre (SEEC) and Research Group on Lifestyles Values and Environment (RESOLVE), Department of Economics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2010-03-15

This paper attempts to quantify the impact of exogenous non-economic factors on UK transport oil demand (in addition to income, price, and fuel efficiency) by estimating the demand relationship for oil transport for 1960-2007 using the structural time series model. From this, the relative impact on UK transport oil demand from income, price, and efficiency are quantified. Moreover, the relative impact of the non-economic factors is also quantified, based on the premise that the estimated stochastic trend represents behavioural responses to changes in socio-economic factors and changes in lifestyles and attitudes. The estimated elasticities for income, price and efficiency are 0.6, -0.1, and -0.3, respectively, and it is shown that for efficiency and price the overall contribution is relatively small, whereas the contribution from income and non-economic factors is relatively large. This has important implications for policy makers keen to reduce transport oil consumption and associated emissions, but not willing to reduce the trend rate of economic growth. Taxes and improved efficiency only have a limited impact; hence, a major thrust of policy should perhaps be on educating and informing consumers to persuade them to change their lifestyle and attitudes and thus reduce their consumption through the non-economic instruments route. (author)

Factors impacting on the microbiological quality and safety of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Problems with the safety and shelf life of export hake have been raised by the Namibian fishing industry. This prompted an investigation into the factors that may have an impact on the microbiological quality and safety of processed hake. Samples were collected along the processing line; the general microbiological quality ...

Impact of noise and other factors on speech recognition in anaesthesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alapetite, Alexandre

2008-01-01

of training. Methods: Eight volunteers read aloud a total of about 3 600 typical short anaesthesia comments to be transcribed by a continuous speech recognition system. Background noises were collected in an operating room and reproduced. A regression analysis and descriptive statistics were done to evaluate...... operations. Objective: The aim of the experiment is to evaluate the relative impact of several factors affecting speech recognition when used in operating rooms, such as the type or loudness of background noises, type of microphone, type of recognition mode (free speech versus command mode), and type...... the relative effect of various factors. Results: Some factors have a major impact, such as the words to be recognised, the type of recognition, and participants. The type of microphone is especially significant when combined with the type of noise. While loud noises in the operating room can have a predominant...

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in precision medicine: Unraveling the factors that contribute to individual variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, John D; Cherrington, Nathan J

2015-07-01

There are numerous factors in individual variability that make the development and implementation of precision medicine a challenge in the clinic. One of the main goals of precision medicine is to identify the correct dose for each individual in order to maximize therapeutic effect and minimize the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. Many promising advances have been made in identifying and understanding how factors such as genetic polymorphisms can influence drug pharmacokinetics (PK) and contribute to variable drug response (VDR), but it is clear that there remain many unidentified variables. Underlying liver diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) alter absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) processes and must be considered in the implementation of precision medicine. There is still a profound need for clinical investigation into how NASH-associated changes in ADME mediators, such as metabolism enzymes and transporters, affect the pharmacokinetics of individual drugs known to rely on these pathways for elimination. This review summarizes the key PK factors in individual variability and VDR and highlights NASH as an essential underlying factor that must be considered as the development of precision medicine advances. A multifactorial approach to precision medicine that considers the combination of two or more risk factors (e.g. genetics and NASH) will be required in our effort to provide a new era of benefit for patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors that impact interdisciplinary natural science research collaboration in academia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maglaughlin, Kelly L.; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

2005-01-01

to provide a more comprehensive understanding of interdisciplinary scientific research collaboration within the natural sciences in academia. Data analysis confirmed factors previously identified in various literatures and yielded new factors. A total of twenty factors were identified, and classified......Interdisciplinary collaboration occurs when people with different educational and research backgrounds bring complementary skills to bear on a problem or task. The strength of interdisciplinary scientific research collaboration is its capacity to bring together diverse scientific knowledge...... to address complex problems and questions. However, interdisciplinary scientific research can be difficult to initiate and sustain. We do not yet fully understand factors that impact interdisciplinary scientific research collaboration. This study synthesizes empirical data from two empirical studies...

Estimating of the impact of education internationalization factors on the competitiveness indicators of Russian universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilya P. Pestov

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective to assess the impact of indicators of intellectual capital derivatives on universitiesrsquo competitiveness. Methods methods for studying the relationship of socioeconomic phenomena in particular the quantitative method for determining the closeness and direction of relationship between the sample variables correlation analysis regression analysis. Results basing on the ranking data of the Russian Ministry of Education and RAEX ranking a correlation analysis was performed of the degree of influence of intellectual capital derivatives on universitiesrsquo competitiveness. Taking into account the factors having the highest correlation with the ranking index and using the multistage regression analysis a regression model was found describing the impact of factors on the ranking. The identified factors that have a confirmed impact on the ranking functional include the number of higher education programs implemented in cooperation with foreign universities the number of articles prepared jointly with foreign organizations the number of foreign leading professors lecturers and researchers. The group of these factors can be characterized as factors of internationalization of education and research activities of a university and the model results not only confirm the positive impact but also evaluate the impact of each indicator on the ranking functional value. Scientific novelty by the sample of the most competitive Russian universities the degree of the impact of internationalization factors on the ranking index was measured. Practical significance the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in the scientific and educational activities of a university in forecasting the future position of the university in the ranking depending on the factors of intellectual capital derivatives as well as for forming the personnel scientific and educational strategies and policies of the university including taking into account the trend

Analysis of regional difference on impact factors of China’s energy – Related CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huanan; Mu, Hailin; Zhang, Ming; Gui, Shusen

2012-01-01

With the intensification of global warming, the issue of carbon emissions causes more and more attention in recent years. In this paper, China’s 30 provincial-level administrative units are divided into five emission regions according to the annual average value of provincial CO 2 emissions per capita during 1990 and 2010. The regional differences in impact factors on CO 2 emissions are discussed using STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology) model. The results indicate that although GDP (Gross domestic product) per capita, industrial structure, population, urbanization and technology level have different impacts on CO 2 emissions in different emission regions, they are almost always the main factors in all emission regions. In most emission regions, urbanization and GDP per capita has a bigger impact on CO 2 emissions than other factors. Improving technology level produces a small reduction in CO 2 emissions in most emission regions, but it is still a primary way for CO 2 reduction in China. It’s noteworthy that industrial structure isn’t the main factor and improving technology level increases CO 2 emissions in high emission region. Different measures should be adopted for CO 2 reductions according to local conditions in different regions. -- Highlights: ► Regional differences of the impact factors on China’s CO 2 emissions are analyzed. ► Five macro factors like GDP per capita are almost always main influence factors in all regions. ► The impacts of different factors are different. ► Improving technology has no significant reduction on CO 2 emission in most regions. ► Policy on CO 2 reduction should be adapted to local conditions.

Unravelling biology and shifting paradigms in cancer with single-cell sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Baslan, Timour; Hicks, James

2017-08-24

The fundamental operative unit of a cancer is the genetically and epigenetically innovative single cell. Whether proliferating or quiescent, in the primary tumour mass or disseminated elsewhere, single cells govern the parameters that dictate all facets of the biology of cancer. Thus, single-cell analyses provide the ultimate level of resolution in our quest for a fundamental understanding of this disease. Historically, this quest has been hampered by technological shortcomings. In this Opinion article, we argue that the rapidly evolving field of single-cell sequencing has unshackled the cancer research community of these shortcomings. From furthering an elemental understanding of intra-tumoural genetic heterogeneity and cancer genome evolution to illuminating the governing principles of disease relapse and metastasis, we posit that single-cell sequencing promises to unravel the biology of all facets of this disease.

The impact of human factor on labor productivity at the mining enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pinigina Galina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes the term “human factor” which implies a person involved in the organizational process in the diversity of his natural and socio-psychological characteristics. The necessity to identify the impact of human factor on labour productivity at the mining enterprises is proved. It is assumed that considering human factor can be one of the ways to increase labour productivity. A research technique of the complex – mechanized team in order to identify the impact of human factor on its productivity is described. Definite research results and analysis which strongly support the assumption are given. The stages at which the human factor should be considered are analyzed. Based on the fact that person's mood determines all his vital functions, the following interpretation of the human factor was propose: to consider the human factor means to take into account everything that might spoil the mood of a person starting from his coming to the place of work till the work is finished. If it is necessary to provide high productivity, take care of the human mind. This thesis does not require proof and justification, it is obvious.

[An analysis of Spanish biomedical journals by the impact factor].

Science.gov (United States)

Baños, J E; Casanovas, L; Guardiola, E; Bosch, F

1992-06-13

One of the most frequently used parameters for evaluating scientific publications is that of impact factor (IF) published in the Science Citation Index-Journal Citation Reports (SCI-JCR) which evaluates the number of citations a journal receives on behalf of other journals. The present study analyzed the Spanish biomedical journals included in the SCI-JCR by the IF. The IF were obtained from the SCI-JCR (1980-89). The journals were evaluated by the IF and the weighted impact factor (WIF) calculated according to WIF = (IF/MIF) x 100 in which MIF = maximum IF of the considered area. Nine Spanish biomedical journals were included in the SCI-JCR, four being basic sciences (Histology and Histopathology, Inmunología, Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Revista Española de Fisiología) and five clinical journals (Allergologia et Immunopathologia, Medicina Clínica, Nefrología, Revista Española de las Enfermedades del Aparato Digestivo, Revista Clínica Española). Their IF were much lower than the most important journals in each area with the mean (+/- standard deviation) being 0.21 +/- 0.22 (range 0.016-0.627). The mean WIF was 2.88 +/- 4.07 (0.16-12.82). The journals of basic sciences had higher IF and WIF than the clinical journals (p less than 0.05). Only the four journals of basic sciences were included in the SCI. Four journals, those of basic sciences, are preferentially or exclusively published in English and other five are published in Spanish. The differences in IF among these groups were not significant (p = 0.06) while those of WIF were significant (p less than 0.05). The number of Spanish biomedical journals in the SCI-JCR has risen from 1 in 1980 to 9 in 1989 with IF which have evolved variably. In mind of impact factor, the contribution of Spanish journals is low, with that of biomedical sciences being higher than that of clinical journals. Language and inclusion in the Science Citation Index may explain, at least in part

Listening to food workers: Factors that impact proper health and hygiene practice in food service.

Science.gov (United States)

Clayton, Megan L; Clegg Smith, Katherine; Neff, Roni A; Pollack, Keshia M; Ensminger, Margaret

2015-01-01

Foodborne disease is a significant problem worldwide. Research exploring sources of outbreaks indicates a pronounced role for food workers' improper health and hygiene practice. To investigate food workers' perceptions of factors that impact proper food safety practice. Interviews with food service workers in Baltimore, MD, USA discussing food safety practices and factors that impact implementation in the workplace. A social ecological model organizes multiple levels of influence on health and hygiene behavior. Issues raised by interviewees include factors across the five levels of the social ecological model, and confirm findings from previous work. Interviews also reveal many factors not highlighted in prior work, including issues with food service policies and procedures, working conditions (e.g., pay and benefits), community resources, and state and federal policies. Food safety interventions should adopt an ecological orientation that accounts for factors at multiple levels, including workers' social and structural context, that impact food safety practice.

Comparison of Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Impact Factors for Ecology and Environmental Sciences Journals

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Edward; Hodkinson, Sarah Z.

2008-01-01

Impact factors for journals listed under the subject categories "ecology" and "environmental sciences" in the Journal Citation Reports database were calculated using citation data from the Scopus database. The journals were then ranked by their Scopus impact factor and compared to the ranked lists of the same journals derived from Journal…

Multidimensional journal evaluation analyzing scientific periodicals beyond the impact factor

CERN Document Server

Haustein, Stefanie

2012-01-01

Scientific communication depends primarily on publishing in journals. The most important indicator to determine the influence of a journal is the Impact Factor. Since this factor only measures the average number of citations per article in a certain time window, it can be argued that it does not reflect the actual value of a periodical. This book defines five dimensions, which build a framework for a multidimensional method of journal evaluation. The author is winner of the Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Scholarship 2011.

Impact on Organizational Climate trough Organizational Culture factors. Case Study of Latvia and Lithuania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juris Iljins

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the article: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of organizational culture on organizational climate in process of change. For solving this problem, it is necessary to identify the main factors of organizational culture in the change process. After exploring the impact of organizational culture on organizational climate through distinguished culture’s factors, article examines how changes can be processed in different cultural environments. Methodology: The research design is based on Yin (1994 methodology and consists of two main stages: data analysis and validation for case study and case study’s methodology according to Yin (1994 (four steps: design the case, conduct the case, analyse the case evidence and develop conclusions. In the first stage an expert evaluation method was used to investigate the significance of organizational culture factors’ impact on organizational climate. Different factors of organizational climate were explored in the paper. To affirm the results triangulation method was applied. To verify the results of the research mathematical calculations and case study were used. Within the research the most significant factors were stressed. During the second stage, the case study was carried out to validate the research results in specific companies. Comparison between medium-size companies was made. It is important, that in case Latvian company (A capital holders are Latvian entrepreneurs and capital holders of Lithuanian company (B are international. Scientific aim: To distinguish organizational culture’s factors that have an impact on organizational climate’s change. Findings: The results of the research confirmed that during the period of changes organizational culture has an impact on organizational climate through specific factors. Theoretical model how change organizational culture impacts organizational climate is developed. Research showed that stability, job satisfaction, team

The impact of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor on cardiac fibroblasts grown under altered gravity conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulbrich, Claudia; Leder, Annekatrin; Pietsch, Jessica

2010-01-01

Myocardium is very sensitive to gravitational changes. During a spaceflight cardiovascular atrophy paired with rhythm problems and orthostatic intolerance can occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor...

Journal impact factor versus the evidence level of articles published in plastic surgery journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Maria A; Tedesco, Ana C B; Nahas, Fabio X; Ferreira, Lydia M

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between impact factor and the level of evidence of articles in plastic surgery journals. The four plastic surgery journals with the top impact factors in 2011 were selected. Articles were selected using the PubMed database between January 1 and December 31, 2011. The journal evidence index was calculated by dividing the number of randomized clinical trials by the total number of articles published in the specific journal, multiplied by 100. This index was correlated to the impact factor of the journal and compared with the average of the other journals. Two investigators independently evaluated each journal, followed by a consensus and assessment of the interexaminer concordance. The kappa test was used to evaluate the concordance between the two investigators and Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate which journal presented the highest number of randomized clinical trials. The journal evidence index values were as follows: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1.70; Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, 0.40; Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 0.56; and Annals of Plastic Surgery, 0.35. The impact factors of these journals in 2011 were as follows: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 3.382; Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, 1.494; Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 1.407; and Annals of Plastic Surgery, 1.318. After consensus, the quantity of adequate studies was low and similar between these journals; only the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery showed a higher journal evidence index. The journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery exhibited the highest journal evidence index and had the highest impact factor. The number of adequate articles was low in all of the assessed journals.

GIS-based Analysis of LS Factor under Coal Mining Subsidence Impacts in Sandy Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Xiao

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Coal deposits in the adjacent regions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia province (SSI account for approximately two-thirds of coal in China; therefore, the SSI region has become the frontier of coal mining and its westward movement. Numerous adverse impacts to land and environment have arisen in these sandy, arid, and ecologically fragile areas. Underground coal mining activities cause land to subside and subsequent soil erosion, with slope length and slope steepness (LS as the key influential factor. In this investigation, an SSI mining site was chosen as a case study area, and 1 the pre-mining LS factor was obtained using a digital elevation model (DEM dataset; 2 a mining subsidence prediction was implemented with revised subsidence prediction factors; and 3 the post-mining LS factor was calculated by integrating the pre-mining DEM dataset and coal mining subsidence prediction data. The results revealed that the LS factor leads to some changes in the bottom of subsidence basin and considerable alterations at the basin’s edges of basin. Moreover, the LS factor became larger in the steeper terrain under subsidence impacts. This integrated method could quantitatively analyse LS changes and spatial distribution under mining impacts, which will benefit and provide references for soil erosion evaluations in this region

Representativeness of different factors affecting the economic impact of mastitis in dairy herds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Lopes

2017-07-01

Full Text Available he objective of this study was to identify and quantify the most representative factor affecting the economic impact of mastitis in dairy cattle herds in order to establish those that should receive greater attention from farmers and technicians to reduce the economic impact of this important disease. A simulation study was conducted with the CU$TO MASTITE program, considering 324 different herds and using combinations of the following factors: somatic cell count (250,000; 500,000; 750,000 and 1,000,000 somatic cells/mL milk; production scale (50; 100 and 150 lactating cows; productivity per animal (10; 20 and 30 L/cow/day; average annual incidence of clinical mastitis (1%; 7% and 15%, and involuntary culling rate due to mastitis (2%; 4% and 6%. Preventive measures included expenses with monitoring [culture and antibiogram, bulk tank somatic cell count (BTSCC, and individual somatic cell counts], pre- and post-dipping, vaccination, treatment of dry cows, and maintenance of the milking machine. Only treatments of clinical cases were considered as curative measures. The impact of mastitis was estimated as total losses plus expenses with prevention and treatment of clinical cases. The mean incidence of clinical mastitis (MIM and BTSCC were significant (P<0.05 in five of the seven models analyzed [economic impact per lactating cow (ILC, economic impact per liter of milk (ILM, economic impact of curative treatment per liter of milk (CTM, economic impact of milk disposal/liter of sold milk (IMD, and economic impact of reduction in production per liter of milk (IRM]. However, the standardized coefficient for MIM was higher in three indicators (ILC, IMD and CTM, a fact rendering this factor more representative when compared to BTSCC, which also had five significant indicators. Comparison of the medians of curative treatments and preventive measures per lactating cow revealed an excellent cost/benefit ratio. These findings demonstrate that both

Knowledge Factors and Their Impact on the Organisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domen Kozjek

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Research Question (RQ: The research question is whether managers in organisations recognize the benefits of knowledge management. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the factors of knowledge which have a significant impact on the organisation. Method: We reviewed the relevant literature in the field of knowledge management. On this basis, we summarized the factors of knowledge. We performed a survey among the 69 biggest Slovenian commercial companies (public and banking sectors were excluded. Results: Research has shown that managers recognize the positive effects of knowledge. Factor analysis, with the discovery of latent variables, additionally confirmed already established facts from the research literature. This led us to the discovery that knowledge is the common denominator of all companies, regardless of the business in which they operate. Organisation: From the examined literature, we can conclude that knowledge management has a positive impact on the company's results. Identification of knowledge factors allows a more efficient use of company’s resources and enables further development of the organisation. Society: Knowledge has become a highly appreciated "resource", therefore it is necessary to be able to manage it. Knowledge is the foundation of progress, not only for the development of the company but for the entire civilization. Originality: We see the original contribution in the identification of dilemmas in building connections between knowledge management and the company's success. Limitations / further research: The research matter is extremely difficult because the evidence that knowledge is the most influencing matter of a company’s success can not be easily confirmed. The connection (we remain inside the topic of human capital between knowledge and company's result is also manifested with other elements of the business, such as organisational culture, public relations, etc. Additional question is

Factors That Impact on Entrepreneurial Intention of Tertiary Students in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Denanyoh

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Entrepreneurship has been found as an important driver of economic growth, productivity and social development; hence the need for entrepreneurial graduate is on the increase. Thus the purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of polytechnic students in Ghana. In the study a model was proposed and empirically tested on a sample of 228 polytechnic students in Ghana. In the model, entrepreneurial intention is taken as a function of educational, community and family supports. The result of the survey showed that all the support factors impacts on students entrepreneurial intentions. The findings of this study have important implications for those who formulate, deliver and evaluate educational policies in Ghana. Based on the findings policy makers may make changes to foster students interest in entrepreneurship.

Impact of Constant Rate Factor on Objective Video Quality Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juraj Bienik

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the impact of constant rate factor value on the objective video quality assessment using PSNR and SSIM metrics. Compression efficiency of H.264 and H.265 codecs defined by different Constant rate factor (CRF values was tested. The assessment was done for eight types of video sequences depending on content for High Definition (HD, Full HD (FHD and Ultra HD (UHD resolution. Finally, performance of both mentioned codecs with emphasis on compression ratio and efficiency of coding was compared.

Accounting for uncertainty factors in biodiversity impact assessment: lessons from a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geneletti, D.; Beinat, E.; Chung, C.F.; Fabbri, A.G.; Scholten, H.J.

2003-01-01

For an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to effectively contribute to decision-making, it must include one crucial step: the estimation of the uncertainty factors affecting the impact evaluation and of their effect on the evaluation results. Knowledge of the uncertainties better orients the strategy of the decision-makers and underlines the most critical data or methodological steps of the procedure. Accounting for uncertainty factors is particularly relevant when dealing with ecological impacts, whose forecasts are typically affected by a high degree of simplification. By means of a case study dealing with the evaluation of road alternatives, this paper explores and discusses the main uncertainties that are related to the typical stages of a biodiversity impact assessment: uncertainty in the data that are used, in the methodologies that are applied, and in the value judgments provided by the experts. Subsequently, the effects of such uncertainty factors are tracked back to the result of the evaluation, i.e., to the relative performance of the project alternatives under consideration. This allows to test the sensitivity of the results, and consequently to provide a more informative ranking of the alternatives. The papers concludes by discussing the added-value for decision-making provided by uncertainty analysis within EIA

Connecting two jumplike unravelings for non-Markovian open quantum systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luoma, Kimmo; Suominen, Kalle-Antti; Piilo, Jyrki [Turku Centre for Quantum Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turun Yliopisto (Finland)

2011-09-15

The development and use of Monte Carlo algorithms plays a visible role in the study of non-Markovian quantum dynamics due to the provided insight and powerful numerical methods for solving the system dynamics. In the Markovian case, the connections between the various types of methods are fairly well understood while, for the non-Markovian case, there has so far been only a few studies. We focus here on two jumplike unravelings of non-Markovian dynamics: the non-Markovian quantum jump (NMQJ) method and the property state method by Gambetta, Askerud, and Wiseman (GAW). The results for simple quantum optical systems illustrate the connections between the realizations of the two methods and also highlight how the probability currents between the system and environment, or between the property states of the total system, are associated with the decay rates of time-local master equations and, consequently, with the jump rates of the NMQJ method.

Connecting two jumplike unravelings for non-Markovian open quantum systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luoma, Kimmo; Suominen, Kalle-Antti; Piilo, Jyrki

2011-01-01

The development and use of Monte Carlo algorithms plays a visible role in the study of non-Markovian quantum dynamics due to the provided insight and powerful numerical methods for solving the system dynamics. In the Markovian case, the connections between the various types of methods are fairly well understood while, for the non-Markovian case, there has so far been only a few studies. We focus here on two jumplike unravelings of non-Markovian dynamics: the non-Markovian quantum jump (NMQJ) method and the property state method by Gambetta, Askerud, and Wiseman (GAW). The results for simple quantum optical systems illustrate the connections between the realizations of the two methods and also highlight how the probability currents between the system and environment, or between the property states of the total system, are associated with the decay rates of time-local master equations and, consequently, with the jump rates of the NMQJ method.

Evaluating Academic Journals without Impact Factors for Collection Management Decisions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dilevko, Juris; Atkinson, Esther

2002-01-01

Discussion of evaluating academic journals for collection management decisions focuses on a methodological framework for evaluating journals not ranked by impact factors in Journal Citation Reports. Compares nonranked journals with ranked journals and then applies this framework to a case study in the field of medical science. (LRW)

Status of the NLO Corrections to the Photon Impact Factor

OpenAIRE

Gieseke, Stefan

2002-01-01

We present the status of the programme of calculating the next-to-leading order corrections to the virtual photon impact factor. In particular, we discuss new results for the transversely polarized photon. We briefly outline the definition of infrared finite terms and the subtraction of the leading logarithmic parts.

Impact Study on Power Factor of Electrical Load in Power Distribution System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syirrazie Che Soh; Harzawardi Hasim; Ahmad Asraf, A.S.

2014-01-01

Low Power Factor of electrical loads cause high current is drawn from power supply. The impact of this circumstance is influenced by impedance of electrical load. Therefore, the key consideration of this study is how impedance of electrical loads influence power factor of electrical loads, and then power distribution as the whole. This study is important to evaluate the right action to mitigate low power factor effectively for electrical energy efficiency purpose. (author)

The Impact of Risk Factors on the Treatment of Adolescent Sex Offenders

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Sharon M.; Lewis, Kathy; Sigal, Janet

2004-01-01

The authors investigated the impact that 5 selected risk factors have on the treatment outcome of adolescent male sex offenders. The results indicated that the greatest risk factor among sex offenders was having a mother who had a substance abuse problem. Study participants were 35 adolescent boys in a New Jersey residential facility for…

Predisposing Factors to Abnormal First Trimester Placentation and the Impact on Fetal Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Kroener, Lindsay; Wang, Erica T.; Pisarska, Margareta D.

2016-01-01

Normal placentation during the first trimester sets the stage for the rest of pregnancy and involves a finely orchestrated cellular and molecular interplay of maternal and fetal tissues. The resulting intrauterine environment plays an important role in fetal programming and the future health of the fetus, and is impacted by multiple genetic and epigenetic factors. Abnormalities in placentation and spiral artery invasion can lead to ischemia, placental disease and adverse obstetrical outcomes including preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and placental abruption. Although first trimester placentation is affected my multiple factors, preconception environmental influences such as mode of conception, including assisted reproductive technologies which result in fertilization in vitro and intrauterine influences due to sex differences are emerging as potential significant factors impacting first trimester placentation. PMID:26696276

Unraveling the WRKY transcription factors network in Arabidopsis Thaliana by integrative approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mouna Choura

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The WRKY transcription factors superfamily are involved in diverse biological processes in plants including response to biotic and abiotic stresses and plant immunity. Protein-protein interaction network is a useful approach for understanding these complex processes. The availability of Arabidopsis Thaliana interactome offers a good opportunity to do get a global view of protein network. In this work, we have constructed the WRKY transcription factor network by combining different sources of evidence and we characterized its topological features using computational tools. We found that WRKY network is a hub-based network involving multifunctional proteins denoted as hubs such as WRKY 70, WRKY40, WRKY 53, WRKY 60, WRKY 33 and WRKY 51. Functional annotation showed seven functional modules particularly involved in biotic stress and defense responses. Furthermore, the gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that WRKY proteins are mainly involved in plant-pathogen interaction pathways and their functions are directly related to the stress response and immune system process.

Assessment of impact factors on shear wave based liver stiffness measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ling, Wenwu, E-mail: lingwenwubing@163.com [Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China); Lu, Qiang, E-mail: wsluqiang@126.com [Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China); Quan, Jierong, E-mail: quanjierong@163.com [Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China); Ma, Lin, E-mail: malin2010US@163.com [Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China); Luo, Yan, E-mail: huaxiluoyan@gmail.com [Department of Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041 (China)

2013-02-15

Shear wave based ultrasound elastographies have been implemented as non-invasive methods for quantitative assessment of liver stiffness. Nonetheless, there are only a few studies that have investigated impact factors on liver stiffness measurement (LSM). Moreover, standard examination protocols for LSM are still lacking in clinical practice. Our study aimed to assess the impact factors on LSM to establish its standard examination protocols in clinical practice. We applied shear wave based elastography point quantification (ElastPQ) in 21 healthy individuals to determine the impact of liver location (segments I–VIII), breathing phase (end-inspiration and end-expiration), probe position (sub-costal and inter-costal position) and examiner on LSM. Additional studies in 175 healthy individuals were also performed to determine the influence of gender and age on liver stiffness. We found significant impact of liver location on LSM, while the liver segment V displayed the lowest coefficient of variation (CV 21%). The liver stiffness at the end-expiration was significantly higher than that at the end-inspiration (P = 2.1E−05). The liver stiffness was 8% higher in men than in women (3.8 ± 0.7 kPa vs. 3.5 ± 0.4 kPa, P = 0.0168). In contrast, the liver stiffness was comparable in the different probe positions, examiners and age groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, this study reveals significant impact from liver location, breathing phase and gender on LSM, while furthermore strengthening the necessity for the development of standard examination protocols on LSM.

Unravelling variation in feeding, social interaction and growth patterns among pigs using an agent-based model.

Science.gov (United States)

Boumans, Iris J M M; de Boer, Imke J M; Hofstede, Gert Jan; Bokkers, Eddie A M

2018-07-01

Domesticated pigs, Sus scrofa, vary considerably in feeding, social interaction and growth patterns. This variation originates partly from genetic variation that affects physiological factors and partly from behavioural strategies (avoid or approach) in competitive food resource situations. Currently, it is unknown how variation in physiological factors and in behavioural strategies among animals contributes to variation in feeding, social interaction and growth patterns in animals. The aim of this study was to unravel causation of variation in these patterns among pigs. We used an agent-based model to explore the effects of physiological factors and behavioural strategies in pigs on variation in feeding, social interaction and growth patterns. Model results show that variation in feeding, social interaction and growth patterns are caused partly by chance, such as time effects and coincidence of conflicts. Furthermore, results show that seemingly contradictory empirical findings in literature can be explained by variation in pig characteristics (i.e. growth potential, positive feedback, dominance, and coping style). Growth potential mainly affected feeding and growth patterns, whereas positive feedback, dominance and coping style affected feeding patterns, social interaction patterns, as well as growth patterns. Variation in behavioural strategies among pigs can reduce aggression at group level, but also make some pigs more susceptible to social constraints inhibiting them from feeding when they want to, especially low-ranking pigs and pigs with a passive coping style. Variation in feeding patterns, such as feeding rate or meal frequency, can indicate social constraints. Feeding patterns, however, can say something different about social constraints at group versus individual level. A combination of feeding patterns, such as a decreased feed intake, an increased feeding rate, and an increased meal frequency might, therefore, be needed to measure social constraints

The interactions among impact factors affecting 131I treatment efficacy of Graves' disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Peng; Tan Jian; Zhang Guizhi; He Yajing; Dong Feng; Wang Renfei; Xiao Qian

2011-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the possible interactions among different impact factors possibly affecting the treatment efficacy of 131 I in Graves' disease (GD). Methods: Six hundred and thirty two GD patients that had been treated by 131 I, with or without antithyroid drugs (ATD), were included in this study. The impact factors were pre-defined as age (x 1 ), sex (x 2 ), mass of thyroid (x 3 ), course of disease (x 4 ), initial symptom (x 5 ), condition of disease (x 6 ), ATD treatment duration (x 7 ), effective half life time (x 8 ), maximum 131 I uptake rate (x 9 ), total dose of 131 I (x 10 ), dose of 131 I per gram of thyroid (x 11 ), TRAb (x 12 ), TSI (x 13 ), TgAb (x 14 ), and thyroid microsomal antibody(TMAb) level (x 15 ). Interactions among different impact factors were studied by t-test, χ 2 test and multi-variant logistic regression. Results: Age, mass of thyroid, ATD treatment duration, maximum 131 I uptake rate, dose of 131 I per gram of thyroid tissue and TSI level were identified as independent impact factors affecting the 131 I treatment efficacy on GD (χ 2 =6.908, t=-4.063, χ 2 =13.558, t=-2.553, t=4.528, χ 2 =9.716, all P 131 I uptake rate (likelihood χ 2 =8.176, P>0.05; F=2.928, 1.992, 2.629, 2.215, all P 131 I treatment, which might guide the prescription of 131 I dosage for GD treatment. (authors)

Factors impacting the illness trajectory of post-infectious fatigue syndrome: a qualitative study of adults' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Stormorken, Eva; Jason, Leonard A; Kirkevold, Marit

2017-12-13

Post-infectious fatigue syndrome (PIFS), also known as post-viral fatigue syndrome, is a complex condition resulting in physical, cognitive, emotional, neurological, vocational and/or role performance disabilities in varying degrees that changes over time. The needs for health care resources are high, and costly, as is the economic burden on the affected individuals. Many factors may impact the trajectory, and frequently PIFS develops into a chronic condition. Health professionals lack understanding and knowledge, which results in delayed diagnosis, lack of recognition, appropriate treatment, support and practical help. The aim of our study was to explore, from the perspective of persons who had lived with PIFS for four years following an outbreak of Giardia l. induced enteritis, factors that may have impacted their illness trajectory and how these factors had played a role during different phases. In this retrospective exploratory qualitative study a group of 26 affected adults between 26 and 59 years old were selected for in-depth interviews. A maximum variation sample was recruited from a physician-diagnosed cohort of persons with PIFS enrolled at a tertiary outpatient fatigue clinic. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to qualitative content analysis. Unhelpful and helpful factors were associated with the healthcare system, health professionals and the affected persons were experienced as having an impact on the trajectory. External impacting factors which are related to the health care system, providers and the social security system are misdiagnosis, trivialization of symptoms, unhelpful advice, delayed diagnosis and lack of appropriate help. Internal impacting factors related to the affected individuals were lack of knowledge, overestimating functional capacity, assuming the condition will pass, ignoring body signals and denial. A model of impacting factors in each phase of the trajectory is presented. Unmet needs may

The impact of risk factors on the financial performance of the commercial banking sector in Barbados

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony Wood

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of risk factors on the financial performance of the commercial banking sector in Barbados using quarterly data for the period 2000 to 2015. The empirical results indicate that Capital Risk, Credit Risk, Liquidity Risk, Interest Rate Risk and Operational Risk have statistically significant impacts on financial performance. The only risk variable which does not derive this result is Country Risk. In addition, of those variables which proxy external factors, only GDP Growth has a statistically insignificant influence on financial performance. Credit risk exerted a negative impact on the banks’ financial performance, thus the banks must ensure they adopt appropriate measures to minimise the impact of this risk. Higher levels of capital impacted positively on the banking sector’s profitability. This paper is the first effort employing such an extensive dataset based on Barbados’ commercial banking sector and shows the main factors that influence commercial banks’ financial performance in this developing economy.

Mobile phone usage of young adults: The impact of motivational factors.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Biljon, J

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This paper concerns the impact of motivational factors on mobile phone use profiles and the influence thereof on the design of mobile phones. It aims to provide an alternative to the current feature driven design perspectives...

Unravelling Thiol’s Role in Directing Asymmetric Growth of Au Nanorod–Au Nanoparticle Dimers

KAUST Repository

Huang, Jianfeng

2015-12-15

Asymmetric nanocrystals have practical significance in nanotechnologies but present fundamental synthetic challenges. Thiol ligands have proven effective in breaking the symmetric growth of metallic nanocrystals but their exact roles in the synthesis remain elusive. Here, we synthesized an unprecedented Au nanorod-Au nanoparticle (AuNR-AuNP) dimer structure with the assistance of a thiol ligand. On the basis of our experimental observations, we unraveled for the first time that the thiol could cause an inhomogeneous distribution of surface strains on the seed crystals as well as a modulated reduction rate of metal precursors, which jointly induced the asymmetric growth of monometallic dimers. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Arbejdsmedicin: hvorfra og hvorhen?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Jens Peter

2009-01-01

Technological innovation and preventive measures have had a major impact on the occurrence of occupational disease in Denmark over the past 50 years, although some diseases such as asbestos-related cancer are still being diagnosed. The main challenges for modern occupational medicine is to unravel...... psychosocial workplace factors are detrimental to health. Udgivelsesdato: 2009-Feb...

Impact factor evolution of nursing research journals: 2009 to 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Cáceres, Macarena C; Guerrero-Martín, Jorge; González-Morales, Borja; Pérez-Civantos, Demetrio V; Carreto-Lemus, Maria A; Durán-Gómez, Noelia

The use of bibliometric indicators (impact factor [IF], impact index, h-index, etc.) is now believed to be a fundamental measure of the quality of scientific research output. In this context, the presence of scientific nursing journals in international databases and the factors influencing their impact ratings is being widely analyzed. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of scientific nursing journals in international databases and track the changes in their IF. A secondary analysis was carried out on data for the years 2009 to 2014 held in the JCR database (subject category: nursing). Additionally, the presence of scientific nursing journals in Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, and SJR was analyzed. During the period studied, the number of journals indexed in the JCR under the nursing subject category increased from 70 in 2009 (mean IF: 0.99, standard deviation: 0.53) to 115 in 2014 (mean IF: 1.04, standard deviation: 0.42), of which only 70 were listed for the full six years. Although mean IF showed an upward trend throughout this time, no statistically significant differences were found in the variations to this figure. Although IF and other bibliometric indicators have their limitations, it is nonetheless true that bibliometry is now the most widely used tool for evaluating scientific output in all disciplines, including nursing, highlighting the importance of being familiar with how they are calculated and their significance when deciding the journal or journals in which to publish the results of our research. That said, it is also necessary to consider other possible alternative ways of assessing the quality and impact of scientific contributions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unraveling different chemical fingerprints between a champagne wine and its aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Liger-Belair, Gérard; Cilindre, Clara; Gougeon, Régis D; Lucio, Marianna; Gebefügi, Istvan; Jeandet, Philippe; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe

2009-09-29

As champagne or sparkling wine is poured into a glass, the myriad of ascending bubbles collapse and radiate a multitude of tiny droplets above the free surface into the form of very characteristic and refreshing aerosols. Ultrahigh-resolution MS was used as a nontargeted approach to discriminate hundreds of surface active compounds that are preferentially partitioning in champagne aerosols; thus, unraveling different chemical fingerprints between the champagne bulk and its aerosols. Based on accurate exact mass analysis and database search, tens of these compounds overconcentrating in champagne aerosols were unambiguously discriminated and assigned to compounds showing organoleptic interest or being aromas precursors. By drawing a parallel between the fizz of the ocean and the fizz in Champagne wines, our results closely link bursting bubbles and flavor release; thus, supporting the idea that rising and collapsing bubbles act as a continuous paternoster lift for aromas in every glass of champagne.

Reintegration Success and Failure: Factors Impacting Reintegration among Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women

Science.gov (United States)

Cobbina, Jennifer E.

2010-01-01

Criminologists have explored the reentry experience of formerly incarcerated adults, documented the pressing challenges of reentry, the correlates of recidivism, and the causes of desistance. Given scholars' focus on reentry to explain what factors impact criminal outcome, this raises the interesting question of whether and how such factors shape…

Where's the impairment: an examination of factors that impact sustained attention following a stressor.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Jonathan B; Tartar, Jaime L; Welhaf, Matthew S

2014-01-01

The impact of stress on cognitive functioning has been examined across multiple domains. However, few studies investigate both physical and psychological factors that impact cognitive performance. The current study examined the impact of a physical and psychosocial stressor on sustained attention and identified factors related to sustained attention, including cortisol, salivary alpha amylase (sAA) and mind wandering. A total of 53 participants completed either the socially evaluated cold pressor task or a control task followed by the sustained attention to response task with mind wandering measures. Participants also provided saliva samples following the attention task. Results indicate the stressor task did not impact mind wandering or sustained attention but increased cortisol and sAA. Mind wandering was negatively related to sustained attention and mediated the relationship between cortisol and sustained attention. The findings highlight the importance of examining multiple sources of stress-related cognitive impairments.

Analyzing impact factors of CO2 emissions using the STIRPAT model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Ying; Liu Lancui; Wu Gang; Wei Yiming

2006-01-01

Using the STIRPAT model, this paper analyzes the impact of population, affluence and technology on the total CO 2 emissions of countries at different income levels over the period 1975-2000. Our main results show at the global level that economic growth has the greatest impact on CO 2 emissions, and the proportion of the population between ages 15 and 64 has the least impact. The proportion of the population between 15 and 64 has a negative impact on the total CO 2 emissions of countries at the high income level, but the impact is positive at other income levels. This may illustrate the importance of the 'B' in the 'I = PABT'; that is to say that different behavior fashions can greatly influence environmental change. For low-income countries, the impact of GDP per capita on total CO 2 emissions is very great, and the impact of energy intensity in upper-middle income countries is very great. The impact of these factors on the total CO 2 emissions of countries at the high income level is relatively great. Therefore, these empirical results indicate that the impact of population, affluence and technology on CO 2 emissions varies at different levels of development. Thus, policy-makers should consider these matters fully when they construct their long-term strategies for CO 2 abatement

[Analysis of citations and national and international impact factor of Farmacia Hospitalaria (2001-2005)].

Science.gov (United States)

Aleixandre-Benavent, R; González Alcaide, G; Miguel-Dasit, A; González de Dios, J; de Granda Orive, J I; Valderrama Zurián, J C

2007-01-01

The objective of this study is to analyse the citation patterns and impact and immediacy indicators of the Farmacia Hospitalaria journal during the period 2001-2005. An analysis of citations chosen from 101 Spanish health science journals was carried out in order to determine the citing and cited journals and the national and international impact and immediacy indicators. A similar methodology used by Thomson ISI in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Journal Citation Reports (JRC) was applied. Farmacia Hospitalaria made 1,370 citations to 316 different journals. The percentage of self-citations was 9%. The national impact factor increased from 0.178 points in 2001 to 0.663 points in 2005 while the international impact factor increased from 0.178 to 0.806 for the same period. The analysis of citation patterns demonstrates the multidisciplinary nature of Farmacia Hospitalaria and a significant growth in the impact indicators over recent years. These indicators are higher than those of some other pharmacy journals included in Journal Citation Reports. Self-citation was not excessive and was similar to that of other journals.

Estimating drought risk across Europe from reported drought impacts, drought indices, and vulnerability factors

Science.gov (United States)

Blauhut, Veit; Stahl, Kerstin; Stagge, James Howard; Tallaksen, Lena M.; De Stefano, Lucia; Vogt, Jürgen

2016-07-01

Drought is one of the most costly natural hazards in Europe. Due to its complexity, drought risk, meant as the combination of the natural hazard and societal vulnerability, is difficult to define and challenging to detect and predict, as the impacts of drought are very diverse, covering the breadth of socioeconomic and environmental systems. Pan-European maps of drought risk could inform the elaboration of guidelines and policies to address its documented severity and impact across borders. This work tests the capability of commonly applied drought indices and vulnerability factors to predict annual drought impact occurrence for different sectors and macro regions in Europe and combines information on past drought impacts, drought indices, and vulnerability factors into estimates of drought risk at the pan-European scale. This hybrid approach bridges the gap between traditional vulnerability assessment and probabilistic impact prediction in a statistical modelling framework. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to predict the likelihood of impact occurrence on an annual basis for particular impact categories and European macro regions. The results indicate sector- and macro-region-specific sensitivities of drought indices, with the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for a 12-month accumulation period as the overall best hazard predictor. Vulnerability factors have only limited ability to predict drought impacts as single predictors, with information about land use and water resources being the best vulnerability-based predictors. The application of the hybrid approach revealed strong regional and sector-specific differences in drought risk across Europe. The majority of the best predictor combinations rely on a combination of SPEI for shorter and longer accumulation periods, and a combination of information on land use and water resources. The added value of integrating regional vulnerability information with drought risk prediction

Estimating drought risk across Europe from reported drought impacts, hazard indicators and vulnerability factors

Science.gov (United States)

Blauhut, V.; Stahl, K.; Stagge, J. H.; Tallaksen, L. M.; De Stefano, L.; Vogt, J.

2015-12-01

Drought is one of the most costly natural hazards in Europe. Due to its complexity, drought risk, the combination of the natural hazard and societal vulnerability, is difficult to define and challenging to detect and predict, as the impacts of drought are very diverse, covering the breadth of socioeconomic and environmental systems. Pan-European maps of drought risk could inform the elaboration of guidelines and policies to address its documented severity and impact across borders. This work (1) tests the capability of commonly applied hazard indicators and vulnerability factors to predict annual drought impact occurrence for different sectors and macro regions in Europe and (2) combines information on past drought impacts, drought hazard indicators, and vulnerability factors into estimates of drought risk at the pan-European scale. This "hybrid approach" bridges the gap between traditional vulnerability assessment and probabilistic impact forecast in a statistical modelling framework. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to predict the likelihood of impact occurrence on an annual basis for particular impact categories and European macro regions. The results indicate sector- and macro region specific sensitivities of hazard indicators, with the Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index for a twelve month aggregation period (SPEI-12) as the overall best hazard predictor. Vulnerability factors have only limited ability to predict drought impacts as single predictor, with information about landuse and water resources as best vulnerability-based predictors. (3) The application of the "hybrid approach" revealed strong regional (NUTS combo level) and sector specific differences in drought risk across Europe. The majority of best predictor combinations rely on a combination of SPEI for shorter and longer aggregation periods, and a combination of information on landuse and water resources. The added value of integrating regional vulnerability information

Factors impacting hunter access to private lands in southeast Minnesota

Science.gov (United States)

Walberg, Eric; Cornicelli, Louis; Fulton, David C.

2018-01-01

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have important socioeconomic and ecological impacts in the United States. Hunting is considered to be important for the effective management of deer and relies on access to privately owned lands. In 2013, we surveyed nonindustrial private landowners in southeast Minnesota and created two logit models to examine factors that impact landowners’ decision to (a) allow public hunting access and (b) post private property. Parcel characteristics were found to impact landowner decisions to allow hunting access, particularly the size of the property and whether it was posted. Hunting access to small properties was more likely to be restricted to family, friends, and neighbors (83%) compared to medium (74%) or large properties (60%). Hunter concerns (e.g., liability) and knowledge about deer management was significant in both models, suggesting there are opportunities to educate landowners about the importance of allowing public hunting access and available liability protections.

The macroeconomic factors impact on the Level of Food Expenditure of St. Petersburg Residents

OpenAIRE

Bulatova Anastasiia

2016-01-01

The topic of this research is the impact of the macroeconomic factors on food spending residents of St. Petersburg. The problem of the study is the ambiguity of the food sanctions impact on the consumer spending on food. The aim of the work are the trend analyze in the level of food spending in St. Petersburg since the first quarter of 2007 to the third quarter 2015, and the identifying of factors influencing these food waste. St. Petersburg was chosen because it is a city with a large popula...

Difficult factors in Management of Impacted Dental Prosthesis in Esophagus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Efiaty A. Soepardi

2005-03-01

Full Text Available A dental prosthesis which ingested and impacted in esophagus, is an emergency case and life threatening, so require immediate esophagoscopy intervention for removing. The objective of this study is to assess some factors can caused dtfficulties in diagnosing and treating the ingested and impacted dental prosthesis in the esophagus and their complications. This retrospective study analyzed patient’s chart whose underwent esophagoscopy for removing the impacted dental prosthesis in Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia during a period between January 1997 and December 2003. Neck-chest X-ray and esophagoscopy were performed in all patients to identify the existence of the dental prosthesis as a diagnostic and treatment procedure. The length of time for removing the dental prosthesis was recorded and stated as a less difficult esophagoscopy when it takes time less than 60 minutes and as a difficult  esophagoscopy takes 60 minutes or longer. Some risk difficulties factors were statistically analyzed. There were 53 patients of ingested dental prosthesis in esophagus. Only 51 cases were analyzed According to the length of time for removing the dental prosthesis by esophagoscopy, 22 patients were recorded as less difficult cases and 29 patients as difficult cases. Two cases among the cases needed cervicotomy after unsuccessful esophagoscopy removal. The difficulties to diagnose an impacted dental prosthesis in the esophagus caused by unreliable clinical history, unclear signs and symptoms, unable to be detected by X-ray and was not found during esophagoscopy. The difficulties in treating due to mucosal laceration, edema, bleeding, failure of the first extraction and conformity with the size and shape, the wire outside the dental prosthesis and the length of time stayed in the esophagus. (Med J Indones 2005; 14: 33-6Keywords: ingested dental prosthesis, radioluscent foreign body, length of time of esophagoscopy

Differences in problem behaviour among ethnic minority and majority preschoolers in the Netherlands and the role of family functioning and parenting factors as mediators: The Generation R Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.J.E. Flink (Ilse); P.W. Jansen (Pauline); T.M.J. Beirens (Tinneke); H.W. Tiemeier (Henning); M.H. van IJzendoorn (Rien); V.W.V. Jaddoe (Vincent); A. Hofman (Albert); H. Raat (Hein)

2012-01-01

textabstractBackground: Studies have shown that, compared to native counterparts, preschoolers from ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of problem behaviour. Socio-economic factors only partly explain this increased risk. This study aimed to further unravel the differences in problem

Factors Impacting on Development of IT and E-Commerce in SMEs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

sirous Alidousti

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Shifts in both the sense and direction of IT development coupled with shifts in global economy have caused small to medium enterprises (SMEs to enjoy an increasing prominence in national economic development. In order to succeed within a competitive milieu, these companies must boost the quality of their products and management processes while reducing costs. Therefore it becomes imperative to deploy IT. Studies show that while SMEs could profit from IT and E-Commerce, but to reap its benefits and succeed in deploying this technology they need to secure special conditions. In other words, the success rate in SMEs is contingent-based. Such realities have led to numerous studies and research to identify the factors impacting on IT deployment in SMEs. The present paper initially explains the role of SMEs in economic development and would follow it up with the application of IT in these enterprises. The cogent impact factors are categorized and presented within the framework of Pettigrew and Whipp change model.

Heart of darkness unraveling the mysteries of the invisible universe

CERN Document Server

Ostriker, Jeremiah P

2013-01-01

Heart of Darkness describes the incredible saga of humankind's quest to unravel the deepest secrets of the universe. Over the past thirty years, scientists have learned that two little-understood components--dark matter and dark energy--comprise most of the known cosmos, explain the growth of all cosmic structure, and hold the key to the universe's fate. The story of how evidence for the so-called "Lambda-Cold Dark Matter" model of cosmology has been gathered by generations of scientists throughout the world is told here by one of the pioneers of the field, Jeremiah Ostriker, and his coauthor Simon Mitton. From humankind's early attempts to comprehend Earth's place in the solar system, to astronomers' exploration of the Milky Way galaxy and the realm of the nebulae beyond, to the detection of the primordial fluctuations of energy from which all subsequent structure developed, this book explains the physics and the history of how the current model of our universe arose and has passed every test hurled at it b...

Prognostic impact of placenta growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor A in patients with breast cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maae, Else; Olsen, Dorte Aalund; Steffensen, Karina Dahl

2012-01-01

such as ischemic heart disease, arthritis and tumor growth. Angiogenesis is a complex process with several growth factors involved. Because PlGF modulates VEGF-A responses, we investigated their mutual relationship and impact on breast cancer prognosis. Quantitative PlGF and VEGF-A levels were measured in 229...... tumor tissue specimen from primarily operated patients with unilateral breast cancer. Non-malignant breast tissue was also dissected near the tumor and quantitative measurements were available for 211 patients. PlGF and VEGF-A protein levels in homogenized tissue lysates were analyzed using the Luminex......Placenta growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) are angiogenic growth factors interacting competitively with the same receptors. VEGF-A is essential in both normal and pathologic conditions, but the functions of PlGF seem to be restricted to pathologic conditions...

Factors impacting the decision to participate in and satisfaction with public/community psychiatry fellowship training.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, Michael; LeMelle, Stephanie; Ranz, Jules

2014-10-01

During yearly meetings of the recently developed network of 15 public/community psychiatry fellowships, it has been noted that programs are having varying degrees of success with regard to recruitment. To understand factors that impact recruitment, a quality improvement survey of fellows and alumni was conducted. Respondents were asked to rate overall satisfaction with their fellowship training as well as perceived benefits and obstacles to participating in a fellowship program, and impact on their careers. A total of 155 (57%) fellows and alumni responded. Factor analysis was used to condense the variables, and a multiple regression explored factors predicting overall fellowship program satisfaction. Factors that represented perceived benefits had higher means than did factors that represent obstacles. Respondents highly valued the extent to which these fellowships enhanced their careers, with regard to job opportunities, academics, networking and leadership.

The Use of Twitter by the Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery Journals: Twitter Activity, Impact Factor, and Alternative Metrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Hannah; Hughes, Andrew; Murphy, Colin

2017-12-10

Aim Social media (SoMe) platforms have become leading methods of communication and dissemination of scientific information in the medical community. They allow for immediate discussion and widespread engagement around important topics. It has been hypothesized that the activity on Twitter positively correlates with highly cited articles. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and activity of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery journals on Twitter, with the hypothesis that the impact factor is positively associated with the Twitter usage. Methods The top 50 Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery journals, ranked by 2016 Impact Factor were analyzed. The Twitter profiles of each journal or affiliated society were identified. Other SoMe platforms used were also recorded. The Twitonomy software (Digonomy Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia) was used to analyze the Twitter profiles over a one-year period. The Twitter Klout scores were recorded for each journal to approximate the SoMe influence. The Altmetric scores (the total number of mentions via alternative metrics) were also recorded. The statistical analysis was carried out to identify correlations between journal Impact Factors, SoMe activity, Twitter Klout scores and Altmetric scores.  Results Twenty-two journals (44%) were dedicated to the Twitter profiles. Fourteen journals (28%) were associated with societies that had profiles and 14 journals (28%) had no Twitter presence. The mean Impact Factor overall was 2.16 +/- 0.14 (range, 1.07-5.16). The journals with dedicated Twitter profiles had higher Impact Factors than those without (mean 2.41 vs. 1.61; P=0.005). A greater number of Twitter followers were associated with higher Impact Factors (R2 0.317, P=0.03). The journals with higher Twitter Klout scores had higher Impact Factors (R2 0.357, P=0.016). The Altmetric score was positively associated with an Impact Factor (R2 0.310, P=0.015). The journals with higher numbers of retweets (virtual citations in

Unraveling chaotic attractors by complex networks and measurements of stock market complexity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Hongduo; Li, Ying

2014-01-01

We present a novel method for measuring the complexity of a time series by unraveling a chaotic attractor modeled on complex networks. The complexity index R, which can potentially be exploited for prediction, has a similar meaning to the Kolmogorov complexity (calculated from the Lempel–Ziv complexity), and is an appropriate measure of a series' complexity. The proposed method is used to research the complexity of the world's major capital markets. None of these markets are completely random, and they have different degrees of complexity, both over the entire length of their time series and at a level of detail. However, developing markets differ significantly from mature markets. Specifically, the complexity of mature stock markets is stronger and more stable over time, whereas developing markets exhibit relatively low and unstable complexity over certain time periods, implying a stronger long-term price memory process

Unraveling chaotic attractors by complex networks and measurements of stock market complexity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Hongduo; Li, Ying

2014-03-01

We present a novel method for measuring the complexity of a time series by unraveling a chaotic attractor modeled on complex networks. The complexity index R, which can potentially be exploited for prediction, has a similar meaning to the Kolmogorov complexity (calculated from the Lempel-Ziv complexity), and is an appropriate measure of a series' complexity. The proposed method is used to research the complexity of the world's major capital markets. None of these markets are completely random, and they have different degrees of complexity, both over the entire length of their time series and at a level of detail. However, developing markets differ significantly from mature markets. Specifically, the complexity of mature stock markets is stronger and more stable over time, whereas developing markets exhibit relatively low and unstable complexity over certain time periods, implying a stronger long-term price memory process.

Combined impact of negative lifestyle factors on cardiovascular risk in children: a randomized prospective study

OpenAIRE

Meyer, Ursina; Schindler, Christian; Bloesch, Tamara; Schmocker, Eliane; Zahner, Lukas; Puder, Jardena J; Kriemler, Susi

2014-01-01

PURPOSE: Negative lifestyle factors are known to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk (CVR) in children, but research on their combined impact on a general population of children is sparse. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the combined impact of easily assessable negative lifestyle factors on the CVR scores of randomly selected children after 4 years. METHODS: Of the 540 randomly selected 6- to 13-year-old children, 502 children participated in a baseline health assessment, and ...

Unraveling hidden order in the dynamics of developed and emerging markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Berman, Yonatan; Shapira, Yoash; Ben-Jacob, Eshel

2014-01-01

The characterization of asset price returns is an important subject in modern finance. Traditionally, the dynamics of stock returns are assumed to lack any temporal order. Here we present an analysis of the autocovariance of stock market indices and unravel temporal order in several major stock markets. We also demonstrate a fundamental difference between developed and emerging markets in the past decade - emerging markets are marked by positive order in contrast to developed markets whose dynamics are marked by weakly negative order. In addition, the reaction to financial crises was found to be reversed among developed and emerging markets, presenting large positive/negative autocovariance spikes following the onset of these crises. Notably, the Chinese market shows neutral or no order while being regarded as an emerging market. These findings show that despite the coupling between international markets and global trading, major differences exist between different markets, and demonstrate that the autocovariance of markets is correlated with their stability, as well as with their state of development.

Unraveling environmental drivers of a recent increase in Swiss fungi fruiting

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Büntgen, Ulf; Peter, M.; Kauserud, H.; Egli, S.

2013-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 9 (2013), s. 2785-2794 ISSN 1354-1013 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : climate change * forest ecology * fungi-host interaction * global carbon cycle * plant phenology * tree growth Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 8.224, year: 2013

Impact of Anthropogenic Factor on Urboecological Space Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuprina Tamara

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the issues of the impact of the anthropogenic factor on urboecological space development. The issues are considered taking into account retrospective theoretical data to show the process of Anthropoecology development as a new branch of sociological science. At present the noosphere acquires features of anthropoecosystems having a number of parameters from the endogenous and exogenous point of view. Anthropoecology has special socio-cultural significance as considers the interaction of all actors of international space. There introduced the new branch Ecopsycology as the outer world is the reflection of the inner human world. There is a definition of the sustainability of ecological system. In the practical part of the article there is an example of academic mobility as the basis of the human potential with possible transfer into the human capital supporting by survey data. In conclusion there are recommendations on management and adaptation of the anthropogenic factor (a kind of biogenesis in modern urboecological space.

The effect of social media (#SoMe) on journal impact factor and parental awareness in paediatric urology.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Kelly, F; Nason, G J; Manecksha, R P; Cascio, S; Quinn, F J; Leonard, M; Koyle, M A; Farhat, W; Leveridge, M J

2017-10-01

Social media (SoMe) comprises a number of internet-based applications that have the capability to disseminate multimodal media and allow for unprecedented inter-user connectivity. The role of Twitter has been studied in conferences and education; moreover, there is increasing evidence that patients are more likely to use social media for their own health education. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of social media platforms on the impact factor of both urological and paediatric journals that publish on paediatric urology, and to assess parental awareness of social media in paediatric urology. A filtered Journal of Citation Reports (JCR) search was performed for the period 2012-16 for journals that published articles on paediatric urology. Journals were ranked according to impact factor, and each individual journal website was accessed to assess for the presence of social media. Parents in paediatric urology clinics and non-paediatric urology patients also filled out a questionnaire to assess for awareness and attitudes to social media. All statistical analysis was performed using Prism 6 software (Prism 6, GraphPad Software, California, USA). Overall, there were 50 urological journals and 39 paediatric journals with a mean impact factor of 2.303 and 1.766, respectively. There was an overall average increase in impact factor across all urological journals between 2012 and 16. The presence of a Twitter feed was statistically significant for a rise in impact factor over the 4 years (P = 0.017). The cohort of parents was statistically more likely to have completed post-secondary education, to have and access to a social media profile, use it for health education, and use it to access journal/physician/hospital social media accounts. This study examined, for the first time, the role of social media in paediatric urology, and demonstrated that SoMe use is associated with a positive influence in impact factor, but also a parental appetite for it

[Impacts of biological and family factors on lexical and intellectual development in Mandarin-speaking children].

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Jie; Chen, Yong-Xiang; Zhu, Li-Qi

2015-07-01

To investigate the impacts of biological factors (age and sex) and family factors (socioeconomic status and parenting style) on the early lexical and intellectual development of children in a longitudinal tracking study. A total of 38 Mandarin-speaking children aged from 18 to 24 months were surveyed using the Putonghua Chinese Communicative Development Inventory (PCDI), the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and a self-designed Questionnaire for Parents. All of the subjects were retested using PCDI and ASQ after 6 months. Biological factors accounted for 65% of the variance in lexical development, 10% of which was attributed to gender, in the first survey. After six months, the contribution of age decreased to 26% and gender had no significant impact. Lexical development could positively predict the intellectual development of children. When age and gender were controlled, it accounted for 22% of the variance in intellectual development. Family socioeconomic factors had no significant impacts on lexical and intellectual development. Children's recognition of people and objects around them with guidance of parents in parenting styles could positively predict the intellectual development of children six months later, which accounted for 10% of the variance. Biological factors play an important role in the early lexical development of children. However, the influence decreases with the increase of age (months). Biological factors, lexical development, and parenting style have a combined influence on children's intellectual development.

The Carbon_h-factor: predicting individuals' research impact at early stages of their career.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claus-Christian Carbon

Full Text Available Assessing an individual's research impact on the basis of a transparent algorithm is an important task for evaluation and comparison purposes. Besides simple but also inaccurate indices such as counting the mere number of publications or the accumulation of overall citations, and highly complex but also overwhelming full-range publication lists in their raw format, Hirsch (2005 introduced a single figure cleverly combining different approaches. The so-called h-index has undoubtedly become the standard in scientometrics of individuals' research impact (note: in the present paper I will always use the term "research impact" to describe the research performance as the logic of the paper is based on the h-index, which quantifies the specific "impact" of, e.g., researchers, but also because the genuine meaning of impact refers to quality as well. As the h-index reflects the number h of papers a researcher has published with at least h citations, the index is inherently positively biased towards senior level researchers. This might sometimes be problematic when predictive tools are needed for assessing young scientists' potential, especially when recruiting early career positions or equipping young scientists' labs. To be compatible with the standard h-index, the proposed index integrates the scientist's research age (Carbon_h-factor into the h-index, thus reporting the average gain of h-index per year. Comprehensive calculations of the Carbon_h-factor were made for a broad variety of four research-disciplines (economics, neuroscience, physics and psychology and for researchers performing on three high levels of research impact (substantial, outstanding and epochal with ten researchers per category. For all research areas and output levels we obtained linear developments of the h-index demonstrating the validity of predicting one's later impact in terms of research impact already at an early stage of their career with the Carbon_h-factor being approx

Factor structure of the Disability and Impact Profile in patients with multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cohen, J. L.; Pouwer, F; Pfennings, L E

1999-01-01

and their complementary weighted scores share common variance? What is the factor structure of the weighted scores? To what extent do disease-related information and information from psychological questionnaires offer concurrent validity for the factors? Correlations between impairment ratings and the weighted item...... scores were high; for most items the complementary ratings of impact do not supplement information provided by impairment ratings. The DIP weighted scores can be represented to some extent by three independent dimensions: a motor (skeletal movement) or displacement ability factor, a factor relating...... to sensory-cognitive intactness and a psychological well-being factor. A two-factor solution provides a first factor identical to that of the three-factor solution and a second factor representing psychological well-being. The two factors correlate well with instruments measuring disability...

IMPACT OF MEDICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS ON SURGICAL OUTCOMES OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN HIV POSITIVE PATIENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. V. Аlkаz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents the study of the impact of social and medical factors and bad habits on the outcomes of planned surgery in 95 patients with concurrent respiratory tuberculosis and HIV infection The correlation analysis was performed which discovered the factors providing a positive impact on treatment outcomes The following factors have the strongest association with treatment outcome: patient's regular job, family, no alcohol or nicotine addiction, a form of tuberculosis, and administration of antiretroviral therapy It was noted that surgery outcome could be predicted and potential complications prevented 

Unraveling the genetic architecture of environmental variance of somatic cell score using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism and cow data from experimental farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulder, H.A.; Crump, R.E.; Calus, M.P.L.; Veerkamp, R.F.

2013-01-01

In recent years, it has been shown that not only is the phenotype under genetic control, but also the environmental variance. Very little, however, is known about the genetic architecture of environmental variance. The main objective of this study was to unravel the genetic architecture of the mean

The Journal Impact Factor: Moving Toward an Alternative and Combined Scientometric Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasparyan, Armen Yuri; Nurmashev, Bekaidar; Yessirkepov, Marlen; Udovik, Elena E; Baryshnikov, Aleksandr A; Kitas, George D

2017-02-01

The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is a single citation metric, which is widely employed for ranking journals and choosing target journals, but is also misused as the proxy of the quality of individual articles and academic achievements of authors. This article analyzes Scopus-based publication activity on the JIF and overviews some of the numerous misuses of the JIF, global initiatives to overcome the 'obsession' with impact factors, and emerging strategies to revise the concept of the scholarly impact. The growing number of articles on the JIF, most of which are in English, reflects interest of experts in journal editing and scientometrics toward its uses, misuses, and options to overcome related problems. Solely displaying values of the JIFs on the journal websites is criticized by experts as these average metrics do not reflect skewness of citation distribution of individual articles. Emerging strategies suggest to complement the JIFs with citation plots and alternative metrics, reflecting uses of individual articles in terms of downloads and distribution of related information through social media and networking platforms. It is also proposed to revise the original formula of the JIF calculation and embrace the concept of the impact and importance of individual articles. The latter is largely dependent on ethical soundness of the journal instructions, proper editing and structuring of articles, efforts to promote related information through social media, and endorsements of professional societies.

The more publication, the higher impact factor: citation analysis of top nine gastroenterology and hepatology journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi Elizee, Pegah; Karimzadeh Ghassab, Romina; Raoofi, Azam; Miri, Seyyed Mohammad

2012-12-01

The impact factor (IF), as the most important criterion for journal's quality measurement, is affected by the self-citation and number of publications in each journal. To find out the relationship between the number of publications and self-citations in a journal, and their correlations with IF. Self-citations and impact factors of nine top gastroenterology and hepatology journals were assessed during the seven recent years (2005-2011) through Journal Citation Reports (JCR, ISI Thomson Reuters). Although impact factors of all journals increased during the study, five out of nine journals increased the number of publications from 2005 to 2011. There was an increase in self-citation only in the journal of HEPATOLOGY (499 in 2005 vs. 707 in 2011). Impact factors of journals (6.5 ± 3.5) were positively correlated with total number of publications (248.6 ± 91.7) (R: 0.688, P citation rate (238.73 ± 195.317) was highly correlated with total number of publications in each journal (248.6 ± 91.7) (R: 0.861, P citation (6.08 ± 3.3) had a correlation (R: 0.672, P citation have definite effects on IF of a journal and because IF is the most prominent criterion for journal's quality measurement, it would be a good idea to consider factors affecting on IF such as self-citation.

A social work study to measure the impact of socio-economical factors of tourism industry

OpenAIRE

Mohsen Pourkhosravani; Mohammad Reza Iravani

2012-01-01

Tourism plays an important role on development of economy especially in developing countries. The proposed study of this paper studies the impact of tourism on developing economic factors such as average income, real estate prices, etc. We have distributed 110 questionnaires among different people who are involved in various positions in the regions and analyzed the data. The survey is looking for the impact of tourism industry in terms of economical and social factors for one of the oldest v...

Factors which affect the erosion of solids by liquid impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gugan, M.A.

1990-03-01

The factors which affect the erosion of solids by liquid impact are considered. The nature of contaminated surfaces is described and the effect on the erosion rate (on non-active lead coupons) of varying jetting parameters is illustrated. Recommendations are made for future work to enhance the effectiveness of water jetting as a nuclear decontamination technique and the importance of containment and effluent treatment is outlined. (author)

The impact of environmental factors on traffic accidents in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Lankarani, Kamran B; Heydari, Seyed Taghi; Aghabeigi, Mohammad Reza; Moafian, Ghasem; Hoseinzadeh, Amin; Vossoughi, Mehrdad

2014-07-01

Road traffic crashes are the third highest cause of mortality in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of roadway environmental factors on traffic crash. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Iran between March 21, 2010 and December 30, 2010. The data on road traffic crashes were obtained from the Traffic Police Department records. These records were classified to control for the main confounders related to the type of crash and roadway environmental factors. Roadway environmental factors included crash scene light, weather, place of accident, the defects and geometrics of roadway and road surface. The study included 542,863 traffic crashes. The proportions of road traffic crash which led to injury were 24.44% at sunrise and 27.16% at sunset compared with 5.43% and 1.43% deaths at sunrise and sunset respectively. In regard to day time accidents, the proportions were 20.50% injuries and 0.55% deaths. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the ratio of injuries and deaths were significantly higher at sunrise and sunset than those occurring during daytime (P less than 0.001). The highest rate of death (5.07%) was due to dusty weather compared to 5.07% for other weather conditions (P less than 0.001). The highest mortality rate (3.45%) occurred on oily surfaces (P less than 0.001). The defective traffic signs were responsible for 30,046 injuries and 5.58% deaths, and road narrowing accounted for 22,775 injuries and, 4.23% deaths which indicated that the roadway defects inflict most frequent injuries and deaths. The lowest (0.74 %) and highest (3.09%) proportion of traffic crash- related deaths were due to flat straight and winding uphill/downhill roads respectively (P less than 0.001). Sunrise, sunset, dusty weather, oily road surfaces and winding uphill/downhill road were hazardous environmental factors. This study provides an insight into the potential impacts of environmental factors on road traffic accidents and underlines the

ERP IMPLANTATION: KEY FACTORS OF SUCCESS AND IMPACT ON PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dumitru Valentin

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The implantation of an ERP (abbreviation for "Enterprise Resource Planning" system is an enterprise project that implies the remodeling of the information system, mostly the rethinking of management procedures within the organization. The expansion and the complexity of these projects demand a theoretical framework and « optimal practices » in order to model and to evaluate the key factors of implementation success and to analyze its impact on the organization’s performance. The research problem of our communication can be divided into three research questions: - What conceptual framework for ERP implantation? - What are the key factors of success in ERP implantation? - What is the relationship between ERP implantation and enterprise performance?

Education and adult cause-specific mortality--examining the impact of family factors shared by 871 367 Norwegian siblings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Næss, Oyvind; Hoff, Dominic A; Lawlor, Debbie

2012-01-01

To estimate the impact family factors shared by siblings has on the association between length of education and cause-specific mortality in adulthood.......To estimate the impact family factors shared by siblings has on the association between length of education and cause-specific mortality in adulthood....

Urinary tract infection in renal transplant recipients: incidence, risk factors, and impact on graft function.

Science.gov (United States)

Camargo, L F; Esteves, A B A; Ulisses, L R S; Rivelli, G G; Mazzali, M

2014-01-01

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common infection posttransplant. However, the risk factors for and the impact of UTIs remain controversial. The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of posttransplant UTIs in a series of renal transplant recipients from deceased donors. Secondary objectives were to identify: (1) the most frequent infectious agents; (2) risk factors related to donor; (3) risk factors related to recipients; and (4) impact of UTI on graft function. This was a retrospective analysis of medical records from renal transplant patients from January to December 2010. Local ethics committee approved the protocol. The incidence of UTI in this series was 34.2%. Risk factors for UTI were older age, (independent of gender), biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes, and kidneys from deceased donors (United Network for Organ Sharing criteria). For female patients, the number of pretransplant pregnancies was an additional risk factor. Recurrent UTI was observed in 44% of patients from the UTI group. The most common infectious agents were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, for both isolated and recurrent UTI. No difference in renal graft function or immunosuppressive therapy was observed between groups after the 1-year follow-up. In this series, older age, previous pregnancy, kidneys from expanded criteria donors, and biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes were risk factors for posttransplant UTI. Recurrence of UTI was observed in 44%, with no negative impact on graft function or survival. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Population impact of familial and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia: a nationwide study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Holger J; Nielsen, Philip R; Pedersen, Carsten B; Benros, Michael E; Nordentoft, Merete; Mortensen, Preben B

2014-03-01

Although several studies have examined the relative contributions of familial and environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, few have additionally examined the predictive power on the individual level and simultaneously examined the population impact associated with a wide range of familial and environmental risk factors. The authors present rate ratios (IRR), population-attributable risks (PAR) and sex-specific cumulative incidences of the following risk factors: parental history of mental illness, urban place of birth, advanced paternal age, parental loss and immigration status. We established a population-based cohort of 2,486,646million persons born in Denmark between 1 January 1955 and 31 December 1993 using Danish registers. We found that PAR associated with urban birth was 11.73%; PAR associated with one, respectively 2, parent(s) with schizophrenia was 2.67% and 0.12%. PAR associated with second-generation immigration was 0.70%. Highest cumulative incidence (CI=20.23%; 95% CI=18.10-22.62) was found in male offspring of 2 parents with schizophrenia. Cumulative incidences for male offspring or female offspring of a parent with schizophrenia were 9.53% (95% CI=7.71-11.79), and 4.89%, (95% CI 4.50-5.31). The study showed that risk factors with highest predictive power on the individual level have a relatively low population impact. The challenge in future studies with direct genetic data is to examine gene-environmental interactions that can move research beyond current approaches and seek to achieve higher predictive power on the individual level and higher population impact. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Financial reporting reliability concept and impact factors in its determination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vygivska I.М.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article sets the goal to assess the reliability of financial reporting essence and summarize the factors that affect it. The article grounds the reliability of financial reporting urgency and characterizes its dual nature (on one hand, it is accounting containing reliable, reasonable data, characterized by the absence of errors and can be correctly perceived by users, on the other hand, reliable financial statements are considered to be formed according to the rules regulated by normative documents. It is proved that making decisions by interested users based on financial statements is closely related to information risk that arises because of the restrictions affect the flow of information on which management decisions are taken (accounting information that is difficult to understand by unskilled users, the impact of human factor, the level of information importance. The author establishes that the reliability of financial reporting is affected by many factors whose influence can be seen both outside, and within an enterprise. The main factors include: informational, political, legal, human, organizational and financial and they should be taken into account while making management decisions.

The Impact of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors on Major Salivary Gland Cancer Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Olarte, Lucia S; Megwalu, Uchechukwu C

2014-06-01

This study aimed to investigate the impact of demographic and socioeconomic factors on survival in patients with major salivary gland malignancies. Population-based study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer database. The study cohort consisted of 10,735 men and women ages 20 and older who were diagnosed with major salivary gland carcinoma from 1973 to 2009. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the overall and disease-specific survival was higher for women than for men (P impact on overall survival. Male sex (HR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.27-1.49), increasing age, and single status (HR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.19-1.39) had poor prognostic impact on disease-specific survival. For patients with salivary gland malignancies, there is a survival benefit for younger patients, female patients, and married patients. This highlights the significance of demographic factors on survival outcomes for patients with salivary gland malignancies and highlights areas for further research on health disparities. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.

Identification and assessment of potential water quality impact factors for drinking-water reservoirs.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Qing; Deng, Jinsong; Wang, Ke; Lin, Yi; Li, Jun; Gan, Muye; Ma, Ligang; Hong, Yang

2014-06-10

Various reservoirs have been serving as the most important drinking water sources in Zhejiang Province, China, due to the uneven distribution of precipitation and severe river pollution. Unfortunately, rapid urbanization and industrialization have been continuously challenging the water quality of the drinking-water reservoirs. The identification and assessment of potential impacts is indispensable in water resource management and protection. This study investigates the drinking water reservoirs in Zhejiang Province to better understand the potential impact on water quality. Altogether seventy-three typical drinking reservoirs in Zhejiang Province encompassing various water storage levels were selected and evaluated. Using fifty-two reservoirs as training samples, the classification and regression tree (CART) method and sixteen comprehensive variables, including six sub-sets (land use, population, socio-economy, geographical features, inherent characteristics, and climate), were adopted to establish a decision-making model for identifying and assessing their potential impacts on drinking-water quality. The water quality class of the remaining twenty-one reservoirs was then predicted and tested based on the decision-making model, resulting in a water quality class attribution accuracy of 81.0%. Based on the decision rules and quantitative importance of the independent variables, industrial emissions was identified as the most important factor influencing the water quality of reservoirs; land use and human habitation also had a substantial impact on water quality. The results of this study provide insights into the factors impacting the water quality of reservoirs as well as basic information for protecting reservoir water resources.

Impact of Patient-centered eHealth Applications on Patient Outcomes: A Review on the Mediating Influence of Human Factor Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Wildenbos, G A; Peute, L W; Jaspers, M W M

2016-11-10

To examine the evidence of the impact of patient- centered eHealth applications on patient care and to analyze if and how reported human factor issues mediated the outcomes. We searched PubMed (2014-2015) for studies evaluating the impact of patient-centered eHealth applications on patient care (behavior change, self-efficacy, and patient health-related outcomes). The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS 2.0) model was used as a guidance framework to identify the reported human factors possibly impacting the effectiveness of an eHealth intervention. Of the 348 potentially relevant papers, 10 papers were included for data analysis. None of the 10 papers reported a negative impact of the eHealth intervention. Seven papers involved a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study. Six of these RCTs reported a positive impact of the eHealth intervention on patient care. All 10 papers reported on human factor issues possibly mediating effects of patient-centered eHealth. Human factors involved patient characteristics, perceived social support, and (type of) interaction between patient and provider. While the amount of patient-centered eHealth interventions increases, many questions remain as to whether and to what extent human factors mediate their use and impact. Future research should adopt a formal theory-driven approach towards human factors when investigating those factors' influence on the effectiveness of these interventions. Insights could then be used to better tailor the content and design of eHealth solutions according to patient user profiles, so as to enhance eHealth interventions impact on patient behavior, self-efficacy, and health-related outcomes.

Emerging Food Processing Technologies and Factors Impacting their Industrial Adoption.

Science.gov (United States)

Priyadarshini, Anushree; Rajauria, Gaurav; O'Donnell, Colm P; Tiwari, Brijesh K

2018-06-04

Innovative food processing technologies have been widely investigated in food processing research in recent years. These technologies offer key advantages for advancing the preservation and quality of conventional foods, for combatting the growing challenges posed by globalization, increased competitive pressures and diverse consumer demands. However, there is a need to increase the level of adoption of novel technologies to ensure the potential benefits of these technologies are exploited more by the food industry. This review outlines emerging thermal and non-thermal food processing technologies with regard to their mechanisms, applications and commercial aspects. The level of adoption of novel food processing technologies by the food industry is outlined and the factors that impact their industrial adoption are discussed. At an industry level, the technological capabilities of individual companies, their size, market share as well as their absorptive capacity impact adoption of a novel technology. Characteristics of the technology itself such as costs involved in its development and commercialization, associated risks and relative advantage, its level of complexity and compatibility influence the technology's adoption. The review concludes that a deep understanding of the development and application of a technology along with the factors influencing its acceptance are critical for its commercial adoption.

Crystal Cargo Characterization: Unravelling Granite Petrogenesis through Combined MicroXRF Imaging and In-situ Analyses.

Science.gov (United States)

McLeod, C. L.; Brown, K.; Brydon, R.; Haley, M.; Hill, T.; Shaulis, B.; Tronnes, R. G.

2017-12-01

Advances in the capabilities of microanalysis over the past several decades have promoted a redefinition of traditional petrological terminology. This has allowed a more accurate evaluation of a samples petrogenetic history. For example, the term "phenocryst", specifically describes crystals that grew from the liquid that solidified into the groundmass. Evolving from this idea is the term xenocryst, referring to crystals that did not originate in the magma but were gathered by it, and antecrysts, which crystallized from a progenitor of the magma that solidified into the groundmass. Through identification of a magmas different, and distinct, crystal populations, the petrogenetic history of a magmatic rock can therefore be unraveled. This approach has been widely applied to terrestrial volcanic systems throughout the past several decades. This study presents results from a combined microimaging and in-situ microanalytical investigation of granitic magmas crystal cargoes in order to unravel how granitic batholiths are constructed. 27 lithological units from two granite batholiths in the Oslo Rift, Norway form the basis of this investigation. Micro X-Ray Fluorescence (µXRF) mapping of major elements and selected trace elements is used in order to chemically map each granitic unit, identify any characteristic growth zoning, and compare the crystal cargoes of the different units. Major and trace elemental abundances of the major phases (feldspars, biotite, amphibole) and minor phases (apatite and titanite) are to be quantified through electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) respectively. Through chemically fingerprinting the crystal cargoes of these Oslo Rift granitic magmas, the open vs. closed nature of granitic, intrusive, magmatic systems will be investigated. Within the context of the Oslo Rift, this study also offers an opportunity to evaluate the processes inherent to granitoid magmatism

The impact of preventive health behaviour and social factors on visits to the doctor.

Science.gov (United States)

Yom Din, Gregory; Zugman, Zinaida; Khashper, Alla

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the joint impact of preventive health behavior (PHB) and social and demographic factors on the utilization of primary and secondary medical care under a universal health care system, as measured by visits to the doctor, who were categorized as either a General Practitioner (GP) or Specialist Doctor (SD). An ordered probit model was utilized to analyze data obtained from the 2009 Israeli National Health Survey. The problem of endogeneity between PHB factors and visits to GP was approached using the two-stage residuals inclusion and instrumental variables method. We found a positive effect of PHB on visits to the doctor while the addition of the PHB factors to the independent variables resulted in important changes in explaining visits to GP (in values of the estimates, in their sign, and in their statistical significance), and only in slight changes for visits to SD. A 1% increase in PHB factors results in increasing the probability to visit General Practitioner in the last year in 0.6%. The following variables were identified as significant in explaining frequency of visits to the doctor: PHB, socio-economic status (pro-poor for visits to GP, pro-rich for visits to SD), location (for visits to SD), gender, age (age 60 or greater being a negative factor for visits to GP and a positive factor for visits to SD), chronic diseases, and marital status (being married was a negative factor for visits to GP and a positive factor for visits to SD). There is a need for allowing for endogeneity in examining the impact of PHB, social and demographic factors on visits to GP in a population under universal health insurance. For disadvantaged populations with low SES and those living in peripheral districts, the value of IndPrev is lower than for populations with high SES and living in the center of the country. Examining the impact of these factors, significant differences in the importance and sometimes even in the sign of their influence on

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Scores and Impact Factors with Different Citation Time Windows: A Case Study of 28 Ophthalmologic Journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhang, Shi-Le; Wang, Pu

2015-01-01

An important attribute of the traditional impact factor was the controversial 2-year citation window. So far, several scholars have proposed using different citation time windows for evaluating journals. However, there is no confirmation whether a longer citation time window would be better. How did the journal evaluation effects of 3IF, 4IF, and 6IF comparing with 2IF and 5IF? In order to understand these questions, we made a comparative study of impact factors with different citation time windows with the peer-reviewed scores of ophthalmologic journals indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. The peer-reviewed scores of 28 ophthalmologic journals were obtained through a self-designed survey questionnaire. Impact factors with different citation time windows (including 2IF, 3IF, 4IF, 5IF, and 6IF) of 28 ophthalmologic journals were computed and compared in accordance with each impact factor's definition and formula, using the citation analysis function of the Web of Science (WoS) database. An analysis of the correlation between impact factors with different citation time windows and peer-reviewed scores was carried out. Although impact factor values with different citation time windows were different, there was a high level of correlation between them when it came to evaluating journals. In the current study, for ophthalmologic journals' impact factors with different time windows in 2013, 3IF and 4IF seemed the ideal ranges for comparison, when assessed in relation to peer-reviewed scores. In addition, the 3-year and 4-year windows were quite consistent with the cited peak age of documents published by ophthalmologic journals. Our study is based on ophthalmology journals and we only analyze the impact factors with different citation time window in 2013, so it has yet to be ascertained whether other disciplines (especially those with a later cited peak) or other years would follow the same or similar patterns. We designed the survey questionnaire

Permanent maxillary canines - review of eruption pattern and local etiological factors leading to impaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajnani, Anand K

2015-02-01

The position of the permanent maxillary canine at the angle of the mouth is strategically significant in maintaining the harmony and symmetry of the occlusal relationship. However, the maxillary canine is the second most frequently impacted tooth, with prevalence reported to be between 1% and 2%. Moreover, treatment of this condition is often complex and involves substantial time and financial cost. Hence, it is only prudent to monitor the eruption and identify the etiological factors that lead to impaction of the maxillary canine. Numerous researchers have tried to identify specific and nonspecific etiological factors responsible for displacement of canines. The purpose of this review was to track the development processes of maxillary canines and determine the hindrances that affect the eruption at different ages. Awareness of the eruption process and etiology of noneruption will help to reduce the incidence of impacted canines by allowing for early recognition and interceptive treatment. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Impact of some field factors on inhalation exposure levels to bitumen emissions during road paving operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Deygout, François; Auburtin, Guy

2015-03-01

Variability in occupational exposure levels to bitumen emissions has been observed during road paving operations. This is due to recurrent field factors impacting the level of exposure experienced by workers during paving. The present study was undertaken in order to quantify the impact of such factors. Pre-identified variables currently encountered in the field were monitored and recorded during paving surveys, and were conducted randomly covering current applications performed by road crews. Multivariate variance analysis and regressions were then used on computerized field data. The statistical investigations were limited due to the relatively small size of the study (36 data). Nevertheless, the particular use of the step-wise regression tool enabled the quantification of the impact of several predictors despite the existing collinearity between variables. The two bitumen organic fractions (particulates and volatiles) are associated with different field factors. The process conditions (machinery used and delivery temperature) have a significant impact on the production of airborne particulates and explain up to 44% of variability. This confirms the outcomes described by previous studies. The influence of the production factors is limited though, and should be complemented by studying factors involving the worker such as work style and the mix of tasks. The residual volatile compounds, being part of the bituminous binder and released during paving operations, control the volatile emissions; 73% of the encountered field variability is explained by the composition of the bitumen batch. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Research on impacts of population-related factors on carbon emissions in Beijing from 1984 to 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yayun; Zhao, Tao; Wang, Yanan; Shi, Zhaohui

2015-01-01

Carbon emissions related to population factors have aroused great attention around the world. A multitude of literature mainly focused on single demographic impacts on environmental issues at the national level, and comprehensive studies concerning population-related factors at a city level are rare. This paper employed STIRPAT (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology) model incorporating PLS (Partial least squares) regression method to examine the influence of population-related factors on carbon emissions in Beijing from 1984 to 2012. Empirically results manifest that urbanization is the paramount driver. Changes in population age structure have significantly positive impacts on carbon emissions, and shrinking young population, continuous expansion of working age population and aging population will keep on increasing environmental pressures. Meanwhile, shrinking household size and expanding floating population boost the discharge of carbon emissions. Besides, per capita consumption is an important contributor of carbon emissions, while industry energy intensity is the main inhibitory factor. Based upon these findings and the specific circumstances of Beijing, policies such as promoting clean and renewable energy, improving population quality and advocating low carbon lifestyles should be enhanced to achieve targeted emissions reductions. - Highlights: • We employed the STIRPAT model to identify population-related factors of carbon emissions in Beijing. • Urbanization is the paramount driver of carbon emissions. • Changes in population age structure exert significantly positive impacts on carbon emissions. • Shrinking household size, expanding floating population and improving consumption level increase carbon emissions. • Industry energy intensity decreases carbon emissions

Research on impacts of population-related factors on carbon emissions in Beijing from 1984 to 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Yayun; Zhao, Tao; Wang, Yanan, E-mail: wyn3615@126.com; Shi, Zhaohui

2015-11-15

Carbon emissions related to population factors have aroused great attention around the world. A multitude of literature mainly focused on single demographic impacts on environmental issues at the national level, and comprehensive studies concerning population-related factors at a city level are rare. This paper employed STIRPAT (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology) model incorporating PLS (Partial least squares) regression method to examine the influence of population-related factors on carbon emissions in Beijing from 1984 to 2012. Empirically results manifest that urbanization is the paramount driver. Changes in population age structure have significantly positive impacts on carbon emissions, and shrinking young population, continuous expansion of working age population and aging population will keep on increasing environmental pressures. Meanwhile, shrinking household size and expanding floating population boost the discharge of carbon emissions. Besides, per capita consumption is an important contributor of carbon emissions, while industry energy intensity is the main inhibitory factor. Based upon these findings and the specific circumstances of Beijing, policies such as promoting clean and renewable energy, improving population quality and advocating low carbon lifestyles should be enhanced to achieve targeted emissions reductions. - Highlights: • We employed the STIRPAT model to identify population-related factors of carbon emissions in Beijing. • Urbanization is the paramount driver of carbon emissions. • Changes in population age structure exert significantly positive impacts on carbon emissions. • Shrinking household size, expanding floating population and improving consumption level increase carbon emissions. • Industry energy intensity decreases carbon emissions.

Impact of socioeconomic factors on outcome of total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrack, Robert L; Ruh, Erin L; Chen, Jiajing; Lombardi, Adolph V; Berend, Keith R; Parvizi, Javad; Della Valle, Craig J; Hamilton, William G; Nunley, Ryan M

2014-01-01

Few data exist regarding the impact of socioeconomic factors on results of current TKA in young patients. Predictors of TKA outcomes have focused primarily on surgical technique, implant details, and individual patient clinical factors. The relative importance of these factors compared to patient socioeconomic status is not known. We determined whether (1) socioeconomic factors, (2) demographic factors, or (3) implant factors were associated with satisfaction and functional outcomes after TKA in young patients. We surveyed 661 patients (average age, 54 years; range, 18-60 years; 61% female) 1 to 4 years after undergoing modern primary TKA for noninflammatory arthritis at five orthopaedic centers. Data were collected by an independent third party with expertise in collecting healthcare data for state and federal agencies. We examined specific questions regarding satisfaction, pain, and function after TKA and socioeconomic (household income, education, employment) and demographic (sex, minority status) factors. Multivariable analysis was conducted to examine the relative importance of these factors for each outcome of interest. Patients reporting incomes of less than USD 25,000 were less likely to be satisfied with TKA outcomes and more likely to have functional limitations after TKA than patients with higher incomes; no other socioeconomic factors were associated with satisfaction. Women were less likely to be satisfied and more likely to have functional limitations than men, and minority patients were more likely to have functional limitations than nonminority patients. Implants were not associated with outcomes after surgery. Socioeconomic factors, in particular low income, are more strongly associated with satisfaction and functional outcomes in young patients after TKA than demographic or implant factors. Future studies should be directed to determining the causes of this association, and studies of clinical results after TKA should consider stratifying patients

[Archivos de Bronconeumología: among the 3 Spanish medical journals with the highest national impact factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Aleixandre Benavent, R; Valderrama Zurián, J C; Castellano Gómez, M; Simó Meléndez, R; Navarro Molina, C

2004-12-01

Citation analysis elucidates patterns of information consumption within professional communities. The aim of this study was to analyze the citations of 87 Spanish medical journals by calculating their impact factors and immediacy indices for 2001, and to estimate the importance of Archivos de Bronconeumología within the framework of Spanish medicine. Eighty-seven Spanish medical journals were included. All were listed in the Spanish Medical Index (Indice Medico Español) and in at least one of the following databases: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, EMBASE, or Science Citation Index. References to articles from 1999 through 2001 in citable articles from 2001 were analyzed. Using the method of the Institute for Scientific Information, we calculated the national impact factor and immediacy index for each journal. The journals with the highest national impact factors were Revista Española de Quimioterapia (0.894), Medicina Clínica (0.89), and Archivos de Bronconeumología (0.732). The self-citation percentage of Archivos de Bronconeumología was 18.3% and the immediacy index was 0.033. The impact factor obtained by Archivos de Bronconeumología confirms its importance in Spanish medicine and validates its inclusion as a source journal in Science Citation Index and Journal Citation Report.

The impact of Environmental Factors on Impulse Buying Behavior Using the Mehrabian and Russell’s Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amel GRAA

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at highlighting the impact of environmental factors on the impulse buying behavior of Algerian shopper using a Stimulus and response model. In this paper, it is identified and explored how factors related to the environment of purchase and emotional states may influence various dimensions of such kind of behavior at food stores in Algeria’ west. According to the results; consumer's emotions cannot be a mediating factor in the impulse purchase process. The results indicate that seller guidance has a significant impact on the impulse buying. We have concluded also that perceived human crowding influence positively the behavior of Algerian shoppers, whereas the time pressure was not approved.

The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Total Factor Energy Efficiency: A Cross-Region Analysis in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianting Lin

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Environmental regulations are the key measure by which governments achieve sustainable environmental and economic development. This study aimed to determine the direct and indirect impacts of environmental regulations on total factor energy efficiency of regions in China. Since regions have different levels of economic development and resource endowment, we used the slacks-based measure (SBM-undesirable model to calculate total factor energy efficiency considering regional technology heterogeneity and examined the regional impacts of environmental regulation on this efficiency using the Tobit regression model. A positive direct impact was generated in the eastern region of China by the forced mechanism, which forced enterprises to reduce fossil fuel energy demand and increase clean energy consumption; whereas a negative direct impact was generated in the middle and western regions owing to the green paradox, which is the observation that expected stringent environmental regulation prompts energy owners to accelerate resource extraction. Moreover, indirect impacts through technological progress and foreign direct investment were taken into account in the model, and the results show that the indirect impacts vary across regions. A logical response to these findings would be to develop different policies for different regions.

Unraveling risk appetite

NARCIS (Netherlands)

dr. A.F. de Wild

2013-01-01

One of the most difficult choices that organizations face is the choice to spend resources today to reduce the probability or negative impact of events that may happen tomorrow. In hindsight, it seems to be a waste to spend organizational resources on reducing the risk of low probability events that

An empirical survey to measure the impact of different factors on the success of electronic marketing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Sehhat

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Internet marketing plays an important role in today business enterprises. Today, many invest more and more to increase their abilities on providing better services on the internet. In this paper, we study the impact of five factors namely awareness from the site, site attractiveness, promotional effectiveness, effectiveness and Shopping impacts and effectiveness and loyalty on the success of electronic marketing. We have distributed a questionnaire consists of various questions and distributed them among 984 people and received 595 in Likert scale. The Cronbach alphas for all five sets of questions were well above the minimum desired level. We implement a multi regression function and the results confirm that all five mentioned factors impact the sales of e-marketing, significantly.

Simultaneous Identification of Potential Pathogenicity Factors of Mycoplasma agalactiae in the Natural Ovine Host by Negative Selection

OpenAIRE

Hegde, Shivanand; Hegde, Shrilakshmi; Zimmermann, Martina; Flöck, Martina; Spergser, Joachim; Rosengarten, Renate; Chopra-Dewasthaly, Rohini

2015-01-01

Mycoplasmas possess complex pathogenicity determinants that are largely unknown at the molecular level. Mycoplasma agalactiae serves as a useful model to study the molecular basis of mycoplasma pathogenicity. The generation and in vivo screening of a transposon mutant library of M. agalactiae were employed to unravel its host colonization factors. Tn4001mod mutants were sequenced using a novel sequencing method, and functionally heterogeneous pools containing 15 to 19 selected mutants were sc...

Factors that impact nurses' use of electronic mail (e-mail).

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, J A; Pakieser, R A

1999-01-01

As electronic applications are used increasingly in healthcare, nurses are being challenged to adopt them. Electronic mail (e-mail) is an electronic tool with general as well as healthcare uses. E-mail use may be an opportunity to learn a tool that requires skills similar to those used in other applications. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators that impact nurses' use of e-mail in the workplace. Data for this study were gathered using focus group methodology. Content analysis identified and labeled factors into seven major categories. Specific factors identified were generally consistent with those previously described in the literature as affecting use of computers in general. However, there were several additional factors identified that were not reported in other previous studies: lack of face-to-face communication, individual writing skills, recency of any educational experience, volume of mail received, password integrity, and technical support. Findings from this study provide information for any individual involved in introducing or updating an e-mail system in a healthcare environment.

Environmental impact and risk assessments and key factors contributing to the overall uncertainties.

Science.gov (United States)

Salbu, Brit

2016-01-01

There is a significant number of nuclear and radiological sources that have contributed, are still contributing, or have the potential to contribute to radioactive contamination of the environment in the future. To protect the environment from radioactive contamination, impact and risk assessments are performed prior to or during a release event, short or long term after deposition or prior and after implementation of countermeasures. When environmental impact and risks are assessed, however, a series of factors will contribute to the overall uncertainties. To provide environmental impact and risk assessments, information on processes, kinetics and a series of input variables is needed. Adding problems such as variability, questionable assumptions, gaps in knowledge, extrapolations and poor conceptual model structures, a series of factors are contributing to large and often unacceptable uncertainties in impact and risk assessments. Information on the source term and the release scenario is an essential starting point in impact and risk models; the source determines activity concentrations and atom ratios of radionuclides released, while the release scenario determine the physico-chemical forms of released radionuclides such as particle size distribution, structure and density. Releases will most often contain other contaminants such as metals, and due to interactions, contaminated sites should be assessed as a multiple stressor scenario. Following deposition, a series of stressors, interactions and processes will influence the ecosystem transfer of radionuclide species and thereby influence biological uptake (toxicokinetics) and responses (toxicodynamics) in exposed organisms. Due to the variety of biological species, extrapolation is frequently needed to fill gaps in knowledge e.g., from effects to no effects, from effects in one organism to others, from one stressor to mixtures. Most toxtests are, however, performed as short term exposure of adult organisms

Plutonium in the environment: key factors related to impact assessment in case of an accidental atmospheric release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guetat, P. [CEA Valduc, 21 - Is-sur-Tille (France); Moulin, V.; Reiller, P. [CEA Saclay, 91 (FR)] (and others)

2009-07-01

This paper deals with plutonium and key factors related to impact assessment. It is based on recent work performed by CEA which summarize the main features of plutonium behaviour from sources inside installations to the environment and man, and to report current knowledge on the different parameters used in models for environmental and radiological impact assessment. These key factors are illustrated through a case study based on an accidental atmospheric release of Pu in a nuclear facility. (orig.)

Physicochemical Factors: Impact on Spermagglutination Induced by Escherichia coli

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiranjeet Kaur

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Motility is a sensitive parameter of sperm function which is predictive of its fertilization potential in vitro. The decrease in sperm motility may be associated with sperm agglutination and immobilization due to mere presence of bacteria or excretion of bacterial toxic products. Supplementation with various agents like sucrose, mannitol, calcium, and EDTA is well known to improve the sperm motility in vitro. The present study was designed to check any protective role exerted by the addition of different agents on spermatozoal motility against E. coli induced sperm agglutination. 52 semen specimens were screened for the presence of sperm-agglutinating strain of E. coli. Further, influence of various factors, namely, sugars, salts, and chelating agents was studied. Also, the impact of exposure to high temperature and alcohol on sperm-agglutinating efficiency of E. coli was observed. None of the factors could inhibit the sperm agglutination induced by E. coli, except high temperature suggesting the involvement of protein moiety. In addition, it was observed that agglutinating efficiency of E. coli was limited to spermatozoa and RBCs. It may be concluded that sperm-agglutinating property of E. coli is quite stable as various physicochemical factors tested did not show any negative effect on the same except high temperature.

Environmental impact and risk assessments and key factors contributing to the overall uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salbu, Brit

2016-01-01

There is a significant number of nuclear and radiological sources that have contributed, are still contributing, or have the potential to contribute to radioactive contamination of the environment in the future. To protect the environment from radioactive contamination, impact and risk assessments are performed prior to or during a release event, short or long term after deposition or prior and after implementation of countermeasures. When environmental impact and risks are assessed, however, a series of factors will contribute to the overall uncertainties. To provide environmental impact and risk assessments, information on processes, kinetics and a series of input variables is needed. Adding problems such as variability, questionable assumptions, gaps in knowledge, extrapolations and poor conceptual model structures, a series of factors are contributing to large and often unacceptable uncertainties in impact and risk assessments. Information on the source term and the release scenario is an essential starting point in impact and risk models; the source determines activity concentrations and atom ratios of radionuclides released, while the release scenario determine the physico-chemical forms of released radionuclides such as particle size distribution, structure and density. Releases will most often contain other contaminants such as metals, and due to interactions, contaminated sites should be assessed as a multiple stressor scenario. Following deposition, a series of stressors, interactions and processes will influence the ecosystem transfer of radionuclide species and thereby influence biological uptake (toxicokinetics) and responses (toxicodynamics) in exposed organisms. Due to the variety of biological species, extrapolation is frequently needed to fill gaps in knowledge e.g., from effects to no effects, from effects in one organism to others, from one stressor to mixtures. Most toxtests are, however, performed as short term exposure of adult organisms

The Analysis of the Impact of Individual Weighting Factor on Individual Scores

Science.gov (United States)

Kilic, Gulsen Bagci; Cakan, Mehtap

2006-01-01

In this study, category-based self and peer assessment were applied twice in a semester in an Elementary Science Teaching Methods course in order to assess individual contributions of group members to group projects as well as to analyze the impact of Individual Weighting Factors (IWF) on individual scores and individual grades. IWF were…

Factors that Impact Quality of E-Teaching/Learning Technologies in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Daukilas, Sigitas; Kaciniene, Irma; Vaisnoriene, Daiva; Vascila, Vytautas

2008-01-01

The article analyzes and assesses factors that have impact upon the quality of eTeaching/learning technologies in higher education; it is on their basis that the concept of eTeaching/learning quality is denied. Research data about the students' motives in choosing various teaching/learning technologies for the development of their competence are…

The impact of factors influencing destination quality on overall customer satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ida Vajčnerová

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with problems concerning tourist destination quality and the impact of individual factors on the overall satisfaction of a customer – a visitor to a destination. The methodology is based on the evaluation of individual factors that were identified on the basis of previously conducted researches and that consider all attributes of a destination which visitors are able to evaluate on the basis of their experience and consequent satisfaction. The used data were obtained by a questionnaire surveys, the evaluation is qualitative, and the ten-degree Likert scale is used. The practical part of the paper will focus on creating a multidimensional regression model for overall customer satisfaction for evaluating individual quality factors. The objective of the paper is to identify factors that influence overall customer satisfaction the most; this will be done on the basis of the statistical importance of individual regression parameters. The analysis will be conducted for the data from the regions of Lednice-Valtice Area and Znojemsko and Podyjí; subsequently these two regions will be compared.

Factor VII-activating protease : Unraveling the release and regulation of dead cell nuclear damps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marsman, G.

2017-01-01

Upon inflammation, uncleared dying cells are an important source of pro-inflammatory damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Major DAMPs are histones and double-stranded DNA, which together form chromatin. Factor VII-activating protease (FSAP) is activated upon contact with dead cells, and its

Identification of Variables and Factors Impacting Consumer Behavior in On-line Shopping in India: An Empirical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chhikara, Sudesh

On-line shopping is a recent phenomenon in the field of E-Business and is definitely going to be the future of shopping in the world. Most of the companies are running their on-line portals to sell their products/services. Though online shopping is very common outside India, its growth in Indian Market, which is a large and strategic consumer market, is still not in line with the global market. The potential growth of on-line shopping has triggered the idea of conducting a study on on-line shopping in India. The present research paper has used exploratory study to depict and highlight the various categories of factors and variables impacting the behavior of consumers towards on-line shopping in India. The data was collected through in-depth interviews on a sample of 41 respondents from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. The results of the study show that on-line shopping in India is basically impacted by five categories of factors like demographics factor, Psychographics factor, Online shopping feature and policies, Technological factor, Security factor. The results of the study are used to present a comprehensive model of on-line shopping which could be further used by the researchers and practitioners for conducting future studies in the similar area. A brief operational definition of all the factors and variables impacting on-line shopping in India is also described. And finally practical implications of the study are also elucidated.

An Analysis of Impact Factors for Positioning Performance in WLAN Fingerprinting Systems Using Ishikawa Diagrams and a Simulation Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keqiang Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Many factors influence the positioning performance in WLAN RSSI fingerprinting systems, and summary of these factors is an important but challenging job. Moreover, impact analysis on nonalgorithm factors is significant to system application and quality control but little research has been conducted. This paper analyzes and summarizes the potential impact factors by using an Ishikawa diagram considering radio signal transmitting, propagating, receiving, and processing. A simulation platform was developed to facilitate the analysis experiment, and the paper classifies the potential factors into controllable, uncontrollable, nuisance, and held-constant factors considering simulation feasibility. It takes five nonalgorithm controllable factors including APs density, APs distribution, radio signal propagating attenuation factor, radio signal propagating noise, and RPs density into consideration and adopted the OFAT analysis method in experiment. The positioning result was achieved by using the deterministic and probabilistic algorithms, and the error was presented by RMSE and CDF. The results indicate that the high APs density, signal propagating attenuation factor, and RPs density, with the low signal propagating noise level, are favorable to better performance, while APs distribution has no particular impact pattern on the positioning error. Overall, this paper has made great potential contribution to the quality control of WLAN fingerprinting solutions.

Impact of hydrogeological factors on groundwater salinization due to ocean-surge inundation

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jie; Zhang, Huichen; Yu, Xuan; Graf, Thomas; Michael, Holly A.

2018-01-01

Ocean surges cause seawater inundation of coastal inland areas. Subsequently, seawater infiltrates into coastal aquifers and threatens the fresh groundwater resource. The severity of resulting salinization can be affected by hydrogeological factors including aquifer properties and hydrologic conditions, however, little research has been done to assess these effects. To understand the impacts of hydrogeological factors on groundwater salinization, we numerically simulated an ocean-surge inundation event on a two-dimensional conceptual coastal aquifer using a coupled surface-subsurface approach. We varied model permeability (including anisotropy), inland hydraulic gradient, and recharge rate. Three salinization-assessment indicators were developed, based on flushing time, depth of salt penetration, and a combination of the two, weighted flushing time, with which the impact of hydrogeological factors on groundwater vulnerability to salinization were quantitatively assessed. The vulnerability of coastal aquifers increases with increasing isotropic permeability. Low horizontal permeability (kx) and high vertical permeability (kz) lead to high aquifer vulnerability, and high kx and low kz lead to low aquifer vulnerability. Vulnerability decreases with increasing groundwater hydraulic gradient and increasing recharge rate. Additionally, coastal aquifers with a low recharge rate (R ≤ 300 mm yr-1) may be highly vulnerable to ocean-surge inundation. This study shows how the newly introduced indicators can be used to quantitatively assess coastal aquifer vulnerability. The results are important for global vulnerability assessment of coastal aquifers to ocean-surge inundation.

Factors that Impact Software Project Success in Offshore Information Technology (IT) Companies

Science.gov (United States)

Edara, Venkatarao

2011-01-01

Information technology (IT) projects are unsuccessful at a rate of 65% to 75% per year, in spite of employing the latest technologies and training employees. Although many studies have been conducted on project successes in U.S. companies, there is a lack of research studying the impact of various factors on software project success in offshore IT…

Factors impacting the quality of peer relationships of youth with Tourette's syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hare, Deirdre; Eapen, Valsamma; Helmes, Edward; McBain, Kerry; Reece, John; Grove, Rachel

2015-09-30

Tourette's syndrome (TS) is a poorly understood neurodevelopmental disorder consistently associated with impaired peer relationships. This research aimed to investigate the relationship between TS and the ability of diagnosed youth to form secure attachment relationships with peers. A quantitative study examined differences between youth with TS and typically developing peers in social functioning, relationship problems and attachment security. Qualitative studies sought to identify factors that enhanced or impeded the ability to form secure peer relationships, including the impact of tic severity, comorbidity and personality traits. All research was conducted from the parental perspective. The research consisted of a controlled, survey-based qualitative and quantitative study (Study One) of parents of youth with TS (n = 86) and control group peers (n = 108), and a qualitative telephone interview-based study of TS group parents (Study Two, n = 22). Quantitative assessment of social functioning, peer problems and peer attachment security was conducted using the Paediatric Quality of Life inventory, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Attachment Questionnaire for Children. Qualitative data relating to personality was classified using the Five Factor Model. Results revealed significantly higher rates of insecure peer attachment, problems in peer relationships, difficulty making friends, stigmatisation and lower levels of social functioning for the TS group. Significant between-group differences in number and type of factors impacting peer relationships were also determined with 'personality' emerging as the most prevalent factor. Whilst Extraversion and Agreeableness facilitated friendships for both groups, higher rates of Neuroticism were barriers to friendship for individuals with TS. The TS group also identified multiple 'non-personality' factors impacting peer relationships, including TS and comorbid symptom severity, the child

The Impact of Organizational Factors on Safety. The Perspective of Experts from the Spanish Nuclear Sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

German, S.; Silla, I.; Navajas, J.

2014-01-01

Previous research supports the importance of organizational factors on safety in high reliability organizations. This study aims to determine the impact of those factors in the Spanish nuclear sector. Particularly, this study focuses on examining the role of performance indicators, organizational culture, organizational factors, and organizational context. With that purpose, an electronic survey addressed to experts from the Spanish nuclear sector was carried out. Results showed that performance indicators are well-known among industry experts and are perceived as useful for improving performance. Behavioural norms that influence safety and some relevant factors that promote problem identification were identified. Additionally, findings suggested that organizational context must be taken into account to better understand the role of organizational culture. Moreover, industry experts pointed out organizational factors to be improved: organizational communication processes within the organization, positive reinforcement, and field supervisors practices. Finally, findings supported the influence of organizational context on safety. It is noteworthy the role of the social impact of international events (e.g., Chernobyl...), the relationship with the regulator and the legislative and governmental framework. (Author)

Factors Influencing Acceptability and Perceived Impacts of a Mandatory ePortfolio Implemented by an Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Vachon, Brigitte; Foucault, Marie-Lyse; Giguère, Charles-Édouard; Rochette, Annie; Thomas, Aliki; Morel, Martine

2018-01-01

The use of ePortfolios has been implemented in several regulatory organizations to encourage clinicians' engagement in continuing professional development (CPD). However, their use has achieved mixed success, and multiple personal and contextual factors can influence their impacts on practice change. The aim of this study was to identify which factors influence the acceptability and perceived impacts of an ePortfolio implemented by an occupational therapy regulatory organization in one Canadian province. A cross-sectional online survey design was used. The survey was sent to registered occupational therapists in Quebec. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing acceptability and outcomes: ease of use, satisfaction, impact on implementation of the CPD plan, and competence improvement. The survey was fully completed by 546 participants. Factors significantly influencing the ePortfolio acceptability and perceived impacts were attitude toward and familiarity with the portfolio, confidence in reflective skills, engagement in the CPD plan, and desire for feedback. Time spent completing the ePortfolio and the fact of completing it in teams were negatively associated with the outcomes. Shaping more favorable user attitudes, helping users recognize and experience the tool's benefits for their practice, and fostering confidence in their reflective skills are important factors that can be addressed to improve ePortfolio acceptability and outcomes. Contextual factors, such as time spent completing the ePortfolio and completing it in teams, seem to reflect greater difficulty with using the tool. Study findings can contribute to improving ePortfolio implementation in the CPD context.

How can EPR spectroscopy help to unravel molecular mechanisms of flavin-dependent photoreceptors?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel eNohr

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR spectroscopy is a well-established spectroscopic method for the examination of paramagnetic molecules. Proteins can contain paramagnetic moieties in form of stable cofactors, transiently formed intermediates, or spin labels artificially introduced to cysteine sites. The focus of this review is to evaluate potential scopes of application of EPR to the emerging field of optogenetics. The main objective for EPR spectroscopy in this context is to unravel the complex mechanisms of light-active proteins, from their primary photoreaction to downstream signal transduction. An overview of recent results from the family of flavin-containing, blue-light dependent photoreceptors is given. In detail, mechanistic similarities and differences are condensed from the three classes of flavoproteins, the cryptochromes, LOV (Light-oxygen-voltage, and BLUF (blue-light using FAD domains. Additionally, a concept that includes spin-labeled proteins and examination using modern pulsed EPR is introduced, which allows for a precise mapping of light-induced conformational changes.

How can EPR spectroscopy help to unravel molecular mechanisms of flavin-dependent photoreceptors?

Science.gov (United States)

Nohr, Daniel; Rodriguez, Ryan; Weber, Stefan; Schleicher, Erik

2015-01-01

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a well-established spectroscopic method for the examination of paramagnetic molecules. Proteins can contain paramagnetic moieties in form of stable cofactors, transiently formed intermediates, or spin labels artificially introduced to cysteine sites. The focus of this review is to evaluate potential scopes of application of EPR to the emerging field of optogenetics. The main objective for EPR spectroscopy in this context is to unravel the complex mechanisms of light-active proteins, from their primary photoreaction to downstream signal transduction. An overview of recent results from the family of flavin-containing, blue-light dependent photoreceptors is given. In detail, mechanistic similarities and differences are condensed from the three classes of flavoproteins, the cryptochromes, LOV (Light-oxygen-voltage), and BLUF (blue-light using FAD) domains. Additionally, a concept that includes spin-labeled proteins and examination using modern pulsed EPR is introduced, which allows for a precise mapping of light-induced conformational changes.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in adults: impact, comorbidity, risk factors, and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sareen, Jitender

2014-09-01

During the last 30 years, there has been a substantial increase in the study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Several high-profile traumatic events, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center, have led to a greater public interest in the risk and protective factors for PTSD. In this In Review paper, I discuss some of the important advances in PTSD. The paper provides a concise review of the evolution of PTSD diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, impact of PTSD in the community, an overview of the established risk factors for developing PTSD, and assessment and treatment. Throughout the paper, controversies and clinical implications are discussed.

Factors affecting the impact of professional development programs on teachers' knowledge, practice, student outcomes & efficacy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence Ingvarson

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This report examines effects of structural and process features of professional development programs on teachers' knowledge, practice and efficacy. It is based on four recent (2002-2003 studies undertaken through the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme, designed to enhance teacher quality. The total data set for the survey study includes 3,250 teachers who had participated in eighty individual professional development1 activities within these studies. Teachers were surveyed at least three months after participating in an activity, which provided them with the opportunity to gauge the impact of programs on their practice. To investigate factors affecting impact, a theoretical model was developed based on recent research into the characteristics of effective professional development and tested using blockwise regression analysis. The model included contextual factors (e.g., school support, structural features of programs (e.g. ,length, process features (e.g., emphasis on content; active learning; examination of student work; feedback; follow-up, a mediating variable (level of professional community generated, and four outcome measures (knowledge; practice; student learning and efficacy. Consistent significant direct effects were found across the four studies for the impact of content focus, active learning, and follow-up on knowledge and professional community. Feedback was rarely incorporated into program design. Impact on efficacy was strongly related to the perceived impact of activities on teachers' practice and student learning outcomes.

Correlation between Self-Citation and Impact Factor in Iranian English Medical Journals in WoS and ISC: A Comparative Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazi Mirsaeid, Seyed Javad; Motamedi, Nadia; Ramezan Ghorbani, Nahid

2015-09-01

In this study, the impact of self-citation (Journal and Author) on impact factor of Iranian English Medical journals in two international citation databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Islamic world science citation center (ISC), were compared by citation analysis. Twelve journals in WoS and 26 journals in ISC databases indexed between the years (2006-2009) were selected and compared. For comparison of self-citation rate in two databases, we used Wilcoxon and Mann-whitney tests. We used Pearson test for correlation of self-citation and IF in WoS, and the Spearman's correlation coefficient for the ISC database. Covariance analysis was used for comparison of two correlation tests. P. value was 0.05 in all of tests. There was no significant difference between self-citation rates in two databases (P>0.05). Findings also showed no significant difference between the correlation of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases (P=0.526) however, there was significant difference between the author's self-citation and impact factor in these databases (Pcitation in the Impact Factor of WoS was higher than the ISC.

Current Situation of Household Income as a Factor, Having Impact on Mortgage Lending in Mongolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khuselchimeg Batbileg

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Amount of household income is the most important factor for housing loan. The article studies mortgage lending in Ulaanbaatar in 2007–2009, the factor, having great impact on the current economy of Mongolia, carries out the comparative analysis of capital’s medium and low income households and presents methods, which will help to solve these problems.

Effect of environmental and material factors on the response of nanocomposite foam impact sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Evan; Merrell, Jake; Rosquist, Parker; Martineau, Adin; Bowden, Anton; Seeley, Matthew; Fullwood, David

2018-05-01

Nanocomposite foam (NCF) is a multifunctional material that can be used to measure impact. Interactions between the flexible polymer matrix and conductive particles dispersed throughout it produce a voltage signal under dynamic strain, which correlates to the magnitude of impact. Though promising in applications requiring both impact sensing and energy absorption, NCF’s voltage response has been observed to suffer from significant signal drift. This paper investigates several causes of variance in the response of NCF sensors to consistent impacts. These effects can be classified into three general types: recoverable transient effects (such as those relating to viscoelasticity or capacitive charging), environmental drift (due to humidity and temperature), and permanent signal decay from material degradation. The motivation for the study arises from various potential repeat-impact applications where periodic recalibration of the sensor would be difficult (such as a gait-tracking insole in use for a marathon event). A cyclic drop testing machine was used to apply consistent impacts to NCF, and drift resulting from each factor (in ranges typical of an insole environment) was experimentally isolated. Models representing each factor’s contribution to signal drift are presented. Of the factors investigated, humidity and temperature caused the most significant drift, with permanent material degradation accounting for only minor decay in voltage response. Transient effects were also observed, with a characteristic ‘warm-up’ (or ‘charging’) time required for the NCF to achieve steady-state; this phenomenon, and the related ‘recovery’ time for the material to return to its original state, were determined. The resultant data can be leveraged to implement a correction algorithm or other drift-compensating method to retain an NCF sensor’s accuracy in both long and short data collection scenarios.

Impact of Macroeconomic and Endogenous Factors on Non-Performing Bank Assets

OpenAIRE

Swamy, Vighneswara

2012-01-01

Determinants of default risk of banks in emerging economies have so far received inadequate attention in the literature. Using panel data techniques, this paper seeks to examine the impact of macroeconomic and endogenous factors on non-performing assets for the period from 1997-2009. The findings of the study reveal some interesting inferences contrary to the perception of few opinion makers. Lending Rates have been found to be not so significant in affecting the NPAs contrary to the general ...

The financial impact of hospitals on the local economy--2 new factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rotarius, Timothy; Liberman, Aaron

2014-01-01

This research effort presents a descriptive analysis of the financial impact that several hospitals have on their local economy. An earlier study published by the authors included 3 distinct, yet overlapping components of financial impact: (1) the hospital system as a major health care provider, (2) the hospital system as a large employer, and (3) the hospital system as an entity whose employees contribute greatly to their local community. This new study added additional financial impact factors: (4) the hospital system as an organization committed to major construction projects in pursuit of its health services mission, and (5) the hospital system as an entity that pays taxes to government agencies. The inextricable relationship of these 5 categories both increases and enhances the impact of the hospital system on the local region. The results of this updated and expanded analysis suggest strongly that the hospital system represents 1 of the primary contributors to the economy of the region. The hospital system adds $3 billion to the $28 billion local economy, which means that the hospital system and its employees are responsible for 10.7% of the total economic prowess of the region.

Impact of Stopping Tumor Necrosis Factor inhibitors on Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients' Burden of Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghiti Moghadam, Marjan; ten Klooster, Peter M.; Vonkeman, Harald Erwin; Kneepkens, Eva L.; Klaasen, Ruth; Stolk, Jan N.; Tchetverikov, Ilja; Vreugdenhil, Simone A.; van Woerkom, Jan M.; Goekoop-Ruiterman, Yvonne P.M.; Landewé, Robert B.M.; van Riel, Piet L.C.M.; van de Laar, Mart A F J; Jansen, Tim L.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of stopping tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of physical and mental health status, health utility, pain, disability and fatigue in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In the pragmatic

Impact of Stopping Tumor Necrosis Factor-inhibitors on Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients' Burden of Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghiti Moghadam, Marjan; ten Klooster, Peter M.; Vonkeman, Harald Erwin; Kneepkens, Eva L.; Klaasen, Ruth; Stolk, Jan N.; Tchetverikov, Ilja; Vreugdenhil, Simone A.; van Woerkom, Jan M.; Goekoop-Ruiterman, Yvonne P.M.; Landewé, Robert B.M.; van Riel, Piet L.C.M.; van de Laar, Mart A F J; Jansen, Tim L.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of stopping tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of physical and mental health status, health utility, pain, disability and fatigue in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In the pragmatic

Recent insights into the biology of Hodgkin lymphoma: unraveling the mysteries of the Reed-Sternberg cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Roullet, Michele R; Bagg, Adam

2007-11-01

The microscopic pathology of Hodgkin lymphoma has been recognized for well over a century; however, only in the past 15 years has the enigmatic nature of this peculiar neoplasm been somewhat unraveled. This has been accomplished via a combination of the acquisition, via microdissection, of the prototypically rare malignant cells and their subsequent analysis via a variety of modalities, including genomic studies and expression profiling. This has facilitated the elucidation of the surreptitiously concealed B-cell origin of the cells, their complex but vital relationships with the surrounding micro- and macroenvironment, as well as multiple pathways involved in the pathobiology of this lymphoma. Understanding the intricacies of these intra- and extracellular pathways should allow for the development of less-toxic targeted therapies.

The impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the job satisfaction of dentists.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetz, K; Campbell, S M; Broge, B; Dörfer, C E; Brodowski, M; Szecsenyi, J

2012-10-01

The Two-Factor Theory of job satisfaction distinguishes between intrinsic-motivation (i.e. recognition, responsibility) and extrinsic-hygiene (i.e. job security, salary, working conditions) factors. The presence of intrinsic-motivation facilitates higher satisfaction and performance, whereas the absences of extrinsic factors help mitigate against dissatisfaction. The consideration of these factors and their impact on dentists' job satisfaction is essential for the recruitment and retention of dentists. The objective of the study is to assess the level of job satisfaction of German dentists and the factors that are associated with it. This cross-sectional study was based on a job satisfaction survey. Data were collected from 147 dentists working in 106 dental practices. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale. Organizational characteristics were measured with two items. Linear regression analyses were performed in which each of the nine items of the job satisfaction scale (excluding overall satisfaction) were handled as dependent variables. A stepwise linear regression analysis was performed with overall job satisfaction as the dependent outcome variable, the nine items of job satisfaction and the two items of organizational characteristics controlled for age and gender as predictors. The response rate was 95.0%. Dentists were satisfied with 'freedom of working method' and mostly dissatisfied with their 'income'. Both variables are extrinsic factors. The regression analyses identified five items that were significantly associated with each item of the job satisfaction scale: 'age', 'mean weekly working time', 'period in the practice', 'number of dentist's assistant' and 'working atmosphere'. Within the stepwise linear regression analysis the intrinsic factor 'opportunity to use abilities' (β = 0.687) showed the highest score of explained variance (R(2) = 0.468) regarding overall job satisfaction. With respect to the Two-Factor

The impact of visual layout factors on performance in Web pages: a cross-language study.

Science.gov (United States)

Parush, Avi; Shwarts, Yonit; Shtub, Avy; Chandra, M Jeya

2005-01-01

Visual layout has a strong impact on performance and is a critical factor in the design of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and Web pages. Many design guidelines employed in Web page design were inherited from human performance literature and GUI design studies and practices. However, few studies have investigated the more specific patterns of performance with Web pages that may reflect some differences between Web page and GUI design. We investigated interactions among four visual layout factors in Web page design (quantity of links, alignment, grouping indications, and density) in two experiments: one with pages in Hebrew, entailing right-to-left reading, and the other with English pages, entailing left-to-right reading. Some performance patterns (measured by search times and eye movements) were similar between languages. Performance was particularly poor in pages with many links and variable densities, but it improved with the presence of uniform density. Alignment was not shown to be a performance-enhancing factor. The findings are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences in the impact of layout factors between GUIs and Web pages. Actual or potential applications of this research include specific guidelines for Web page design.

Unraveling Health Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Commentary on the Persistent Impact of Stigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Valdiserri, Ronald O; Holtgrave, David R; Poteat, Tonia C; Beyrer, Chris

2018-01-03

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) populations experience disparities in health outcomes, both physical and mental, compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. This commentary confronts the view held by some researchers that the disparate rates of mental health problems reported among LGBT populations are the consequences of pursuing a particular life trajectory, rather than resulting from the corrosive and persistent impact of stigma. Suggesting that mental health disparities among LGBT populations arise internally, de novo, when individuals express non-heterosexual and non-conforming gender identities ignores the vast body of evidence documenting the destructive impact of socially mediated stigma and systemic discrimination on health outcomes for a number of minorities, including sexual and gender minorities. Furthermore, such thinking is antithetical to widely accepted standards of health and wellbeing because it implies that LGBT persons should adopt and live out identities that contradict or deny their innermost feelings of self.

Catalan Separatism: Factors of Impact on the Status of the Autonomous Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Андрей Владимирович Баранов

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The paper defines the resources and strategies of the separatist movement in Catalonia 1990—2000-s., the factors of its impact on the status of the autonomous community of Spain, the causes of radicalization after the adoption of the new Statute of Catalonia. In the spotlight — two interrelated aspects: institutional development of political parties and public opinion in the region.

Scientist impact factor (SIF): a new metric for improving scientists' evaluation?

Science.gov (United States)

Lippi, Giuseppe; Mattiuzzi, Camilla

2017-08-01

The publication of scientific research is the mainstay for knowledge dissemination, but is also an essential criterion of scientists' evaluation for recruiting funds and career progression. Although the most widespread approach for evaluating scientists is currently based on the H-index, the total impact factor (IF) and the overall number of citations, these metrics are plagued by some well-known drawbacks. Therefore, with the aim to improve the process of scientists' evaluation, we developed a new and potentially useful indicator of recent scientific output. The new metric scientist impact factor (SIF) was calculated as all citations of articles published in the two years following the publication year of the articles, divided by the overall number of articles published in that year. The metrics was then tested by analyzing data of the 40 top scientists of the local University. No correlation was found between SIF and H-index (r=0.15; P=0.367) or 2 years H-index (r=-0.01; P=0.933), whereas the H-index and 2 years H-index values were found to be highly correlated (r=0.57; Particles published in one year and the total number of citations to these articles in the two following years (r=0.62; Pscientists, wherein the SIF reflects the scientific output over the past two years thus increasing their chances to apply to and obtain competitive funding.

The impact of innovation and organizational factors on APS adoption: Evidence from the Dutch discrete parts industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.P. van Hezewijk (Bart); M.F. van Assen (Marcel); S.L. van de Velde (Steef)

2003-01-01

textabstractAdvanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) systems have gained renewed interest from academics and practitioners. However, literature on APS adoption is scant. This study explores the impact of organizational and innovation related factors on the adoption of APS systems from a factors

The educational gradient in cardiovascular risk factors: impact of shared family factors in 228,346 Norwegian siblings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ariansen, Inger; Mortensen, Laust Hvas; Graff-Iversen, Sidsel; Stigum, Hein; Kjøllesdal, Marte Karoline Råberg; Næss, Øyvind

2017-03-30

Various indicators of childhood socioeconomic position have been related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adulthood. We investigated the impact of shared family factors on the educational gradient in midlife CVD risk factors by assessing within sibling similarities in the gradient using a discordant sibling design. Norwegian health survey data (1980-2003) was linked to educational and generational data. Participants with a full sibling in the health surveys (228,346 individuals in 98,046 sibships) were included. Associations between attained educational level (7-9 years, 10-11 years, 12 years, 13-16 years, or >16 years) and CVD risk factor levels in the study population was compared with the corresponding associations within siblings. Educational gradients in risk factors were attenuated when factors shared by siblings was taken into account: A one category lower educational level was associated with 0.7 (95% confidence interval 0.6 to 0.8) mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure (27% attenuation), 0.4 (0.4 to 0.5) mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure (30%), 1.0 (1.0 to 1.1) more beats per minute higher heart rate (21%), 0.07 (0.06 to 0.07) mmol/l higher serum total cholesterol (32%), 0.2 (0.2 to 0.2) higher smoking level (5 categories) (30%), 0.15 (0.13 to 0.17) kg/m 2 higher BMI (43%), and 0.2 (0.2 to 0.2) cm lower height (52%). Attenuation increased with shorter age-difference between siblings. About one third of the educational gradients in modifiable CVD risk factors may be explained by factors that siblings share. This implies that childhood environment is important for the prevention of CVD.

Impact of Stopping Tumor Necrosis Factor-inhibitors on Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients' Burden of Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghiti Moghadam, Marjan; ten Klooster, Peter M.; Vonkeman, Harald E.; Kneepkens, Eva L.; Klaasen, Ruth; Stolk, Jan N.; Tchetverikov, Ilja; Vreugdenhil, Simone A.; van Woerkom, Jan M.; Goekoop-Ruiterman, Yvonne P. M.; Landewé, Robert B. M.; van Riel, Piet L. C. M.; van de Laar, Mart A. F. J.; Jansen, Tim L.

2017-01-01

To determine the impact of stopping tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of physical and mental health status, health utility, pain, disability and fatigue in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the pragmatic 12-month POET trial,

Trends in impact factors of ophthalmology journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Vainer, Igor; Mimouni, Francis; Blumenthal, Eytan Z; Mimouni, Michael

2016-09-01

To test whether there is an association between the growth in the number of ophthalmic journals in the past years and their mean and maximum impact factor (IF) as a common sign of scientific proliferation. Using data from the 2013 Journal Citation Report database a study of the major clinical medical fields was conducted to assess the correlation between the number of journals and maximum IF in a given field in the year 2013. In the field of ophthalmology, we examined the correlation between year, number of journals, mean IF and maximum IF in the field of ophthalmology throughout the years 2000-2013. In the major medical fields, a positive correlation was found between the number of journals and the maximum IF (quadratic R2 = 0.71, Pjournals and mean IF (R2 = 0.84, Pjournals and maximum IF (R2 = 0.71, Pjournals in the field of ophthalmology. In the future, the formation of additional ophthalmology journals is likely to further increase the IFs of existing journals.

Impact of an empowerment-based parent education program on the reduction of youth suicide risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Toumbourou, John W; Gregg, M Elizabeth

2002-09-01

To evaluate the impact of parent education groups on youth suicide risk factors. The potential for informal transmission of intervention impacts within school communities was assessed. Parent education groups were offered to volunteers from 14 high schools that were closely matched to 14 comparison schools. The professionally led groups aimed to empower parents to assist one another to improve communication skills and relationships with adolescents. Australian 8th-grade students (aged 14 years) responded to classroom surveys repeated at baseline and after 3 months. Logistic regression was used to test for intervention impacts on adolescent substance use, deliquency, self-harm behavior, and depression. There were no differences between the intervention (n = 305) and comparison (n = 272) samples at baseline on the measures of depression, health behavior, or family relationships. Students in the intervention schools demonstrated increased maternal care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.9), reductions in conflict with parents (AOR.5), reduced substance use (AOR.5 to.6), and less delinquency (AOR.2). Parent education group participants were more likely to be sole parents and their children reported higher rates of substance use at baseline. Intervention impacts revealed a dose-response with the largest impacts associated with directly participating parents, but significant impacts were also evident for others in the intervention schools. Where best friend dyads were identified, the best friend's positive family relationships reduced subsequent substance use among respondents. This and other social contagion processes were posited to explain the transfer of positive impacts beyond the minority of directly participating families. A whole-school parent education intervention demonstrated promising impacts on a range of risk behaviors and protective factors relevant to youth self-harm and suicide.

Relating Factors for Depression in Korean Working Women: Secondary Analysis of the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyung-Jae Lee, MD

2015-09-01

Conclusions: Based on the study, factors leading to depression were marital status, current smoking, stress, employment condition and self-reported health status. Further studies are expected to unravel the characteristics of stress. Health care providers for women need to evaluate underreported depression and change their associated health behaviors. Also it is necessary to establish preventive strategies for female workers to control the negative effect of depression in the workplace.

Transcriptional regulation by competing transcription factor modules.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutger Hermsen

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Gene regulatory networks lie at the heart of cellular computation. In these networks, intracellular and extracellular signals are integrated by transcription factors, which control the expression of transcription units by binding to cis-regulatory regions on the DNA. The designs of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cis-regulatory regions are usually highly complex. They frequently consist of both repetitive and overlapping transcription factor binding sites. To unravel the design principles of these promoter architectures, we have designed in silico prokaryotic transcriptional logic gates with predefined input-output relations using an evolutionary algorithm. The resulting cis-regulatory designs are often composed of modules that consist of tandem arrays of binding sites to which the transcription factors bind cooperatively. Moreover, these modules often overlap with each other, leading to competition between them. Our analysis thus identifies a new signal integration motif that is based upon the interplay between intramodular cooperativity and intermodular competition. We show that this signal integration mechanism drastically enhances the capacity of cis-regulatory domains to integrate signals. Our results provide a possible explanation for the complexity of promoter architectures and could be used for the rational design of synthetic gene circuits.

Knowledge brokerage context factors – What matters in knowledge exchange in impact assessment?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saarela, Sanna-Riikka; Söderman, Tarja; Lyytimäki, Jari

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Different knowledge brokerage strategies can be applied in impact assessment. • A conceptual framework for knowledge brokering is introduced. • Six test cases from different areas and jurisdictions are reviewed. • Various context factors affect the success of knowledge brokering in IA. - Abstract: The success of an impact assessment (IA) can mean both instrumental success of applying IA results directly in decision-making, and conceptual success linked to learning about policy problems more generally. Both instrumental and conceptual success can be claimed to be reliant on the knowledge exchange context of the IA, shaped by factors such as the complexity of the policy problem, type of policy area, organisational norms, actor constellations and continuance and openness of information sharing. Even though such context factors may be pre-set, they are nevertheless contested and reformulated during each IA process. This paper ties together lessons from six different IA processes that were performed between 2011 and 2013. The cases include agricultural policy at the EU and regional level in Greece, national-level climate change and energy policy in Finland and Estonia, resource efficiency policy at the German national level, and sustainable land use policy in Inner Mongolia, China. The paper introduces and applies a typology of knowledge brokerage context factors. The paper asks how knowledge brokerage is shaped by different contexts and what determines the consequent application (or non-application) of IA tools and the use of IA results. The paper concludes by highlighting the significance of identification and acknowledgement of different knowledge exchange contexts in IA

Factors Impacting Knowledge Sharing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schulzmann, David; Slepniov, Dmitrij

The purpose of this paper is to examine various factors affecting knowledge sharing at the R&D center of a Western MNE in China. The paper employs qualitative methodology and is based on the action research and case study research techniques. The findings of the paper advance our understanding...... about factors that affect knowledge sharing. The main emphasis is given to the discussion on how to improve knowledge sharing in global R&D organizations....

The Impact of Selected Individual and External Factors on the Occurrence of Severe Injuries: Case Study of Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Polona Tominc

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the importance of different determinants and their impact on the severity of injuries of individuals in road traffic accidents, so that measures that are supposed to prevent or reduce severe injury consequences can be developed. In this paper three research models have been built. Model I was built to study the impact of demographic factors (gender and age on the individual’s likelihood to wear a seat-belt while Model II to study the impact of demographic factors (gender and age and the impact of wearing a seat belt on the likelihood that fatal injuries of individuals in road traffic accidents occur. Model III was formed to study the impact of several environmental factors on the likelihood that the accident involves severe or fatal injuries of road traffic accident participants. Altogether our study revealed that middle-aged individuals (over 25 years and up to 65 years old are less likely to wear a seat belt and at the same time more likely to suffer fatal injuries in road traffic accidents. This is the result that implies that the targeted policy measures to the population between 25 and 65 years of age are needed to reduce the fatal injuries occurrence in Slovenia.

Unravelling Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shweta Khanna

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Rheumatoid arthritis (RA is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease associated with systemic, extra-articular and articular effects, causing permanent disability, early morbidity; making the patient compromised with a worldwide prevalence of 0.8%, commonly effecting women with a rate of 0.7% in India. With improved and developing therapeutics, this disease needs special focus for improved diagnosis and better treatment. The hyperactivity of immune cells is responsible for pathogenesis and progression of the disease. This study unravels the changes in mitochondria of RA patients which may be a potential reason for abnormal functioning of immune cells against self-antigens and occurrence of the disease. In this study we examine the following aspects of mitochondrial functions in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs of patients and their paired control samples: 1 Change in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; 2 mitochondrial mass; 3 mitochondrial superoxide and 4 ATP levels. Patients satisfying the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for RA diagnosis were enrolled in this study. PBMCs of RA patients and controls were collected by differential gradient centrifugation. MMP, mass and superoxide levels were measured using respective commercially available dye using flow cytometry. ATP levels were measured by lysing equal number of cells from patients and controls using ATP measurement kit. In our case control cohort, we found a significant decrease in MMP (p<0.005 in PBMCs of RA patients where the change in mitochondrial mass was insignificant. The mitochondrial superoxide levels were found to be significantly low (p<0.05 in PBMCs of RA patients with significantly low (p<0.005 total cellular ATP as compared to controls. Our results indicate reduced potential and mitochondrial superoxides with decreased total cellular ATP. Reduced potential will disturb proper functioning of mitochondria in PBMCs which may affect most important

Evaluating the impact of implementation factors on family-based prevention programming: methods for strengthening causal inference.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowley, D Max; Coffman, Donna L; Feinberg, Mark E; Greenberg, Mark T; Spoth, Richard L

2014-04-01

Despite growing recognition of the important role implementation plays in successful prevention efforts, relatively little work has sought to demonstrate a causal relationship between implementation factors and participant outcomes. In turn, failure to explore the implementation-to-outcome link limits our understanding of the mechanisms essential to successful programming. This gap is partially due to the inability of current methodological procedures within prevention science to account for the multitude of confounders responsible for variation in implementation factors (i.e., selection bias). The current paper illustrates how propensity and marginal structural models can be used to improve causal inferences involving implementation factors not easily randomized (e.g., participant attendance). We first present analytic steps for simultaneously evaluating the impact of multiple implementation factors on prevention program outcome. Then, we demonstrate this approach for evaluating the impact of enrollment and attendance in a family program, over and above the impact of a school-based program, within PROSPER, a large-scale real-world prevention trial. Findings illustrate the capacity of this approach to successfully account for confounders that influence enrollment and attendance, thereby more accurately representing true causal relations. For instance, after accounting for selection bias, we observed a 5% reduction in the prevalence of 11th grade underage drinking for those who chose to receive a family program and school program compared to those who received only the school program. Further, we detected a 7% reduction in underage drinking for those with high attendance in the family program.

Impact of the macroeconomic factors on university budgeting the US and Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Bogomolova, Arina; Balk, Igor; Ivachenko, Natalya; Temkin, Anatoly

2017-10-01

This paper discuses impact of macroeconomics factor on the university budgeting. Modern developments in the area of data science and machine learning made it possible to utilise automated techniques to address several problems of humankind ranging from genetic engineering and particle physics to sociology and economics. This paper is the first step to create a robust toolkit which will help universities sustain macroeconomic challenges utilising modern predictive analytics techniques.

THE ESTIMATION OF HUMAN-OPERATOR CYBERNETIC ABILITIES DURING THE IMPACT OF DESTABILIZING FACTORS OF EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergii T. Polishchuk

2009-04-01

Full Text Available  The method of estimation of human-operator cybernetics abilities during of the impacting of destabilizing factors of external environment is suggested. It was proved that up-to-date biomedical approach for periodical health examination of pilots in civil aviation isn’t guarantees theirs cybernetics abilities in cases of influence of destabilizing factors.

A mixed methods study of the factors that influence whether intervention research has policy and practice impacts: perceptions of Australian researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Newson, Robyn; King, Lesley; Rychetnik, Lucie; Bauman, Adrian E; Redman, Sally; Milat, Andrew J; Schroeder, Jacqueline; Cohen, Gillian; Chapman, Simon

2015-07-21

To investigate researchers' perceptions about the factors that influenced the policy and practice impacts (or lack of impact) of one of their own funded intervention research studies. Mixed method, cross-sectional study. Intervention research conducted in Australia and funded by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council between 2003 and 2007. The chief investigators from 50 funded intervention research studies were interviewed to determine if their study had achieved policy and practice impacts, how and why these impacts had (or had not) occurred and the approach to dissemination they had employed. We found that statistically significant intervention effects and publication of results influenced whether there were policy and practice impacts, along with factors related to the nature of the intervention itself, the researchers' experience and connections, their dissemination and translation efforts, and the postresearch context. This study indicates that sophisticated approaches to intervention development, dissemination actions and translational efforts are actually widespread among experienced researches, and can achieve policy and practice impacts. However, it was the links between the intervention results, further dissemination actions by researchers and a variety of postresearch contextual factors that ultimately determined whether a study had policy and practice impacts. Given the complicated interplay between the various factors, there appears to be no simple formula for determining which intervention studies should be funded in order to achieve optimal policy and practice impacts. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Etiology, risk factors, epidemiology, and public health issues in melanoma and other cutaneous neoplasms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.A.

1992-01-01

The cytogenetic features of melanoma, including the contribution of specific genes, are beginning to be unraveled. Reproductive factors have been shown to have little relationship to melanoma. The puzzles over apparent systemic effects of exposure have persisted, however. Evidence was published that the history of reaction to sun exposure altered when a diagnosis of melanoma was made. An interesting suggestion was made that the classic melanoma risk factors are associated with promotion rather than initiation of the disease. There is further evidence that exposure decreases melanoma risk in people who tan well but increases it in those who do not. Also reviewed is the evidence that the ozone layer of the stratosphere began to decrease in thickness under the influence of the chlorofluorocarbon gases

Childhood circumstances, psychosocial factors and the social impact of adult oral health.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Anne E; Spencer, A John

2005-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether childhood familial conditions are associated with the social impact of adult oral health and to investigate the role of psychosocial attributes as potential mechanisms by which risk might be conveyed from childhood to adulthood. Using a cross-sectional design, self-report data were obtained from a representative sample of adults in Australia with a telephonic interview and a self-completed questionnaire. The dependent variable was the sum of impacts on the short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Childhood familial conditions included socioeconomic position assessed by paternal occupation group, family structure and quality of rearing. Current adult sense of control, perceived stress and satisfaction with life were assessed with standard scales and social support was evaluated with four items. Data were obtained for 3678 dentate adults aged 18-91 years. In bivariate analysis controlling for sex, age and household income in adulthood, parenting style was significantly associated with OHIP-14 scores (anova, P parental rearing style was significantly associated with social impact after adjusting for sex, age and household income in adulthood, but was no longer significant in the presence of the psychosocial factors. The importance of parental rearing to adult oral health may be mediated through the quality and nature of psychosocial attributes.

The uncertainty of reference standards--a guide to understanding factors impacting uncertainty, uncertainty calculations, and vendor certifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, Kevin; Chang, Ning; Dilek, Isil; Jian, Huahua; Pogue, Sherri; Sreenivasan, Uma

2009-10-01

Certified solution standards are widely used in forensic toxicological, clinical/diagnostic, and environmental testing. Typically, these standards are purchased as ampouled solutions with a certified concentration. Vendors present concentration and uncertainty differently on their Certificates of Analysis. Understanding the factors that impact uncertainty and which factors have been considered in the vendor's assignment of uncertainty are critical to understanding the accuracy of the standard and the impact on testing results. Understanding these variables is also important for laboratories seeking to comply with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements and for those preparing reference solutions from neat materials at the bench. The impact of uncertainty associated with the neat material purity (including residual water, residual solvent, and inorganic content), mass measurement (weighing techniques), and solvent addition (solution density) on the overall uncertainty of the certified concentration is described along with uncertainty calculations.

Fluvial fingerprints in northeast Pacific sediments: Unravelling terrestrial-ocean climate linkages

Science.gov (United States)

Vanlaningham, S. J.; Duncan, R.; Pisias, N.

2004-12-01

As the earth's climate history becomes better understood, it becomes clear that the terrestrial and oceanic systems interact in complex ways. This is seen in core sites offshore the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of North America. A correlation can be seen in oceanic biostratigraphic assemblages and down-core changes in terrestrial pollen types. However, it is difficult to determine whether this relationship is the result of a coupled migration of terrestrial vegetation and oceanic fauna on millennial timescales or the result of changes in ocean circulation patterns that create more complex pollen pathways to the core sites. This research begins to unravel the answers to this problem by examining down-core changes in sediment provenance on millennial timescales. Preliminary data characterize sediment of 24 rivers from ten geologic provinces between latitudes 36° N - 47° N. Through clay mineralogy, major and trace element geochemistry and Ar-Ar "province" ages, ten of the 24 rivers can be uniquely identified, while six of the ten geologic provinces can be uniquely constrained geochemically. With further Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic analyses, we hope to constrain the non-unique sediment sources. We will also be presenting initial down-core geochemical results from cores EW 9504-17PC and EW9504-13PC, offshore southern Oregon and central California, respectively.

Biclustering with Flexible Plaid Models to Unravel Interactions between Biological Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Henriques, Rui; Madeira, Sara C

2015-01-01

Genes can participate in multiple biological processes at a time and thus their expression can be seen as a composition of the contributions from the active processes. Biclustering under a plaid assumption allows the modeling of interactions between transcriptional modules or biclusters (subsets of genes with coherence across subsets of conditions) by assuming an additive composition of contributions in their overlapping areas. Despite the biological interest of plaid models, few biclustering algorithms consider plaid effects and, when they do, they place restrictions on the allowed types and structures of biclusters, and suffer from robustness problems by seizing exact additive matchings. We propose BiP (Biclustering using Plaid models), a biclustering algorithm with relaxations to allow expression levels to change in overlapping areas according to biologically meaningful assumptions (weighted and noise-tolerant composition of contributions). BiP can be used over existing biclustering solutions (seizing their benefits) as it is able to recover excluded areas due to unaccounted plaid effects and detect noisy areas non-explained by a plaid assumption, thus producing an explanatory model of overlapping transcriptional activity. Experiments on synthetic data support BiP's efficiency and effectiveness. The learned models from expression data unravel meaningful and non-trivial functional interactions between biological processes associated with putative regulatory modules.

Unravelling the High-Pressure Behaviour of Dye-Zeolite L Hybrid Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lara Gigli

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Self-assembly of chromophores nanoconfined in porous materials such as zeolite L has led to technologically relevant host-guest systems exploited in solar energy harvesting, photonics, nanodiagnostics and information technology. The response of these hybrid materials to compression, which would be crucial to enhance their application range, has never been explored to date. By a joint high-pressure in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and ab initio molecular dynamics approach, herein we unravel the high-pressure behaviour of hybrid composites of zeolite L with fluorenone dye. High-pressure experiments were performed up to 6 GPa using non-penetrating pressure transmitting media to study the effect of dye loading on the structural properties of the materials under compression. Computational modelling provided molecular-level insight on the response to compression of the confined dye assemblies, evidencing a pressure-induced strengthening of the interaction between the fluorenone carbonyl group and zeolite L potassium cations. Our results reveal an impressive stability of the fluorenone-zeolite L composites at GPa pressures. The remarkable resilience of the supramolecular organization of dye molecules hyperconfined in zeolite L channels may open the way to the realization of optical devices able to maintain their functionality under extreme conditions.

Indoor Air Pollutant Exposure for Life Cycle Assessment: Regional Health Impact Factors for Households

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenbaum, Ralph K.; Meijer, Arjen; Demou, Evangelia

2015-01-01

of magnitude, due to the variability of ventilation rate, building occupation, and volume. To compare health impacts as a result of indoor exposure with those from outdoor exposure, the indoor exposure characterization factors determined with the modified USEtox model were applied in a case study on cooking...

The educational gradient in cardiovascular risk factors: impact of shared family factors in 228,346 Norwegian siblings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inger Ariansen

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Various indicators of childhood socioeconomic position have been related to cardiovascular disease (CVD risk in adulthood. We investigated the impact of shared family factors on the educational gradient in midlife CVD risk factors by assessing within sibling similarities in the gradient using a discordant sibling design. Methods Norwegian health survey data (1980–2003 was linked to educational and generational data. Participants with a full sibling in the health surveys (228,346 individuals in 98,046 sibships were included. Associations between attained educational level (7–9 years, 10–11 years, 12 years, 13–16 years, or >16 years and CVD risk factor levels in the study population was compared with the corresponding associations within siblings. Results Educational gradients in risk factors were attenuated when factors shared by siblings was taken into account: A one category lower educational level was associated with 0.7 (95% confidence interval 0.6 to 0.8 mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure (27% attenuation, 0.4 (0.4 to 0.5 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure (30%, 1.0 (1.0 to 1.1 more beats per minute higher heart rate (21%, 0.07 (0.06 to 0.07 mmol/l higher serum total cholesterol (32%, 0.2 (0.2 to 0.2 higher smoking level (5 categories (30%, 0.15 (0.13 to 0.17 kg/m2 higher BMI (43%, and 0.2 (0.2 to 0.2 cm lower height (52%. Attenuation increased with shorter age-difference between siblings. Conclusion About one third of the educational gradients in modifiable CVD risk factors may be explained by factors that siblings share. This implies that childhood environment is important for the prevention of CVD.

Degradation Factor Approach for Impacted Composite Structural Assessment: MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Final Report, Project No. 96-17

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega, R.; Price, J. M.; Fox, D.

2000-01-01

This technical memorandum documents the results of the research to develop a concept for assessing the structural integrity of impacted composite structures using the strength degradation factor in conjunction with available finite element tools. For this purpose, a literature search was conducted, a plan for conducting impact testing on two laminates was developed, and a finite element model of the impact process was created. Specimens for the impact testing were fabricated to support the impact testing plan.

Impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the outcome of renal transplantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moghimi Mehrdad

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases are common in renal transplant recipients and renal insuf-ficiency has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Some studies have reported that cardiovascular risk factors may contribute to the outcome of renal transplantation. This study was performed to determine the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the outcome of renal transplantation in Iranian subjects. This is a retrospective, observational study including patients of 20-85 years of age who had undergone renal transplantation. Parameters documented and analyzed included demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, past medical history, date of last transplan-tation, the outcome of transplant, last measured serum creatinine, cause of graft failure, rejection, and death. A total of 192 patients were analyzed including 152 in the case group (with identifiable cardiovascular risk factors and 40 controls (transplant recipients without identifiable risk factors. The mean serum creatinine in the case and control groups were 1.33 ± 0.13 and 1.29 ± 0.36 mg/dL respectively (P= 0.493. Response to transplantation was categorized based on a report from the World Health Organization. Complete response to grafting occurred in the control group more than the case group (P= 0.009, while frequency of partial response to grafting was higher in the case group (0.008. A history of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD could significantly predict the outcome of grafting (P= 0.008 as could the occurrence of renal failure (P= 0.022. Results were consistently reproduced using multivariate cumulative log it model. Our study indicates that the measured cardiovascular risk factors do not significantly influence the outcome of renal transplantation.

Unravelling the Mystery of the Atomic Nucleus A Sixty Year Journey 1896 — 1956

CERN Document Server

Fernandez, Bernard

2013-01-01

Unravelling the Mystery of the Atomic Nucleus tells the story of how, in the span of barely sixty years, we made a transition from the belief that matter was composed of indivisible atoms, to the discovery that in the heart of each atom lies a nucleus which is ten thousand times smaller than the atom, which nonetheless carries almost all its mass, and the transformations of which involve energies that could never be reached by chemical reactions. It was not a smooth transition. The nature of nuclei, their properties, the physical laws which govern their behaviour, and the possibility of controlling to some extent their transformations, were discovered in discontinuous steps, following paths which occasionally led to errors which in turn were corrected by further experimental discoveries. The story begins in 1896 when radioactivity was unexpectedly discovered and continues up to the nineteen-sixties. The authors describe the spectacular progress made by physics during that time, which not only revealed a new f...

Astrocyte Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 Protects Synapses against Aβ Oligomers in Alzheimer's Disease Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Luan Pereira; Tortelli, Vanessa; Matias, Isadora; Morgado, Juliana; Bérgamo Araujo, Ana Paula; Melo, Helen M; Seixas da Silva, Gisele S; Alves-Leon, Soniza V; de Souza, Jorge M; Ferreira, Sergio T; De Felice, Fernanda G; Gomes, Flávia Carvalho Alcantara

2017-07-12

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, increasingly attributed to neuronal dysfunction induced by amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs). Although the impact of AβOs on neurons has been extensively studied, only recently have the possible effects of AβOs on astrocytes begun to be investigated. Given the key roles of astrocytes in synapse formation, plasticity, and function, we sought to investigate the impact of AβOs on astrocytes, and to determine whether this impact is related to the deleterious actions of AβOs on synapses. We found that AβOs interact with astrocytes, cause astrocyte activation and trigger abnormal generation of reactive oxygen species, which is accompanied by impairment of astrocyte neuroprotective potential in vitro We further show that both murine and human astrocyte conditioned media (CM) increase synapse density, reduce AβOs binding, and prevent AβO-induced synapse loss in cultured hippocampal neurons. Both a neutralizing anti-transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) antibody and siRNA-mediated knockdown of TGF-β1, previously identified as an important synaptogenic factor secreted by astrocytes, abrogated the protective action of astrocyte CM against AβO-induced synapse loss. Notably, TGF-β1 prevented hippocampal dendritic spine loss and memory impairment in mice that received an intracerebroventricular infusion of AβOs. Results suggest that astrocyte-derived TGF-β1 is part of an endogenous mechanism that protects synapses against AβOs. By demonstrating that AβOs decrease astrocyte ability to protect synapses, our results unravel a new mechanism underlying the synaptotoxic action of AβOs in AD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, mainly attributed to synaptotoxicity of the amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs). Here, we investigated the impact of AβOs in astrocytes, a less known subject. We show that astrocytes prevent synapse loss induced by A�

App Usage Factor: A Simple Metric to Compare the Population Impact of Mobile Medical Apps.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Thomas Lorchan; Wyatt, Jeremy C

2015-08-19

One factor when assessing the quality of mobile apps is quantifying the impact of a given app on a population. There is currently no metric which can be used to compare the population impact of a mobile app across different health care disciplines. The objective of this study is to create a novel metric to characterize the impact of a mobile app on a population. We developed the simple novel metric, app usage factor (AUF), defined as the logarithm of the product of the number of active users of a mobile app with the median number of daily uses of the app. The behavior of this metric was modeled using simulated modeling in Python, a general-purpose programming language. Three simulations were conducted to explore the temporal and numerical stability of our metric and a simulated app ecosystem model using a simulated dataset of 20,000 apps. Simulations confirmed the metric was stable between predicted usage limits and remained stable at extremes of these limits. Analysis of a simulated dataset of 20,000 apps calculated an average value for the app usage factor of 4.90 (SD 0.78). A temporal simulation showed that the metric remained stable over time and suitable limits for its use were identified. A key component when assessing app risk and potential harm is understanding the potential population impact of each mobile app. Our metric has many potential uses for a wide range of stakeholders in the app ecosystem, including users, regulators, developers, and health care professionals. Furthermore, this metric forms part of the overall estimate of risk and potential for harm or benefit posed by a mobile medical app. We identify the merits and limitations of this metric, as well as potential avenues for future validation and research.

Time-Series Analysis of Continuously Monitored Blood Glucose: The Impacts of Geographic and Daily Lifestyle Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sean T. Doherty

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Type 2 diabetes is known to be associated with environmental, behavioral, and lifestyle factors. However, the actual impacts of these factors on blood glucose (BG variation throughout the day have remained relatively unexplored. Continuous blood glucose monitors combined with human activity tracking technologies afford new opportunities for exploration in a naturalistic setting. Data from a study of 40 patients with diabetes is utilized in this paper, including continuously monitored BG, food/medicine intake, and patient activity/location tracked using global positioning systems over a 4-day period. Standard linear regression and more disaggregated time-series analysis using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA are used to explore patient BG variation throughout the day and over space. The ARIMA models revealed a wide variety of BG correlating factors related to specific activity types, locations (especially those far from home, and travel modes, although the impacts were highly personal. Traditional variables related to food intake and medications were less often significant. Overall, the time-series analysis revealed considerable patient-by-patient variation in the effects of geographic and daily lifestyle factors. We would suggest that maps of BG spatial variation or an interactive messaging system could provide new tools to engage patients and highlight potential risk factors.

Impact factor (if) of hospitality, leisure, sports & tourism journals: current trends, overall ranking and temporal stability over a four year period

OpenAIRE

Sans-Rosell, Nuria; Reverter Masià, Joaquín; Hernández González, Vicenç

2013-01-01

A journal’s “impact factor” (IF) is the bibliometric index that reflects the frequency with which an ‘‘average article’’ from a scientific journal has been cited in subsequent publications.The purpose of the present study is to examine the current impact factor of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports & Tourism journals, their overall ranking and temporal stability over a four year period. For this reason, we have included the impact factor of the scientific journals classifiedin the “Hospitality,...

A Short Review on Journal Impact Factor; Significance and Defects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masoud Eisa Khajelou

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Impact Factor (IF is considered as one of the most common subjects in academic environments. Individuals who would like to publish their productions and/or research results confront with various indicators, brands and labels that indicate relative importance, academic discipline and quality of journals. Diversity of the indicators induces confusion to select applicable journals and often, the authors would not be able to distinguish IF, ISI and their relations with the acceptance of the journal. Meanwhile, they have difficulties to find IF. Hence, this short paper aimed to provide useful information for authors to familiarize them with the concept of IF.​

Unraveling the Origin of Magnetism in Mesoporous Cu-Doped SnO₂ Magnetic Semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Junpeng; Menéndez, Enric; Guerrero, Miguel; Quintana, Alberto; Weschke, Eugen; Pellicer, Eva; Sort, Jordi

2017-10-25

The origin of magnetism in wide-gap semiconductors doped with non-ferromagnetic 3d transition metals still remains intriguing. In this article, insights in the magnetic properties of ordered mesoporous Cu-doped SnO₂ powders, prepared by hard-templating, have been unraveled. Whereas, both oxygen vacancies and Fe-based impurity phases could be a plausible explanation for the observed room temperature ferromagnetism, the low temperature magnetism is mainly and unambiguously arising from the nanoscale nature of the formed antiferromagnetic CuO, which results in a net magnetization that is reminiscent of ferromagnetic behavior. This is ascribed to uncompensated spins and shape-mediated spin canting effects. The reduced blocking temperature, which resides between 30 and 5 K, and traces of vertical shifts in the hysteresis loops confirm size effects in CuO. The mesoporous nature of the system with a large surface-to-volume ratio likely promotes the occurrence of uncompensated spins, spin canting, and spin frustration, offering new prospects in the use of magnetic semiconductors for energy-efficient spintronics.

Young onset dementia: the impact of emergent age-based factors upon personhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolhurst, Edward; Bhattacharyya, Sarmishtha; Kingston, Paul

2014-03-01

This paper evaluates how emergent age-based factors may impact upon the experience of dementia. A review of selected literature is undertaken to explore how personhood has been conceptualised in relation to dementia. It is then highlighted that very little literature explicitly addresses personhood with reference to young onset dementia. Young onset dementia is defined, and evaluation is then undertaken of the distinctive age-based factors that might shape the experience of the condition. It is noted that whilst there are separate literatures on both personhood and young onset dementia, there appears to be little endeavour to draw these two strands of thought together. The distinctive factors that shape young onset dementia suggest that a more heterogeneous perspective should be developed that accounts more appropriately for how personal characteristics shape the lived experience of dementia. The paper concludes that further research should be undertaken that has an explicit focus on personhood and young onset dementia.

Drop Impact on a Solid Surface

KAUST Repository

Josserand, C.; Thoroddsen, Sigurdur T

2015-01-01

depend crucially on the wetting properties of the substrate. In this review, we focus on recent experimental and theoretical studies, which aim at unraveling the underlying physics, characterized by the delicate interplay of not only liquid inertia

Factors that impact on the safety of patient handovers: An interview study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siemsen, Inger Margrete; Madsen, Marlene Dyrløv; Pedersen, Lene Funck

2012-01-01

Aims: Improvement of clinical handover is fundamental to meet the challenges of patient safety. The primary aim of this interview study is to explore healthcare professionals’ attitudes and experiences with critical episodes in patient handover in order to elucidate factors that impact on handover...... from ambulance to hospitals and within and between hospitals. The secondary aim is to identify possible solutions to optimise handovers, defined as “situations where the professional responsibility for some or all aspects of a patient’s diagnosis, treatment or care is transferred to another person...... on patient safety in handover situations: communication, information, organisation, infrastructure, professionalism, responsibility, team awareness, and culture. Conclusions: The eight factors identified indicate that handovers are complex situations. The organisation did not see patient handover...

The quark induced Mueller-Tang jet impact factor at next-to-leading order

CERN Document Server

Hentschinski, M.; Murdaca, B.; Vera, A. Sabio

2014-01-01

We present the NLO corrections for the quark induced forward production of a jet with an associated rapidity gap. We make use of Lipatov's QCD high energy effective action to calculate the real emission contributions to the so-called Mueller-Tang impact factor. We combine them with the previously calculated virtual corrections and verify ultraviolet and collinear finiteness of the final result.

Functional Impact of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Exposure on Tau Phosphorylation and Axon Transport.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle H Le

Full Text Available Stress exposure or increased levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF induce hippocampal tau phosphorylation (tau-P in rodent models, a process that is dependent on the type-1 CRF receptor (CRFR1. Although these preclinical studies on stress-induced tau-P provide mechanistic insight for epidemiological work that identifies stress as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD, the actual impact of stress-induced tau-P on neuronal function remains unclear. To determine the functional consequences of stress-induced tau-P, we developed a novel mouse neuronal cell culture system to explore the impact of acute (0.5hr and chronic (2hr CRF treatment on tau-P and integral cell processes such as axon transport. Consistent with in vivo reports, we found that chronic CRF treatment increased tau-P levels and caused globular accumulations of phosphorylated tau in dendritic and axonal processes. Furthermore, while both acute and chronic CRF treatment led to significant reduction in CREB activation and axon transport of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, this was not the case with mitochondrial transport. Acute CRF treatment caused increased mitochondrial velocity and distance traveled in neurons, while chronic CRF treatment modestly decreased mitochondrial velocity and greatly increased distance traveled. These results suggest that transport of cellular energetics may take priority over growth factors during stress. Tau-P was required for these changes, as co-treatment of CRF with a GSK kinase inhibitor prevented CRF-induced tau-P and all axon transport changes. Collectively, our results provide mechanistic insight into the consequences of stress peptide-induced tau-P and provide an explanation for how chronic stress via CRF may lead to neuronal vulnerability in AD.

Auto-correlation of journal impact factor for consensus research reporting statements: a cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanahan, Daniel R

2016-01-01

Background. The Journal Citation Reports journal impact factors (JIFs) are widely used to rank and evaluate journals, standing as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field. However, numerous criticisms have been made of use of a JIF to evaluate importance. This problem is exacerbated when the use of JIFs is extended to evaluate not only the journals, but the papers therein. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the relationship between the number of citations and journal IF for identical articles published simultaneously in multiple journals. Methods. Eligible articles were consensus research reporting statements listed on the EQUATOR Network website that were published simultaneously in three or more journals. The correlation between the citation count for each article and the median journal JIF over the published period, and between the citation count and number of article accesses was calculated for each reporting statement. Results. Nine research reporting statements were included in this analysis, representing 85 articles published across 58 journals in biomedicine. The number of citations was strongly correlated to the JIF for six of the nine reporting guidelines, with moderate correlation shown for the remaining three guidelines (median r = 0.66, 95% CI [0.45-0.90]). There was also a strong positive correlation between the number of citations and the number of article accesses (median r = 0.71, 95% CI [0.5-0.8]), although the number of data points for this analysis were limited. When adjusted for the individual reporting guidelines, each logarithm unit of JIF predicted a median increase of 0.8 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [-0.4-5.2]), and each logarithm unit of article accesses predicted a median increase of 0.1 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [-0.9-1.4]). This model explained 26% of the variance in citations (median adjusted r (2) = 0.26, range 0.18-1.0). Conclusion. The impact factor of the

Auto-correlation of journal impact factor for consensus research reporting statements: a cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel R. Shanahan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background. The Journal Citation Reports journal impact factors (JIFs are widely used to rank and evaluate journals, standing as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field. However, numerous criticisms have been made of use of a JIF to evaluate importance. This problem is exacerbated when the use of JIFs is extended to evaluate not only the journals, but the papers therein. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the relationship between the number of citations and journal IF for identical articles published simultaneously in multiple journals. Methods. Eligible articles were consensus research reporting statements listed on the EQUATOR Network website that were published simultaneously in three or more journals. The correlation between the citation count for each article and the median journal JIF over the published period, and between the citation count and number of article accesses was calculated for each reporting statement. Results. Nine research reporting statements were included in this analysis, representing 85 articles published across 58 journals in biomedicine. The number of citations was strongly correlated to the JIF for six of the nine reporting guidelines, with moderate correlation shown for the remaining three guidelines (median r = 0.66, 95% CI [0.45–0.90]. There was also a strong positive correlation between the number of citations and the number of article accesses (median r = 0.71, 95% CI [0.5–0.8], although the number of data points for this analysis were limited. When adjusted for the individual reporting guidelines, each logarithm unit of JIF predicted a median increase of 0.8 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [−0.4–5.2], and each logarithm unit of article accesses predicted a median increase of 0.1 logarithm units of citation counts (95% CI [−0.9–1.4]. This model explained 26% of the variance in citations (median adjusted r2 = 0.26, range 0.18–1.0. Conclusion

Impact of metabolic, hemodynamic and inflammatory factors on target organ damage in healthy subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blicher, M.; Kruger, R.; Olesen, Thomas Bastholm

2015-01-01

Objective: We wanted to test the impact of metabolic, hemodynamic and inflammatory factors on target organ damage (TOD) defined as cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, arterioclerosis and microvascular damage. Design and method: In a population based cohort study of 2115 healthy subjects (1049...... associated to hypertrophy, arteriosclerosis and microvascular damage in healthy subjects....

What practice can learn from theory: The potential impact of disposition decision factors on organisational performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Badenhorst

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Effective disposition decisions can lead to a number of value-adding benefits including economic, environmental and marketing benefits. Despite this, many organisations are not aware of the importance of disposition decisions and the impact they can have on organisational performance. Objectives: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the potential impact of disposition decision factors on organisational performance. Method: This study made use of a qualitative content analysis method on previously published scientific articles on reverse logistics. The sample included 67 published scientific articles between 2006 and 2016. ATLAS.ti software was used to assist with the data analysis process. Findings: The findings showed a number of factors for disposition decision-making resulting in a number of value-adding benefits, which can improve organisational performance. From the findings, a conceptual framework was developed linking the disposition decision factors with the value-adding benefits and areas of organisational performance improvements. Conclusion: The framework developed in this article contributes to new insights and can help organisations to identify different performance improvement areas associated with certain disposition decision factors.

Risk factors affecting fatal bus accident severity: Their impact on different types of bus drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Shumin; Li, Zhenning; Ci, Yusheng; Zhang, Guohui

2016-01-01

While the bus is generally considered to be a relatively safe means of transportation, the property losses and casualties caused by bus accidents, especially fatal ones, are far from negligible. The reasons for a driver to incur fatalities are different in each case, and it is essential to discover the underlying risk factors of bus fatality severity for different types of drivers in order to improve bus safety. The current study investigates the underlying risk factors of fatal bus accident severity to different types of drivers in the U.S. by estimating an ordered logistic model. Data for the analysis are retrieved from the Buses Involved in Fatal Accidents (BIFA) database from the USA for the years 2006-2010. Accidents are divided into three levels by counting their equivalent fatalities, and the drivers are classified into three clusters by the K-means cluster analysis. The analysis shows that some risk factors have the same impact on different types of drivers, they are: (a) season; (b) day of week; (c) time period; (d) number of vehicles involved; (e) land use; (f) manner of collision; (g) speed limit; (h) snow or ice surface condition; (i) school bus; (j) bus type and seating capacity; (k) driver's age; (l) driver's gender; (m) risky behaviors; and (n) restraint system. Results also show that some risk factors only have impact on the "young and elder drivers with history of traffic violations", they are: (a) section type; (b) number of lanes per direction; (c) roadway profile; (d) wet road surface; and (e) cyclist-bus accident. Notably, history of traffic violations has different impact on different types of bus drivers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unraveling the role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α in the adaption process of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) to hypoxia: Redundant HIF-dependent regulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahne, Martin; Schumann, Peggy; Mursell, Mathias; Strehl, Cindy; Hoff, Paula; Buttgereit, Frank; Gaber, Timo

2018-03-01

Hypoxia driven angiogenesis is a prominent feature of tissue regeneration, inflammation and tumor growth and is regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 and -2. The distinct functions of HIFs in the hypoxia-induced angiogenesis and metabolic switch of endothelial cells are still unknown and therefore aim of this study. We investigated the role of HIF-1 and -2 in the adaptation of immortalized human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) to hypoxic conditions (1% O 2 ) in terms of angiogenesis, cytokine secretion, gene expression and ATP/ADP-ratio using shRNA-mediated reduction of the oxygen sensitive α-subunits of either HIF-1 or HIF-2 or the combination of both. Reduction of HIF-1α diminished cellular energy, hypoxia-induced glycolytic gene expression, and angiogenesis not altering pro-angiogenic factors. Reduction of HIF-2α diminished hypoxia-induced pro-angiogenic factors, enhanced anti-angiogenic factors and attenuated angiogenesis not altering glycolytic gene expression. Reduction of both HIFs reduced cell survival, gene expression of glycolytic enzymes and pro-angiogenic factors as compared to the corresponding control. Finally, we identified the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) to be redundantly regulated by HIF-1 and HIF-2 and to be essential in the process of hypoxia-driven angiogenesis. Our results demonstrate a major impact of HIF-1 and HIF-2 on hypoxia-induced angiogenesis indicating distinct but also overlapping functions of HIF-1 and HIF-2. These findings open new possibilities for therapeutic approaches by specifically targeting the HIF-1 and HIF-2 or their target MIF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High Resolution Modeling of the Impacts of Exogenous Factors on Power Systems—Case Study of Germany

OpenAIRE

Antriksh Singh; Patrick Eser; Ndaona Chokani; Reza Abhari

2015-01-01

In order to reliably design the planning and operation of large interconnected power systems that can incorporate a high penetration of renewables, it is necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the potential impacts of exogenous factors on individual components within the systems. Previously, the assessment has often been conducted with nodes that are aggregated at the country or regional scale; this makes it impossible to reliably extrapolate the impact of higher penetration of renewables ...

Assessing Input Enhancement as Positive Factor and Its Impact on L2 Vocabulary Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Motlagh, Seyyed Fariborz Pishdadi; Nasab, Mahdiyeh Seyed Beheshti

2015-01-01

Input enhancement's role to promote learners' awareness in L2 contexts has caused a tremendous amount of research. Conspicuously, by regarding all aspects of input enhancement, the study aimed to find out how differently many kinds of input enhancement factors such as bolding, underlining, and capitalizing impact on L2 learners' vocabulary…

Electromagnetic and axial-vector form factors of the quarks and nucleon

Science.gov (United States)

Dahiya, Harleen; Randhawa, Monika

2017-11-01

In light of the improved precision of the experimental measurements and enormous theoretical progress, the nucleon form factors have been evaluated with an aim to understand how the static properties and dynamical behavior of nucleons emerge from the theory of strong interactions between quarks. We have analyzed the vector and axial-vector nucleon form factors (GE,Mp,n(Q2) and GAp,n(Q2)) using the spin observables in the chiral constituent quark model (χCQM) which has made a significant contribution to the unraveling of the internal structure of the nucleon in the nonperturbative regime. We have also presented a comprehensive analysis of the flavor decomposition of the form factors (GEq(Q2), GMq(Q2) and GAq(Q2) for q = u,d,s) within the framework of χCQM with emphasis on the extraction of the strangeness form factors which are fundamental to determine the spin structure and test the chiral symmetry breaking effects in the nucleon. The Q2 dependence of the vector and axial-vector form factors of the nucleon has been studied using the conventional dipole form of parametrization. The results are in agreement with the available experimental data.

Normalized impact factor (NIF): an adjusted method for calculating the citation rate of biomedical journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Owlia, P; Vasei, M; Goliaei, B; Nassiri, I

2011-04-01

The interests in journal impact factor (JIF) in scientific communities have grown over the last decades. The JIFs are used to evaluate journals quality and the papers published therein. JIF is a discipline specific measure and the comparison between the JIF dedicated to different disciplines is inadequate, unless a normalization process is performed. In this study, normalized impact factor (NIF) was introduced as a relatively simple method enabling the JIFs to be used when evaluating the quality of journals and research works in different disciplines. The NIF index was established based on the multiplication of JIF by a constant factor. The constants were calculated for all 54 disciplines of biomedical field during 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 years. Also, ranking of 393 journals in different biomedical disciplines according to the NIF and JIF were compared to illustrate how the NIF index can be used for the evaluation of publications in different disciplines. The findings prove that the use of the NIF enhances the equality in assessing the quality of research works produced by researchers who work in different disciplines. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Self-rating of oral health according to the Oral Health Impact Profile and associated factors: a systematic review].

Science.gov (United States)

Gabardo, Marilisa Carneiro Leão; Moysés, Simone Tetu; Moysés, Samuel Jorge

2013-06-01

To systematically evaluate the literature to investigate associations between social, demographic, economic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors and the self-perception of oral health measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP). In this systematic review of the literature, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) were adapted for the performance of a qualitative metasummary, without meta-analysis. Articles about oral health and associated factors with implications for quality of life were selected, with a focus on the tool for self-rating of the oral health-disease process, the OHIP. Pubmed/National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Virtual Health Library (Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde - BVS/BIREME) were searched. Articles published between 2001 and 2011 were included. The following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were employed: oral health, quality of life, sickness impact profile, and socioeconomic factors. Of 57 articles identified, 20 met the inclusion criteria. The metasummary revealed that a poor self-perception of oral health was associated with unfavorable social, economic, demographic, and psychosocial factors, as well as with undesirable habits and poor clinical oral conditions. There is consensus in the literature about the influence of the investigated factors on the self-perception of oral health and on quality of life. The OHIP is an important aid for determining oral health needs and for developing strategies to control/reduce disease and promote oral health, with a consequent positive impact on quality of life.

Impact of Macro Environmental Factors on Garments Industry That Drives Export in Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Islam Mohammad

2017-08-01

Full Text Available It goes without saying that Garments industry of Bangladesh has drawn a special attention to the mass people in the world because of being both cost leader and quality leader at the same time. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the garments industry in Bangladesh which is going to be an emerging tiger in the world economy. It also aims to assess the impact of macro-environmental factors affecting the industry by PESTEL analysis. Again, five forces model has been analyzed to assess the impacts of competitive external factors on the Garments industry in Bangladesh. Furthermore, Garments sector competitive responses to the primary issues affecting the industry have been evaluated here. It also outlines the primary external influences to which this industry is subject. In this case, SWOT analysis has been conducted to assess the competitive position of this industry in comparison with the global perspective. The study suggests that total export is highly correlated with the exports of garments. It also finds that there is severe lacking in the safety and security compliance, wages and compensations and code of conduct of the current organizations. Moreover, GSP facility withdrawn can impact severely on the ready made garments of Bangladesh to compete with price in the international market with China, India and Vietnam etc. The ready made garments sector of Bangladesh is enjoying cost leadership as a source of completive advantage because of cheap labor. Finally, the study would like to recommend for further improvement of garment sector in Bangladesh.

Tree species is the major factor explaining C:N ratios in European forest soils

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cools, Nathalie; Vesterdal, Lars; De Vos, Bruno

2014-01-01

The C:N ratio is considered as an indicator of nitrate leaching in response to high atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. However, the C:N ratio is influenced by a multitude of other site-related factors. This study aimed to unravel the factors determining C:N ratios of forest floor, mineral soil...... mineral soil layers it was the humus type. Deposition and climatic variables were of minor importance at the European scale. Further analysis for eight main forest tree species individually, showed that the influence of environmental variables on C:N ratios was tree species dependent. For Aleppo pine...... and peat top soils in more than 4000 plots of the ICP Forests large-scale monitoring network. The first objective was to quantify forest floor, mineral and peat soil C:N ratios across European forests. Secondly we determined the main factors explaining this C:N ratio using a boosted regression tree...

Plant distribution and stand characteristics in brackish marshes: Unravelling the roles of abiotic factors and interspecific competition

Science.gov (United States)

Carus, Jana; Heuner, Maike; Paul, Maike; Schröder, Boris

2017-09-01

Due to increasing pressure on estuarine marshes from sea level rise and river training, there is a growing need to understand how species-environment relationships influence the zonation and growth of tidal marsh vegetation. In the present study, we investigated the distribution and stand characteristics of the two key brackish marsh species Bolboschoenus maritimus and Phragmites australis in the Elbe estuary together with several abiotic habitat factors. We then tested the effect of these habitat factors on plant growth and zonation with generalised linear models (GLMs). Our study provides detailed information on the importance of single habitat factors and their interactions for controlling the distribution patterns and stand characteristics of two key marsh species. Our results suggest that flow velocity is the main factor influencing species distribution and stand characteristics and together with soil-water salinity even affects the inundation tolerance of the two specie investigated here. Additionally, inundation height and duration as well as interspecific competition helped explain the distribution patterns and stand characteristics. By identifying the drivers of marsh zonation and stand characteristics and quantifying their effects, this study provides useful information for evaluating a future contribution of tidal marsh vegetation to ecosystem-based shore protection.

Using Factor Analysis Tool to Analyze the Important Packaging Elements that Impact Consumer Buying Behavior

OpenAIRE

Vjollca Visoka Hasani; Jusuf Zeqiri

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to determine the elements that play an important role on consumer’s buying behavior. The purpose of this research is to find out the main important factors related with the packaging effect. Companies in order to create the right packaging for their products, they must understand the consumer buying process and understand the role and the impact of packaging elements as variables that can influence the purchase decision. So, by understanding what factors influen...

The Search for Underlying Principles of Health Impact Assessment: Progress and Prospects; Comment on “Investigating Underlying Principles to Guide Health Impact Assessment”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirko S. Winkler

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Health Impact Assessment (HIA is a relatively young field of endeavour, and hence, future progress will depend on the planning, implementation and rigorous evaluation of additional HIAs of projects, programmes and policies the world over. In the June 2014 issue of the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, Fakhri and colleagues investigated underlying principles of HIA through a comprehensive review of the literature and expert consultation. With an emphasis on the Islamic Republic of Iran, the authors identified multiple issues that are relevant for guiding HIA practice. At the same time, the study unravelled current shortcomings in the understanding and definition of HIA principles and best practice at national, regional, and global levels. In this commentary we scrutinise the research presented, highlight strengths and limitations, and discuss the findings in the context of other recent attempts to guide HIA.

The impact of environmental factors on carbon dioxide fixation by microalgae.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Marcia; Sánchez, León; Revah, Sergio

2018-02-01

Microalgae are among the most productive biological systems for converting sunlight into chemical energy, which is used to capture and transform inorganic carbon into biomass. The efficiency of carbon dioxide capture depends on the cultivation system configuration (photobioreactors or open systems) and can vary according to the state of the algal physiology, the chemical composition of the nutrient medium, and environmental factors such as irradiance, temperature and pH. This mini-review is focused on some of the most important environmental factors determining photosynthetic activity, carbon dioxide biofixation, cell growth rate and biomass productivity by microalgae. These include carbon dioxide and O2 concentrations, light intensity, cultivation temperature and nutrients. Finally, a review of the operation of microalgal cultivation systems outdoors is presented as an example of the impact of environmental conditions on biomass productivity and carbon dioxide fixation. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Impact of geotechnical factors on the secondary extraction of coal in the Witbank and Northern Highveld Coalfields, specifically related to safety.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Jeffrey, JS

2002-04-01

Full Text Available This report describes a literature review that identified geotechnical factors impacting on unplanned secondary coal extraction. These factors are grouped into nine broad classes of factors; namely, stratigraphy, rock /coal engineering properties...

Conflicts of interest at medical journals: the influence of industry-supported randomised trials on journal impact factors and revenue - cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundh, Andreas; Barbateskovic, Marija; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn; Gøtzsche, Peter C

2010-10-26

transparency in reporting of conflict of interest is an increasingly important aspect of publication in medical journals. Publication of large industry-supported trials may generate many citations and journal income through reprint sales and thereby be a source of conflicts of interest for journals. We investigated industry-supported trials' influence on journal impact factors and revenue. we sampled six major medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM]). For each journal, we identified randomised trials published in 1996-1997 and 2005-2006 using PubMed, and categorized the type of financial support. Using Web of Science, we investigated citations of industry-supported trials and the influence on journal impact factors over a ten-year period. We contacted journal editors and retrieved tax information on income from industry sources. The proportion of trials with sole industry support varied between journals, from 7% in BMJ to 32% in NEJM in 2005-2006. Industry-supported trials were more frequently cited than trials with other types of support, and omitting them from the impact factor calculation decreased journal impact factors. The decrease varied considerably between journals, with 1% for BMJ to 15% for NEJM in 2007. For the two journals disclosing data, income from the sales of reprints contributed to 3% and 41% of the total income for BMJ and The Lancet in 2005-2006. publication of industry-supported trials was associated with an increase in journal impact factors. Sales of reprints may provide a substantial income. We suggest that journals disclose financial information in the same way that they require them from their authors, so that readers can assess the potential effect of different types of papers on journals' revenue and impact.

Conflicts of interest at medical journals: the influence of industry-supported randomised trials on journal impact factors and revenue - cohort study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Lundh

2010-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: transparency in reporting of conflict of interest is an increasingly important aspect of publication in medical journals. Publication of large industry-supported trials may generate many citations and journal income through reprint sales and thereby be a source of conflicts of interest for journals. We investigated industry-supported trials' influence on journal impact factors and revenue. METHODS AND FINDINGS: we sampled six major medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM]. For each journal, we identified randomised trials published in 1996-1997 and 2005-2006 using PubMed, and categorized the type of financial support. Using Web of Science, we investigated citations of industry-supported trials and the influence on journal impact factors over a ten-year period. We contacted journal editors and retrieved tax information on income from industry sources. The proportion of trials with sole industry support varied between journals, from 7% in BMJ to 32% in NEJM in 2005-2006. Industry-supported trials were more frequently cited than trials with other types of support, and omitting them from the impact factor calculation decreased journal impact factors. The decrease varied considerably between journals, with 1% for BMJ to 15% for NEJM in 2007. For the two journals disclosing data, income from the sales of reprints contributed to 3% and 41% of the total income for BMJ and The Lancet in 2005-2006. CONCLUSIONS: publication of industry-supported trials was associated with an increase in journal impact factors. Sales of reprints may provide a substantial income. We suggest that journals disclose financial information in the same way that they require them from their authors, so that readers can assess the potential effect of different types of papers on journals' revenue and impact.

Is Overweight a Risk Factor for Adverse Events during Removal of Impacted Lower Third Molars?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Wathson Feitosa de Carvalho

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Being overweight is recognised as a significant risk factor for several morbidities; however, the experience of the dentistry faculties focusing on this population is still low. The aim of the present study was to determine the occurrence of adverse events during removal of impacted lower third molars in overweight patients. A prospective cohort study was carried out involving overweight patients subjected to surgical removal of impacted lower third molar as part of a line of research on third molar surgery. Predictor variables indicative of the occurrence of adverse events during surgery were classified by their demographic, clinical, radiographic, and surgical aspects. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were computed. In total, 140 patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria, and 280 surgeries were performed. Patients’ mean age was 25.1 ± 2.2  years, and the proportion of women to men was 3 : 1. Eight different adverse events during surgery were recorded. These events occurred in approximately 29.3% of cases and were significantly associated with predictor variables (P < 0.05. Excess weight is recognised as a risk factor for the high rate of adverse events in impacted third molar surgery. The study suggests that overweight patients are highly likely to experience morbidities.

The Gluon-Induced Mueller-Tang Jet Impact Factor at Next-to-Leading Order

CERN Document Server

Hentschinski, Martin; Murdaca, Beatrice; Vera, Agustín Sabio

2014-01-01

We complete the computation of the Mueller-Tang jet impact factor at next-to-leading order (NLO) initiated in arXiv:1406.5625 and presented in arXiv:1404.2937 by computing the real corrections associated to gluons in the initial state making use of Lipatov's effective action. NLO corrections for this effective vertex are an important ingredient for a reliable description of large rapidity gap phenomenology within the BFKL approach.

Analyzing the impact of social factors on homelessness: a Fuzzy Cognitive Map approach

OpenAIRE

Mago, Vijay K; Morden, Hilary K; Fritz, Charles; Wu, Tiankuang; Namazi, Sara; Geranmayeh, Parastoo; Chattopadhyay, Rakhi; Dabbaghian, Vahid

2013-01-01

Background The forces which affect homelessness are complex and often interactive in nature. Social forces such as addictions, family breakdown, and mental illness are compounded by structural forces such as lack of available low-cost housing, poor economic conditions, and insufficient mental health services. Together these factors impact levels of homelessness through their dynamic relations. Historic models, which are static in nature, have only been marginally successful in capturing th...

The differential impact of subjective and objective aspects of social engagement on cardiovascular risk factors.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kamiya, Yumiko

2010-01-01

This article provides new insights into the impact of social engagement on CVD risk factors in older adults. We hypothesized that objective (social participation, social ties and marital status) and subjective (emotional support) aspects of social engagement are independently associated with objective measures of cardiovascular risk.

Impact of Antecedent Factors on Collaborative Technologies Usage among Academic Researchers in Malaysian Research Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd Daud, Norzaidi; Zakaria, Halimi

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of antecedent factors on collaborative technologies usage among academic researchers in Malaysian research universities. Design/methodology/approach: Data analysis was conducted on data collected from 156 academic researchers from five Malaysian research universities. This study…

Impact of selected risk factors on quality-adjusted life expectancy in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brønnum-Hansen, Henrik; Juel, Knud; Davidsen, Michael

2007-01-01

AIMS: The construct quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) combines mortality and overall health status and can be used to quantify the impact of risk factors on population health. The purpose of the study was to estimate the impact of tobacco smoking, high alcohol consumption, physical inactivity...... Health Survey 2000, and Danish EQ-5D values. RESULTS: The quality-adjusted life expectancy of 25-year-olds was 10-11 QALYs shorter for heavy smokers than for those who never smoke. The difference in life expectancy was 9-10 years. Men and women with high alcohol consumption could expect to lose about 5...... and 3 QALYs, respectively. Sedentary persons could expect to have about 7 fewer QALYs than physically active persons. Obesity shortened QALYs by almost 3 for men and 6 for women. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking, high alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and obesity strongly reduce life expectancy and health...

Explaining the impact of poverty on old-age frailty in Europe: material, psychosocial and behavioural factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Stolz, Erwin; Mayerl, Hannes; Waxenegger, Anja; Freidl, Wolfgang

2017-12-01

Previous research found poverty to be associated with adverse health outcomes among older adults but the factors that translate low economic resources into poor physical health are not well understood. The goal of this analysis was to assess the impact of material, psychosocial, and behavioural factors as well as education in explaining the poverty-health link. In total, 28 360 observations from 11 390 community-dwelling respondents (65+) in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-13, 10 countries) were analysed. Multilevel growth curve models were used to assess the impact of combined income and asset poverty risk on old-age frailty (frailty index) and associated pathway variables. In total, 61.8% of the variation of poverty risk on frailty level was explained by direct and indirect effects. Results stress the role of material and particularly psychosocial factors such as perceived control and social isolation, whereas the role of health behaviour was negligible. We suggest to strengthen social policy and public health efforts in order to fight poverty and its deleterious health effects from early age on as well as to broaden the scope of interventions with regard to psychosocial factors. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Incidence, prognostic factors and impact of postoperative delirium after major vascular surgery: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Aitken, Sarah Joy; Blyth, Fiona M; Naganathan, Vasi

2017-10-01

Although postoperative delirium is a common complication and increases patient care needs, little is known about the predictors and outcomes of delirium in patients having vascular surgery. This review aimed to determine the incidence, prognostic factors and impact of postoperative delirium in vascular surgical patients. MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched for articles published between January 2000 and January 2016 on delirium after vascular surgery. The primary outcome was the incidence of delirium. Secondary outcomes were contributing prognostic factors and impact of delirium. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed using the QUIPS tool for systematic reviews of prognostic studies, and MOOSE guidelines for reviews of observational studies. Quantitative analyses of extracted data were conducted using meta-analysis where possible to determine incidence of delirium and prognostic factors. A qualitative review of outcomes was performed. Fifteen articles were eligible for inclusion. Delirium incidence ranged between 5% and 39%. Meta-analysis found that patients with delirium were older than those without delirium (OR 3.6, pdelirium included increased age (OR 1.04, pdelirium. Data were limited on the impact of procedure complexity, endovascular compared to open surgery or type of anaesthetic. Postoperative delirium occurs frequently, resulting in major morbidity for vascular patients. Improved quality of prognostic studies may identify modifiable peri-operative factors to improve quality of care for vascular surgical patients.

A social work study to measure the impact of socio-economical factors of tourism industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Pourkhosravani

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Tourism plays an important role on development of economy especially in developing countries. The proposed study of this paper studies the impact of tourism on developing economic factors such as average income, real estate prices, etc. We have distributed 110 questionnaires among different people who are involved in various positions in the regions and analyzed the data. The survey is looking for the impact of tourism industry in terms of economical and social factors for one of the oldest villages in Iran named Maymand. The results indicate that there is a strong positive relationship, 0.873, between developing economy and tourism. In other word, developing tourism industry will help create more jobs, increase land prices, increase people's income and flourish environment. There is also a positive correlation, 0.854, between social development and tourism industry. This means we could expect a better health care system as well as medical treatment facilities, which helps prevent immigration to big cities.

Impact of detector-element active-area shape and fill factor on super-resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russell Craig Hardie

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In many undersampled imaging systems, spatial integration from the individual detector elements is the dominant component of the system point spread function (PSF. Conventional focal plane arrays (FPAs utilize square detector elements with a nearly 100% fill factor, where fill factor is defined as the fraction of the detector element area that is active in light detection. A large fill factor is generally considered to be desirable because more photons are collected for a given pitch, and this leads to a higher signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR. However, the large active area works against super-resolution (SR image restoration by acting as an additional low pass filter in the overall PSF when modeled on the SR sampling grid. A high fill factor also tends to increase blurring from pixel cross-talk. In this paper, we study the impact of FPA detector-element shape and fill factor on SR. A detailed modulation transfer function analysis is provided along with a number of experimental results with both simulated data and real data acquired with a midwave infrared (MWIR imaging system. We demonstrate the potential advantage of low fill factor detector elements when combined with SR image restoration. Our results suggest that low fill factor circular detector elements may be the best choice. New video results are presented using robust adaptive Wiener filter SR processing applied to data from a commercial MWIR imaging system with both high and low detector element fill factors.

An integrative approach to unravel the Ceratitis FAR (Diptera, Tephritidae) cryptic species complex: a review

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

De Meyer, M.; Delatte, H.; Ekesi, S.; Jordaens, K.; Kalinová, Blanka; Manrakhan, A.; Mwatawala, M.; Steck, G.; Van Cann, J.; Vaníčková, Lucie; Břízová, R.; Virgilio, M.

-, č. 540 (2015), s. 405-427 ISSN 1313-2989 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : taxonomy * Ceratitis rosa * Ceratitis fasciventris * Ceratitis anonae * Africa * fruit fly Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.938, year: 2015 http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=6059

Influence of Geographic Factors on the Life Cycle Climate Change Impacts of Renewable Energy Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Fortier, M. O. P.

2017-12-01

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool to measure the cradle-to-grave climate change impacts of the sustainable energy systems that are planned to replace conventional fossil energy-based systems. The recent inclusion of geographic specificity in bioenergy LCAs has shown that the relative sustainability of these energy sources is often dependent on geographic factors, such as the climate change impact of changing the land cover and local resource availability. However, this development has not yet been implemented to most LCAs of energy systems that do not have biological feedstocks, such as wind, water, and solar-based energy systems. For example, the tidal velocity where tidal rotors are installed can significantly alter the life cycle climate change impacts of electricity generated using the same technology in different locations. For LCAs of solar updraft towers, the albedo change impacts arising from changing the reflectivity of the land that would be converted can be of the same magnitude as other life cycle process climate change impacts. Improvements to determining the life cycle climate change impacts of renewable energy technologies can be made by utilizing GIS and satellite data and by conducting site-specific analyses. This practice can enhance our understanding of the life cycle environmental impacts of technologies that are aimed to reduce the impacts of our current energy systems, and it can improve the siting of new systems to optimize a reduction in climate change impacts.

[Limiting a Medline/PubMed query to the "best" articles using the JCR relative impact factor].

Science.gov (United States)

Avillach, P; Kerdelhué, G; Devos, P; Maisonneuve, H; Darmoni, S J

2014-12-01

Medline/PubMed is the most frequently used medical bibliographic research database. The aim of this study was to propose a new generic method to limit any Medline/PubMed query based on the relative impact factor and the A & B categories of the SIGAPS score. The entire PubMed corpus was used for the feasibility study, then ten frequent diseases in terms of PubMed indexing and the citations of four Nobel prize winners. The relative impact factor (RIF) was calculated by medical specialty defined in Journal Citation Reports. The two queries, which included all the journals in category A (or A OR B), were added to any Medline/PubMed query as a central point of the feasibility study. Limitation using the SIGAPS category A was larger than the when using the Core Clinical Journals (CCJ): 15.65% of PubMed corpus vs 8.64% for CCJ. The response time of this limit applied to the entire PubMed corpus was less than two seconds. For five diseases out of ten, limiting the citations with the RIF was more effective than with the CCJ. For the four Nobel prize winners, limiting the citations with the RIF was more effective than the CCJ. The feasibility study to apply a new filter based on the relative impact factor on any Medline/PubMed query was positive. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Combined impact of lifestyle-related factors on total and cause-specific mortality among Chinese women: prospective cohort study.

OpenAIRE

Sarah J Nechuta; Xiao-Ou Shu; Hong-Lan Li; Gong Yang; Yong-Bing Xiang; Hui Cai; Wong-Ho Chow; Butian Ji; Xianglan Zhang; Wanqing Wen; Yu-Tang Gao; Wei Zheng

2010-01-01

Editors' Summary Background It is well established that lifestyle-related factors, such as limited physical activity, unhealthy diets, excessive alcohol consumption, and exposure to tobacco smoke are linked to an increased risk of many chronic diseases and premature death. However, few studies have investigated the combined impact of lifestyle-related factors and mortality outcomes, and most of such studies of combinations of established lifestyle factors and mortality have been conducted in ...

The assessment of science: the relative merits of post-publication review, the impact factor, and the number of citations.

Science.gov (United States)

Eyre-Walker, Adam; Stoletzki, Nina

2013-10-01

The assessment of scientific publications is an integral part of the scientific process. Here we investigate three methods of assessing the merit of a scientific paper: subjective post-publication peer review, the number of citations gained by a paper, and the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published. We investigate these methods using two datasets in which subjective post-publication assessments of scientific publications have been made by experts. We find that there are moderate, but statistically significant, correlations between assessor scores, when two assessors have rated the same paper, and between assessor score and the number of citations a paper accrues. However, we show that assessor score depends strongly on the journal in which the paper is published, and that assessors tend to over-rate papers published in journals with high impact factors. If we control for this bias, we find that the correlation between assessor scores and between assessor score and the number of citations is weak, suggesting that scientists have little ability to judge either the intrinsic merit of a paper or its likely impact. We also show that the number of citations a paper receives is an extremely error-prone measure of scientific merit. Finally, we argue that the impact factor is likely to be a poor measure of merit, since it depends on subjective assessment. We conclude that the three measures of scientific merit considered here are poor; in particular subjective assessments are an error-prone, biased, and expensive method by which to assess merit. We argue that the impact factor may be the most satisfactory of the methods we have considered, since it is a form of pre-publication review. However, we emphasise that it is likely to be a very error-prone measure of merit that is qualitative, not quantitative.

The impact factor of rheumatology journals : an analysis of 2008 and the recent 10 years

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Min; Zhao, Ming-Hui; Kallenberg, Cees G. M.

2011-01-01

Despite various weaknesses, the impact factor (IF) is still used as an important indictor for scientific quality in specific subject categories. In the current study, the IFs of rheumatology journals over the past 10 years were serially analyzed and compared with that from other fields. For the past

Combined impact of negative lifestyle factors on cardiovascular risk in children: a randomized prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Ursina; Schindler, Christian; Bloesch, Tamara; Schmocker, Eliane; Zahner, Lukas; Puder, Jardena J; Kriemler, Susi

2014-12-01

Negative lifestyle factors are known to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk (CVR) in children, but research on their combined impact on a general population of children is sparse. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the combined impact of easily assessable negative lifestyle factors on the CVR scores of randomly selected children after 4 years. Of the 540 randomly selected 6- to 13-year-old children, 502 children participated in a baseline health assessment, and 64% were assessed again after 4 years. Measures included anthropometry, fasting blood samples, and a health assessment questionnaire. Participants scored one point for each negative lifestyle factor at baseline: overweight; physical inactivity; high media consumption; little outdoor time; skipping breakfast; and having a parent who has ever smoked, is inactive, or overweight. A CVR score at follow-up was constructed by averaging sex- and age-related z-scores of waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, inverted high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides. The age-, sex-, pubertal stage-, and social class-adjusted probabilities (95% confidence interval) for being in the highest CVR score tertile at follow-up for children who had at most one (n = 48), two (n = 64), three (n = 56), four (n = 41), or five or more (n = 14) risky lifestyle factors were 15.4% (8.9-25.3), 24.3% (17.4-32.8), 36.0% (28.6-44.2), 49.8% (38.6-61.0), and 63.5% (47.2-77.2), respectively. Even in childhood, an accumulation of negative lifestyle factors is associated with higher CVR scores after 4 years. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to assess in clinical practice and allow early detection and prevention of CVR in childhood. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of socioeconomic factors on paediatric cochlear implant outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Shalabh; Bhatia, Khyati; Singh, Satinder; Lahiri, Asish Kumar; Aggarwal, Asha

2017-11-01

The study was aimed at evaluating the impact of certain socioeconomic factors such as family income, level of parents' education, distance between the child's home and auditory verbal therapy clinic, and age of the child at implantation on postoperative cochlear implant outcomes. Children suffering from congenital bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss and a chronologic age of 4 years or younger at the time of implantation were included in the study. Children who were able to complete a prescribed period of a 1-year follow-up were included in the study. These children underwent cochlear implantation surgery, and their postoperative outcomes were measured and documented using categories of auditory perception (CAP), meaningful auditory integration (MAIS), and speech intelligibility rating (SIR) scores. Children were divided into three groups based on the level of parental education, family income, and distance of their home from the rehabilitation-- auditory verbal therapy clinic. A total of 180 children were studied. The age at implantation had a significant impact on the postoperative outcomes, with an inverse correlation. The younger the child's age at the time of implantation, the better were the postoperative outcomes. However, there were no significant differences among the CAP, MAIS, and SIR scores and each of the three subgroups. Children from families with an annual income of less than $7,500, between $7,500 and $15,000, and more than $15,000 performed equally well, except for significantly higher SIR scores in children with family incomes more than $15,000. Children with of parents who had attended high school or possessed a bachelor's or Master's master's degree had similar scores, with no significant difference. Also, distance from the auditory verbal therapy clinic failed to have any significantimpact on a child's performance. These results have been variable, similar to those of previously published studies. A few of the earlier studies

Unravelling merging behaviors and electrostatic properties of CVD-grown monolayer MoS2 domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Song; Yang, Bingchu; Gao, Yongli

2016-01-01

The presence of grain boundaries is inevitable for chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown MoS 2 domains owing to various merging behaviors, which greatly limits its potential applications in novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. It is therefore of great significance to unravel the merging behaviors of the synthesized polygon shape MoS 2 domains. Here we provide systematic investigations of merging behaviors and electrostatic properties of CVD-grown polycrystalline MoS 2 crystals by multiple means. Morphological results exhibit various polygon shape features, ascribed to polycrystalline crystals merged with triangle shape MoS 2 single crystals. The thickness of triangle and polygon shape MoS 2 crystals is identical manifested by Raman intensity and peak position mappings. Three merging behaviors are proposed to illustrate the formation mechanisms of observed various polygon shaped MoS 2 crystals. The combined photoemission electron microscopy and kelvin probe force microscopy results reveal that the surface potential of perfect merged crystals is identical, which has an important implication for fabricating MoS 2 -based devices.

Disability pension by occupational class--the impact of work-related factors: the Hordaland Health Study Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Haukenes, Inger; Mykletun, Arnstein; Knudsen, Ann Kristin; Hansen, Hans-Tore; Mæland, John Gunnar

2011-05-30

The social gradient in disability pension is well recognized, however mechanisms accounting for the gradient are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between occupational class and subsequent disability pension among middle-aged men and women, and to what extent work-related factors accounted for the association. A subsample (N = 7031) of the population-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK) conducted in 1997-99, provided self-reported information on health and work-related factors, and were grouped in four strata by Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocareros occupational class scheme. The authors obtained follow-up data on disability pension by linking the health survey to national registries of benefit (FD-trygd). They employed Cox regression analysis and adjusted for gender, health (medical conditions, mental health, self-perceived health, somatic symptoms) and work-related factors (working hours, years in current occupation, physical demands, job demands, job control). A strong gradient in disability pension by occupational class was found. In the fully adjusted model the risk (hazard ratio) ranged from 1.41 (95% CI 0.84 to 2.33) in the routine non-manual class, 1.87 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.27) in the skilled manual class and 2.12 (95% CI 1.14 to 3.95) in the unskilled manual class, employing the administrator and professional class as reference. In the gender and health-adjusted model work-related factors mediated the impact of occupational class on subsequent disability pension with 5% in the routine non-manual class, 26% in the skilled manual class and 24% in the unskilled manual class. The impact of job control and physical demands was modest, and mainly seen among skilled and unskilled manual workers. Workers in the skilled and unskilled manual classes had a substantial unexplained risk of disability pension. Work-related factors only had a moderate impact on the disability risk. Literature indicates an accumulation of hazards in the

Disability pension by occupational class - the impact of work-related factors: The Hordaland Health Study Cohort

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background The social gradient in disability pension is well recognized, however mechanisms accounting for the gradient are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between occupational class and subsequent disability pension among middle-aged men and women, and to what extent work-related factors accounted for the association. Methods A subsample (N = 7031) of the population-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK) conducted in 1997-99, provided self-reported information on health and work-related factors, and were grouped in four strata by Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocareros occupational class scheme. The authors obtained follow-up data on disability pension by linking the health survey to national registries of benefit (FD-trygd). They employed Cox regression analysis and adjusted for gender, health (medical conditions, mental health, self-perceived health, somatic symptoms) and work-related factors (working hours, years in current occupation, physical demands, job demands, job control). Results A strong gradient in disability pension by occupational class was found. In the fully adjusted model the risk (hazard ratio) ranged from 1.41 (95% CI 0.84 to 2.33) in the routine non-manual class, 1.87 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.27) in the skilled manual class and 2.12 (95% CI 1.14 to 3.95) in the unskilled manual class, employing the administrator and professional class as reference. In the gender and health-adjusted model work-related factors mediated the impact of occupational class on subsequent disability pension with 5% in the routine non-manual class, 26% in the skilled manual class and 24% in the unskilled manual class. The impact of job control and physical demands was modest, and mainly seen among skilled and unskilled manual workers. Conclusions Workers in the skilled and unskilled manual classes had a substantial unexplained risk of disability pension. Work-related factors only had a moderate impact on the disability risk. Literature indicates

Disability pension by occupational class - the impact of work-related factors: The Hordaland Health Study Cohort

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Knudsen Ann

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The social gradient in disability pension is well recognized, however mechanisms accounting for the gradient are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between occupational class and subsequent disability pension among middle-aged men and women, and to what extent work-related factors accounted for the association. Methods A subsample (N = 7031 of the population-based Hordaland Health Study (HUSK conducted in 1997-99, provided self-reported information on health and work-related factors, and were grouped in four strata by Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portocareros occupational class scheme. The authors obtained follow-up data on disability pension by linking the health survey to national registries of benefit (FD-trygd. They employed Cox regression analysis and adjusted for gender, health (medical conditions, mental health, self-perceived health, somatic symptoms and work-related factors (working hours, years in current occupation, physical demands, job demands, job control. Results A strong gradient in disability pension by occupational class was found. In the fully adjusted model the risk (hazard ratio ranged from 1.41 (95% CI 0.84 to 2.33 in the routine non-manual class, 1.87 (95% CI 1.07 to 3.27 in the skilled manual class and 2.12 (95% CI 1.14 to 3.95 in the unskilled manual class, employing the administrator and professional class as reference. In the gender and health-adjusted model work-related factors mediated the impact of occupational class on subsequent disability pension with 5% in the routine non-manual class, 26% in the skilled manual class and 24% in the unskilled manual class. The impact of job control and physical demands was modest, and mainly seen among skilled and unskilled manual workers. Conclusions Workers in the skilled and unskilled manual classes had a substantial unexplained risk of disability pension. Work-related factors only had a moderate impact on the disability risk

Critical success factors for TQM implementation and their impact on performance of SMEs

OpenAIRE

Salaheldin, S.I.

2009-01-01

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical success factors of TQM implementation, to evaluate their impact on the primary measures as expressed by the operational performance and the secondary measures as expressed by the organizational performance, and to find out the effect of the operational performance on the organizational performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Qatari industrial sector using the structured equation modeling (SEM) ap...

Impact factor trends for general medical journals: non-English-language journals are lagging behind

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vinther, Siri; Rosenberg, Jacob

2012-01-01

The impact factor (IF) is a common citation metric used for evaluating and comparing scientific journals within a certain field. Previous studies have shown that IFs are increasing. However, rates may depend on journal publication language. The aim of this study was to determine IF values...... and trends for general medical journals, comparing non-English-language with English-language journals....

Publication Metrics of Dental Journals - What is the Role of Self Citations in Determining the Impact Factor of Journals?

Science.gov (United States)

Elangovan, Satheesh; Allareddy, Veerasathpurush

2015-09-01

The objectives of the present study are to examine the publication metrics of dental journals and to delineate the role of self citations in determining the impact factor of journals. The Journal Citation Reports database was used. All dental journals that had an impact factor assigned for year 2013 were selected. The outcomes were Impact Factor (IF), Eigenfactor™ (EF), article influence score (AIS), and proportion of self-citations to total citations. Independent variables were geographic region of journal and ranking of journal (based on IF). Non-parametric tests were used to examine the associations between outcomes and independent variables. During the year 2013, 82 journals in dentistry had an IF. Mean IF was 1.489 and mean IF without including self-citations was 1.231. Mean EF scores and AIS were .00458 and .5141 respectively. Mean percentage of self cites to total citations for all dental journals was 12.24%. Higher ranking journals were associated with significantly higher EF and AIS. Journals published in USA/Canada or Europe were associated with higher IF and EF compared to those published in other regions. There were no differences in percentages of self citations to total citations either across journal rankings or geographic region. Top ranking journals tend to have higher IFs due to higher EF and AIS rather than by self-citations. Self-citations increase the impact factors of dental journals by 21%. There was no geographic influence in the percentage of self-citations to total citations thus indicating a healthy dental scientific publishing environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unraveling Motivational Profiles of Health Care Professionals for Continuing Education: The Example of Pharmacists in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Tjin A Tsoi, Sharon L N M; de Boer, Anthonius; Croiset, Gerda; Koster, Andries S; Kusurkar, Rashmi A

2016-01-01

Continuing education (CE) can support health care professionals in maintaining and developing their knowledge and competencies. Although lack of motivation is one of the most important barriers of pharmacists' participation in CE, we know little about the quality or the quantity of motivation. We used the self-determination theory, which describes autonomous motivation (AM) as originating from within an individual and controlled motivation (CM) as originating from external factors, as a framework for this study. Our aim was to obtain insight into the quality and quantity of pharmacists' motivation for CE. The scores of 425 pharmacists on Academic Motivation Scale were subjected to K-means cluster analysis to generate motivational profiles. We unraveled four motivational profiles: (1) good quality with high AM/low CM, (2) high quantity with high AM/high CM, (3) poor quality with low AM/high CM, and (4) low quantity with low AM/low CM. Female pharmacists, pharmacists working in a hospital pharmacy, pharmacists working for more than 10 years, and pharmacists not in training were highly represented in the good-quality profile. Pharmacists working in a community pharmacy, pharmacists working for less than 10 years, and pharmacists in training were highly represented in the high-quantity profile. Male pharmacists were more or less equally distributed over the four profiles. The highest percentage of pharmacy owners was shown in the low-quantity profile, and the highest percentage of the nonowners was shown in the good-quality profile. Pharmacists exhibit different motivational profiles, which are associated with their background characteristics, such as gender, ownership of business, practice setting, and current training. Motivational profiles could be used to tailor CE courses for pharmacists.

Higher Education Marketing Strategies Based on Factors Impacting the Enrollees' Choice of a University and an Academic Program

Science.gov (United States)

Kalimullin, Aydar M.; Dobrotvorskaya, Svetlana G.

2016-01-01

The relevance of studying the stated problem is due to the fact that for increasing the efficiency of higher education marketing it is necessary to take into account several factors, namely, factors that impact the choice of a university and an academic program by enrollees, as well as socio-psychological characteristics of the latter, while…

[Comparative analysis of impact factor and h-index for pharmacology journals].

Science.gov (United States)

Bador, Pascal; Lafouge, Thierry

2010-01-01

Using the strictly same parameters (identical two publication years (2004-2005) and identical one-year citation window (2006)), impact factor (IF) 2006 was compared with h-index 2006 for one sample of "pharmacology and pharmacy" journals computed from the ISI Web of Science. For this sample, the IF and the h-index rankings of the journals are very different. The correlation coefficient between the IF and the h-index is low for "pharmacology and pharmacy" journals. The IF and h-index can be completely complementary when evaluating journals of the same scientific discipline. 2010 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Impact of personality traits and demographic factors on relationship to deal sites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sudzina, Frantisek; Pavlicek, Antonin

2017-01-01

There is an increasing body of research about deal sites. But there is still exists a gap when it comes to factors influencing potential or existing users of deal sites. The aim of this paper is to investigate impact of gender, city of origin, and personality traits on relationship to deal sites....... Big Five Inventory framework is used for personality traits. The research was conducted in the Czech Republic. With regards to the findings, city of origin has a significant effect, and openness to experience a borderline significant effect on the relationship to deal sites....

Environmental risk factors and their impact on the age of onset of schizophrenia: Comparing familial to non-familial schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherr, Martin; Hamann, Melanie; Schwerthöffer, Dirk; Froböse, Teresa; Vukovich, Ruth; Pitschel-Walz, Gabriele; Bäuml, Josef

2012-04-01

Several risk factors for schizophrenia have yet been identified. The aim of our study was to investigate how certain childhood and adolescent risk factors predict the age of onset of psychosis in patients with and without a familial component (i.e. a relative with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder). Aside from the age of onset of psychosis, we examined the risk factors for schizophrenia including obstetric complications, birth during winter or spring, behavioral deviances or delayed motor and speech development, exposure to adverse life events and exposure to substance use within a group of 100 patients (45 female, 55 male) with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 35.15 ± 13.21. Birth complications and cannabis abuse are predictors for an earlier onset of schizophrenia in patients with non-familial schizophrenia. No environmental risk factors for an earlier age of onset in familial schizophrenia have been identified. Certain environmental risk factors for schizophrenia seem to have an impact on the age of onset of psychosis in non-familial schizophrenia, they do not seem to have an impact on familial schizophrenia.

On the indiscriminate use of imported emission factors in environmental impact assessment: A case study in Chile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal, María Fernanda; Oyarzún, Jorge; Oyarzún, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) aims to determine if the environmental effect of an activity or project complies with standards and regulations. A primary component of the environment to evaluate is air and the effect that various activities can have on its quality. To this end, emission factors (EFs), which are empirical coefficients or mathematical relationships, are normally used. The present research critically analyzes the implications and consequences of using imported EFs in environmental impact studies (EISs), taking as case of study the situation in Chile. Among the main results, the widespread use of EFs in EISs in the country and the lack of assessments of their actual applicability stand out. In addition, the official guidelines related to emissions estimation that are used for EIA in the country mostly include EFs derived elsewhere, without considering the recommendations or restrictions that the original sources indicate for their use. Finally, the broad use of default values defined for the Metropolitan Region in Central Chile, is highly questionable for a country that extends north-south along more than 35° of latitude, with wide variability in climate, traffic conditions, population, soil types, etc. Finally, it is very likely that situations similar to those observed in the present work occurs in other countries with young environmental impact assessment systems, and therefore, that the results herein presented should be of general interest and relevance. - Highlights: • Emission factors are widely used in environmental impact assessment in Chile. • There is a lack of a proper understanding of the limitations of EFs for EIA. • Imported emission factors use requires caution and full understanding. • Misuse of foreign EFs may have serious environmental and economic consequences.

On the indiscriminate use of imported emission factors in environmental impact assessment: A case study in Chile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernal, María Fernanda [Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universidad de La Serena (Chile); Oyarzún, Jorge [Department of Mining Engineering, Universidad de La Serena (Chile); Oyarzún, Ricardo, E-mail: royarzun@userena.cl [Department of Mining Engineering, Universidad de La Serena (Chile); Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas, La Serena (Chile)

2017-05-15

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) aims to determine if the environmental effect of an activity or project complies with standards and regulations. A primary component of the environment to evaluate is air and the effect that various activities can have on its quality. To this end, emission factors (EFs), which are empirical coefficients or mathematical relationships, are normally used. The present research critically analyzes the implications and consequences of using imported EFs in environmental impact studies (EISs), taking as case of study the situation in Chile. Among the main results, the widespread use of EFs in EISs in the country and the lack of assessments of their actual applicability stand out. In addition, the official guidelines related to emissions estimation that are used for EIA in the country mostly include EFs derived elsewhere, without considering the recommendations or restrictions that the original sources indicate for their use. Finally, the broad use of default values defined for the Metropolitan Region in Central Chile, is highly questionable for a country that extends north-south along more than 35° of latitude, with wide variability in climate, traffic conditions, population, soil types, etc. Finally, it is very likely that situations similar to those observed in the present work occurs in other countries with young environmental impact assessment systems, and therefore, that the results herein presented should be of general interest and relevance. - Highlights: • Emission factors are widely used in environmental impact assessment in Chile. • There is a lack of a proper understanding of the limitations of EFs for EIA. • Imported emission factors use requires caution and full understanding. • Misuse of foreign EFs may have serious environmental and economic consequences.

The combined impact of adherence to five lifestyle factors on all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Kristina E N; Johnsen, Nina F; Olsen, Anja

2015-01-01

guidelines into account. The objective of the present prospective cohort study was to investigate the combined impact of adherence to five lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, waist circumference and diet) on all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality based on international...

Potential factors impacting season-long expression of Cry1Ac in 13 commercial varieties of Bollgard® cotton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John J. Adamczyk, Jr.

2001-11-01

Full Text Available Thirteen commercial varieties of transgenic Cry1Ac Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt cotton were examined across two sites in 2000 for potential factors that impact endotoxin expression. In all cases, two varieties (NuCOTN 33B and DP 458B/RR, Delta and Pineland Co., Scott, MS expressed more Cry1Ac than the other 11 varieties in various plant structures. These two varieties share the same parental background (DP 5415. Furthermore, when the next generation of plants were tested in the greenhouse, the same varietal patterns were exhibited. These data strongly suggest that factors such as parental background had a stronger impact on the expression of Cry1Ac than the environment.

Species distribution models and impact factor growth in environmental journals: methodological fashion or the attraction of global change science.

Science.gov (United States)

Brotons, Lluís

2014-01-01

In this work, I evaluate the impact of species distribution models (SDMs) on the current status of environmental and ecological journals by asking the question to which degree development of SDMs in the literature is related to recent changes in the impact factors of ecological journals. The hypothesis evaluated states that research fronts are likely to attract research attention and potentially drive citation patterns, with journals concentrating papers related to the research front receiving more attention and benefiting from faster increases in their impact on the ecological literature. My results indicate a positive relationship between the number of SDM related articles published in a journal and its impact factor (IF) growth during the period 2000-09. However, the percentage of SDM related papers in a journal was strongly and positively associated with the percentage of papers on climate change and statistical issues. The results support the hypothesis that global change science has been critical in the development of SDMs and that interest in climate change research in particular, rather than the usage of SDM per se, appears as an important factor behind journal IF increases in ecology and environmental sciences. Finally, our results on SDM application in global change science support the view that scientific interest rather than methodological fashion appears to be the major driver of research attraction in the scientific literature.

Impact factors and the optimal parameter of acoustic structure quantification in the assessment of liver fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yang; Liu, Guang-Jian; Liao, Bing; Huang, Guang-Liang; Liang, Jin-Yu; Zhou, Lu-Yao; Wang, Fen; Li, Wei; Xie, Xiao-Yan; Wang, Wei; Lu, Ming-De

2015-09-01

The aims of the present study are to assess the impact factors on acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) ultrasound and find the optimal parameter for the assessment of liver fibrosis. Twenty healthy volunteers underwent ASQ examinations to evaluate impact factors in ASQ image acquisition and analysis. An additional 113 patients with liver diseases underwent standardized ASQ examinations, and the results were compared with histologic staging of liver fibrosis. We found that the right liver displayed lower values of ASQ parameters than the left (p = 0.000-0.021). Receive gain experienced no significant impact except gain 70 (p = 0.193-1.000). With regard to different diameter of involved vessels in regions of interest, the group ≤2.0 mm differed significantly with the group 2.1-5.0 mm (p = 0.000-0.033) and the group >5.0 mm (p = 0.000-0.062). However, the region of interest size (p = 0.438-1.000) and depth (p = 0.072-0.764) had no statistical impact. Good intra- and inter-operator reproducibilities were found in both image acquisitions and offline image analyses. In the liver fibrosis study, the focal disturbance ratio had the highest correlation with histologic fibrosis stage (r = 0.67, p the assessment of liver fibrosis. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of abiotic factors on development of the community of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil: a Review

Science.gov (United States)

Jamiołkowska, Agnieszka; Księżniak, Andrzej; Gałązka, Anna; Hetman, Beata; Kopacki, Marek; Skwaryło-Bednarz, Barbara

2018-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inhabiting soil play an important role for vascular plants. Interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, plants and soil microorganisms leads to many mutual advantages. However, the effectiveness of mycorrhizal fungi depends not only on biotic, but also abiotic factors such as physico-chemical properties of the soil, availability of water and biogenic elements, agricultural practices, and climatic conditions. First of all, it is important to adapt the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species to changing environmental conditions. The compactness of the soil and its structure have a huge impact on its biological activity. Soil pH reaction has a substantial impact on the mobility of ions in soil dilutions and their uptake by plants and soil microflora. Water excess can be a factor negatively affecting arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi because these microorganisms are sensitive to a lower availability of oxygen. Mechanical cultivation of the soil has a marginal impact on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spores. However, soil translocation can cause changes to the population of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi abundance in the soil profile. The geographical location and topographic differentiation of cultivated soils, as well as the variability of climatic factors affect the population of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soils and their symbiotic activity.

Childhood bruxism: Related factors and impact on oral health-related quality of life.

Science.gov (United States)

Antunes, Lívia Azeredo Alves; Castilho, Thuanny; Marinho, Marcello; Fraga, Renato Silva; Antunes, Leonardo Santos

2016-01-01

This study aimed to assess childhood bruxism relating associated factors and the bruxism's impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). A case-control study was performed with 3- to 6-year-old children obtained from public preschools in Brazil. The case and control groups had 21 and 40 children, respectively. Associations between bruxism and respiratory problems (p = 0.04, OR: 0.33, CI: 0.09 to 1.14), dental wear (p 0.05). The association between presence and absence of impact with bruxism or other variables showed no statistical relationship (p > 0.05). It could be concluded that childhood bruxism is related to respiratory problems, dental wear, dental caries, and malocclusion. Despite being a topic that demands special care in dentistry, bruxism does not significantly affect the OHRQoL. © 2015 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Unravelling learning within multinational corporations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saka-Helmhout, Ayse

This article explores the impact of institutional variation on the extent to which subsidiary firms learn from multinational corporations. Learning is conceptualized here as consisting of two aspects: knowledge flow and reinforcement of or change in routines to incorporate the behaviourist

Climate change impacts: The challenge of quantifying multi-factor causation, multi-component responses, and leveraging from extremes

Science.gov (United States)

Field, C. B.

2012-12-01

Modeling climate change impacts is challenging for a variety of reasons. Some of these are related to causation. A weather or climate event is rarely the sole cause of an impact, and, for many impacts, social, economic, cultural, or ecological factors may play a larger role than climate. Other challenges are related to outcomes. Consequences of an event are often most severe when several kinds of responses interact, typically in unexpected ways. Many kinds of consequences are difficult to quantify, especially when they include a mix of market, cultural, personal, and ecological values. In addition, scale can be tremendously important. Modest impacts over large areas present very different challenges than severe but very local impacts. Finally, impacts may respond non-linearly to forcing, with behavior that changes qualitatively at one or more thresholds and with unexpected outcomes in extremes. Modeling these potentially complex interactions between drivers and impacts presents one set of challenges. Evaluating the models presents another. At least five kinds of approaches can contribute to the evaluation of impact models designed to provide insights in multi-driver, multi-responder, multi-scale, and extreme-driven contexts, even though none of these approaches is a complete or "silver-bullet" solution. The starting point for much of the evaluation in this space is case studies. Case studies can help illustrate links between processes and scales. They can highlight factors that amplify or suppress sensitivity to climate drivers, and they can suggest the consequences of intervening at different points. While case studies rarely provide concrete evidence about mechanisms, they can help move a mechanistic case from circumstantial to sound. Novel approaches to data collection, including crowd sourcing, can potentially provide tools and the number of relevant examples to develop case studies as statistically robust data sources. A critical condition for progress in this

Interactive effects of warming, eutrophication and size structure: impacts on biodiversity and food-web structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Binzer, Amrei; Guill, Christian; Rall, Björn C; Brose, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Warming and eutrophication are two of the most important global change stressors for natural ecosystems, but their interaction is poorly understood. We used a dynamic model of complex, size-structured food webs to assess interactive effects on diversity and network structure. We found antagonistic impacts: Warming increases diversity in eutrophic systems and decreases it in oligotrophic systems. These effects interact with the community size structure: Communities of similarly sized species such as parasitoid-host systems are stabilized by warming and destabilized by eutrophication, whereas the diversity of size-structured predator-prey networks decreases strongly with warming, but decreases only weakly with eutrophication. Nonrandom extinction risks for generalists and specialists lead to higher connectance in networks without size structure and lower connectance in size-structured communities. Overall, our results unravel interactive impacts of warming and eutrophication and suggest that size structure may serve as an important proxy for predicting the community sensitivity to these global change stressors. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Impacts and underlying factors of landscape-scale, historical disturbance of mountain forest identified using archival documents

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Brůna, Josef; Wild, Jan; Svoboda, M.; Heurich, M.; Müllerová, Jana

2013-01-01

Roč. 2013, č. 305 (2013), s. 294-306 ISSN 0378-1127 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP504/10/0843 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : mountain forests * disturbance * historical range of variability Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 2.667, year: 2013

The meaning of the Impact Factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugene Garfield

2003-01-01

Full Text Available El factor de impacto y otros índices bibliométricos son utilizados en la actualidad, en la mayoría de los países, para evaluar la investigación científica: proyectos de investigación, revistas, artículos, investigadores e instituciones. En el presente artículo se responden a las preguntas mas frecuentes sobre qué es el factor de impacto y cómo debe ser utilizado. En concreto, se habla de su origen, de los criterios que debe cumplir una revista, del factor de impacto como criterio de evaluación, de la relación entre la calidad de las revistas y el factor de impacto, de la evaluación de la calidad de las publicaciones, del período de evaluación para el cálculo del índice de impacto, del calculo del índice de impacto, de la comparación entre revistas de diferentes campos científicos, de la generalización del factor de impacto de una revista a cada uno de los artículos publicados en ella, de la relación entre el factor de impacto y la dificultad de publicar, del idioma en que publican las revistas y de cómo mejorar el factor de impacto de una revista.

Impact of scientific and technological advances.

Science.gov (United States)

Dragan, I F; Dalessandri, D; Johnson, L A; Tucker, A; Walmsley, A D

2018-03-01

Advancements in research and technology are transforming our world. The dental profession is changing too, in the light of scientific discoveries that are advancing biological technology-from new biomaterials to unravelling the genetic make-up of the human being. As health professionals, we embrace a model of continuous quality improvement and lifelong learning. Our pedagogical approach to incorporating the plethora of scientific-technological advancements calls for us to shift our paradigm from emphasis on skill acquisition to knowledge application. The 2017 ADEE/ADEA workshop provided a forum to explore and discuss strategies to ensure faculty, students and, ultimately, patients are best positioned to exploit the opportunities that arise from integrating new technological advances and research outcomes. Participants discussed methods of incorporating the impact of new technologies and research findings into the education of our dental students. This report serves as a signpost of the way forward and how to promote incorporation of research and technology advances and lifelong learning into the dental education curriculum. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The impact of social and family-related factors on women's stress experience in household and family work.

Science.gov (United States)

Sperlich, Stefanie; Geyer, Siegfried

2015-03-01

This study explores the contribution of social and family-related factors to women's experience of an effort-reward imbalance (ERI) in household and family work. Using a population-based sample of German mothers (n = 3,129), we performed stepwise logistic regression analysis in order to determine the relative impact of social and family-related factors on ERI. All factors investigated showed a significant association with at least one ERI component. Considering all predictors simultaneously in the multivariate analysis resulted in a decrease in significance of socioeconomic status in explaining the effort-reward ratio while the impact on low reward partly remained significant. In addition, age of youngest child, number of children, lower levels of perceived social support, domestic work inequity and negative work-to-family spillover, irrespective of being half- or full-time employed, revealed to be important in predicting ERI. The experience of ERI in domestic work is influenced by the social and family environment. Particularly among socially disadvantaged mothers, lack of social recognition for household and family work proved to be a relevant source of psychosocial stress.

Factors impacting stemflow generation in a European beech forest: Individual tree versus neighborhood properties

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, Johanna Clara; Germer, Sonja; Hildebrandt, Anke

2017-04-01

identified the different factors, individual and neighborhood, which significantly explain stemflow amount per tree. Preliminary results show, that the main impact on stemflow in our heterogeneous beech forest is due to individual tree diameter at breast height, while neighborhood factors have a smaller influence. This work defines the most important factors for stemflow fluxes, using easy-to-acquire tree and stand information, which allows the robust extrapolation of stemflow measurements and the generation of a spatially discrete pattern of stemflow input to the soil. Because of the high local and temporal concentration of precipitation, stemflow fluxes could be a key factor in forest soil water dynamics. On the long run, the results shall enable us to directly link soil water content measurements with estimated stemflow volumes for individual trees to trace stemflow fluxes into and through the soil.

Modeling impact of environmental factors on photovoltaic array performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Jie; Sun, Yize; Xu, Yang [College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University NO.2999, North Renmin Road, Shanghai (China)

2013-07-01

It is represented in this paper that a methodology to model and quantify the impact of the three environmental factors, the ambient temperature, the incident irradiance and the wind speed, upon the performance of photovoltaic array operating under outdoor conditions. First, A simple correlation correlating operating temperature with the three environmental variables is validated for a range of wind speed studied, 2-8, and for irradiance values between 200 and 1000. Root mean square error (RMSE) between modeled operating temperature and measured values is 1.19% and the mean bias error (MBE) is -0.09%. The environmental factors studied influence I-V curves, P-V curves, and maximum-power outputs of photovoltaic array. The cell-to-module-to-array mathematical model for photovoltaic panels is established in this paper and the method defined as segmented iteration is adopted to solve the I-V curve expression to relate model I-V curves. The model I-V curves and P-V curves are concluded to coincide well with measured data points. The RMSE between numerically calculated maximum-power outputs and experimentally measured ones is 0.2307%, while the MBE is 0.0183%. In addition, a multivariable non-linear regression equation is proposed to eliminate the difference between numerically calculated values and measured ones of maximum power outputs over the range of high ambient temperature and irradiance at noon and in the early afternoon. In conclusion, the proposed method is reasonably simple and accurate.

Impact of socioeconomic factors on nutritional status in primary school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Babar, Nabeela Fazal; Muzaffar, Rizwana; Khan, Muhammad Athar; Imdad, Seema

2010-01-01

Child malnutrition is a major public health and development concern in most of the poor communities leading to high morbidity and mortality. Various studies have highlighted the factors involved. The present study focuses on socioeconomic inequality resulting in malnutrition. Objectives of the Study were to find the Impact of socio-economic factors on nutritional status in primary school children. It was a cross sectional survey conducted at Lahore from February to August 2005 among primary schools from public and private sectors to assess the nutritional status of primary school going children age 5-11 years belonging to different socio economic classes of the society. Systematic random sampling technique was applied to collect the sample. Body Mass Index in relation to NHANES reference population was used for assessing nutritional status. The nutritional status of children from lower socio economic class was poor as compared to their counter parts in upper socio economic class. Children with BMI children of illiterate mothers as compare to 20% in those of literate mothers. Poverty, low literacy rate, large families, food insecurity, food safety, women's education appears to be the important underlying factors responsible for poor health status of children from low socioeconomic class. It requires economic, political and social changes as well as changes for personal advancement mainly through educational opportunities to improve the nutritional status of the children.

The Impact of Host Metabolic Factors on Treatment Outcome in Chronic Hepatitis C

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savvidou Savvoula

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Recent data suggest that chronic hepatitis C has to be considered a metabolic disease further to a viral infection. The aim of this study was to elaborate on the complex interactions between hepatitis C virus, host metabolic factors, and treatment response. Methods. Demographic, virological, and histological data from 356 consecutive patients were analyzed retrospectively. Hepatic steatosis, obesity, and insulin resistance were examined in relation to their impact on treatment outcome. Comparison between genotype 1 and 3 patients was performed to identify differences in the determinants of hepatic steatosis. Results. Histological evidence of hepatic steatosis was found in 113 patients, distributed in 20.3%, 9.0%, and 2.5% for grades I, II, and III, respectively. Hepatic steatosis was associated with past alcohol abuse (P=0.003 and histological evidence of advanced fibrosis (P<0.001. Older age (OR 2.51, P=0.002, genotype (OR 3.28, P<0.001, cirrhosis (OR 4.23, P=0.005, and hepatic steatosis (OR 2.48, P=0.001 were independent predictors for nonresponse. Correlations of hepatic steatosis with alcohol, insulin resistance, and fibrosis stage were found similar for both genotypes 1 and 3. Conclusions. Host metabolic factors may predict treatment outcome, and this impact remains significant even in genotype 3, where steatosis has been believed to be exclusively virus related.

A study on the evaluation of dynamic stress intensity factor in repeated impact bending test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sim, Jae Ki; Cho, Gyu Jae; Han, Gill Young

1988-01-01

The purpose of the present paper was to establish the evaluation of the dynamic stress intensity factor in repeated impact three point bending test. Contact force between the impact bar and the cracked beam (simple supported beam) was analyzed by the using Hertz's contact law. In order to clarify the validity of theoretical analysis, experiments of dynamic stress intensity factir k I (t) are made on the cracked beam. The results obtained from this study are as follow: 1. In case of impact force analysis the theoretical result was obtained by the use of the Hertz's contact law. It's result was agreemant with the experimental result. Particularly, it was good agreement in the low impact velocity range. 2. The time variation of the dynamic stress intensity was determined by using the simple formula developed in this pqper. And the validity of it's result can be confirmed by experiment. Particlarly, this theoretical analysis was a good agreement to actual phenomena on from 0.3 msec to 0.65 msec. (Author)

IMPACT OF STRESS FACTORS ON OPTICAL ISOMERISM OF BENAZEPRIL HYDROCHLORIDE.

Science.gov (United States)

Kublin, Elżbieta; Czerwińska, Krystyna; Wyszomirska, Elżbieta; Zajaczkowską, Anna; Malanowicz, Ewa; Kaczmarska-Graczyk, Barbara; Mazurek, Aleksander P

2015-01-01

Benazepril hydrochloride contains two stereogenic centers, but is currently available as single enantiomer (S,S configuration) for the treatment of hypertension. Its enantiomer (R,R configuration) and the diastereoisomeric pair (R,S and S,R) can be regarded as impurities. Stereochemical stability of S,S isomer of benazepril hydrochloride and its potential susceptibility to conversion in the.active substance and in Lisonid tablets were examinated. The separation with the use of the TLC method with the following system: chromatographic plates Chiralplate and a mobile phase: methanol - acetonitrile - 1 mM copper(II) acetate (4 : 2 : 4, v/v/v) with saturation of glacial acetic acid for 1 h and the HPLC method system: Chiral AGP column (150 x 4.0 man x 5 µm) and a mobile phase: phosphate buffer pH = 6.0 - methanol (80 : 20, v/v) were obtained. Active substance - benazepril hydrochloride and Lisonid tablets 20 mg were subjected to the impact of different stress factors. Samples were examined after 1 and 6 weeks. It was found that none of the applied stress factors caused the transformation of the S,S enantiomer of benazepril hydrochloride in the substance and tablets to other identified stereoisomers - only the compound decomposition has occurred.

Held Back: The Impact of Curricular and Pedagogical Factors on Tested Achievement in High School Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Agvanian, Zara

2013-01-01

This study examined the impact of curricular factors and teaching practices on students' tested achievement in mathematics, explored the best predictors of the tested achievement, and examined differences in the tested achievement among student subgroups. The study utilized qualitative and quantitative methods and triangulated findings from…

Clarivate Analytics: Continued Omnia vanitas Impact Factor Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A; Bernès, Sylvain

2018-02-01

This opinion paper takes aim at an error made recently by Clarivate Analytics in which it sent out an email that congratulated academics for becoming exclusive members of academia's most cited elite, the Highly Cited Researchers (HCRs). However, that email was sent out to an undisclosed number of non-HCRs, who were offered an apology shortly after, through a bulk mail, which tried to down-play the importance of the error, all the while praising the true HCRs. When Clarivate Analytics senior management was contacted, the company declined to offer an indication of the number of academics who had been contacted and erroneously awarded the HCR status. We believe that this regrettable blunder, together with the opacity offered by the company, fortify the corporate attitude about the value of the journal impact factor (JIF), and what it represents, namely a marketing tool that is falsely used to equate citations with quality, worth, or influence. The continued commercialization of metrics such as the JIF is at the heart of their use to assess the "quality" of a researcher, their work, or a journal, and contributes to a great extent to driving scientific activities towards a futile endeavor.

Unraveling the Structure-Affinity Relationship between Cucurbit[n]urils (n=7, 8) and Cationic Diamondoids

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sigwalt, D.; Šekutor, M.; Cao, L.; Zavalij, P. Y.; Hostaš, Jiří; Ajani, Haresh; Hobza, Pavel; Mlinaric-Majerski, K.; Glaser, R.; Isaacs, L.

2017-01-01

Roč. 139, č. 8 (2017), s. 3249-3258 ISSN 0002-7863 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP208/12/G016 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : host-guest complexation * high- energy water * driving force Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry Impact factor: 13.858, year: 2016

Impact of cardiovascular risk factors on carotid intima–media thickness: sex differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Łoboz-Rudnicka M

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Maria Łoboz-Rudnicka,1 Joanna Jaroch,1 Zbigniew Bociąga,1 Barbara Rzyczkowska,1 Izabella Uchmanowicz,2 Jacek Polański,3 Krzysztof Dudek,4 Andrzej Szuba,5 Krystyna Łoboz-Grudzień2   1Department of Cardiology, T. Marciniak Hospital, 2Public Health Department, Wroclaw Medical University, 3Private Practice, Na Biskupinie, Wroclaw, 4Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, 5Division of Angiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Background and purpose: There has been growing interest in the sex-related differences in the impact of cardiovascular (CV risk factors on carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT. Therefore, we aimed at examining the influence of CV risk factors on CIMT in men and women and identifying differences between males and females in the risk profiles affecting CIMT. Patients and methods: The study group consisted of 256 patients (mean age 54.7 years, including 134 females (52%, with the following CV risk factors: arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, nicotine addiction, overweight, and obesity. Subjects with the history of any overt CV disease were excluded. CIMT was measured through B-mode ultrasound examination of the right common carotid artery. In the analysis of CIMT values at different ages, the patients were divided into three age groups: 1 <45 years, 2 45–60 years, and 3 >60 years. Regression analysis was used to examine the influence of CV risk factors on CIMT in men and women. Results: CIMT increased with age in both men and women. Women had lower values of CIMT than men (0.54 mm vs 0.60 mm, P=0.011. The analysis in three age subgroups revealed that CIMT values were comparable in men and women in group 1 (0.48 mm vs 0.48 mm, P=0.861, but over the age of 45 years, CIMT values became significantly lower in women compared to men (group 2: 0.51 mm vs 0.63 mm, P=0.005; group 3: 0.63 mm vs 0.72 mm, P=0.020. Significant differences were observed

Factors impacting participation in sports for children with limb absence: a qualitative study.

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Sayed Ahmed, Batoul; Lamy, Marena; Cameron, Debra; Artero, Lisa; Ramdial, Sandra; Leineweber, Matthew; Andrysek, Jan

2018-06-01

Individuals with limb absence benefit from participating in sports. While barriers and facilitators affecting sport participation are well documented for adults, they have not been explored for children with limb absence. To identify the perceived factors impacting participation in sports according to children with limb absence and their parents. This study uses a descriptive qualitative study design. Nineteen participants, consisting of children and their parents, were recruited from an outpatient hospital clinic for semi-structured interviews. The 11 interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were then coded and analyzed using the DEPICT model. The thematic analysis was guided by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework. Analysis of our participant interviews identified six themes as having an influence on sport participation: "functionality of prosthesis", "plan in advance", "know what I can do" (understanding capabilities), "it's like every stroke, 2 million questions" (stigma and the social environment), "love for the game" (love for sport), and "these things are an investment" (the investment involved). The findings have the potential to inform the development and implementation of strategies to increase levels of participation in sports among children with limb absence. Information from this study may help to deepen the rehabilitation team's understanding of factors that impact engagement in sports among children with limb absence. Implications for Rehabilitation Children with limb absence present with unique barriers and facilitators to participating in sports, thus, what may be a facilitator or barrier for one child may not for another. Strategies to increase a child's participation in sports should consider both person and environmental factors. Rehabilitation professionals can play a crucial role in educating both families and the community on living and coping with a limb difference, services and

High Resolution Modeling of the Impacts of Exogenous Factors on Power Systems—Case Study of Germany

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Antriksh Singh

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In order to reliably design the planning and operation of large interconnected power systems that can incorporate a high penetration of renewables, it is necessary to have a detailed knowledge of the potential impacts of exogenous factors on individual components within the systems. Previously, the assessment has often been conducted with nodes that are aggregated at the country or regional scale; this makes it impossible to reliably extrapolate the impact of higher penetration of renewables on individual transmission lines and/or power plants within an aggregated node. In order to be able to develop robust power systems this study demonstrates an integrated framework that employs high resolution spatial and temporal, physical modeling of power generation, electricity transmission and electricity demand, across the scale of a continent or country. Using Germany as a test case, an assessment of the impacts of exogenous factors, including local changes in ambient weather conditions, effect of timely implementation of policy, and contingency for scenarios in 2020 are demonstrated. It is shown that with the increased penetration of renewables, while the power production opportunities of conventional power plants are reduced, these power plants are required during periods of low renewables production due to the inherent variability of renewables. While the planned reinforcements in Germany, including high voltage direct current lines, reduce congestion on the grid and alleviate the differentials in power price across the country, on the other hand the reinforcements make the interconnected transmission system more vulnerable as local perturbations have a more widespread impact.

The Citation Index of Chemistry Education Research in the "Journal of Chemical Education" from 2008 to 2016: A Closer Look at the Impact Factor

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Rodriguez, Jon-Marc G.; Bain, Kinsey; Moon, Alena; Mack, Michael R.; DeKorver, Brittland K.; Towns, Marcy H.

2017-01-01

Journal impact factors are a metric often used to evaluate journals; they are calculated by considering a journal's citation and publication rates during a specified time period. In some cases, impact factors can be misleading because they do not take into account the publication of different types of papers. In the "Journal of Chemical…

Beyond Food Access: The Impact of Parent-, Home-, and Neighborhood-Level Factors on Children’s Diets

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Lauren Futrell Dunaway

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Despite the growth in empirical research on neighborhood environmental characteristics and their influence on children’s diets, physical activity, and obesity, much remains to be learned, as few have examined the relationship between neighborhood food availability on dietary behavior in children, specifically. This analysis utilized data from a community-based, cross-sectional sample of children (n = 199 that was collected in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2010. This dataset was linked to food environment data to assess the impact of neighborhood food access as well as household and parent factors on children’s diets. We observed a negligible impact of the neighborhood food environment on children’s diets, except with respect to fast food, with children who had access to fast food within 500 m around their home significantly less likely (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8 to consume vegetables. Key parental and household factors did play a role in diet, including receipt of public assistance and cooking meals at home. Children receiving public assistance were 2.5 times (95% CI: 1.1, 5.4 more likely to consume fruit more than twice per day compared with children not receiving public assistance. Children whose family cooked dinner at home more than 5 times per week had significantly more consumption of fruit (64% vs. 58% and vegetables (55% vs. 39%, but less soda (27% vs. 43%. Findings highlight the need for future research that focuses on the dynamic and complex relationships between built and social factors in the communities and homes of children that impact their diet in order to develop multilevel prevention approaches that address childhood obesity.

Unravelling merging behaviors and electrostatic properties of CVD-grown monolayer MoS{sub 2} domains

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Hao, Song; Yang, Bingchu, E-mail: bingchuyang@csu.edu.cn [College of Physics and Electronics, Institute of Super Microstructure and Ultrafast Process in Advanced Materials, Central South University, 605 South Lushan Road, Changsha 410012 (China); Hunan Key Laboratory for Super-Microstructure and Ultrafast Process, Central South University, 932 South Lushan Road, Changsha 410012 (China); Gao, Yongli [College of Physics and Electronics, Institute of Super Microstructure and Ultrafast Process in Advanced Materials, Central South University, 605 South Lushan Road, Changsha 410012 (China); Hunan Key Laboratory for Super-Microstructure and Ultrafast Process, Central South University, 932 South Lushan Road, Changsha 410012 (China); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14534 (United States)

2016-08-28

The presence of grain boundaries is inevitable for chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown MoS{sub 2} domains owing to various merging behaviors, which greatly limits its potential applications in novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. It is therefore of great significance to unravel the merging behaviors of the synthesized polygon shape MoS{sub 2} domains. Here we provide systematic investigations of merging behaviors and electrostatic properties of CVD-grown polycrystalline MoS{sub 2} crystals by multiple means. Morphological results exhibit various polygon shape features, ascribed to polycrystalline crystals merged with triangle shape MoS{sub 2} single crystals. The thickness of triangle and polygon shape MoS{sub 2} crystals is identical manifested by Raman intensity and peak position mappings. Three merging behaviors are proposed to illustrate the formation mechanisms of observed various polygon shaped MoS{sub 2} crystals. The combined photoemission electron microscopy and kelvin probe force microscopy results reveal that the surface potential of perfect merged crystals is identical, which has an important implication for fabricating MoS{sub 2}-based devices.

The potential impacts of grid-connected distributed generation and how to address them: A review of technical and non-technical factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Passey, Robert; Spooner, Ted; MacGill, Iain; Watt, Muriel; Syngellakis, Katerina

2011-01-01

Distributed generation is being deployed at increasing levels of penetration on electricity grids worldwide. It can have positive impacts on the network, but also negative impacts if integration is not properly managed. This is especially true of photovoltaics, in part because it's output fluctuates significantly and in part because it is being rapidly deployed in many countries. Potential positive impacts on grid operation can include reduced network flows and hence reduced losses and voltage drops. Potential negative impacts at high penetrations include voltage fluctuations, voltage rise and reverse power flow, power fluctuations, power factor changes, frequency regulation and harmonics, unintentional islanding, fault currents and grounding issues. This paper firstly reviews each of these impacts in detail, along with the current technical approaches available to address them. The second section of this paper discusses key non-technical factors, such as appropriate policies and institutional frameworks, which are essential to effectively coordinate the development and deployment of the different technical solutions most appropriate for particular jurisdictions. These frameworks will be different for different jurisdictions, and so no single approach will be appropriate worldwide. - Highlights: → Distributed generation can have both positive and negative impacts on networks. → Technical solutions to address these negative impacts are discussed. → The required appropriate policies and institutional frameworks are discussed.

Comparison of the time-to-indexing in PubMed between biomedical journals according to impact factor, discipline, and focus.

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Irwin, Adriane N; Rackham, Daniel

Practicing evidence-based medicine requires health care professionals to efficiently retrieve relevant and current literature. The purpose of this study was to compare the time interval between PubMed entry and indexing with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) between biomedical journals with varying impact factors, focus areas, and health care discipline representation. This was a cross-sectional study of articles entered into PubMed database between January 1 and December 31, 2012. The primary endpoint was the number of days between PubMed entry and indexing with MeSH terms. A total of 7906 articles were reviewed across 18 journals. In the first comparison, the time-to-indexing was 177 ± 100 days, 111 ± 69 days, and 23 ± 40 days for articles published in journals with impact factors of 2.0-2.5, 4.5-6.5, and >25, respectively (P ≤ 0.001). In the second comparison, the time-to-indexing was 111 ± 69 days for general medicine versus 170 ± 74 days for specialty journals (P ≤ 0.001). In the third comparison, the overall time-to-indexing was 177 ± 100 days, 234 ± 107 days, and 163 ± 58 days for medicine, nursing, and pharmacy journals, respectively (P ≤ 0.001). Study results identified a significant delay between entry of articles into the PubMed database and time-to-indexing with MeSH terms across journals of varying impact factor, discipline, and focus. Results suggest that there may be factors that influence the priority by which articles are indexed with MeSH terms. Future research should focus on determining those journal characteristics and any impact of this delay on clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of Macro Environmental Factors on Garments Industry That Drives Export in Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Islam Mohammad; Pattak Dulal Chandra

2017-01-01

It goes without saying that Garments industry of Bangladesh has drawn a special attention to the mass people in the world because of being both cost leader and quality leader at the same time. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the garments industry in Bangladesh which is going to be an emerging tiger in the world economy. It also aims to assess the impact of macro-environmental factors affecting the industry by PESTEL analysis. Again, five forces model has been analyzed to asse...

Unravelling Darwin's entangled bank: architecture and robustness of mutualistic networks with multiple interaction types.

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Dáttilo, Wesley; Lara-Rodríguez, Nubia; Jordano, Pedro; Guimarães, Paulo R; Thompson, John N; Marquis, Robert J; Medeiros, Lucas P; Ortiz-Pulido, Raul; Marcos-García, Maria A; Rico-Gray, Victor

2016-11-30

Trying to unravel Darwin's entangled bank further, we describe the architecture of a network involving multiple forms of mutualism (pollination by animals, seed dispersal by birds and plant protection by ants) and evaluate whether this multi-network shows evidence of a structure that promotes robustness. We found that species differed strongly in their contributions to the organization of the multi-interaction network, and that only a few species contributed to the structuring of these patterns. Moreover, we observed that the multi-interaction networks did not enhance community robustness compared with each of the three independent mutualistic networks when analysed across a range of simulated scenarios of species extinction. By simulating the removal of highly interacting species, we observed that, overall, these species enhance network nestedness and robustness, but decrease modularity. We discuss how the organization of interlinked mutualistic networks may be essential for the maintenance of ecological communities, and therefore the long-term ecological and evolutionary dynamics of interactive, species-rich communities. We suggest that conserving these keystone mutualists and their interactions is crucial to the persistence of species-rich mutualistic assemblages, mainly because they support other species and shape the network organization. © 2016 The Author(s).

Overall impact of speed-related initiatives and factors on crash outcomes.

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D'Elia, A; Newstead, S; Cameron, M

2007-01-01

From December 2000 until July 2002 a package of speed-related initiatives and factors took place in Victoria, Australia. The broad aim of this study was to evaluate the overall impact of the package on crash outcomes. Monthly crash counts and injury severity proportions were assessed using Poisson and logistic regression models respectively. The model measured the overall effect of the package after adjusting as far as possible for non-speed road safety initiatives and socio-economic factors. The speed-related package was associated with statistically significant estimated reductions in casualty crashes and suggested reductions in injury severity with trends towards increased reductions over time. From December 2000 until July 2002, three new speed enforcement initiatives were implemented in Victoria, Australia. These initiatives were introduced in stages and involved the following key components: More covert operations of mobile speed cameras, including flash-less operations; 50% increase in speed camera operating hours; and lowering of cameras' speed detection threshold. In addition, during the period 2001 to 2002, the 50 km/h General Urban Speed Limit (GUSL) was introduced (January 2001), there was an increase in speed-related advertising including the "Wipe Off 5" campaign, media announcements were made related to the above enforcement initiatives and there was a speeding penalty restructure. The above elements combine to make up a package of speed-related initiatives and factors. The package represents a broad, long term program by Victorian government agencies to reduce speed based on three linked strategies: more intensive Police enforcement of speed limits to deter potential offenders, i.e. the three new speed enforcement initiatives just described - supported by higher penalties; a reduction in the speed limit on local streets throughout Victoria from 60 km/h to 50 km/h; and provision of information using the mass media (television, radio and billboard) to

Impact of Environmental Factors on Community Participation of Persons with an Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Review

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Verdonschot, Manon M. L.; de Witte, L. P.; Reichrath, E.; Buntinx, W. H. E.; Curfs, L. M. G.

2009-01-01

Study Design: A systematic review of the literature. Objectives: To describe which environmental factors have an impact on community participation of persons with an intellectual disability. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for the period of 1996-2006 in Pubmed, CINAHL and PSYCINFO. Search terms were derived from the…

Risk factors, treatment and impact on outcomes of bile leakage after hemihepatectomy.

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Zheng, Si-Ming; Li, Hong; Li, Gen-Cong; Yu, Dan-Song; Ying, Dong-Jian; Zhang, Bin; Lu, Cai-De; Zhou, Xin-Hua

2017-07-01

Risk factors for bile leakage after hemihepatectomy are unknown. A prospectively maintained database review identified patients undergoing hemihepatectomy between 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2014. Patients were divided into B/C and non-B/C bile leakage groups. Risk factors for bile leakage were predicted and assessments of their impact on patients were made. Bile leakage occurred in 91 of the 297 patients (30.6%); 64 cases were classified as grade B bile leakage (21.5%) and three cases as grade C bile leakage (1.0%). Multivariate analysis confirmed that elevated preoperative alanine transaminase (ALT), positive bile culture during surgery, hilar bile duct plasty, bilioenteric anastomosis and laparoscopic surgery were risk factors for B/C grade bile leakage (P bile leakage (P bile leakage (P bile leakage group were higher than those in the non-B/C bile leakage group (P bile leakage group also required prolonged hospitalization (P 0.05). Patient with elevated preoperative ALT, positive bile cultures during surgery, hilar bile duct plasty, bilioenteric anastomosis and laparoscopic surgery are more likely to complicate bile leakage. We should use biliary drainage such as preoperative PTBD, ENBD or intraoperative Kehr's T-tube drainage to reduce and treat bile leakage in patients with high risk of bile leakage. © 2015 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Modeling the assessment of the economic factors impact on the development of social entrepreneurship

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Absalyamov, T.; Kundakchyan, R.; Zulfakarova, L.; Zapparova, Z.

2017-12-01

The article deals with the research of modern trends in the development of social entrepreneurship in Russia. The results of the research allow the authors to identify a system of factors that affect the development of entrepreneurship in the modern Russian economy. Moreover, the authors argue the regional specificity of the development of social entrepreneurship. The paper considers specific features and formulates the main limitations of the development of entrepreneurship and the competitive environment in the social sphere. The authors suggest an econometric model for assessing the influence of economic factors on the development of socially-oriented entrepreneurship and present an algorithm for calculating its components. The results of the econometric analysis identify the main factors of the change in the performance indicators of entrepreneurial activity and determine the degree of their impact on social entrepreneurship. The results and conclusions can serve as an estimation of the socioeconomic consequences of the sustainability disruption of the entrepreneurial potential realization in the social sphere.

Precise determination of low-Q nucleon electromagnetic form factors and their impact on parity-violating e-p elastic scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrington, John; Sick, Ingo

2007-01-01

The extraction of the strangeness form factors from parity-violating elastic electron-proton scattering is sensitive to the electromagnetic form factors at low Q 2 . We provide parametrizations for the form factors and uncertainties, including the effects of two-photon exchange corrections to the extracted electromagnetic form factors. We study effect of the correlations between different form factors, in particular as they impact the parity-violating asymmetry and the extraction of the strangeness form factors. We provide a prescription to extract the strangeness form factors from the asymmetry that provides an excellent approximation of the full two-photon correction. The corrected form factors are also appropriate as input for other low-Q analyses, although the effects of correlations and two-photon exchange corrections may be different

Workers’ Age and the Impact of Psychological Factors on the Perception of Safety at Construction Sites

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Muhammad Dawood Idrees

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The safety of construction workers is always a major concern at construction sites as the construction industry is inherently dangerous with many factors influencing worker safety. Several studies concluded that psychological factors such as workload, organizational relationships, mental stress, job security, and job satisfaction have significant effects on workers’ safety. However, research on psychological factors that are characteristic of different age groups have been limited. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of psychological factors on the perception of worker safety for two different age groups. After an extensive literature review, different psychological factors were identified, and a hypothetical research model was developed based on psychological factors that could affect workers’ perception of safety. A survey instrument was developed, and data were collected from seven different construction sites in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM was employed to test the hypothetical model for both age groups. The results revealed that workload and job satisfaction are significantly dominant factors on workers’ perception of safety in older workers, whereas organizational relationships, mental stress, and job security are dominant factors for younger workers at construction sites.

The "Human Factor" in Pure and in Applied Mathematics. Systems Everywhere: Their Impact on Mathematics Education.

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Fischer, Roland

1992-01-01

Discusses the impact that the relationship between people and mathematics could have on the development of pure and applied mathematics. Argues for (1) a growing interest in philosophy, history and sociology of science; (2) new models in educational and psychological research; and (3) a growing awareness of the human factor in technology,…

Journal Impact Factor: Do the Numerator and Denominator Need Correction?

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Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhou, Jing

2016-01-01

To correct the incongruence of document types between the numerator and denominator in the traditional impact factor (IF), we make a corresponding adjustment to its formula and present five corrective IFs: IFTotal/Total, IFTotal/AREL, IFAR/AR, IFAREL/AR, and IFAREL/AREL. Based on a survey of researchers in the fields of ophthalmology and mathematics, we obtained the real impact ranking of sample journals in the minds of peer experts. The correlations between various IFs and questionnaire score were analyzed to verify their journal evaluation effects. The results show that it is scientific and reasonable to use five corrective IFs for journal evaluation for both ophthalmology and mathematics. For ophthalmology, the journal evaluation effects of the five corrective IFs are superior than those of traditional IF: the corrective effect of IFAR/AR is the best, IFAREL/AR is better than IFTotal/Total, followed by IFTotal/AREL, and IFAREL/AREL. For mathematics, the journal evaluation effect of traditional IF is superior than those of the five corrective IFs: the corrective effect of IFTotal/Total is best, IFAREL/AR is better than IFTotal/AREL and IFAREL/AREL, and the corrective effect of IFAR/AR is the worst. In conclusion, not all disciplinary journal IF need correction. The results in the current paper show that to correct the IF of ophthalmologic journals may be valuable, but it seems to be meaningless for mathematic journals. PMID:26977697

A Survey on Characteristics of Core Latin Journals in Scientific Output of Faculty Members of Tehran University in Accordance to ISI Citations and JCR Impact Factor During 1990-2009

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Fatemeh Jafari

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The present study intends to investigate characteristics of core Latin journals in scientific output of faculty members of Tehran University (Faculties of Humanities, Psychology and Education, Social Science and Art indexed in A&HCI, SSCI (Thomson Reuters according to ISI citations and, JCR impact factor. 5434 citations to 194 articles were used as sample. Citation analysis was employed. Core journals were established according to Bradford law. Research findings reveal that out of 5434 citations, 3230 (59/44% citations belong to periodicals. Also due to interdisciplinary differences, in 50 % majors, periodicals were cited more than other information sources. Findings also indicate that there are similarities between the core journals and JCR journals. Comparison of impact factor average of core journals with impact factor average of JCR journals shows that average impact factor of core journals exceeds impact factor average of JCR journals in related fields

Baryon scattering at high energies. Wave function, impact factor, and gluon radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartels, J.; Motyka, L.; Jagellonian Univ., Krakow

2007-11-01

The scattering of a baryon consisting of three massive quarks is investigated in the high energy limit of perturbative QCD. A model of a relativistic proton-like wave function, dependent on valence quark longitudinal and transverse momenta and on quark helicities, is proposed, and we derive the baryon impact factors for two, three and four t-channel gluons. We find that the baryonic impact factor can be written as a sum of three pieces: in the first one a subsystem consisting of two of the three quarks behaves very much like the quark-antiquark pair in γ * scattering, whereas the third quark acts as a spectator. The second term belongs to the odderon, whereas in the third (C-even) piece all three quarks participate in the scattering. This term is new and has no analogue in γ * scattering. We also study the small x evolution of gluon radiation for each of these three terms. The first term follows the same pattern of gluon radiation as the γ * -initiated quark-antiquark dipole, and, in particular, it contains the BFKL evolution followed by the 2→4 transition vertex (triple Pomeron vertex). The odderon-term is described by the standard BKP evolution, and the baryon couples to both known odderon solutions, the Janik-Wosiek solution and the BLV solution. Finally, the t-channel evolution of the third term starts with a three reggeized gluon state which then, via a new 3→4 transition vertex, couples to the four gluon (two-Pomeron) state. We briefly discuss a few consequences of these findings, in particular the pattern of unitarization of high energy baryon scattering amplitudes. (orig.)

Baryon scattering at high energies. Wave function, impact factor, and gluon radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartels, J. [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). 2. Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Motyka, L. [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). 2. Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik]|[Jagellonian Univ., Krakow (Poland). Inst. of Physics

2007-11-15

The scattering of a baryon consisting of three massive quarks is investigated in the high energy limit of perturbative QCD. A model of a relativistic proton-like wave function, dependent on valence quark longitudinal and transverse momenta and on quark helicities, is proposed, and we derive the baryon impact factors for two, three and four t-channel gluons. We find that the baryonic impact factor can be written as a sum of three pieces: in the first one a subsystem consisting of two of the three quarks behaves very much like the quark-antiquark pair in {gamma}{sup *} scattering, whereas the third quark acts as a spectator. The second term belongs to the odderon, whereas in the third (C-even) piece all three quarks participate in the scattering. This term is new and has no analogue in {gamma}{sup *} scattering. We also study the small x evolution of gluon radiation for each of these three terms. The first term follows the same pattern of gluon radiation as the {gamma}{sup *}-initiated quark-antiquark dipole, and, in particular, it contains the BFKL evolution followed by the 2{yields}4 transition vertex (triple Pomeron vertex). The odderon-term is described by the standard BKP evolution, and the baryon couples to both known odderon solutions, the Janik-Wosiek solution and the BLV solution. Finally, the t-channel evolution of the third term starts with a three reggeized gluon state which then, via a new 3{yields}4 transition vertex, couples to the four gluon (two-Pomeron) state. We briefly discuss a few consequences of these findings, in particular the pattern of unitarization of high energy baryon scattering amplitudes. (orig.)

Analysis of self-citation and impact factor in dermatology journals.

Science.gov (United States)

Reiter, Ofer; Mimouni, Michael; Mimouni, Daniel

2016-09-01

Concerns have been raised regarding the impact factor's (IF) accuracy and credibility, which may be affected by different factors, including self-citations. To investigate the self-citation rate (SCR) of dermatology journals and its relationship to the IF. Data on all dermatology journals listed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were retrieved, and the following parameters were analyzed: IF, total publications used to calculate the IF, total citations used to calculate the IF, self-citations used to calculate the IF, SCR, and IF without self-citations (corrected IF). The median SCR was 10.53% (0-50%), and the median IF and corrected IF, 1.54 (0.05-6.37) and 1.35 (0.03-5.84), respectively. There was an inverse correlation between the IF and the SCR. A statistically significant difference was noted in the SCR between general and subspecialty journals and between journals that offered a full English text and those that did not. In general, the IF of dermatology journals is not influenced by the SCR. However, journals with a lower IF tend to have a higher SCR. Subspecialty journals and foreign language journals have a higher SCR than general dermatology and English language journals, respectively, probably owing to their limited distribution and the difficulty experienced by international authors in accessing references in specific languages. © 2015 The International Society of Dermatology.

Impact of Neuro-Psychological Factors on Smoking-Associated Lung Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuller, Hildegard M. [Experimental Oncology Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States)

2014-03-13

Smoking has been extensively documented as a risk factor for all histological types of lung cancer and tobacco-specific nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons reproducibly cause lung cancer in laboratory rodents. However, the most common lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), frequently develops in never smokers and is particularly common in women and African Americans, suggesting that factors unrelated to smoking significantly impact this cancer. Recent experimental investigations in vitro and in animal models have shown that chronic psychological stress and the associated hyperactive signaling of stress neurotransmitters via β-adrenergic receptors significantly promote the growth and metastatic potential of NSCLC. These responses were caused by modulation in the expression and sensitization state of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that regulate the production of stress neurotransmitters and the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Similar changes in nAChR-mediated neurotransmitter production were identified as the cause of NSCLC stimulation in vitro and in xenograft models by chronic nicotine. Collectively, these data suggest that hyperactivity of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system caused by chronic psychological stress or chronic exposure to nicotinic agonists in cigarette smoke significantly contribute to the development and progression of NSCLC. A recent clinical study that reported improved survival outcomes with the incidental use of β-blockers among patients with NSCLC supports this interpretation.

Impact of Neuro-Psychological Factors on Smoking-Associated Lung Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuller, Hildegard M.

2014-01-01

Smoking has been extensively documented as a risk factor for all histological types of lung cancer and tobacco-specific nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons reproducibly cause lung cancer in laboratory rodents. However, the most common lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), frequently develops in never smokers and is particularly common in women and African Americans, suggesting that factors unrelated to smoking significantly impact this cancer. Recent experimental investigations in vitro and in animal models have shown that chronic psychological stress and the associated hyperactive signaling of stress neurotransmitters via β-adrenergic receptors significantly promote the growth and metastatic potential of NSCLC. These responses were caused by modulation in the expression and sensitization state of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that regulate the production of stress neurotransmitters and the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Similar changes in nAChR-mediated neurotransmitter production were identified as the cause of NSCLC stimulation in vitro and in xenograft models by chronic nicotine. Collectively, these data suggest that hyperactivity of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system caused by chronic psychological stress or chronic exposure to nicotinic agonists in cigarette smoke significantly contribute to the development and progression of NSCLC. A recent clinical study that reported improved survival outcomes with the incidental use of β-blockers among patients with NSCLC supports this interpretation

The impact of psychosis on social inclusion and associated factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Killaspy, Helen; White, Sarah; Lalvani, Nabeela; Berg, Rachel; Thachil, Ajoy; Kallumpuram, Sen; Nasiruddin, Omar; Wright, Christine; Mezey, Gill

2014-03-01

People with mental health problems are known to be socially excluded but the contribution of pre-morbid characteristics, symptoms and needs, and the impact on quality of life is unknown. To investigate change in social inclusion after the development of a psychotic Illness and factors associated with this. A cross-sectional community survey of people with psychosis was carried out in three areas of London. Five domains of social inclusion (social integration, consumption, access to services, productivity, political engagement) were assessed prior to the onset of illness and currently using the Social Inclusion Questionnaire User Experience. Quality of life, symptoms and needs were also assessed using standardized measures. Factors associated with change in social inclusion were investigated using multiple regression. Productivity and social integration among the 67 participants reduced after the onset of psychosis. Older age at onset and longer duration of illness were associated with greater reduction in productivity. Less reduction in social integration was associated with greater quality of life. Participants reported barriers to social inclusion that were directly related to symptoms of their illness, low confidence and poor self-esteem. A greater focus on interventions that can facilitate the occupation and the social networks of people with psychosis is required. Interventions that tackle 'self-stigma' may also prove useful in mitigating the social exclusion experienced by people with psychosis.

Protective Factors Against the Impact of School Bullying Perpetration and Victimization on Young Adult Externalizing and Internalizing Problems

OpenAIRE

Hemphill, Sheryl A.; Tollit, Michelle; Herrenkohl, Todd I.

2014-01-01

School-based bullying perpetration and victimization is common worldwide and has profound impacts on student behavior and mental health. However, few studies have examined young adult outcomes of bullying perpetration or victimization. Research on factors that protect students who have bullied or been bullied is also lacking. This study examined young adult externalizing and internalizing problems (aged 18-19 years) and adolescent protective factors related to self-reported bullying perpetrat...

Hazard Management Dealt by Safety Professionals in Colleges: The Impact of Individual Factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsung-Chih Wu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards are important functions of safety professionals (SPs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and frequency of hazard management dealt by safety professionals in colleges. The authors also explored the effects of organizational factors/individual factors on SPs’ perception of frequency of hazard management. The researchers conducted survey research to achieve the objective of this study. The researchers mailed questionnaires to 200 SPs in colleges after simple random sampling, then received a total of 144 valid responses (response rate = 72%. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the hazard management scale (HMS extracted five factors, including physical hazards, biological hazards, social and psychological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and chemical hazards. Moreover, the top 10 hazards that the survey results identified that safety professionals were most likely to deal with (in order of most to least frequent were: organic solvents, illumination, other chemicals, machinery and equipment, fire and explosion, electricity, noise, specific chemicals, human error, and lifting/carrying. Finally, the results of one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA indicated there were four individual factors that impacted the perceived frequency of hazard management which were of statistical and practical significance: job tenure in the college of employment, type of certification, gender, and overall job tenure. SPs within colleges and industries can now discuss plans revolving around these five areas instead of having to deal with all of the separate hazards.

Psychosocial factors impacting on life transitions among young adults with type 2 diabetes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, B; Maindal, Helle Terkildsen; Livingston, P

2016-01-01

and Danish young adults with T2DM and to identify unmet support needs during life transitions. Method: A qualitative approach was adopted using thematic content analysis of 26 in-depth semi-structured interviews. An inductive descriptive content analysis was undertaken using a comparative coding system......Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) prevalence is increasing rapidly worldwide with a significant increase in young adults. There is limited information about psychosocial and service needs of this group. Aim: To explore similarities and differences in how psychosocial factors impact on Australian...

Factors Affecting Process Innovation Teams’ Learning and Their Impact on the Success of the Process Innovation Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

İbrahim H. Seyrek

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Based on 145 process innovation teams, we have studied factors supporting team learning and their impact on the success of the process innovation projects. As a result, we have found that team vision, recording and reviewing project related information, filing, following a structural development process and co-location of team members are factors supporting team learning and project success. Also, two dimensions of learning, information acquisition and information implementation, are positively related to the success of the process innovation projects

Impact of Primary and Secondary Social Origin Factors on the Transition to University in the Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Simonová, Natalie; Soukup, P.

2015-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 5 (2015), s. 707-728 ISSN 0142-5692 Institutional support: RVO:68378025 Keywords : educational inequality * social origin * primary and secondary effects Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography Impact factor: 1.220, year: 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2013.854690

Epidemiology of Skin Cancer in the German Population: Impact of Socioeconomic and Geographic Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Augustin, J; Kis, A; Sorbe, C; Schäfer, I; Augustin, M

2018-04-06

Skin cancer being the most common cancer in Germany has shown increasing incidence in the past decade. Since mostly caused by excessive UV exposure, skin cancer is largely related to behaviour. So far, the impact of regional and sociodemographic factors on the development of skin cancer in Germany is unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the association of potential predictive factors with the prevalence of skin cancers in Germany. Nationwide ambulatory care claims data from persons insured in statutory health insurances (SHI) with malignant melanoma (MM, ICD-10 C43) and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC, ICD-10 C44) in the years 2009-2015 were analysed. In addition, sociodemographic population data and satellite based UV and solar radiation data were associated. Descriptive as well as multivariate (spatial) statistical analyses (for example Bayes' Smoothing) were conducted on county level. Data from 70.1 million insured persons were analysed. Age standardized prevalences per 100,000 SHI insured persons for MM and NMSC were 284.7 and 1126.9 in 2009 and 378.5 and 1708.2 in 2015. Marked regional variations were observed with prevalences between 32.9% and 51.6%. Multivariate analysis show statistically significant positive correlations between higher income and education, and MM/NMSC prevalence. Prevalence of MM and NMSC in Germany shows spatio-temporal dynamics. Our results show that regional UV radiation, sunshine hours and sociodemographic factors have significant impact on skin cancer prevalence in Germany. Individual behaviour obviously is a major determinant which should be subject to preventive interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the impact of social factors on homelessness: a fuzzy cognitive map approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Mago, Vijay K; Morden, Hilary K; Fritz, Charles; Wu, Tiankuang; Namazi, Sara; Geranmayeh, Parastoo; Chattopadhyay, Rakhi; Dabbaghian, Vahid

2013-08-23

The forces which affect homelessness are complex and often interactive in nature. Social forces such as addictions, family breakdown, and mental illness are compounded by structural forces such as lack of available low-cost housing, poor economic conditions, and insufficient mental health services. Together these factors impact levels of homelessness through their dynamic relations. Historic models, which are static in nature, have only been marginally successful in capturing these relationships. Fuzzy Logic (FL) and fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) are particularly suited to the modeling of complex social problems, such as homelessness, due to their inherent ability to model intricate, interactive systems often described in vague conceptual terms and then organize them into a specific, concrete form (i.e., the FCM) which can be readily understood by social scientists and others. Using FL we converted information, taken from recently published, peer reviewed articles, for a select group of factors related to homelessness and then calculated the strength of influence (weights) for pairs of factors. We then used these weighted relationships in a FCM to test the effects of increasing or decreasing individual or groups of factors. Results of these trials were explainable according to current empirical knowledge related to homelessness. Prior graphic maps of homelessness have been of limited use due to the dynamic nature of the concepts related to homelessness. The FCM technique captures greater degrees of dynamism and complexity than static models, allowing relevant concepts to be manipulated and interacted. This, in turn, allows for a much more realistic picture of homelessness. Through network analysis of the FCM we determined that Education exerts the greatest force in the model and hence impacts the dynamism and complexity of a social problem such as homelessness. The FCM built to model the complex social system of homelessness reasonably represented reality for the

The level of non-citation of articles within a journal as a measure of quality: a comparison to the impact factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weale Andy R

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Current methods of measuring the quality of journals assume that citations of articles within journals are normally distributed. Furthermore using journal impact factors to measure the quality of individual articles is flawed if citations are not uniformly spread between articles. The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of citations to articles and use the level of non-citation of articles within a journal as a measure of quality. This ranking method is compared with the impact factor, as calculated by ISI®. Methods Total citations gained by October 2003, for every original article and review published in current immunology (13125 articles; 105 journals and surgical (17083 articles; 120 journals fields during 2001 were collected using ISI® Web of Science. Results The distribution of citation of articles within an individual journal is mainly non-parametric throughout the literature. One sixth (16.7%; IQR 13.6–19.2 of articles in a journal accrue half the total number of citations to that journal. There was a broader distribution of citation to articles in higher impact journals and in the field of immunology compared to surgery. 23.7% (IQR 14.6–42.4 of articles had not yet been cited. Levels of non-citation varied between journals and subject fields. There was a significant negative correlation between the proportion of articles never cited and a journal's impact factor for both immunology (rho = -0.854 and surgery journals (rho = -0.924. Conclusion Ranking journals by impact factor and non-citation produces similar results. Using a non-citation rate is advantageous as it creates a clear distinction between how citation analysis is used to determine the quality of a journal (low level of non-citation and an individual article (citation counting. Non-citation levels should therefore be made available for all journals.

Inaccurate Citations in Biomedical Journalism: Effect on the Impact Factor of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Science.gov (United States)

Karabulut, Nevzat

2017-03-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of incorrect citations and its effects on the impact factor of a specific biomedical journal: the American Journal of Roentgenology. The Cited Reference Search function of Thomson Reuters' Web of Science database (formerly the Institute for Scientific Information's Web of Knowledge database) was used to identify erroneous citations. This was done by entering the journal name into the Cited Work field and entering "2011-2012" into the Cited Year(s) field. The errors in any part of the inaccurately cited references (e.g., author names, title, year, volume, issue, and page numbers) were recorded, and the types of errors (i.e., absent, deficient, or mistyped) were analyzed. Erroneous citations were corrected using the Suggest a Correction function of the Web of Science database. The effect of inaccurate citations on the impact factor of the AJR was calculated. Overall, 183 of 1055 citable articles published in 2011-2012 were inaccurately cited 423 times (mean [± SD], 2.31 ± 4.67 times; range, 1-44 times). Of these 183 articles, 110 (60.1%) were web-only articles and 44 (24.0%) were print articles. The most commonly identified errors were page number errors (44.8%) and misspelling of an author's name (20.2%). Incorrect citations adversely affected the impact factor of the AJR by 0.065 in 2012 and by 0.123 in 2013. Inaccurate citations are not infrequent in biomedical journals, yet they can be detected and corrected using the Web of Science database. Although the accuracy of references is primarily the responsibility of authors, the journal editorial office should also define a periodic inaccurate citation check task and correct erroneous citations to reclaim unnecessarily lost credit.

Comparison of Acceleration and Impact Stress as Possible Loading Factors in Phonation: A Computer Modeling Study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Horáček, Jaromír; Laukkanen, A. M.; Šidlof, Petr; Murphy, P.; Švec, J. G.

2009-01-01

Roč. 61, č. 3 (2009), s. 137-145 ISSN 1021-7762 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA101/08/1155 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : biomechanics of voice modeling * fundamental frequency * phoniation type * gender differences in voice Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics Impact factor: 1.439, year: 2007

Critical factors in environmental impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Creasey, R.

1999-01-01

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has shown that it is of proven benefit to the overall planning and environmental management of resource development projects, but certain elements within the application and practice of EIA remain problematic for proponents and regulatory decision makers alike. The use of the word 'critical' in the title of this paper suggests that if the components identified are not considered or implemented properly through the process of EIA, the product will be of less value to both the proponent and decision maker. In the context of EIA, the regulatory, financial, legal and social benefits that accrue make the need for good EIA practice even more imperative. A discussion is included that highlights a number of issues that need to be addressed to improve the effectiveness of EIA, a tool necessary to attaining provincial and federal regulatory approvals. To a large extent, the discussion reflects items of contemporary public concern, and those emerging issues of the scientific and regulatory community. At the same time, it needs to be realized that not all the identified items are necessarily new to the practice of impact assessment, but are nonetheless important to professional environmental impact assessment and decision making. Insight is also provided into the direction of decision making of the Energy and Utilities Board as it will affect the regulatory review and administration of resource development projects in the province of Alberta. 16 refs

Sensitivity of Microstructural Factors Influencing the Impact Toughness of Hypoeutectoid Steels with Ferrite-Pearlite Structure using Multiple Regression Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung-Yong; Lee, Sang-In; Hwang, Byoung-chul

2016-01-01

In this study, the effect of microstructural factors on the impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels with ferrite-pearlite structure was quantitatively investigated using multiple regression analysis. Microstructural analysis results showed that the pearlite fraction increased with increasing austenitizing temperature and decreasing transformation temperature which substantially decreased the pearlite interlamellar spacing and cementite thickness depending on carbon content. The impact toughness of hypoeutectoid steels usually increased as interlamellar spacing or cementite thickness decreased, although the impact toughness was largely associated with pearlite fraction. Based on these results, multiple regression analysis was performed to understand the individual effect of pearlite fraction, interlamellar spacing, and cementite thickness on the impact toughness. The regression analysis results revealed that pearlite fraction significantly affected impact toughness at room temperature, while cementite thickness did at low temperature.

Impact of high-intensity concurrent training on cardiovascular risk factors in persons with multiple sclerosis - pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Keytsman, Charly; Hansen, Dominique; Wens, Inez; O Eijnde, Bert

2017-10-27

High-intensity concurrent training positively affects cardiovascular risk factors. Because this was never investigated in multiple sclerosis, the present pilot study explored the impact of this training on cardiovascular risk factors in this population. Before and after 12 weeks of high-intense concurrent training (interval and strength training, 5 sessions per 2 weeks, n = 16) body composition, resting blood pressure and heart rate, 2-h oral glucose tolerance (insulin sensitivity, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood glucose and insulin concentrations), blood lipids (high- and low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels) and C-reactive protein were analyzed. Twelve weeks of high-intense concurrent training significantly improved resting heart rate (-6%), 2-h blood glucose concentrations (-13%) and insulin sensitivity (-24%). Blood pressure, body composition, blood lipids and C-reactive protein did not seem to be affected. Under the conditions of this pilot study, 12 weeks of concurrent high-intense interval and strength training improved resting heart rate, 2-h glucose and insulin sensitivity in multiple sclerosis but did not affect blood C-reactive protein levels, blood pressure, body composition and blood lipid profiles. Further, larger and controlled research investigating the effects of high-intense concurrent training on cardiovascular risk factors in multiple sclerosis is warranted. Implications for rehabilitation High-intensity concurrent training improves cardiovascular fitness. This pilot study explores the impact of this training on cardiovascular risk factors in multiple sclerosis. Despite the lack of a control group, high-intense concurrent training does not seem to improve cardiovascular risk factors in multiple sclerosis.

Unraveling atomic-level self-organization at the plasma-material interface

Science.gov (United States)

Allain, J. P.; Shetty, A.

2017-07-01

The intrinsic dynamic interactions at the plasma-material interface and critical role of irradiation-driven mechanisms at the atomic scale during exposure to energetic particles require a priori the use of in situ surface characterization techniques. Characterization of ‘active’ surfaces during modification at atomic-scale levels is becoming more important as advances in processing modalities are limited by an understanding of the behavior of these surfaces under realistic environmental conditions. Self-organization from exposure to non-equilibrium and thermalized plasmas enable dramatic control of surface morphology, topography, composition, chemistry and structure yielding the ability to tune material properties with an unprecedented level of control. Deciphering self-organization mechanisms of nanoscale morphology (e.g. nanodots, ripples) and composition on a variety of materials including: compound semiconductors, semiconductors, ceramics, polymers and polycrystalline metals via low-energy ion-beam assisted plasma irradiation are critical to manipulate functionality in nanostructured systems. By operating at ultra-low energies near the damage threshold, irradiation-driven defect engineering can be optimized and surface-driven mechanisms controlled. Tunability of optical, electronic, magnetic and bioactive properties is realized by reaching metastable phases controlled by atomic-scale irradiation-driven mechanisms elucidated by novel in situ diagnosis coupled to atomistic-level computational tools. Emphasis will be made on tailored surface modification from plasma-enhanced environments on particle-surface interactions and their subsequent modification of hard and soft matter interfaces. In this review, we examine current trends towards in situ and in operando surface and sub-surface characterization to unravel atomic-scale mechanisms at the plasma-material interface. This work will emphasize on recent advances in the field of plasma and ion

Influence of Human Factor Issues on Patient-Centered mHealth Apps' Impact; Where Do We Stand?

Science.gov (United States)

Wildenbos, G A; Peute, L W; Jaspers, M W M

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the preliminary results of a literature review on studies published in 2014-2015 concerning patient-centered mHealth applications' (apps) impact. Abstracts were included when they described a mHealth app targeted at patients and reported on the effects of this app on patient care. From a total of 559 potentially relevant articles, 17 papers were finally included. Nine studies reported a positive impact of the patient-centered mHealth app on patient care; 4 of these studies were randomized controlled trials. Measured impacts in the 17 studies focused on improving patients' physical activity, self-efficacy and medication adherence. Human factors issues potentially mediating these effects were discussed in all studies. Transitions in the interaction between healthcare providers and their patients were most often discussed as influencing the impact of the mHealth app. More research is needed, focussing on human issues mediating the effect of patient-centered mHealth apps to precipitate knowledge on the effectiveness of mHealth. This research should preferably be guided by socio-technical models.

QCD factorization of exclusive processes beyond leading twist: γT*→ρT impact factor with twist three accuracy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anikin, I.V.; Ivanov, D.Yu.; Pire, B.; Szymanowski, L.; Wallon, S.

2010-01-01

We describe a consistent approach to factorization of scattering amplitudes for exclusive processes beyond the leading twist approximation. The method involves the Taylor expansion of the scattering amplitude in the momentum space around the dominant light-cone direction and thus naturally introduces an appropriate set of non-perturbative correlators which encode effects not only of the lowest but also of the higher Fock states of the produced particle. The reduction of original set of correlators to a set of independent ones is achieved with the help of equations of motion and invariance of the scattering amplitude under rotation on the light cone. We compare the proposed method with the covariant method formulated in the coordinate space, based on the operator product expansion. We prove the equivalence of two proposed parametrizations of the ρ T distribution amplitudes. As a concrete application, we compute the expressions of the impact factor for the transition of virtual photon to transversally polarised ρ-meson up to the twist 3 accuracy within these two quite different methods and show that they are identical.

Factors impacting on psychological wellbeing of international students in the health professions: A scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Lisa; Robinson, Eddie; Penman, Joy; Hills, Danny

2017-09-01

There are increasing numbers of international students undertaking health professional courses, particularly in Western countries. These courses not only expose students to the usual stresses and strains of academic learning, but also require students to undertake clinical placements and practice-based learning. While much is known about general issues facing international students, less is known about factors that impact on those studying in the health professions. To explore what is known about factors that influence the psychological wellbeing of international students in the health professions. A scoping review. A range of databases were searched, including CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, Proquest and ERIC, as well as grey literature, reference lists and Google Scholar. The review included qualitative or quantitative primary peer reviewed research studies that focused on international undergraduate or postgraduate students in the health professions. The core concept underpinning the review was psychological issues, with the outcome being psychological and/or social wellbeing. Thematic analysis across studies was used to identify key themes emerging. A total of 13 studies were included in the review, from the disciplines of nursing, medicine and speech-language pathology. Four key factor groups emerged from the review: negotiating structures and systems, communication and learning, quality of life and self-care, and facing discrimination and social isolation. International health professional students face similar issues to other international students. The nature of their courses, however, also requires negotiating different health care systems, and managing a range of clinical practice issues including with communication, and isolation and discrimination from clinical staff and patients. Further research is needed to specifically explore factors impacting on student well-being and how international students can be appropriately prepared and supported for their

Gold mining on Mayan-Mam territory: social unravelling, discord and distress in the Western highlands of Guatemala.

Science.gov (United States)

Caxaj, C Susana; Berman, Helene; Varcoe, Colleen; Ray, Susan L; Restoulec, Jean-Paul

2014-06-01

This article examines the influence of a large-scale mining operation on the health of the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala. An anti-colonial narrative approach informed by participatory action research principles was employed. Data collection included focus groups and one-on-one interviews from August to November of 2011. Over this period, we interviewed 15 Mam Mayan men and 41 women (n = 56) between the ages of 18 and 64 including health care workers, educators, spiritual leaders, agricultural workers and previous mine employees from 13 villages within the municipality. Participants' accounts pointed to community health experiences of social unravelling characterized by overlapping narratives of a climate of fear and discord and embodied expressions of distress. These findings reveal the interconnected mechanisms by which local mining operations influenced the health of the community, specifically, by introducing new threats to the safety and mental wellbeing of local residents. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The differential impact of subjective and objective aspects of social engagement on cardiovascular risk factors

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kamiya, Yumiko

2010-11-02

Abstract Background This article provides new insights into the impact of social engagement on CVD risk factors in older adults. We hypothesized that objective (social participation, social ties and marital status) and subjective (emotional support) aspects of social engagement are independently associated with objective measures of cardiovascular risk. Methods Data from the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing (ELSA) were analyzed. The effects of social participation, social ties, marital status, and emotional support on hypertension, obesity, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen were estimated by logistic regression controlling for age, sex, education, physical function, depression, cardiovascular disease, other chronic diseases, physical activity, and smoking. Results Social participation is a consistent predictor of low risk for four risk factors, even after controlling for a wide range of covariates. Being married is associated with lower risk for hypertension. Social ties and emotional support are not significantly associated with any of the cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion Our analysis suggests that participation in social activities has a stronger association with CV risk factors than marital status, social ties or emotional support. Different forms of social engagement may therefore have different implications for the biological risk factors involved.

Unintended benefits: the potential economic impact of addressing risk factors to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Pei-Jung; Yang, Zhou; Fillit, Howard M; Cohen, Joshua T; Neumann, Peter J

2014-04-01

Certain chronic conditions appear to be modifiable risk factors of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. To understand the potential health and economic impacts of addressing those risk factors, we used data on a Medicare cohort to simulate four scenarios: a 10 percent reduction in the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, respectively, and a 10 percent reduction in body mass index among beneficiaries who were overweight or obese. Our simulation demonstrated that reducing the prevalence of these conditions may yield "unintended benefits" by lowering the risk, delaying the onset, reducing the duration, and lowering the costs of dementia. More research is needed to clarify the exact relationship between various other chronic diseases and dementia. However, our findings highlight potential health gains and savings opportunities stemming from the better management of other conditions associated with dementia.

Mixing journal, article, and author citations, and other pitfalls in the bibliographic impact factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Porta Miquel

2003-01-01

Full Text Available News of the death of biomedical journals seem premature. Revamped traditional scientific journals remain highly valued sources and vehicles of information, critical debate, and knowledge. Some analyses seem to place a disproportionate emphasis on technological and formal issues, as compared to the importance ascribed to matters of power. Not all journals must necessarily have a large circulation. There are many examples of efficient, high-quality journals with a great impact on relatively small audiences for whom the journal is thought-provoking, useful, and pleasant to read. How can we achieve a better understanding of an article?s spectrum of impacts? A certain mixing of three distinct entities (journals, articles, and authors has often pervaded judgments. Data used by the Institute for Scientific Information present weaknesses in their accuracy. The two-year limit for citations to count towards the bibliographic impact factor favors "fast-moving", "basic" biomedical disciplines and is less appropriate for public health studies. Increasing attention is given to the specific number of citations received by each individual article. It is possible to make progress towards more valid, accurate, fair, and relevant assessments.

Assessment of Macro-Level Socioeconomic Factors That Impact Waterborne Diseases: The Case of Jordan.

Science.gov (United States)

Polimeni, John M; Almalki, Ahmad; Iorgulescu, Raluca I; Albu, Lucian-Liviu; Parker, Wendy M; Chandrasekara, Ray

2016-11-25

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an example of a country that suffers from high water scarcity. Additionally, due to the economic drivers in the country, such as phosphate and potash extraction and pharmaceutical production, the little fresh water that remains is generally polluted. The infrastructure, often antiquated in urban areas and non-existent in rural areas, also contributes to poor water conditions and to the spread of waterborne diseases. This paper examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to diarrhea and hepatitis A on a macro level in Jordan and discusses the public-policies that government officials could use to abate those problems. Ordinary least squares time series models are used to understand the macro-level variables that impact the incidence of these diseases in Jordan. Public health expenditure has a significant impact on reducing their incidence. Furthermore, investment in sanitation facilities in rural regions is likely to reduce the number of cases of hepatitis A. Perhaps the most surprising outcome is that importation of goods and services likely results in a decrease in cases of hepatitis A. However, income has little impact on the incidence of diarrhea and hepatitis A.

Assessment of Macro-Level Socioeconomic Factors That Impact Waterborne Diseases: The Case of Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M. Polimeni

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an example of a country that suffers from high water scarcity. Additionally, due to the economic drivers in the country, such as phosphate and potash extraction and pharmaceutical production, the little fresh water that remains is generally polluted. The infrastructure, often antiquated in urban areas and non-existent in rural areas, also contributes to poor water conditions and to the spread of waterborne diseases. This paper examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to diarrhea and hepatitis A on a macro level in Jordan and discusses the public-policies that government officials could use to abate those problems. Ordinary least squares time series models are used to understand the macro-level variables that impact the incidence of these diseases in Jordan. Public health expenditure has a significant impact on reducing their incidence. Furthermore, investment in sanitation facilities in rural regions is likely to reduce the number of cases of hepatitis A. Perhaps the most surprising outcome is that importation of goods and services likely results in a decrease in cases of hepatitis A. However, income has little impact on the incidence of diarrhea and hepatitis A.

ODE constrained mixture modelling: a method for unraveling subpopulation structures and dynamics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Hasenauer

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Functional cell-to-cell variability is ubiquitous in multicellular organisms as well as bacterial populations. Even genetically identical cells of the same cell type can respond differently to identical stimuli. Methods have been developed to analyse heterogeneous populations, e.g., mixture models and stochastic population models. The available methods are, however, either incapable of simultaneously analysing different experimental conditions or are computationally demanding and difficult to apply. Furthermore, they do not account for biological information available in the literature. To overcome disadvantages of existing methods, we combine mixture models and ordinary differential equation (ODE models. The ODE models provide a mechanistic description of the underlying processes while mixture models provide an easy way to capture variability. In a simulation study, we show that the class of ODE constrained mixture models can unravel the subpopulation structure and determine the sources of cell-to-cell variability. In addition, the method provides reliable estimates for kinetic rates and subpopulation characteristics. We use ODE constrained mixture modelling to study NGF-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation in primary sensory neurones, a process relevant in inflammatory and neuropathic pain. We propose a mechanistic pathway model for this process and reconstructed static and dynamical subpopulation characteristics across experimental conditions. We validate the model predictions experimentally, which verifies the capabilities of ODE constrained mixture models. These results illustrate that ODE constrained mixture models can reveal novel mechanistic insights and possess a high sensitivity.

ODE constrained mixture modelling: a method for unraveling subpopulation structures and dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasenauer, Jan; Hasenauer, Christine; Hucho, Tim; Theis, Fabian J

2014-07-01

Functional cell-to-cell variability is ubiquitous in multicellular organisms as well as bacterial populations. Even genetically identical cells of the same cell type can respond differently to identical stimuli. Methods have been developed to analyse heterogeneous populations, e.g., mixture models and stochastic population models. The available methods are, however, either incapable of simultaneously analysing different experimental conditions or are computationally demanding and difficult to apply. Furthermore, they do not account for biological information available in the literature. To overcome disadvantages of existing methods, we combine mixture models and ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. The ODE models provide a mechanistic description of the underlying processes while mixture models provide an easy way to capture variability. In a simulation study, we show that the class of ODE constrained mixture models can unravel the subpopulation structure and determine the sources of cell-to-cell variability. In addition, the method provides reliable estimates for kinetic rates and subpopulation characteristics. We use ODE constrained mixture modelling to study NGF-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation in primary sensory neurones, a process relevant in inflammatory and neuropathic pain. We propose a mechanistic pathway model for this process and reconstructed static and dynamical subpopulation characteristics across experimental conditions. We validate the model predictions experimentally, which verifies the capabilities of ODE constrained mixture models. These results illustrate that ODE constrained mixture models can reveal novel mechanistic insights and possess a high sensitivity.

The impact of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in São Paulo, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Victor H Argentino de Morais; Matheus, Dácio R

2018-01-01

Social factors have not been sufficiently explored in municipal solid waste management studies. Latin America has produced even fewer studies with this approach; technical and economic investigations have prevailed. We explored the impacts of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in Greater Sao Paulo, which includes 39 municipalities. We investigated the relations between municipal solid waste generation and social factors by Pearson's correlation coefficient. The Student's t-test (at p ← 0.01) proved significance, and further regression analysis was performed with significant factors. We considered 10 socioeconomic factors: population, rural population, density, life expectancy, education (secondary, high and undergraduate level), income per capita, inequality and human development. A later multicollinearity analysis resulted in the determination of inequality (r p = 0.625) and income per capita (r p = 0.607) as major drivers. The results showed the relevance of considering social aspects in municipal solid waste management and isolated inequality as an important factor in planning. Inequality must be used as a complementary factor to income, rather than being used exclusively. Inequality may explain differences of waste generation between areas with similar incomes because of consumption patterns. Therefore, unequal realities demand unequal measures to avoid exacerbation, for example, pay-as-you-throw policies instead of uniform fees. Unequal realities also highlight the importance of tiering policies beyond the waste sector, such as sustainable consumption.

Impact of socioeconomic factors on nutritional status in primary school children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babar, N.F.; Khan, M.A.

2010-01-01

Child malnutrition is a major public health and development concern in most of the poor communities leading to high morbidity and mortality. Various studies have highlighted the factors involved. The present study focuses on socioeconomic inequality resulting in malnutrition. Objectives of the Study were to find the Impact of socio-economic factors on nutritional status in primary school children. Methods: It was a cross sectional survey conducted at Lahore from February to August 2005 among primary schools from public and private sectors to assess the nutritional status of primary school going children age 5-11 years belonging to different socio economic classes of the society. Systematic random sampling technique was applied to collect the sample. Body Mass Index in relation to NHANES reference population was used for assessing nutritional status. Results: The nutritional status of children from lower socio economic class was poor as compared to their counter parts in upper socio economic class. Children with BMI <5 percentile were 41% in lower class while in upper class it was 19.28%. Prevalence of malnutrition was 42.3% among children of illiterate mothers as compare to 20% in those of literate mothers. Conclusion: Poverty, low literacy rate, large families, food insecurity, food safety, women's education appears to be the important underlying factors responsible for poor health status of children from low socioeconomic class. It requires economic, political and social changes as well as changes for personal advancement mainly through educational opportunities to improve the nutritional status of the children. (author)

The Psychological Impact of Forced Displacement and Related Risk Factors on Eastern Congolese Adolescents Affected by War

Science.gov (United States)

Mels, Cindy; Derluyn, Ilse; Broekaert, Eric; Rosseel, Yves

2010-01-01

Background: While the current knowledge base on the mental health effects of displacement is mainly limited to refugees residing in industrialised countries, this paper examines the impact of war-induced displacement and related risk factors on the mental health of Eastern Congolese adolescents, and compares currently internally displaced…

Critical factors that impact purchase online of new telecom convergent services in the Mexican market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rolando Zubiran Shetler

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The following article analyzes the principal factors that have an impact in the adoption of new telecom convergent services, through electronic commerce, that have been explored and studied primarily in developed markets such as the United States and that have been deemed as critical factors in the development and growth of online electronic transactions. Specifically, factors and latent variables of this study derive from the models of Technology Acceptance (Davis, 1989 and Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers, 2003. A summary of past empirical studies is provided deriving from the aforementioned theoretical models followed by results of an exploratory field study comprising of 253 valid observations randomly selected from within the population of urban internet users in Mexico. The methodology used to determine the causal relationship between variables (Betas was factor analysis (Principal Components and structural equation modeling, specifically Smart-PLS. The study determined that perceived utility and trust variables are statistically relevant and significant in determining purchase online of new telecom convergent services and the development of electronic commerce in the Mexican Market.

Unraveling micro- and nanoscale degradation processes during operation of high-temperature polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hengge, K.; Heinzl, C.; Perchthaler, M.; Varley, D.; Lochner, T.; Scheu, C.

2017-10-01

The work in hand presents an electron microscopy based in-depth study of micro- and nanoscale degradation processes that take place during the operation of high-temperature polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs). Carbon supported Pt particles were used as cathodic catalyst material and the bimetallic, carbon supported Pt/Ru system was applied as anode. As membrane, cross-linked polybenzimidazole was used. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of cross-sections of as-prepared and long-term operated membrane-electrode-assemblies revealed insight into micrometer scale degradation processes: operation-caused catalyst redistribution and thinning of the membrane and electrodes. Transmission electron microscopy investigations were performed to unravel the nanometer scale phenomena: a band of Pt and Pt/Ru nanoparticles was detected in the membrane adjacent to the cathode catalyst layer. Quantification of the elemental composition of several individual nanoparticles and the overall band area revealed that they stem from both anode and cathode catalyst layers. The results presented do not demonstrate any catastrophic failure but rather intermediate states during fuel cell operation and indications to proceed with targeted HT-PEMFC optimization.

Impact of ethical factors on job satisfaction among Korean nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Yujin; Oh, Younjae

2017-01-01

Although numerous studies on job satisfaction among nurses have been conducted, there is a lack of research considering the ethical perspectives of leadership and organizational climate in job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of the ethical climate and ethical leadership as perceived by nurses on job satisfaction in South Korea. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 263 nurses from four general hospitals in South Korea. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Institute Review Board of Hallym University before data collection. Job satisfaction was positively correlated with ethical climate and ethical leadership. The ethical climate in relationship with hospitals and people orientation leadership were influential factors in the level of job satisfaction among nurses. Organizations in the nursing environment should pay attention to improving the ethical climate with acceptable ethical norms in the workplace and nurse leaders should respect, support and genuinely care about their nurses in ethical concerns.

Theoretical Assessment of the Impact of Climatic Factors in a Vibrio Cholerae Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolaye, G; Damakoa, I; Bowong, S; Houe, R; Békollè, D

2018-05-04

A mathematical model for Vibrio Cholerae (V. Cholerae) in a closed environment is considered, with the aim of investigating the impact of climatic factors which exerts a direct influence on the bacterial metabolism and on the bacterial reservoir capacity. We first propose a V. Cholerae mathematical model in a closed environment. A sensitivity analysis using the eFast method was performed to show the most important parameters of the model. After, we extend this V. cholerae model by taking account climatic factors that influence the bacterial reservoir capacity. We present the theoretical analysis of the model. More precisely, we compute equilibria and study their stabilities. The stability of equilibria was investigated using the theory of periodic cooperative systems with a concave nonlinearity. Theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations which further suggest the necessity to implement sanitation campaigns of aquatic environments by using suitable products against the bacteria during the periods of growth of aquatic reservoirs.

Factors Affecting the Use of Dairy Technologies in Coastal Kenya and Assessment of their Impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholson, C.F.; Thornton, P.K.; Staal, S.G.; Thorpe, W.; Muinga, R.W; Mwamachi, D.M.; Mohamed, L.; Elbasha, E.

1999-01-01

This study examines the factors influencing adoption of three related dairy technologies in the coastal Kenya and assessed the impact of dairy adoption on household income, employment generation, and nutritional status of pre-school children. The technologies studied were adoption of grade and crossbred dairy animals, planting of the fodder Napier grass, and use of the infection-and-treatment method of immunisation against East Coast fever. A series of household surveys was conducted from mid-1997 to mid-1998. Results showed that adoption of grade or crossbred dairy animal can lead to substantial impacts on household income, can generate employment, and can have a beneficial impact on the nutritional status of pre-school-age children in the household. It appears that neither the adoption nor productivity of dairying are constrained by poor availability of technology options. For dairy development activities on the coast, two areas merit attention: mechanisms for easing access to grade and crossbred dairy cattle, either through credit schemes or through self-help smallholder co-operatives, and reducing the disease risks associated with grade and crossbred dairy animals

Factors that impact the stability of vitamin C at intermediate temperatures in a food matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Herbig, Anna-Lena; Renard, Catherine M G C

2017-04-01

The study comprises a systematic and quantitative evaluation of potential intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact vitamin C degradation in a real food matrix. The supernatant of centrifuged apple purée was fortified in vitamin C, and degradation was followed without stirring. Model discrimination indicated better fit for the zero order model than the first order model which was hence chosen for determination of rate constants. pH influenced strongly vitamin C degradation in citrate-phosphate buffer but not in the apple purée serum. To get an idea of the impact of the food matrix, stability in apple purée serum was compared with that in carrot purée. In the latter, stability was slightly higher. Vitamin C degradation rates were not influenced by its initial concentration. The temperature effect was only marked in the temperature range 40-60°C. In the range 60-80°C, filling height of tubes had the greatest impact. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the Link between self-citation and authors’ co-incidence with journal impact factors in Iran: Case study of Economic Journals indexed in Islamic Science Citation Database

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Hashem Attapour

2010-03-01

Full Text Available   The present paper examines the links between self-citation and authors’ co-incidence with impact factors of economic journals indexed in ISC. It is essentially a scientometric research employing citation analysis and literature survey. Data was collected by querying ISC and leafing through the journals studied. Self-citation, authors’ co-incidence and impact factor of the journal studied formed the variables. Correlation analysis indicated that there is a significance between authors’ self-citations and co-incidence with impact factor of the journals studied. Significance was also found between authors’ co-incidence and self-citation of the journals studied.

Sector-wise midpoint characterization factors for impact assessment of regional consumptive and degradative water use.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chia-Chun; Lin, Jia-Yu; Lee, Mengshan; Chiueh, Pei-Te

2017-12-31

Water availability, resulting from either a lack of water or poor water quality is a key factor contributing to regional water stress. This study proposes a set of sector-wise characterization factors (CFs), namely consumptive and degradative water stresses, to assess the impact of water withdrawals with a life cycle assessment approach. These CFs consider water availability, water quality, and competition for water between domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors and ecosystem at the watershed level. CFs were applied to a case study of regional water management of industrial water withdrawals in Taiwan to show that both regional or seasonal decrease in water availability contributes to a high consumptive water stress, whereas water scarcity due to degraded water quality not meeting sector standards has little influence on increased degradative water stress. Degradative water stress was observed more in the agricultural sector than in the industrial sector, which implies that the agriculture sector may have water quality concerns. Reducing water intensity and alleviating regional scale water stresses of watersheds are suggested as approaches to decrease the impact of both consumptive and degradative water use. The results from this study may enable a more detailed sector-wise analysis of water stress and influence water resource management policies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combined impact of lifestyle-related factors on total and cause-specific mortality among Chinese women: prospective cohort study.

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Sarah J Nechuta

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Although cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, obesity, and several other well-studied unhealthy lifestyle-related factors each have been linked to the risk of multiple chronic diseases and premature death, little is known about the combined impact on mortality outcomes, in particular among Chinese and other non-Western populations. The objective of this study was to quantify the overall impact of lifestyle-related factors beyond that of active cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Chinese women.We used data from the Shanghai Women's Health Study, an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study in China. Participants included 71,243 women aged 40 to 70 years enrolled during 1996-2000 who never smoked or drank alcohol regularly. A healthy lifestyle score was created on the basis of five lifestyle-related factors shown to be independently associated with mortality outcomes (normal weight, lower waist-hip ratio, daily exercise, never exposed to spouse's smoking, higher daily fruit and vegetable intake. The score ranged from zero (least healthy to five (most healthy points. During an average follow-up of 9 years, 2,860 deaths occurred, including 775 from cardiovascular disease (CVD and 1,351 from cancer. Adjusted hazard ratios for mortality decreased progressively with an increasing number of healthy lifestyle factors. Compared to women with a score of zero, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals for women with four to five factors were 0.57 (0.44-0.74 for total mortality, 0.29 (0.16-0.54 for CVD mortality, and 0.76 (0.54-1.06 for cancer mortality. The inverse association between the healthy lifestyle score and mortality was seen consistently regardless of chronic disease status at baseline. The population attributable risks for not having 4-5 healthy lifestyle factors were 33% for total deaths, 59% for CVD deaths, and 19% for cancer deaths.In this first study, to our knowledge, to

Communicating with older cancer patients: impact on information recall

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, J.

2009-01-01

The central aim of this thesis was to unravel the relationship between patient characteristics, communication between patient and clinician, and subsequent patient information recall in the context of medical consultations with older cancer patients. Chapter 2 reviewed the literature to explore age

Land use impacts on biodiversity in LCA: proposal of characterization factors based on functional diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Souza, Danielle Maia de; Flynn, Dan F. B.; DeClerck, Fabrice

2013-01-01

the distinctiveness of species; this paper proposes the use of an FD index to calculate characterization factors (CFs) for land use impacts. Furthermore, we compare the results of the CFs to current practice and assess the increase in complexity introduced by the use of the new indicator.The model proposed is based...... challenges. Such indices are data hungry (requiring species composition and traits) require more complex calculations than current common practice, including decisions on the choice of a method to calculate FD and the selection of traits.......The focus of land use modeling in life cycle impact assessment has been mainly on taxonomic measures of biodiversity, namely species richness (SR). However, increasing availability of trait data for species has led to the use of functional diversity (FD) as a promising metric to reflect...

iPSC-Based Models to Unravel Key Pathogenetic Processes Underlying Motor Neuron Disease Development

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Irene Faravelli

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Motor neuron diseases (MNDs are neuromuscular disorders affecting rather exclusively upper motor neurons (UMNs and/or lower motor neurons (LMNs. The clinical phenotype is characterized by muscular weakness and atrophy leading to paralysis and almost invariably death due to respiratory failure. Adult MNDs include sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS-fALS, while the most common infantile MND is represented by spinal muscular atrophy (SMA. No effective treatment is ccurrently available for MNDs, as for the vast majority of neurodegenerative disorders, and cures are limited to supportive care and symptom relief. The lack of a deep understanding of MND pathogenesis accounts for the difficulties in finding a cure, together with the scarcity of reliable in vitro models. Recent progresses in stem cell field, in particular in the generation of induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs has made possible for the first time obtaining substantial amounts of human cells to recapitulate in vitro some of the key pathogenetic processes underlying MNDs. In the present review, recently published studies involving the use of iPSCs to unravel aspects of ALS and SMA pathogenesis are discussed with an overview of their implications in the process of finding a cure for these still orphan disorders.

Dogs on the Move: Factors Impacting Animal Shelter and Rescue Organizations’ Decisions to Accept Dogs from Distant Locations

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Kaitlyn E. Simmons

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Long-distance dog transfer programs are a topic of burgeoning interest in the animal welfare community, but little research has focused on such programs. This exploratory study, which surveyed 193 individuals associated with animal shelter and rescue organizations in the United States, evaluated factors that impacted organizations’ decisions to transfer in dogs over long distances (>100 miles and assessed what criteria were commonly valued by destination organizations. Specifically, we examined the following aspects of long-distance transfer programs: (1 logistics of long-distance dog transfers; (2 factors impacting dog selection; (3 medical requirements; (4 partnerships formed between source and destination organizations; and (5 perceptions of long-distance dog transfer programs by individuals affiliated with the destination organizations. This study revealed that many logistical considerations factor into transfer decisions and the formation of healthy partnerships between source and destination organizations. Participants indicated their organization’s willingness to receive dogs of various sizes, coat colors and ages, but organizations often had restrictions regarding the breeds they would accept. Study findings indicate some organizations have strict quarantine policies and pre-transfer medical requirements, while others have no such requirements.

Perawatan Maloklusi Angle Kelas I disertai Impaksi Kaninus Maksila Menggunakan Alat Cekat Begg

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Darmayanti Dian Suryani

2014-12-01

 to hereditary factors. Prevalence of maxillary canines impaction is 0.9 to 2.2%, while the mandibular canine impaction is less common. Alternative dental care is impacted maxillary canine exposure surgery and followed by orthodontic force for help the eruption with fixed orthodontic appliance. The goal of treatment is to correct malrelation and malposition of teeth. Patient man, 19 years old, very crowded teeth, maxillary right and left canine and mandibular right canine impaction, Angle Class I, deep overbite, 3 mm overjet and overbite 8,8 mm. Treatments performed using Begg fixed appliances without extraction. Exposure surgery is done under the right and left maxillary canine impaction followed orthodontic bracket bonding. Multiloop arch wire, bend and elastic anchorage intermaksiler class II used at the stage of leveling and unraveling. Within 14 months, overbite was corrected, maxillaryr right and left canine eruption, Angle Class I canine relationship, 3.00 mm overjet, 3,00 mm overbite. Current treatment is still ongoing at leveling and unraveling stage. Treatment angle malocclusion class I with maxillary canine impaction can be done by exposure surgery followed by Begg fixed appliances.

Factors That Impact End-of-Life Decision Making in African Americans With Advanced Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Cathy L.; Williams, Ishan C.; Orr, Tamara

2013-01-01

Significance African Americans with cancer are less likely to use hospice services and more likely to die in the hospital than white patients with the same diagnosis. However, there is much that is not understood about the factors that lead African Americans to choose options for end-of-life care. Design A qualitative, descriptive design was used in this pilot study. Methods Interviews were conducted with two groups of African Americans with advanced-stage cancer (people enrolled in hospice and those who were not under hospice care). Findings End-of-life decisions were primarily guided by clinical factors, the patient-related physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that are sequelae of the underlying disease or medical treatments. The physician was the healthcare provider most likely to be involved in decision making with patients, family members, and caregivers. Individual factors, such as personal beliefs, influenced end-of-life decision making. Religion and spirituality were a topic in many interviews, but they did not consistently influence decision making. Discussion Future studies should include interviews with family members, caregivers, and healthcare professionals so that factors that impact end-of-life decision making can be fully described. Strategies to facilitate recruitment will need to be added to future protocols. PMID:23645999

Clinical Risk Factors for Head Impact During Falls in Older Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study in Long-Term Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yijian; Mackey, Dawn C; Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Leung, Pet-Ming; Feldman, Fabio; Robinovitch, Stephen N

To examine risk factors associated with head impact during falls in older adults in long-term care (LTC). Two LTC facilities in British Columbia, Canada. 160 LTC residents. Prospective cohort study. Between 2007 and 2014, we video captured 520 falls experienced by participants. Each fall video was analyzed to determine whether impact occurred to the head. Using generalized estimating equation models, we examined how head impact was associated with other fall characteristics and health status prior to the fall. Head impact occurred in 33% of falls. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment were at higher risk for head impact (odds ratio = 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-5.0) than those with more severe cognitive impairment. Impaired vision was associated with 2.0-fold (1.3-3.0) higher odds of head impact. Women were 2.2 times (1.4-3.3) more likely than men to impact their head during a fall. Head impact is common during falls in LTC, with less cognitively impaired, female residents who suffered from visual impairment, being most likely to impact their head. Future research should focus on improving our ability to detect neural consequences of head impact and evaluating the effect of interventions for reducing the risk for fall-related head injuries in LTC.

Comparison Between Impact Factor, Eigenfactor Metrics, and SCimago Journal Rank Indicator of Pediatric Neurology Journals

OpenAIRE

Kianifar, Hamidreza; Sadeghi, Ramin; Zarifmahmoudi, Leili

2014-01-01

Background: Impact Factor (IF) as a major journal quality indicator has a series of shortcomings including effect of self-citation, review articles, total number of articles, etc. In this study, we compared 4 journals quality indices ((IF), Eigenfactor Score (ES), Article Influence Score (AIS) and SCImago Journal Rank indicator (SJR)) in the specific Pediatric Neurology journals. Methods: All ISI and Scopus indexed specific Pediatric Neurology journals were compared regarding their 2011 IF, E...

Combined impact of healthy lifestyle factors on risk of atrial fibrillation: Prospective study in men and women.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsson, Susanna C; Drca, Nikola; Jensen-Urstad, Mats; Wolk, Alicja

2016-01-15

The combined impact of multiple lifestyle factors on risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. We investigated the joint association of four modifiable lifestyle factors on incidence of AF in a prospective study of men and women. The study cohort comprised 39 300 men in the Cohort of Swedish Men and 33 090 women in the Swedish Mammography Cohort who were 45-83 years of age and free from atrial fibrillation at baseline. Healthy lifestyle was defined as body mass index healthy lifestyle factors, the multivariable relative risks (95% confidence interval) of AF were 0.83 (0.65-1.07) for one, 0.74 (0.58-0.94) for two, 0.62 (0.49-0.79) for three, and 0.50 (0.39-0.64) for four healthy lifestyle factors (P for trend healthy lifestyle factors combined were associated with a halving of the risk of AF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Influence on AM fungi infection rate and medicine quality of Pinellia ternata in condition of three soil impact factors].

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Xue-Lian; Liu, Zuo-Yi; Guo, Qiao-Sheng; Zhu, Guo-Sheng; Cheng, Li-Tao

2013-04-01

To explore the influence on AM fungi infection rate and medicine quality of Pinellia ternate in the condition of three soil impact factors. Set the orthogonal test of three factors and levels. Determinate the AM fungi infection rate in early stage of mature & stage of mature of P. ternata, and the water content, water soluble extract, butanedioic acid content and alkaloid content of P. ternata tuber that be harvested also had be determinated. With the P levels to 30 mg x kg(-1) and 90 mg x kg(-1), AM fungi infection was the best when mixed inoculated of EM. Microbial agent inoculated played a decisive role in P. ternata growth and physiological activity, secondary influenced factor was P concentration, and the water stress was the minimal impact. Mixed inoculated of AM fungi and EM treatment with the low P levels (30, 90 mg x kg(-1)) proved better effect on enhancing the water extract content, anedioic acid and alkaloid content, while decreasing the water contents of P. ternata tuber.

Meteorological factors had more impact on airborne bacterial communities than air pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Quan; Deng, Ye; Wang, Yaqing; Wang, Xiaoke; Zhang, Hongxing; Sun, Xu; Ouyang, Zhiyun

2017-12-01

Airborne bacteria have gained increasing attention because they affect ecological balance and pose potential risks on human health. Recently, some studies have focused on the abundance and composition of airborne bacteria under heavy, hazy polluted weather in China, but they reached different conclusions about the comparisons with non-polluted days. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that meteorological factors could have a higher impact on shaping airborne bacterial communities than air pollutants by systematically monitoring the communities for 1year. Total suspended particles in Beijing were sampled for 20 consecutive days in each season of 2015. Bacterial abundance varied from 8.71×10 3 to 2.14×10 7 ribosomal operons per cubic meter according to the quantitative PCR analysis. There were relatively higher bacterial counts in spring and in autumn than in winter and summer. Airborne bacterial communities displayed a strong seasonality, according to the hierarchical cluster analysis. Only two exceptions overtook the seasonal trend, and both occurred in or after violent meteorological changes (sandstorm or rain). Aggregated boosted tree analysis performed on bacterial abundance showed that the dominant factors shaping bacterial communities were meteorological. They were air pressure in winter, air temperature and relative humidity in spring, RH in summer, and vapor pressure in autumn. Variation partition analysis on community structure showed that meteorological factors explained more variations than air pollutants. Therefore, both of the two models verified our hypothesis that the differences in airborne bacterial communities in polluted days or non-polluted days were mainly driven by the discrepancies of meteorological factors rather than by the presence of air pollutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eastern Baltic cod recruitment revisited—dynamics and impacting factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Köster, Fritz; Huwer, Bastian; Hinrichsen, Hans-Harald

2017-01-01

The Eastern Baltic cod abundance started rapidly to increase in the mid-2000s as evidenced by analytical stock assessments, due to increased recruitment and declining fishing mortality. Since 2014, the analytical stock assessment is not available, leaving the present stock status unclear and cast......The Eastern Baltic cod abundance started rapidly to increase in the mid-2000s as evidenced by analytical stock assessments, due to increased recruitment and declining fishing mortality. Since 2014, the analytical stock assessment is not available, leaving the present stock status unclear...... and casting doubts about the magnitude of the recent increase in recruitment. Earlier studies identified main factors impacting on cod reproductive success to be related to the loss of two out of three spawning areas in the 1980s caused by lack of major Baltic inflows with a concurrent reduction in salinity...... decade, as the period was characterized by an absence of large-scale Baltic inflows since 2003 and persistent anoxic conditions in the bottom water of the deep Baltic basins. This questions the perception of the increased recruitment in later years and challenges our present understanding of cod...

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC AND NON-ECONOMIC FACTORS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PENSION SYSTEM IN CROATIA

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Maja Vretenar Cobović

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The pension system is very important in the context of the social security of every individual or the society in which it is located. Maintaining the stability of this system is one of the fundamental problems, both for Croatia and for other EU member states. The aim of this paper is to analyse the efficiency and sustainability of the existing pension system in the Republic of Croatia and the identification of key parameters which determine its further development. The authors’ comparative analysis of the Croatian pension system with the pension systems of individual EU Member States investigates the compliance of the Croatian pension insurance with the European social model, and the impact of economic factors on the sustainability of this system. Through the survey, authors explored the impact of non-economic factors on the pension system, and received relevant information about the attitudes of stakeholders (users of the current pension system, their awareness and confidence in the system, the willingness to participate in certain forms of pension insurance (in particular those that are voluntary and expectations of the insured on the return on investment, and the threshold of satisfaction on investments in pension funds.

Assessment of Attention to Clothing and Impact of Its Restrictive Factors in Iranian Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (ACIRF-SCI): Introduction of a New Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Laleh, Leila; Latifi, Sahar; Koushki, Davood; Matin, Marzieh; Javidan, Abbas Norouzi; Yekaninejad, Mir Saeed

2015-01-01

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) deal with various restrictive factors regarding their clothing, such as disability and difficulty with access to shopping centers. We designed a questionnaire to assess attention to clothing and impact of its restrictive factors among Iranian patients with SCI (ACIRF-SCI). The ACIRF-SCI has 5 domains: functional, medical, attitude, aesthetic, and emotional. The first 3 domains reflect the impact of restrictive factors (factors that restrict attention to clothing), and the last 2 domains reflect attention to clothing and fashion. Functional restrictive factors include disability and dependence. Medical restrictive factors include existence of specific medical conditions that interfere with clothing choice. Construct validity was assessed by factorial analysis, and reliability was expressed by Cronbach's alpha. A total of 100 patients (75 men and 25 women) entered this study. Patients with a lower injury level had a higher total score (P SCI who have greater ability and independence experience a lower impact of restrictive factors related to clothing. The ACIRF-SCI reveals that this assumption is statistically significant, which shows its admissible discriminant validity. The measured construct validity (0.97) and reliability (internal consistency expressed by alpha = 0.61) are acceptable.

Selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays and impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Huidong; Liu, Guowen; Wang, Jian; Aubry, Anne-Françoise; Arnold, Mark E

2014-09-16

A simple procedure for selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays is reported. The correct weighting factor is determined by the relationship between the standard deviation of instrument responses (σ) and the concentrations (x). The weighting factor of 1, 1/x, or 1/x(2) should be selected if, over the entire concentration range, σ is a constant, σ(2) is proportional to x, or σ is proportional to x, respectively. For the first time, we demonstrated with detailed scientific reasoning, solid historical data, and convincing justification that 1/x(2) should always be used as the weighting factor for all bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays. The impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance were thoroughly investigated. It was found that the most stable curve could be obtained when the correct weighting factor was used, whereas other curves using incorrect weighting factors were unstable. It was also found that there was a very insignificant impact on the concentrations reported with calibration curves using incorrect weighting factors as the concentrations were always reported with the passing curves which actually overlapped with or were very close to the curves using the correct weighting factor. However, the use of incorrect weighting factors did impact the assay performance significantly. Finally, the difference between the weighting factors of 1/x(2) and 1/y(2) was discussed. All of the findings can be generalized and applied into other quantitative analysis techniques using calibration curves with weighted least-squares regression algorithm.

ASSESSMENT OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES IN INFANTS 6-12 MONTHS OF AGE ACCORDING TO IMPACT OF PERINATAL RISK FACTORS.

Science.gov (United States)

Tskimanauri, N; Khachapuridze, N; Imnadze, P; Chanadiri, T; Bakhtadze, S

2017-12-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the developmental follow-up of infants (at age of 6 month and 12 month), exposed to separate and combination impact of perinatal risk factors, compared with not exposed cases, within the prospective cohort study. Between January 2015 and January 2017, in this research we prospectively enrolled 1018 live-born infants from the medical reports of the participating clinics in Tbilisi (capital of Republic of Georgia) and Mtskheta, Dusheti (districts of Georgia). Within postnatal follow-up, the children from whole population were assessed at 6 and 12 months of age by family doctors using the Denver Developmental Screening Test (Denver II). The association between the risk factors and neurodevelopmental outcomes was analyzed by Chi-square test of independence. Statistical analysis of these data was performed using the SPSS version 12. (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). A P value of less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Prevalence of abnormal development in whole population was revealed 9.0% or 92 cases at age of 6 month and 36 cases or 3.5% at age of 12 month. Point prevalence of farther neurodevelopmental adversities for healthy born children not influenced by studied risk factors was 0.1% and for infants with impact of the risk factors - 1.5%; on the other hand, prevalence of observed abnormal development in infant's population who had neonatal pathologies was 2.3% if risk factors were not exposed and 21.6% under influence of risk factors. Statistical analysis showed that an abnormal developmental outcomes were more frequent when researched risk factors were exposed (OR-23.18, CI 95% - 11.83 to 45.41 - at age of 6 month; OR - 26.12, CI 95% - 7.95 to 85.85 - at age of 12 month) as well, as correlation of these risk factors with neurodevelopmental adverse outcomes was significant (prisk factors, such as maternal age (35Y), pathologies of pregnancy and delivery as well as gestation age (risk factors increased probability of

QCD factorization of exclusive processes beyond leading twist: gamma{sub T}*->rho{sub T} impact factor with twist three accuracy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anikin, I.V. [Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, JINR, 141980 Dubna (Russian Federation); Ivanov, D.Yu. [Sobolev Institute of Mathematics, 630090 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Pire, B., E-mail: pire@cpht.polytechnique.f [CPHT, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Szymanowski, L. [Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies, PL-00-681 Warsaw (Poland); Wallon, S. [LPT, Universite Paris-Sud, CNRS, 91405 Orsay (France); UPMC Univ. Paris 06, faculte de physique, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

2010-03-21

We describe a consistent approach to factorization of scattering amplitudes for exclusive processes beyond the leading twist approximation. The method involves the Taylor expansion of the scattering amplitude in the momentum space around the dominant light-cone direction and thus naturally introduces an appropriate set of non-perturbative correlators which encode effects not only of the lowest but also of the higher Fock states of the produced particle. The reduction of original set of correlators to a set of independent ones is achieved with the help of equations of motion and invariance of the scattering amplitude under rotation on the light cone. We compare the proposed method with the covariant method formulated in the coordinate space, based on the operator product expansion. We prove the equivalence of two proposed parametrizations of the rho{sub T} distribution amplitudes. As a concrete application, we compute the expressions of the impact factor for the transition of virtual photon to transversally polarised rho-meson up to the twist 3 accuracy within these two quite different methods and show that they are identical.

Factors associated with the impact of quality improvement collaboratives in mental healthcare: An exploratory study

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Versteeg Marleen H

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs bring together groups of healthcare professionals to work in a structured manner to improve the quality of healthcare delivery within particular domains. We explored which characteristics of the composition, participation, functioning, and organization of these collaboratives related to changes in the healthcare for patients with anxiety disorders, dual diagnosis, or schizophrenia. Methods We studied three QICs involving 29 quality improvement (QI teams representing a number of mental healthcare organizations in the Netherlands. The aims of the three QICs were the implementation of multidisciplinary practice guidelines in the domains of anxiety disorders, dual diagnosis, and schizophrenia, respectively. We used eight performance indicators to assess the impact of the QI teams on self-reported patient outcomes and process of care outcomes for 1,346 patients. The QI team members completed a questionnaire on the characteristics of the composition, participation in a national program, functioning, and organizational context for their teams. It was expected that an association would be found between these team characteristics and the quality of care for patients with anxiety disorders, dual diagnosis, and schizophrenia. Results No consistent patterns of association emerged. Theory-based factors did not perform better than practice-based factors. However, QI teams that received support from their management and both active and inspirational team leadership showed better results. Rather surprisingly, a lower average level of education among the team members was associated with better results, although less consistently than the management and leadership characteristics. Team views with regard to the QI goals of the team and attitudes towards multidisciplinary practice guidelines did not correlate with team success. Conclusions No general conclusions about the impact of the characteristics of

[Bibliometric study of Actas Dermo-sifiliográficas (1984-2003) III. Analysis of bibliographic impact factors].

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Miralles, Julia; Ramos, José M; Ballester, Rosa; Belinchón, Isabel; Sevila, Amparo; Moragón, Manuel

2005-11-01

To quantify the impact factor of the journal Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas (AD) from 1986 to 1990 and from 1999 to 2003 and to identify the journal's citation pattern in those years. Citations obtained by AD in the periods from 1985-1990 and 1998-2003 for articles published from 1984 to 1989 and from 1997 to 2002 were collected using Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI). The number of times AD was cited doubled during the second period, increasing from 38 (period from 1985-1990) to 76 (period from 1998-2003). Considering the number of citations, AD's impact factor increased from 0.016 in 1986 to 0.040 in 2003. In both periods, citations corresponding to AD articles were included in a wide range of source journals, mainly dermatological publications abroad. The most referred journals in the second period were the Dutch publication Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (13 citations) and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (12 citations). Unlike the period from 1985 to 1990 when no Spanish journal cited AD, four Spanish publications mentioned AD in the second period: Revista clínica española (6 citations), Archivos de bronconeumología (4 citations), Medicina clínica (3 citations) and the journal Enfermedades infecciosas y microbiología clínica (1 citation). Citations mainly corresponded to articles published by Spanish authors (63.2 % in the 1985-1990 period and 81.6 % in the period from 1998 to 2003). Self-citation increased from 10.5 % (first period) to 31.6 % (second period). The impact factor of AD is low and not comparable to other publications included in the Dermatology and Venereal Diseases field from SCI. Our results confirm the low citation rate of AD by source journals in this repertory. However, the increase of this rate in recent years seems to indicate a higher Spanish presence in SCI due to an increasing number of publications corresponding to Spanish authors in international journals and the inclusion of

Factors that impact the stability of vitamin C at intermediate temperatures in a food matrix

OpenAIRE

Herbig, Anna-Lena

2017-01-01

The study comprises a systematic and quantitative evaluation of potential intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact vitamin C degradation in a real food matrix. The supernatant of centrifuged apple purée was fortified in vitamin C, and degradation was followed without stirring. Model discrimination indicated better fit for the zero order model than the first order model which was hence chosen for determination of rate constants. pH influenced strongly vitamin C degradation in citrate-phosph...

Individual and Population Level Impact of Key HIV Risk Factors on HIV Incidence Rates in Durban, South Africa.

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Gita Ramjee

Full Text Available We aimed to estimate the individual and joint impact of age, marital status and diagnosis with sexually transmitted infections (STIs on HIV acquisition among young women at a population level in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A total of 3,978 HIV seronegative women were recruited for four biomedical intervention trials from 2002-2009. Point and interval estimates of partial population attributable risk (PAR were used to quantify the proportion of HIV seroconversions which can be prevented if a combination of risk factors is eliminated from a target population. More than 70% of the observed HIV acquisitions were collectively attributed to the three risk factors: younger age (<25 years old, unmarried and not cohabiting with a stable/regular partner and diagnosis with STIs. Addressing these risks requires targeted structural, behavioural, biomedical and cultural interventions in order to impact on unacceptably high HIV incidence rates among young women and the population as a whole.

External factors impacting hospital evacuations caused by Hurricane Rita: the role of situational awareness.

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Downey, Erin L; Andress, Knox; Schultz, Carl H

2013-06-01

The 2005 Gulf Coast hurricane season was one of the most costly and deadly in US history. Hurricane Rita stressed hospitals and led to multiple, simultaneous evacuations. This study systematically identified community factors associated with patient movement out of seven hospitals evacuated during Hurricane Rita. This study represents the second of two systematic, observational, and retrospective investigations of seven acute care hospitals that reported off-site evacuations due to Hurricane Rita. Participants from each hospital included decision makers that comprised the Incident Management Team (IMT). Investigators applied a standardized interview process designed to assess evacuation factors related to external situational awareness of community activities during facility evacuation due to hurricanes. The measured outcomes were responses to 95 questions within six sections of the survey instrument. Investigators identified two factors that significantly impacted hospital IMT decision making: (1) incident characteristics affecting a facility's internal resources and challenges; and (2) incident characteristics affecting a facility's external evacuation activities. This article summarizes the latter and reports the following critical decision making points: (1) Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) were activated an average of 85 hours (3 days, 13 hours) prior to Hurricane Rita's landfall; (2) the decision to evacuate the hospital was made an average of 30 hours (1 day, 6 hours) from activation of the EOP; and (3) the implementation of the evacuation process took an average of 22 hours. Coordination of patient evacuations was most complicated by transportation deficits (the most significant of the 11 identified problem areas) and a lack of situational awareness of community response activities. All evacuation activities and subsequent evacuation times were negatively impacted by an overall lack of understanding on the part of hospital staff and the IMT regarding how to

Circulating species of Leishmania at microclimate area of Boulemane Province, Morocco: impact of environmental and human factors.

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Hmamouch, Asmae; El Alem, Mahmoud Mohamed; Hakkour, Maryam; Amarir, Fatima; Daghbach, Hassan; Habbari, Khalid; Fellah, Hajiba; Bekhti, Khadija; Sebti, Faiza

2017-02-22

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is widely distributed in Morocco where its geographical range and incidence are related to environmental factors. This study aimed to examine the impact of several factors on the distribution of CL in Boulemane Province, which is characterized by several microclimates, and to identify the Leishmania species circulating in these areas. Ordinary least squares regression (OLSR) analysis was performed to study the impact of poverty, vulnerability, population density, urbanization and bioclimatic factors on the distribution of CL in this province. Molecular characterization of parasites was performed using a previously described PCR-RFLP method targeting the ITS1 of ribosomal DNA of Leishmania. A total of 1009 cases were declared in Boulemane Province between the years 2000 and 2015 with incidences fluctuating over the years (P = 0.007). Analyzing geographical maps of the study region identified four unique microclimate areas; sub-humid, semi-arid, arid and Saharan. The geographical distribution and molecular identification of species shows that the Saharan microclimate, characterized by the presence of Leishmania major was the most affected (47.78%) followed by semi-arid area where Leishmania tropica was identified in three districts. Among several environmental factors included in the study, poverty had the greatest influence on the spatial extension of the disease in this province. The incidence of CL in Boulemane Province varies between microclimate areas, and environmental factors partly explain this variation. However, the existence of CL in the most affected districts is mainly related to poverty, population movement and human behavior. To our knowledge, this the first study utilizing molecular techniques to confirm L. tropica and L. major as the causative agents of CL in Boulemane Province. Our findings indicate that the spatial and temporal distribution of CL in Boulemane Province is strongly related to poverty and population

Unravelling the core microbiome of biofilms in cooling tower systems.

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Di Gregorio, L; Tandoi, V; Congestri, R; Rossetti, S; Di Pippo, F

2017-11-01

In this study, next generation sequencing and catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization, combined with confocal microscopy, were used to provide insights into the biodiversity and structure of biofilms collected from four full-scale European cooling systems. Water samples were also analyzed to evaluate the impact of suspended microbes on biofilm formation. A common core microbiome, containing members of the families Sphingomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae and Hyphomicrobiaceae, was found in all four biofilms, despite the water of each coming from different sources (river and groundwater). This suggests that selection of the pioneer community was influenced by abiotic factors (temperature, pH) and tolerances to biocides. Members of the Sphingomonadaceae were assumed to play a key role in initial biofilm formation. Subsequent biofilm development was driven primarily by light availability, since biofilms were dominated by phototrophs in the two studied 'open' systems. Their interactions with other microbial populations then shaped the structure of the mature biofilm communities analyzed.

An assessment of South Africa's research journals: Impact factors, Eigenfactors and structure of editorial boards

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Androniki E.M. Pouris

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Scientific journals play an important role in academic information exchange and their assessment is of interest to science authorities, editors and researchers. The assessment of journals is of particular interest to South African authorities as the country's universities are partially funded according to the number of publications they produce in accredited journals, such as the Thomson Reuters indexed journals. Scientific publishing in South Africa has experienced a revolution during the last 10 years. Our objective here is to report the performance of the country's journals during 2009 and 2010 according to a number of metrics (i.e. impact factors, Eigenfactors and the international character of editorial boards; to identify and compare the impact of the South African journals that have been recently added to the Thomson Reuters' Journal Citation Reports; and to elaborate on issues related to science policy.

External risk factors affecting construction costs

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Mubarak, Husin, Saiful; Oktaviati, Mutia

2017-11-01

Some risk factors can have impacts on the cost, time, and performance. Results of previous studies indicated that the external conditions are among the factors which give effect to the contractor in the completion of the project. The analysis in the study carried out by considering the conditions of the project in the last 15 years in Aceh province, divided into military conflict phase (2000-2004), post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction phase (2005-2009), and post-rehabilitation and reconstruction phase (2010-present). This study intended to analyze the impact of external risk factors, primarily related to the impact on project costs and to investigate the influence of the risk factors and construction phases impacted the project cost. Data was collected by using a questionnaire distributed in 15 large companies qualification contractors in Aceh province. Factors analyzed consisted of socio-political, government policies, natural disasters, and monetary conditions. Data were analyzed using statistical application of severity index to measure the level of risk impact. The analysis results presented the tendency of impact on cost can generally be classified as low. There is only one variable classified as high-impact, variable `fuel price increases', which appear on the military conflict and post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction periods. The risk impact on costs from the factors and variables classified with high intensity needs a serious attention, especially when the high level impact is followed by the high frequency of occurrences.

The Impact of Organizational Factors on Safety. The Perspective of Experts from the Spanish Nuclear Sector; El Impacto de los Factores Organizativos en la Seguridad. La Vision de los Expertos del Sector Nuclear Espanol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

German, S.; Silla, I.; Navajas, J.

2014-07-01

Previous research supports the importance of organizational factors on safety in high reliability organizations. This study aims to determine the impact of those factors in the Spanish nuclear sector. Particularly, this study focuses on examining the role of performance indicators, organizational culture, organizational factors, and organizational context. With that purpose, an electronic survey addressed to experts from the Spanish nuclear sector was carried out. Results showed that performance indicators are well-known among industry experts and are perceived as useful for improving performance. Behavioural norms that influence safety and some relevant factors that promote problem identification were identified. Additionally, findings suggested that organizational context must be taken into account to better understand the role of organizational culture. Moreover, industry experts pointed out organizational factors to be improved: organizational communication processes within the organization, positive reinforcement, and field supervisors practices. Finally, findings supported the influence of organizational context on safety. It is noteworthy the role of the social impact of international events (e.g., Chernobyl...), the relationship with the regulator and the legislative and governmental framework. (Author)

Discrete factor approximations in simultaneous equation models: estimating the impact of a dummy endogenous variable on a continuous outcome.

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Mroz, T A

1999-10-01

This paper contains a Monte Carlo evaluation of estimators used to control for endogeneity of dummy explanatory variables in continuous outcome regression models. When the true model has bivariate normal disturbances, estimators using discrete factor approximations compare favorably to efficient estimators in terms of precision and bias; these approximation estimators dominate all the other estimators examined when the disturbances are non-normal. The experiments also indicate that one should liberally add points of support to the discrete factor distribution. The paper concludes with an application of the discrete factor approximation to the estimation of the impact of marriage on wages.

Clinical Factors and Postoperative Impact of Bile Leak After Liver Resection.

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Martin, Allison N; Narayanan, Sowmya; Turrentine, Florence E; Bauer, Todd W; Adams, Reid B; Stukenborg, George J; Zaydfudim, Victor M

2018-04-01

Despite technical advances, bile leak remains a significant complication after hepatectomy. The current study uses a targeted multi-institutional dataset to characterize perioperative factors that are associated with bile leakage after hepatectomy to better understand the impact of bile leak on morbidity and mortality. Adult patients in the 2014-2015 ACS NSQIP targeted hepatectomy dataset were linked to the ACS NSQIP PUF dataset. Bivariable and multivariable regression analyses were used to assess the associations between clinical factors and post-hepatectomy bile leak. Of 6859 patients, 530 (7.7%) had a postoperative bile leak. Proportion of bile leaks was significantly greater in patients after major compared to minor hepatectomy (12.6 vs. 5.1%, p leak was significantly greater in patients after major hepatectomy who had concomitant enterohepatic reconstruction (31.8 vs. 10.1%, p leaks (6.0 vs. 1.7%, p leak was independently associated with increased risk of postoperative morbidity (OR = 4.55; 95% CI 3.72-5.56; p leak was not independently associated with increased risk of postoperative mortality (p = 0.262). Major hepatectomy and enterohepatic biliary reconstruction are associated with significantly greater rates of bile leak after liver resection. Bile leak is independently associated with significant postoperative morbidity. Mitigation of bile leak is critical in reducing morbidity and mortality after liver resection.

Quantitative analysis of the impacts of terrestrial environmental factors on precipitation variation over the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone in Coastal Southwest China

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Zhao, Yinjun; Deng, Qiyu; Lin, Qing; Cai, Chunting

2017-03-01

Taking the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone as the study area, this paper utilizes the geographical detector model to quantify the feedback effects from the terrestrial environment on precipitation variation from 1985 to 2010 with a comprehensive consideration of natural factors (forest coverage rate, vegetation type, terrain, terrestrial ecosystem types, land use and land cover change) and social factors (population density, farmland rate, GDP and urbanization rate). First, we found that the precipitation trend rate in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone is between -47 and 96 mm/10a. Second, forest coverage rate change (FCRC), urbanization rate change (URC), GDP change (GDPC) and population density change (PDC) have a larger contribution to precipitation change through land-surface feedback, which makes them the leading factors. Third, the human element is found to primarily account for the precipitation changes in this region, as humans are the active media linking and enhancing these impact factors. Finally, it can be concluded that the interaction of impact factor pairs has a significant effect compared to the corresponding single factor on precipitation changes. The geographical detector model offers an analytical framework to reveal the terrestrial factors affecting the precipitation change, which gives direction for future work on regional climate modeling and analyses.

The impact of plasma rich in growth factors on clinical and biological factors involved in healing processes after third molar extraction.

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Mozzati, Marco; Martinasso, Germana; Pol, Renato; Polastri, Carolina; Cristiano, Antonio; Muzio, Giuliana; Canuto, Rosa

2010-12-01

Extraction of an impacted mandibular third molar is a common surgical procedure, although it still leads to several postoperative symptoms and complications. The study assessed the efficacy of autologous plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in the healing process by checking the difference of tissue cytokines and other healing factors produced by the mucosa after extraction between sites treated with PRGF and control sites and, at the same time, by evaluating the clinical efficacy of PRGF in terms of reduced pain and facial swelling. This study was a split-mouth study, in which the patient becomes his/her own control, to eliminate any individual response differences toward PRGF treatment. The parameters regarding inflammation and subsequent wound healing were all significantly higher at PRGF sites than at control sites. The increase at PRGF sites of the two proinflammatory cytokines evaluated, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, was accompanied by the increase of two anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β. Furthermore, IL-1β and IL-6 induce fibroblast and keratinocyte proliferation, important events in wound healing. Postoperative pain and the swelling, measured at all experimental times, were reduced in the presence of PRGF. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2010.