An exploration study to detect important factors influencing insurance firms

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Farzaneh Soleimani

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The recent trend on competition among insurance firms has increased motivation to look for important factors influencing this industry. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find important factors shaping this industry. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale and, using principal component analysis, detects important factors on the success of this industry. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.849, and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's Test are calculated as 0.873 and 12744 with (Sig. =0.000, respectively. The study has detected four important factors including quality of service casualties, sales improvement and advertisement, quality of issuance of insurance policies and quality of work force.

An exploration study to detect important factors influencing insurance firms

OpenAIRE

Farzaneh Soleimani; Fattaneh Alizadeh Meshkani; Abdullah Naami

2013-01-01

The recent trend on competition among insurance firms has increased motivation to look for important factors influencing this industry. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find important factors shaping this industry. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale and, using principal component analysis, detects important factors on the success of this industry. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.849, and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's Test are calculated as ...

Ranking malaria risk factors to guide malaria control efforts in African highlands.

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Natacha Protopopoff

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Malaria is re-emerging in most of the African highlands exposing the non immune population to deadly epidemics. A better understanding of the factors impacting transmission in the highlands is crucial to improve well targeted malaria control strategies. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A conceptual model of potential malaria risk factors in the highlands was built based on the available literature. Furthermore, the relative importance of these factors on malaria can be estimated through "classification and regression trees", an unexploited statistical method in the malaria field. This CART method was used to analyse the malaria risk factors in the Burundi highlands. The results showed that Anopheles density was the best predictor for high malaria prevalence. Then lower rainfall, no vector control, higher minimum temperature and houses near breeding sites were associated by order of importance to higher Anopheles density. CONCLUSIONS: In Burundi highlands monitoring Anopheles densities when rainfall is low may be able to predict epidemics. The conceptual model combined with the CART analysis is a decision support tool that could provide an important contribution toward the prevention and control of malaria by identifying major risk factors.

Underlying Factors for Practicality of the Production Control Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arica, Emrah; Strandhagen, Jan Ola; Hvolby, Hans-Henrik

2012-01-01

and communication technology, coordination and feedback, human factors and decision making, and measurement are the identified factors to be taken into account. Industrial interviews with three case companies, that are participating to the research program called The Norwegian Manufacturing Future (SFI NORMAN......This paper gives indications to important factors that must be considered for effectiveness of the production control systems under uncertainty. Five key factors have been identified by the literature study. Production schedule generation and execution approach under uncertainty, information...

Introducing new diagnostics into STI control programmes: the importance of programme science.

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Peeling, Rosanna W; Mabey, David; Ballard, Ronald C

2013-03-01

Many innovative diagnostic technologies will become commercially available over the next 5-10 years. These tests can potentially transform the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections but their introduction into control programmes can be hampered by health system constraints, and political, cultural, socioeconomic and behavioural factors. We used the introduction of syphilis rapid tests to illustrate the importance of programme science to address the gap between accruing evidence of acceptable test performance and the complexity of programme design, implementation and evaluation of test deployment to address public health needs and improve patient-important outcomes.

Risk factors associated with lipomyelomeningocele: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Esmaeili, Arash; Hanaei, Sara; Fadakar, Kaveh; Dadkhah, Sahar; Arjipour, Mahdi; Habibi, Zohreh; Nejat, Farideh; El Khashab, Mostafa

2013-01-01

In general, it seems that both genetic and environmental factors play important roles in the induction of neural tube defects. Lipomyelomeningocele (LipoMMC) is a rather common type of closed neural tube defect, but only limited studies have investigated the potential risk factors of this anomaly. Therefore, the purpose of this case-control study was to investigate the risk factors involved in LipoMMC formation. Various risk factors were evaluated in 35 children between 1 month and 10 years of age with LipoMMC in a hospital-based case-control study. The 2 control arms consisted of 35 children with myelomeningocele (MMC group) and 35 children with congenital anomalies other than central nervous system problems (control group). All groups were matched for age and visited the same hospital. A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of all data, including the mothers' weight and height during pregnancy, education, reproductive history, previous abortions, and socioeconomic status, as well as the parents' consanguinity and family history of the same anomalies. Univariate analysis of the children with LipoMMC compared to the control group showed that the use of periconceptional folic acid supplementation was significantly lower in the MMC and LipoMMC groups compared to the control group. In addition, comparison of the MMC and control groups revealed statistically significant differences regarding the use of folic acid and maternal obesity. In multivariate analysis, use of folic acid in the periconceptional period and during the first trimester was an independent risk factor for LipoMMC and MMC. Furthermore, maternal obesity was a significantly positive risk factor for MMC. The probable risk factors for LipoMMC were investigated in this case-control study. Consumption of folic acid in the periconceptional period and during the first trimester is an independent protective factor against LipoMMC. It seems that larger studies are needed to examine other possible

Evaluation of factors important to enhance productivity

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Sanjay Kumar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Productivity as a measure for output is important to industry and academia. In this research, factors to enhance productivity have been identified from the literature by reviewing various international and national sources to explore this evergreen field of research that is “productivity,” which has always been an increasingly interesting area of research for researchers over decades or perhaps over centuries. In total, 15 number of factors have been identified to enhance productivity. Analytic hierarchy process approach has been appropriately chosen to rank these factors because of its simplicity and effectiveness. The tool has been used by taking perception of experts from the Indian manufacturing industry. Positive attitude and involvement of management, proactive employees, and good working conditions have been ranked as top three factors as per the experts’ opinion. The ranking of factors to enhance productivity, categorization of the factors into four perspectives, and hierarchy of perspective and action plan as a final outcome of the paper may help academia and operations managers toward effective management of “operations and production activities of firms/supply chains.”

Culture beats gender? The importance of controlling for identity- and parenting-related risk factors in adolescent psychopathology.

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Seiffge-Krenke, Inge; Persike, Malte; Besevegis, Elias; Chau, Cecilia; Karaman, Neslihan Güney; Lannegrand-Willems, Lyda; Lubiewska, Katharzyna; Rohail, Iffat

2018-02-01

This study analyzed the unique effects of gender and culture on psychopathology in adolescents from seven countries after controlling for factors which might have contributed to variations in psychopathology. In a sample 2259 adolescents (M = 15 years; 54% female) from France, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Peru, Pakistan, and Poland identity stress, coping with identity stress, maternal parenting (support, psychological control, anxious rearing) and psychopathology (internalizing, externalizing and total symptomatology) were assessed. Due to variations in stress perception, coping style and maternal behavior, these covariates were partialed out before the psychopathology scores were subjected to analyses of variance with gender and country as factors. These analyses leveled out the main effect of country and revealed country-specific gender effects. In four countries, males reported higher internalizing and total symptomatology than females. Partialing out the covariates resulted in a clearer picture of culture-specific and gender-dependent effects on psychopathology, which is helpful in designing interventions. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Importance of human factors on nuclear installations safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caruso, G.J.

1990-01-01

Actually, installations safety and, in particular the nuclear installations infer a strong incidence in human factors related to the design and operation of such installations. In general, the experience aims to that the most important accidents have happened as result of the components' failures combination and human failures in the operation of safety systems. Human factors in the nuclear installations may be divided into two areas: economy and human reliability. Human factors treatments for the safety evaluation of the nuclear installations allow to diagnose the weak points of man-machine interaction. (Author) [es

Importance of development factors in company dealing with cataphoresis coating method

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Dorota Klimecka-Tatar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The main aim of presented in this paper results is analysis of the most important factors in the company activity. The questionnaire test were carried among persons employed by the company, which mainstream is method of cataphoresis anti-corrosion coating. In the paper also validity of the Toyota roof elements were defined. Based on research as the most important factors of the company mission, indicated the quality factor.

Importation, Antibiotics, and Clostridium difficile Infection in Veteran Long-Term Care: A Multilevel Case-Control Study.

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Brown, Kevin A; Jones, Makoto; Daneman, Nick; Adler, Frederick R; Stevens, Vanessa; Nechodom, Kevin E; Goetz, Matthew B; Samore, Matthew H; Mayer, Jeanmarie

2016-06-21

Although clinical factors affecting a person's susceptibility to Clostridium difficile infection are well-understood, little is known about what drives differences in incidence across long-term care settings. To obtain a comprehensive picture of individual and regional factors that affect C difficile incidence. Multilevel longitudinal nested case-control study. Veterans Health Administration health care regions, from 2006 through 2012. Long-term care residents. Individual-level risk factors included age, number of comorbid conditions, and antibiotic exposure. Regional risk factors included importation of cases of acute care C difficile infection per 10 000 resident-days and antibiotic use per 1000 resident-days. The outcome was defined as a positive result on a long-term care C difficile test without a positive result in the prior 8 weeks. 6012 cases (incidence, 3.7 cases per 10 000 resident-days) were identified in 86 regions. Long-term care C difficile incidence (minimum, 0.6 case per 10 000 resident-days; maximum, 31.0 cases per 10 000 resident-days), antibiotic use (minimum, 61.0 days with therapy per 1000 resident-days; maximum, 370.2 days with therapy per 1000 resident-days), and importation (minimum, 2.9 cases per 10 000 resident-days; maximum, 341.3 cases per 10 000 resident-days) varied substantially across regions. Together, antibiotic use and importation accounted for 75% of the regional variation in C difficile incidence (R2 = 0.75). Multilevel analyses showed that regional factors affected risk together with individual-level exposures (relative risk of regional antibiotic use, 1.36 per doubling [95% CI, 1.15 to 1.60]; relative risk of importation, 1.23 per doubling [CI, 1.14 to 1.33]). Case identification was based on laboratory criteria. Admission of residents with recent C difficile infection from non-Veterans Health Administration acute care sources was not considered. Only 25% of the variation in regional C difficile incidence in long

Relative importance and interrelations between psychosocial factors and individualized quality of life of hemodialysis patients.

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Tovbin, David; Gidron, Yori; Jean, Tzipora; Granovsky, Ricardo; Schnieder, Alla

2003-09-01

Since quality of life (QOL) of hemodialysis (HD) patients is low and frequently difficult to improve by medical therapy, it is important to identify psychosocial correlates and life-domains important for HD patients' QOL. Our hypothesis was that psychosocial factors reflecting appraisal, external and internal resources/impediments correlate with QOL and compensate for adverse effects of disease-related variables on QOL. Forty-eight chronic HD-patients identified and rank-ordered life-domains important for QOL and rated their level of satisfaction with those domains. This was performed using a slightly modified version of the Self-Evaluated Individualized QOL (SEiQOL) Scale. Psychosocial factors included perceived-control (PC), social-support and hostility. Demographic and disease-related factors included age, gender, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, hematocrit, albumin and C-reactive protein. QOL was significantly correlated with PC (r = 0.65) and social-support (r = 0.38), and inversely correlated with hostility (r = -0.31), diabetes and hypoalbuminemia (all at least p < 0.05). PC mediated effects of certain variables (e.g., albumin, gender, hostility) and moderated effects of little social-support and hypoalbuminemia on QOL. Patients' most important QOL domains were health, with which satisfaction was lowest, followed by family, with which satisfaction was highest. Pending replication with larger samples, assessment and enhancement of PC may improve HD patients' QOL.

Identifying important motivational factors for professionals in Greek hospitals

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Kontodimopoulos, Nick; Paleologou, Victoria; Niakas, Dimitris

2009-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to identify important motivational factors according to the views of health-care professionals in Greek hospitals and particularly to determine if these might differ in the public and private sectors. Methods A previously developed -and validated- instrument addressing four work-related motivators (job attributes, remuneration, co-workers and achievements) was used. Three categories of health care professionals, doctors (N = 354), nurses (N = 581) and office workers (N = 418), working in public and private hospitals, participated and motivation was compared across socio-demographic and occupational variables. Results The range of reported motivational factors was mixed and Maslow's conclusions that lower level motivational factors must be met before ascending to the next level were not confirmed. The highest ranked motivator for the entire sample, and by professional subgroup, was achievements (P motivators were similar, and only one significant difference was observed, namely between doctors and nurses in respect to co-workers (P motivated by all factors significantly more than their public-hospital counterparts. Conclusion The results are in agreement with the literature which focuses attention to management approaches employing both monetary and non-monetary incentives to motivate health care workers. This study showed that intrinsic factors are particularly important and should become a target for effective employee motivation. PMID:19754968

The factors controlling species density in herbaceous plant communities: An assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Grace, J.B.

1999-01-01

This paper evaluates both the ideas and empirical evidence pertaining to the control of species density in herbaceous plant communities. While most theoretical discussions of species density have emphasized the importance of habitat productivity and disturbance regimes, many other factors (e.g. species pools, plant litter accumulation, plant morphology) have been proposed to be important. A review of literature presenting observations on the density of species in small plots (in the vicinity of a few square meters or less), as well as experimental studies, suggests several generalizations: (1) Available data are consistent with an underlying unimodal relationship between species density and total community biomass. While variance in species density is often poorly explained by predictor variables, there is strong evidence that high levels of community biomass are antagonistic to high species density. (2) Community biomass is just one of several factors affecting variations in species density. Multivariate analyses typically explain more than twice as much variance in species density as can be explained by community biomass alone. (3) Disturbance has important and sometimes complex effects on species density. In general, the evidence is consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis but exceptions exist and effects can be complex. (4) Gradients in the species pool can have important influences on patterns of species density. Evidence is mounting that a considerable amount of the observed variability in species density within a landscape or region may result from environmental effects on the species pool. (5) Several additional factors deserve greater consideration, including time lags, species composition, plant morphology, plant density and soil microbial effects. Based on the available evidence, a conceptual model of the primary factors controlling species density is presented here. This model suggests that species density is controlled by the effects of

Integrated application of human factors to a power plant control room information system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fish, H.C. Jr.; Gutierrez, R.

1988-01-01

The human factors plan was developed as a methodology to apply human factors from the conceptual design of the EPIC system to the functional verification conducted at the plant. An integral part of the Human Factors Plan was the Functional Verification Plan. Developed in parallel, this second plan and its resultant programs verified functional appropriateness of the SPDS display, NSSS displays, EOP displays, man-machine interfaces (MMI), and workstation designs. The functional verification process was performed at the hardware/software developer's factory and at the JAFNPP, following installation of the EPIC system. Because the EPIC system replaces existing control room equipment, it is important that human factors be applied in a systematic manner consistent with other control room displays and controls. To ensure that this goal was met, a human factors plan was developed

On the importance of uncertain factors in seismic fragility assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borgonovo, E.; Zentner, I.; Pellegri, A.; Tarantola, S.; Rocquigny, E. de

2013-01-01

This paper addresses the definition of importance measures for helping the modeller to detect the factors on which to focus modelling activity and data collection in seismic fragility analysis. We study sensitivity measures consistent with the decision-support criteria of interest, namely, the (mean) fragility curve and the “High Confidence of Low Probability of Failure” (HCLPF) value. The importance measures are obtained analytically for the EPRI safety factor method, which is nowadays used worldwide for seismic risk assessment of nuclear plants. We illustrate and discuss the use of both variance-based and CDF-based importance measures in the application to two case studies, the first analytical and based on the EPRI method, the second numerical.

Explaining use of food parenting practices: the importance of predisposing factors and parental cognitions.

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Gevers, Dorus Wm; van Assema, Patricia; de Vries, Nanne K; Kremers, Stef Pj

2017-09-01

The high energy intake from energy-dense foods among children in developed countries is undesirable. Improving food parenting practices has the potential to lower snack intakes among children. To inform the development of interventions, we aimed to predict food parenting practice patterns around snacking (i.e. 'high covert control and rewarding', 'low covert control and non-rewarding', 'high involvement and supportive' and 'low involvement and indulgent'). A cross-sectional survey was conducted. To predict the patterns of food parenting practices, multinomial logistic regression analyses were run with 888 parents. Predictors included predisposing factors (i.e. parents' and children's demographics and BMI, parents' personality, general parenting, and parenting practices used by their own parents) and parents' cognitions (i.e. perceived behaviour of other parents, subjective norms, attitudes, self-efficacy and outcome expectations). The Netherlands (October-November 2014). Dutch parents of children aged 4-12 years old. After backward elimination, nineteen factors had a statistically significant contribution to the model (Nagelkerke R 2=0·63). Overall, self-efficacy and outcome expectations were among the strongest explanatory factors. Considering the predisposing factors only, the general parenting factor nurturance most strongly predicted the food parenting clusters. Nurturance particularly distinguished highly involved parents from parents employing a pattern of low involvement. Parental cognitions and nurturance are important factors to explain the use of food parenting practices around snacking. The results suggest that intervention developers should attempt to increase self-efficacy and educate parents about what constitute effective and ineffective parenting practices. Promoting nurturance might be a prerequisite to achieve prolonged change.

Biosphere dose conversion Factor Importance and Sensitivity Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

M. Wasiolek

2004-01-01

This report presents importance and sensitivity analysis for the environmental radiation model for Yucca Mountain, Nevada (ERMYN). ERMYN is a biosphere model supporting the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the license application (LA) for the Yucca Mountain repository. This analysis concerns the output of the model, biosphere dose conversion factors (BDCFs) for the groundwater, and the volcanic ash exposure scenarios. It identifies important processes and parameters that influence the BDCF values and distributions, enhances understanding of the relative importance of the physical and environmental processes on the outcome of the biosphere model, includes a detailed pathway analysis for key radionuclides, and evaluates the appropriateness of selected parameter values that are not site-specific or have large uncertainty

The importance of neuronal growth factors in the ovary.

Science.gov (United States)

Streiter, S; Fisch, B; Sabbah, B; Ao, A; Abir, R

2016-01-01

The neurotrophin family consists of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin 3 (NT3) and neurotrophin 4/5 (NT4/5), in addition to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the neuronal growth factors, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and vasointestinal peptide (VIP). Although there are a few literature reviews, mainly of animal studies, on the importance of neurotrophins in the ovary, we aimed to provide a complete review of neurotrophins as well as neuronal growth factors and their important roles in normal and pathological processes in the ovary. Follicular assembly is probably stimulated by complementary effects of NGF, NT4/5 and BDNF and their receptors. The neurotrophins, GDNF and VIP and their receptors have all been identified in preantral and antral follicles of mammalian species, including humans. Transgenic mice with mutations in the genes encoding for Ngf, Nt4/5 and Bdnf and their tropomyosin-related kinase β receptor showed a reduction in preantral follicles and an abnormal ovarian morphology, whereas NGF, NT3, GDNF and VIP increased the in vitro activation of primordial follicles in rats and goats. Additionally, NGF, NT3 and GDNF promoted follicular cell proliferation; NGF, BDNF and VIP were shown to be involved in ovulation; VIP inhibited follicular apoptosis; NT4/5, BDNF and GDNF promoted oocyte maturation and NGF, NT3 and VIP stimulated steroidogenesis. NGF may also exert a stimulatory effect in ovarian cancer and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Low levels of NGF and BDNF in follicular fluid may be associated with diminished ovarian reserve and high levels with endometriosis. More knowledge of the roles of neuronal growth factors in the ovary has important implications for the development of new therapeutic drugs (such as anti-NGF agents) for ovarian cancer and PCOS as well as various infertility problems, warranting further research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society

Investigating important factors on empowering human resources: A case study of food industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Molaee Ghara

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Today, human resources are considered as the most precious assets for any organization and it is important to empower them as much as possible to create competitive advantage and to cope with rapid changes in organizations. In this paper, we present an empirical study on one of food industries in province of Qom, Iran to determine important factors influencing empowering human resources. The proposed study uses factor analysis by choosing a sample of 380 people. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.88, which is well above the minimum acceptable limit of 0.7 and validates the overall questionnaire. Based on the results of this survey, there are three important factors including job related, personal related and organizational related issues. The study also uses Pearson correlation as well as Freedman tests to rank the factors and the results demonstrate that organizational factor plays the most important role in empowering human resources followed by job related factors and personal factors.

Importance of Multifaceted Approaches in Infection Control: A Practical Experience from an Outbreak Investigation.

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Nina Katharina Stock

Full Text Available This study presents the results of a multidisciplinary, nosocomial MRSA outbreak investigation in an 8-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU. The identification of seven MRSA positive patients in the beginning of 2014 led to the closure of the ward for several weeks. A multidisciplinary, retrospective investigation was initiated in order to identify the reason and the source for the outbreak, describe MRSA transmission in the department and identify limitations in infection control.The investigation comprised an epidemiological description of MRSA cases from 2012 to 2014 and a characterization of MRSA isolates, including phage-, spa- and PFGE-typing. Additionally, MRSA screening was performed from the hospital staff and the environment. To identify the reason for the outbreak, work-related, psychological and behavioral factors were investigated by impartial audits and staff interviews.Thirty-one MRSA cases were registered during the study period, and 36 isolates were investigated. Molecular typing determined the outbreak strain (phage type 54/812, PFGE type A4, spa type t003 and identified the probable index case. Nasal carriage in one employee and a high environmental contamination with the outbreak strain was documented. Important gaps in nursing procedures and general management were identified. Elevated stress levels and communication problems preceded the outbreak. Compliance with hand hygiene and isolation procedures was evaluated as appropriate.This study demonstrates the complexity of controlling hospital-associated infections. The combined use of different typing methods is beneficial for outbreak investigations. Psychological, behavioral and other work-related factors have an important impact on the spread of nosocomial pathogens. These factors should be addressed and integrated in routine infection control practice.

Big Hitters: Important Factors Characterizing Team Effectiveness in Professional Cricket

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Leonie V. Webster

2017-07-01

Full Text Available While organizational psychology attests to the multidimensional nature of team effectiveness, insight regarding the most important factors contributing to the effectiveness of sports teams, especially elite teams, is lacking. An abductive method of qualitative enquiry was adopted to capture participants' construal of team effectiveness, drawing on the extant literature in both sport and organizational psychology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 players, coaches, and psychologists involved in elite cricket, with resultant data analyzed inductively initially, before being reanalyzed deductively. Although, the narratives endorsed the value of many of the deductively derived factors, other constructs more prominent in organizational psychology (e.g., trust and intra-group conflict appeared to be more important than traditional sport psychology group factors. The results revealed six broad themes; culture and environment, values, communication, understanding, leadership, and unique individuals, with some gender differences apparent throughout. Based on our elite sample's construal of team effectiveness, we propose a new model representing a practical, parsimonious, and novel conceptualization of the most important attributes of team effectiveness in cricket, with conceivable transferability to other team sports.

WBSCR16 Is a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Important for Mitochondrial Fusion

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Guorui Huang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Regulated inter-mitochondrial fusion/fission is essential for maintaining optimal mitochondrial respiration and control of apoptosis and autophagy. In mammals, mitochondrial fusion is controlled by outer membrane GTPases MFN1 and MFN2 and by inner membrane (IM GTPase OPA1. Disordered mitochondrial fusion/fission contributes to various pathologies, and MFN2 or OPA1 mutations underlie neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show that the WBSCR16 protein is primarily associated with the outer face of the inner mitochondrial membrane and is important for mitochondrial fusion. We provide evidence of a WBSCR16/OPA1 physical interaction in the intact cell and of a WBSCR16 function as an OPA1-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF. Homozygosity for a Wbscr16 mutation causes early embryonic lethality, whereas neurons of mice heterozygous for the mutation have mitochondria with reduced membrane potential and increased susceptibility to fragmentation upon exposure to stress, suggesting roles for WBSCR16 deficits in neuronal pathologies.

Risk factors for measles among adults in Tianjin, China: Who should be controls in a case-control study?

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Abram L; Boulton, Matthew L; Gillespie, Brenda W; Zhang, Ying; Ding, Yaxing; Carlson, Bradley F; Luo, Xiaoyan; Montgomery, JoLynn P; Wang, Xiexiu

2017-01-01

Control groups in previous case-control studies of vaccine-preventable diseases have included people immune to disease. This study examines risk factors for measles acquisition among adults 20 to 49 years of age in Tianjin, China, and compares findings using measles IgG antibody-negative controls to all controls, both IgG-negative and IgG-positive. Measles cases were sampled from a disease registry, and controls were enrolled from community registries in Tianjin, China, 2011-2015. Through a best subsets selection procedure, we compared which variables were selected at different model sizes when using IgG-negative controls or all controls. We entered risk factors for measles in two separate logistic regression models: one with measles IgG-negative controls and the other with all controls. The study included 384 measles cases and 1,596 community controls (194 IgG-negative). Visiting a hospital was an important risk factor. For specialty hospitals, the odds ratio (OR) was 4.53 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 16.03) using IgG-negative controls, and OR = 5.27 (95% CI: 2.73, 10.18) using all controls. Variables, such as age or length of time in Tianjin, were differentially selected depending on the control group. Individuals living in Tianjin ≤3 years had 2.87 (95% CI: 1.46, 5.66) times greater odds of measles case status compared to all controls, but this relationship was not apparent for IgG-negative controls. We recommend that case-control studies examining risk factors for infectious diseases, particularly in the context of transmission dynamics, consider antibody-negative controls as the gold standard.

Evaluation on the Effect of Load Follow Controller's Weighting Factors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Keuk Jong; Lee, Jae Gon [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

there are several important physical effects that limit the possibilities of power variations in NPPs. Some major effects are moderator and xenon effect. Moderator effect is relation with moderator density change and xenon effect is relation with the concentration change of Xe-135 which could affect axial power shape. These effects are more significant with large magnitudes of power variations and they are considered as major disturbances at the aspect of control method. Due to the above physical effects, it is necessary to carefully change nuclear power considering power distribution change in the core. So, when nuclear plants are required to operate on load variation mode, we could control not only reactor power but also power distribution. Generally, power distribution is controlled by reactor operators who have enough experience, whereas reactor power is automatically controlled by automatic controllers. So, it is necessary to design an automatic controller that controls both reactor power and power distribution for frequent load following operation. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., LTD (KHNP) has been developing automatic load follow controller as a part of Advanced Power Reactor Plus (APR+) development. The developing controller is composed of three algorithms which could control reactor power and axial power shape. This paper aimed to evaluate the effect of the controller’s weighting factors. So, in this paper, we identify the meaning of the weighting factors and the controlled output weighting factors are selected among them. In this study, the effect of output weighting factors is analyzed. According to the simulation results, it is recommended that the weighting factor of power be between 200 and 400 and that of ASI be between 200 and 600. In the near future, based on the study, optimization of power and ASI weighting factors will be performed at the same time.

Investigating important factors influencing electronic banking for export development

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Vahid Abbas Zadeh

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Export is one of the most important indicators of a growing economy and it is the primary source of reaching sustainable growth on the market. This paper presents an empirical study to determine important factors influencing electronic banking in export development of Iranian organizations. The proposed study designs a questionnaire and distributes it among some regular customers who do internet banking with Parsian bank in city of Tehran, Iran. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.82, which is well above the minimum desirable limit of 0.70. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.71 and 1955 with Sig. = 0.000, respectively. Using principal component analysis, the study has detected six factors including customer’s information, building trust, secure internet access, having good internet infrastructure and internet users.

Radiological control of food importation products; Control radiologico de productos alimenticios de importacion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aguirre G, J. [CNSNS, Dr. Barragan 779, 03020 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)]. e-mail: jaguirre@cnsns.gob.mx

2003-07-01

Nowadays exists the possibility of marketing products possibly polluted with radioactive isotopes, by that some countries like Mexico, they have been given to the task of creating legal bases and the necessary infrastructure with the end of carrying out the radiological surveillance of nutritious import products. In this work the legal bases that our country has established for the radiological control are presented besides the results of this radiological control carried out through the gamma spectroscopy analysis of nutritious import products sent to our country through diverse companies that import foods produced mainly in European countries. (Author)

The importance of interactions among nutrition, seasonality and socio-sexual factors in the development of hormone-free methods for controlling fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Scaramuzzi, R J; Martin, G B

2008-07-01

Around the world, consumers are demanding animal products that are produced to agreed standards for human health, environmental management and animal welfare. This has led to the development in Australia of the concept of 'clean, green and ethical' (CGE) animal production based on the manipulation of nutrition ('focus feeding') and the application of phenomena, such as the 'male effect', to provide 'natural' methods for managing small ruminant production systems. With respect to the management of fertility, CGE involves utilization of the inherited responses of animals to environmental factors to manipulate their reproductive processes. The successful development and implementation of this new generation of management tools depends on a thorough yet holistic understanding of the interactions among environmental factors and the ways these interactions affect reproductive physiology and behaviour of the animal. For sheep and goats, a central aspect of CGE management is the way in which ovarian function is affected by three major factors (nutrition, photoperiod and socio-sexual signals) and by interactions among them. Nutrition can exert two profound yet contrasting types of effect on ovarian activity: (i) the complete inhibition of reproduction by undernutrition through the hypothalamic mechanism that controls ovulation and (ii) the enhancement of fecundity by nutritional supplementation, through a direct ovarian mechanism, in females that are already ovulating. A similarly profound control over ovarian function in female sheep and goats is exerted by the well-known endocrine responses to photoperiod (seasonality) and to male socio-sexual signals. The 'male effect' already has a long history as a valuable technique for inducing a synchronized fertile ovulation during seasonal and post-partum anoestrus in sheep and goats. Importantly, experimentation has shown that these three major environmental factors interact, synergistically and antagonistically, but the precise

Human factors methods for nuclear control room design. Volume I. Human factors enhancement of existing nuclear control rooms. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seminara, J.L.; Seidenstein, S.; Eckert, S.K.; Smith, D.L.

1979-11-01

Human factors engineering is an interdisciplinary specialty concerned with influencing the design of equipment systems, facilities, and operational environments to promote safe, efficient, and reliable operator performance. Human factors approaches were applied in the design of representative nuclear power plant control panels. First, methods for upgrading existing operational control panels were examined. Then, based on detailed human factors analyses of operator information and control requirements, designs of reactor, feedwater, and turbine-generator control panels were developed to improve the operator-control board interface, thereby reducing the potential for operator errors. In addition to examining present-generation concepts, human factors aspects of advanced systems and of hybrid combinations of advanced and conventional designs were investigated. Special attention was given to warning system designs. Also, a survey was conducted among control board designers to (1) develop an overview of design practices in the industry, and (2) establish appropriate measures leading to a more systematic concern for human factors in control board design

The relative importance of factors that determine log-hauling costs

Science.gov (United States)

A. Jeff Martin; A. Jeff Martin

1971-01-01

Hauling costs are a major expense to lumbermen, but little is known about which factors affect hauling costs the most. A recent Forest Service study of hauling costs on 34 logging operations sheds light on whmich factors of cost are important and which might require less attention. These results should help lumbermen adopt a cost accounting procedure and help them with...

Climate Classification is an Important Factor in ­Assessing Hospital Performance Metrics

Science.gov (United States)

Boland, M. R.; Parhi, P.; Gentine, P.; Tatonetti, N. P.

2017-12-01

Context/Purpose: Climate is a known modulator of disease, but its impact on hospital performance metrics remains unstudied. Methods: We assess the relationship between Köppen-Geiger climate classification and hospital performance metrics, specifically 30-day mortality, as reported in Hospital Compare, and collected for the period July 2013 through June 2014 (7/1/2013 - 06/30/2014). A hospital-level multivariate linear regression analysis was performed while controlling for known socioeconomic factors to explore the relationship between all-cause mortality and climate. Hospital performance scores were obtained from 4,524 hospitals belonging to 15 distinct Köppen-Geiger climates and 2,373 unique counties. Results: Model results revealed that hospital performance metrics for mortality showed significant climate dependence (psocioeconomic factors. Interpretation: Currently, hospitals are reimbursed by Governmental agencies using 30-day mortality rates along with 30-day readmission rates. These metrics allow Government agencies to rank hospitals according to their `performance' along these metrics. Various socioeconomic factors are taken into consideration when determining individual hospitals performance. However, no climate-based adjustment is made within the existing framework. Our results indicate that climate-based variability in 30-day mortality rates does exist even after socioeconomic confounder adjustment. Use of standardized high-level climate classification systems (such as Koppen-Geiger) would be useful to incorporate in future metrics. Conclusion: Climate is a significant factor in evaluating hospital 30-day mortality rates. These results demonstrate that climate classification is an important factor when comparing hospital performance across the United States.

Hypoalbuminemia is an important risk factor of hypotension during hemodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamoto, Hidetomo; Honda, Nobuko; Mimura, Taku; Suzuki, Hiromichi

2006-10-01

Hypotension during hemodialysis (HD) is an important problem in patients on HD. To investigate the risk factors that contribute to the hypotension during HD, we compared background factors of hypotensive (HP) patients during HD. Among 58 patients undergoing HD in Tamura Memorial Hospital, 12 patients could not continue full HD because of hypotension. We compared the data of ultrafiltration volume, cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), total protein (TP), serum albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, total cholesterol (TC), hemoglobin (Hb), blood glucose (BS), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and cardiac function between HP patients (HP group; n=12) and sex- and age-matched control patients (NP group; n=12). There were no significant differences of age, sex, and duration of HD between the 2 groups. Cardiothoracic ratio is bigger and BNP is higher in the HP group compared with the NP group (CTR: HP 55.8+/-2.9% vs. NP 47.7+/-1.1%, p=0.0165; BNP: HP 602+/-171 vs. NP 147+/-38, p=0.0167). Serum albumin in the HP group is significantly lower compared with the NP group (HP 3.2+/-0.1 g/dL vs. NP 3.5+/-0.1 g/dL, p=0.0130). However, there were no significant differences of ultrafiltration rate (UFR), BS, TC, Hb, and cardiac function between the 2 groups. There is a significant negative correlation between changes of systolic blood pressure (delta systolic blood pressure) and serum albumin in these patients (r=-0.598, p=0.0016). From these data, we conclude that hypoalbuminemia is a major risk factor of hypotension during HD.

Human Factors and Data Fusion as Part of Control Systems Resilience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David I. Gertman

2009-05-01

Human performance and human decision making is counted upon as a crucial aspect of overall system resilience. Advanced control systems have the potential to provide operators and asset owners a wide range of data, deployed at different levels that can be used to support operator situation awareness. However, the sheer amount of data available can make it challenging for operators to assimilate information and respond appropriately. This paper reviews some of the challenges and issues associated with providing operators with actionable state awareness and argues for the over arching importance of integrating human factors as part of intelligent control systems design and implementation. It is argued that system resilience is improved by implementing human factors in operations and maintenance. This paper also introduces issues associated with resilience and data fusion and highlights areas in which human factors including field studies hold promise.

A social work study using factor analysis on detecting important factors creating stress: A case study of hydro-power employees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Batoul Aminjafari

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The study performs an empirical study based on the implementation of factor analysis to detect different factors influencing people to have more stress in a hydropower unit located in city of Esfahan, Iran. The study performed the survey among all 81 people who were working for customer service section of this company and consisted of two parts, in the first part; we gather all private information such as age, gender, education, job experience, etc. through seven important questions. In the second part of the survey, there were 66 questions, which included all the relevant factors impacting employees' stress. Cronbach alpha was calculated as 0.946, which is well above the minimum acceptable level. The implementation of factor analysis has detected 16 important groups of factors and each factor is determined by an appropriate name. The results of our factor analysis show that among different factors, difficulty of working condition as well as work pressure are two most important factors increasing stress among employees.

75 FR 10312 - Importer of Controlled Substances Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-05

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil for use in dosage form manufacturing. No comments or objections have been received. DEA has.... to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest, and with...

76 FR 17967 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-31

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil for use in dosage form manufacturing. No comments or objections have been received. DEA has.... to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest, and with...

The design and operation of the THORP central control room: a human factors perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, Julie.

1996-01-01

The new Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) Sellafield Site is now operational. This paper describes the Central Control Room (CCR), focusing on the control system components. Throughout the design, commissioning and operation of THORP, human factors played an important part. (author)

Safety review for human factors engineering and control rooms of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Mengzhuo

1998-01-01

Safety review for human factors engineering and control rooms of nuclear power plants (NPP) is in a forward position of science and technology, which began at American TMI severe accident and had been implemented in China. The importance and the significance of the safety review are expounded, the requirements of its scope and profundity are explained in detail. In addition, the situation of the technical document system for nuclear safety regulation on human factors engineering and control rooms of NPP in China is introduced briefly, on which the safety review is based

CONTROLLING FACTORS OF POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION ABOVE GRASSLAND IN HUMID AND ARID AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

. Yanto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Potential evapotranspiration (PET is an importance process in water balance studies controlled by a number of meteorological factors such as temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, vapor pressure gradient, relative humidity and biological factors such as vegetation type, canopy height and plant density that varied in time-scale and in spatial scale. Of all those variables, determining the most controlling factors of evapotranspiration in humid and arid area is of interest of this paper. Two sites representing humid and arid area i.e. Fermi Prairie site in Illinois and Audubon Research Ranch in Arizona respectively were investigated in this study.  The flux data employed in this study was acquired from Ameriflux Netwotk. Penmann-Monteith formula is employed in to estimate evapotranspiration rate in both sites. The result shows that the PET is in dependence on the considered meteorological factor such as shortwave radiation, vapor pressure, air temperature, wind speed, net radiation and vapor pressure deficit. It is also can be inferred from the analysis that PET is also strongly controlled by vegetation factors represented as stomatal resistance. Keywords: Potential evapotranspiration, Penmann-Monteith, humid, arid.

Ranking important factors on information technology in development free zone markets: An AHP implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yahya Rostamnya

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Information technology (IT plays a vital role on developing different markets. In this paper, we study the impact of IT on developing businesses located mainly on free zones or in the borders of countries using analytical hierarchy process. The proposed study of this paper gathered the relative importance of five important factors influencing IT implementation. There are 12 experts and we use pairwise comparison to gather their insight and using Expert Choice we implement AHP for ranking the factors. The results indicate that management is the most important factor, followed by cultural and social items. The other factors including technical, investment and organization items are in lower degree of importance.

Important factors influencing the return to work after stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying-Chih; Kapellusch, Jay; Garg, Arun

2014-01-01

As the field of rehabilitation shifts its focus towards improving functional capacity instead of managing disability, return to work (RTW) and return to the community emerge as key goals in a person's recovery from major disabling illness such as stroke. To compile important factors believed to influence RTW after a stroke. Based on a comprehensive literature review, we clustered similar factors and organized these factors based on the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF) framework: body functions or structure, activity participation, environmental factors and personal and psychosocial factors. Overall, stroke severity, as assessed by the degree of residual disability such as weakness, neurological deficit or impairments (speech, cognition, apraxia, agnosia), has been shown to be the most consistent negative predictor of RTW. Many factors such as the number of working years remaining until retirement, depression, medical history, and occupation need to be taken into consideration for stroke survivors, as they can influence RTW decision making. Stroke survivors who are flexible and realistic in their vocational goal and emotionally accept their disability appear more likely to return to work. There are many barriers to employment for stroke survivors ranging from physical and cognitive impairments to psychosocial and environmental factors.

Factors influencing the profitability of optimizing control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broussaud, A.; Guyot, O.

1999-01-01

Optimizing control systems supplement conventional Distributed Control Systems and Programmable Logic Controllers. They continuously implement set points, which aim at maximizing the profitability of plant operation. They are becoming an integral part of modern mineral processing plants. This trend is justified by economic considerations, optimizing control being among the most cost-effective methods of improving metallurgical plant performance. The paper successively analyzes three sets of factors, which influence the profitability of optimizing control systems, and provides guidelines for analyzing the potential value of an optimizing control system at a given operation: external factors, such as economic factors and factors related to plant feed; features of the optimizing control system; and subsequent maintenance of the optimizing control system. It is shown that pay back times for optimization control projects are typically measured in days. The OCS software used by the authors for their applications is described briefly. (author)

Human factors methods for nuclear control room design. Volume 2. Human factors survey of control room design practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seminara, J.L.; Parsons, S.O.

1979-11-01

An earlier review of the control rooms of operating nuclear power plants identified many design problems having potential for degrading operator performance. As a result, the formal application of human factors principles was found to be needed. This report demonstrates the use of human factors in the design of power plant control rooms. The approaches shown in the report can be applied to operating power plants, as well as to those in the design stage. This study documents human factors techniques required to provide a sustained concern for the man-machine interface from control room concept definition to system implementation

Determination of Important Topographic Factors for Landslide Mapping Analysis Using MLP Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mutasem Sh. Alkhasawneh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Landslide is one of the natural disasters that occur in Malaysia. Topographic factors such as elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, general curvature, plan curvature, and profile curvature are considered as the main causes of landslides. In order to determine the dominant topographic factors in landslide mapping analysis, a study was conducted and presented in this paper. There are three main stages involved in this study. The first stage is the extraction of extra topographic factors. Previous landslide studies had identified mainly six topographic factors. Seven new additional factors have been proposed in this study. They are longitude curvature, tangential curvature, cross section curvature, surface area, diagonal line length, surface roughness, and rugosity. The second stage is the specification of the weight of each factor using two methods. The methods are multilayer perceptron (MLP network classification accuracy and Zhou's algorithm. At the third stage, the factors with higher weights were used to improve the MLP performance. Out of the thirteen factors, eight factors were considered as important factors, which are surface area, longitude curvature, diagonal length, slope angle, elevation, slope aspect, rugosity, and profile curvature. The classification accuracy of multilayer perceptron neural network has increased by 3% after the elimination of five less important factors.

75 FR 64744 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-20

... applicants for registration to import a basic class of any controlled substance in schedule I or II are, and... this section to a bulk manufacturer of a controlled substance in schedule I or II, and prior to issuing... Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be registered as an importer of Remifentanil (9739), a basic class of...

76 FR 77253 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-12

... applicants for registration to import a basic class of any controlled substance in schedule I or II are, and... this Section to a bulk manufacturer of a controlled substance in schedule I or II, and prior to issuing... Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be registered as an importer of Remifentanil (9739), a basic class of...

An exploration study on detecting important factors influencing brand loyalty in retail stores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Brand loyalty is one of the most important factors influencing on the success of retail stores. Many retail stores in the field of sport shoes in city of Tehran, Iran are facing tight competition and there seems to be that only stores with loyal customers could survive. In this paper, we present an exploration study to find out important factors influencing retail stores selling one of well-known sport shows such as Adidas, Nike, etc. in city of Tehran, Iran. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale and distributes among 265 regular customers of these stores and analyze them using factor analysis. The results indicate that there were four important factors influencing customer loyalty including brand identification, brand promotion, brand loyalty and characterization of stores.

76 FR 30969 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-27

... schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil in bulk for use in dosage- form manufacturing. Any... registration to import a basic class of any controlled substance in schedule I or II are, and will continue to... this Section to a bulk manufacturer of a controlled substance in schedule I or II, and prior to issuing...

Colon cancer controls versus population controls in case-control studies of occupational risk factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaerlev, Linda; Lynge, Elsebeth; Sabroe, Svend

2004-01-01

are interchangeable with the experience for population controls. Patient controls may even be preferable from population controls under certain conditions. In this study we examine if colon cancer patients can serve as surrogates for proper population controls in case-control studies of occupational risk factors...... about occupational, medical and life style conditions. RESULTS: No statistical significant difference for educational level, medical history or smoking status was seen between the two control groups. There was evidence of a higher alcohol intake, less frequent work as a farmer and less exposure...... to pesticides among colon cancer controls. CONCLUSIONS: Use of colon cancer controls may provide valid exposure estimates in studies of many occupational risk factors for cancer, but not for studies on exposure related to farming....

Most important etiologic factors in the development of genital prolapse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mladenović-Segedi Ljiljana

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction The incidence of genital prolapse depends on numerous factors. The contribution of race, gender and genetic factors is significant. However, additional factors of initiation, promotion and decomposition are necessary if a person with the genetic predisposition to genital prolapse begins to suffer from it. At least 50% of parous women are believed to suffer from genital prolapse of various degrees. Moreover, the prevalence of genital prolapse increases with age. The prevalence of genital prolapse is expected to be even higher in the future due to the extension of the lifespan of women worldwide. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the most common etiologic factors in the development of genital prolapse in the population of Serbia. Methods The study was conducted as prospective and included 50 women who underwent surgical treatment due to the problems caused by genital prolapse. Results Mean age of the women was 58.74 years. Twenty percent of the women had the menstrual cycle, while 80% were in menopause. Mean menopause period was 8.88 years. None of the women used hormone replacement therapy. Mean BMI was 27.395 kg/m2. Twenty-eight percent of the women were of normal weight, while 72% of the women were obese (42% were obese and 30% were severely obese. Ninety-eight percent of the women were parous, and mean parity was 2.08. Mean birth weight of neonates was 3682.77 g. Sixty-four percent of the women did physical labour and lifted heavy objects. Conclusion Vaginal childbirth is one of the most important initiating factors. The most significant promoting factor is obesity and heavy labour. Ageing and entering menopause are the most important factors of decomposition as well as the occurrence of clinical manifestations of the pelvic floor dysfunction. .

Transcription factor PIF4 controls the thermosensory activation of flowering

KAUST Repository

Kumar, S. Vinod; Lucyshyn, Doris; Jaeger, Katja E.; Aló s, Enriqueta; Alvey, Elizabeth; Harberd, Nicholas P.; Wigge, Philip A.

2012-01-01

Plant growth and development are strongly affected by small differences in temperature. Current climate change has already altered global plant phenology and distribution, and projected increases in temperature pose a significant challenge to agriculture. Despite the important role of temperature on plant development, the underlying pathways are unknown. It has previously been shown that thermal acceleration of flowering is dependent on the florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). How this occurs is, however, not understood, because the major pathway known to upregulate FT, the photoperiod pathway, is not required for thermal acceleration of flowering. Here we demonstrate a direct mechanism by which increasing temperature causes the bHLH transcription factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) to activate FT. Our findings provide a new understanding of how plants control their timing of reproduction in response to temperature. Flowering time is an important trait in crops as well as affecting the life cycles of pollinator species. A molecular understanding of how temperature affects flowering will be important for mitigating the effects of climate change. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Transcription factor PIF4 controls the thermosensory activation of flowering

KAUST Repository

Kumar, S. Vinod

2012-03-21

Plant growth and development are strongly affected by small differences in temperature. Current climate change has already altered global plant phenology and distribution, and projected increases in temperature pose a significant challenge to agriculture. Despite the important role of temperature on plant development, the underlying pathways are unknown. It has previously been shown that thermal acceleration of flowering is dependent on the florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). How this occurs is, however, not understood, because the major pathway known to upregulate FT, the photoperiod pathway, is not required for thermal acceleration of flowering. Here we demonstrate a direct mechanism by which increasing temperature causes the bHLH transcription factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) to activate FT. Our findings provide a new understanding of how plants control their timing of reproduction in response to temperature. Flowering time is an important trait in crops as well as affecting the life cycles of pollinator species. A molecular understanding of how temperature affects flowering will be important for mitigating the effects of climate change. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Global importation and population risk factors for measles in New Zealand: a case study for highly immunized populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayman, D T S; Marshall, J C; French, N P; Carpenter, T E; Roberts, M G; Kiedrzynski, T

2017-07-01

As endemic measles is eliminated through immunization, countries must determine the risk factors for the importation of measles into highly immunized populations to target control measures. Despite eliminating endemic measles, New Zealand suffers from outbreaks after introductions from abroad, enabling us to use it as a model for measles introduction risk. We used a generalized linear model to analyze risk factors for 1137 measles cases from 2007 to June 2014, provide estimates of national immunity levels, and model measles importation risk. People of European ethnicity made up the majority of measles cases. Age is a positive risk factor, particularly 0-2-year-olds and 5-17-year-old Europeans, along with increased wealth. Pacific islanders were also at greater risk, but due to 0-2-year-old cases. Despite recent high measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine immunization coverage, overall population immunity against measles remains ~90% and is lower in people born between 1982 and 2005. Greatest measles importation risk is during December, and countries predicted to be sources have historical connections and highest travel rates (Australia and UK), followed by Asian countries with high travel rates and higher measles incidences. Our results suggest measles importation due to travel is seeding measles outbreaks, and immunization levels are insufficient to continue to prevent outbreaks because of heterogeneous immunity in the population, leaving particular age groups at risk.

Factors influencing warfarin control in Australia and Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernaitis, Nijole; Ching, Chi Keong; Teo, Siew Chong; Chen, Liping; Badrick, Tony; Davey, Andrew K; Crilly, Julia; Anoopkumar-Dukie, Shailendra

2017-09-01

Warfarin is widely used for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Variations in warfarin control, as measured by time in therapeutic range (TTR), have been reported across different regions and ethnicities, particularly between Western and Asian countries. However, there is limited data on comparative factors influencing warfarin control in Caucasian and Asian patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine warfarin control and potential factors influencing this in patients with NVAF in Australia and Singapore. Retrospective data was collected for patients receiving warfarin for January to June 2014 in Australia and Singapore. TTR was calculated for individuals with mean patient TTR used for analysis. Possible influential factors on TTR were analysed including age, gender, concurrent co-morbidities, and concurrent medication. The mean TTR was significantly higher in Australia (82%) than Singapore (58%). At both sites, chronic kidney disease significantly lowered this TTR. Further factors influencing control were anaemia and ageWarfarin control was significantly higher in Australia compared to Singapore, however chronic kidney disease reduced control at both sites. The different levels of control in these two countries, together with patient factors further reducing control may impact on anticoagulant choice in these countries with better outcomes from warfarin in Australia compared to Singapore. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organisational factors important to the safe operation of NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frischknecht, Albert; Baumont, Genevieve

2000-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the achievements of a group of human factor specialists known as Expanded Task Force on Human Factors (ETF). ETF is part of the Principal Working Group No.1 (PWG1) on 'Operating Experience and Human Factors' of the Committee on Nuclear Safety Installations (CSNI) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). Today, as shown by incident analysis, technology is so far developed that human behaviour and organisational deficiencies can contribute to a major part of the root causes of incidents in nuclear power plants. The influence of the organisation on the safe behaviour and performance of individuals is recognised as a relevant issue for the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The need for an up-to-date basis of knowledge in this area was recognised by CSNI and therefore the ETF organised a workshop, in Switzerland, in 1998, on Organisational Factors. During the workshop, different aspects of organisational influences on the safe operation of NPPs were discussed and twelve important organisational factors concerning safety related activities in a NPP were identified. The result of the workshop is summarised in a state-of-the-art Report (SOAR) 'Identification and Assessment of Organisational Factors Related to the Safety of NPPs' issued by the OECD/NEA. The present paper gives an overview on the main findings of the workshop and conclusions concerning the evaluation of organisational factors. (author)

Soft-Starting Power-Factor Motor Controller

Science.gov (United States)

Nola, F. J.

1983-01-01

Three-phase power-factor controller with soft start is based on earlier version that does not control starting transients. Additional components serve to turn off "run" command signal and substitute gradual startup command signal during preset startup interval. Improved controller reduces large current surge that usually accompanies starting. Controller applies power smoothly, without causing motor vibrations.

Predicting unprecedented dengue outbreak using imported cases and climatic factors in Guangzhou, 2014.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaowei Sang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, and the incidence has increased 30-fold in the past 50 years. The situation of dengue in China has become more and more severe, with an unprecedented dengue outbreak hitting south China in 2014. Building a dengue early warning system is therefore urgent and necessary for timely and effective response.In the study we developed a time series Poisson multivariate regression model using imported dengue cases, local minimum temperature and accumulative precipitation to predict the dengue occurrence in four districts of Guangzhou, China. The time series data were decomposed into seasonal, trend and remainder components using a seasonal-trend decomposition procedure based on loess (STL. The time lag of climatic factors included in the model was chosen based on Spearman correlation analysis. Autocorrelation, seasonality and long-term trend were controlled in the model. A best model was selected and validated using Generalized Cross Validation (GCV score and residual test. The data from March 2006 to December 2012 were used to develop the model while the data from January 2013 to September 2014 were employed to validate the model. Time series Poisson model showed that imported cases in the previous month, minimum temperature in the previous month and accumulative precipitation with three month lags could project the dengue outbreaks occurred in 2013 and 2014 after controlling the autocorrelation, seasonality and long-term trend.Together with the sole transmission vector Aedes albopictus, imported cases, monthly minimum temperature and monthly accumulative precipitation may be used to develop a low-cost effective early warning system.

An empirical study to find important factors on building national brand: An Iranian tourism case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abolghasem Hakimipour

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Building national brand plays an important role on today's economy to attract interested tourists in visiting various countries. There are different factors impacting national brand such as advertisement, natural attraction, etc. In this paper, we perform an empirical investigation to find the impact of ten most important factors on building brand. The study designs and distributes a questionnaire among 384 international tourists who visited Iran during the year of 2010 and it uses factor analysis to group important factors. The results extract four groups; the first factor includes three most important components including satellite advertisement programs, public awareness on economical power and public awareness on specialized symposium and conferences. The second factor includes three other important factors, which are public awareness on human right, advertisement programs through distribution brushers and internet advertisement. The third factor includes two variables, which are public awareness on education and access to educational services and introducing cultural heritage. Finally, the last factor includes introducing natural attraction and advertisement programs through distribution brushers.

Import/Export Control for ITT in KAERI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sung Ho; Kim, In Cheol; Kim, Hyun Jo; Kim, Hyun Sook; Kim, Mun Ja [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The representatives of I/E (Import/Export) control in international society are NSG of nuclear fields, MTCR of missile fields, WA of conventional weapon fields and AG of bio-chemical fields. One of recent issues of the international I/E organizations is to strengthen ITT (Intangible Technology Transfer or Intangible Transfer of Technology). According to the ITT policy, ROK governments reinforced domestic I/E control for the non-proliferation of WMD through the Foreign Trade Law recently modified. There are international transfers of various kinds of items and technologies produced in KAERI as an integrated R and D institute in nuclear fields. In this study, KAERI is to develop a reasonable implementation methodology for the establishment of KAERI I/E control system to meet the requirements of the law. The main purpose of methodology development is to establish a frame of I/E control including ITT in KAERI. According to the methodology, KAERI held seminars twice for the public relations and education and prepared the regulation for I/E control. At present, KAERI is making a provision to check whether each R and D activity is related to the strategic item or technology. In the near future, KAERI will make efforts to get the CP license for effective implementation of I/E control of dual-use item/technology and follow up the changes of I/E control in nuclear field.

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on brand identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Building a famous brand often makes it possible to have sustainable growth in competitive market. A good brand name plays an important role on increasing word of mouth advertisement, the number of loyal customers and repurchase habits. However, in order to build a good brand, we need to create sustainable brand identification and to do this we need to determine influential factors. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing brand identification. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 23 questions, distributes it among 400 people who purchase regularly from hyperstar and collects 400 filled ones. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.735. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.784 and 2300.022, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived five factors including sense of brand, brand community, trust to brand, value of brand and personality of brand.

A survey on important factors influencing brand equity: A case study of banking industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Sehhat

2013-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important issues in increasing customers' needs is to increase the quality of services through providing better quality services. Customer satisfaction is one of the primary requirements to meet people's needs and to have an efficient customer relationship management (CRM we need to detect the most important factors influencing efficiency and effectiveness in banking industry. In this paper, we present an empirical study to detect these factors in one of private banks in Iran. The proposed study of this paper tries to reach three objectives. We first detect important factors, which build customers' perception towards CRM, then we detect all influencing factors, which impact CRM, and finally, we evaluate the impact of CRM towards brand equity. The proposed study first designs a questionnaire and distributes it among 386 customers. Using structural equation modeling and certified factor analysis, we analyze the results. The results indicate that three factors including information, employee job behavior and suggestions and other factor have meaningful impact on customer brand equity. However, the impact of equipment on customer brand equity was not meaningful.

Relative importance index (RII) in ranking of procrastination factors among university students

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Nazrina; Zain, Zakiyah; Mafuzi, Raja Muhammad Zahid Raja; Mustapa, Aini Mastura; Najib, Nur Hasibah Mohd; Lah, Nik Fatihah Nik

2016-08-01

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something such as making a decision or starting or completing some tasks or activities. According to previous studies, students who have a strong tendency to procrastinate get low scores in their tests, resulting in poorer academic performance compared to those who do not procrastinate. This study aims to identify the procrastination factors in completing assignments among three groups of undergraduate students. The relative importance of procrastination factors was quantified by the relative importance index (RII) method prior to ranking. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting the sample. The findings revealed that `too many works in one time' is one of the top three factors contributing to procrastination in all groups.

Statistically derived factors of varied importance to audiologists when making a hearing aid brand preference decision.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Earl E; Mueller, H Gustav; Ricketts, Todd A

2009-01-01

To determine the amount of importance audiologists place on various items related to their selection of a preferred hearing aid brand manufacturer. Three hundred forty-three hearing aid-dispensing audiologists rated a total of 32 randomized items by survey methodology. Principle component analysis identified seven orthogonal statistical factors of importance. In rank order, these factors were Aptitude of the Brand, Image, Cost, Sales and Speed of Delivery, Exposure, Colleague Recommendations, and Contracts and Incentives. While it was hypothesized that differences among audiologists in the importance ratings of these factors would dictate their preference for a given brand, that was not our finding. Specifically, mean ratings for the six most important factors did not differ among audiologists preferring different brands. A statistically significant difference among audiologists preferring different brands was present, however, for one factor: Contracts and Incentives. Its assigned importance, though, was always lower than that for the other six factors. Although most audiologists have a preferred hearing aid brand, differences in the perceived importance of common factors attributed to brands do not largely determine preference for a particular brand.

Approaches for the integration of human factors into the upgrading and refurbishment of control rooms - Summary and conclusions - Principal Working Group 1 on Operating Experience and Human Factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

A modern approach to control room design, be it for upgrading or complete refurbishment, requires the integration of many disciplines and approaches. The integration of human factors into such a process continues to present challenges. How such a process should be conceived, planned, and carried out is of considerable interest to designers, operators and regulators. Many NPPs around the world have been, or will be faced with decisions concerning modernization of their control rooms. Such changes can be driven by a range of issues including; the need to replace outdated control and instrumentation systems; increasing regulatory concern about human performance; or the need to provide a better process control environment for NPPs whose life cycles extend beyond that originally intended. Considering the importance of operator performance for safe and profitable operations, a process for ensuring that human factors issues are properly addressed could be central to the success or failure of such a project. Human factors is of particular importance when a combination of existing and new systems are to be used, resulting in a so-called 'hybrid' control room. The workshop addressed this topical area by providing a forum where a number of important areas could be discussed and experiences and lessons shared. Topics identified before hand as important and worthy of discussion included: - Exploration of how human factors issues can be identified. - Consideration of those processes and techniques necessary to ensure that appropriate requirements are specified, and that suitable data is gathered and analysed. - Identification and discussion of issues related to the above topics together with lessons from utilities, vendors and regulators which have faced, or are currently facing, these challenges. The meeting itself focused on the state of knowledge and current best practices within these areas and provided a forum for the open discussion of the human factors issues, as seen by

An implementation of TPB method for learning important factors influencing knowledge sharing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahrzad Karampour

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Knowledge management incorporates the systematic management of vital knowledge resources and the associated processes of creating, organizing, gathering, utilizing, diffusion and exploiting data. A key challenge emerging is learn to encourage knowledge sharing (KS within firms because knowledge is an organization’s intellectual capital and plays an important role in gaining a competitive advantage. Isolated initiatives for promoting KS and team collaboration without taking into consideration the limitations and constraints of KS can halt any further development in the KM culture of an operation. In this paper, in addition to individual and social factors, an effect of individual perception, which is an important factor for any behavior, is studied. We first identify effective factors in KS behavior through the theory of planned behavior, six factors of trust, knowledge power, organizational motivation, organizational culture, IT and Communities of Practice (COP as effective factors in three categories of behavioral beliefs, subjective norms and perceived behaviors are analyzed for an Iranian research center. The results of this research helps develop KS behavior and enhance performance and creativity of research in this center.

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

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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.

The relative importance of wife abuse as a risk factor for violence against children.

Science.gov (United States)

Tajima, E A

2000-11-01

To investigate the relative importance of wife abuse as a risk factor for physical child abuse, physical punishment, and verbal child abuse. The study explored the importance of wife abuse relative to blocks of parent, child, and family characteristics and also relative to specific risk factors. This study re-analyzed a sub-sample (N = 2,733) of data from the 1985 National Family Violence Survey. Hierarchical logistic regressions were conducted, using five different criterion variables measuring physical child abuse, physical punishment, and verbal abuse separately and in combination. Blocks of parent, child, and family characteristics were more important predictors of violence towards children than was wife abuse, though the presence of wife abuse in the home was a consistently significant specific risk factor for all forms of violence against children. Of specific risk factors, a respondent's history of having been hit as an adolescent was a larger risk factor for physical child abuse than was wife abuse. Wife abuse was an important predictor of physical punishment. Non-violent marital discord was a greater factor in predicting likelihood of verbal child abuse than was wife abuse. Though this study confirms the association between wife abuse and violence towards children, it cautions us not to overlook the contribution of other factors in our attempts to understand the increased risk attributed to wife abuse.

On the Importance of Cultural Factors in Oral English Studying

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiong Juan

2016-01-01

Language communication, in some way, is cultural communication, in order to have a better ability of communicating, students have to know and understand enough culture knowledge. This paper will analyze the relationship between language and culture, emphasize the importance of cultural factors in oral English studying.

COMPLIANCE AS FACTORING BUSINESS RISK MANAGEMENT: CONTROL ASPECTS

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V.K. Makarovych

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Indetermination of modern economy conditions and the lack of theoretical knowledge gained by domestic scientists about risk in factoring business actualize the research concerning the methodology and technique of factoring companies’ risk management. The article examines compliance which is the technology innovative for Ukrainian market of factoring risk management technologies. It is determined that the compliance is the risk management process directed to free will correspondence to state, international legislation as well as to the ethics standards accepted in the field of regulated legal relations and to the traditions of business circulation to sustain the necessary regulations and standards of market behaviour, and to consolidate the image of a factoring company. Compliance risks should be understood as the risks of missed profit or losses caused by the conflicts of interests and the discrepancy of employees’ actions to internal and external standard documents. The attention is paid to the control over the compliance. The author singles out 3 kinds of the compliance control such as institutional, operational and the compliance control over the observance of conducting business professional ethics regulations which are necessary for providing of efficient management of factoring business risks. The paper shows the organizing process of factoring business compliance control (by the development of internal standard documents, a compliance program, the foundation of compliance control subdivision, monitoring of the risks cause the choice, made by management entities of a factoring company, of the management methods of risks for their business. The development of new and improvement of existed forms of compliance control organizing process help satisfy users’ information needs and requests of the risk management factoring company department. The suggestions proposed create the grounds for the transformation and improvement of factoring

Genetic factors may play a prominent role in the development of coronary heart disease dependent on important environmental factors

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Song, C; Chang, Z; Magnusson, P K E; Ingelsson, E; Pedersen, N L

2014-01-01

Astract Song C, Chang Z, Magnusson PKE, Ingelsson E, Pedersen NL (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm; Uppsala University, Uppsala; Sweden). Genetic factors may play a prominent role in the developmentofcoronary heart diseasedependenton important environmental factors. J InternMed2014; 275: 631–639. Objective The aim of the study was to examine whether various lifestyle factors modify genetic influences on coronary heart disease (CHD). Design The effect of lifestyle factors [including smoking, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol intake and body mass index (BMI)] on risk of CHD was evaluated via Cox regression models in a twin study of gene–environment interaction. Using structure equation modelling, we estimated genetic variance of CHD dependent on lifestyle factors. Subjects In total, 51 065 same-sex twins from 25 715 twin pairs born before 1958 and registered in the Swedish Twin Registry were eligible for this study. During the 40-year follow-up, 7264 incident CHD events were recorded. Results Smoking, sedentary lifestyle and above average BMI were significantly associated with increased CHD incidence. The heritability of CHD decreased with increasing age, as well as with increasing levels of BMI, in both men and women. Conclusions The difference in the genetic component of CHD as a function of BMI suggests that genetic factors may play a more prominent role for disease development in the absence of important environmental factors. Increased knowledge of gene–environment interactions will be important for a full understanding of the aetiology of CHD. PMID:24330166

Importance of Motivational Factors among Future Business Persons: Further Evidence from Ghana

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Peter Kwame Kuutol

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Businesses design motivation systems to persuade employees to perform in the most effective way but also to attract potential candidates. The key to create the efficient motivation system is an answer to the question what actually motivate employees. The rationale of this paper is to find which of the motivation factors are seen as the most important by students considered as future business persons either by gender or job possession as set out in the questionnaire. The study was based on the questionnaire distributed to the sample of 462 respondents from Presbyterian University college of Ghana. Respondents were asked to rank thirteen motivation factors in the order of their importance. The findings showed that Good wages and job security were the most important factors for all students as well as good working conditions.   The research recommended the creation of motivation systems for freshly graduated potential employees and freshly graduated employees to me their expectations as well as for planning recruitment strategies focused on future job seekers.

Social cure, what social cure? The propensity to underestimate the importance of social factors for health.

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Haslam, S Alexander; McMahon, Charlotte; Cruwys, Tegan; Haslam, Catherine; Jetten, Jolanda; Steffens, Niklas K

2018-02-01

Recent meta-analytic research indicates that social support and social integration are highly protective against mortality, and that their importance is comparable to, or exceeds, that of many established behavioural risks such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, and obesity that are the traditional focus of medical research (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010). The present study examines perceptions of the contribution of these various factors to life expectancy within the community at large. American and British community respondents (N = 502) completed an on-line survey assessing the perceived importance of social and behavioural risk factors for mortality. As hypothesized, while respondents' perceptions of the importance of established behavioural risks was positively and highly correlated with their actual importance, social factors were seen to be far less important for health than they actually are. As a result, overall, there was a small but significant negative correlation between the perceived benefits and the actual benefits of different social and behavioural factors. Men, younger participants, and participants with a lower level of education were more likely to underestimate the importance of social factors for health. There was also evidence that underestimation was predicted by a cluster of ideological factors, the most significant of which was respondents' respect for prevailing convention and authorities as captured by Right-Wing Authoritarianism. Findings suggest that while people generally underestimate the importance of social factors for health this also varies as a function of demographic and ideological factors. They point to a range of challenges confronting those who seek to promote greater awareness of the importance of social factors for health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radio contamination control on imported food. The bilberry case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zappa, S.; Calabrese, M.; Stancher, B.

2001-01-01

In this paper was pointed out the European regulation concerning the permissible limits of 137 Cs contamination in food importation, from countries affected by the consequences of the Chernobyl accident of 1986. A discussion about the control systems is lead and original data concerning the importation of the fruits of bilberry, a species particularly sensitive to radio contamination, are reported [it

Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of multiple environmental factors for swine building assessment and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Qiuju; Ni, Ji-Qin; Su, Zhongbin

2017-10-15

In confined swine buildings, temperature, humidity, and air quality are all important for animal health and productivity. However, the current swine building environmental control is only based on temperature; and evaluation and control methods based on multiple environmental factors are needed. In this paper, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) theory was adopted for multi-factor assessment of environmental quality in two commercial swine buildings using real measurement data. An assessment index system and membership functions were established; and predetermined weights were given using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with knowledge of experts. The results show that multi-factors such as temperature, humidity, and concentrations of ammonia (NH 3 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) can be successfully integrated in FCE for swine building environment assessment. The FCE method has a high correlation coefficient of 0.737 compared with the method of single-factor evaluation (SFE). The FCE method can significantly increase the sensitivity and perform an effective and integrative assessment. It can be used as part of environmental controlling and warning systems for swine building environment management to improve swine production and welfare. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cellular Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein Is an Important Dengue Virus Restriction Factor

OpenAIRE

Giovannoni, Federico; Damonte, Elsa B.; Garc?a, Cybele C.

2015-01-01

The intrinsic antiviral defense is based on cellular restriction factors that are constitutively expressed and, thus, active even before a pathogen enters the cell. The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs) are discrete nuclear foci that contain several cellular proteins involved in intrinsic antiviral responses against a number of viruses. Accumulating reports have shown the importance of PML as a DNA virus restriction factor and how these pathogens evade this antiviral activity....

Hormonal and dietary factors in acne vulgaris versus controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Thomas Jonathan; Bazergy, Carl

2018-01-01

Background : Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory skin disorder with not as yet fully understood pathogenesis. In this controlled study, we assessed acne vulgaris patients for several possible pathogenic factors such as vitamin D deficiency, vegan diet, increased body mass index (BMI) and positive anti-transglutaminase antibody. Methods : We screened 10 years of records at a family medicine clinic for patients diagnosed with acne vulgaris. In eligible subjects, we collected data regarding 25-hydroxylvitamin D levels, BMI, dietary preference and serum IgA tissue transglutaminase levels. Controls were age- (+/- 12 months) and sex-matched patients seen during the study period without a diagnosis of acne vulgaris. Results : 453 patients were given a diagnosis of acne vulgaris during the study period. Compared with controls, we found significant associations between vitamin D deficiency (4.0U/mL) and a diagnosis of acne vulgaris. Conclusions : Our study adds important information to the current body of literature in pursuit of elucidating the pathogenesis of this complex multifactorial disease.

INNOVATIONS AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR INFLUENCING LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

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Marija Bušelić

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Economic science has long recognized labour productivity as an important factor of economic growth. In the uncertain conditions of increasingly fierce and complex competition, it becomes one of the key prerequisites for an adequate response to global challenges. The development of labour productivity has to be observed as a multi-dimensional process including numerous interconnected quantitative and qualitative factors, in particular human factors and technological advancement realized through investments in research and development (innovations. The analysis of labour productivity in the manufacturing industry of the selected countries, Germany and China, is performed in the context of an important influential factor – innovations, and interdependently with the economic growth of the selected countries. The research results and the conducted regression analyses indicate a superiority of German labour productivity in the manufacturing industry, which is strongly affected by considerable investments in research and development. However, the technological convergence of China as the upcoming power is increasingly important, which shows that the gap in labour productivity is decreasing, making developed countries face new challenges posed by globalization. The analysis of the interdependence of economic growth (GDP and labour productivity in the manufacturing industry points to a positive link and the conclusion that the elasticity of the GDP to changes in labour productivity is greater in China than in Germany.

Patients’ experience of important factors in the healthcare environment in oncology care

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Helle Wijk

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Background and objective. The aim of this study was to describe what factors of the healthcare environment are perceived as being important to patients in oncology care. Design. A qualitative design was adopted using focus group interviews. Setting and participants. The sample was 11 patients with different cancer diagnoses in an oncology ward at a university hospital in west Sweden. Results. Analysis of the patients’ perceptions of the environment indicated a complex entity comprising several aspects. These came together in a structure consisting of three main categories: safety, partnership with the staff, and physical space. The care environment is perceived as a complex entity, made up of several physical and psychosocial aspects, where the physical factors are subordinated by the psychosocial factors. It is clearly demonstrated that the patients’ primary desire was a psychosocial environment where they were seen as a unique person; the patients wanted opportunities for good encounters with staff, fellow patients, and family members, supported by a good physical environment; and the patients valued highly a place to withdraw and rest. Conclusions. This study presents those attributes that are valued by cancer patients as crucial and important for the support of their well-being and functioning. The results show that physical aspects were subordinate to psychosocial factors, which emerged strongly as being the most important in a caring environment.

Perinatal serotonergic activity: A decisive factor in the control of food intake

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Isabeli Lins PINHEIRO

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The serotoninergic system controls key events related to proper nervous system development. The neurotransmitter serotonin and the serotonin transporter are critical for this control. Availability of these components is minutely regulated during the development period, and the environment may affect their action on the nervous system. Environmental factors such as undernutrition and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may increase the availability of serotonin in the synaptic cleft and change its anorectic action. The physiological responses promoted by serotonin on intake control decrease when requested by acute stimuli or stress, demonstrating that animals or individuals develop adaptations in response to the environmental insults they experience during the development period. Diseases, such as anxiety and obesity, appear to be associated with the body’s response to stress or stimulus, and require greater serotonergic system action. These findings demonstrate the importance of the level of serotonin in the perinatal period to the development of molecular and morphological aspects of food intake control, and its decisive role in understanding the possible environmental factors that cause diseases in adulthood.

The most important "factor" in producing clubhead speed in golf.

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, Christopher

2017-10-01

Substantial experiential research into x-factor, and to a lesser extent crunch-factor has been undertaken with the aim of increasing clubhead speed. However, a direct comparison of the golf swing kinematics associated with each 'factor' has not, and possible differences when using a driver compared to an iron. Fifteen low handicap male golfers who displayed a modern swing had their golf swing kinematic data measured when hitting their own driver and five-iron, using a 10-camera motion analysis system operating at 250Hz. Clubhead speed was collected using a validated launch monitor. No between-club differences in x-factor and crunch-factor existed. Correlation analyses revealed within-club segment (trunk and lower trunk) interaction was different for the driver, compared to the five-iron, and that a greater number of kinematic variables associated with x-factor, compared to crunch-factor were shown to be correlated with faster clubhead speeds. This was further explained in the five-iron regression model, where a significant amount of variance in clubhead speed was associated with increased lower trunk x-factor stretch, and reduced trunk lateral bending. Given that greens in regulation was shown to be the strongest correlated variable with PGA Tour earnings (1990-2004), the findings suggests a link to player performance for approach shots. These findings support other empiric research into the importance of x-factor as well as anecdotal evidence on how crunch-factor can negatively affect clubhead speed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prognosis of Preschool Eczema and Factors of Importance for Remission.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Emma Kristin; Bergström, Anna; Kull, Inger; Lind, Tomas; Söderhäll, Cilla; Melén, Erik; Asad, Samina; Bradley, Maria; Liedén, Agne; Ballardini, Natalia; Wahlgren, Carl-Fredrik

2018-03-02

Information on factors of importance for remission of eczema is scarce. This study explored factors related to the remission and course of preschool eczema (eczema at 1, 2 and/or 4 years of age) to 16 years of age (n = 889) in a Swedish cohort. Half of the children were in complete remission by school age. In multivariate prognostic models, persistent preschool eczema (eczema at 1, 2 and 4 years of age) (odds ratio 0.27 (95% confidence interval 0.18-0.41)), preschool eczema with sleep disturbance (due to itch at least once a week at 1, 2 and/or 4 years of age) (0.59 (0.43-0.81)), parental allergy (0.73 (0.55-0.96)), parental smoking at child's birth (0.70 (0.50-0.99)) and filaggrin mutation (R501X, R2447X, 2282del4) (0.47 (0.26-0.85)) were inversely associated with complete remission by school age. Male sex (1.37 (1.03-1.82)) and exclusive breastfeeding ≥4 months (1.44 (1.01-2.05)) were positively associated with complete remission by school age. In conclusion, half of the children with preschool eczema were in complete remission by school age. The most important prognostic factors were persistent preschool eczema and preschool eczema with sleep disturbance due to itch.

Dietary pattern and lifestyle factors in asthma control

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Mohammed Noufal Poongadan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The prevalence of asthma in adults varied from 0.96% to 11.03% while in children ranged from 2.3% to 11.9% in India. A number of factors including genetic predisposition, environment, and lifestyle factors including dietary habits influence the development and expression of asthma. The goal of asthma treatment is to achieve and maintain clinical control, which can be achieved in a majority of patients with pharmacologic intervention strategy. Objective: To assess the role of diet and lifestyle factors in asthma control in Indian population. Materials and Methods: Diagnosed asthma patients (aged 12-40 years were enrolled from the outpatient clinics. All patients were followed up and reassessed after 4 weeks with asthma control test (ACT and dietary and lifestyle questionnaire. The assessment of dietary pattern was performed by food frequency questionnaire (Nordic Nutrition Recommendations-Danish Physical Activity Questionnaire. The lifestyle factor included body mass index, smoking status, tobacco chewing, alcohol consumption, duration of travel (h/week, mental stress (visual analog scale: 0-10, sports activity - h/day, television (TV watching/video games - h/day, duration of sleep - h/day. Results: Seventy-five asthma patients (43 males and 32 females were divided into three groups according to ACT, 18 (24% patients in poorly-controlled asthma, 35 (46.7% in well-controlled asthma, and 22 (29.3% patients with totally-controlled asthma. Increased consumption of vegetables and cereals in patients with total-controlled asthma while increased consumption of sugar, nonvegetarian, fast food, salted and fried snacks in patients with poorly-controlled asthma. Poorly-controlled asthma had the highest duration of watching TV and sleep and least duration of travel and sports, though the results failed to reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The dietary and lifestyle factors too contribute to degree of control of asthma in India.

A Concept Mapping Study of Physicians’ Perceptions of Factors Influencing Management and Control of Hypertension in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Juliet Iwelunmor

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Hypertension, once a rare problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA, is predicted to be a major cause of death by 2020 with mortality rates as high as 75%. However, comprehensive knowledge of provider-level factors that influence optimal management is limited. The objective of the current study was to discover physicians’ perceptions of factors influencing optimal management and control of hypertension in SSA. Twelve physicians attending the Cardiovascular Research Training (CaRT Institute at the University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, were invited to complete a concept mapping process that included brainstorming the factors influencing optimal management and control of hypertension in patients, sorting and organizing the factors into similar domains, and rating the importance and feasibility of efforts to address these factors. The highest ranked important and feasible factors include helping patients accept their condition and availability of adequate equipment to enable the provision of needed care. The findings suggest that patient self-efficacy and support, physician-related factors, policy factors, and economic factors are important aspects that must be addressed to achieve optimal hypertension management. Given the work demands identified by physicians, future research should investigate cost-effective strategies of shifting physician responsibilities to well-trained no-physician clinicians in order to improve hypertension management.

The Relative Importance of Job Factors: A New Measurement Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Nealey, Stanley M.

This paper reports on a new two-phase measurement technique that permits a direct comparison of the perceived relative importance of economic vs. non-economic factors in a job situation in accounting for personnel retention, the willingness to produce, and job satisfaction. The paired comparison method was used to measure the preferences of 91…

Q-factor control of multilayer micromembrane using PZT composite material

Science.gov (United States)

Čekas, Elingas; Janušas, Giedrius; Palevicius, Arvydas; Janušas, Tomas; Ciganas, Justas

2018-02-01

Cantilever and membrane based sensors, which are capable of providing accurate detection of target analytes have been always an important research topic of medical diagnostics, food testing, and environmental monitoring fields. Here, the mechanical detection is achieved by micro- and nano-scale cantilevers for stress sensing and mass sensing, or micro- and nano-scale plates or membranes. High sensitivity is a major issue for the active element and it could be achieved via increased Q-factor. The ability to control the Q factor expands the range of application of the device and allows to achieve more accurate results. The aim of this paper is to investigate the mechanical and electrical properties, as well as, the ability to control the Q factor of the membrane with PZT nanocomposite. This multilayered membrane was formatted using the n-type silicon substrate by implementing the Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD), photolithography by using photomask with defined dimensions, deep etching, and e-beam evaporation techniques. Dynamic and electrical characteristics of the membrane were numerically investigated using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The use of the multilayered membrane can range from simple monitoring of particles concentration in a closed environment to inspecting glucose levels in human fluids (blood, tears, sweat, etc.).

Serum albumin is an important prognostic factor for carotid blowout syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Hsuehju; Chen Kuowei; Chen Minghuang; Tzeng Chenghwai; Chang Peter Muhsin; Yang Muhhwa; Chu Penyuan; Tai Shyhkuan

2013-01-01

Carotid blowout syndrome is a severe complication of head and neck cancer. High mortality and major neurologic morbidity are associated with carotid blowout syndrome with massive bleeding. Prediction of outcomes for carotid blowout syndrome patients is important for clinicians, especially for patients with the risk of massive bleeding. Between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2011, 103 patients with carotid blowout syndrome were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into groups with and without massive bleeding. Prognostic factors were analysed with proportional hazard (Cox) regressions for carotid blowout syndrome-related prognoses. Survival analyses were based on the time from diagnosis of carotid blowout syndrome to massive bleeding and death. Patients with massive bleeding were more likely to have hypoalbuminemia (albumin 1000 cells/μl, P=0.041) and hypoalbuminemia (P=0.010) were important to prognosis. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (P=0.007), elevated lactate dehydrogenase (>250 U/l; P=0.050), local recurrence (P=0.022) and hypoalbuminemia (P=0.038) were related to poor prognosis in carotid blowout syndrome-related death. In multivariate analysis, best supportive care and hypoalbuminemia were independent factors for both carotid blowout syndrome-related massive bleeding (P=0.000) and carotid blowout syndrome-related death (P=0.013), respectively. Best supportive care and serum albumin are important prognostic factors in carotid blowout syndrome. It helps clinicians to evaluate and provide better supportive care for these patients. (author)

76 FR 7234 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-09

... 64743, Johnson Matthey, Inc., Pharmaceutical Materials, 2003 Nolte Drive, West Deptford, New Jersey... Concentrate of Poppy Straw (9670) II The company plans to import the listed controlled substances as raw...), and determined that the registration of Johnson Matthey, Inc. to import the basic classes of...

Human factors challenges for advanced process control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stubler, W.F.; O'Hara, J..M.

1996-01-01

New human-system interface technologies provide opportunities for improving operator and plant performance. However, if these technologies are not properly implemented, they may introduce new challenges to performance and safety. This paper reports the results from a survey of human factors considerations that arise in the implementation of advanced human-system interface technologies in process control and other complex systems. General trends were identified for several areas based on a review of technical literature and a combination of interviews and site visits with process control organizations. Human factors considerations are discussed for two of these areas, automation and controls

The integration of expert-defined importance factors to enrich Bayesian Fault Tree Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darwish, Molham; Almouahed, Shaban; Lamotte, Florent de

2017-01-01

This paper proposes an analysis of a hybrid Bayesian-Importance model for system designers to improve the quality of services related to Active Assisted Living Systems. The proposed model is based on two factors: failure probability measure of different service components and, an expert defined degree of importance that each component holds for the success of the corresponding service. The proposed approach advocates the integration of expert-defined importance factors to enrich the Bayesian Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) approach. The evaluation of the proposed approach is conducted using the Fault Tree Analysis formalism where the undesired state of a system is analyzed using Boolean logic mechanisms to combine a series of lower-level events.

76 FR 5827 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-02

... basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Phenylacetone (8501) II Coca Leaves (9040) II... re-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw or coca leaves. As... classes of controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority of section...

The influence of the importance of event factors on meeting planner ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The influence of the importance of event factors on meeting planner satisfaction: A case study of a theme park event business. ... future business. This was done by sending an online survey to 25 regularly visiting meeting planners. This survey ...

Clusters Regarding Key Factors Affecting Changes in Accounting, Finance, Administration and Management Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodica Gabriela Blidisel

2010-01-01

Full Text Available During the last decade, important changes have occurred in public governance, which has evolved in this time from hierarchical bureaucracy to participatory governance, where the role of citizens in public decision-making process is more direct. There were performed reforms in finance, management administration and finances of public sector. Starting from the factors that influenced during the history the accounting, finances, administration and management control, we want to test the factors that affect the changes of these elements in Romanian environment.

Imaging-Based Screen Identifies Laminin 411 as a Physiologically Relevant Niche Factor with Importance for i-Hep Applications

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John Ong

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Use of hepatocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (i-Heps is limited by their functional differences in comparison with primary cells. Extracellular niche factors likely play a critical role in bridging this gap. Using image-based characterization (high content analysis; HCA of freshly isolated hepatocytes from 17 human donors, we devised and validated an algorithm (Hepatocyte Likeness Index; HLI for comparing the hepatic properties of cells against a physiological gold standard. The HLI was then applied in a targeted screen of extracellular niche factors to identify substrates driving i-Heps closer to the standard. Laminin 411, the top hit, was validated in two additional induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC lines, primary tissue, and an in vitro model of α1-antitrypsin deficiency. Cumulatively, these data provide a reference method to control and screen for i-Hep differentiation, identify Laminin 411 as a key niche protein, and underscore the importance of combining substrates, soluble factors, and HCA when developing iPSC applications. : Rashid and colleagues demonstrate the utility of a high-throughput imaging platform for identification of physiologically relevant extracellular niche factors to advance i-Heps closer to their primary tissue counterparts. The extracellular matrix (ECM protein screen identified Laminin 411 as an important niche factor facilitating i-Hep-based disease modeling in vitro. Keywords: iPS hepatocytes, extracellular niche, image-based screening, disease modeling, laminin

76 FR 35130 - Pipeline Safety: Control Room Management/Human Factors

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-16

...: Control Room Management/Human Factors AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration... the Control Room Management/Human Factors regulations in order to realize the safety benefits sooner... FR 5536). By this amendment to the Control Room Management/Human Factors (CRM) rule, an operator must...

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on multi-dimensional organizational culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing multi-dimensional organizational culture. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 21 questions, distributes it among 300 people who worked for different business units and collects 283 filled ones. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.799. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.821 and 1395.74, respectively. The study has implemented principal component analysis and the results have indicated that there were four factors influencing organizational culture including, diversity in culture, connection based culture, integrated culture and structure of culture. In terms of diversity in culture, sensitivity to quality data and cultural flexibility are the most influential sub-factors while connection based marketing and relational satisfaction are two important sub-factors associated with diversity in culture. The study discusses other issues.

76 FR 586 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-05

... importer of the following basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Opium, raw (9600) II Concentrate of Poppy Straw (9670) II Tapentadol (9780) II The company plans to import the Raw Opium (9600) and... under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has investigated...

75 FR 1812 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-13

... of controlled substances listed in schedule II: Drug Schedule Phenylacetone (8501) II Coca Leaves... registration or re-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw or coca leaves... such basic classes of controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority...

77 FR 24985 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Hospira Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-26

... Remifentanil (9739), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil for use in dosage form manufacturing. No comments or objections have been received. DEA has.... to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest, and with...

78 FR 15975 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration: Hospira Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-13

... Remifentanil (9739), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil for use in dosage form manufacturing. No comments or objections have been received. DEA has.... to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest, and with...

78 FR 64016 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration, Akorn, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-25

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil in bulk for use in dosage form manufacturing. No comments or objections have been received. DEA... granted registration as an importer of the basic class of controlled substance listed. Dated: September 27...

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on expert systems

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Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Knowledge management plays an important role in modern management systems since many existing systems move towards learning organizations. Expert systems, on the other hand, are considered as the most popular techniques for adapting recent developments on knowledge management. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing adaptation of expert systems. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 25 questions, distributes it among 258 people who have recently graduated from computer science and they are familiar with implementation of expert systems. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.730 and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.748 and 1377.397, respectively. The study has implemented principal component analysis and the results have indicated that there were four factors influencing expert systems including systems management, intelligence systems, system analysis and specialized analysis.

76 FR 62447 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-07

... (9600) II Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II The company plans to import narcotic raw materials for manufacturing and further distribution to its customers. The company is registered with DEA as a manufacturer of... 43745, all applicants for registration to import a basic class of any controlled substance in schedule I...

75 FR 65658 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-26

... registration as an importer of the basic classes of controlled substances listed in schedule II: Drug Schedule Raw Opium (9600) II Concentrate of Poppy Straw (9670) II The company plans to import narcotic raw materials for manufacturing and further distribution to its customers. The company is registered with DEA as...

III. The importance of physical activity and aerobic fitness for cognitive control and memory in children.

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Chaddock-Heyman, Laura; Hillman, Charles H; Cohen, Neal J; Kramer, Arthur F

2014-12-01

In this chapter, we review literature that examines the association among physical activity, aerobic fitness, cognition, and the brain in elementary school children (ages 7-10 years). Specifically, physical activity and higher levels of aerobic fitness in children have been found to benefit brain structure, brain function, cognition, and school achievement. For example, higher fit children have larger brain volumes in the basal ganglia and hippocampus, which relate to superior performance on tasks of cognitive control and memory, respectively, when compared to their lower fit peers. Higher fit children also show superior brain function during tasks of cognitive control, better scores on tests of academic achievement, and higher performance on a real-world street crossing task, compared to lower fit and less active children. The cross-sectional findings are strengthened by a few randomized, controlled trials, which demonstrate that children randomly assigned to a physical activity intervention group show greater brain and cognitive benefits compared to a control group. Because these findings suggest that the developing brain is plastic and sensitive to lifestyle factors, we also discuss typical structural and functional brain maturation in children to provide context in which to interpret the effects of physical activity and aerobic fitness on the developing brain. This research is important because children are becoming increasingly sedentary, physically inactive, and unfit. An important goal of this review is to emphasize the importance of physical activity and aerobic fitness for the cognitive and brain health of today's youth. © 2014 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Transcription factor Afmac1 controls copper import machinery in Aspergillus fumigatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kusuya, Yoko; Hagiwara, Daisuke; Sakai, Kanae; Yaguchi, Takashi; Gonoi, Tohru; Takahashi, Hiroki

2017-08-01

Copper (Cu) is an essential metal for all living organisms, although it is toxic in excess. Filamentous fungus must acquire copper from its environment for growth. Despite its essentiality for growth, the mechanisms that maintain copper homeostasis are not fully understood in filamentous fungus. To gain insights into copper homeostasis, we investigated the roles of a copper transcription factor Afmac1 in the life-threatening fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, a homolog of the yeast MAC1. We observed that the Afmac1 deletion mutant exhibited not only significantly slower growth, but also incomplete conidiation including a short chain of conidia and defective melanin. Moreover, the expressions of the copper transporters, ctrA1, ctrA2, and ctrC, and metalloreductases, Afu8g01310 and fre7, were repressed in ∆Afmac1 cells, while those expressions were induced under copper depletion conditions in wild-type. The expressions of pksP and wetA, which are, respectively, involved in biosynthesis of conidia-specific melanin and the late stage of conidiogenesis, were decreased in the ∆Afmac1 strain under minimal media condition. Taken together, these results indicate that copper acquisition through AfMac1 functions in growth as well as conidiation.

Human factors survey of advanced instrumentation and controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, R.J.

1989-01-01

A survey oriented towards identifying the human factors issues in regard to the use of advanced instrumentation and controls (I ampersand C) in the nuclear industry was conducted. A number of United States (US) and Canadian nuclear vendors and utilities were participants in the survey. Human factors items, subsumed under the categories of computer-generated displays (CGD), controls, organizational support, training, and related topics, were discussed. The survey found the industry to be concerned about the human factors issues related to the implementation of advanced I ampersand C. Fifteen potential human factors problems were identified. They include: the need for an advanced I ampersand C guideline equivalent to NUREG-0700; a role change in the control room from operator to supervisor; information overload; adequacy of existing training technology for advanced I ampersand C; and operator acceptance and trust. 11 refs., 1 tab

Understanding disease control: influence of epidemiological and economic factors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Oleś

Full Text Available We present a model of disease transmission on a regular and small world network and compare different control options. Comparison is based on a total cost of epidemic, including cost of palliative treatment of ill individuals and preventive cost aimed at vaccination or culling of susceptible individuals. Disease is characterized by pre-symptomatic phase, which makes detection and control difficult. Three general strategies emerge: global preventive treatment, local treatment within a neighborhood of certain size and only palliative treatment with no prevention. While the choice between the strategies depends on a relative cost of palliative and preventive treatment, the details of the local strategy and, in particular, the size of the optimal treatment neighborhood depend on the epidemiological factors. The required extent of prevention is proportional to the size of the infection neighborhood, but depends on time till detection and time till treatment in a non-nonlinear (power law. The optimal size of control neighborhood is also highly sensitive to the relative cost, particularly for inefficient detection and control application. These results have important consequences for design of prevention strategies aiming at emerging diseases for which parameters are not nessecerly known in advance.

A case-control study evaluating relative risk factors for decompression sickness: a research report.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Naoko; Yagishita, Kazuyosi; Togawa, Seiichiro; Okazaki, Fumihiro; Shibayama, Masaharu; Yamamoto, Kazuo; Mano, Yoshihiro

2014-01-01

Factors contributing to the pathogenesis of decompression sickness (DCS) in divers have been described in many studies. However, relative importance of these factors has not been reported. In this case-control study, we compared the diving profiles of divers experiencing DCS with those of a control group. The DCS group comprised 35 recreational scuba divers who were diagnosed by physicians as having DCS. The control group consisted of 324 apparently healthy recreational divers. All divers conducted their dives from 2009 to 2011. The questionnaire consisted of 33 items about an individual's diving profile, physical condition and activities before, during and just after the dive. To simplify dive parameters, the dive site was limited to Izu Osezaki. Odds ratios and multiple logistic regression were used for the analysis. Odds ratios revealed several items as dive and health factors associated with DCS. The major items were as follows: shortness of breath after heavy exercise during the dive (OR = 12.12), dehydration (OR = 10.63), and maximum dive depth > 30 msw (OR = 7.18). Results of logistic regression were similar to those by odds ratio analysis. We assessed the relative weights of the surveyed dive and health factors associated with DCS. Because results of several factors conflict with previous studies, future studies are needed.

Importance of Perioperative Glycemic Control in General Surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Steve; Thompson, Rachel; Dellinger, Patchen; Yanez, David; Farrohki, Ellen; Flum, David

2014-01-01

Objective To determine the relationship of perioperative hyperglycemia and insulin administration on outcomes in elective colon/rectal and bariatric operations. Background There is limited evidence to characterize the impact of perioperative hyperglycemia and insulin on adverse outcomes in patients, with and without diabetes, undergoing general surgical procedures. Methods The Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program is a Washington State quality improvement benchmarking-based initiative. We evaluated the relationship of perioperative hyperglycemia (>180 mg/dL) and insulin administration on mortality, reoperative interventions, and infections for patients undergoing elective colorectal and bariatric surgery at 47 participating hospitals between fourth quarter of 2005 and fourth quarter of 2010. Results Of the 11,633 patients (55.4 ± 15.3 years; 65.7% women) with a serum glucose determination on the day of surgery, postoperative day 1, or postoperative day 2, 29.1% of patients were hyperglycemic. After controlling for clinical factors, those with hyperglycemia had a significantly increased risk of infection [odds ratio (OR) 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.63–2.44], reoperative interventions (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.41–2.3), and death (OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.72–4.28). Increased risk of poor outcomes was observed both for patients with and without diabetes. Those with hyperglycemia on the day of surgery who received insulin had no significant increase in infections (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.72–1.42), reoperative interventions (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.89–1.89), or deaths (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.61–2.42). A dose-effect relationship was found between the effectiveness of insulin-related glucose control (worst 180–250 mg/dL, best adverse outcomes. Conclusions Perioperative hyperglycemia was associated with adverse outcomes in general surgery patients with and without diabetes. However, patients with hyperglycemia who received insulin were at no greater risk than

Environmental risk factors contributing to traffic accidents in children: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamshidi, Ensiyeh; Moradi, Ali; Majdzadeh, Reza

2017-09-01

The aim of this study is to identify environmental risk factors related to road accidents in children of Tehran. This case-control study was performed in 2013. The cases were injured pedestrians aged 5-15 who were admitted to major hospitals supervised by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The sample size for the cases was 273 and for the control group was 546. For the completeness of the clusters, 7 extra persons in case (total = 280) and 14 persons (total = 560) in control group were included. The interference of confounding variables assessed through forward conditional logistic regression. Result shows occurrence of traffic accidents was significantly associate with the width of the alleys or (traffic congestion (OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 2.6-6.4), traffic speed (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2) and existence of pedestrian bridges(OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.6-6.8). In the light of the important role of environmental factors in the occurrence of child traffic accidents, alleviating structural risk factors in addition to education and enforcement need more systematic efforts and planning by policymakers and urban planners to attain pedestrian safety goals.

Taking account of human factors in control-room design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dien, Y.; Montmayeul, R.

1995-07-01

Since the Three Mile Island accident two ways for improving the Human-Machine Interface have mainly been followed: the development of computerized operator aids in existing control-rooms and the design of advanced control-rooms. Insufficient attention paid to human factors in the design of operator aids has generally led to these aids being neglected or unused by their potential users. While for the design of advanced control-rooms efforts have been made for dealing with human factors in more extensive way. Based upon this experience, a general method for taking account of human factors in a control-room design has been devised and is described in this paper. (author)

Importance of Internal Audit and Internal Control in an organization - Case Study

OpenAIRE

Bubilek, Olga

2017-01-01

This research is a descriptive case study of a company. It presents concepts of the internal audit and internal control based on an example of a Finnish company. The research examines the role and importance that internal audit and internal controls have in an organization. The main research question is “What is the role and importance of internal audit and internal control in an organization” Additional sub-questions relating to the case company that will allow for better understanding of...

Relative importance of meteorological and geographical factors in the distribution of Fasciola hepatica infestation in farmed sheep in Qinghai province, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qin Hongyu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fasciola hepatica is an important trematode parasite of economic importance that infests sheep and cattle worldwide. We conducted a detailed investigation into the spatial distribution of F. hepatica infestation in farmed sheep in Qinghai (Wutumeiren province, Mainland China. Mathematical modelling was used to assess the inter-relationships between meteorological and geographical factors and the risk of F. hepatica infestation across the province. A capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA test (MM3-SERO was used to detect F. hepatica infestation. A niche model based on the maximum entropy method (MaxEnt was used to estimate the influence of meteorological and geographical factors on the observed spatial distribution of F. hepatica infestation. Results of jackknife analysis indicated that temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, digital elevation and slope were associated with the occurrence of F. hepatica infestation, and that infestation rates were significantly higher among animals from districts with a high percentage of grassland habitat. The findings indicate that meteorological and geographical factors may be important variables affecting the distribution of F. hepatica infestation and should be taken into account in the development of future surveillance and control programmes for fascioliasis.

Identify the Important Decision Factors of Online Shopping Adoption in Indonesia

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Lailatul HIJRAH

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to identify factors encouraging a consumer to engage in online shopping activities. The expected contribution of this study is for online entrepreneurs, in order to develop the most suitable business strategy, so that it will be clearly identified and sorted out which factors are the most important and the main motivation of Indonesian consumers to shop via online by using responses from respondents who usually shop online and offline in 3 cities in Indonesia, Jakarta, Surabaya and Samarinda. The research instruments were developed by conducting FGDs on relevant groups, either academics, online shopping activists, suppliers and courier businessmen in Jakarta, Surabaya and Samarinda Cities in effort to extract any information that encourages consumers to online shopping. After conducting FGD, the researcher produced 48 items proposed for factor analysis and after extracted to form eleven constructs, some items were removed because they had less loading factors. The eleven constructs or dimensions are trust, risk, consumer factors, website factors, price, service quality, convenience, subjective norm, product guarantee, variety of products and lifestyle. The implications of this study provide valuable insights about consumer decisions to online shopping or not online shopping.

Relationship of Psychosocial Risk Factors, Certain Personality Traits and Myocardial Infarction in Indians: A Case-control Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Rajni; Kishore, Jugal; Bansal, Yogesh; Daga, Mk; Jiloha, Rc; Singal, Rajeev; Ingle, Gk

2011-07-01

To investigate the relationship of psychosocial factors (lack of social support, stress and subjective well-being) and personality traits with myocardial infarction (MI). A case-control study involving 100 cases and 100 matched controls was conducted in Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. Stress over 1 year was significantly higher in cases (P introvert (P < 0.001) personalities. Certain personality traits and recent stress may be important risk factors of MI, especially in Indians. The finding may have implications on the preventive strategies planned for MI patients.

An investigation on important factors influencing on forecasted earnings adjustment: Evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange

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Fatemeh Babakhani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to detect important factors influencing earning adjustment on firms selected on Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2006-2011. There are four independent variables associated with the proposed study of this paper including Proportion of shares owned by institutional investors, Return on assets, Profit change and Market value to book value. In addition, Investment restructuring is considered as control variable. The results of the implementation of regression analysis indicate that there was a reverse relationship between earning forecasted adjustment and two independent variables including size of firm as well as the ratio of market value to book value. However, Net profit has a direct and positive relationship with earning forecast adjustment.

Synergistic nuclear import of NeuroD1 and its partner transcription factor, E47, via heterodimerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehmood, Rashid; Yasuhara, Noriko; Oe, Souichi; Nagai, Masahiro; Yoneda, Yoshihiro

2009-01-01

The transition from undifferentiated pluripotent cells to terminally differentiated neurons is coordinated by a repertoire of transcription factors. NeuroD1 is a type II basic helix loop helix (bHLH) transcription factor that plays critical roles in neuronal differentiation and maintenance in the central nervous system. Its dimerization with E47, a type I bHLH transcription factor, leads to the transcriptional regulation of target genes. Mounting evidence suggests that regulating the localization of transcription factors contributes to the regulation of their activity during development as defects in their localization underlie a variety of developmental disorders. In this study, we attempted to understand the nuclear import mannerisms of NeuroD1 and E47. We found that the nuclear import of NeuroD1 and E47 is energy-dependent and involves the Ran-mediated pathway. Herein, we demonstrate that NeuroD1 and E47 can dimerize inside the cytoplasm before their nuclear import. Moreover, this dimerization promotes nuclear import as the nuclear accumulation of NeuroD1 was enhanced in the presence of E47 in an in vitro nuclear import assay, and NLS-deficient NeuroD1 was successfully imported into the nucleus upon E47 overexpression. NeuroD1 also had a similar effect on the nuclear accumulation of NLS-deficient E47. These findings suggest a novel role for dimerization that may promote, at least partially, the nuclear import of transcription factors allowing them to function efficiently in the nucleus.

76 FR 62448 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-07

..., Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., 2820 N. Normandy Drive, Petersburg, Virginia 23805, made application by... Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc. to import the basic class of controlled [[Page 62449

Factors Leading to the Loss of Natural Elite Control of HIV-1 Infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Pernas, María; Tarancón-Diez, Laura; Rodríguez-Gallego, Esther; Gómez, Josep; Prado, Julia G; Casado, Concepción; Dominguez-Molina, Beatriz; Olivares, Isabel; Coiras, Maite; León, Agathe; Rodriguez, Carmen; Benito, Jose Miguel; Rallón, Norma; Plana, Montserrat; Martinez-Madrid, Onofre; Dapena, Marta; Iribarren, Jose Antonio; Del Romero, Jorge; García, Felipe; Alcamí, José; Muñoz-Fernández, M Ángeles; Vidal, Francisco; Leal, Manuel; Lopez-Galindez, Cecilio; Ruiz-Mateos, Ezequiel

2017-12-06

HIV-1 elite controllers (EC) maintain undetectable viral load (VL) in the absence of antiretroviral treatment. However, these subjects have heterogeneous clinical outcomes including a proportion loosing HIV-1 control over time. In this work we compared, in a longitudinal design, transient EC, analyzed before and after the loss of virological control, versus persistent EC. The aim was to identify factors leading to the loss of natural virological control of HIV-1-infection with a longitudinal retrospective study design. Gag-specific T-cell response was assessed by in vitro intracellular poly-cytokine production quantified by flow cytometry. Viral diversity and sequence-dating were performed in proviral DNA by PCR amplification at limiting dilution in env and gag genes. The expression profile of 70 serum cytokines and chemokines was assessed by multiplex immunoassays. We identified transient EC as subjects with low Gag-specific T-cell polyfunctionality, high viral diversity and high proinflammatory cytokines levels before the loss of control. Gag-specific T-cell polyfunctionality was inversely associated with viral diversity in transient controllers before the loss of control (r=-0.8; p =0.02). RANTES was a potential biomarker of transient control. This study identified, virological and immunological factors including inflammatory biomarkers associated with two different phenotypes within EC. These results may allow a more accurate definition of EC, which could help in a better clinical management of these individuals and in the development of future curative approaches. IMPORTANCE There is a rare group of HIV-infected patients who have the extraordinary capacity to maintain undetectable viral load levels in the absence of antiretroviral treatment, the so called HIV-1 elite controllers (EC). However, there is a proportion within these subjects that eventually loses this capability. In this work we found differences in virological and immune factors including soluble

Factors controlling bacteria and protists in selected Mazurian eutrophic lakes (North-Eastern Poland) during spring

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The bottom-up (food resources) and top-down (grazing pressure) controls, with other environmental parameters (water temperature, pH) are the main factors regulating the abundance and structure of microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems. It is still not definitively decided which of the two control mechanisms is more important. The significance of bottom-up versus top-down controls may alter with lake productivity and season. In oligo- and/or mesotrophic environments, the bottom-up control is mostly important in regulating bacterial abundances, while in eutrophic systems, the top-down control may be more significant. Results The abundance of bacteria, heterotrophic (HNF) and autotrophic (ANF) nanoflagellates and ciliates, as well as bacterial production (BP) and metabolically active cells of bacteria (CTC, NuCC, EST) were studied in eutrophic lakes (Mazurian Lake District, Poland) during spring. The studied lakes were characterized by high nanoflagellate (mean 17.36 ± 8.57 × 103 cells ml-1) and ciliate abundances (mean 59.9 ± 22.4 ind. ml-1) that were higher in the euphotic zone than in the bottom waters, with relatively low bacterial densities (4.76 ± 2.08 × 106 cells ml-1) that were lower in the euphotic zone compared to the profundal zone. Oligotrichida (Rimostrombidium spp.), Prostomatida (Urotricha spp.) and Scuticociliatida (Histiobalantium bodamicum) dominated in the euphotic zone, whereas oligotrichs Tintinnidium sp. and prostomatids Urotricha spp. were most numerous in the bottom waters. Among the staining methods used to examine bacterial cellular metabolic activity, the lowest percentage of active cells was recorded with the CTC (1.5–15.4%) and EST (2.7–14.2%) assay in contrast to the NuCC (28.8–97.3%) method. Conclusions In the euphotic zone, the bottom-up factors (TP and DOC concentrations) played a more important role than top-down control (grazing by protists) in regulating bacterial numbers and activity

Women's perceived internal control of future pregnancy outcomes and its related factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Maleki, Azam; Mazloomzadeh, Saeideh

2013-03-01

With regards to the importance of women's beliefs in improving pregnancy outcomes, this study was performed to determine the perceived internal control on future pregnancy outcomes and its related factors in women who participated in pre-marital counseling. In a cross-sectional study, women's perceived internal control was investigated. The study population comprised the women in reproductive age of whom 400 were selected by random sampling. Data collection instrument was a questionnaire consisting of demographic, pre-conceptional care, and internal control questions. Two categories of favorite and not favorite levels of internal control were defined based on the total score. The validity of the questionnaire was determined via content validity method by use of experts' opinion and its reliability was evaluated through the calculation of Cronbach's alpha coefficient which was 0.76. Data were analyzed through frequency tables, correlation coefficient, and Chi-square test at the confidence level of 0.95. Two hundred sixty-five (65%) women had a good perceived internal control and it was significantly associated with the age, educational level, and hearing about pre-conceptional care. The internal control score also showed a positive and significant correlation with both age and the subject knowledge about folic acid (r = 0.19 and r = 0.15, respectively). The majority of women had a favorite perceived internal control. Since age and educational level were the affecting factors on the perceived internal control of women, promoting the level of internal control in young women and those with low education in pre-marital counseling classes seems necessary.

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on brand in car accessory market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Supplying car accessory is one of the most important growing industries in the world. Every year, millions of cars are produced and people need to have the access to necessary car accessory. In this paper, we present an exploration study to detect important factors influencing car accessory market. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 16 questions, distributes it among 200 experts and analyses it using factor analysis. Cronbach alpha and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy are calculated as 0.823 and 0.863, which validate the overall questionnaire. The results indicate that there are three influencing factors including brand capability, brand characteristics and consumers’ believe.

Use of bisphosphonate might be important to improve bone mineral density in patients with rheumatoid arthritis even under tight control: the TOMORROW study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tada, Masahiro; Inui, Kentaro; Sugioka, Yuko; Mamoto, Kenji; Okano, Tadashi; Anno, Shohei; Koike, Tatsuya

2017-06-01

Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are prone to osteoporosis, tight control of disease activity might have a positive effect on bone metabolism. We aimed to determine whether bisphosphonate use is still important to improve bone mineral density (BMD) in RA patients whose disease activity was tightly controlled and the dose of glucocorticoid was reduced. This study was a sub-analysis of the 10-year prospective cohort TOtal Management Of Risk factors in Rheumatoid arthritis patients to lOWer morbidity and mortality: the TOMORROW which started from 2010. We compared BMD between 192 patients with RA and age- and sex-matched volunteers between 2010 and 2013 using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in whole body mode. We then determined ratios of changes in BMD (%ΔBMD) to assess factors influencing increases in BMD among the patients using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The BMD was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls at all sites surveyed during 2010 and 2013. The %ΔBMD of the total spine was significantly higher among the patients treated with, than without bisphosphonate (6.2 vs. 1.8%, P = 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that use of bisphosphonate was a significant factor contributing to BMD increase (odds ratio 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.38, P = 0.041). Meanwhile, use of biologic agents, reducing glucocorticoid dose, and control of disease activity were not significant factors for gain of BMD. The BMD was lower among patients with RA than non-RA controls. Use of bisphosphonate significantly increased the BMD of the spine in patients over a period of 3 years and was important for maintaining the BMD among patients with RA under the control of inflammation and disease activity.

The importance of motivation factors in career development of primary and secondary school professionals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Stepišnik

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This research examines the career motivation factors among Slovene teachers. They go hand in hand with two other processes: the psycho-social development of individuals and their family life. We present the results of the empirical research that was carried out on a sample of 360 professionals from primary and secondary schools. We established a scale for determining the importance of motivation factors by asking the professionals to grade their level of agreement with the statements considering the following motivational factors: the legislation and the organization of files in the context of school, the organisational climate and culture at schools, the school management, schools as learning organisations, the need of individuals for career development. We were interested if there exist any differences in the opinions of professionals in primary and secondary schools regarding the importance of individual motivation factors. We were also interested if there exists an interdependence between the final results and the individual variables. The findings are important for professionals and school management in schools that encourage career development. It would be sensible to take these findings into consideration when planning, as well as monitoring career development of school professionals.

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors controlling spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal and differentiation

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Xing-Xing Mei

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs, the stem cells responsible for male fertility, are one of a small number of cells with the abilities of both self-renewal and generation of large numbers of haploid cells. Technology improvements, most importantly, transplantation assays and in vitro culture systems have greatly expanded our understanding of SSC self-renewal and differentiation. Many important molecules crucial for the balance between self-renewal and differentiation have been recently identified although the exact mechanism(s remain largely undefined. In this review, we give a brief introduction to SSCs, and then focus on extrinsic and intrinsic factors controlling SSCs self-renewal and differentiation.

Extrinsic and intrinsic factors controlling spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Xing-Xing; Wang, Jian; Wu, Ji

2015-01-01

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), the stem cells responsible for male fertility, are one of a small number of cells with the abilities of both self-renewal and generation of large numbers of haploid cells. Technology improvements, most importantly, transplantation assays and in vitro culture systems have greatly expanded our understanding of SSC self-renewal and differentiation. Many important molecules crucial for the balance between self-renewal and differentiation have been recently identified although the exact mechanism(s) remain largely undefined. In this review, we give a brief introduction to SSCs, and then focus on extrinsic and intrinsic factors controlling SSCs self-renewal and differentiation.

Parental Involvement as a Important Factor for Successful Education

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Maša Đurišić

2017-09-01

Full Text Available To comply with the system of integrated support for their students’, schools need to build partnership with parents and develop mutual responsibility for childrens’ success in the educational system. In this way, parental involement are increased, parents’ effort to support schools are encouraged, and they are directly making a positive impact to a successful educational system. Considering the importance of parents’ participation and involvement in school activities, in this paper, we will analyse the positive effects of parental involvement, summarize leading principles for the successful partnership of parents and school and present six factors (Parenting, Communicating, Volunteering, Learning at home, Decision-making and Collaborating with the community and six models (Protective Model, Expert Model, Transmission Model, Curriculum-Enrichment Model, Consumer Model and Partnership Model of parental involvement. In addition, we will draw conclusions and make recommendations that are important for planning programs that are focused on the improvement of parent involvement.

The importance of building construction materials relative to other factors affecting structure survival during wildfire

Science.gov (United States)

Syphard, Alexandra D.; Brennan, Teresa J.; Keeley, Jon E.

2017-01-01

Structure loss to wildfire is a serious problem in wildland-urban interface areas across the world. Laboratory experiments suggest that fire-resistant building construction and design could be important for reducing structure destruction, but these need to be evaluated under real wildfire conditions, especially relative to other factors. Using empirical data from destroyed and surviving structures from large wildfires in southern California, we evaluated the relative importance of building construction and structure age compared to other local and landscape-scale variables associated with structure survival. The local-scale analysis showed that window preparation was especially important but, in general, creating defensible space adjacent to the home was as important as building construction. At the landscape scale, structure density and structure age were the two most important factors affecting structure survival, but there was a significant interaction between them. That is, young structure age was most important in higher-density areas where structure survival overall was more likely. On the other hand, newer-construction structures were less likely to survive wildfires at lower density. Here, appropriate defensible space near the structure and accessibility to major roads were important factors. In conclusion, community safety is a multivariate problem that will require a comprehensive solution involving land use planning, fire-safe construction, and property maintenance.

The Relative Importance of Spatial and Local Environmental Factors in Determining Beetle Assemblages in the Inner Mongolia Grassland.

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Xiao-Dong Yu

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to increase understanding of the relative importance of the input of geographic and local environmental factors on richness and composition of epigaeic steppe beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae and Tenebrionidae along a geographic (longitudinal/precipitation gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Specifically, we evaluate the associations of environmental variables representing climate and environmental heterogeneity with beetle assemblages. Beetles were sampled using pitfall traps at 25 sites scattered across the full geographic extent of the study biome in 2011-2012. We used variance partitioning techniques and multi-model selection based on the Akaike information criterion to assess the relative importance of the spatial and environmental variables on beetle assemblages. Species richness and abundance showed unimodal patterns along the geographic gradient. Together with space, climate variables associated with precipitation, water-energy balance and harshness of climate had strong explanatory power in richness pattern. Abundance pattern showed strongest association with variation in temperature and environmental heterogeneity. Climatic factors associated with temperature and precipitation variables and the interaction between climate with space were able to explain a substantial amount of variation in community structure. In addition, the turnover of species increased significantly as geographic distances increased. We confirmed that spatial and local environmental factors worked together to shape epigaeic beetle communities along the geographic gradient in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Moreover, the climate features, especially precipitation, water-energy balance and temperature, and the interaction between climate with space and environmental heterogeneity appeared to play important roles on controlling richness and abundance, and species compositions of epigaeic beetles.

Relationship of Psychosocial Risk Factors, Certain Personality Traits and Myocardial Infarction in Indians: A Case–control Study

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Gupta, Rajni; Kishore, Jugal; Bansal, Yogesh; Daga, MK; Jiloha, RC; Singal, Rajeev; Ingle, GK

2011-01-01

Objective: To investigate the relationship of psychosocial factors (lack of social support, stress and subjective well-being) and personality traits with myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods: A case–control study involving 100 cases and 100 matched controls was conducted in Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. Results: Stress over 1 year was significantly higher in cases (P introvert (P < 0.001) personalities. Conclusion: Certain personality traits and recent stress may be important risk factors of MI, especially in Indians. The finding may have implications on the preventive strategies planned for MI patients. PMID:22090670

Association between job strain (high demand-low control and cardiovascular disease risk factors among petrochemical industry workers

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Siamak Poorabdian

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: One of the practical models for assessment of stressful working conditions due to job strain is "job demand and control" or Karasek's job strain model. This model explains how adverse physical and psychological effects including cardiovascular disease risk factors can be established due to high work demand. The aim was to investigate how certain cardiovascular risk factors including body mass index (BMI, heart rate, blood pressure, serum total cholesterol levels, and cigarette smoking are associated with job demand and control in workers. Materials and Methods: In this cohort study, 500 subjects completed "job demand and control" questionnaires. Factor analysis method was used in order to specify the most important "job demand and control" questions. Health check-up records of the workers were applied to extract data about cardiovascular disease risk factors. Ultimately, hypothesis testing, based on Eta, was used to assess the relationship between separated working groups and cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension and serum total cholesterol level. Results: A significant relationship was found between the job demand-control model and cardiovascular risk factors. In terms of chisquared test results, the highest value was assessed for heart rate (Chi2 = 145.078. The corresponding results for smoking and BMI were Chi2 = 85.652 and Chi2 = 30.941, respectively. Subsequently, Eta result for total cholesterol was 0.469, followed by hypertension equaling 0.684. Moreover, there was a significant difference between cardiovascular risk factors and job demand-control profiles among different working groups including the operational group, repairing group and servicing group. Conclusion: Job control and demand are significantly related to heart disease risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cigarette smoking.

Occupational and Environmental Risk Factors for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Egypt: A Multicenter Case-Control Study

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NJ Awadalla

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Despite the advances in medical therapy and technology, the prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF remains poor and the need for disease prevention based on identifying the risk factors becomes mandatory. Occupational and environmental exposures were studied in several countries and found to play important role in the disease development. However, in Egypt, a little attention has been paid to study the effect of these factors in the disease development. Objective: To identify the occupational and environmental risk factors associated with the development of IPF in Egypt. Methods: A multicenter hospital-based case-control study was carried out in chest hospitals affiliated to three Egyptian cities—Cairo, Tanta and Mansoura. Subjects were 201 patients with confirmed IPF (cases and 205 age-, sex- and residence-matched controls. Data on occupational and environmental factors were obtained from a questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors of IPF in both sexes for single factors with adjustment for age, residence and smoking status. Results: Compared with the controls, the risk of IPF in male workers was observed to increase significantly in chemical and petrochemical industries and carpentry and wood working (OR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.02–7.01, and with occupational exposures to wood dust and wood preservatives. Among female workers, a significant increase was observed in farming (OR=3.34, 95% CI: 1.17–10.12, raising birds and occupational exposures to animal feeds, products and dusts and pesticides. Risk of IPF decreased significantly in male workers and insignificantly among female workers in sales and clerical related activities. The environmental exposures to birds and cats were significantly associated with elevated risk of IPF development in both sexes. Conclusion: In Egypt, farming, raising birds and wood working are important risk factors for the development of

The relative importance of habitual and deliberative factors in food consumer behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scholderer, Joachim; Olsen, Svein Ottar; Brunsø, Karen

2006-01-01

Rational-choice approaches to consumer behaviour neglect the influence of habitual factors. Previous research outside the food choice area has found that habitual factors tend to dominate when the target behaviour is performed often and in stable contexts, whilst deliberative factors tend......), 0.18 (Denmark), 0.10 (Spain), 0.16 (Netherlands), 0.00 (Poland). Although no general answer may exist to the question whether habitual or deliberative factors are more important in food consumer behaviour, habits appear to dominate behaviour in the domain of seafood consumption....... to dominate when the target behaviour is performed rarely and in unstable contexts. In the food choice area, only little research exists that would allow a similar assessment. As part of the SEAFOODplus project, representative surveys were conducted in Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland...

The relative importance of habitual and deliberative factors in food consumer behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scholderer, Joachim; Olsen, Svein Ottar; Brunsø, Karen

2006-01-01

Rational-choice approaches to consumer behaviour neglect the influence of habitual factors. Previous research outside the food choice area has found that habitual factors tend to dominate when the target behaviour is performed often and in stable contexts, whilst deliberative factors tend...... to dominate when the target behaviour is performed rarely and in unstable contexts. In the food choice area, only little research exists that would allow a similar assessment. As part of the SEAFOODplus project, representative surveys were conducted in Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland......), 0.18 (Denmark), 0.10 (Spain), 0.16 (Netherlands), 0.00 (Poland). Although no general answer may exist to the question whether habitual or deliberative factors are more important in food consumer behaviour, habits appear to dominate behaviour in the domain of seafood consumption....

76 FR 30969 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-27

... Opium, raw (9600) II Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II The company plans to import the listed controlled... international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has investigated Mallinckrodt...

A new detrended semipartial cross-correlation analysis: Assessing the important meteorological factors affecting API

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Chen-Hua

2015-01-01

To analyze the unique contribution of meteorological factors to the air pollution index (API), a new method, the detrended semipartial cross-correlation analysis (DSPCCA), is proposed. Based on both a detrended cross-correlation analysis and a DFA-based multivariate-linear-regression (DMLR), this method is improved by including a semipartial correlation technique, which is used to indicate the unique contribution of an explanatory variable to multiple correlation coefficients. The advantages of this method in handling nonstationary time series are illustrated by numerical tests. To further demonstrate the utility of this method in environmental systems, new evidence of the primary contribution of meteorological factors to API is provided through DMLR. Results show that the most important meteorological factors affecting API are wind speed and diurnal temperature range, and the explanatory ability of meteorological factors to API gradually strengthens with increasing time scales. The results suggest that DSPCCA is a useful method for addressing environmental systems. - Highlights: • A detrended multiple linear regression is shown. • A detrended semipartial cross correlation analysis is proposed. • The important meteorological factors affecting API are assessed. • The explanatory ability of meteorological factors to API gradually strengthens with increasing time scales.

A new detrended semipartial cross-correlation analysis: Assessing the important meteorological factors affecting API

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Chen-Hua, E-mail: shenandchen01@163.com [College of Geographical Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046 (China); Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource, Nanjing 210046 (China); Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment of Ministry of Education, Nanjing 210046 (China)

2015-12-04

To analyze the unique contribution of meteorological factors to the air pollution index (API), a new method, the detrended semipartial cross-correlation analysis (DSPCCA), is proposed. Based on both a detrended cross-correlation analysis and a DFA-based multivariate-linear-regression (DMLR), this method is improved by including a semipartial correlation technique, which is used to indicate the unique contribution of an explanatory variable to multiple correlation coefficients. The advantages of this method in handling nonstationary time series are illustrated by numerical tests. To further demonstrate the utility of this method in environmental systems, new evidence of the primary contribution of meteorological factors to API is provided through DMLR. Results show that the most important meteorological factors affecting API are wind speed and diurnal temperature range, and the explanatory ability of meteorological factors to API gradually strengthens with increasing time scales. The results suggest that DSPCCA is a useful method for addressing environmental systems. - Highlights: • A detrended multiple linear regression is shown. • A detrended semipartial cross correlation analysis is proposed. • The important meteorological factors affecting API are assessed. • The explanatory ability of meteorological factors to API gradually strengthens with increasing time scales.

Factors associated with overestimation of asthma control: A cross-sectional study in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bereznicki, Bonnie J; Chapman, Millicent P; Bereznicki, Luke R E

2017-05-01

To investigate actual and perceived disease control in Australians with asthma, and identify factors associated with overestimation of asthma control. This was a cross-sectional study of Australian adults with asthma, who were recruited via Facebook to complete an online survey. The survey included basic demographic questions, and validated tools assessing asthma knowledge, medication adherence, medicine beliefs, illness perception and asthma control. Items that measured symptoms and frequency of reliever medication use were compared to respondents' self-rating of their own asthma control. Predictors of overestimation of asthma control were determined using multivariate logistic regression. Of 2971 survey responses, 1950 (65.6%) were complete and eligible for inclusion. Overestimation of control was apparent in 45.9% of respondents. Factors independently associated with overestimation of asthma control included education level (OR = 0.755, 95% CI: 0.612-0.931, P = 0.009), asthma knowledge (OR = 0.942, 95% CI: 0.892-0.994, P = 0.029), total asthma control, (OR = 0.842, 95% CI: 0.818-0.867, P addictive (OR = 1.144, 95% CI: 1.017-1.287, P = 0.025), and increased feelings of control over asthma (OR = 1.261, 95% CI: 1.191-1.335), P < 0.001). Overestimation of asthma control remains a significant issue in Australians with asthma. The study highlights the importance of encouraging patients to express their feelings about asthma control and beliefs about medicines, and to be more forthcoming with their asthma symptoms. This would help to reveal any discrepancies between perceived and actual asthma control.

75 FR 69705 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-15

... re-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw, and coca leaves. As... classes of controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority of section...

An exploration study to detect important factors influencing internet marketing: A case study of food industry

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Shadan Vahabzadeh

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Internet marketing plays an important role on profitability of organizations, it can build a bridge between customers and business owners and anyone could purchase products and services through internet. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to detect important factors influencing internet marketing on Iranian food industry, named Shahrvand. The proposed study selects 280 out of 1040 managers who were involved in this industry during the year of 2012. Structural equation modeling has been performed to detect important factors including internal/external factors, ease of use and electronic marketing. Cronbach alphas have been calculated for these four items were mostly above 0.80, which validated the overall questionnaire of the survey. The results indicate that among internal factors, knowledge management, organizational culture and resources influence on acceptance of internet marketing, while these factors do not show any meaningful impact on ease of use. In addition, external factors including trend on market growth, competition and infrastructure influence on ease of use and acceptance of internet marketing but infrastructure and competition do not impact on ease of internet marketing.

Arcanobacterium pyogenes: Virulence factors, importance in mastitis etiology and therapeutic (impossibilities

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Milanov Dubravka

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Arcanobacterium pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen, a causative agent of suppurative infections of organs and tissues in economically important livestock species. Most frequently this bacteria is isolated from inflamed lung lesions in pigs and cattle, in samples of uterine mucus of cows with endometritis and milk from cows with clinical mastitis. A. pyogenes possesses a number of virulence factors: cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (pyolysin, two neuraminidases, several proteases, extracellular matrix-binding proteins, DNases, fimbriae. The virulence factors are well studied in laboratory conditions, but the role of these factors in the pathogenesis of A. pyogenes infections remains to be elucidated. Lately, the ability of A. pyogenes to form biofilm in vivo has also been implicated as a virulence factor and a possible cause of therapeutic failure. Despite the fact that A. pyogenes milk isolates in cows with mastitis in vitro are very sensitive to β-lactam drugs and tetracycline, experience has shown that therapy is usually ineffective, prognosis is poor and the affected quarter is lost for milk production.

77 FR 75670 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application, Hospira

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2012-12-21

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil for use in dosage form manufacturing. Any bulk manufacturer who is presently, or is applying to be, registered with DEA to manufacture such basic class of controlled substance may file comments or objections...

75 FR 14186 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-24

... Opium (9600) II Concentrate of Poppy Straw (9670) II The company plans to import the listed controlled... protocols in effect on May 1, 1971, at this time. DEA has investigated Rhodes Technologies to ensure that...

Congenital heart disease screening: which referral factors are most important

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fayyaz, A.; Ahmed, W.

2013-01-01

To identify the referral factors for fetal echocardiography which are associated with congenital cardiac defects in the fetus. Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Radiology Department, CMH, Rawalpindi, from January 2007 to November 2010. Methodology: All patients referred for fetal echocardiography with one or more risk factors for the development of congenital heart disease, and those patients with incidental discovery of congenital heart disease on antenatal ultrasound were evaluated. Patients with no risk factors who were found to have normal fetal echocardiography were excluded from the study. Univariate logistic regression analysis was carried out for each variable. The variables with statistical significance of less than 0.05 were subjected to multivariate logistic regression. Fetal echocardiographic diagnosis was taken as the dependent variable and all other variables were the independent variables. Results: Two hundred and sixty four patients were evaluated by fetal echocardiography for congenital heart disease. The statistically significant factor was detection of congenital heart disease on routine ultrasound examination. Conclusion: A routine obstetric scan should include evaluation of the heart with four-chamber and base-of-heart views to exclude cardiac anomalies. A cardiac anomaly picked up on routine ultrasound scan is the most important indication for referral for fetal echocardiography. Fetal arrhythmias and echogenic focus in the left ventricle do not have a significant association with structural cardiac malformation. (author)

75 FR 69462 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-12

... 36683), Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., 2820 N. Normandy Drive, Petersburg, Virginia 23805, made... registration of Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc. to import the basic class of controlled substance is..., conventions, or protocols in effect on [[Page 69463

Risk factors for gallbladder cancer: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Kajal; Sreenivas, V; Velpandian, T; Kapil, Umesh; Garg, Pramod Kumar

2013-04-01

Risk factors for gallbladder cancer (GBC) except gallstones are not well known. The objective was to study the risk factors for GBC. In a case-control study, 200 patients with GBC, 200 healthy controls and 200 gallstones patients as diseased controls were included prospectively. The risk factors studied were related to socioeconomic profile, life style, reproduction, diet and bile acids. On comparing GBC patients (mean age 51.7 years; 130 females) with healthy controls, risk factors were chemical exposure [odd ratios (OR): 7.0 (2.7-18.2); p < 0.001)], family history of gallstones [OR: 5.3 (1.5-18.9); p < 0.01)], tobacco [OR: 4.1 (1.8-9.7); p < 0.001)], fried foods [OR: 3.1 (1.7-5.6); p < 0.001], joint family [OR: 3.2 (1.7-6.2); p < 0.001], long interval between meals [OR: 1.4 (1.2-1.6); p < 0.001] and residence in Gangetic belt [OR: 3.3 (1.8-6.2); p < 0.001]. On comparing GBC cases with gallstone controls, risk factors were female gender [OR: 2.4 (1.3-4.3); p = 0.004], residence in Gangetic belt [OR: 2.3 (1.2-4.4); p = 0.012], fried foods [OR: 2.5 (1.4-4.4); p < 0.001], diabetes [OR: 2.7 (1.2-6.4); p = 0.02)], tobacco [OR 3.8 (1.7-8.1); p < 0.001)] and joint family [OR: 2.1 (1.2-3.4); p = 0.004]. The ratio of secondary to primary bile acids was significantly higher in GBC cases than gallstone controls (20.8 vs. 0.44). Fried foods, tobacco, chemical exposure, family history of gallstones, residence in Gangetic belt and secondary bile acids were significant risk factors for GBC. Copyright © 2012 UICC.

Context matters: the experience of 14 research teams in systematically reporting contextual factors important for practice change.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomoaia-Cotisel, Andrada; Scammon, Debra L; Waitzman, Norman J; Cronholm, Peter F; Halladay, Jacqueline R; Driscoll, David L; Solberg, Leif I; Hsu, Clarissa; Tai-Seale, Ming; Hiratsuka, Vanessa; Shih, Sarah C; Fetters, Michael D; Wise, Christopher G; Alexander, Jeffrey A; Hauser, Diane; McMullen, Carmit K; Scholle, Sarah Hudson; Tirodkar, Manasi A; Schmidt, Laura; Donahue, Katrina E; Parchman, Michael L; Stange, Kurt C

2013-01-01

We aimed to advance the internal and external validity of research by sharing our empirical experience and recommendations for systematically reporting contextual factors. Fourteen teams conducting research on primary care practice transformation retrospectively considered contextual factors important to interpreting their findings (internal validity) and transporting or reinventing their findings in other settings/situations (external validity). Each team provided a table or list of important contextual factors and interpretive text included as appendices to the articles in this supplement. Team members identified the most important contextual factors for their studies. We grouped the findings thematically and developed recommendations for reporting context. The most important contextual factors sorted into 5 domains: (1) the practice setting, (2) the larger organization, (3) the external environment, (4) implementation pathway, and (5) the motivation for implementation. To understand context, investigators recommend (1) engaging diverse perspectives and data sources, (2) considering multiple levels, (3) evaluating history and evolution over time, (4) looking at formal and informal systems and culture, and (5) assessing the (often nonlinear) interactions between contextual factors and both the process and outcome of studies. We include a template with tabular and interpretive elements to help study teams engage research participants in reporting relevant context. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of identifying and reporting contextual factors. Involving diverse stakeholders in assessing context at multiple stages of the research process, examining their association with outcomes, and consistently reporting critical contextual factors are important challenges for a field interested in improving the internal and external validity and impact of health care research.

Krüppel-like factors: Three fingers in control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swamynathan Shivalingappa K

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Krüppel-like factors (KLFs, members of the zinc-finger family of transcription factors capable of binding GC-rich sequences, have emerged as critical regulators of important functions all over the body. They are characterised by a highly conserved C-terminal DNA-binding motif containing three C2H2 zinc-finger domains, with variable N-terminal regulatory domains. Currently, there are 17 KLFs annotated in the human genome. In spite of their structural similarity to one another, the genes encoding different KLFs are scattered all over the genome. By virtue of their ability to activate and/or repress the expression of a large number of genes, KLFs regulate a diverse array of developmental events and cellular processes, such as erythropoiesis, cardiac remodelling, adipogenesis, maintenance of stem cells, epithelial barrier formation, control of cell proliferation and neoplasia, flow-mediated endothelial gene expression, skeletal and smooth muscle development, gluconeogenesis, monocyte activation, intestinal and conjunctival goblet cell development, retinal neuronal regeneration and neonatal lung development. Characteristic features, nomenclature, evolution and functional diversities of the human KLFs are reviewed here.

Krüppel-like factors: three fingers in control.

Science.gov (United States)

Swamynathan, Shivalingappa K

2010-04-01

Krüppel-like factors (KLFs), members of the zinc-finger family of transcription factors capable of binding GC-rich sequences, have emerged as critical regulators of important functions all over the body. They are characterised by a highly conserved C-terminal DNA-binding motif containing three C2H2 zinc-finger domains, with variable N-terminal regulatory domains. Currently, there are 17 KLFs annotated in the human genome. In spite of their structural similarity to one another, the genes encoding different KLFs are scattered all over the genome. By virtue of their ability to activate and/or repress the expression of a large number of genes, KLFs regulate a diverse array of developmental events and cellular processes, such as erythropoiesis, cardiac remodelling, adipogenesis, maintenance of stem cells, epithelial barrier formation, control of cell proliferation and neoplasia, flow-mediated endothelial gene expression, skeletal and smooth muscle development, gluconeogenesis, monocyte activation, intestinal and conjunctival goblet cell development, retinal neuronal regeneration and neonatal lung development. Characteristic features, nomenclature, evolution and functional diversities of the human KLFs are reviewed here.

76 FR 14688 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-17

...-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw or coca leaves. As explained in the... controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority of section 1002(a)(2)(B) of...

Important Aspects of Controlling

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Galina Ju. Koblianska

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The article considers controlling as a new management concept, generated by the practice of modern management in the construction industry. Organizational and methodological framework is studied in terms of assessing the success of construction projects. A set of key performance indicators (KPI is developed based on a literature review and the practice of local companies. These figures are considered in close connection with the information environment of its existence – the administrative account and the prism of a general model of controlling. It reflects a way of introduction of indicators of achievement and success of construction projects in wages. Technical capabilities of the domestic market are analyzed to ensure the information unity of all components of the model considered controlling.

Wind tunnel testing to predict control room atmospheric dispersion factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmquist, L.J.; Harden, P.A.; Muraida, J.E.

1993-01-01

Recent concerns at Palisades about control room habitability in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident have led to an extensive effort to increase control room habitability margin. The heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system servicing the control room has the potential for unfiltered in-leakage through its normal outside air intake louvered isolation dampers during emergency mode. The current limiting control room habitability analysis allows for 1.2 x 10 -2 m 3 /s (25 ft 3 /min) unfiltered in-leakage into the control room envelope. This leakage value was not thought to be achievable with the existing as-built configuration. Repairing the system was considered as a potential solution; however, this would be costly and could negatively affect plant operation. In addition, the system would still be required to meet the low specified unfiltered in-leakage. A second approach to this problem was to determine the atmospheric dispersion factors (x/Q's) through a wind tunnel test using a scale model of Palisades. The results of the wind tunnel testing could yield more realistic x/Q's for control room habitability than previously employed methods. Palisades selected the wind tunnel study option based on its ease of implementation, realistic results, and low cost. More importantly, the results of the study could increase the allowable unfiltered in-leakage

Trajectories of childhood weight gain: the relative importance of local environment versus individual social and early life factors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan A Carter

Full Text Available To determine the association between local environmental factors with child weight status in a longitudinal study, using a semi-parametric, group-based method, while also considering social and early life factors.Standardized, directly measured BMI from 4-10 y of age, and group-based trajectory modeling (PROC TRAJ were used to estimate developmental trajectories of weight change in a Québec birth cohort (n = 1,566. Associations between the weight trajectories and living location, social cohesion, disorder, and material and social deprivation were estimated after controlling for social and early life factors.FOUR WEIGHT TRAJECTORY GROUPS WERE ESTIMATED: low-increasing (9.7%; low-medium, accelerating (36.2%; medium-high, increasing (43.0%; and high-stable (11.1%. In the low-increasing and medium-high trajectory groups, living in a semi-urban area was inversely related to weight, while living in a rural area was positively related to weight in the high-stable group. Disorder was inversely related to weight in the low-increasing group only. Other important risk factors for high-stable weight included obesity status of the mother, smoking during pregnancy, and overeating behaviors.In this study, associations between local environment factors and weight differed by trajectory group. Early life factors appear to play a more consistent role in weight status. Further work is needed to determine the influence of place on child weight.

On the incremental validity of irrational beliefs to predict subjective well-being while controlling for personality factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Spörrle, Matthias; Strobel, Maria; Tumasjan, Andranik

2010-11-01

This research examines the incremental validity of irrational thinking as conceptualized by Albert Ellis to predict diverse aspects of subjective well-being while controlling for the influence of personality factors. Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) argues that irrational beliefs result in maladaptive emotions leading to reduced well-being. Although there is some early scientific evidence for this relation, it has never been investigated whether this connection would still persist when statistically controlling for the Big Five personality factors, which were consistently found to be important determinants of well-being. Regression analyses revealed significant incremental validity of irrationality over personality factors when predicting life satisfaction, but not when predicting subjective happiness. Results are discussed with respect to conceptual differences between these two aspects of subjective well-being.

Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Sporadic Giardiasis and Parasite Assemblages in North West England.

Science.gov (United States)

Minetti, Corrado; Lamden, Kenneth; Durband, Caroline; Cheesbrough, John; Platt, Katherine; Charlett, Andre; O'Brien, Sarah J; Fox, Andrew; Wastling, Jonathan M

2015-10-01

Giardia duodenalis is a major cause of infectious gastroenteritis worldwide, and it is diversified into eight genetic assemblages (A to H), which are distinguishable only by molecular typing. There is some evidence that the assemblages infecting humans (assemblages A and B) may have different transmission routes, but systematically acquired data, combining epidemiological and molecular findings, are required. We undertook a case-control study with Giardia genotyping in North West England, to determine general and parasite assemblage-specific risk factors. For people without a history of foreign travel, swimming in swimming pools and changing diapers were the most important risk factors for the disease. People infected with assemblage B reported a greater number of symptoms and higher frequencies of vomiting, abdominal pain, swollen stomach, and loss of appetite, compared with people infected with assemblage A. More importantly, keeping a dog was associated only with assemblage A infections, suggesting the presence of a potential zoonotic reservoir for this assemblage. This is the first case-control study to combine epidemiological data with Giardia genotyping, and it shows the importance of integrating these two levels of information for better understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen. Copyright © 2015, Minetti et al.

Importance of pharmacokinetic studies in the management of acquired factor X deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Ming Y; McCarthy, Timothy; Chen, Sheh-Li; Rollins-Raval, Marian A; Ma, Alice D

2016-01-01

Up to 14% of individuals with systemic AL amyloidosis develop acquired factor X deficiency, which occurs due to adsorption of factor X onto amyloid fibrils. Although baseline factor X levels are not predictive of bleeding risk in these patients, serious hemorrhagic complications can occur, particularly during invasive procedures. Optimal management strategies to attenuate bleeding risk in these patients are unknown. We describe our experience in the management of acquired factor X deficiency, secondary to systemic AL amyloidosis, in a case series of three patients who received prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) for treatment and prevention of bleeding events. We performed a retrospective review extracting information on baseline demographics, laboratory data, pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, and clinically documented bleeding events. Our case series demonstrates that individuals with acquired factor X deficiency secondary to amyloidosis have variable laboratory and clinical responses to PCCs. This is likely due to distinct amyloid loads and fibril sequences, leading to different binding avidities for factor X. Our data emphasize the importance of performing PK testing prior to any invasive procedures to determine the dose and frequency interval to achieve adequate factor X levels for hemostasis, given the variable response between individuals. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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...

Plasmodium falciparum malaria importation from Africa to China and its mortality: an analysis of driving factors

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Shengjie; Wardrop, Nicola A.; Huang, Zhuojie; Bosco, Claudio; Sun, Junling; Bird, Tomas; Wesolowski, Amy; Zhou, Sheng; Zhang, Qian; Zheng, Canjun; Li, Zhongjie; Tatem, Andrew J.; Yu, Hongjie

2016-12-01

Plasmodium falciparum malaria importation from Africa to China is rising with increasing Chinese overseas investment and international travel. Identifying networks and drivers of this phenomenon as well as the contributors to high case-fatality rate is a growing public health concern to enable efficient response. From 2011-2015, 8653 P. falciparum cases leading to 98 deaths (11.3 per 1000 cases) were imported from 41 sub-Saharan countries into China, with most cases (91.3%) occurring in labour-related Chinese travellers. Four strongly connected groupings of origin African countries with destination Chinese provinces were identified, and the number of imported cases was significantly associated with the volume of air passengers to China (P = 0.006), parasite prevalence in Africa (P investment in resource extraction having the strongest relationship with parasite importation. Risk factors for deaths from imported cases were related to the capacity of malaria diagnosis and diverse socioeconomic factors. The spatial heterogeneity uncovered, principal drivers explored, and risk factors for mortality found in the rising rates of P. falciparum malaria importation to China can serve to refine malaria elimination strategies and the management of cases, and high risk groups and regions should be targeted.

The importance of geomorphic and hydrologic factors in shaping the sensitivity of alpine/subalpine lake volumes to shifts in climate

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, J.; Liefert, D. T.; Shuman, B. N.; Befus, K. M.; Williams, D. G.; Kraushaar, B.

2017-12-01

Alpine and subalpine lakes are important components of the hydrologic cycle in mountain ecosystems. These lakes are also highly sensitive to small shifts in temperature and precipitation. Mountain lake volumes and their contributions to mountain hydrology may change in response to even minor declines in snowpack or increases in temperature. However, it is still not clear to what degree non-climatic factors, such as geomorphic setting and lake geometry, play in shaping the sensitivity of high elevation lakes to climate change. We investigated the importance of lake geometry and groundwater connectivity to mountain lakes in the Snowy Range, Wyoming using a combination of hydrophysical and hydrochemical methods, including stable water isotopes, to better understand the role these factors play in controlling lake volume. Water isotope values in open lakes were less sensitive to evaporation compared to those in closed basin lakes. Lake geometry played an important role, with wider, shallower lakes being more sensitive to evaporation over time. Groundwater contributions appear to play only a minor role in buffering volumetric changes to lakes over the growing season. These results confirm that mountain lakes are sensitive to climate factors, but also highlight a significant amount of variability in that sensitivity. This research has implications for water resource managers concerned with downstream water quantity and quality from mountain ecosystems, biologists interested in maintaining aquatic biodiversity, and paleoclimatologists interested in using lake sedimentary information to infer past climate regimes.

75 FR 75496 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-03

... controlled substances listed in schedule I and II: Drug Schedule Marijuana (7360) I Tetrahydrocannabinols... customers for non- clinical, laboratory-based research only. In reference to drug code 7360 (Marijuana), the company plans to import synthetic cannabinoid agonists. In reference to drug code 7370...

Which factors are important for effectiveness of sport- and health-related apps?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dallinga, Joan; Janssen, Mark; van der Werf, Jet; Vos, Steven; Deutekom-Baart de la Faille, Marije

2017-01-01

Which factors are important for effectiveness of sport- and health-related apps? Results of focus groups with experts. Dallinga, J, van der Werf, J , Janssen, M, Vos, S, Deutekom-Baart de la Faille, M. A huge amount of sport- and health-related smartphone applications (apps) is available in the app

PMBLDC motor drive with power factor correction controller

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

George, G.J.; Ramachandran, Rakesh; Arun, N.

2012-01-01

reliability, and low maintenance requirements. The proposed Power Factor Controller topology improves power quality by improving performance of PMBLDCM drive, such as reduction of AC main current harmonics, near unity power factor. PFC converter forces the drive to draw sinusoidal supply current in phase...

Calmodulin-dependent nuclear import of HMG-box family nuclear factors: importance of the role of SRY in sex reversal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Gurpreet; Delluc-Clavieres, Aurelie; Poon, Ivan K H; Forwood, Jade K; Glover, Dominic J; Jans, David A

2010-08-15

The HMG (high-mobility group)-box-containing chromatin-remodelling factor SRY (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome) plays a key role in sex determination. Its role in the nucleus is critically dependent on two NLSs (nuclear localization signals) that flank its HMG domain: the C-terminally located 'beta-NLS' that mediates nuclear transport through Impbeta1 (importin beta1) and the N-terminally located 'CaM-NLS' which is known to recognize the calcium-binding protein CaM (calmodulin). In the present study, we examined a number of missense mutations in the SRY CaM-NLS from human XY sex-reversed females for the first time, showing that they result in significantly reduced nuclear localization of GFP (green fluorescent protein)-SRY fusion proteins in transfected cells compared with wild-type. The CaM antagonist CDZ (calmidazolium chloride) was found to significantly reduce wild-type SRY nuclear accumulation, indicating dependence of SRY nuclear import on CaM. Intriguingly, the CaM-NLS mutants were all resistant to CDZ's effects, implying a loss of interaction with CaM, which was confirmed by direct binding experiments. CaM-binding/resultant nuclear accumulation was the only property of SRY found to be impaired by two of the CaM-NLS mutations, implying that inhibition of CaM-dependent nuclear import is the basis of sex reversal in these cases. Importantly, the CaM-NLS is conserved in other HMG-box-domain-containing proteins such as SOX-2, -9, -10 and HMGN1, all of which were found for the first time to rely on CaM for optimal nuclear localization. CaM-dependent nuclear translocation is thus a common mechanism for this family of important transcription factors.

Smart trick at the border. Latitudinal control transformer increases import capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roggen, M.

2002-01-01

Starting in June 2002, energy consumers in the Netherlands can get more electric power from abroad. Without expensive system extensions, TenneT now has some 1000 MW of extra capacity available. And that is not all. Two latitudinal control transformers are able to control the capacity of the link as desired: 16 positions for import, and 16 for export [nl

The importance of radioprotection controls in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahyun, A.; Sanches, M.P.; Sordi, G.M.A.A.

1994-01-01

In nuclear medicine the main objective of radioprotection controls is to protect three people groups from external and internal radiation. To obtain this goal, the dose limitation system has to be followed firmly and for that, basic procedures have to be introduced. These basic procedures are the result of several activities which have to be balanced, one against the other to be effective. The aims of radioprotection are to ensure that people are not exposed to doses enough to cause radiation symptoms and to limit the doses of radiation. This is achieved by the use of shielding, containment, careful design and operating and administrative procedures. This paper presents a small list of general radioprotection problems found in nuclear medicine and establishes some rules to the job schedule and control measures to be followed in favor of safety. By considering the general radioprotection problems, a number of factors of substantial relevance in the control of external and internal doses can be deduced and emphasis properly placed. Work with radioactive material should be concentrated on a limited number of work rooms. Good radioactive materials inventory are essential because of the potentially large diversity of material and users. Storage of radioactive materials ensure that the public is not unnecessarily exposed. Appropriate monitoring equipment should be available within each working site. Line management commitment to safety has led to a heightened awareness for those control measures which encourages individuals to review and improve their own work rules. Investment in training programs, plant modifications and written procedures provide the necessary resource to support the dose reduction initiatives

75 FR 32505 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-08

... Johnson Matthey, Inc. to ensure that the company's registration is consistent with the public interest... 55858), Johnson Matthey, Inc., Pharmaceutical Materials, 2003 Nolte Drive, West Deptford, New Jersey... Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II The company plans to import the listed controlled substances as raw...

75 FR 10313 - Importer of Controlled Substances Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-05

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances Notice of Registration By Notice dated October 21, 2009, and published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2009 (74 FR 55584), Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665-2402, made...

76 FR 8776 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration By Notice dated November 1, 2010, and published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2010, 75 FR 69459, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665-2402, made...

75 FR 10312 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-05

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration By Notice dated October 20, 2009, and published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2009 (74 FR 55583), Formulation Technologies LLC., 11501 Domain Drive, Suite 130, Austin, Texas 78758, made...

76 FR 8775 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration By Notice dated November 1, 2010, and published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2010, 75 FR 69459, Formulation Technologies LLC., 11501 Domain Drive, Suite 130, Austin, Texas 78758, made...

Factores de riesgo para carcinoma basocelular: Estudio de casos-controles en Córdoba Risk factors for basal cell carcinoma: Case-control study in Cordoba

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Ruiz Lascano

2005-12-01

Full Text Available El carcinoma basocelular es una enfermedad compleja. Su etiología es todavía poco clara y a pesar de su frecuencia hay pocos datos sobre factores de riesgo. Nosotros evaluamos factores de riesgo potenciales para carcinoma basocelular en una población de Córdoba (Argentina. Este estudio de casos y controles incluyó a 88 casos nuevos de carcinoma basocelular, y 88 controles pareados por sexo y edad. Los siguientes factores de riesgo fueron significativos en el análisis multivariado: fototipos I, II y III, exposición solar recreativa alta después de los 20 años de edad, exposición solar alta en vacaciones en la playa y la presencia de queratosis actínicas.Basal cell carcinoma is undoubtedly a complex disease. Its etiology is still unclear and despite its frequency, there is a paucity of data on its risk factors. We assessed potential risk factors for basal cell carcinoma in a population from Córdoba (Argentina. This case-control study involved 88 newly diagnosed cases and 88 controls, matched by age and sex. The following risk factors were significant in the multivariate analysis: skin type I-II-III, high recreational sun exposure after 20 years of age, high sun exposure for beach holidays and actinic keratosis.

A study on important factors influencing customers’ impulsive buying behavior: A case study of Shahrvand food chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamed Asgari

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Customer purchasing behavior plays an essential role on marketing planning in today’s competitive environment. Immediate purchasing behavior is one of the most important components of purchasing behavior. In this paper, we use factor analysis to extract important factors influencing immediate purchasing behavior.The proposed study of this paper designs a questionnaire including 35 questions and through basic investigation, the questions are reduced to 21 ones. The questionnaire is distributed among 200 regular customers and 149 questionnaires have been collected. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.804, which is well above the minimum desirable level of 0.7. The survey is conducted among regular customers who normally make purchases from Shahrvand food chains in city of Tehran, Iran. The results of factor analysis reveals four major factors including intelligence pricing strategy, involvement, promotion margin and consumer behavior. The proposed study of this paper considers “intelligence pricing strategy” for the first time as an important factor in consumer’s purchasing behavior.

75 FR 69462 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-12

... 53718), Cambrex Charles City, Inc., 1205 11th Street, Charles City, Iowa 50616, made application by... bulk intermediate which will be distributed in bulk to the company's customers. No comments or... that the registration of Cambrex Charles City, Inc. to import the basic classes of controlled...

75 FR 44285 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-28

... 21661), Almac Clinical Services Inc., (ACSI), 2661 Audubon Road, Audubon, Pennsylvania 19403, made... Services Inc. (ACSI) to import the basic classes of controlled substances is consistent with the public... effect on May 1, 1971, at this time. DEA has investigated Almac Clinical Services Inc. (ACSI) to ensure...

76 FR 51400 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-18

..., Almac Clinical Services Inc., (ACSI), 25 Fretz Road, Souderton, Pennsylvania 18964, made application by... Services Inc. (ACSI) to import the basic classes of controlled substances is consistent with the public... effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has investigated Almac Clinical Services Inc. (ACSI) to ensure that the...

Design of automatic power factor control system | Yanev | Botswana ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Maintenance of the proper power factor is a very important matter for the industry and for the economy of any country. A study of the power factor values for a number of industrial plants in Botswana shows that they operate at power-factors lower than the optimal values. If a plant power factor is different from its optimal value, ...

IMPROVING CONTROL ROOM DESIGN AND OPERATIONS BASED ON HUMAN FACTORS ANALYSES OR HOW MUCH HUMAN FACTORS UPGRADE IS ENOUGH ?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

HIGGINS,J.C.; OHARA,J.M.; ALMEIDA,P.

2002-09-19

THE JOSE CABRERA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IS A ONE LOOP WESTINGHOUSE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR. IN THE CONTROL ROOM, THE DISPLAYS AND CONTROLS USED BY OPERATORS FOR THE EMERGENCY OPERATING PROCEDURES ARE DISTRIBUTED ON FRONT AND BACK PANELS. THIS CONFIGURATION CONTRIBUTED TO RISK IN THE PROBABILISTIC SAFETY ASSESSMENT WHERE IMPORTANT OPERATOR ACTIONS ARE REQUIRED. THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE DESIGN ON CREW PERFORMANCE AND PLANT SAFETY AND TO DEVELOP DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS.FIVE POTENTIAL EFFECTS WERE IDENTIFIED. THEN NUREG-0711 [1], PROGRAMMATIC, HUMAN FACTORS, ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATE THE CR-LA YOUT TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS. THESE ANALYSES INCLUDED OPERATING EXPERIENCE REVIEW, PSA REVIEW, TASK ANALYSES, AND WALKTHROUGH SIMULATIONS. BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THESE ANALYSES, A VARIETY OF CONTROL ROOM MODIFICATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED. FROM THE ALTERNATIVES, A SELECTION WAS MADE THAT PROVIDED A REASONABLEBALANCE BE TWEEN PERFORMANCE, RISK AND ECONOMICS, AND MODIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE PLANT.

Autonomy support and control in weight management: what important others do and say matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Johan Y Y; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie

2014-09-01

Drawing from self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2002, Overview of self-determination theory: An organismic-dialectical perspective. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 3-33). Rochester, NY: The University of Rochester Press.), we examined how individuals' psychological needs, motivation, and behaviours (i.e., physical activity and eating) associated with weight management could be predicted by perceptions of their important others' supportive and controlling behaviours. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 235 participants (mean age = 27.39 years, SD = 8.96 years) completed an online questionnaire. Statistical analyses showed that when important others were perceived to be more supportive, participants reported higher levels of more optimal forms of motivation for weight management, which in turn predicted more physical activity and healthy eating behaviours. In contrast, when important others were perceived to be controlling, participants reported higher levels of less optimal forms of motivation, which in turn predicted less physical activity and healthy eating behaviours, as well as more unhealthy eating behaviours. Significant indirect effects were also found from perceived support and control from important others to physical activity and eating behaviours, all in the expected directions. The findings support the importance of important others providing support and refraining from controlling behaviours in order to facilitate motivation and behaviours conducive to successful weight management. What is already known on this subject? Autonomy support is related to basic need satisfaction and autonomous motivation in the context of weight management. In turn, these variables are related to adaptive outcomes for weight management. What does this study add? Measurement of perceived controlling behaviours by important others. Measurement of perceived need thwarting. Structural model on how important others affect

75 FR 69461 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-12

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration By Notice dated June 17, 2010, and published in the Federal Register on June 28, 2010 (75 FR 36684), Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665-2402, made application by letter...

Risk factors for cataract: A case control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ughade Suresh

1998-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was designed as a hospital-based, group-matched, case-control investigation into the risk factors associated with age-related cataract in central India. The study included 262 cases of age-related cataract and an equal number of controls. A total of 21 risk factors were evaluated: namely, low socioeconomic status (SES, illiteracy, marital status, history of diarrhoea, history of diabetes, glaucoma, use of cholinesterase inhibitors, steroids, spironolactone, nifedipine, analgesics, myopia early in life, renal failure, heavy smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, hypertension, low body mass index (BMI, use of cheaper cooking fuel, working in direct sunlight, family history of cataract, and occupational exposure. In univariate analysis, except marital status, low BMI, renal failure, use of steroids, spironolactone, analgesics, and occupational exposure, all 14 other risk factors were found significantly associated with age-related cataract. Unconditional multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed the significance of low SES, illiteracy, history of diarrhoea, diabetes, glaucoma, myopia, smoking, hypertension and cheap cooking fuel. The etiological role of these risk factors in the outcome of cataract is confirmed by the estimates of attributable risk proportion. The estimates of population attributable risk proportion for these factors highlight the impact of elimination of these risk factors on the reduction of cataract in this population.

What Factors Are Associated with Autonomous and Controlled Motivation for Hearing Help-Seekers?

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgway, Jason; Hickson, Louise; Lind, Christopher

Hearing impairment is prevalent in older adults. Motivation is important in people's choice to seek help for their hearing and whether to adopt or not adopt hearing aids. To investigate associations between sociodemographic and audiometric characteristics and autonomous and controlled motivation among a sample of hearing help-seekers. A quantitative approach was taken for this cross-sectional cohort study. A total of 253 adult first-time hearing help-seekers were recruited to the study. Participants provided sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires adapted from self-determination theory that measured autonomous motivation (motivation that originates from within the self and is aligned with personal values and beliefs) and controlled motivation (motivation that stems from external pressures such as rewards or punishment, or conflicted inner feelings such as guilt or shame). Participants with higher autonomous motivation scores were younger, wanted hearing aids more, and reported greater hearing difficulty in everyday life than those with lower scores. Participants with higher controlled motivation scores were more often referred to the service by others and wanted hearing aids more than those with lower controlled motivation scores. Controlled motivation scores were not associated with perceptions of hearing difficulty in everyday life. Relationships among motivation and sociodemographic factors highlight the importance of characterizing autonomous and controlled motivation in first-time hearing help-seekers. Attention to personal characteristics in order to understand motivational processes involved in rehabilitation decisions such as hearing aid adoption may aid in consultations. American Academy of Audiology

A Bilayer Construct Controls Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Differentiation into Endothelial Cells and Pericytes without Growth Factor Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

A Bilayer Construct Controls Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Differentiation into Endothelial Cells and Pericytes Without Growth Factor Stimulation...Ph.D.3 This work describes the differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) in a composite hy- drogel for use as a vascularized...tissue from a single population of ASC. This work underscores the importance of the extracellular matrix in controlling stem cell phenotype. It is our

78 FR 39337 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Akorn, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil in bulk for use in dosage- form manufacturing. Any bulk manufacturer who is presently, or is applying to be, registered with DEA to manufacture such basic class of controlled substance listed in...

The PSA of safety-critical digital I and C system: the determination of important factors and sensitivity analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, H. G.; Sung, T. Y.; Eom, H. S.; Jeong, H. S.; Park, J. K.; Lee, K. Y.; Park, J. K.

2002-01-01

This report is prepared to suggest a practical Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) methodology of safety-critical digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems. Even though conventional probabilistic safety assessment methods are immature for applying to microprocessor-based digital systems, practical needs force to apply it because the result of probabilistic safety assessment plays very important role in proving the safety of a designed system. Microprocessors and software technologies make the digital system very complex and hard to analyze the safety of their applications. The aim of this is: (1) To summarize the factors which should be represented by the model for probabilistic safety assessment and to propose a standpoint of evaluation for digital systems. (2) To quantitatively presents the results of a mathematical case study which examines the analysis framework of the safety of digital systems in the context of the PSA. (3) To show the results of a sensitivity study for some critical factors

Relationship between patients' perception of the importance of diabetes and metabolic control and pursuing chronic complications of disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Ebrahim Khamseh

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Type II diabetes is a metabolic disorder. Environmental factors and patient awareness have major roles on chronic complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of patients' perception of t the importance of diabetes and metabolic- control and pursuing of chronic complications. Material and Methods: 194 patients with diabetes enrolled from diabetes clinic of Institute Endocrinology & Metabolism in a cross-sectional study, from February to March 2010. Data were collected using a questionnaire to assess the personal demographics, individual approach in pursuit of complications, and glycemic control, as well as patient perception and attitude toward the importance of disease process and follow-up. Level of perceptions was determined as well, moderate and weak. Results: Out of 194 patients, 77(39.7% were male and 117(60.3% female. Mean age was 52.18±10.17years. 69.2% did not know what the glycosylated hemoglobin was. In 71.4%, willing to participate in decisions making on medical treatment was good and they knew that with initiation of insulin therapy, they would have better metabolic control. 68.9% of patients had regular follow-up for eye complications, and 51% for cardiac complications. Follow-up for diabetic foot complication was poor. Patients with good perception had regular follow-up regarding cardiac, eye and renal complications. Conclusion: These results indicate that better perception of diabetic patients might improve their compliance for regular follow- up regarding the pursuit of chronic complications, especially cardiac, eye and renal problems. Although, the metabolic- control of patients had not the association with patient perception about the importance of diabetes

Risk factors for unintentional poisoning in children aged 1-3 years in NSW Australia: a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmertmann, Marcia; Williamson, Ann; Black, Deborah; Wilson, Leigh

2013-05-24

Unintentional poisoning in young children is an important public health issue. Age pattern studies have demonstrated that children aged 1-3 years have the highest levels of poisoning risk among children aged 0-4 years, yet little research has been conducted regarding risk factors specific to this three-year age group and the methodologies employed varied greatly. The purpose of the current study is to investigate a broad range of potential risk factors for unintentional poisoning in children aged 1-3 years using appropriate methodologies. Four groups of children, one case group (children who had experienced a poisoning event) and three control groups (children who had been 'injured', 'sick' or who were 'healthy'), and their mothers (mother-child dyads) were enrolled into a case-control study. All mother-child dyads participated in a 1.5-hour child developmental screening and observation, with mothers responding to a series of questionnaires at home. Data were analysed as three case-control pairs with multivariate analyses used to control for age and sex differences between child cases and controls. Five risk factors were included in the final multivariate models for one or more case-control pairs. All three models found that children whose mothers used more positive control in their interactions during a structured task had higher odds of poisoning. Two models showed that maternal psychiatric distress increased poisoning risk (poisoning-injury and poisoning-healthy). Individual models identified the following variables as risk factors: less proximal maternal supervision during risk taking activities (poisoning-injury), medicinal substances stored in more accessible locations in bathrooms (poisoning-sick) and lower total parenting stress (poisoning-healthy). The findings of this study indicate that the nature of the caregiver-child relationship and caregiver attributes play an important role in influencing poisoning risk. Further research is warranted to explore the

75 FR 64743 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-20

... Phenylacetone (8501) II Coca Leaves (9040) II Thebaine (9333) II Opium, raw (9600) II Noroxymorphone (9668) II... re-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw, and coca leaves. As... such basic classes of controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority...

76 FR 39123 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... Carfentanil (9743) II Coca Leaves (9040) II Cocaine (9041) II Codeine (9050) II Dextropropoxyphene, bulk (non... registration or re-registration to import crude opium, poppy straw, concentrate of poppy straw, and coca leaves... such basic classes of controlled substances listed in schedule I or II, which fall under the authority...

Power factor improvement in three-phase networks with unbalanced inductive loads using the Roederstein ESTAmat RPR power factor controller

Science.gov (United States)

Diniş, C. M.; Cunţan, C. D.; Rob, R. O. S.; Popa, G. N.

2018-01-01

The paper presents the analysis of a power factor with capacitors banks, without series coils, used for improving power factor for a three-phase and single-phase inductive loads. In the experimental measurements, to improve the power factor, the Roederstein ESTAmat RPR power factor controller can command up to twelve capacitors banks, while experimenting using only six capacitors banks. Six delta capacitors banks with approximately equal reactive powers were used for experimentation. The experimental measurements were carried out with a three-phase power quality analyser which worked in three cases: a case without a controller with all capacitors banks permanently parallel connected with network, and two other cases with power factor controller (one with setting power factor at 0.92 and the other one at 1). When performing experiments with the power factor controller, a current transformer was used to measure the current on one phase (at a more charged or less loaded phase).

Evaluation of factors affecting adherence to asthma controller ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Evaluation of factors affecting adherence to asthma controller therapy in chest clinics in a sub-Saharan African setting: a cross-sectional study. ... Background: Adherence to controller therapy in asthma is a major concern during the management of the disease. Objective: To determine the adherence rate and identify the ...

Experience with multiple control groups in a large population-based case-control study on genetic and environmental risk factors.

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Pomp, E R; Van Stralen, K J; Le Cessie, S; Vandenbroucke, J P; Rosendaal, F R; Doggen, C J M

2010-07-01

We discuss the analytic and practical considerations in a large case-control study that had two control groups; the first control group consisting of partners of patients and the second obtained by random digit dialling (RDD). As an example of the evaluation of a general lifestyle factor, we present body mass index (BMI). Both control groups had lower BMIs than the patients. The distribution in the partner controls was closer to that of the patients, likely due to similar lifestyles. A statistical approach was used to pool the results of both analyses, wherein partners were analyzed with a matched analysis, while RDDs were analyzed without matching. Even with a matched analysis, the odds ratio with partner controls remained closer to unity than with RDD controls, which is probably due to unmeasured confounders in the comparison with the random controls as well as intermediary factors. However, when studying injuries as a risk factor, the odds ratio remained higher with partner control subjects than with RRD control subjects, even after taking the matching into account. Finally we used factor V Leiden as an example of a genetic risk factor. The frequencies of factor V Leiden were identical in both control groups, indicating that for the analyses of this genetic risk factor the two control groups could be combined in a single unmatched analysis. In conclusion, the effect measures with the two control groups were in the same direction, and of the same order of magnitude. Moreover, it was not always the same control group that produced the higher or lower estimates, and a matched analysis did not remedy the differences. Our experience with the intricacies of dealing with two control groups may be useful to others when thinking about an optimal research design or the best statistical approach.

Decreased importance of environmental risk factors for childhood asthma from 1996 to 2006.

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Bjerg, A; Hedman, L; Perzanowski, M; Wennergren, G; Lundbäck, B; Rönmark, E

2015-01-01

The large increase in asthma prevalence continues in several, but not all areas. Despite the individual risk factors that have been identified, the reasons for the observed trends in prevalence are largely unknown. This study sought to characterize what trends in risk factors accompanied trends in asthma prevalence. Two population-based cohorts of 7- to 8-year-old children from the same Swedish study areas examined by expanded International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood questionnaires were compared 10 years apart. In 1996 and 2006, 3430 (97% participation) and 2585 (96% participation) questionnaires were completed, respectively. A subset was skin-prick-tested: in 1996 and 2006, 2148 (88% participation) and 1700 (90% participation) children, respectively. The adjusted population-attributable fraction (aPAF) was calculated using the prevalence and multivariate odds ratio of each risk factor. The prevalence of current asthma and wheeze was similar in 1996 and 2006. Allergic sensitization, however, increased from 21% to 30%. The prevalence of parental asthma increased from 17% to 24%, while respiratory infections and maternal smoking decreased (60% to 29% and 32% to 16%, respectively). The aPAFs of non-environmental risk factors for current asthma increased in 1996-2006: allergic sensitization from 35% to 41%, parental asthma from 27% to 45% and male sex from 20% to 25%. Conversely, the aPAFs of environmental risk factors decreased: respiratory infections from 36% to 32% and damp home and maternal smoking from 14% and 19%, respectively, to near zero in 2006. From 1996 to 2006, the non-environmental risk factors parental asthma, allergic sensitization and male sex had an increasing or constant importance for current asthma in 7- to 8-year-old children. The importance of the environmental exposures damp home, respiratory infections and maternal smoking decreased. This counterbalancing in risk factors may explain the level of prevalence of current asthma. �

Design-related influencing factors of the computerized procedure system for inclusion into human reliability analysis of the advanced control room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaewhan; Lee, Seung Jun; Jang, Seung Cheol; Ahn, Kwang-Il; Shin, Yeong Cheol

2013-01-01

This paper presents major design factors of the computerized procedure system (CPS) by task characteristics/requirements, with individual relative weight evaluated by the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique, for inclusion into human reliability analysis (HRA) of the advanced control rooms. Task characteristics/requirements of an individual procedural step are classified into four categories according to the dynamic characteristics of an emergency situation: (1) a single-static step, (2) a single-dynamic and single-checking step, (3) a single-dynamic and continuous-monitoring step, and (4) a multiple-dynamic and continuous-monitoring step. According to the importance ranking evaluation by the AHP technique, ‘clearness of the instruction for taking action’, ‘clearness of the instruction and its structure for rule interpretation’, and ‘adequate provision of requisite information’ were rated as of being higher importance for all the task classifications. Importance of ‘adequacy of the monitoring function’ and ‘adequacy of representation of the dynamic link or relationship between procedural steps’ is dependent upon task characteristics. The result of the present study gives a valuable insight on which design factors of the CPS should be incorporated, with relative importance or weight between design factors, into HRA of the advanced control rooms. (author)

The combined effect of the T2DM susceptibility genes is an important risk factor for T2DM in non-obese Japanese: a population based case-control study

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Yamakawa-Kobayashi Kimiko

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder. Recently, several genome-wide association studies (GWAS have identified many novel susceptibility loci for T2DM, and indicated that there are common genetic causes contributing to the susceptibility to T2DM in multiple populations worldwide. In addition, clinical and epidemiological studies have indicated that obesity is a major risk factor for T2DM. However, the prevalence of obesity varies among the various ethnic groups. We aimed to determine the combined effects of these susceptibility loci and obesity/overweight for development of T2DM in the Japanese. Methods Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in or near 17 susceptibility loci for T2DM, identified through GWAS in Caucasian and Asian populations, were genotyped in 333 cases with T2DM and 417 control subjects. Results We confirmed that the cumulative number of risk alleles based on 17 susceptibility loci for T2DM was an important risk factor in the development of T2DM in Japanese population (P P P = 0.88 for trend. Conclusions Our findings indicate that there is an etiological heterogeneity of T2DM between obese/overweight and non-obese subjects.

Blood group AB and factor V Leiden as risk factors for pre-eclampsia: a population-based nested case-control study.

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Hiltunen, Leena M; Laivuori, Hannele; Rautanen, Anna; Kaaja, Risto; Kere, Juha; Krusius, Tom; Paunio, Mikko; Rasi, Vesa

2009-06-01

Pre-eclampsia is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Its etiology is still unknown. Clinical symptoms correlate with activation of coagulation and inherited thrombophilia has been associated with pre-eclampsia. ABO blood group has been associated with thrombotic disorders and pre-eclampsia. We assessed ABO blood group, seven thrombophilia associated polymorphisms, and anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies as risk factors for pre-eclampsia. We performed a population-based nested case-control study of 100,000 consecutive pregnancies in Finland. Cases and controls were identified by combining national registers and medical records were reviewed. We studied 248 cases fulfilling strict criteria for pre-eclampsia and 679 controls. Severe pre-eclampsia, early pre-eclampsia, and pre-eclampsia with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) were analyzed separately. Blood group AB increased the risk for pre-eclampsia as a whole (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.5), and in the three subgroups (OR 2.3, 3.8, 3.4; 95% CI 1.3-3.9, 2.0-7.1, 1.6-7.1). FV Leiden increased the risk as a whole (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.9), and in the three subgroups, although not statistically significantly. Anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies were not associated with pre-eclampsia. High body mass index, diabetes, first pregnancy, and twin pregnancy increased the risk from 1.5-fold to 8.2-fold. Our results confirm and extend the prior observation of blood group AB being a risk factor for pre-eclampsia. ABO blood group is known from all pregnant women. The value of blood group as risk factor for pre-eclampsia should be further assessed in prospective studies. In this study, FV Leiden was not statistically significant risk factor.

Control of orphan sources. Import to and transport through Slovenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cesarek, J.; Vokal Nemec, B.

2007-01-01

Orphan sources are radioactive sources which are not under regulatory control, either because they have never been under regulatory control, or because they have been abandoned, lost, misplaced, stolen or transferred without proper authorisation. The issue of orphan sources is not a new one but the situation has been highlighted more and more in the last ten years. One of the most important international milestones in this regard was the conference in Dijon, France in 1998. The orphan sources have become an international problem due to steady increase in international trade which made impossible to control every transfer of goods between countries. Shipments of metal scrap, either national or international, could comprise orphan sources which had come into metal stream. The consequences of such events vary greatly: from contaminated metal just above exemption levels to a melting of volatile radionuclides of significant activity which may cause enormous remediation costs. In addition, the phenomenon of deliberate abuse of nuclear material and radioactive material or previous accidents with found orphan sources worldwide and fatalities have made this issue even more provoking. In Slovenia, no such drastic events have occurred so far. Since 1991 there have been a few meltings of cobalt-60 sources with only economic impact. On several occasions, Italy - the country with strict import control - has detected elevated radiation and denied shipments of scrap metal. They had originated either from Slovenia or from other countries, mostly from former Yugoslav republics. The Slovenian experience shows that majority of cases is related to import of scrap metal in Slovenia or to transit of such material through Slovenia. These orphan sources have originated from past industrial activities or have been under no or weak regulatory control in their countries of origin. In order to prevent inadvertent movement and illicit trafficking of nuclear material and radioactive sources some

Factors Affecting the Perception of Importance and Practice of Patient Safety Management among Hospital Employees in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, In-Sook; Park, MiJeong; Park, Mi-Young; Yoo, Hana; Choi, Jihea

2013-03-01

The study was undertaken to identify factors affecting perception of the importance and practice of patient safety management (PSM) among hospital employees in Korea. This study was conducted using a descriptive design and a self-report questionnaire. Two hundred and eighty employees were recruited from three hospitals using a convenience sampling method. Measures were perception of the importance, practice, and characteristics of PSM. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including t test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression. Factors affecting perception of the importance of PSM were whether hospital employees were in contact with patients while on duty, weekly working hours, education on PSM, and perceived adequacy of PSM system construction. Factors affecting the practice of PSM were perceived adequacy of work load, perceived adequacy of PSM system construction and perception of its importance. The findings of this study indicate a need for developing strategies to improve perception of the importance and practice of PSM among all hospital employees, and provide a reference for future experimental studies. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Importance of factors determining the low health-related quality of life in people presenting with a diabetic foot ulcer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siersma, V; Thorsen, H; Holstein, P E

2013-01-01

To identify the factors responsible for the low health-related quality of life associated with foot ulcers and the relative importance of these factors.......To identify the factors responsible for the low health-related quality of life associated with foot ulcers and the relative importance of these factors....

A study on important factors influencing customer relationship management: A case study of Mobile service provider

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Naser Azad

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Customers are considered as essential assets in any organizations including mobile services. During the past few years, mobile industry is growing rapidly and the competitions among business owners increases steadily. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing customer relationship management. The proposed study of this paper designs a questionnaire and distributes it among 253 customers in mobile industry in city of Tehran, Iran. All questions are designed in Likert scale and Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.816, which is relatively reliable value. There were 28 questions in this survey and the proposed study extracts five important factors including economic factors, communication skills, organizational resources, service capabilities and flexible market.

Importance of high triglycerides levels between novel coronary risk factors

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Valmore Bermúdez

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The analysis of new cardiovascular risk factors is under an extensive debate in the cardiology and metabolic research fields. Objective: To determine the main factors that contribute to the classification of individuals with higher coronary risk in the adult population from Maracaibo, Venezuela. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study with multistage random sampling in 1379 individuals belonging to the Maracaibo City Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence Study (MMSPS was performed. They were classified according to the coronary risk by Framingham-Wilson equation adapted to our population. The association between various risk factors was evaluated by ordinal logistic regression models. Results: 1,379 subjects (females 55.9%; n = 771 were evaluated, 66.2% (n = 913 were classified with low coronary risk. In univariate (χ2 = 112.35; p < 0.00001 and multivariate analysis [OR: 3.98 (2.39-6.63; p < 0.01], the main factors associated to be classified as the highest risk category were hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusion: There are several factors that should be included in predictive models use worldwide. The most important in our population were dyslipidemia such as hypertriglyceridemia, hyperlipoproteinemia (a and insulin resistance. Resumen: Introducción: El análisis de nuevos factores de riesgo cardiovascular constituye un tema de amplio debate en la investigación cardio-metabólica. Objetivo: Determinar los principales factores que contribuyen a la clasificación de sujetos en las categorías de mayor riesgo coronario en individuos adultos de la ciudad de Maracaibo, Venezuela. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, trasversal con muestreo aleatorio multietapas en 1.379 individuos pertenecientes al Estudio de Prevalencia de Síndrome Metabólico de la Ciudad de Maracaibo (EPSMM. Estos fueron clasificaron de acuerdo con el riesgo coronario mediante la fórmula Framingham-Wilson adaptada para

Import control of irradiated foods by the thermoluminescence method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinnioja, S.; Autio, T.; Niemi, E.; Pensala, O.

1993-01-01

A thermoluminescence (TL) method was applied for the import control of irradiated foods. The method is based on the determination of the TL of mineral contaminants in foods. Detection of irradiation was incorporated in official Finnish control procedures in spring 1990. For foodstuffs with a reduced microbe content and in which no fumigant residues are found, possible irradiation is investigated by the TL method. The minerals are separated from the foods in different ways: picking is used for spices; water rinsing for herbs, spices, berries and mushrooms; high-density liquid to separate the organic material from the mineral fraction in seafood; and carbon tetrachloride for foods forming gels with water. To date about 140 food samples have been analysed for control purposes: 50 samples of herbs and spices, 25 samples of berries and mushrooms and 65 samples of seafood. Of these, 14 samples of herbs and spices and 5 samples of seafood were shown to have been irradiated. Differences in TL intensity between irradiated and unirradiated samples were at least 1 and usually 3-4 orders of magnitude. (orig.)

Comparison of atherogenic risk factors among poorly controlled and well-controlled adolescent phenylketonuria patients.

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Gündüz, Mehmet; Çakar, Sevim; Kuyum, Pınar; Makay, Balahan; Arslan, Nur

2016-06-01

Previous studies investigating the known risk factors of atherosclerosis in phenylketonuria patients have shown conflicting results. The primary aim of our study was to investigate the serum atherogenic markers in adolescent classical phenylketonuria patients and compare these parameters with healthy peers. The secondary aim was to compare these atherogenic markers in well-controlled and poorly controlled patients. A total of 59 patients (median age: 12.6 years, range: 11-17 years) and 44 healthy controls (median age: 12.0 years, range: 11-15 years) were enrolled in our study. Phenylketonuria patients were divided into two groups: well-controlled (serum phenylalanine levels below 360 µmol/L; 24 patients) and poorly controlled patients (serum phenylalanine levels higher than 360 µmol/L). The mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of well-controlled patients (1.0±0.2 mmol/L) were significantly lower compared with poorly controlled patients and controls (1.1±0.2 mmol/L, p=0.011 and 1.4±0.2 mmol/L, pphenylketonuria patients. In particular, these changes were more prominent in well-controlled patients. We conclude that phenylketonuria patients might be at risk for atherosclerosis, and therefore screening for atherosclerotic risk factors should be included in the phenylketonuria therapy and follow-up in addition to other parameters.

Psycho-social factors are important for the perception of disease in patients with acute coronary disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bekke-Hansen, Sidsel; Weinman, John; Thastum, Mikael

2014-01-01

the role of socio-demographic, illness-related and psycho-social factors (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Life Orientation Test-Revised) for perceived consequences, controllability and causes (Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire) with standard......INTRODUCTION: Little is presently known about determinants of cardiac illness perceptions, especially regarding psycho-social factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Questionnaire study among 97 consecutively recruited inpatients (72.2% male; mean age 60.6 years) with acute coronary syndrome. We examined...... multiple regression. RESULTS: In final models, dispositional pessimism was associated with perceptions of more severe consequences, less personal control and more attribution of illness to immune system factors. Dispositional optimism was associated with less severe perceived consequences. Higher general...

78 FR 11521 - Control of Communicable Disease; Foreign-Requirements for Importers of Nonhuman Primates (NHP)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-15

... Part 71 Control of Communicable Disease; Foreign--Requirements for Importers of Nonhuman Primates (NHP... Primates (NHP) AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human... live nonhuman primates (NHPs) by extending existing requirements for the importation of Macaca...

Adverse life events, area socioeconomic disadvantage, and psychopathology and resilience in young children: the importance of risk factors' accumulation and protective factors' specificity.

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Flouri, Eirini; Tzavidis, Nikos; Kallis, Constantinos

2010-06-01

Few studies on resilience in young children model risk appropriately and test theory-led hypotheses about its moderation. This study addressed both issues. Our hypothesis was that for preschool children's emotional/behavioral adjustment in the face of contextual risk protective factors should be located in the cognitive domain. Data were from the first two sweeps of the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. The final study sample was 4,748 three-year-old children clustered in 1,549 Lower layer Super Output Areas in nine strata. Contextual risk was measured at both area (with the Index of Multiple Deprivation) and family (with proximal and distal adverse life events experienced) level. Moderator variables were parenting, verbal and non-verbal ability, developmental milestones, and temperament. Multivariate multilevel models-that allowed for correlated residuals at both individual and area level-and univariate multilevel models estimated risk effects on specific and broad psychopathology. At baseline, proximal family risk, distal family risk and area risk were all associated with broad psychopathology, although the most parsimonious was the proximal family risk model. The area risk/broad psychopathology association remained significant even after family risk was controlled but not after family level socioeconomic disadvantage was controlled. The cumulative family risk was more parsimonious than the specific family risks model. Non-verbal ability moderated the effect of proximal family risk on conduct and emotional problems, and developmental milestones moderated the effect of proximal family risk on conduct problems. The findings highlight the importance of modeling contextual risk appropriately and of locating in the cognitive domain factors that buffer its effect on young children's adjustment.

What Factors Are Important in Smoking Cessation Amongst Deprived Communities?: A Qualitative Study

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Henderson, Hazel J.; Memon, Anjum; Lawson, Kate; Jacobs, Barbara; Koutsogeorgou, Eleni

2011-01-01

Objective: There is limited evidence regarding effective smoking cessation interventions in deprived communities. This study explored what factors are considered most important in smoking cessation, from the perspective of a group of NHS Stop Smoking Service users from a deprived community. Design: A qualitative study. Setting: A deprived…

Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in coastal region of india: A case-control study

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Vinay Rao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Various studies have shown that people of Indian origin have an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD compared with most other ethnic groups. This increased risk has been attributed to multiple risk factors related to lifestyle. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 cases and 100 age and sex-matched controls were taken into this prospective case-control study from Intensive Coronary Care Unit. Prevalence of the following risk factors for myocardial infarction: Age, sex, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, history of hypertension, history of diabetes mellitus, and lipid profile were studied. Patient data were extracted from the medical records department and by interview. Results: The most important predictor of acute myocardial infarction (AMI was high low-density lipoprotein (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 4.124, confidence interval [CI]: 1.44-11.73, P = 0.008 history of hypertension and of overt diabetes mellitus were also independent risk factors (OR: 2, CI: 1.4-3 and OR: 2.29, CI: 1.5-3.5, respectively. Low high-density lipoprotein was found to have no significant association with AMI. Heavy drinkers were found to have a high-risk (OR: 68, while moderate drinkers were found to have protection (OR: 1. Conclusion: Smoking and heavy drinking cessation, treatment of hypertension and reduction in blood glucose, correction of abnormal lipid profile either through use of statins or by dietary modification may be important in preventing IHD in Asian Indians.

Factors Impacting Program Delivery: The Importance of Implementation Research in Extension

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Ryan J. Gagnon

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Cooperative Extension is in a unique position, given its relationship with research-based, Land-Grant Universities, to advance the scholarship of implementation research. A stronger shift towards evidence-based practice has been occurring, oriented towards the assessment of programs for outcomes. This paper explores core concepts related to program implementation and delves into factors that influence successful implementation of Extension programs and services. The importance of implementation within the Extension Program Development Model is explored, along with emerging issues and trends.

Belonging and doing: important factors for satisfaction with sexual relations as perceived by people with persistent mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona; Ostman, Margareta

2010-07-01

It is increasingly acknowledged that satisfaction with sexual relations forms an important aspect of people's lives, but little is known of factors associated with this phenomenon among people with mental illness. This study aimed to investigate how demographic, social, clinical, and health-related factors were related to satisfaction with sexual relations. Patients with persistent mental illness (N = 103), recruited from an outpatient unit, were assessed regarding the target variables. No clinical variable, and only one demographic factor, namely being a cohabitant, was found to be important to satisfaction with sexual relations. Several social factors, pertaining to how everyday occupations were valued and how the social network was perceived, were shown to be of importance. General quality of life, but not self-rated health or interviewer-assessed psychopathology, was also important for satisfaction with sexual relations. A multivariate analysis showed that the most significant factor for satisfaction with sexual relations was how everyday activities were valued, and being a cohabitant explained some additional variation. Previous research indicates that the mental health care services largely neglect sexual problems among people with mental illness, and the findings may provide additional knowledge that may be used in the support of this target group.

The importance of domestic law to international arms control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehman, R.F. II.

1993-11-01

Studies of arms control and disarmament tend to focus on political, military, and diplomatic processes. Recently, in the context of the conversion of defense activities to civilian use, the economic aspects of arms control have also received renewed interest. The legal dimension, however, is in need of fresh examination. Both international and domestic law are sailing increasingly in uncharted waters. Recent arms control agreements and related developments in international peacekeeping have expanded the scope of international law and altered how one perceives certain fundamentals, including the principle of national sovereignty. Still, the nation state is largely unchallenged as the primary actor in international affairs. National governments retain near absolute sovereign rights and responsibilities even in an age of trans-national economic integration and codified international norms for human rights, freedom of the press, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Indeed, the role of domestic law in arms control and disarmament may be more significant now than ever before. A brief review of relationships between arms control and domestic law should illustrate ways in which ones thinking has been underestimating the importance of domestic law. Hopefully, this survey will set the stage properly for the excellent, more detailed case studies by Elinor Hammarskjold and Alan Crawford. Toward that end, this paper will highlight a number of more general, and sometimes provocative, themes. These themes should be kept in mind when those two complementary presentations are considered

The importance of domestic law to international arms control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehman, R.F. II

1993-11-01

Studies of arms control and disarmament tend to focus on political, military, and diplomatic processes. Recently, in the context of the conversion of defense activities to civilian use, the economic aspects of arms control have also received renewed interest. The legal dimension, however, is in need of fresh examination. Both international and domestic law are sailing increasingly in uncharted waters. Recent arms control agreements and related developments in international peacekeeping have expanded the scope of international law and altered how one perceives certain fundamentals, including the principle of national sovereignty. Still, the nation state is largely unchallenged as the primary actor in international affairs. National governments retain near absolute sovereign rights and responsibilities even in an age of trans-national economic integration and codified international norms for human rights, freedom of the press, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Indeed, the role of domestic law in arms control and disarmament may be more significant now than ever before. A brief review of relationships between arms control and domestic law should illustrate ways in which ones thinking has been underestimating the importance of domestic law. Hopefully, this survey will set the stage properly for the excellent, more detailed case studies by Elinor Hammarskjold and Alan Crawford. Toward that end, this paper will highlight a number of more general, and sometimes provocative, themes. These themes should be kept in mind when those two complementary presentations are considered.

What are the most important factors for work participation in the young disabled? An expert view

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achterberg, Thea J.; Wind, Haije; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To define the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled according to experts. Method: A Delphi study was conducted with internet questionnaires. Health-related, personal and environmental factors known from literature were presented to insurance physicians and

Simplifying the audit of risk factor recording and control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Min; Cooney, Marie Therese; Klipstein-Grobusch, Kerstin

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: To simplify the assessment of the recording and control of coronary heart disease risk factors in different countries and regions. DESIGN: The SUrvey of Risk Factors (SURF) is an international clinical audit. METHODS: Data on consecutive patients with established coronary heart disease...

Power factor controllers: their markets and performance. Applications and marketing report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rattle, J.D.

1983-01-01

The report presents the findings of a UK market investigation into the potential application for three phase power factor controllers (pfc's) in the range 0.375-150 kW. It looks in detail at various pieces of equipment which are commonly driven by case rotor induction motors (eg pumps, fans, compressors, machine tools) and provides estimates of the numbers of each such type of equipment in use in UK industry broken down by power band. It also provides guidelines concerning annual usages of such pieces of equipment and the motor loadings commonly associated with them. The importance of electricity as a source of energy and the pattern and type of motive power usage is then presented for a wide range of industry sectors in an attempt to identify the most promising prima facie markets for the pfc concept of motor control and energy saving. The report is one of a series.

Refresher training as an important factor affecting safety of atomic energy utilization facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapralov, E.

2005-01-01

Refresher training appears to be one of the most important factors, affecting safety of atomic energy utilization facilities. To provide up-to-date refresher training programs and courses TC NRS implements best training practice based on the actual and perspective Russian national and international norms, regulations, standards and recommendations. (author)

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on authenticity of brand

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Naser Azad

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Building an appropriate brand always makes it possible to reach better market share in competitive market. This paper presents a study to find important factors influencing the authenticity of brand. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 21 questions, distributes it among 400 people who purchase regularly from chain stores in city of Tehran, Iran and collects 388 filled ones. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.712. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.748 and 1718.212, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived five factors including brand identification, brand registration, brand position, perception image from the brand and trust to brand.

Perinatal risk factors for neonatal encephalopathy: an unmatched case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tann, Cally J; Nakakeeto, Margaret; Willey, Barbara A; Sewegaba, Margaret; Webb, Emily L; Oke, Ibby; Mutuuza, Emmanuel Derek; Peebles, Donald; Musoke, Margaret; Harris, Kathryn A; Sebire, Neil J; Klein, Nigel; Kurinczuk, Jennifer J; Elliott, Alison M; Robertson, Nicola J

2018-05-01

Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is the third leading cause of child mortality. Preclinical studies suggest infection and inflammation can sensitise or precondition the newborn brain to injury. This study examined perinatal risks factor for NE in Uganda. Unmatched case-control study. Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. 210 term infants with NE and 409 unaffected term infants as controls were recruited over 13 months. Data were collected on preconception, antepartum and intrapartum exposures. Blood culture, species-specific bacterial real-time PCR, C reactive protein and placental histology for chorioamnionitis and funisitis identified maternal and early newborn infection and inflammation. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations with NE. Neonatal bacteraemia (adjusted OR (aOR) 8.67 (95% CI 1.51 to 49.74), n=315) and histological funisitis (aOR 11.80 (95% CI 2.19 to 63.45), n=162) but not chorioamnionitis (aOR 3.20 (95% CI 0.66 to 15.52), n=162) were independent risk factors for NE. Among encephalopathic infants, neonatal case fatality was not significantly higher when exposed to early neonatal bacteraemia (OR 1.65 (95% CI 0.62 to 4.39), n=208). Intrapartum antibiotic use did not improve neonatal survival (p=0.826). After regression analysis, other identified perinatal risk factors (n=619) included hypertension in pregnancy (aOR 3.77), male infant (aOR 2.51), non-cephalic presentation (aOR 5.74), lack of fetal monitoring (aOR 2.75), augmentation (aOR 2.23), obstructed labour (aOR 3.8) and an acute intrapartum event (aOR 8.74). Perinatal infection and inflammation are independent risk factors for NE in this low-resource setting, supporting a role in the aetiological pathway of term brain injury. Intrapartum antibiotic administration did not mitigate against adverse outcomes. The importance of intrapartum risk factors in this sub-Saharan African setting is highlighted. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the

RRM domain of Arabidopsis splicing factor SF1 is important for pre-mRNA splicing of a specific set of genes

KAUST Repository

Lee, Keh Chien

2017-04-11

The RNA recognition motif of Arabidopsis splicing factor SF1 affects the alternative splicing of FLOWERING LOCUS M pre-mRNA and a heat shock transcription factor HsfA2 pre-mRNA. Splicing factor 1 (SF1) plays a crucial role in 3\\' splice site recognition by binding directly to the intron branch point. Although plant SF1 proteins possess an RNA recognition motif (RRM) domain that is absent in its fungal and metazoan counterparts, the role of the RRM domain in SF1 function has not been characterized. Here, we show that the RRM domain differentially affects the full function of the Arabidopsis thaliana AtSF1 protein under different experimental conditions. For example, the deletion of RRM domain influences AtSF1-mediated control of flowering time, but not the abscisic acid sensitivity response during seed germination. The alternative splicing of FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM) pre-mRNA is involved in flowering time control. We found that the RRM domain of AtSF1 protein alters the production of alternatively spliced FLM-β transcripts. We also found that the RRM domain affects the alternative splicing of a heat shock transcription factor HsfA2 pre-mRNA, thereby mediating the heat stress response. Taken together, our results suggest the importance of RRM domain for AtSF1-mediated alternative splicing of a subset of genes involved in the regulation of flowering and adaptation to heat stress.

The Priority Importance of Economic Motivation Factors Against Risks for Green Building Development in Malaysia

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Mohamed Ghazali Farid Ezanee

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Green building development is an emerging paradigm for the construction industry practice all around the world. The establishement of Green Building rating tool helps to assess the whole life cycle process in planning to operation in a building. The Malaysian construction industry recognizes buildings that have been assessed using established green building tool such Green Building Index, Green RE or My CREST. Eventhough these rating tools provide motivation factors in its criteria and sub-criteria to promote sustainability in Malaysia buildings, there is still a major doubt to developers in terms of risks that may hinder their investments in green buildings. This paper highlights the priority importance of economic motivation factors against risks in the green building development in Malaysia. The data presented in this paper have been mainly derived from responses received through questionnaires completed by building stakeholders involved in green building developments. In order to determine the priority importance of economic motivation factors and risks identified for green building development, the questionnaire outcomes have been thoroughly assessed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method. As a result, lack of government incentive and high capital cost, which classified under green building risks, are the two key factors with highest priority importance that influenced most of the decision making for green building development in Malaysia. The results show green buildings have proliferated as governmental support and incentives with more exampler of higher profit return of investment in enhancing developers preference for green building development.

Importance-satisfaction analysis of street food sanitation and choice factor in Korea and Taiwan.

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Joo, Nami; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Bohee; Yoon, Jiyoung

2015-06-01

The present study investigated Korean and Taiwan adults on the importance of and the satisfaction with street food sanitation and street food choice factor, in order to present management and improvement measures for street foods. The present study conducted a survey on 400 randomly chosen adults (200 Korean, 200 Taiwanese). General characteristics, eating habits, street food intake frequency, and preference by type of street food of respondents were checked. Respondents' importance and satisfaction of street food hygiene and selection attributes were also measured. In order to test for the difference between groups, χ(2)-test and t-test were performed. ISA was also performed to analyze importance and satisfaction. Results showed that the importance of sanitation was significantly higher than satisfaction on all items in both Korea and Taiwan, and the satisfaction with sanitation was higher in Taiwan than in Korea. According to ISA results with street food sanitation, satisfaction was low while importance was high in both Korea and Taiwan. In terms of street food choice factor, importance scores were significantly higher than satisfaction scores on all items. In addition, satisfaction scores on all items except 'taste' were significantly higher in Taiwan than in Korea. A manual on sanitation management of street foods should be developed to change the knowledge and attitude toward sanitation by putting into practice a regularly conducted education. Considering the popularity of street foods and its potential as a tourism resource to easily publicize our food culture, thorough management measures should be prepared on sanitation so that safe street food culture should be created.

The importance of job control for workers with decreased work ability to remain productive at work.

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van den Berg, Tilja I; Robroek, Suzan J; Plat, Jan F; Koopmanschap, Marc A; Burdorf, Alex

2011-08-01

Workers with decreased work ability are at greater risk of reduced productivity at work. We hypothesized that work-related characteristics play an important role in supporting workers to remain productive despite decreased work ability. The study population consisted of 10,542 workers in 49 different companies in the Netherlands in 2005-2009. Productivity loss at work was defined on a 10-point scale by asking how much work was actually performed during regular hours on the last regular workday when compared with normal. Independent variables in the logistic regression analysis were individual characteristics, work-related factors, and the work ability index. Additive interactions between work-related factors and decreased work ability were evaluated by the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the likelihood of productivity loss at work were 2.03 (1.85-2.22), 3.50 (3.10-3.95), and 5.54 (4.37-7.03) for a good, moderate, and poor work ability, compared with an excellent work ability (reference group). Productivity loss at work was associated with lack of job control, poor skill discretion, and high work demands. There was a significant interaction between decreased work ability and lack of job control (RERI = 0.63 95% CI 0.11-1.16) with productivity loss at work. The negative effects on work performance of decreased work ability may be partly counterbalanced by increased job control. This suggests that interventions among workers with (chronic) disease that cause a decreased work ability should include enlargement of possibilities to plan and pace their own activities at work.

Non food-related risk factors of campylobacteriosis in Canada: a matched case-control study

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André Ravel

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Campylobacteriosis is a prominent bacterial gastrointestinal infection worldwide with several transmission pathways. Its non-foodborne routes have been less documented and quantified. The study aimed to quantitatively explore the role of potential risk factors not directly associated with food for sporadic cases of C. jejuni infection in Canada. Methods This retrospective matched case-control study was built on an enhanced campylobacteriosis surveillance system and on a survey of healthy people and their behaviour with regards to potential risk factors for gastrointestinal infections that occurred in the same area in Canada. Eighty-five cases were individually matched by age and season to 170 controls. Results Through conditional logistic regression, risk factors were found only among water-related factors (drinking untreated water, using tap filter, drinking water from well and swimming in natural water, whereas drinking bottled water was protective. Among the 32 non-water related factors explored, 12 were surprisingly ‘protective’ factors without relevant explanation for that effect (for example gardening, attending a barbecue, eating food from a fast-food restaurant, suggesting that human infection by Campylobacter may be more frequently acquired at home than outside the home. Conclusions This study confirms and quantifies the importance of the waterborne transmission of campylobacteriosis. People are encouraged to drink only treated water and to avoid the ingestion of natural water as much as possible while swimming or playing in water. Globally, general hygiene and proper food handling and cooking practices at home should continue to be encouraged.

A neuro-data envelopment analysis approach for optimization of uncorrelated multiple response problems with smaller the better type controllable factors

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Bashiri, Mahdi; Farshbaf-Geranmayeh, Amir; Mogouie, Hamed

2013-11-01

In this paper, a new method is proposed to optimize a multi-response optimization problem based on the Taguchi method for the processes where controllable factors are the smaller-the-better (STB)-type variables and the analyzer desires to find an optimal solution with smaller amount of controllable factors. In such processes, the overall output quality of the product should be maximized while the usage of the process inputs, the controllable factors, should be minimized. Since all possible combinations of factors' levels, are not considered in the Taguchi method, the response values of the possible unpracticed treatments are estimated using the artificial neural network (ANN). The neural network is tuned by the central composite design (CCD) and the genetic algorithm (GA). Then data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied for determining the efficiency of each treatment. Although the important issue for implementation of DEA is its philosophy, which is maximization of outputs versus minimization of inputs, this important issue has been neglected in previous similar studies in multi-response problems. Finally, the most efficient treatment is determined using the maximin weight model approach. The performance of the proposed method is verified in a plastic molding process. Moreover a sensitivity analysis has been done by an efficiency estimator neural network. The results show efficiency of the proposed approach.

Genome-scale study of the importance of binding site context for transcription factor binding and gene regulation

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Ronne Hans

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rate of mRNA transcription is controlled by transcription factors that bind to specific DNA motifs in promoter regions upstream of protein coding genes. Recent results indicate that not only the presence of a motif but also motif context (for example the orientation of a motif or its location relative to the coding sequence is important for gene regulation. Results In this study we present ContextFinder, a tool that is specifically aimed at identifying cases where motif context is likely to affect gene regulation. We used ContextFinder to examine the role of motif context in S. cerevisiae both for DNA binding by transcription factors and for effects on gene expression. For DNA binding we found significant patterns of motif location bias, whereas motif orientations did not seem to matter. Motif context appears to affect gene expression even more than it affects DNA binding, as biases in both motif location and orientation were more frequent in promoters of co-expressed genes. We validated our results against data on nucleosome positioning, and found a negative correlation between preferred motif locations and nucleosome occupancy. Conclusion We conclude that the requirement for stable binding of transcription factors to DNA and their subsequent function in gene regulation can impose constraints on motif context.

[Epidemic situation of oversea imported schistosomiasis in China and thinking about its prevention and control].

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Zhu, Rong; Xu, Jing

2014-04-01

The imported schistosomiasis cases in the Chinese literature and reports from the infectious disease monitoring information system from 1979 to 2013 were collected and compiled. Totally 365 cases were reported to be infected with outside schistosomiasis, including 239 cases of schistosomiasis haematobia (74.0%) and 71 cases of schistosomiasis mansoni (22.0%), and 42 foreigners (11.5%) and 323 Chinese (88.5%). The infection areas involved 15 countries and regions in Africa. Totally 74.92% of patients worked in the construction or geological prospecting in the wild field. According to the analysis of these cases, we found that the management system of prevention and control of imported schistosomiasis cases was not perfect including the high missing re-port rate, high misdiagnosis rate, and no standard diagnostic criteria. We suggest that all the levels of CDC or health administrative authorities should adopt the following relevant control measures to strengthen the imported schistosomiasis prevention and control in order to reduce the damage to the public health and the risk of the spread of African schistosomiasis in China: (1) to establish and perfect the imported schistosomiasis monitoring and control system in China; (2) to integrate the dynamic information platform of labor export and establish the comprehensive prevention and control management system of infectious diseases; (3) to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of oversea imported schistosomiasis; (4) to strengthen the research on the transmission risk of imported schistosomiasis in the territory of China.

ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of general analytical factors in veterinary laboratories.

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Flatland, Bente; Freeman, Kathy P; Friedrichs, Kristen R; Vap, Linda M; Getzy, Karen M; Evans, Ellen W; Harr, Kendal E

2010-09-01

Owing to lack of governmental regulation of veterinary laboratory performance, veterinarians ideally should demonstrate a commitment to self-monitoring and regulation of laboratory performance from within the profession. In response to member concerns about quality management in veterinary laboratories, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) formed a Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards (QAS) committee in 1996. This committee recently published updated and peer-reviewed Quality Assurance Guidelines on the ASVCP website. The Quality Assurance Guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports on 1) general analytic factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons, 2) hematology and hemostasis, and 3) clinical chemistry, endocrine assessment, and urinalysis. This report documents recommendations for control of general analytical factors within veterinary clinical laboratories and is based on section 2.1 (Analytical Factors Important In Veterinary Clinical Pathology, General) of the newly revised ASVCP QAS Guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimum guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing. It is hoped that these guidelines will provide a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts. ©2010 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Modifiable lifestyle factors associated with osteoporosis in Korean men: a case-control study.

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Park, Kye-Yeung; Hwang, Hwan-Sik; Park, Hoon-Ki

2017-12-01

The prevention, education, and treatment of osteoporosis are all recognized as important components in men as well as women. This study revealed that the lifestyle factors associated with male osteoporosis included being underweight and being a current smoker. Being overweight or obese and having a regular exercise habit were negatively associated with male osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a significant health problem in Korea and worldwide. Although osteoporosis is less prevalent in males than in females, the fracture-related mortality rate is higher in males than in females. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of modifiable lifestyle factors in males with osteoporosis. A case-control study was performed in men who visited a single university hospital for a medical check-up between August 2003 and July 2016. Patients were classified in the case group according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Osteoporosis Criteria. The control group was created by matching patients according to age and check-up date. Lifestyle factors were evaluated by a self-assessment questionnaire. Multivariate conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between lifestyle factors and male osteoporosis with age stratification at 50 years. A total of 1304 subjects were included in this analysis, 326 of whom were in the case group and 978 of whom were in the control group. Within their age group, subjects with osteoporosis were more often underweight (odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-4.98) or more often current smokers (2.22, 1.50-3.28) than control subjects. The subjects who were overweight (0.45, 0.32-0.64), obese (0.19, 0.13-0.27), had an irregular exercise habit (0.64, 0.43-0.94), or had a regular exercise habit (0.40, 0.28-0.57) were more likely to have normal bone status. Alcohol drinking habit had no significant association with male osteoporosis. Several modifiable lifestyle factors were associated with male

Effect of lifestyle on asthma control in Japanese patients: importance of periodical exercise and raw vegetable diet.

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Motoyasu Iikura

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The avoidance of inhaled allergens or tobacco smoke has been known to have favorable effects on asthma control. However, it remains unclear whether other lifestyle-related factors are also related to asthma control. Therefore, a comprehensive study to examine the associations between various lifestyle factors and asthma control was conducted in Japanese asthmatic patients. METHODS: The study subjects included 437 stable asthmatic patients recruited from our outpatient clinic over a one-year period. A written, informed consent was obtained from each participant. Asthma control was assessed using the asthma control test (ACT, and a structured questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding lifestyle factors, including tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, physical exercise, and diet. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The proportions of total control (ACT = 25, well controlled (ACT = 20-24, and poorly controlled (ACT 3 metabolic equivalents-h/week, and raw vegetable intake (> 5 units/week were significantly associated with good asthma control by bivariate analysis. Younger age, periodical exercise, and raw vegetable intake were significantly associated with good asthma control by multiple linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Periodical exercise and raw vegetable intake are associated with good asthma control in Japanese patients.

Factors associated with suicide: Case-control study in South Tyrol.

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Giupponi, Giancarlo; Innamorati, Marco; Baldessarini, Ross J; De Leo, Diego; de Giovannelli, Francesca; Pycha, Roger; Conca, Andreas; Girardi, Paolo; Pompili, Maurizio

2018-01-01

As suicide is related to many factors in addition to psychiatric illness, broad and comprehensive risk-assessment for risk of suicide is required. This study aimed to differentiate nondiagnostic risk factors among suicides versus comparable psychiatric patients without suicidal behavior. We carried out a pilot, case-control comparison of 131 cases of suicide in South Tyrol matched for age and sex with 131 psychiatric controls, using psychological autopsy methods to evaluate differences in clinically assessed demographic, social, and clinical factors, using bivariate conditional Odds Risk comparisons followed by conditional regression modeling controlled for ethnicity. Based on multivariable conditional regression modeling, suicides were significantly more likely to have experienced risk factors, ranking as: [a] family history of suicide or attempt≥[b] recent interpersonal stressors≥[c] childhood traumatic events≥[d] lack of recent clinician contacts≥[e] previous suicide attempt≥[f] non-Italian ethnicity, but did not differ in education, marital status, living situation, or employment, nor by psychiatric or substance-abuse diagnoses. Both recent and early factors were associated with suicide, including lack of recent clinical care, non-Italian cultural subgroup-membership, familial suicidal behavior, and recent interpersonal distress. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A transcript cleavage factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis important for its survival.

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Arnab China

Full Text Available After initiation of transcription, a number of proteins participate during elongation and termination modifying the properties of the RNA polymerase (RNAP. Gre factors are one such group conserved across bacteria. They regulate transcription by projecting their N-terminal coiled-coil domain into the active center of RNAP through the secondary channel and stimulating hydrolysis of the newly synthesized RNA in backtracked elongation complexes. Rv1080c is a putative gre factor (MtbGre in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The protein enhanced the efficiency of promoter clearance by lowering abortive transcription and also rescued arrested and paused elongation complexes on the GC rich mycobacterial template. Although MtbGre is similar in domain organization and shares key residues for catalysis and RNAP interaction with the Gre factors of Escherichia coli, it could not complement an E. coli gre deficient strain. Moreover, MtbGre failed to rescue E. coli RNAP stalled elongation complexes, indicating the importance of specific protein-protein interactions for transcript cleavage. Decrease in the level of MtbGre reduced the bacterial survival by several fold indicating its essential role in mycobacteria. Another Gre homolog, Rv3788 was not functional in transcript cleavage activity indicating that a single Gre is sufficient for efficient transcription of the M. tuberculosis genome.

On the factors controlling occurrence of F-region coherent echoes

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D. W. Danskin

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Several factors are known to control the HF echo occurrence rate, including electron density distribution in the ionosphere (affecting the propagation path of the radar wave, D-region radio wave absorption, and ionospheric irregularity intensity. In this study, we consider 4 days of CUTLASS Finland radar observations over an area where the EISCAT incoherent scatter radar has continuously monitored ionospheric parameters. We illustrate that for the event under consideration, the D-region absorption was not the major factor affecting the echo appearance. We show that the electron density distribution and the radar frequency selection were much more significant factors. The electron density magnitude affects the echo occurrence in two different ways. For small F-region densities, a minimum value of 1 × 1011 m-3 is required to have sufficient radio wave refraction so that the orthogonality (with the magnetic field lines condition is met. For too large densities, radio wave strong "over-refraction" leads to the ionospheric echo disappearance. We estimate that the over-refraction is important for densities greater than 4 × 1011 m-3. We also investigated the backscatter power and the electric field magnitude relationship and found no obvious relationship contrary to the expectation that the gradient-drift plasma instability would lead to stronger irregularity intensity/echo power for larger electric fields.Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric irregularities; plasma waves and instabilities; auroral ionosphere

Importance of delayed neutron data in transmutation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujimoto, Kazufumi

1999-01-01

The accelerator-driven transmutation system has been studied at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This system is a hybrid system which consists of a high intensity accelerator, a spallation target and a subcritical core region. The subcritical core is driven by neutrons generated by spallation reaction in the target region. There is no control rod in this system, so the power is controlled only by proton beam current. The beam current to keep constant power change with effective multiplication factor of subcritical core. So, the evaluation of delayed neutron fraction which is strongly connected to the measurement of subcritical level is important factor in operation of accelerator-driven system. In this paper, important nuclides for the delayed neutron fraction of ADS will be discussed, moreover, present state of delayed neutron data in evaluated nuclear data library is presented. (author)

Risk factors for syphilis in women: case-control study

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Vilma Costa de Macêdo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To determine the sociodemographic, behavioral, and health care factors related to the occurrence of syphilis in women treated at public maternity hospitals. METHODS This is a case-control study (239 cases and 322 controls with women admitted to seven maternity hospitals in the municipality of Recife, Brazil, from July 2013 to July 2014. Eligible women were recruited after the result of the VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory under any titration. The selection of cases and controls was based on the result of the serology for syphilis using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The independent variables were grouped into: sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and obstetric history, and health care in prenatal care and maternity hospital. Information was obtained by interview, during hospitalization, with the application of a questionnaire. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression to identify the predicting factors of the variable to be explained. RESULTS The logistic regression analysis identified as determinant factors for gestational syphilis: education level of incomplete basic education or illiterate (OR = 2.02, lack of access to telephone (OR = 2.4, catholic religion (OR = 1.70 , four or more pregnancies (OR = 2.2, three or more sexual partners in the last year (OR = 3.1, use of illicit drugs before the age of 18 (OR = 3.0, and use of illicit drugs by the current partner (OR = 1.7. Only one to three prenatal appointments (OR = 3.5 and a previous history of sexually transmitted infection (OR = 9.7 were also identified as determinant factors. CONCLUSIONS Sociodemographic, behavioral, and health care factors are associated with the occurrence of syphilis in women and should be taken into account in the elaboration of universal strategies aimed at the prevention and control of syphilis, but with a focus on situations of greater vulnerability.

Risk factors for syphilis in women: case-control study

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de Macêdo, Vilma Costa; de Lira, Pedro Israel Cabral; de Frias, Paulo Germano; Romaguera, Luciana Maria Delgado; Caires, Silvana de Fátima Ferreira; Ximenes, Ricardo Arraes de Alencar

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To determine the sociodemographic, behavioral, and health care factors related to the occurrence of syphilis in women treated at public maternity hospitals. METHODS This is a case-control study (239 cases and 322 controls) with women admitted to seven maternity hospitals in the municipality of Recife, Brazil, from July 2013 to July 2014. Eligible women were recruited after the result of the VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) under any titration. The selection of cases and controls was based on the result of the serology for syphilis using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The independent variables were grouped into: sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and obstetric history, and health care in prenatal care and maternity hospital. Information was obtained by interview, during hospitalization, with the application of a questionnaire. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression to identify the predicting factors of the variable to be explained. RESULTS The logistic regression analysis identified as determinant factors for gestational syphilis: education level of incomplete basic education or illiterate (OR = 2.02), lack of access to telephone (OR = 2.4), catholic religion (OR = 1.70 ), four or more pregnancies (OR = 2.2), three or more sexual partners in the last year (OR = 3.1), use of illicit drugs before the age of 18 (OR = 3.0), and use of illicit drugs by the current partner (OR = 1.7). Only one to three prenatal appointments (OR = 3.5) and a previous history of sexually transmitted infection (OR = 9.7) were also identified as determinant factors. CONCLUSIONS Sociodemographic, behavioral, and health care factors are associated with the occurrence of syphilis in women and should be taken into account in the elaboration of universal strategies aimed at the prevention and control of syphilis, but with a focus on situations of greater vulnerability. PMID:28832758

Potential risk factors for diabetic neuropathy: a case control study

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Nooraei Mahdi

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus type II afflicts at least 2 million people in Iran. Neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and lowers the patient's quality of life. Since neuropathy often leads to ulceration and amputation, we have tried to elucidate the factors that can affect its progression. Methods In this case-control study, 110 diabetic patients were selected from the Shariati Hospital diabetes clinic. Michigan Neuropathic Diabetic Scoring (MNDS was used to differentiate cases from controls. The diagnosis of neuropathy was confirmed by nerve conduction studies (nerve conduction velocity and electromyography. The multiple factors compared between the two groups included consumption of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI, blood pressure, serum lipid level, sex, smoking, method of diabetes control and its quality. Results Statistically significant relationships were found between neuropathy and age, gender, quality of diabetes control and duration of disease (P values in the order: 0.04, 0.04, Conclusion In this study, hyperglycemia was the only modifiable risk factor for diabetic neuropathy. Glycemic control reduces the incidence of neuropathy, slows its progression and improves the diabetic patient's quality of life. More attention must be paid to elderly male diabetic patients with poor diabetes control with regard to regular foot examinations and more practical education.

Environmental factors in infancy and ulcerative colitis in the Central South of Chile: a case-control study.

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Boneberger, Anja; Weiss, Eduardo Hebel; Calvo, Mario; Torres, Lilibeth; Wagner, Johanna; Kabesch, Michael; Radon, Katja

2011-10-01

Evidence for the role of the hygiene hypothesis and the development of Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is unclear. We aimed to explore the association between environmental factors in infancy and UC. A hospital-based case-control study (52 UC cases, response: 77%, 174 age- , sex and place of living matched controls, response: 62%) was carried out in the Central South of Chile in 2009/2010. Patients or parents underwent a personal interview about early life experiences. High paternal education (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 2.1; 95% CI: 1.0-4.5) as proxy for socioeconomic status was positively associated with case status in the final multivariate logistic regression model. Likewise, having older siblings was a risk factor for UC (aOR: 2.2; 95%CI: 1.1.-4.4). The importance for some early life environmental factors in the development of UC was established. However, the role of the hygiene hypothesis could not be confirmed for all environmental factors. Copyright © 2011 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk factors for incident delirium in an acute general medical setting: a retrospective case-control study.

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Tomlinson, Emily Jane; Phillips, Nicole M; Mohebbi, Mohammadreza; Hutchinson, Alison M

2017-03-01

To determine predisposing and precipitating risk factors for incident delirium in medical patients during an acute hospital admission. Incident delirium is the most common complication of hospital admission for older patients. Up to 30% of hospitalised medical patients experience incident delirium. Determining risk factors for delirium is important for identifying patients who are most susceptible to incident delirium. Retrospective case-control study with two controls per case. An audit tool was used to review medical records of patients admitted to acute medical units for data regarding potential risk factors for delirium. Data were collected between August 2013 and March 2014 at three hospital sites of a healthcare organisation in Melbourne, Australia. Cases were 161 patients admitted to an acute medical ward and diagnosed with incident delirium between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2013. Controls were 321 patients sampled from the acute medical population admitted within the same time range, stratified for admission location and who did not develop incident delirium during hospitalisation. Identified using logistic regression modelling, predisposing risk factors for incident delirium were dementia, cognitive impairment, functional impairment, previous delirium and fracture on admission. Precipitating risk factors for incident delirium were use of an indwelling catheter, adding more than three medications during admission and having an abnormal sodium level during admission. Multiple risk factors for incident delirium exist; patients with a history of delirium, dementia and cognitive impairment are at greatest risk of developing delirium during hospitalisation. Nurses and other healthcare professionals should be aware of patients who have one or more risk factors for incident delirium. Knowledge of risk factors for delirium has the potential to increase the recognition and understanding of patients who are vulnerable to delirium. Early recognition and

77 FR 60143 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Cody Laboratories, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-02

... importer of the following basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Opium, raw (9600) II... several controlled substances that are manufactured from opium raw, and poppy straw concentrate. The..., or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has investigated Cody Laboratories, Inc., to ensure that...

Neuropsychological functioning in older people with type 2 diabetes: the effect of controlling for confounding factors.

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Asimakopoulou, K G; Hampson, S E; Morrish, N J

2002-04-01

Neuropsychological functioning was examined in a group of 33 older (mean age 62.40 +/- 9.62 years) people with Type 2 diabetes (Group 1) and 33 non-diabetic participants matched with Group 1 on age, sex, premorbid intelligence and presence of hypertension and cardio/cerebrovascular conditions (Group 2). Data statistically corrected for confounding factors obtained from the diabetic group were compared with the matched control group. The results suggested small cognitive deficits in diabetic people's verbal memory and mental flexibility (Logical Memory A and SS7). No differences were seen between the two samples in simple and complex visuomotor attention, sustained complex visual attention, attention efficiency, mental double tracking, implicit memory, and self-reported memory problems. These findings indicate minimal cognitive impairment in relatively uncomplicated Type 2 diabetes and demonstrate the importance of control and matching for confounding factors.

Quality control in diagnostic mammography: myths, realities and their importance in the final image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mora Rodriguez, Patricia

2011-01-01

Mammography is the most used tool for early detection of breast cancer and reduce mortality from this cause. Studies with ionizing radiation it is important that be justified and provide a quality image to make the diagnosis, to get more benefits and fewer risks. The problem is the difficult to obtain an image of the breast. Therefore, the commitment to quality mammography is to maximize the contrast, definition, resolution and reliability, thus minimizing noise and dose. A mammogram performed without quality don't detect early breast cancer and the study doesn't have sense. Quality mammography requires trained and experienced staff, modern equipment and in good conditions, correct positioning, right technical factors and appropriate viewing conditions. In addition, quality programs are required to reach to ensure quality, control in testing techniques and image quality. (author) [es

Human factors evaluation of the engineering test reactor control room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banks, W.W.; Boone, M.P.

1981-03-01

The Reactor and Process Control Rooms at the Engineering Test Reactor were evaluated by a team of human factors engineers using available human factors design criteria. During the evaluation, ETR, equipment and facilities were compared with MIL-STD-1472-B, Human Engineering design Criteria for Military Systems. The focus of recommendations centered on: (a) displays and controls; placing displays and controls in functional groups; (b) establishing a consistent color coding (in compliance with a standard if possible); (c) systematizing annunciator alarms and reducing their number; (d) organizing equipment in functional groups; and (e) modifying labeling and lines of demarcation

Effect of lifestyle on asthma control in Japanese patients: importance of periodical exercise and raw vegetable diet.

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Iikura, Motoyasu; Yi, Siyan; Ichimura, Yasunori; Hori, Ai; Izumi, Shinyu; Sugiyama, Haruhito; Kudo, Koichiro; Mizoue, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Nobuyuki

2013-01-01

The avoidance of inhaled allergens or tobacco smoke has been known to have favorable effects on asthma control. However, it remains unclear whether other lifestyle-related factors are also related to asthma control. Therefore, a comprehensive study to examine the associations between various lifestyle factors and asthma control was conducted in Japanese asthmatic patients. The study subjects included 437 stable asthmatic patients recruited from our outpatient clinic over a one-year period. A written, informed consent was obtained from each participant. Asthma control was assessed using the asthma control test (ACT), and a structured questionnaire was administered to obtain information regarding lifestyle factors, including tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, physical exercise, and diet. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. The proportions of total control (ACT = 25), well controlled (ACT = 20-24), and poorly controlled (ACT smoking status and alcohol drinking were not associated with asthma control. On the other hand, younger age (smoking, periodical exercise (> 3 metabolic equivalents-h/week), and raw vegetable intake (> 5 units/week) were significantly associated with good asthma control by bivariate analysis. Younger age, periodical exercise, and raw vegetable intake were significantly associated with good asthma control by multiple linear regression analysis. Periodical exercise and raw vegetable intake are associated with good asthma control in Japanese patients.

78 FR 33440 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration; Rhodes Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-04

... importer of the following basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Opium Raw (9600) II Poppy... States obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA...

77 FR 35057 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Rhodes Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-12

... importer of the basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Opium, raw (9600) II Poppy Straw... obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has...

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on decision support systems

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Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Decision Support Systems (DSSs are computer-based information systems for providing necessary supports for business or organizational decision-making activities. DSSs often serve the management, operations, and planning levels of all organizations and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly changing and not easily achieved in advance. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing DSSs. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 36 questions, distributes it among 213 employees who work for different offices in municipality of Tehran, Iran. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.872. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.782 and 1014.521, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived three factors including system, analysis and transaction.

A case-control study of risk factors for multiple sclerosis in Iran.

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Alonso, Alvaro; Cook, Stuart D; Maghzi, Amir-Hadi; Divani, Afshin A

2011-05-01

Numerous studies have assessed risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS), although none have been conducted previously in Iran. The objective of this study was to study lifestyle and environmental risk factors of MS in the Iranian population. A case-control study, including 394 MS cases and 394 matched controls, was conducted in MS clinics in different Iranian cities. Information on lifestyles, environmental exposures, and past medical history was obtained from medical charts and phone interviews. In multivariable analysis, sunlight exposure was associated with a lower risk of MS: the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of MS associated with a 1-h increment in daily sunlight was 0.62 (0.53-0.73). Smoking was associated with MS risk in women (OR: 6.48, 95% CI: 1.46-28.78), but not in men (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.31-1.68) (p=0.002 for interaction). Finally, past history of common surgical procedures, infectious disorders, or exposure to pets and farm animals was not associated with MS risk. Different modifiable lifestyles, including sunlight exposure and smoking, were associated with lower MS risk in Iran. Interventions aimed at promoting smoking cessation and, more importantly, at increasing exposure to sunlight might contribute to the prevention of MS.

Individual and occupational risk factors for knee osteoarthritis – Study protocol of a case control study

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Bouillon Bertil

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knee osteoarthritis (OA is one of the frequent and functionally impairing disorders of the musculoskeletal system. In the literature, a number of occupational risk factors are discussed as being related to the development and progress of knee joint diseases, e.g. working in kneeling or squatting posture, lifting and carrying of heavy weights. The importance of the single risk factors and the possibility of prevention are currently under discussion. Besides the occupational factors, a number of individual risk factors are important, too. The distinction between work-related factors and individual factors is crucial in assessing the risk and in deriving preventive measures in occupational health. In existing studies, the occupational stress is determined mainly by surveys in employees and/or by making assumptions about individual occupations. Direct evaluation of occupational exposure has been performed only exceptionally. The aim of the research project ArGon is the assessment of different occupational factors in relation to individual factors (e.g. constitutional factors, leisure time activities, sports, which might influence the development and/or progression of knee (OA. The project is designed as a case control study. Methods/Design To raise valid data about the physical stress associated with occupational and leisure time activities, patients with and without knee OA are questioned by means of a standardised questionnaire and an interview. The required sample size was estimated to 800 cases and an equal number of controls. The degree and localisation of the knee cartilage or joint damages in the cases are documented on the basis of radiological, arthroscopic and/or operative findings in a patient record. Furthermore, occupational exposure is analysed at selected workplaces. To evaluate the answers provided in the questionnaire, work analysis is performed. Discussion In this research project, specific information on the

Importance-satisfaction analysis of street food sanitation and choice factor in Korea and Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Joo, Nami; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Bohee

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The present study investigated Korean and Taiwan adults on the importance of and the satisfaction with street food sanitation and street food choice factor, in order to present management and improvement measures for street foods. SUBJECTS/METHODS The present study conducted a survey on 400 randomly chosen adults (200 Korean, 200 Taiwanese). General characteristics, eating habits, street food intake frequency, and preference by type of street food of respondents were checked. Respondents' importance and satisfaction of street food hygiene and selection attributes were also measured. In order to test for the difference between groups, χ2-test and t-test were performed. ISA was also performed to analyze importance and satisfaction. RESULTS Results showed that the importance of sanitation was significantly higher than satisfaction on all items in both Korea and Taiwan, and the satisfaction with sanitation was higher in Taiwan than in Korea. According to ISA results with street food sanitation, satisfaction was low while importance was high in both Korea and Taiwan. In terms of street food choice factor, importance scores were significantly higher than satisfaction scores on all items. In addition, satisfaction scores on all items except 'taste' were significantly higher in Taiwan than in Korea. CONCLUSIONS A manual on sanitation management of street foods should be developed to change the knowledge and attitude toward sanitation by putting into practice a regularly conducted education. Considering the popularity of street foods and its potential as a tourism resource to easily publicize our food culture, thorough management measures should be prepared on sanitation so that safe street food culture should be created. PMID:26060542

A case-control study of the risk factors for obstetric fistula in Tigray, Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis Wall, L; Belay, Shewaye; Haregot, Tesfahun; Dukes, Jonathan; Berhan, Eyoel; Abreha, Melaku

2017-12-01

We tested the null hypothesis that there were no differences between patients with obstetric fistula and parous controls without fistula. A unmatched case-control study was carried out comparing 75 women with a history of obstetric fistula with 150 parous controls with no history of fistula. Height and weight were measured for each participant, along with basic socio-demographic and obstetric information. Descriptive statistics were calculated and differences between the groups were analyzed using Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test where appropriate, and Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test, along with backward stepwise logistic regression analyses to detect predictors of obstetric fistula. Associations with a p value divorce/separation, and lived in more impoverished circumstances than controls. Fistula patients had worse reproductive histories, with greater numbers of stillbirths/abortions and higher rates of assisted vaginal delivery and cesarean section. The final logistic regression model found four significant risk factors for developing an obstetric fistula: age at marriage (OR 1.23), history of assisted vaginal delivery (OR 3.44), lack of adequate antenatal care (OR 4.43), and a labor lasting longer than 1 day (OR 14.84). Our data indicate that obstetric fistula results from the lack of access to effective obstetrical services when labor is prolonged. Rural poverty and lack of adequate transportation infrastructure are probably important co-factors in inhibiting access to needed care.

The Importance of Behavioral Risk Factors for Prevention of Chronic Diseases

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Mahmut Kilic

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In 2005, the cause for almost 60.0% of the deaths in the world is chronic diseases. In the word each year, due to die 5.1 million people from tobacco use, 3.2 million people from physical inactivity, 2.8 million people from overweight or obesity, and 2.7 million people from inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables. The relationships between environmental, socio-economic, cultural and individual characteristics of the risk factors were multi-dimensional and complex. Today, socio-economic burden of disease and risk factors they bring to society are calculated and determined according to this policy. According to World Health Organization (WHO Global Health Risks report, tobacco use, being overweight or obese, insufficient physical activity, alcohol consumption and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption were responsible one-third of deaths (34.4%, and 19.3% (excluded inadequate e fruits and vegetables consumption of the burden of DALYs in middle-income countries. According to Turkey the National Burden of Disease (NBD and WHO is preparing the Global Burden of Disease 2005, which is fundamental in the prevention of chronic diseases is life style risks that can be prevented, controlled, and changed. According to the NBD 2004 study, 79% of deaths were due to non-communicable diseases in our country. The primary risk factor for DALY is high blood pressure, and following 6 risk factors were related to behavior in our country. Smoking, being overweight or obese, alcohol consumption, insufficient fruits and vegetables consumption, inactive life, and high dietary fat and salt intake which are considered to be significant risk factors for chronic diseases are lifestyle behaviors. When adults visited to health facilities for any reason, their risky behavior can be evaluated. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2011; 10(6.000: 735-740

Psychological factors of professional success of nuclear power plant main control room operators

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Kosenkov A.A.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: to conduct a comparative analysis of the psychological characteristics of the most and least successful main control room operators. Material and Methods. Two NPP staff groups: the most and least successful main control room operators, who worked in routine operating conditions, were surveyed. Expert evaluation method has been applied to identify the groups. The subjects were administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI, Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF form A and Raven's Progressive Matrices test. Results. Numerous significant psychological differences between the groups of most and least successful control room operators were obtained: the best operators were significantly more introverted and correctly solved more logical tasks with smaller percentage of mistakes under time pressure than worst ones. Conclusions: 1. The psychodiagnostic methods used in the study were adequate to meet research objective 2. Tendency to introversion, as well as developed the ability to solve logic problems undertime pressure, apparently, are important professional qualities for control room operators. These indicators should be considered in the process of psychological selection and professional guidance of nuclear power plant operators.

Factores de necesidad asociados al uso adecuado del control prenatal

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Clarybel Miranda Mellado

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Introducción: Por las implicaciones sociales de la mortalidad y morbilidad materna es importante determinar los factores de necesidad que influyen en el uso adecuado del control prenatal en gestantes de Sincelejo. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio analítico de corte transversal, que incluyó 730 gestantes, seleccionadas mediante muestreo aleatorio por conglomerados, de las comunas de la ciudad. La información fue recolectada por medio de una encuesta sociodemográfica, una ficha de uso de control prenatal y un Cuestionario para evaluar los factores de necesidad  propuestos por el Modelo de Promoción de la Salud de Nola Pender. Las gestantes fueron contactadas en sus domicilios y diligenciaron los instrumentos. Los datos fueron analizados aplicando estadística descriptiva e inferencial para determinar las asociaciones entre variables. Resultados: El 97,7% (713 de las gestantes asistía al control prenatal, con una mediana de 4 controles prenatales. Un 2,3% (17 no lo habían iniciado al momento de la encuesta y 24,4% (178 hizo uso inadecuado. El 80,7% (589 de las gestantes califican su estado de salud como bueno o muy bueno, 94,8% (692 percibieron beneficios del control prenatal. Se encontró asociación significativa entre la percepción de beneficios y el uso adecuado de control prenatal [OR=5,5 (IC 95%: 2,8 - 10,8]. Discusión y Conclusiones: La percepción que las mujeres tienen sobre los buenos resultados que reporta la asistencia al control prenatal, es el principal factor que puede explicar la adherencia al control y el cumplimiento regular de las consultas. Cómo citar este artículo: Miranda C, Castillo IY. Factores de necesidad asociados al uso adecuado del control prenatal. Rev Cuid. 2016; 7(2: 1345-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.v7i2.340

Economic and Social Factors in Designing Disease Control Strategies for Epidemics on Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kleczkowski, A.; Dybiec, B.; Gilligan, C. A.

2006-11-01

Models for control of epidemics on local, global and small-world networks are considered, with only partial information accessible about the status of individuals and their connections. The main goal of an effective control measure is to stop the epidemic at a lowest possible cost, including treatment and cost necessary to track the disease spread. We show that delay in detection of infectious individuals and presence of long-range links are the most important factors determining the cost. However, the details of long-range links are usually the least-known element of the social interactions due to their occasional character and potentially short life-span. We show that under some conditions on the probability of disease spread, it is advisable to attempt to track those links, even if this involves additional costs. Thus, collecting some additional knowledge about the network structure might be beneficial to ensure a successful and cost-effective control.

Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control of Secreted Factors for Blood Stem Cell Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, Julia; Wang, Weijia; Zandstra, Peter W

2015-01-01

Clinical use of umbilical cord blood has typically been limited by the need to expand hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) ex vivo. This expansion is challenging due to the accumulation of secreted signaling factors in the culture that have a negative regulatory effect on HSPC output. Strategies for global regulation of these factors through dilution have been developed, but do not accommodate the dynamic nature or inherent variability of hematopoietic cell culture. We have developed a mathematical model to simulate the impact of feedback control on in vitro hematopoiesis, and used it to design a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm. This algorithm was implemented with a fed-batch bioreactor to regulate the concentrations of secreted factors. Controlling the concentration of a key target factor, TGF-β1, through dilution limited the negative effect it had on HSPCs, and allowed global control of other similarly-produced inhibitory endogenous factors. The PID control algorithm effectively maintained the target soluble factor at the target concentration. We show that feedback controlled dilution is predicted to be a more cost effective dilution strategy compared to other open-loop strategies, and can enhance HSPC expansion in short term culture. This study demonstrates the utility of secreted factor process control strategies to optimize stem cell culture systems, and motivates the development of multi-analyte protein sensors to automate the manufacturing of cell therapies.

Controlling imported malaria cases in the United States of America.

Science.gov (United States)

Dembele, Bassidy; Yakubu, Abdul-Aziz

2017-02-01

We extend the mathematical malaria epidemic model framework of Dembele et al. and use it to ``capture" the 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported data on the 2011 number of imported malaria cases in the USA. Furthermore, we use our ``fitted" malaria models for the top 20 countries of malaria acquisition by USA residents to study the impact of protecting USA residents from malaria infection when they travel to malaria endemic areas, the impact of protecting residents of malaria endemic regions from mosquito bites and the impact of killing mosquitoes in those endemic areas on the CDC number of imported malaria cases in USA. To significantly reduce the number of imported malaria cases in USA, for each top 20 country of malaria acquisition by USA travelers, we compute the optimal proportion of USA international travelers that must be protected against malaria infection and the optimal proportion of mosquitoes that must be killed.

Wood energy as an important factor in the tourist industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapf, V.

2003-01-01

This article discusses the role of wood energy in so-called eco-tourism and the fact that tourism has an essential interest in keeping our environment intact. The growing importance of the tourism industry and sustainable tourism in particular is stressed. Efforts being made by tour operators and regional authorities to market eco-tourism are examined, including awards and labels for sustainable tourist facilities. The role of wood energy and other renewable forms of energy as a marketing factor for those establishments that make use of them is commented on. Also, a project that links wood energy facilities to form a 'Wood Energy Way' in the Jura mountains is described that is already proving to be an international tourist attraction

Most Important Factors for the Implementation of Shared Decision Making in Sciatica Care: Ranking among Professionals and Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Hofstede, Stefanie N.; van Bodegom-Vos, Leti; Wentink, Manon M.; Vleggeert-Lankamp, Carmen L. A.; Vliet Vlieland, Thea P. M.; de Mheen, Perla J. Marang-van

2014-01-01

Introduction Due to the increasing specialization of medical professionals, patients are treated by multiple disciplines. To ensure that delivered care is patient-centered, it is crucial that professionals and the patient together decide on treatment (shared decision making (SDM)). However, it is not known how SDM should be integrated in multidisciplinary practice. This study determines the most important factors for SDM implementation in sciatica care, as it is known that a prior inventory of factors is crucial to develop a successful implementation strategy. Methods 246 professionals (general practitioners, physical therapists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons) (30% response) and 155 patients (96% response) responded to an internet-based survey. Respondents ranked barriers and facilitators identified in previous interviews, on their importance using Maximum Difference Scaling. Feeding back the personal top 5 most important factors, each respondent indicated whether these factors were barriers or facilitators. Hierarchical Bayes estimation was used to estimate the relative importance (RI) of each factor. Results Professionals assigned the highest importance to: quality of professional-patient relationship (RI 4.87; CI 4.75–4.99); importance of quick recovery of patient (RI 4.83; CI 4.69–4.97); and knowledge about treatment options (RI 6.64; CI 4.53–4.74), which were reported as barrier and facilitator. Professionals working in primary care had a different ranking than those working in hospital care. Patients assigned the highest importance to: correct diagnosis by professionals (barrier, RI 8.19; CI 7.99–8.38); information provision about treatment options and potential harm and benefits (RI 7.87; CI 7.65–8.08); and explanation of the professional about the care trajectory (RI 7.16; CI 6.94–7.38), which were reported as barrier and facilitator. Conclusions Knowledge, information provision and a good relationship are the most important

Factors Influencing Prevention and Control of Malaria among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AJRH Managing Editor

investigate factors that influence malaria prevention and control practices among pregnant ... treatment of clinical cases and the promotion of ... influence their decision regarding malaria ..... have the ability to purchase anti-malaria drugs that.

A case–control study of epidemiological factors associated with leptospirosis in South Gujarat region

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K T Desai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The current study was planned to identify the epidemiological factors associated with leptospirosis in South Gujarat region using neighborhood controls. Methods: A total of 100 cases of leptospirosis occurred in South Gujarat region during the year 2012 were selected using simple random sampling. Three neighbors of the selected cases formed the controls (n = 300. A pretested structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data were analyzed using Epi Info 2007. Results: There was significant association of illiteracy (odds ratio [OR] =1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.14–2.89, working in waterlogged fields during the reference season (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 1.6–17.9, swimming/bathing in canals, open air defecation practices, storage of cow dung in or surrounding house, residence in the house made up of cow dung walls, households with access of food to rodents, injuries over hands/foot during the endemic season (OR = 3, 95% CI = 1.8–4.8, and history of skin disease during the endemic season (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 2–8.5, with leptospirosis. Only 10% of individuals had gumboots for protection. A total of 83 (83% cases and 240 (80% controls had taken oral doxycycline chemoprophylaxis (P > 0.05. Cases had taken chemoprophylaxis for a median 4 weeks (range: 1–8 while controls had taken the same for median 8 weeks (range = 1–8 (P < 0.002. Conclusions: Although the commonly established factors appear to be associated with leptospirosis, the role of host factors seems to play a more important role in determining susceptibility to leptospirosis in exposed individuals.

Survey of control-room design practices with respect to human factors engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seminara, J.L.; Parsons, S.O.

1980-01-01

Human factors engineering is an interdisciplinary speciality concerned with influencing the design of equipment systems, facilities, and operational environments to promote safe, efficient, and reliable operator performance. This emphasis has been applied to most military and space systems in the past 30 y. A review of five nuclear power-plant control rooms, reported in the November-December 1977 issue of Nuclear Safety, revealed that human factors principles of design have generally not been incorporated in present-generation control rooms. This article summarizes the findings of a survey of 20 control-board designers from a mix of nuclear steam-supply system and architect-engineering firms. The interviews with these designers probed design methods currently used in developing control rooms. From these data it was concluded that there is currently no consistent, formal, uniform concern for the human factors aspects of control-room design on the part of the design organizations, the utilities, or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although all the parties involved are concerned with human factors issues, this responsibility is not focused, and human factors yardsticks, or design standards, specific to power plants have not been evolved and applied in the development and verification of control-room designs from the standpoint of the man-machine interface

Dealing With A Controllable Risk Factor Like Diet In The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a silent killer in Nigeria and many parts of the world. Certain factors increase the risk of CVD. While there are controllable factors that contribute and predispose to the development of CVD like diet, exercise, tobacco use, high blood pressure and obesity, there are uncontrollable factors like ...

The importance of partnership factors and individual factors associated with absent or inconsistent condom use in heterosexuals: a cross-sectional study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Matser, Amy; Heiligenberg, Marlies; Geskus, Ronald; Heijman, Titia; Low, Nicola; Kretzschmar, Mirjam; Schim van der Loeff, Maarten

2014-01-01

Objectives Decisions to use condoms are made within partnerships. We examined the associations between inconsistent or no condom use and individual and partnership characteristics. We also examined the relative importance of individual versus partnership factors. Methods Cross-sectional study of

Factors Associated with Long-Term Control of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Badedi, Mohammed; Solan, Yahiya; Darraj, Hussain; Sabai, Abdullah; Mahfouz, Mohamed; Alamodi, Saleh; Alsabaani, Abdullah

2016-01-01

Aims. This study assessed factors associated with glycemic control among Saudi patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, which included a random sample of 288 patients with T2DM proportional to the diabetes population of each primary health care center in Jazan city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results. More than two-thirds (74%) of patients had poor glycemic control. Lack of education, polypharmacy, and duration of diabetes ≥ 7 years were significantly associated with higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Moreover, patients who were smoker or divorced were significantly more likely to have higher HbA1c. The patients who did not comply with diet or take their medications as prescribed had poor glycemic control. The study found lower HbA1c levels among patients who received family support or had close relationship with their physicians. Similarly, knowledgeable patients towards diabetes or those with greater confidence in ability to manage self-care behaviors had a lower HbA1c. In contrast, risk factors such as depression or stress were significantly correlated with poorer glycemic control. Conclusion. The majority of T2DM patients had poor glycemic control. The study identified several factors associated with glycemic control. Effective and tailored interventions are needed to mitigate exposure to these risk factors. This would improve glycemic control and reduce the risks inherent to diabetes complications.

Factors Associated with Long-Term Control of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

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Mohammed Badedi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aims. This study assessed factors associated with glycemic control among Saudi patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM. Methods. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, which included a random sample of 288 patients with T2DM proportional to the diabetes population of each primary health care center in Jazan city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results. More than two-thirds (74% of patients had poor glycemic control. Lack of education, polypharmacy, and duration of diabetes ≥ 7 years were significantly associated with higher glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c. Moreover, patients who were smoker or divorced were significantly more likely to have higher HbA1c. The patients who did not comply with diet or take their medications as prescribed had poor glycemic control. The study found lower HbA1c levels among patients who received family support or had close relationship with their physicians. Similarly, knowledgeable patients towards diabetes or those with greater confidence in ability to manage self-care behaviors had a lower HbA1c. In contrast, risk factors such as depression or stress were significantly correlated with poorer glycemic control. Conclusion. The majority of T2DM patients had poor glycemic control. The study identified several factors associated with glycemic control. Effective and tailored interventions are needed to mitigate exposure to these risk factors. This would improve glycemic control and reduce the risks inherent to diabetes complications.

On frequency-weighted coprime factorization based controller reduction

OpenAIRE

Varga, Andras

2003-01-01

We consider the efficient solution of a class of coprime factorization based controller approximation problems by using frequency-weighted balancing related model reduction approaches. It is shown that for some special stability enforcing frequency-weights, the computation of the frequency-weighted controllability and observability grammians can be done by solving reduced order Lyapunov equations. The new approach can be used in conjunction with accuracy enhancing square-root and balancing-fr...

School environments and social risk factors for child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions: A case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rothman, Linda; Howard, Andrew; Buliung, Ron; Macarthur, Colin; Richmond, Sarah A; Macpherson, Alison

2017-01-01

Child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) have decreased in Canada in the past 20 years. Many believe this trend is explained by the rise in automobile use for all travel. Initiatives to increase walking to school need to consider PMVC risk. Potential risk factors related to walking to school, the built environment and social factors were examined for schools with historically high child PMVC rates. Child PMVCs (age 4-12 years) from 2000 to 2013 and built environment features were mapped within school attendance boundaries in the City of Toronto, Canada. Case and control schools were in the highest and lowest PMVC quartiles respectively. Observational counts of travel mode to school were conducted. Logistic regression evaluated walking to school, built environment and social risk factors for higher PMVC rates, stratified by geographic location (downtown vs. inner suburbs). The mean PMVC rates were 18.8/10,000/year (cases) and 2.5/10,000/year (controls). One-way street density (OR=4.00), school crossing guard presence (OR=3.65) and higher social disadvantage (OR=1.37) were associated with higher PMVCs. Higher residential land use density had a protective effect (OR=0.56). More walking was not a risk factor. While several built environment risk factors were identified for the inner suburbs; only social disadvantage was a risk factor within older urban neighbourhoods. Several modifiable environmental risk factors were identified for child PMVCs. More walking to school was not associated with increased PMVCs after controlling for the environment. School social disadvantage was associated with higher PMVCs with differences by geographic location. These results have important implications for the design of roadways around schools. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Hypertriglyceridemia, an important and independent risk factor for acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

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Albai O

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Oana Albai,1 Deiana Roman,2 Mirela Frandes2 1Second Department of Internal Medicine, 2Department of Functional Sciences, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania Purpose: Acute pancreatitis (AP is a frequent inflammatory disease of the pancreas with multiple causes, among which high triglyceride (TG level is the most common. The main purpose of this study has been to research the prevalence of AP in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM and to underline the importance of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG as a risk factor in triggering AP. The possible link between AP and glycemic control has been studied also, alongside some cardiovascular risk factors and long-term diabetes complications.Patients and methods: The patient cohort comprised 1,586 patients with DM, admitted to the Internal Medicine Clinic of Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Disease within the Emergency Hospital in Timisoara between January and August 2016. Following a series of clinical and biological investigations, these patients were diagnosed with AP. The patients’ antidiabetic treatment and chronic diabetes-related complications have also been recorded.Results: The prevalence of pancreatitis in this group of patients was 3.7%. The presence of pancreatitis was associated with a higher HbA1c (8.5% vs 7.7%; P<0.001, fasting glycemia (167.5 vs 95 mg/dL; P<0.001, postprandial glycemia (244.5 vs 118 mg/dL; P<0.001, total cholesterol (256.5 vs 189.5 mg/dL; P<0.001, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc (208.7 vs 112.8 mg/dL; P<0.001, and TGs (495 vs 161 mg/dL; P<0.001. HDL cholesterol (HDLc was found to be a significant protective factor against the risk of pancreatitis. On the contrary, high LDLc values were a significant risk factor for pancreatitis along with high non-HDLc and high TG values, respectively.Conclusion: The development of AP events in patients with DM is associated with unsatisfactory glycemic control, HTG, hypertension, and the

Solubility limits of importance to leaching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogard, A.; Bentley, G.; Bryant, E.; Duffy, C.; Grisham, J.; Norris, E.; Orth, C.; Thomas, K.

1981-01-01

The solubilities of some radionuclides, especially rare earths and actinides, may be an important and controlling factor in leaching of waste forms. These solubilities should be measured accurately as a function of pH and not as a part of a multicomponent system. Individual solubilities should be measured as a function of temperature to determine if a kinetic effect is being observed in the data. A negative temperature coefficient of solubility for actinides and rare earths in water would have important consequences for nuclear reactor safety and for the management of nuclear wastes

Mitochondrial respiratory control is lost during growth factor deprivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gottlieb, Eyal; Armour, Sean M; Thompson, Craig B

2002-10-01

The ability of cells to maintain a bioenergetically favorable ATP/ADP ratio confers a tight balance between cellular events that consume ATP and the rate of ATP production. However, after growth factor withdrawal, the cellular ATP/ADP ratio declines. To investigate these changes, mitochondria from growth factor-deprived cells isolated before the onset of apoptosis were characterized in vitro. Mitochondria from growth factor-deprived cells have lost their ability to undergo matrix condensation in response to ADP, which is accompanied by a failure to perform ADP-coupled respiration. At the time of analysis, mitochondria from growth factor-deprived cells were not depleted of cytochrome c and cytochrome c-dependent respiration was unaffected, demonstrating that the inhibition of the respiratory rate is not due to loss of cytochrome c. Agents that disrupt the mitochondrial outer membrane, such as digitonin, or maintain outer membrane exchange of adenine nucleotide, such as Bcl-x(L), restored ADP-dependent control of mitochondrial respiration. Together, these data suggest that the regulation of mitochondrial outer membrane permeability contributes to respiratory control.

A HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING PROCESS TO SUPPORT HUMAN-SYSTEM INTERFACE DESIGN IN CONTROL ROOM MODERNIZATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovesdi, C.; Joe, J.; Boring, R.

2017-05-01

The primary objective of the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program is to sustain operation of the existing commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) through a multi-pathway approach in conducting research and development (R&D). The Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) System Technologies pathway conducts targeted R&D to address aging and reliability concerns with legacy instrumentation and control (I&C) and other information systems in existing U.S. NPPs. Control room modernization is an important part following this pathway, and human factors experts at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have been involved in conducting R&D to support migration of new digital main control room (MCR) technologies from legacy analog and legacy digital I&C. This paper describes a human factors engineering (HFE) process that supports human-system interface (HSI) design in MCR modernization activities, particularly with migration of old digital to new digital I&C. The process described in this work is an expansion from the LWRS Report INL/EXT-16-38576, and is a requirements-driven approach that aligns with NUREG-0711 requirements. The work described builds upon the existing literature by adding more detail around key tasks and decisions to make when transitioning from HSI Design into Verification and Validation (V&V). The overall objective of this process is to inform HSI design and elicit specific, measurable, and achievable human factors criteria for new digital technologies. Upon following this process, utilities should have greater confidence with transitioning from HSI design into V&V.

Human Factors Analysis of Pipeline Monitoring and Control Operations: Final Technical Report

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-26

The purpose of the Human Factors Analysis of Pipeline Monitoring and Control Operations project was to develop procedures that could be used by liquid pipeline operators to assess and manage the human factors risks in their control rooms that may adv...

Risk factors for premature birth in French Guiana: the importance of reducing health inequalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Leneuve-Dorilas, Malika; Favre, Anne; Carles, Gabriel; Louis, Alphonse; Nacher, Mathieu

2017-11-27

French Guiana has the highest birth rate in South America. This French territory also has the highest premature birth rate and perinatal mortality rate of all French territories. The objective was to determine the premature birth rate and to identify the prevalence of risk factors of premature birth in French Guiana. A retrospective study of all births in French Guiana was conducted between January 2013 and December 2014 using the computerized registry compiling all live births over 22 weeks of gestation on the territory. During this period 12 983 live births were reported on the territory. 13.5% of newborns were born before 37 (1755/12 983). The study of the registry revealed that common sociodemographic risk factors of prematurity were present. In addition, past obstetrical history was also important: a scarred uterus increased the risk of prematurity adjusted odds ratio =1.4, 95%CI (1.2-1.6). Similarly, obstetrical surveillance, the absence of preparation for birth or of prenatal interview increased the risk of prematurity by 2.4 and 2.3, the excess fraction in the population was 69% and 72.2%, respectively. Known classical risk factors are important. In the present study excess fractions were calculated in order to prioritize interventions to reduce the prematurity rate.

The importance of reference materials in doping-control analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackay, Lindsey G; Kazlauskas, Rymantas

2011-08-01

Currently a large range of pure substance reference materials are available for calibration of doping-control methods. These materials enable traceability to the International System of Units (SI) for the results generated by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories. Only a small number of prohibited substances have threshold limits for which quantification is highly important. For these analytes only the highest quality reference materials that are available should be used. Many prohibited substances have no threshold limits and reference materials provide essential identity confirmation. For these reference materials the correct identity is critical and the methods used to assess identity in these cases should be critically evaluated. There is still a lack of certified matrix reference materials to support many aspects of doping analysis. However, in key areas a range of urine matrix materials have been produced for substances with threshold limits, for example 19-norandrosterone and testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio. These matrix-certified reference materials (CRMs) are an excellent independent means of checking method recovery and bias and will typically be used in method validation and then regularly as quality-control checks. They can be particularly important in the analysis of samples close to threshold limits, in which measurement accuracy becomes critical. Some reference materials for isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analysis are available and a matrix material certified for steroid delta values is currently under production. In other new areas, for example the Athlete Biological Passport, peptide hormone testing, designer steroids, and gene doping, reference material needs still need to be thoroughly assessed and prioritised.

Risk factors and antecedent life events in the development of anorexia nervosa: a Portuguese case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Bárbara C; Gonçalves, Sónia F; Martins, Carla; Hoek, Hans W; Machado, Paulo P

2014-07-01

The aetiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) is considered to be multifactorial. This study aims to identify potential risk factors for AN and whether these factors are specific to AN or precede the development of psychiatric disorders in general and to identify specific life events in the 12 months immediately preceding the onset of eating disorder (ED) symptoms. A case-control design was used to compare a group of women who meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for AN (N = 86) with healthy controls (N = 86) and with a group of controls with other psychiatric disorders (N = 68), each group matched to the AN patients by age and parental socioeconomic status bands. Risk factors were assessed by interviewing each person with the Oxford Risk Factor Interview. Women with AN reported significantly higher rates of perfectionism, negative attitudes toward parents' shape and weight, significant concern about feeling fat and a family history of AN or bulimia nervosa. Critical comments about weight, shape or eating was the most notable event in the year preceding AN onset. Perfectionism and a family history of ED emerged as the most convergent findings in the development of AN, along with being critical toward parents' shape and weight, and feeling fat. Critical comments about appearance and eating seem to be an important precipitating factor in AN onset. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) in pregnancies with trisomy 21, 18 and 13 performed in a public setting - factors of importance for correct interpretation of results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartwig, Tanja S; Ambye, Louise; Werge, Lene

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVES: We have established an open source platform for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) based on massively parallel whole-genome sequencing in a public setting. The objective of this study was to investigate factors of importance for correct interpretation of NIPT results to ensure a high...... sensitivity and specificity. STUDY DESIGN: This investigation is a retrospective case-control study performed in a public NIPT center. The study included 108 aneuploid cases and 165 euploid controls. MPS was performed on circulating cell-free DNA in maternal blood. The pipeline included automated library...

An Update on the Epidemiology of Schizophrenia with a Special Reference to Clinically Important Risk Factors

Science.gov (United States)

El-Missiry, Ahmed; Aboraya, Ahmed Sayed; Manseur, Hader; Manchester, Johnna; France, Cheryl; Border, Katherine

2011-01-01

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness which poses a tremendous burden on the families, caregivers and the society. The purpose of this paper is to provide an updated review of the epidemiology of schizophrenia with a special attention to the clinically important risk factors such as drug abuse, hormonal factors and the new advances in genetic…

The Importance of Socio-Economic Versus Environmental Risk Factors for Reported Dengue Cases in Java, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijayanti, Siwi P M; Porphyre, Thibaud; Chase-Topping, Margo; Rainey, Stephanie M; McFarlane, Melanie; Schnettler, Esther; Biek, Roman; Kohl, Alain

2016-09-01

Dengue is a major mosquito-borne viral disease and an important public health problem. Identifying which factors are important determinants in the risk of dengue infection is critical in supporting and guiding preventive measures. In South-East Asia, half of all reported fatal infections are recorded in Indonesia, yet little is known about the epidemiology of dengue in this country. Hospital-reported dengue cases in Banyumas regency, Central Java were examined to build Bayesian spatial and spatio-temporal models assessing the influence of climatic, demographic and socio-economic factors on the risk of dengue infection. A socio-economic factor linking employment type and economic status was the most influential on the risk of dengue infection in the Regency. Other factors such as access to healthcare facilities and night-time temperature were also found to be associated with higher risk of reported dengue infection but had limited explanatory power. Our data suggest that dengue infections are triggered by indoor transmission events linked to socio-economic factors (employment type, economic status). Preventive measures in this area should therefore target also specific environments such as schools and work areas to attempt and reduce dengue burden in this community. Although our analysis did not account for factors such as variations in immunity which need further investigation, this study can advise preventive measures in areas with similar patterns of reported dengue cases and environment.

Importance of biochemical exploration of the liver in the control of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Viral infection continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world in particular those caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of the biochemical exploration of the liver function in the control of disease ...

Exhaust constituent emission factors of printed circuit board pyrolysis processes and its exhaust control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiang, Hung-Lung, E-mail: hlchiang@mail.cmu.edu.tw [Department of Health Risk Management, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Lin, Kuo-Hsiung [Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China)

2014-01-15

Highlights: • Recycling of waste printed circuit boards is an important issue. • Pyrolysis is an emerging technology for PCB treatment. • Emission factors of VOCs are determined for PCB pyrolysis exhaust. • Iron-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst was employed for the exhaust control. -- Abstract: The printed circuit board (PCB) is an important part of electrical and electronic equipment, and its disposal and the recovery of useful materials from waste PCBs (WPCBs) are key issues for waste electrical and electronic equipment. Waste PCB compositions and their pyrolysis characteristics were analyzed in this study. In addition, the volatile organic compound (VOC) exhaust was controlled by an iron-impregnated alumina oxide catalyst. Results indicated that carbon and oxygen were the dominant components (hundreds mg/g) of the raw materials, and other elements such as nitrogen, bromine, and copper were several decades mg/g. Exhaust constituents of CO, H{sub 2}, CH{sub 4}, CO{sub 2}, and NOx, were 60–115, 0.4–4.0, 1.1–10, 30–95, and 0–0.7 mg/g, corresponding to temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 °C. When the pyrolysis temperature was lower than 300 °C, aromatics and paraffins were the major species, contributing 90% of ozone precursor VOCs, and an increase in the pyrolysis temperature corresponded to a decrease in the fraction of aromatic emission factors. Methanol, ethylacetate, acetone, dichloromethane, tetrachloromethane and acrylonitrile were the main species of oxygenated and chlorinated VOCs. The emission factors of some brominated compounds, i.e., bromoform, bromophenol, and dibromophenol, were higher at temperatures over 400 °C. When VOC exhaust was flowed through the bed of Fe-impregnated Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, the emission of ozone precursor VOCs could be reduced by 70–80%.

75 FR 69912 - Pipeline Safety: Control Room Management/Human Factors

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-16

... 192 and 195 [Docket ID PHMSA-2007-27954] RIN 2137-AE64 Pipeline Safety: Control Room Management/Human... Control Room Management/Human Factors rule at 49 CFR 192.631 and 195.446. The NPRM proposes to expedite... rule and to engage in open discussions with the agency at PHMSA's Control Room Management...

3D microwave cavity with magnetic flux control and enhanced quality factor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reshitnyk, Yarema [The University of Queensland, School of Mathematics and Physics, St Lucia (Australia); Jerger, Markus [The University of Queensland, ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, 4072 (Australia); Fedorov, Arkady [The University of Queensland, School of Mathematics and Physics, St Lucia (Australia); The University of Queensland, ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, 4072 (Australia)

2016-12-15

Three-dimensional (3D) microwave cavities have been extensively used for coupling and interacting with superconducting quantum bits (qubits), providing a versatile platform for quantum control experiments and for realizing hybrid quantum systems. While having high quality factors (>10{sup 6}) superconducting cavities do not permit magnetic field control of qubits. In contrast, cavities made of normal metals are transparent to magnetic fields, but experience lower quality factors (∝10{sup 4}). We have created a hybrid cavity which is primarily composed of aluminium but also contains a small copper insert reaching the internal quality factor of ≅10{sup 5}, an order of magnitude improvement over all previously tested normal metal cavities. In order to demonstrate precise magnetic control, we performed spectroscopy of three superconducting qubits, where individual control of each qubit's frequency was exerted with small external wire coils. An improvement in quality factor and magnetic field control makes this 3D hybrid cavity an attractive new element for circuit quantum electrodynamics experiments. (orig.)

Risk factors for inguinal hernia in women: a case-control study. The Coala Trial Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Liem, M S; van der Graaf, Y; Zwart, R C; Geurts, I; van Vroonhoven, T J

1997-11-01

Potential risk factors for inguinal hernia in women were investigated and the relative importance of these factors was quantified. In women, symptomatic but nonpalpable hernias often remain undiagnosed. However, knowledge on this subject only concerns hernia and operation characteristics, which have been obtained by review of case series. Virtually nothing is known about risk factors for inguinal hernia. The authors performed a hospital-based case-control study of 89 female patients with an incident inguinal hernia and 176 age-matched female controls. Activity since birth with two validated questionnaires was measured and smoking habits, medical and operation history, Quetelet index (kg/m2), and history of pregnancies and deliveries were recorded. Response for cases was 81% and for controls 73%. Total physical activity was not associated with inguinal hernia (univariate odds ratio (OR) = 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-1.1), but high present sports activities was associated with less inguinal hernia (multivariate OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.7). Obesity (Quetelet index > 30) was also protective for inguinal hernia (OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.04-1.0). Independent risk factors were positive family history (OR = 4.3, 95% CI 1.9-9.7) and obstipation (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.0-6.7). In particular, smoking, appendectomy, other abdominal operations, and multiple deliveries were not associated with inguinal hernia in females. The protective effect of present sports activity may be explained by optimizing the resistance of the abdominal musculature protecting the relatively small inguinal weak spot in the female. The individual predisposition for inguinal hernia may be quantified by these risk factors, and, with this in mind, the authors advise that further evaluation might be needed for the patient with unexplained inguinal pain.

A new approach to evaluate factors controlling elemental sediment–seawater distribution coefficients (K{sub d}) in coastal regions, Japan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takata, Hyoe, E-mail: takata@kaiseiken.or.jp [Marine Ecology Research Institute, Central Laboratory, Onjuku, Chiba (Japan); National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba (Japan); Aono, Tatsuo; Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba (Japan)

2016-02-01

In numerical models to simulate the dispersion of anthropogenic radionuclides in the marine environment, the sediment–seawater distribution coefficient (K{sub d}) for various elements is an important parameter. In coastal regions, K{sub d} values are largely dependent on hydrographic conditions and physicochemical characteristics of sediment. Here we report K{sub d} values for 36 elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, I, Cs, rare earth elements, Pb, {sup 232}Th and {sup 238}U) in seawater and sediment samples from 19 Japanese coastal regions, and we examine the factors controlling the variability of these K{sub d} values by investigating their relationships to hydrographic conditions and sediment characteristics. There was large variability in K{sub d} values for Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Se, Cd, I, Pb and Th. Variations of K{sub d} for Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Pb and Th appear to be controlled by hydrographic conditions. Although K{sub d} values for Ni, Cu, Se, Cd and I depend mainly on grain size, organic matter content, and the concentrations of hydrous oxides/oxides of Fe and Mn in sediments, heterogeneity in the surface characteristics of sediment particles appears to hamper evaluation of the relative importance of these factors. Thus, we report a new approach to evaluate the factors contributing to variability in K{sub d} for an element. By this approach, we concluded that the K{sub d} values for Cu, Se, Cd and I are controlled by grain size and organic matter in sediments, and the K{sub d} value for Ni is dependent on grain size and on hydrous oxides/oxides of Fe and Mn. - Highlights: • K{sub d}s for 36 elements were determined in 19 Japanese coastal regions. • K{sub d}s for several elements appeared to be controlled by multiple factors in sediments. • We evaluated these factors based on physico-chemical characteristics of sediments.

The relative importance of regional, local, and evolutionary factors structuring cryptobenthic coral-reef assemblages

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadia, Gabby N.; Tornabene, Luke; Smith, David J.; Pezold, Frank L.

2018-03-01

Factors shaping coral-reef fish species assemblages can operate over a wide range of spatial scales (local versus regional) and across both proximate and evolutionary time. Niche theory and neutral theory provide frameworks for testing assumptions and generating insights about the importance of local versus regional processes. Niche theory postulates that species assemblages are an outcome of evolutionary processes at regional scales followed by local-scale interactions, whereas neutral theory presumes that species assemblages are formed by largely random processes drawing from regional species pools. Indo-Pacific cryptobenthic coral-reef fishes are highly evolved, ecologically diverse, temporally responsive, and situated on a natural longitudinal diversity gradient, making them an ideal group for testing predictions from niche and neutral theories and effects of regional and local processes on species assemblages. Using a combination of ecological metrics (fish density, diversity, assemblage composition) and evolutionary analyses (testing for phylogenetic niche conservatism), we demonstrate that the structure of cryptobenthic fish assemblages can be explained by a mixture of regional factors, such as the size of regional species pools and broad-scale barriers to gene flow/drivers of speciation, coupled with local-scale factors, such as the relative abundance of specific microhabitat types. Furthermore, species of cryptobenthic fishes have distinct microhabitat associations that drive significant differences in assemblage community structure between microhabitat types, and these distinct microhabitat associations are phylogenetically conserved over evolutionary timescales. The implied differential fitness of cryptobenthic fishes across varied microhabitats and the conserved nature of their ecology are consistent with predictions from niche theory. Neutral theory predictions may still hold true for early life-history stages, where stochastic factors may be more

Leadership quality: a factor important for social capital in healthcare organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Strömgren, Marcus; Eriksson, Andrea; Ahlstrom, Linda; Bergman, David Kristofer; Dellve, Lotta

2017-04-10

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between leadership and social capital and what qualities of leadership are important for social capital among employees in hospital settings over time. Design/methodology/approach A cohort of employees in hospitals answered a questionnaire at three occasions. Five small (approx. 100-bed) or mid-sized (approx. 500-bed) hospitals were included. The response rate was 54 percent at baseline ( n=865), 59 percent at one-year follow-up ( n=908) and 67 percent at two-year follow-up ( n=632). Findings Repeated measures over time showed differences between groups in levels of social capital with respect to levels of leadership quality. Relation-oriented leadership had the strongest association with social capital. There was evidence that leadership was associated with social capital over time and that different kinds of leadership qualities were associated with social capital. Research limitations/implications This study conducted and analyzed quantitative data, and therefore, there is no knowledge of managers' or employees' own perceptions in this study. However, it would be interesting to compare managers' decreased and increased leadership quality and how such differences affect social capital over time. Practical implications The findings feature the possibility for healthcare leaders to build high quality leadership as an important resource for social capital, by using different leadership orientations under different circumstances. Originality/value The paper showed that leadership was an important factor for building social capital and that different leadership qualities have different importance with respect to certain circumstances.

Performance ratings and personality factors in radar controllers.

Science.gov (United States)

1970-09-01

The purpose of the study was to determine whether primary or second-order personality questionnaire factors were related to job performance ratings on the Employee Appraisal Record in a sample of 264 radar controllers. A Pearson correlation matrix wa...

Controlling factors on earthquake swarms associated with magmatic intrusions; constraints from Iceland

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, R.; Sigmundsson, F.; Einarsson, P.; Brandsdottir, B.; Arnadottir, T.

2005-12-01

Intrusion of magma into the Earth's crust is frequently associated with seismic activity, often occurring as distinct earthquake swarms. Understanding the nature of these swarms is important for evaluating crisis situations in volcanic areas. However, there often seem to be little correlation between the amount of seismic energy release, the spatial extent of the volume of rock affected by the stress perturbations, and the volume of magma on the move, which complicates the immediate risk evaluation. A number of factors may influence the evolution of a magmatically induced seismic swarm and the resulting seismic energy release. A number of factors need to be evaluated in each individual case. These are, in random order: the crustal thickness, presence/absence of a crustal magma chamber, geothermal gradient, magmatic flow rate/stressing rate, intrusion volume, depth of intrusion, tectonic setting of the intruded area, regional stresses and tectonic history. Based on three case studies, where seismic swarm activities have been confirmed through deformation measurements to be related to magmatic movements, we attempt to evaluate the relative importance of the assumed controlling factors. All case examples are located within Iceland, but in different tectonic settings. 1. The Hengill triple junction, situated where two extensional plate boundaries join a transform zone. The area experienced a period of unusually persistent earthquake activity from 1994 to 1999, contemporaneously with ground uplift at a rate of 1-2 cm/yr. The uplift was modeled as a response to magma injection at about 7 km depth. 2. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano, situated in a volcanic flank zone where extensional fractures are only poorly developed. Two minor seismic swarms, in 1994 and 1999; were associated with a cumulative surface uplift of more than 35 cm. The two uplift events were modeled as sill intrusions at depths of 4.5 to 6.5 km. 3. The Krafla rift segment, forming part of an extensional

78 FR 54914 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; GE Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-06

... Registration; GE Healthcare By Notice dated June 7, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on June 18, 2013, 78 FR 36594, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412, made... factors in 21 U.S.C. 823(a) and 952(a) and determined that the registration of GE Healthcare to import the...

The importance of the human factor in a physical protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, A.; Rocha, A.

2002-01-01

Full text: A complete physical protection system gathers three elements: equipment's, guards and procedures. The integration of these three elements will guarantee the efficiency of the overall PPS in such a way that it can meet the objectives that were defined during its project: clear and precise procedures will rule the relation between the technical factor (equipments/ hardware and software) and the human factor (guards). The technical factor is easily adapted ad upgraded to continue meet the objectives of the PPS; however, the human factor presents some resistance, internal and external, concerning the performance of its function within the overall PPS. The objective of this paper is to show the importance of the human factor as an integrant part of the PPS of a nuclear facility. 1. Good relationship between guards and other employees in a facility; 2. the knowledge and acceptance of rules and procedures; 3. and the awareness of the needing to implement security measures, as well as the cooperation with these measures to avoid unauthorized nuclear material removal from the facility or sabotage with consequent radioactive release will guarantee the success of the human factor within the overall PPS. In countries where there is no recent record of terrorist activities, as in Brazil's case, these three key factors are particularly critical, once the concept of security culture is not present in those people's way of life. The target public of this survey are the employees, including the guards of the security force, of the CNAAA - Central Nuclear Almirante Alvaro Alberto - consisting of Angra 1 and Angra 2 nuclear power plants. The tools used to came up with the conclusions of this work were two different kinds of questionnaires: a) one of the questionnaires was answered by the guards of the security force concerning their feelings or impressions about other employees' knowledge, acceptance and cooperation of/with the security measures applied on site, and their

Lessons learned from trait self-control in well-being : Making the case for routines and initiation as important components of trait self-control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ridder, Denise De; Gillebaart, Marleen

2017-01-01

It seems common knowledge that trait self-control helps people to achieve the things they find important in their lives by not being distracted by immediate pleasures and temptations. Initial evidence suggests that trait self-control is important in wellbeing as well, with people high in

IMPORTANCE OF KINETIC MEASURES IN TRAJECTORY PREDICTION WITH OPTIMAL CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ömer GÜNDOĞDU

2001-02-01

Full Text Available A two-dimensional sagittally symmetric human-body model was established to simulate an optimal trajectory for manual material handling tasks. Nonlinear control techniques and genetic algorithms were utilized in the optimizations to explore optimal lifting patterns. The simulation results were then compared with the experimental data. Since the kinetic measures such as joint reactions and moments are vital parameters in injury determination, the importance of comparing kinetic measures rather than kinematical ones was emphasized.

Ergonomic analysis of work in energy control plants: factors to be observed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivas, R.

1987-01-01

To make evident the incidence of the technology modification due to the increasing automation of energy control plants on man, whose activity is limited to observation and control, with low working metabolism and high attention and concentration. The methodology is fundamentally based on the individual analysis of the factors affecting man. The following will be considered: a) load volume: the load volume generated by the above mentioned activity depends on the observation period, the number of indicators to be observed and the frequency of control activities; b) active participation: the lack of active participation due to a motionless task requires a constant yield disposition to develop an unusual activity; c) monotonous activity: the load is produced by maintaining a suitable physic-mental state through a volition effort; d) change of disposition: this component, which is not willingly admitted, changes the mechanism of compared functions during the day, following a biological law that depends from the hour; e) environment influence: the unfavorable physical influences, like climate, lack of light, noise, etc. also affect man. The analysis of mental load is specially important due to its influence on the performance, the accident risk and the safety of the system to be controlled. (Author)

Complement factor H protects mice from ischemic acute kidney injury but is not critical for controlling complement activation by glomerular IgM.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetz, Lindsey; Laskowski, Jennifer; Renner, Brandon; Pickering, Matthew C; Kulik, Liudmila; Klawitter, Jelena; Stites, Erik; Christians, Uwe; van der Vlag, Johan; Ravichandran, Kameswaran; Holers, V Michael; Thurman, Joshua M

2018-05-01

Natural IgM binds to glomerular epitopes in several progressive kidney diseases. Previous work has shown that IgM also binds within the glomerulus after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) but does not fully activate the complement system. Factor H is a circulating complement regulatory protein, and congenital or acquired deficiency of factor H is a strong risk factor for several types of kidney disease. We hypothesized that factor H controls complement activation by IgM in the kidney after I/R, and that heterozygous factor H deficiency would permit IgM-mediated complement activation and injury at this location. We found that mice with targeted heterozygous deletion of the gene for factor H developed more severe kidney injury after I/R than wild-type controls, as expected, but that complement activation within the glomeruli remained well controlled. Furthermore, mice that are unable to generate soluble IgM were not protected from renal I/R, even in the setting of heterozygous factor H deficiency. These results demonstrate that factor H is important for limiting injury in the kidney after I/R, but it is not critical for controlling complement activation by immunoglobulin within the glomerulus in this setting. IgM binds to glomerular epitopes after I/R, but it is not a significant source of injury. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Instrumentation and control systems important to safety in nuclear power plants. Safety guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for establishing safety standards for nuclear power plants. It supplements Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-1: Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (the Requirements for Design), which establishes the design requirements for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. This Safety Guide describes how the requirements should be met for instrumentation and control (I and C) systems important to safety. This publication is a revision and combination of two previous Safety Guides: Safety Series Nos 50-SG-D3 and 50-SG-D8, which are superseded by this new Safety Guide. The revision takes account of developments in I and C systems important to safety since the earlier Safety Guides were published in 1980 and 1984, respectively. The objective of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the design of I and C systems important to safety in nuclear power plants, including all I and C components, from the sensors allocated to the mechanical systems to the actuated equipment, operator interfaces and auxiliary equipment. This Safety Guide deals mainly with design requirements for those I and C systems that are important to safety. It expands on paragraphs of Ref in the area of I and C systems important to safety. This publication is intended for use primarily by designers of nuclear power plants and also by owners and/or operators and regulators of nuclear power plants. This Safety Guide provides general guidance on I and C systems important to safety which is broadly applicable to many nuclear power plants. More detailed requirements and limitations for safe operation specific to a particular plant type should be established as part of the design process. The present guidance is focused on the design principles for systems important to safety that warrant particular attention, and should be applied to both the design of new I and C systems and the modernization of existing systems. Guidance is provided on how design

Tobacco control policy development in the European Union: do political factors matter?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosdriesz, Jizzo R.; Willemsen, Marc C.; Stronks, Karien; Kunst, Anton E.

2015-01-01

There has been much variation between European countries in the development of tobacco control policy. Not much is known about the factors that shape this variation. This study aimed to assess the role of political factors in tobacco control policy development. We used data from 11 European

Risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a reanalysis of case-control studies.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.P.W.M. Wientjens (Dorothee); Z. Davanipour; K. Kondo; W.B. Matthews; R.G. Will (Robert); C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia); A. Hofman (Albert)

1996-01-01

textabstractTo review the evidence for risk factors of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), we pooled and reanalyzed the raw data of three case-control studies. The pooled data set comprised 178 patients and 333 control subjects. The strength of association between CJD and putative risk factors was

The importance of personality and parental styles on optimism in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Zanon, Cristian; Bastianello, Micheline Roat; Pacico, Juliana Cerentini; Hutz, Claudio Simon

2014-01-01

Some studies have suggested that personality factors are important to optimism development. Others have emphasized that family relations are relevant variables to optimism. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of parenting styles to optimism controlling for the variance accounted for by personality factors. Participants were 344 Brazilian high school students (44% male) with mean age of 16.2 years (SD = 1) who answered personality, optimism, responsiveness and demandingness scales. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted having personality factors (in the first step) and maternal and paternal parenting styles, and demandingness and responsiveness (in the second step) as predictive variables and optimism as the criterion. Personality factors, especially neuroticism (β = -.34, p parental styles (1%). These findings suggest that personality is more important to optimism development than parental styles.

Human factors engineering applied to Control Centre Design of a research nuclear reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farias, Larissa P. de; Santos, Isaac J.A. Luquetti dos; Carvalho, Paulo V.R., E-mail: larissapfarias@ymail.com [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (DENN/SEESC/IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Lab, de Usabilidade e Confiabilidade Humana; Monteiro, Beany G. [Universidade Federal do Rio Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Departamento de Desenho Industrial

2017-07-01

The Human Factors Engineering (HFE) program is an essential aspect for the design of nuclear installations. The overall aim of the HFE program is the improvement of the operational reliability and safety of plant operation. The HFE program main purpose is to ensure that human factor practices are incorporated into the plant design, emphasizing man-machine interface issues and design improvement of the nuclear reactor Control Centre. The Control Centre of nuclear reactor is a combination of control rooms, control suites and local control stations, which are functionally connected and located on the reactor site. The objective of this paper is to present a design approach for the Control Centre of a nuclear reactor used to produce radioisotopes and for nuclear research, including human factor issues. The design approach is based on participatory design principles, using human factor standards, ergonomic guidelines, and the participation of a multidisciplinary team during all design phases. Using the information gathered, an initial sketch 3D of the Control Centre was developed. (author)

Human factors engineering applied to Control Centre Design of a research nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farias, Larissa P. de; Santos, Isaac J.A. Luquetti dos; Carvalho, Paulo V.R.; Monteiro, Beany G.

2017-01-01

The Human Factors Engineering (HFE) program is an essential aspect for the design of nuclear installations. The overall aim of the HFE program is the improvement of the operational reliability and safety of plant operation. The HFE program main purpose is to ensure that human factor practices are incorporated into the plant design, emphasizing man-machine interface issues and design improvement of the nuclear reactor Control Centre. The Control Centre of nuclear reactor is a combination of control rooms, control suites and local control stations, which are functionally connected and located on the reactor site. The objective of this paper is to present a design approach for the Control Centre of a nuclear reactor used to produce radioisotopes and for nuclear research, including human factor issues. The design approach is based on participatory design principles, using human factor standards, ergonomic guidelines, and the participation of a multidisciplinary team during all design phases. Using the information gathered, an initial sketch 3D of the Control Centre was developed. (author)

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on brand in rubber industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrnaz Moshkelati

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Building a distinguished brand often makes it possible to have sustainable growth in competitive market. It also helps us sell products with higher price; attract reliable customers for long term relationships. This paper presents an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing rubber industry. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 20 questions, distributes it among 300 people and collects 265 filled ones. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.756. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.75 and 1292.573, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived six factors including brand transparency, expected quality, brand promises, brand support and brand sustainability.

Human factors in network security

OpenAIRE

Jones, Francis B.

1991-01-01

Human factors, such as ethics and education, are important factors in network information security. This thesis determines which human factors have significant influence on network security. Those factors are examined in relation to current security devices and procedures. Methods are introduced to evaluate security effectiveness by incorporating the appropriate human factors into network security controls

Factors Controlling Nitrogen Fluxes in Groundwater in Agricultural Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, L.; Green, C. T.; Bekins, B. A.; Bohlke, J. K.

2010-12-01

Predictions of effects of land use changes on water quality require identification of the relative importance of geochemical and hydrologic factors. To understand the factors controlling the transport of nitrogen in groundwater, vertical fluxes of water and solutes were estimated for 13 aquifers in agricultural areas located in California, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. The aquifers are overlain by unsaturated zones with thicknesses ranging from 2.5 to 100 m. Precipitation ranges from 19 to 132 cm/yr and irrigation ranges from 0 to 120 cm/yr. Main crop types include corn, soybeans, forage, wheat, and cotton. A 1-dimensional mathematical model was developed to estimate vertical N transport in response to N inputs on the land surface from chemical fertilizer, manure and atmospheric deposition. Simulated vertical profiles of O2, NO3-, N2 from denitrification, Cl- and atmospheric age tracers were matched to observations by adjusting parameters for recharge rate, unsaturated zone travel time, N leaching ratio (defined as leaching fraction of N reaching water table of N input at land surface), Cl- leaching ratio, O2 reduction rate and denitrification rate. Results indicated that vertical NO3 fluxes below the water table were affected by both geochemical and physical factors. High vertical NO3 fluxes below the water table are associated with high N input at the land surface. Values of Cl- leaching ratios were less than 1 (0.42 to 1) likely as a result of runoff and exported harvested crops. N leaching ratios were lower (0.1 to 0.6), consistent with additional N losses such as denitrification and volatilization. The sites with high leaching ratios for both N and Cl tended to be those with high recharge rates and low ET loss, defined as the fraction of applied water lost to ET. Modeled zero-order denitrification rates in the saturated zone varied within an order of magnitude with a maximum rate of 1.6 mg

What factors influence mothers' behavior regarding control of their children's sugary snack intake?: An application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Vichayanrat, Tippanart; Sudha, Kantaphon; Kumthanom, Komsun; Apisuttisin, Jomjak; Uawatanasakul, Nuttanun; Ariyakieatsakul, Yuttakit

2018-04-16

The aim of this study was to examine the factors influencing mothers' behavior regarding control of their children's sugary snack intake based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. We used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from the mothers of preschool children on the factors related to their behaviours influencing control of their children's sugary snack intake, namely attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-efficacy, age, income and educational level. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used to analyse the relationships between the mother's behaviours and the predicting variables. In total, 293 mothers from the Pediatric Dental Clinic, Mahidol University, participated. The factors significantly related to controlling sugary snack intake were self-efficacy (r = 0.425, P < 0.01), perceived behavioural control (r = 0.361, P < 0.01), attitude (r = 0.302, P < 0.01) and subjective norms (r = 0.211, P < 0.01). For belief-based measures, control beliefs were the most significant factors related to behaviour, followed by normative beliefs but not behavioural beliefs. Having time and the child's willingness were perceived as important control factors, while family and other mothers were significant referents for mothers in controlling sugary snack behaviour. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy (β = 0.339, P < 0.001), attitude (β = 0.190, P = 0.002) and mother's age (β = 0.110, P = 0.043) were significant predictors in controlling the child's sugary snack intake. The factors influencing mothers regarding control of their children's sugary snack intake were self-efficacy, attitude and age of the mother. Oral health education on controlling children's sugary snack intake should focus on developing the mother's self-efficacy and perception of control. The results may not be generalisable to mothers in different cultures or socio-economic status. �

77 FR 70186 - Importer Of Controlled Substances; Notice Of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-23

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer Of Controlled Substances; Notice Of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation By Notice dated August 17, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2012, 77 FR 50162, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665...

78 FR 69130 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Cerilliant Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-18

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Cerilliant Corporation Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on July 16, 2013, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665...

77 FR 31389 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-25

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation By Notice dated March 8, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on March 20, 2012, 77 FR 16261, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665...

77 FR 21999 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice Of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-12

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice Of Registration; Cerilliant Corporation By Notice dated January 6, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2012, 77 FR 2321, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665...

78 FR 57176 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application: Cerilliant Corporation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-17

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application: Cerilliant Corporation Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on July 16, 2013, Cerilliant Corporation, 811 Paloma Drive, Suite A, Round Rock, Texas 78665...

78 FR 8583 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; GE Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-06

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; GE Healthcare Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34 (a), this is notice that on July 28, 2011, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412...

78 FR 69447 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; GE Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-19

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; GE Healthcare Pursuant to Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on September 18, 2013, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412...

Factors affecting Import Shares of Powdered Milk and other Milk Products and their Implications in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Bogahawatte, C.; Herath, Janaranjana

2006-01-01

Import shares of liquid milk, powdered milk, condensed milk and other milk products were estimated to determine their relative competitiveness. The change of import shares with changes of exchange rate and world price of milk. The analysis based on yearly data between 1975-2006 showed that relative CIF prices and incomes were important factors influencing the market shares of milk and milk products. The results also showed that imported milk powder is price inelastic and a weak substitute for...

Prognostic importance of vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression and vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms in epithelial ovarian cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smerdel, Maja; Waldstrøm, Marianne; Brandslund, Ivan

2009-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) play a central role in angiogenesis and consequently, in various steps of ovarian carcinogenesis. Gene polymorphisms within the VEGF system have revealed a correlation with prognosis in some malignancies. The aim of the present study...... was to examine the possible importance of 2 VEGF polymorphisms and VEGF-A expression in ovarian cancer. METHODS: We investigated 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms VEGF +405G/C and VEGF -460C/T by polymerase chain reaction and also analyzed VEGF-A expression by immunohistochemistry in 159 women with ovarian...... cancer. RESULTS: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression revealed a significant correlation with survival in a Cox proportional hazards regression model (P = 0.012). Germline polymorphisms were not correlated with clinicopathological parameters such as stage, type, and histology. Heterozygous...

Importance of bio-medical and socio-economic factors for increase of life expectancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radivojević Biljana M.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the connection between life expectancy according to sex and numerous factors on which its level depends on. Statistical analysis understood application of correlation and regression analysis for determining the connection strength of life expectancy and researched factors separately and then all factors together, as well as separately groups of health-medical and socio-economic factors. The analysis was carried out for a group of developed countries, medium developed, mixed group and Yugoslavia (now SCG on available data for the second half of the 20th century. Analysis results for Yugoslavia showed that the greatest influence on life expectancy of all factors together were setting aside funds for social security (p<0.05. If only health-medical factors are observed, then child mortality up to 5 years and tumor mortality are in question. With women, the greatest influence is with child mortality up to five years old among all factors (factor was statistically significant. In the mixed sample, the strongest connection with men was with gross national income per capita (p<0.01, and with women with child mortality up to five years old (p=0.017. Therefore on the basis of the determined statistical importance of certain factors analysis showed that the influence of socio-economic factors on life expectancy was very strong in present conditions of mortality, not only in positive, but in negative direction as well, and that their influence in that second half of the 20th century was greater than the influence of health

[The importance of local and general factors in development of inflammatory periodontal diseases in children and adolescents].

Science.gov (United States)

Shishinashvili, T E; Tsagareli, Z G; Khimshiashvili, N B

2012-10-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of local and general adverse risk factors and their role in the development of inflammatory periodontal diseases in children and adolescents. The study of the dental status among 618 school children, 9 to 15 years of age has been performed. The obtained results revealed an ambiguous influence of general and local risk factors on the development of inflammatory periodontal diseases. Namely, among the general risk factors the main role is given to hormonal functioning state of juvenile age (26.5%) - (arhythmia formation of hormonal activity). Among the local risk factors inducing inflammatory periodontal diseases at young age, the most significant are tooth-jaw anomalies (32.2%), especially - dental occlusion pathology, lips' bridle attachment anomalies, absence of interdental contacts, small vestibule of the mouth and so on. Poor oral hygiene, however, is also a significant factor in all age groups. Definition of the role and importance of general and local risk factors, taking into consideration patient's age, is of great importance in organization of early prevention, giving the possibility to predict disease possible development, choose most appropriate way to treat the specific situation, reduce the need of complex treatment and improve treatment outcomes.

Human Factors Engineering Aspects of Modifications in Control Room Modernization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hugo, Jacques [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Clefton, Gordon [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Joe, Jeffrey [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2017-06-01

This report describes the basic aspects of control room modernization projects in the U.S. nuclear industry and the need for supplementary guidance on the integration of human factors considerations into the licensing and regulatory aspects of digital upgrades. The report pays specific attention to the integration of principles described in NUREG-0711 (Human Factors Engineering Program Review Model) and how supplementary guidance can help to raise general awareness in the industry regarding the complexities of control room modernization projects created by many interdependent regulations, standards and guidelines. The report also describes how human factors engineering principles and methods provided by various resources and international standards can help in navigating through the process of licensing digital upgrades. In particular, the integration of human factors engineering guidance and requirements into the process of licensing digital upgrades can help reduce uncertainty related to development of technical bases for digital upgrades that will avoid the introduction of new failure modes.

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on enterprise resource planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Enterprise resource planning (ERP has become a necessary in many organizations and many business units have been trying to emerge into an integrated system. There are many advantages on having an efficient ERP but many corporations fail to reach a full operational ERP for many reasons. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing ERP implementation in one of the biggest Iranian automakers named Iran Khodro. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 46 questions, distributes it among some managers in this firm. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.802. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.788 and 1677.307, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived eight factors including intelligence information, customer comfort, structure oriented, resource management, process oriented, customer oriented, flexible structure and knowledge management.

Risk Factors for Anemia in Pregnancy: A Case Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutuja Pundkar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Aim of the study was to find the risk factors leading to Anemia in pregnancy. The main objective was to study the various sociodemographic factors leading to anemia. And to assess the knowledge about anemia among study participants. Material and methods: The present Case control study was carried out at Primary Health Centre, to determine the risk factors leading to anemia in pregnancy. A total of 308 pregnant females were registered. Among them two groups were made, group I cases and group II controls. Each group had 50 cases each. Laboratory test were done and females having hemoglobin less than 11mg/dl were considered anemic. Anemic females were considered cases and females having Hb >11mg/dl were considered controls. Data analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: The overall mean haemoglobin (Hb was 11.55g/dL in controls, whereas it was seen that among the cases it was 9.58g/dL.It would seem that diet, family size, education, social class, gravida and parity are associated with anemia in pregnancy. Conclusion: After adjusting for all the possible covariates there seems to be significant association between Hb levels and age group, education level, family size, diet, gravida and parity.

Reactivity to Daily Stressors in Adulthood: The Importance of Stressor Type in Characterizing Risk Factors

OpenAIRE

Hay, Elizabeth L.; Diehl, Manfred

2010-01-01

This study examined daily stressors in adults aged 18 to 89 years (M = 49.6 years) over 30 days. We examined the role of individual factors (i.e., age, self-concept differentiation, perceived control) in physical and psychological reactivity to interpersonal, network, home, and health stressors. Findings were consistent with the perspective that adults were less reactive to stress on days they felt in control and that younger adults and adults with high self-concept differentiation (SCD) were...

The importance of governmental control of radioactive sources used in industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anna Firpo Fuerth, Q.F.; Beatriz Souto Ameigenda, Q.F.

1998-01-01

Industrial applications of radioactive sources require good management practices dealing with control and registration. In the following case, a special event occurred between two routine inspections: trading. Then a new human factor came into scene: workers with no specific training and knowledge related to radioactive sources. The up going situation triggered emergency procedures. Finally, there were no negative consequences. (author)

Factors influencing the control strategy of hybrid drive of urban public transport buses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barta, Dalibor; Mruzek, Martin

2015-01-01

The efficiency of each drives is dependent on many factors. Hybrid drives and specially the drives of urban public transport may be affected by other factors given by transport infrastructure or operational conditions. These factors condition the suitable configuration of the individual elements of hybrid drive and the establishment of good control strategy of such drive. The study of influencing factors of the control strategy is the aim of this paper. (full text)

Nitrogen Losses in Sediments of the East China Sea: Spatiotemporal Variations, Controlling Factors, and Environmental Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Xianbiao; Liu, Min; Hou, Lijun; Gao, Dengzhou; Li, Xiaofei; Lu, Kaijun; Gao, Juan

2017-10-01

Global reactive nitrogen (N) has increased dramatically in coastal marine ecosystems over the past decades and caused numerous eco-environmental problems. Coastal marine sediment plays a critical role in N losses via denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and release of nitrous oxide (N2O). However, both the magnitude and contributions of denitrification, anammox, and N2O production in sediments still remain unclear, causing uncertainty in defining the N budget for coastal marine ecosystems. Here potential rates of N losses, and their contributions and controlling factors, were investigated in surface sediments during six cruises from 429 sites of the East China Sea. The potential rates of denitrification, anammox, and N2O production varied both spatially and seasonally, but the contribution of anammmox to total N2 production (%anammox) and N2O:N2 ratio only varied spatially. Both organic carbon and nitrate (NO3-) were important factors controlling N losses, N2O:N2 ratio, and %anammox. Our results also showed that marine organic carbon induced by eutrophication plays an important role in stimulating reactive N removal and increasing N2O production in warm seasons. The sediment N loss caused by denitrification, anammox, and N2O production in the study area were estimated at 2.2 × 106 t N yr-1, 4.6 × 105 t N yr-1, and 8 × 103 t N yr-1, respectively. Although sediments remove large quantities of reactive N, they act as an important source of N2O in this region influenced by NO3--laden rivers.

78 FR 64015 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration, Siegfried (USA), LLC

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-25

... registered as an importer of the following basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Opium, raw... States obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA...

Risk factors for idiopathic orbital inflammation: a case-control study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bijlsma, Ward R.; van Gils, Carla H.; Paridaens, Dion; Mourits, Maarten P.; Kalmann, Rachel

2011-01-01

Objective To identify risk factors involved in the development of idiopathic orbital inflammation (IOI). Methods Case-control study of 69 adults who had had a first episode of IOI and 296 adult controls with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) selected from three orbital centres in The

78 FR 36594 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application GE Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-18

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application GE Healthcare Pursuant to Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on April 29, 2013, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412, made...

Importance of genetic factors in the etiology of atopic dermatitis: a twin study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Simon F; Ulrik, Charlotte S; Kyvik, Kirsten O

2007-01-01

The susceptibility to develop atopic dermatitis can be attributed both to genetic and environmental causes. We estimated the relative impact of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of atopic dermatitis in a population-based sample of twins. From the birth cohorts of 1953-1982 who wer...... dermatitis both in male and female patients (p = 0.98). The estimates were adjusted for age. The susceptibility to develop atopic dermatitis is attributable to mainly genetic differences between people. However, differences in environmental exposures also are of importance......The susceptibility to develop atopic dermatitis can be attributed both to genetic and environmental causes. We estimated the relative impact of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of atopic dermatitis in a population-based sample of twins. From the birth cohorts of 1953-1982 who were...... with a threefold increased risk among cotwins of an affected fraternal twin, relative to the general population. Genes accounted for 82% and nonshared environmental factors accounted for 18% of the individual susceptibility to develop atopic dermatitis. The same genes contributed to the susceptibility to atopic...

Risk Factors Profile of Shoulder Dystocia in Oman: A Case Control Study

OpenAIRE

Maha M. Al-Khaduri; Rania Mohammed Abudraz; Sayed G. Rizvi; Yahya M. Al-Farsi

2014-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to assess the risk factor profile of shoulder dystocia and associated neonatal complications in Oman, a developing Arab country. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted among 111 cases with dystocia and 111 controls, identified during 1994-2006 period in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Controls were randomly selected among women who did not have dystocia, and were matched to cases on the day of delivery. Data related to potential risk factor...

Fine scale spatial variability of microbial pesticide degradation in soil: scales, controlling factors, and implications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dechesne, Arnaud; Badawi, N.; Aamand, Jens

2014-01-01

across pesticide classes: they include some soil characteristics (pH) and some agricultural management practices (pesticide application, tillage), while other potential controlling factors have more conflicting effects depending on the site or the pesticide. Evidence demonstrating the importance......Pesticide biodegradation is a soil microbial function of critical importance for modern agriculture and its environmental impact. While it was once assumed that this activity was homogeneously distributed at the field scale, mounting evidence indicates that this is rarely the case. Here, we...... critically examine the literature on spatial variability of pesticide biodegradation in agricultural soil. We discuss the motivations, methods, and main findings of the primary literature. We found significant diversity in the approaches used to describe and quantify spatial heterogeneity, which complicates...

Relationship of psychosocial risk factors, certain personality traits and myocardial infarction in Indians: A case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajni Gupta

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the relationship of psychosocial factors (lack of social support, stress and subjective well-being and personality traits with myocardial infarction (MI. Materials and Methods: A case-control study involving 100 cases and 100 matched controls was conducted in Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi. Results: Stress over 1 year was significantly higher in cases (P < 0.001. However, difference was not significant when scores of social support (P = 0.2, Presumptive Stressful Life Event (PSLE over lifetime (P = 0.058 and subjective well-being (P = 0.987 were compared. MI was significantly associated with hyperactive (P < 0.001, dominant (P = 0.03, egoistic (P < 0.001 and introvert (P < 0.001 personalities. Conclusion: Certain personality traits and recent stress may be important risk factors of MI, especially in Indians. The finding may have implications on the preventive strategies planned for MI patients.

Does behaviour modification affect post-stroke risk factor control? Three-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

McManus, Julie Ann; Craig, Alison; McAlpine, Christine; Langhorne, Peter; Ellis, Graham

2009-02-01

Little is known about the long-term effectiveness after stroke of interventions for behaviour modification and ensuring concordance with therapies. We describe a follow-up study of a previous randomized controlled trial of a brief period of behaviour modification. The aim of this study was to determine outcomes three years after the initial intervention. Survivors of the original cohort were contacted and asked to attend for follow-up interview, within a geriatric day hospital. This study was carried out in the Geriatric Day Hospital at Stobhill Hospital, Balornock Road, Glasgow. Details of risk factor control, including blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetic control, were assessed. Questionnaires used in the initial study were repeated including the Geriatric Depression Scale score, Euroqol Perceived Health Status and Stroke Services Satisfaction Questionnaire. Primary outcome was collective risk factor control. Clinical outcomes including recurrent cerebrovascular events, medication persistence and perceived health status were also recorded. Mean length of follow-up was 3.6 years (SD 0.43). Of the 205 patients enrolled in the initial study, 102 patients attended for repeat interview(49 intervention/53 control). There were no significant differences in the percentage of controlled risk factors between groups (intervention 51.7% versus control 55.9%, P = 0.53). Similarities were observed in the number of recurrent clinical events and medication persistence between groups. No overall difference was observed in perceived health status, satisfaction with care or depression scores. Brief intervention with respect to behaviour modification and risk factor control does not appear to have any long-term benefit. These results must be cautiously interpreted in light of the small study number and further research is required.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in severely burned patients: a case-control study to assess risk factors, causes, and outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young Jin; Koh, Dong Hee; Park, Se Woo; Park, Sun Man; Choi, Min Ho; Jang, Hyun Joo; Kae, Sea Hyub; Lee, Jin; Byun, Hyun Woo

2014-01-01

To determine the risk factors, causes, and outcome of clinically important upper gastrointestinal bleeding that occurs in severely burned patients. The charts of all patients admitted to the burn intensive care unit were analyzed retrospectively over a 4-year period (from January 2006 to December 2009). Cases consisted of burned patients who developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding more than 24 hours after admission to the burn intensive care unit. Controls were a set of patients, in the burn intensive care unit, without upper gastrointestinal bleeding matched with cases for age and gender. Cases and controls were compared with respect to the risk factors of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and outcomes. During the study period, clinically important upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in 20 patients out of all 964 patients. The most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding was duodenal ulcer (11 of 20 cases, 55%). In the multivariate analysis, mechanical ventilation (p = 0.044) and coagulopathy (p = 0.035) were found to be the independent predictors of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in severely burned patients. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage tends to occur more frequently after having prolonged mechanical ventilation and coagulopathy.

Evaluation of salivary tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with the chronic periodontitis: A case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yousefimanesh, Hojatollah; Maryam, Robati; Mahmoud, Jahangirnezhad; Mehri, Ghafourian Boroujerdnia; Mohsen, Taghipour

2013-11-01

Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease that leads to inflammation of the tissues supporting the teeth, bone loss, attachment loss progressively. In chronic periodontitis for starting the host response and inflammatory reaction, the presence of the infectious agent is necessary. One of inflammatory factors is tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) that appear to be important in the destruction of periodontal tissues that were examined in this study. This study was performed in the laboratory and case-control study. The samples of study collected from 30 individuals with chronic periodontitis and 30 healthy controls that matched for age and sex, together. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from patients and then TNF-α level were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were compared with the control group. In this study for statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney was used. There were differences in mean salivary concentrations of TNF-α in controls and patients. The average concentration in the case group was 9.1 (pg/ml) and the control group was 8.7 (pg/ml), but there was no significant difference between case and control groups (P > 0.05). The results of this analysis showed no significant relationship between two groups TNF-α concentration. This biomarker can not seem to be a good index to evaluate or predict periodontal disease.

Evaluation of salivary tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with the chronic periodontitis: A case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hojatollah Yousefimanesh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disease that leads to inflammation of the tissues supporting the teeth, bone loss, attachment loss progressively. In chronic periodontitis for starting the host response and inflammatory reaction, the presence of the infectious agent is necessary. Aims: One of inflammatory factors is tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α that appear to be important in the destruction of periodontal tissues that were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: This study was performed in the laboratory and case-control study. The samples of study collected from 30 individuals with chronic periodontitis and 30 healthy controls that matched for age and sex, together. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from patients and then TNF-α level were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were compared with the control group. Statistical Analysis Used: In this study for statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney was used. Results: There were differences in mean salivary concentrations of TNF-α in controls and patients. The average concentration in the case group was 9.1 (pg/ml and the control group was 8.7 (pg/ml, but there was no significant difference between case and control groups (P > 0.05. Conclusions: The results of this analysis showed no significant relationship between two groups TNF-α concentration.This biomarker can not seem to be a good index to evaluate or predict periodontal disease.

IMPORTANCE OF THE HUMAN FACTOR IN THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela BRETCU

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The paper approaches the paradigmatic changes of the current economic situation, in the context of post-modernism and its challenges, which reconsiders human society according to new criteria. One of the characteristics of post-modernism is the development of information and communication techniques, which allowed the occurrence of the „knowledge-based society” whose consequence is the effervescence of fast barrier-free knowledge, absolute freedom of debates, equality of opportunities before the virtual space, but also the relativisation of information, the increases of the danger of manipulation, misleading, or even falsification of the truth. New challenges occur thus in social life, and especially in the economic one, where the human factor becomes increasingly important for the evolution of society. In this context, education seems to play the decisive part, but an education focused on real values, where the truth and the ethics prevail before efficiency and performance.  

Importance of radiation time and dose factors on outcome for childhood medulloblastoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Back, M.; Barton, M.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of posterior fossa radiation therapy duration (PFRTD) and relapse-free survival (RFS) following adjuvant craniospinal RT for childhood medulloblastoma. A retrospective audit was performed assessing all children aged 180days) pre-RT chemotherapy were excluded. Data were obtained for potential prognostic factors in domains of patient, tumour and treatment factors. Radiation therapy time factors assessed were PFRTD and time interval from surgery to commencement of RT (SRTD). The end-point assessed was RFS and analysis was performed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival. One hundred and eighty-nine children were identified from 10 oncology units, with data available from 182 children for analysis. Median follow up was 5.3 years. Seventy-three per cent of children presented with disease confined to the cerebellum; 13% had initial neuraxis disease. Macroscopic resection was described in 54%; 42% received adjuvant chemotherapy. Median RT dose and RT duration to PF was 55 Gy and 45 days, respectively. Seventy-eight relapses occurred with a 10-year actuarial RFS of 58.2% (standard error±4%). On univariate analysis, increasing PF dose (P = 0.002), age >5 years (P 0.006), and more thorough extent of surgical resection (P - 0.043) were associated with improved RFS; PFRTD (P = 0.20) and SRTD (P = 0.51) were not associated with RFS. On multivariate analysis, although both PF dose (P 0.004) and extent of surgery (P = 0.045) remained strongly significant, RT duration was now associated with RFS (P = 0.049). Other factors assessed that did not reach significance were patient age, local tumour extent, presence of internal shunt and use of chemotherapy. The importance of local treatment factors was confirmed in this audit with established prognostic factors such as primary tumour macroscopic resection and adequate PF RT dose being associated with RFS. A treatment time effect is weakly suggested, although less

The Importance of Structure in Incomplete Factorization Preconditioners

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Scott, J.; Tůma, Miroslav

2011-01-01

Roč. 51, č. 2 (2011), s. 385-404 ISSN 0006-3835 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) M100300902 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : sparse symmetric linear systems * incomplete factorizations * preconditioners * level-based approach Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.724, year: 2011

78 FR 12101 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Mallinckrodt, LLC.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-21

... Coca Leaves (9040) II Opium, raw (9600) II Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II The company plans to... or coca leaves. Comments and requests for hearings on applications to import narcotic raw material... to manufacture such basic classes of controlled substances listed in schedules I or II, which fall...

78 FR 17230 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Registration, Noramco, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-20

... basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Phenylacetone (8501) II Opium, raw (9600) II Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II Tapentadol (9780) II The company plans to import raw Opium (9600) and Poppy... treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971, at this time. DEA has investigated Noramco...

77 FR 43862 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Noramco, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-26

... basic classes of controlled substances: Drug Schedule Phenylacetone (8501) II Opium, raw (9600) II Poppy Straw Concentrate (9670) II Tapentadol (9780) II The company plans to import the Opium (9600) and Poppy... treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971, at this time. DEA has investigated Noramco...

The Importance of Rainfall Distribution in Urban Drainage Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nelen, Fons; Mooijman, Annemarieke; Jacobsen, Per

1992-01-01

be desired. Time-series simulations are performed for both an uncontrolled and a controlled system. It is shown that from a statistical point of view, rainfall distribution is NOT significant concerning the probability of occurrence of an overflow. The main contributing factor to the potential of real time......A control simulation model, called LOCUS, is used to investigate the effects of spatially distributed rain and the possibilities to benefit from this phenomenon by means of real time control. The study is undertaken for a catchment in Copenhagen, where rainfall is measured with a network of 8 rain...... control, concerning minimizing overflows, is to be found in the system itself, i.e. the distribution of available storage and discharge capacity. When other operational objectives are involved, e.g., to minimize peak flows to the treatment plant, rainfall distribution may be an important factor....

[Clinical and psychopathological factors associated with impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Sáez-Francàs, N; Martí Andrés, G; Ramírez, N; de Fàbregues, O; Álvarez-Sabín, J; Casas, M; Hernández-Vara, J

2016-05-01

Impulse control disorders (ICD) constitute a complication that may arise during the course of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several factors have been linked to the development of these disorders, and their associated severe functional impairment requires specific and multidisciplinary management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of ICDs and the clinical and psychopathological factors associated with the appearance of these disorders. Cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study of a sample of 115 PD patients evaluated to determine the presence of an ICD. Clinical scales were administered to assess disease severity, personality traits, and presence of psychiatric symptoms at the time of evaluation. Of the 115 patients with PD, 27 (23.48%) displayed some form of ICD; hypersexuality, exhibited by 14 (12.2%), and binge eating, present in 12 (10.1%), were the most common types. Clinical factors associated with ICD were treatment with dopamine agonists (OR: 13.39), earlier age at disease onset (OR: 0.92), and higher score on the UPDRS-I subscale; psychopathological factors with a significant association were trait anxiety (OR: 1.05) and impulsivity (OR: 1.13). ICDs are frequent in PD, and treatment with dopamine agonists is the most important risk factor for these disorders. High impulsivity and anxiety levels at time of evaluation, and younger age at disease onset, were also linked to increased risk. However, presence of these personality traits prior to evaluation did not increase risk of ICD. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Quality control analysis of imported fertilizers used in Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enti-Brown, S.

2010-01-01

Twenty three (23) imported fertilizer samples of 5 fertilizer types have been analysed to determine their quality. The main objective of this research was to validate specifications indicated by manufacturers' on their fertilizer products. To achieve this objective, the fertilizer samples were analysed using five analytical techniques (INAA, AAS, flame photometer, kjeldahl method and UV-visible spectroscopy) to determine the concentrations of macronutrients (N, P, K, Mg, Ca and S), micronutrients (Cu, Na, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn) and heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Hg and Pd) in the fertilizer samples. Results obtained from analysis were compared with certified values obtained from the companies and with standard values obtained from MOFA to establish whether the imported fertilizers met standards. Two reference materials (IAEA Soil-7 and SRM 1646a Estuarine Sediment) were used to validate the quantitative methods employed in the INAA and AAS techniques. Good agreements (98%) were obtained between the measured and verified concentrations for most of the elements. Analytical results revealed that the concentrations of the primary macronutrients (N, P and K) claimed by the manufacturers were valid. In contrast, manufacturers' claims for micronutrient concentrations did not agree with analytical results. The concentrations recorded were far below the minimum plant nutrient guarantees. For instance, the highest values recorded for Cu and Zn were 0.0265% and 0.00305% respectively, whiles the minimum guaranteed values were set at 0.05%. Heavy metal levels recorded in the fertilizers were insignificant and therefore do not present possible contamination problems during fertilizer application. In conclusion, not all the nutrient requirements expected of imported fertilizers were met. There is therefore the need for a good quality control system to monitor the chemical compositions of fertilizers imported into Ghana (au).

An investigation of breast cancer risk factors in Cyprus: a case control study

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Hadjisavvas Andreas

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Breast cancer is the most common form of malignancy affecting women worldwide. It is also the leading cancer in females in Cyprus, with approximately 400 new cases diagnosed annually. It is well recognized that genetic variation as well as environmental factors modulate breast cancer risk. The main aim of this study was to assess the strength of associations between recognized risk factors and breast cancer among Cypriot women. This is the first epidemiological investigation on risk factors of breast cancer among the Cypriot female population. Methods We carried out a case-control study, involving 1,109 breast cancer patients and a group of 1,177 controls who were recruited while participating in the National screening programme for breast cancer. Information on demographic characteristics and potential risk factors were collected from both groups during a standardized interview. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the strength of the association between each risk factor and breast cancer risk, before and after adjusting for the possible confounding effect of other factors. Results In multivariable models, family history of breast cancer (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.23, 2.19 was the strongest predictor of breast cancer risk in the Cypriot population. Late menarche (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.45, 0.92 among women reaching menarche after the age of 15 vs. before the age of 12 and breastfeeding (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59, 0.92 exhibited a strong protective effect. In the case of breastfeeding, the observed effect appeared stronger than the effect of pregnancy alone. Surprisingly, we also observed an inverse association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT although this may be a product of the retrospective nature of this study. Conclusion Overall the findings of our study corroborate with the results of previous investigations on descriptive epidemiology of risk factors for breast cancer. This investigation provides important background

Smoking habit as a risk factor in tuberculosis: a case-control study

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Edhyana Sahiratmadja

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Indonesia is fifth in the tuberculosis (TB prevalence globally and this country is one of the largest tobacco producers. Smoking has been reported to be an important risk factor for TB and a reduction in smoking could be expected to have a significant impact on TB incidence and prevalence. However, studies from various countries yielded conflicting results. Our study aims to explore the association between smoking and TB in Indonesia as TB-endemic country. In two major cities of Indonesia, Jakarta and Bandung, a case-control study had been conducted. TB was diagnosed based on WHO criteria including clinical presentation, and chest X-ray (CXR examination, and confirmed by microscopic detection of acid-fast bacilli in Ziehl-Nielsen stained sputum smears or by culture of M. tuberculosis. Newly diagnosed smear-positive pulmonary TB patients (n=802 and their spouses (n=253 or sex-matched neighborhood controls (n=534 were interviewed about their smoking habits. An extensive questionnaire was used to collect data about smoking habits of both patients and controls. Smoking categories were grouped into ever (for current/past smokers and never. Our study result showed that smoking appears not to be strongly associated with TB (OR=0.99, 95% CI 0.76-1.31. The reasons for the effect heterogeneity remain to be elucidated as smoking is a lethal habit and should be well controlled. The need to incorporate tobacco cessation programs into TB treatment is strongly recommended to improve TB control.

Smoking habit as a risk factor in tuberculosis: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edhyana Sahiratmadja

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Indonesia is fifth in the tuberculosis (TB prevalence globally and this country is one of the largest tobacco producers. Smoking has been reported to be an important risk factor for TB and a reduction in smoking could be expected to have a significant impact on TB incidence and prevalence. However, studies from various countries yielded conflicting results. Our study aims to explore the association between smoking and TB in Indonesia as TB-endemic country. In two major cities of Indonesia, Jakarta and Bandung, a case-control study had been conducted. TB was diagnosed based on WHO criteria including clinical presentation, and chest X-ray (CXR examination, and confirmed by microscopic detection of acid-fast bacilli in Ziehl-Nielsen stained sputum smears or by culture of M. tuberculosis. Newly diagnosed smear-positive pulmonary TB patients (n=802 and their spouses (n=253 or sex-matched neighborhood controls (n=534 were interviewed about their smoking habits. An extensive questionnaire was used to collect data about smoking habits of both patients and controls. Smoking categories were grouped into ever (for current/past smokers and never. Our study result showed that smoking appears not to be strongly associated with TB (OR=0.99, 95% CI 0.76-1.31. The reasons for the effect heterogeneity remain to be elucidated as smoking is a lethal habit and should be well controlled. The need to incorporate tobacco cessation programs into TB treatment is strongly recommended to improve TB control.

Nuclear Import of the Parsley bZIP Transcription Factor CPRF2 Is Regulated by Phytochrome Photoreceptors

Science.gov (United States)

Kircher, Stefan; Wellmer, Frank; Nick, Peter; Rügner, Alexander; Schäfer, Eberhard; Harter, Klaus

1999-01-01

In plants, light perception by photoreceptors leads to differential expression of an enormous number of genes. An important step for differential gene expression is the regulation of transcription factor activities. To understand these processes in light signal transduction we analyzed the three well-known members of the common plant regulatory factor (CPRF) family from parsley (Petroselinum crispum). Here, we demonstrate that these CPRFs, which belong to the basic- region leucine-zipper (bZIP) domain-containing transcription factors, are differentially distributed within parsley cells, indicating different regulatory functions within the regulatory networks of the plant cell. In particular, we show by cell fractionation and immunolocalization approaches that CPRF2 is transported from the cytosol into the nucleus upon irradiation due to action of phytochrome photoreceptors. Two NH2-terminal domains responsible for cytoplasmic localization of CPRF2 in the dark were characterized by deletion analysis using a set of CPRF2-green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene fusion constructs transiently expressed in parsley protoplasts. We suggest that light-induced nuclear import of CPRF2 is an essential step in phytochrome signal transduction. PMID:9922448

Creating Cycling-Friendly Environments for Children: Which Micro-Scale Factors Are Most Important? An Experimental Study Using Manipulated Photographs

Science.gov (United States)

Ghekiere, Ariane; Deforche, Benedicte; Mertens, Lieze; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Clarys, Peter; de Geus, Bas; Cardon, Greet; Nasar, Jack; Salmon, Jo; Van Cauwenberg, Jelle

2015-01-01

Background Increasing participation in transportation cycling represents a useful strategy for increasing children’s physical activity levels. Knowledge on how to design environments to encourage adoption and maintenance of transportation cycling is limited and relies mainly on observational studies. The current study experimentally investigates the relative importance of micro-scale environmental factors for children’s transportation cycling, as these micro-scale factors are easier to change within an existing neighborhood compared to macro-scale environmental factors (i.e. connectivity, land-use mix, …). Methods Researchers recruited children and their parents (n = 1232) via 45 randomly selected schools across Flanders and completed an online questionnaire which consisted of 1) demographic questions; and 2) a choice-based conjoint (CBC) task. During this task, participants chose between two photographs which we had experimentally manipulated in seven micro-scale environmental factors: type of cycle path; evenness of cycle path; traffic speed; traffic density; presence of speed bumps; environmental maintenance; and vegetation. Participants indicated which route they preferred to (let their child) cycle along. To find the relative importance of these micro-scale environmental factors, we conducted Hierarchical Bayes analyses. Results Type of cycle path emerged as the most important factor by far among both children and their parents, followed by traffic density and maintenance, and evenness of the cycle path among children. Among parents, speed limits and maintenance emerged as second most important, followed by evenness of the cycle path, and traffic density. Conclusion Findings indicate that improvements in micro-scale environmental factors might be effective for increasing children’s transportation cycling, since they increase the perceived supportiveness of the physical environment for transportation cycling. Investments in creating a clearly designated

Human-factors engineering-control-room design review: Shoreham Nuclear Power Station. Draft audit report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, L.R.; Preston-Smith, J.; Savage, J.W.; Rousseau, W.F.

1981-01-01

A human factors engineering preliminary design review of the Shoreham control room was performed at the site on March 30 through April 3, 1981. This design review was carried out by a team from the Human Factors Engineering Branch, Division of Human Factors Safety. This report was prepared on the basis of the HFEB's review of the applicant's Preliminary Design Assessment and the human factors engineering design review/audit performed at the site. The presented sections are numbered to conform to the guidelines of the draft version of NUREG-0700. They summarize the teams's observations of the control room design and layout, and of the control room operators' interface with the control room environment

Active Power Factor Correction Using a Sliding Mode Controller

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Korhan KAYIŞLI

2008-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a sliding mode controller is designed for active shaping of the input current in the boost converter. Robustness of the designed controller is tested with variable output voltage references, different loads and network voltage variations. For the simulations, MATLAB/Simulink programme is used. From simulation results, the same phase was provided between input current and input voltage and nearly unity power factor was obtained.

Factors affecting sustainable animal trypanosomosis control in parts ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examined the factors affecting sustainable trypanosomiasis control in parts of Kaduna State within the sub-humid savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. Focus group discussions were ... More awareness and preference for pour-on and aerial spraying were higher than the use of traps, target or screens. Rearing of ...

Deciphering factors controlling groundwater arsenic spatial variability in Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Z.; Yang, Q.; Zheng, C.; Zheng, Y.

2017-12-01

Elevated concentrations of geogenic arsenic in groundwater have been found in many countries to exceed 10 μg/L, the WHO's guideline value for drinking water. A common yet unexplained characteristic of groundwater arsenic spatial distribution is the extensive variability at various spatial scales. This study investigates factors influencing the spatial variability of groundwater arsenic in Bangladesh to improve the accuracy of models predicting arsenic exceedance rate spatially. A novel boosted regression tree method is used to establish a weak-learning ensemble model, which is compared to a linear model using a conventional stepwise logistic regression method. The boosted regression tree models offer the advantage of parametric interaction when big datasets are analyzed in comparison to the logistic regression. The point data set (n=3,538) of groundwater hydrochemistry with 19 parameters was obtained by the British Geological Survey in 2001. The spatial data sets of geological parameters (n=13) were from the Consortium for Spatial Information, Technical University of Denmark, University of East Anglia and the FAO, while the soil parameters (n=42) were from the Harmonized World Soil Database. The aforementioned parameters were regressed to categorical groundwater arsenic concentrations below or above three thresholds: 5 μg/L, 10 μg/L and 50 μg/L to identify respective controlling factors. Boosted regression tree method outperformed logistic regression methods in all three threshold levels in terms of accuracy, specificity and sensitivity, resulting in an improvement of spatial distribution map of probability of groundwater arsenic exceeding all three thresholds when compared to disjunctive-kriging interpolated spatial arsenic map using the same groundwater arsenic dataset. Boosted regression tree models also show that the most important controlling factors of groundwater arsenic distribution include groundwater iron content and well depth for all three

Safety culture management: The importance of organizational factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haber, S.B.; Shurberg, D.A.; Jacobs, R.; Hofmann, D.

1995-01-01

The concept of safety culture has been used extensively to explain the underlying causes of performance based events, both positive and negative, across the nuclear industry. The work described in this paper represents several years of effort to identify, define and assess the organizational factors important to safe performance in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The research discussed in this paper is primarily conducted in support of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) efforts in understanding the impact of organizational performance on safety. As a result of a series of research activities undertaken by numerous NRC contractors, a collection of organizational dimensions has been identified and defined. These dimensions represent what is believed to be a comprehensive taxonomy of organizational elements that relate to the safe operation of nuclear power plants. Techniques were also developed by which to measure these organizational dimensions, and include structured interview protocols, behavioral checklists, and behavioral anchored rating scales (BARS). Recent efforts have focused on devising a methodology for the extraction of information related to the identified organizational dimensions from existing NRC documentation. This type of effort would assess the applicability of the organizational dimensions to existing NRC inspection and evaluation reports, refine the organizational dimensions previously developed so they are more relevant to the task of retrospective analysis, and attempt to rate plants based on the review of existing NRC documentation using the techniques previously developed for the assessment of organizational dimensions

Relative importance of management, meteorological and environmental factors in the spatial distribution of Fasciola hepatica in dairy cattle in a temperate climate zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennema, S C; Ducheyne, E; Vercruysse, J; Claerebout, E; Hendrickx, G; Charlier, J

2011-02-01

Fasciola hepatica, a trematode parasite with a worldwide distribution, is the cause of important production losses in the dairy industry. Diagnosis is hampered by the fact that the infection is mostly subclinical. To increase awareness and develop regionally adapted control methods, knowledge on the spatial distribution of economically important infection levels is needed. Previous studies modelling the spatial distribution of F. hepatica are mostly based on single cross-sectional samplings and have focussed on climatic and environmental factors, often ignoring management factors. This study investigated the associations between management, climatic and environmental factors affecting the spatial distribution of infection with F. hepatica in dairy herds in a temperate climate zone (Flanders, Belgium) over three consecutive years. A bulk-tank milk antibody ELISA was used to measure F. hepatica infection levels in a random sample of 1762 dairy herds in the autumns of 2006, 2007 and 2008. The infection levels were included in a Geographic Information System together with meteorological, environmental and management parameters. Logistic regression models were used to determine associations between possible risk factors and infection levels. The prevalence and spatial distribution of F. hepatica was relatively stable, with small interannual differences in prevalence and location of clusters. The logistic regression model based on both management and climatic/environmental factors included the factors: annual rainfall, mowing of pastures, proportion of grazed grass in the diet and length of grazing season as significant predictors and described the spatial distribution of F. hepatica better than the model based on climatic/environmental factors only (annual rainfall, elevation and slope, soil type), with an Area Under the Curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic of 0.68 compared with 0.62. The results indicate that in temperate climate zones without large climatic

Internal service quality by integrated approach Performance Control Matrix (PCM & Importance-Satisfaction Model (Studied in Yazd Regional Power Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeid Peirow

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Today, the internal service quality as one of the most important factors affecting the recruitment and retention of staff is considered. The present study sought to examine the internal service quality of Yazd Regional Electric, finally, select appropriate strategies to improve the quality of local services in the organization. The application of this study is base on survey method.Data were collected from questionnaires to evaluate the 26 components of internal service quality of Yazd Regional Electric, has been used. Research community is the staff of the organisation.Also, the sample size, the initial questionnaire was distributed according to Cochran's formula is calculated.In order to analyze research data, the model is important - satisfaction and performance control matrix to identify those components that are used need to be improved.Also, in order to prioritize measures to improve employee satisfaction index is used. Data analysis using above tools show, 8 criteria are in improvment area. So, these criteria are prioritized with ESI.

Risk factors for developing tuberculosis in remand prisons in St. Petersburg, Russia - a case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobacheva, Tatiana; Asikainen, Tommi; Giesecke, Johan

2007-01-01

Detainees have a substantial risk to develop tuberculosis (TB) due to a higher incidence of TB in remand prison compared to the civil community. They develop TB during incarceration not only due to poor living conditions in remand prison, but also due to some factors affecting their life before imprisonment. Prevention measures against TB spread from penitentiary institutions to society include study of factors, which contribute to TB development. Current study aims at identification of important risk factors of TB development in remand prison in St. Petersburg, Russia. A retrospective matched case-control study was performed from May 2002 to May 2003 in two remand prisons in St. Petersburg. One hundred and fourteen prisoners (57 cases, 57 controls) were interviewed by using standardised questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors. Six factors were significantly linked to the risk of developing TB: narcotic drug use (odds ratio (OR): 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0-6.9), low income (OR: 3.2, CI: 1.2-8.6), high ratio of prisoners per available bed (OR: 4.0, CI: 1.1-15.0), not having own bed clothes (OR: 13.0, CI: 2.7-61.6), and little time outdoors (OR: 3.3, CI: 1.3-8.5). However, good housing before imprisonment (OR: 4.2, CI: 1.1-15.7) was a separate risk factor for TB. Three of the risk factors (high number of prisoners per bed, not having own bed clothes, and little time outdoors) are certainly possible to approach by improvement of conditions in remand prisons. The remaining three factors (narcotic drug use, good housing before imprisonment, and low income) provide knowledge about study population, but cannot be intervened by prison's medical staff.

[Asthma control status in children and related factors in 29 cities of China].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jing

2013-02-01

To investigate the status of asthma control in the city and severity of asthma in children and to identify related factors. This study was conducted in one children's hospital or tertiary hospital in each of the 29 provinces except Xinjiang and Xizang Autonomous Regions. Totally, 2960 parents with asthmatic children ages 0 to 14 years, and all had been diagnosed with asthma at least 3 months ago and the course was more than 12 months, who visited those hospitals were selected for the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire survey, and separated into the controlled asthma group and uncontrolled asthma group according to children's asthma conditions in the past 12 months. Multivariate analysis was carried out based on the answers to 28 tested factors; 2485 of 2960 questionnaires from 29 provinces were valid. Of the 2485 valid questionnaires, 66.0% asthmatic children had asthma attacks in the past 12 months, 26.8% asthmatic children had visited the emergency department, 16.2% asthmatic children had been hospitalized. The total cost was significantly higher in the uncontrolled group than in contro group (χ² = 23.14, P asthma control, knowledge of "3 or more times recurrent wheezing suggesting asthma", knowledge of "cough lasting for more than 4 weeks suggesting asthma", knowledge of "cough improved with bronchodilators suggesting asthma", knowledge of "awareness of using short-acting β₂ agonist for acute attack", avoiding contact with plush toys, adhere to use nasal steroid, inhaled corticosteroids/composite preparation, age of children and course of asthma in children are protective factors that affect asthma control and severity of asthma in children. Food allergies, eczema and family history of asthma are risk factors. Asthma in many children was poorly controlled. Factors that affect asthma control and severity include parents' knowledge about asthma, exposure to adverse environment, the compliance with medication and regular visits for asthma

Imported brucellosis: A case series and literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman, Francesca F; Monge-Maillo, Begoña; Chamorro-Tojeiro, Sandra; Pérez-Molina, Jose-Antonio; López-Vélez, Rogelio

2016-01-01

Brucellosis is one of the main neglected zoonotic diseases. Several factors may contribute to the epidemiology of brucellosis. Imported cases, mainly in travellers but also in recently arrived immigrants, and cases associated with imported products, appear to be infrequently reported. Cases of brucellosis diagnosed at a referral unit for imported diseases in Europe were described and a review of the literature on imported cases and cases associated with contaminated imported products was performed. Most imported cases were associated with traditional risk factors such as travel/consumption of unpasteurized dairy products in endemic countries. Cases associated with importation of food products or infected animals also occurred. Although a lower disease incidence of brucellosis has been reported in developed countries, a higher incidence may still occur in specific populations, as illustrated by cases in Hispanic patients in the USA and in Turkish immigrants in Germany. Imported brucellosis appears to present with similar protean manifestations and both classical and infrequent modes of acquisition are described, leading on occasions to mis-diagnoses and diagnostic delays. Importation of Brucella spp. especially into non-endemic areas, or areas which have achieved recent control of both animal and human brucellosis, may have public health repercussions and timely recognition is essential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning Disabilities in Children: Epidemiology, Risk Factors and Importance of Early Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beena Johnson

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Children with learning disabilities have significant impairment in reading, writing and mathematics, in spite of normal intelligence and sensory abilities. In reading disability, children will have difficulties in phonemic sensitivity, phonetic decoding, word recognition, word decoding skills and reading comprehension. The lifetime prevalence of learning disability is about 10%. Learning disabilities are more frequently seen in boys compared to girls. There are several risk factors for learning disabilities. Low birth weight, preterm birth, neonatal complications, language delay and epilepsy are important risk factors for learning disabilities in children. Students with learning disabilities have poor scholastic performance, anxiety and significant stress. They have more social, emotional and behavioural problems than those without learning problems. If not remedied at the earliest, learning disabilities will lead to failure in exams and these children may develop stress related disorders. Hence all children with learning problems should be evaluated scientifically at the earliest, for identification of learning disability. By providing scientific guidance and intensive one to one remedial training, learning problems of children can be managed successfully.

Risk factors for adolescent pregnancy in Bogotá, Colombia, 2010: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lina Sofía Morón-Duarte

2014-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for adolescent pregnancy among female students in Bogotá, Colombia METHODS: This was a retrospective study of cases and controls matched by age, identified by means of a survey on the sexual behavior of adolescent students in Bogotá (Encuesta sobre el Comportamiento Sexual de los Adolescentes Escolarizados en Bogotá conducted in the first semester of 2010. All 272 cases and 544 randomly-selected controls were taken from 39 044 total records. Variables considered were sociodemographics, household structure, and family environment; sexual relationships and pregnancy; and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Matching and conditional logistic regression were used to adjust for possible confounding factors RESULTS: The factors associated with increased risk of adolescent pregnancy based on multivariate analyses were: attending public school (odds ratio [OR]=2.25; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.45-3.51; history of siblings with adolescent pregnancy (OR =1.98; 95% CI: 1.55-2.76; early first sexual intercourse (12 years of age or less (OR =2.34; 95% CI: 1.01-5.40; having a self-reported low- or average-level of contraceptive knowledge (OR =3.92; 95% CI: 1.96-7.83; previous pregnancy (OR =14.09; 95% CI: 8.74- 22.70; and not living with both parents (OR 3.58; 95% CI: 2.10-6.16 CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to individual, family, and social environments that influence the incidence of adolescent pregnancy must be considered and addressed when designing interventions. The existing sex education curriculum is an important component in preventing adolescent pregnancy, however, parent/caregiver participation is required for success.

Closed-loop control with a coupling factor using an AO system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Y-S; Baik, S-H; Park, S-K; Hong, S-K; Lim, C; Kim, C-J

2008-01-01

To stabilize a closed-loop control for a wavefront correction of a distorted laser beam, the instrumentation of an adaptive optics system and the closed-loop wavefront correction algorithms were investigated. We proposed a new control algorithm using a coupling factor from the zonal and the modal ideas. Compensating for an arbitrary wavefront distortion of a laser beam in the real-time, the wavefront correction speed was 5 Hz using the proposed methods of a zonal control with a coupling factor. Although the correction speed is slower in the new algorithm, the correction accuracy is more stable. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is appropriate for the wavefront correction of a low frequency fluctuation

Risk factors for falls with severe fracture in elderly people living in a middle-income country: a case control study

OpenAIRE

Coutinho, Evandro SF; Fletcher, Astrid; Bloch, Katia V; Rodrigues, Laura C

2008-01-01

Abstract Background Fracture after falling has been identified as an important problem in public health. Most studies of risk factors for fractures due to falls have been carried out in developed countries, although the size of the elderly population is increasing fast in middle income countries. The objective of this paper is to identify risk factors for fall related to severe fractures in those aged 60 or more in a middle-income country. Methods A case-control study was carried out in Rio d...

Research progress on influencing factors of hospital infection and prevention and control measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Wenlong

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Hospital infections are associated with the emergence of hospitals. As the understanding of hospital infections deepen and prevention and control measures improve, hospital infections have become manageable. In recent years, affected by the increase in invasive treatment technology, antimicrobial abuse, and other factors, the control of hospital infection has encountered new problems. This paper reviews the influencing factors of hospital infections and their prevention and control measures.

[Importance for surveillance on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among Chinese adults].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, L W; Wang, L H

2018-05-10

The first national surveillance of COPD in mainland China was carried out in 2014, with the nationally representative data obtained. The national surveillance was significantly important for the monitoring of prevalence, risk factors, and changing trend of COPD among Chinese adults aged ≥ 40. The surveillance was also important in the development of national COPD prevention and control policy, the evaluation of prevention and control progress, the establishment of COPD comprehensive surveillance system, and the building of a professional COPD monitoring and prevention team. In this editorial, we briefly introduced the method and content of COPD surveillance, and reported the rate of spirometry examination and COPD awareness among adults aged ≥40 in China. We also analyzed the rate of main risk factors for COPD, such as tobacco smoking, occupational exposure to dust or chemical and indoor exposure to biomass or coal, and the distribution of high-risk population. This study provided fundamental data for the prevention and control of COPD in China.

[Risk factors for metabolic syndrome in a case control study in Temuco, Chile].

Science.gov (United States)

Philco L, Patricia; Serón S, Pamela; Muñoz N, Sergio; Navia B, Pilar; Lanas Z, Fernando

2012-03-01

Metabolic syndrome is becoming an important public health problem in affluent societies. To identify factors associated to metabolic syndrome in a Southern Chilean city. Using a case control design, 200 participants, aged 35 to 70 years with at least three criteria for metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP_ATPIII) and 200 subjects with less than three criteria, were studied. Both groups were compared in terms of ethnic background, educational level, family history of diabetes and coronary artery disease, menopausal status, smoking, stress and depression, physical activity, changes in body mass index in the last five years and diet. Among subjects aged more than 54 years, among males and among overweight individuals, having a Mapuche origin was a risk factor with odds ratios (OR) of 7.2; 88 and 3.9 respectively. Among subjects aged more than 54 years, among women and among overweight individuals, a family history of diabetes was a risk factor with OR of 17.7; 3.2 and 3.9 respectively. Among subjects aged more than 54 years and among women a change in body mass index of more than three points was a risk factor with OR of 12.5 and 7.4, respectively. Depression also was a risk factor among subjects aged more than 54 years (OR 3.3). Regular consumption of wine was a protective factor among participants of more than 54 years, with an OR of 0.17. The risk factors for metabolic syndrome detected in this group of participants, were having a Mapuche origin, a family history of diabetes mellitus and depression. Wine consumption was associated with a lower risk.

Asthma medication adherence: the role of God and other health locus of control factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmedani, Brian K; Peterson, Edward L; Wells, Karen E; Rand, Cynthia S; Williams, L Keoki

2013-02-01

Medication adherence is an important determinant of disease outcomes, yet medication use on average tends to be low among patients with chronic conditions, including asthma. Although several predictors of non-adherence have been assessed, more research is needed on patients' beliefs about God and how these relate to medication use. To examine the relationship between perceptions about "God's" role in health and other locus of control factors with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) adherence among asthma patients. Participants were from a clinical trial to improve ICS adherence and were 5-56 years old, had a diagnosis of asthma, and were receiving ICS medication. Baseline adherence was estimated from electronic prescription and pharmacy fill records. Patients were considered to be adherent if ICS use was ≥80% of prescribed. A baseline survey with the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale was used to assess five sources (God, doctors, other people, chance, and internal). Medication adherence was low (36%). Patients' who had a stronger belief that God determined asthma control were less likely to be adherent (odds ratio [OR] 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.96). This relationship was stronger among African American (OR 0.68, 95% CI0.47-0.99) compared to white patients (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.75-1.04), and among adults (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96) compared to children (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.58-1.22). Patients' belief in God's control of health appears to be a factor in asthma controller use, and therefore should be considered in physician-patient discussions concerning course of treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00459368. Copyright © 2013 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human-factors-based implementation of the remote characterization system high-level control station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, M.W.; Richardson, B.S.; Rowe, J.C.; Draper, J.V.; Sandness, G.R.

1993-01-01

The detection and characterization of buried objects and materials is an important first step in the restoration of the numerous US Department of Energy (DOE) and US Department of Defense waste disposal sites. DOE, through its Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Robotics and Technology Development Program, has developed the Remote Characterization System (RCS) to address the needs of remote subsurfacecharacterization. The RCS consists of a low-metal-content (low-metallic-signature) remotely piloted vehicle, a high-level control station (HLCS) where operators can remotely control the vehicle and analyze real-time data from sensors, and an array of sensors that can be chosen to meet the survey task at hand. Communication between the vehicle and the base station is handled by a radio link. Site mapping is made possible through the use of geopositioning satellite data. The primary mode of vehicle operation is teleoperation, but provision has been made for semiautonomous or supervisory control that allows for automated sitesurvey on simple sites. Data analysis and display is supported for both real-time observation and postprocessing of data. The particular emphasis of this paper documents the human-factors-based design influences on the HLCS and describes the design in detail

RF control at transient beamloading for high-duty-factor linacs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chernogubovsky, M.A.; Sugimoto, Masayoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1998-08-01

An effective RF control with the transient beamloading is the major issue in the operation of the high-duty-factor linacs to suppress the undesirable beam loss. The RF control method is considered to obtain the control principle and the state equation, under the analysis of electrodynamical properties of the excitation in the resonator of the linac due to the transient beamloading. The concept of the directional selective coupling is applied for the RF system to define the main characteristics and to optimize the RF control parameters. (author)

Human factors inspection of current control room panel in Jose Cabrera NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almeida, P.; O'Hara, J.; Higgins, J.

2002-01-01

Within the process of renewal of Exploitation Permit of Jose Cabrera Nuclear Power Plant, UNION FENOSA GENERACIO, S. A. (UFG) has carried out an analysis and evaluation project regarding human factors implications of current control room panel arrangement. The project has been developed in two phases. In the first phase, leaded by EPRI and carried out by experts from SAIC, an independent review from a double viewpoint of human reliability and human factors was developed. In the second phase, a multidisciplinary team (composed by human factors, risk analysis, operation, engineering, training and instrumentation and controls experts) has developed a study on human factors implications of current panel arrangement, following the methodology pointed out in NUREG-0711. The project has been developed under the direction of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), organisation that has authored the aforementioned methodology, with the participation of UFG and SOLUZIONA Ingenieria. For the development of the second study the following steps were taken: Firstly, the potential effects of panel arrangement on crew performance were identified its real evidence was analysed and the goals for the improvement of control room operation were established; following NUREG-0711. After this, several design alternatives that addressed these goals were identified and were analysed along three dimensions: human factors, risk analysis and economic costs. Finally the results of these evaluations were combined using a multi-attribute decision method to arrive at a recommended alternative as he best proposal to incorporate human factors criteria and good practices in the design of control room panels. (Author)

77 FR 43861 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Akorn, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-26

...), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II. The company plans to import Remifentanil in bulk for use in dosage- form manufacturing. Any bulk manufacturer who is presently, or is... schedules I or II, which fall under the authority of section 1002(a)(2)(B) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 952(a)(2)(B...

Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for examining healthcare professionals' assessments of risk factors. The relative importance of risk factors for falls in community-dwelling older people.

Science.gov (United States)

Pecchia, L; Bath, P A; Pendleton, N; Bracale, M

2011-01-01

A gap exists between evidence-based medicine and clinical-practice. Every day, healthcare professionals (HCPs) combine empirical evidence and subjective experience in order to maximize the effectiveness of interventions. Consequently, it is important to understand how HCPs interpret the research evidence and apply it in everyday practice. We focused on the prevention of falls, a common cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in later life, for which there is a wide range of known risk factors. To use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to investigate the opinions of HCPs in prioritizing risk factors for preventing falls. We used the AHP to develop a hierarchy of risk factors for falls based on the knowledge and experience of experts. We submitted electronic questionnaires via the web, in order to reach a wider number of respondents. With a web service, we pooled the results and weighted the coherence and the experience of respondents. Overall, 232 respondents participated in the study: 32 in the technical pilot study, nine in the scientific pilot study and 191 respondents in the main study. We identified a hierarchy of 35 risk factors, organized in two categories and six sub-categories. The hierarchy of risk factors provides further insights into clinicians' perceptions of risk factors for falls. This hierarchy helps understand the relative importance that clinicians place on risk factors for falls in older people and why evidence-based guidelines are not always followed. This information may be helpful in improving intervention programs and in understanding how clinicians prioritize multiple risk factors in individual patients. The AHP method allows the opinions of HCPs to be investigated, giving appropriate weight to their coherence, background and experience.

Identification of Environmental Factors Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Southwestern Highland Region of China: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junkun Niu

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine environmental factors associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD in Yunnan Province, a southwestern highland region of China.In this nested case-control study, newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis (UC cases in 2 cities in Yunnan Province and Crohn's disease (CD cases in 16 cities in Yunnan Province were recruited between 2008 and 2013. Controls were matched by geography, sex and age at a ratio of 1:4. Data were collected using the designed questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs.A total of 678 UC and 102 CD cases were recruited. For UC, various factors were associated with an increased risk of developing UC: dietary habits, including frequent irregular meal times; consumption of fried foods, salty foods and frozen dinners; childhood factors, including intestinal infectious diseases and frequent use of antibiotics; and other factors, such as mental labor, high work stress, use of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and allergies (OR > 1, p 1, p < 0.05, whereas physical activity may have reduced this risk (OR < 1, p < 0.05.This study is the first nested case-control study to analyze the association between environmental factors and IBD onset in a southwestern highland region of China. Certain dietary habits, lifestyles, allergies and childhood factors may play important roles in IBD, particularly UC.

The Importance of Business Model Factors for Cloud Computing Adoption: Role of Previous Experiences

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Bogataj Habjan Kristina

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Bringing several opportunities for more effective and efficient IT governance and service exploitation, cloud computing is expected to impact the European and global economies significantly. Market data show that despite many advantages and promised benefits the adoption of cloud computing is not as fast and widespread as foreseen. This situation shows the need for further exploration of the potentials of cloud computing and its implementation on the market. The purpose of this research was to identify individual business model factors with the highest impact on cloud computing adoption. In addition, the aim was to identify the differences in opinion regarding the importance of business model factors on cloud computing adoption according to companies’ previous experiences with cloud computing services.

Risk Factors For Ectopic Pregnancy : A Case Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deshmukh J.S

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Research question: Which are the risk factors for ectopic pregnancy . Objective: To study the strength of association between hypothesised risk factors and ectopic pregnancy. Study design: Unmatched case- control study. Setting: Government Medical College, Hospital, Nagpur. Participants: 133 cases of ectopic pregnancy and equal number of controls (non pregnant women admitted to study hospital. Study variables : Pelvic inflammatory diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, IUD use at conception , past use of IUD, prior ectopic pregnancy, OC pills use at the time of conception, past use of OC pills, induced abortion, spontaneous abortion, infertility and pelvic and abdominal surgery. Statistical analysis: Odds ratios & their 95% CI, Pearson’s chi square test, unconditional logistic regression analysis and population attributable risk proportion. Results : Use of IUD at conception, prior ectopic pregnancy , pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, OC pills use at the time of conception, past use of IUD and induced abortion were found to be significantly associated with ectopic pregnancy. Conclusion: Identification of these risk factors for etopic pregnancy shall help in early detection and appropriate management in an individual case and it may help in devising a comprehensive preventive strategy for ectopic pregnancy

Clinicians' use of breast cancer risk assessment tools according to their perceived importance of breast cancer risk factors: an international survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Brédart, Anne; Kop, Jean-Luc; Antoniou, Antonis C; Cunningham, Alex P; De Pauw, Antoine; Tischkowitz, Marc; Ehrencrona, Hans; Schmidt, Marjanka K; Dolbeault, Sylvie; Rhiem, Kerstin; Easton, Douglas F; Devilee, Peter; Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique; Schmutlzer, Rita

2018-03-05

The BOADICEA breast cancer (BC) risk assessment model and its associated Web Application v3 (BWA) tool are being extended to incorporate additional genetic and non-genetic BC risk factors. From an online survey through the BOADICEA website and UK, Dutch, French and Swedish national genetic societies, we explored the relationships between the usage frequencies of the BWA and six other common BC risk assessment tools and respondents' perceived importance of BC risk factors. Respondents (N = 443) varied in age, country and clinical seniority but comprised mainly genetics health professionals (82%) and BWA users (93%). Oncology professionals perceived reproductive, hormonal (exogenous) and lifestyle BC risk factors as more important in BC risk assessment compared to genetics professionals (p values personal BC history as BC risk factors. BWA use was positively related to the weight given to hormonal BC risk factors. The importance attributed to lifestyle and BMI BC risk factors was not associated with the use of BWA or any of the other tools. Next version of the BWA encompassing additional BC risk factors will facilitate more comprehensive BC risk assessment in genetics and oncology practice.

Profile of suicide attempts and risk factors among psychiatric patients: A case-control study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meha Bhatt

Full Text Available Suicidal behaviour remains challenging for clinicians to predict, with few established risk factors and warning signs among psychiatric patients.We aimed to describe characteristics and identify risk factors for suicide attempts among patients with psychiatric disorders.Multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusted for clinically important confounders, was employed to determine risk factors for suicide attempts within a psychiatric patient population.The case (n = 146 and control groups (n = 104 did not differ significantly with regards to sociodemographic characteristics. The majority of the participants who had attempted suicide did so with high intent to die, and expected to die without medical intervention. The primary method of attempt was pharmaceutical overdose among the case participants (73.3%. Results showed impulsivity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.30 and borderline personality symptoms (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01-1.13 were significantly associated with attempted suicide.Our findings indicate that known sociodemographic risk factors for suicide may not apply within psychiatric populations. Prevention strategies for suicidal behaviour in psychiatric patients may be effective, including limited access to means for suicide attempts (i.e. excess pharmaceutical drugs and target screening for high-risk personality and impulsivity traits.

78 FR 15974 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application; Meridian Medical Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-13

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application; Meridian Medical Technologies Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34 (a), this is notice that on January 8, 2013, Meridian Medical Technologies, 2555 Hermelin Drive, St. Louis...

78 FR 39337 - Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances, Notice of Application, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on May 31, 2013, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, 2820 N. Normandy Drive, Petersburg...

77 FR 43861 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals Pursuant to Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 1301.34(a), this is notice that on June 8, 2012, Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., 2820 N. Normandy Drive...

77 FR 30025 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Formulation Technologies, LLC

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-21

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Formulation Technologies, LLC By Notice dated January 26, 2012, and published in the Federal..., Austin, Texas 78758, made application by renewal to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be...

What factors do patients consider most important in making lung cancer screening decisions? Findings from a demonstration project conducted in the Veterans Health Administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lillie, Sarah E; Fu, Steven S; Fabbrini, Angela E; Rice, Kathryn L; Clothier, Barbara; Nelson, David B; Doro, Elizabeth A; Moughrabieh, M Anas; Partin, Melissa R

2017-02-01

The National Lung Screening Trial recently reported that annual low-dose computed tomography screening is associated with decreased lung cancer mortality in high-risk smokers. This study sought to identify the factors patients consider important in making lung cancer screening (LCS) decisions, and explore variations by patient characteristics and LCS participation. This observational survey study evaluated the Minneapolis VA LCS Clinical Demonstration Project in which LCS-eligible Veterans (N=1388) were randomized to either Direct LCS Invitation (mailed with decision aid, N=926) or Usual Care (provider referral, N=462). We surveyed participants three months post-randomization (response rate 44%) and report the proportion of respondents rating eight decision-making factors (benefits, harms, and neutral factors) as important by condition, patient characteristics, and LCS completion. Overall, the most important factor was personal risk of lung cancer and the least important factor was health risks from LCS. The reported importance varied by patient characteristics, including smoking status, health status, and education level. Overall, the potential harms of LCS were reported less important than the benefits or the neutral decision-making factors. Exposure to Direct LCS Invitation (with decision aid) increased Veterans' attention to specific decision-making factors; compared to Usual Care respondents, a larger proportion of Direct LCS Invitation respondents rated the chance of false-positive results, LCS knowledge, LCS convenience, and anxiety as important. Those completing LCS considered screening harms less important, with the exception of incidental findings. Decision tools influence Veterans' perceptions about LCS decision-making factors. As the factors important to LCS decision making vary by patient characteristics, targeted materials for specific subgroups may be warranted. Attention should be paid to how LCS incidental findings are communicated. Published by

Identifying and controlling a multiresistant pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak in a latin-american cancer centre and its associated risk factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Alberto Cortes

Full Text Available Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important and frightening microorganism for patients suffering from cancer. Multiresistant P. aeruginosa (MRPA may appear as a consequence of exposure to multiple antibiotics or from a breakdown in infection control practices. This article reports an MRPA outbreak in a cancer treatment centre and the consequent case control study. Mechanical ventilation was identified as being the main risk factor for developing MRPA colonisation or infection; molecular analysis confirmed the outbreak. A multifaceted strategy was adopted, involving reinforcing hand-washing practices, contact isolation, antibiotic restriction and suction devices for mechanically-ventilated patients. MRPA was controlled and the outbreak ended. Such strategy may be effective in controlling MRPS in low-resource environments amongst high risk cancer patients.

Enhancing the NCSU PULSTAR reactor control room with human factors considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glover, B.L.; Pupons, D.E.; Perez, P.B.

1993-01-01

The North Carolina PULSTAR research reactor was constructed to support teaching, training, and research. The training provided is not limited to academic students but encompasses plant operators, managers, engineers, designers, and supporting organizations in the nuclear industry. Our facility is under-going design changes to maximize teaching effectiveness and continued safe operation by providing current technology in the control room. The opportunity for the enhancements is a result of the generosity of neighboring utilities and the US Department of Energy instrumentation upgrade funds. Our objective, to provide a control room environment that conforms to selected industry practices, required human factors input. A human factors course, offered jointly between the industrial engineering and the psychology departments, included the PULSTAR control room enhancement as a case study

Age-related macular degeneration: the importance of family history as a risk factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahid, Humma; Khan, Jane C; Cipriani, Valentina; Sepp, Tiina; Matharu, Baljinder K; Bunce, Catey; Harding, Simon P; Clayton, David G; Moore, Anthony T; Yates, John R W

2012-03-01

Family history is considered a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). With the advent of effective therapy for the disease, the importance of family history merits further investigation. This study quantifies the risk associated with family history, first, by a case-control study of reported family history and, second, by examining the siblings of AMD cases. The authors recruited cases with advanced AMD, spouses and siblings. All subjects were carefully phenotyped. Clinical findings in the siblings were compared with spouses. Information about family history was collected. The ORs for reported family history of AMD were calculated. Analyses were adjusted for age, smoking and genotype. 495 AMD cases, 259 spouses and 171 siblings were recruited. The OR for AMD was 27.8 (CI 3.8 to 203.0; p=0.001) with a reported family history of an affected parent and 12.0 (CI 3.7 to 38.6; p<0.0001) with a history of an affected sibling. ORs adjusted for age and smoking were higher. Examination of siblings confirmed their increased risk with 23% affected by AMD and an OR of 10.8 (4.5 to 25.8; p<0.0001). Adjusting for age increased the OR to 16.1 (6.2 to 41.8). The risk of AMD is greatly increased by having an affected first-degree relative. Those at risk need to be made aware of this and AMD patients should advise siblings and children to seek prompt ophthalmological advice if they develop visual symptoms of distortion or reduced vision.

The global geographical overlap of aflatoxin and hepatitis C: Controlling risk factors for liver cancer worldwide

Science.gov (United States)

Palliyaguru, Dushani L.; Wu, Felicia

2012-01-01

About 85% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cancer) cases occur in low-income countries, where the risk factors of dietary aflatoxin exposure and chronic hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) viral infection are common. While studies have shown synergism between aflatoxin and HBV in causing HCC, much less is known about whether aflatoxin and HCV synergize similarly. From an exposure perspective, we examine whether there is a geographical overlap in populations worldwide exposed to high dietary aflatoxin levels and with high HCV prevalence. While HCV is one of the most important risk factors for HCC in high-income nations (where aflatoxin exposure is low), we find that HCV prevalence is much higher in Africa and Asia, where aflatoxin exposure is also high. However, within a given world region, there are some inconsistencies regarding exposure and cancer risk. Therefore, there is a need to control risk factors such as aflatoxin and hepatitis viruses in a cost-effective manner to prevent global HCC, while continuing to evaluate biological mechanisms by which these risk factors interact to increase HCC risk. PMID:23281740

Therapeutic interventions and success in risk factor control for secondary prevention of stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Sabin, Jose; Quintana, Manuel; Hernandez-Presa, Miguel Angel; Alvarez, Carlos; Chaves, Jose; Ribo, Marc

2009-01-01

We sought to evaluate the success rates in achieving preventive therapeutic goals in patients who experienced an ischemic stroke (IS) and compare them with those achieved in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This was an observational multicenter case-control study (3 patients with IS and one control subject with CAD) performed in 1444 primary health centers in Spain. Preventive therapeutic objectives according to American Heart Association guidelines were predefined. Demographic data, vascular risk factors, and success/failure in achievement of objectives were recorded and compared between patients with IS and CAD. A total of 5458 patients were included, 4098 (75.1%) had IS and 1360 (24.9%) had CAD. Although more than 90% of patients with hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia were under specific drug regimens, only about 25% achieved the recommended therapeutic objective for each risk factor. Success rate was especially low among patients with IS compared with CAD: hypertension (23.8% v 27.2%; P = .028); dyslipidemia (13.6% v 20.3%; P risk factors under control, compared with 5.6% of those with CAD (P = .006). For all patients, multivariate logistic regression model showed that independent predictors of full risk factor control were: presence of CAD as compared with IS (odds ratio [OR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35-3.29; P = .001), older age (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00-1.04; P = .028), and having less than 3 risk factors (OR 16.98; 95% CI 9.02-31.97; P risk factor control.

The Importance of Social Support on Glycemic Control in Low-Income Latinos with Type 2 Diabetes

Science.gov (United States)

Rotberg, Britt; Junqueira, Yasmine; Gosdin, Lucas; Mejia, Roberto; Umpierrez, Guillermo E.

2016-01-01

Background: The U.S. Latino population exhibits poorer glycemic control than the white population, leading to more frequent health complications and greater disease severity. Social support has been shown a significant factor in health and well-being. Purpose: To determine the association between glycemic control and social support in patients…

Coping with stress and cognitive interference in student teachers performance as important factors influencing their achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cirila Peklaj

2001-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of our study was to investigate the relations between student teachers' strategies for coping with stressful situations, cognitive interference factors and successfulness of presentation of student teachers' seminar work. There were 135 student teachers participating in the study. At the beginning of the semester they filled in the Way of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988. After their presentation of seminar theme they reported about the cognitive interference factors during the presentation (distractive factors and intrusive thoughts. Different aspects of their performance were also evaluated by the teacher according to the well-known criteria. The analysis of the results showed significant correlations between certain ways of coping, cognitive interference factors and success of performance. Further statistical analysis showed significant differences in experiencing distractive factors and intrusive thoughts during presentation between students with low, medium and high performance success. The importance of successful strategies for coping with verbal presentation and the implications for student teacher education are discussed.

78 FR 49546 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Siegfried USA, LLC

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-14

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application; Siegfried USA, LLC This is notice that on June 10, 2013, Siegfried USA, LLC., 33 Industrial Park Road, Pennsville, New Jersey 08070, made application by letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration...

77 FR 19716 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application Meridian Medical Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-02

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Drug Enforcement Administration Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Application Meridian Medical Technologies Pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 958(i), the Attorney General shall, prior to... is notice that on January 4, 2012, Meridian Medical Technologies, 2555 Hermelin Drive, St. Louis...

78 FR 30331 - Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; Meridian Medical Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-22

... Registration; Meridian Medical Technologies By Notice dated March 7, 2012, and published in the Federal Register on March 13, 2013, 78 FR 15974, Meridian Medical Technologies, 2555 Hermelin Drive, St. Louis... that the registration of Meridian Medical Technologies to import the basic class of controlled...

Ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance: drug resistance and the need for alternative control methods.

Science.gov (United States)

McNair, Carol M

2015-03-01

Despite multiple attempts at eradication, many ectoparasites of humans and domestic livestock remain a persistent problem in the modern world. For many years, a range of pesticide drugs including organophosphates, organochlorides and synthetic pyrethroids provided effective control of these parasites; but intensive use of these drugs has led to the evolution of resistance in many target species. This paper aims to review the effectiveness of current control methods and discuss potential alternatives for the long term sustainable control of ectoparasites. Important medical ectoparasites such as scabies mites, head lice and bed bugs present a significant public health problem, and so adequate control methods are essential. Ectoparasites of domestic livestock and farmed fish (for example sheep scab mites, poultry mites and sea lice) are also of concern given the increasing strain on the world's food supply. These parasites have become resistant to several classes of pesticide, making control very difficult. Recently, an increasing amount of research has focussed on alternative control methods such as insect growth regulators, biological control using essential oils or fungi, as well as vaccine development against some ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance. Drug resistance is prevalent in all of the ectoparasites discussed in this review. A wide variety of alternative control methods have been identified, however further research is necessary in order for these to be used to successfully control ectoparasitic diseases in the future. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.