Frequent Pattern Mining Algorithms for Data Clustering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zimek, Arthur; Assent, Ira; Vreeken, Jilles

2014-01-01

that frequent pattern mining was at the cradle of subspace clustering—yet, it quickly developed into an independent research field. In this chapter, we discuss how frequent pattern mining algorithms have been extended and generalized towards the discovery of local clusters in high-dimensional data......Discovering clusters in subspaces, or subspace clustering and related clustering paradigms, is a research field where we find many frequent pattern mining related influences. In fact, as the first algorithms for subspace clustering were based on frequent pattern mining algorithms, it is fair to say....... In particular, we discuss several example algorithms for subspace clustering or projected clustering as well as point out recent research questions and open topics in this area relevant to researchers in either clustering or pattern mining...

Frequent Experience of LGBQ Microaggression on Campus Associated With Smoking Among Sexual Minority College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Ylioja, Thomas; Cochran, Gerald; Woodford, Michael R; Renn, Kristen A

2018-02-07

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer/questioning (LGBQ) microaggressions refer to often-unintentional insults, assaults, and invalidations that denigrate sexual minorities. While experiencing hostile discrimination and violence has previously been associated with elevated rates of smoking cigarettes for LGBQ college students, the relationship between LGBQ microaggressions and smoking is unknown. Data from a national anonymous online survey of sexual and gender minority college students were used to examine the relationship between past month cigarette smoking and interpersonal LGBQ microaggressions. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the relationship between smoking and frequent (chronic) experiences of microaggressions, using a hierarchical procedure to control for demographics, predictors of smoking, and academic factors. Past year frequent LGBQ microaggression was reported by 48% of respondents and was more common among students who smoked in past 30 days. Experiencing past year physical violence was reported by 15% and did not differ by smoking status. Past year frequent experience of microaggressions was associated with increased odds of 1.72 (95% CI 1.03-2.87) for past 30-day smoking after adjusting for age, gender, race, socioeconomic indicators, alcohol misuse, physical violence, as well as academic stress and engagement. The results indicate that frequently experiencing LGBQ microaggressions is a risk factor for LGBQ college students smoking cigarettes. The mechanisms underlying this relationship require additional research, as does identifying positive coping strategies and institutional strategies to address LGBQ microaggressions on campuses. Tobacco control efforts should consider the impact of microaggression on the social environment for the prevention and treatment of tobacco use among LGBQ individuals. Microaggressions related to sexual minority identity include subtle forms of discrimination experienced during daily interactions that can create

Emergency Department Frequent Users for Acute Alcohol Intoxication.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Lauren R; Martel, Marc L; Driver, Brian E; Reing, Mackenzie; Cole, Jon B

2018-03-01

A subset of frequent users of emergency services are those who use the emergency department (ED) for acute alcohol intoxication. This population and their ED encounters have not been previously described. This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study of patients presenting to the ED for acute alcohol intoxication between 2012 and 2016. We collected all data from the electronic medical record. Frequent users for alcohol intoxication were defined as those with greater than 20 visits for acute intoxication without additional medical chief complaints in the previous 12 months. We used descriptive statistics to evaluate characteristics of frequent users for alcohol intoxication, as well as their ED encounters. We identified 32,121 patient encounters. Of those, 325 patients were defined as frequent users for alcohol intoxication, comprising 11,370 of the encounters during the study period. The median maximum number of encounters per person for alcohol intoxication in a one-year period was 47 encounters (range 20 to 169). Frequent users were older (47 years vs. 39 years), and more commonly male (86% vs. 71%). Frequent users for alcohol intoxication had higher rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities including liver disease, chronic kidney disease, ischemic vascular disease, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, history of traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. In this study, we identified a group of ED frequent users who use the ED for acute alcohol intoxication. This population had higher rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities compared to non-frequent users.

Mining frequent binary expressions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calders, T.; Paredaens, J.; Kambayashi, Y.; Mohania, M.K.; Tjoa, A.M.

2000-01-01

In data mining, searching for frequent patterns is a common basic operation. It forms the basis of many interesting decision support processes. In this paper we present a new type of patterns, binary expressions. Based on the properties of a specified binary test, such as reflexivity, transitivity

Emergency Department Frequent Users for Acute Alcohol Intoxication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc L. Martel

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: A subset of frequent users of emergency services are those who use the emergency department (ED for acute alcohol intoxication. This population and their ED encounters have not been previously described. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, cohort study of patients presenting to the ED for acute alcohol intoxication between 2012 and 2016. We collected all data from the electronic medical record. Frequent users for alcohol intoxication were defined as those with greater than 20 visits for acute intoxication without additional medical chief complaints in the previous 12 months. We used descriptive statistics to evaluate characteristics of frequent users for alcohol intoxication, as well as their ED encounters. Results: We identified 32,121 patient encounters. Of those, 325 patients were defined as frequent users for alcohol intoxication, comprising 11,370 of the encounters during the study period. The median maximum number of encounters per person for alcohol intoxication in a one-year period was 47 encounters (range 20 to 169. Frequent users were older (47 years vs. 39 years, and more commonly male (86% vs. 71%. Frequent users for alcohol intoxication had higher rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities including liver disease, chronic kidney disease, ischemic vascular disease, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, history of traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Conclusion: In this study, we identified a group of ED frequent users who use the ED for acute alcohol intoxication. This population had higher rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities compared to non-frequent users.

Performance Evaluation of Frequent Subgraph Discovery Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saif Ur Rehman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Due to rapid development of the Internet technology and new scientific advances, the number of applications that model the data as graphs increases, because graphs have highly expressive power to model a complicated structure. Graph mining is a well-explored area of research which is gaining popularity in the data mining community. A graph is a general model to represent data and has been used in many domains such as cheminformatics, web information management system, computer network, and bioinformatics, to name a few. In graph mining the frequent subgraph discovery is a challenging task. Frequent subgraph mining is concerned with discovery of those subgraphs from graph dataset which have frequent or multiple instances within the given graph dataset. In the literature a large number of frequent subgraph mining algorithms have been proposed; these included FSG, AGM, gSpan, CloseGraph, SPIN, Gaston, and Mofa. The objective of this research work is to perform quantitative comparison of the above listed techniques. The performances of these techniques have been evaluated through a number of experiments based on three different state-of-the-art graph datasets. This novel work will provide base for anyone who is working to design a new frequent subgraph discovery technique.

XML documents cluster research based on frequent subpatterns

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Tienan; Li, Wei; Li, Xiongfei

2015-12-01

XML data is widely used in the information exchange field of Internet, and XML document data clustering is the hot research topic. In the XML document clustering process, measure differences between two XML documents is time costly, and impact the efficiency of XML document clustering. This paper proposed an XML documents clustering method based on frequent patterns of XML document dataset, first proposed a coding tree structure for encoding the XML document, and translate frequent pattern mining from XML documents into frequent pattern mining from string. Further, using the cosine similarity calculation method and cohesive hierarchical clustering method for XML document dataset by frequent patterns. Because of frequent patterns are subsets of the original XML document data, so the time consumption of XML document similarity measure is reduced. The experiment runs on synthetic dataset and the real datasets, the experimental result shows that our method is efficient.

Adaptation and inertia in dynamic environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stieglitz, Nils; Knudsen, Thorbjørn; Becker, Markus C.

2016-01-01

responses to these dimensions. Our results show how frequent directional changes undermine the value of exploration and decisively shift performance advantages to inert organizations that restrict exploration. In contrast, increased environmental variance rewards exploration. Our results also show that......Research summary: We address conflicting claims and mixed empirical findings about adaptation as a response to increased environmental dynamism. We disentangle distinct dimensions of environmental dynamism—the direction, magnitude, and frequency of change—and identify how selection shapes adaptive...... business environments characterized by persistent trends and by large, infrequently occurring structural shocks reward strategic pursuit of temporary advantage. Thus, exploration and strategic flexibility are preferred strategies. In contrast, the challenge in frequently changing environments with fleeting...

Frequently cited journals in forensic psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Steve

2012-02-01

Works cited in six forensic psychology journals published 2008-2010 were counted to identify the most frequently cited journals. The sample of works cited (N = 21,776) was not a definitive ranked list of important journals in forensic psychology, but was large enough to indicate high-impact journals. The list of frequently cited publications included more general psychiatry and psychology journals than titles specific to forensic psychology. The implications of the proportion of general versus specific titles for collections supporting research in forensic psychology were discussed.

Vigorous physical activity and the neighborhood school environment: cross-sectional study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svastisalee, Chalida; Schipperijn, Jasper; Holstein, Bjørn Evald

Purpose: To investigate the association between likelihood of frequent vigorous physical activity (VPA) outside of school hours and aspects of the built environment that support exercise. Methods: Self-reported VPA measured in 6046 boys and girls in 80 schools. Multi-level logistic regression...... analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between frequency of VPA and objective exercise resources within 2 km from each school. Results: Total walking paths was the strongest built environment correlate of frequent VPA. Boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds or attending schools with little...... walking paths had lower odds (OR = 0.66 and 0.68, respectively) of frequent VPA. Girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds had lower odds (OR = 0.62) of frequent VPA. Interactions between socioeconomic background and total paths showed a decreased likelihood of frequent VPA for boys and girls from low...

Climate Leadership Awards Frequent Questions

Science.gov (United States)

Provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Climate Leadership Awards, sponsored by EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership with co-sponsorship from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and The Climate Registry.

High frequent modelling of a modular multilevel converter using passive components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

El-Khatib, Walid Ziad; Holbøll, Joachim; Rasmussen, Tonny Wederberg

2013-01-01

). This means that a high frequency model of the converter has to be designed, which gives a better overview of the impact of high frequency transients etc. The functionality of the model is demonstrated by application to grid connections of off-shore wind power plants. Grid connection of an offshore wind power...... wind power plant employing HVDC. In the present study, a back to back HVDC transmission system is designed in PSCAD/EMTDC. Simulations and results showing the importance of high frequent modeling are presented....... plant using HVDC fundamentally changes the electrical environment for the power plant. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and behavior of all relevant power system components under all conditions, including under transients, are required in order to develop reliable offshore...

The frequent occurrence of MIC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graff, Matthias [Gesellschaft fuer Technische Mikrobiologie und Hygieneueberwachung - Dr. Graff und Partner, Stadtweg 9, D-38176 Wendeburg (Germany); Neubert, Volkmar [Institut fuer Materialpruefung und Werkstofftechnik Dr. Doelling und Dr. Neubert GmbH, Freiberger Strasse 1, D-38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)

2004-07-01

Microbial induced corrosion (MIC) is not as rare as many materials scientist and corrosion practitioners do believe. It is not an exotic and scarce event, but can be found frequently in many fields of corrosion research, provided that it is looked for. The reason for the relatively few descriptions of MIC cases seems to be the fact, that the microbiological approach is not widely known and applied in the world of materials science. MIC is not so much a corrosion mechanism on its own, but it enhances the corrosion rates of the 'normal' mechanisms to such an extent, that in some cases 'incredible' fast corrosion progress can be observed. The reason is the microorganisms' function as bio-catalysts: Chemical reactions, which are very slow under normal chemical conditions can be highly accelerated by living organisms. Besides that, several microorganisms do produce very corrosive substances which in natural environments do not occur without the activity of microorganisms, e. g. sulfuric or nitric acid. We want to point out, that it can be very worthy to take microbial induced corrosion into account. MIC is not the general answer for all unsolved corrosion problems, but to think about it helps in many corrosion cases as the authors had to experience. The initial indication for the presence of MIC are markedly increased corrosion rates. In the following, some of our 'lessons' are presented as short case studies: Two of them deal with steel corrosion characterized by increased corrosion rates. The third example presents corrosion damage of aluminium structures, where from a technical point of view corrosion was not expected, least of all microbial induced corrosion. (authors)

Frequent price changes under menu costs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Per Svejstrup

1999-01-01

, the price may be changed more frequent in the short run, and in the long run it definitely will. Hence, observing frequent price changes is not necessarily inconsistent with a firm operating under menu costs. This paper relies on an article by Dixit (1991), (Review of Economic studies, 58, 141......This paper investigates the effect of uncertainty on a single firm's pricing behaviour in a dynamic menu cost model that results in (S,s)-rules where the price is fixed inside a band. It will be demonstrated that even though the band of inaction widens in response to increased uncertainty...

Focus Group Study Exploring Factors Related to Frequent Sickness Absence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annette Notenbomer

Full Text Available Research investigating frequent sickness absence (3 or more episodes per year is scarce and qualitative research from the perspective of frequent absentees themselves is lacking. The aim of the current study is to explore awareness, determinants of and solutions to frequent sickness absence from the perspective of frequent absentees themselves.We performed a qualitative study of 3 focus group discussions involving a total of 15 frequent absentees. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Results were analyzed with the Graneheim method using the Job Demands Resources (JD-R model as theoretical framework.Many participants were not aware of their frequent sickness absence and the risk of future long-term sickness absence. As determinants, participants mentioned job demands, job resources, home demands, poor health, chronic illness, unhealthy lifestyles, and diminished feeling of responsibility to attend work in cases of low job resources. Managing these factors and improving communication (skills were regarded as solutions to reduce frequent sickness absence.The JD-R model provided a framework for determinants of and solutions to frequent sickness absence. Additional determinants were poor health, chronic illness, unhealthy lifestyles, and diminished feeling of responsibility to attend work in cases of low job resources. Frequent sickness absence should be regarded as a signal that something is wrong. Managers, supervisors, and occupational health care providers should advise and support frequent absentees to accommodate job demands, increase both job and personal resources, and improve health rather than express disapproval of frequent sickness absence and apply pressure regarding work attendance.

Focus Group Study Exploring Factors Related to Frequent Sickness Absence.

Science.gov (United States)

Notenbomer, Annette; Roelen, Corné A M; van Rhenen, Willem; Groothoff, Johan W

2016-01-01

Research investigating frequent sickness absence (3 or more episodes per year) is scarce and qualitative research from the perspective of frequent absentees themselves is lacking. The aim of the current study is to explore awareness, determinants of and solutions to frequent sickness absence from the perspective of frequent absentees themselves. We performed a qualitative study of 3 focus group discussions involving a total of 15 frequent absentees. Focus group discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Results were analyzed with the Graneheim method using the Job Demands Resources (JD-R) model as theoretical framework. Many participants were not aware of their frequent sickness absence and the risk of future long-term sickness absence. As determinants, participants mentioned job demands, job resources, home demands, poor health, chronic illness, unhealthy lifestyles, and diminished feeling of responsibility to attend work in cases of low job resources. Managing these factors and improving communication (skills) were regarded as solutions to reduce frequent sickness absence. The JD-R model provided a framework for determinants of and solutions to frequent sickness absence. Additional determinants were poor health, chronic illness, unhealthy lifestyles, and diminished feeling of responsibility to attend work in cases of low job resources. Frequent sickness absence should be regarded as a signal that something is wrong. Managers, supervisors, and occupational health care providers should advise and support frequent absentees to accommodate job demands, increase both job and personal resources, and improve health rather than express disapproval of frequent sickness absence and apply pressure regarding work attendance.

THE FREQUENT SKIN DISEASES DIAGNOSED AT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yesim KAYMAK

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The incidence of some skin diseases are increasing at adolescent and early adulthood period. The most frequent disease at this period is acne vulgaris whereas fungal diseases, dermatitis, dermatosis which are due to stress and other reasons, oral mucosal lesions and herpetic lesions of perioral region are also frequent. In this research we aim to determine the frequent dermatologic diseases of university students and 147 female, 74 male, a total of 221 students are included. We questioned the dermatologic complaints of students, then examined dermatologically in detail and registered ages, sexes, findings of the dermatological examination and dermatological diagnostic informations. As a result it is found out that the most frequent diseases are acne vulgaris (34.1%, allergic and pruritic dermatosis (16.6%, fungal diseases ( 13.0%, and eritamatous-squamous disease (8.3%. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2005; 4(6.000: 313-320

Frequent flyer business travelers: major exposure hazards.

Science.gov (United States)

Tompkins, Olga S; Randolph, Susan A; Ostendorf, Judith S

2005-02-01

Bagshaw (2004) notes "the modern commercial aircraft cabin is maintained with adequate environmental control for the comfort of most healthy individuals" (p. 417). Occupational health nurses frequently deal with a population that may include unhealthy individuals or those with pre-existing conditions. It is critical for occupational health nurses to stay current with major hazards faced by frequent flyer business travelers to assist in identifying and preventing adverse health effects associated with these exposures.

Frequently Used Coping Scales: A Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Tsukasa

2015-10-01

This article reports the frequency of the use of coping scales in academic journals published from 1998 to 2010. Two thousand empirical journal articles were selected from the EBSCO database. The COPE, Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, Religious-COPE and Coping Response Inventory were frequently mentioned. In particular, the COPE (20.2%) and Ways of Coping Questionnaire (13.6%) were used the most frequently. In this literature reviewed, coping scales were most often used to assess coping with health issues (e.g. illness, pain and medical diagnoses) over other types of stressors, and patients were the most frequent participants. Further, alpha coefficients were estimated for the COPE subscales, and correlations between the COPE subscales and coping outcomes were calculated, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative affect, psychological distress, physical symptoms and well-being. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Are environmental characteristics in the municipal eldercare, more closely associated with frequent short sick leave spells among employees than with total sick leave: a cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background It has been suggested that frequent-, short-term sick leave is associated with work environment factors, whereas long-term sick leave is associated mainly with health factors. However, studies of the hypothesis of an association between a poor working environment and frequent short spells of sick leave are few and results are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to explore associations between self-reported psychosocial work factors and workplace-registered frequency and length of sick leave in the eldercare sector. Methods Employees from the municipal eldercare in Aarhus (N = 2,534) were included. In 2005, they responded to a work environment questionnaire. Sick leave records from 2005 were dichotomised into total sick leave days (0–14 and above 14 days) and into spell patterns (0–2 short, 3–9 short, and mixed spells and 1–3 long spells). Logistic regression models were used to analyse associations; adjusted for age, gender, occupation, and number of spells or sick leave length. Results The response rate was 76%; 96% of the respondents were women. Unfavourable mean scores in work pace, demands for hiding emotions, poor quality of leadership and bullying were best indicated by more than 14 sick leave days compared with 0–14 sick leave days. For work pace, the best indicator was a long-term sick leave pattern compared with a non-frequent short-term pattern. A frequent short-term sick leave pattern was a better indicator of emotional demands (1.62; 95% CI: 1.1-2.5) and role conflict (1.50; 95% CI: 1.2-1.9) than a short-term non-frequent pattern. Age (= 40 years) statistically significantly modified the association between the 1–3 long-term sick leave spell pattern and commitment to the workplace compared with the 3–9 frequent short-term pattern. Conclusions Total sick leave length and a long-term sick leave spell pattern were just as good or even better indicators of unfavourable work factor scores than a frequent short-term sick leave

Enhancing Learning within the 3-D Virtual Learning Environment

OpenAIRE

Shirin Shafieiyoun; Akbar Moazen Safaei

2013-01-01

Today’s using of virtual learning environments becomes more remarkable in education. The potential of virtual learning environments has frequently been related to the expansion of sense of social presence which is obtained from students and educators. This study investigated the effectiveness of social presence within virtual learning environments and analysed the impact of social presence on increasing learning satisfaction within virtual learning environments. Second Life, as an example of ...

Assessment of ANFO on the Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

there is an increasing risk of algal blobs and eutrophication in surface waters according to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment...Section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act (1985), which prohibits the deposit of deleterious substances into waters frequented by fish , unless otherwise...nitrate in the environment, which could have either short or long-term toxic effects on fish and wildlife resources if they were released in sufficient

Defining frequent use of an urban emergency department

Science.gov (United States)

Locker, Thomas E; Baston, Simon; Mason, Suzanne M; Nicholl, Jon

2007-01-01

Objective This study aimed to develop a definition of frequent use of an emergency department (ED) by comparing differences in the observed frequency distribution with that of a theoretical frequency distribution. Methods A retrospective analysis of attendance of ED and minor injury unit attendances in one city over 1 year was conducted. From these data, the expected frequency distribution was determined based upon a Poisson distribution. Results During the period studied, 75 141 people attended on 98 908 occasions. The theoretical frequency distribution showed that there were 2764 (3.7%) “frequent users” presenting repeatedly due to non‐random events. These patients made 12 316 (12.4%) attendances. Frequent users were older than chance users (mean age 49.7 vs 44.5 years). A greater proportion arrived by ambulance (55.3% vs 27.5%), presented with psychiatric problems (5.8% vs 1.1%) or alcohol intoxication (1.3% vs 0.5%), and were admitted to hospital (37.4% vs 19.6%). Conclusion We have identified that there is a group of patients who present repeatedly due to non‐random events, confirming the existence of “frequent users”. Their characteristics are clearly different to other patients in the ED. We propose that “frequent users” be defined as any patient who makes more than four attendances per year. PMID:17513534

Corporate Governance Frequently Asked Questions

OpenAIRE

International Finance Corporation

2016-01-01

This guidebook is designed to address common questionson corporate governance that are frequently asked byowners and managers of companies in the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA) region. It familiarizes readerswith the basic concepts of corporate governance,providing a comprehensive overview of the subject matter,using case studies as practical examples of corporategovernance application...

Predictors of Frequent Emergency Room Visits among a Homeless Population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kinna Thakarar

Full Text Available Homelessness, HIV, and substance use are interwoven problems. Furthermore, homeless individuals are frequent users of emergency services. The main purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for frequent emergency room (ER visits and to examine the effects of housing status and HIV serostatus on ER utilization. The second purpose was to identify risk factors for frequent ER visits in patients with a history of illicit drug use.A retrospective analysis was performed on 412 patients enrolled in a Boston-based health care for the homeless program (HCH. This study population was selected as a 2:1 HIV seronegative versus HIV seropositive match based on age, sex, and housing status. A subgroup analysis was performed on 287 patients with history of illicit drug use. Chart data were analyzed to compare demographics, health characteristics, and health service utilization. Results were stratified by housing status. Logistic models using generalized estimating equations were used to predict frequent ER visits.In homeless patients, hepatitis C was the only predictor of frequent ER visits (OR 4.49, p<0.01. HIV seropositivity was not predictive of frequent ER visits. In patients with history of illicit drug use, mental health (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.07-5.95 and hepatitis C (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.37-5.93 were predictors of frequent ER use. HIV seropositivity did not predict ER use (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21 - 0.97.In a HCH population, hepatitis C predicted frequent ER visits in homeless patients. HIV seropositivity did not predict frequent ER visits, likely because HIV seropositive HCH patients are engaged in care. In patients with history of illicit drug use, hepatitis C and mental health disorders predicted frequent ER visits. Supportive housing for patients with mental health disorders and hepatitis C may help prevent unnecessary ER visits in this population.

Less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently in large supermarket chains in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Potvin Kent, Monique; Rudnicki, Erika; Usher, Crystal

2017-11-13

The majority of food expenditures are made in supermarkets and this environment influences our purchasing and food intake. Breakfast cereals are frequently marketed as healthy food choices. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of in-store promotions for cold breakfast cereals in Canadian supermarkets and to determine whether healthier or less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently. Data was collected once per week over a four-week period from a convenience sample of the five largest Canadian supermarkets in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Data collection included the number of shelf facings, promotional displays, and the cost of cereals/100 g. The UK Nutrient Profiling Model was used to determine the healthfulness of each breakfast cereal. 29.8% (n = 67) of the 225 unique cereals were classified as healthier and 70.2% (n = 158) were classified as less healthy. Less healthy cereals were displayed at eye level, in the profitable middle shelves, 2.9 times more frequently than healthier cereals. There were 5.3 times more breakfast cereal shelf facings, 4.2 more end cap displays, 1.7 more mid-aisle displays and 3.3 more special pricing signage for less healthy cereals compared to healthier cereals. Less healthy cereals had a significantly higher average total number of shelf facings compared to healthier cereals (t = -4.28 (280.8), p supermarkets need to increase the marketing of healthy breakfast cereals within their stores.

Experiential Learning and Learning Environments: The Case of Active Listening Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Huerta-Wong, Juan Enrique; Schoech, Richard

2010-01-01

Social work education research frequently has suggested an interaction between teaching techniques and learning environments. However, this interaction has never been tested. This study compared virtual and face-to-face learning environments and included active listening concepts to test whether the effectiveness of learning environments depends…

The Most Frequent English Homonyms

Science.gov (United States)

Parent, Kevin

2012-01-01

This article distinguishes homonymy, homophony, homography and polysemy, and provides a list of the most frequent homonyms using corpus-derived data. For most of the homonyms, the most common meaning accounts for 90% or more of the total uses of the form. The pedagogical and research implications of these findings are discussed. (Contains 5…

Personalized privacy-preserving frequent itemset mining using randomized response.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Chongjing; Fu, Yan; Zhou, Junlin; Gao, Hui

2014-01-01

Frequent itemset mining is the important first step of association rule mining, which discovers interesting patterns from the massive data. There are increasing concerns about the privacy problem in the frequent itemset mining. Some works have been proposed to handle this kind of problem. In this paper, we introduce a personalized privacy problem, in which different attributes may need different privacy levels protection. To solve this problem, we give a personalized privacy-preserving method by using the randomized response technique. By providing different privacy levels for different attributes, this method can get a higher accuracy on frequent itemset mining than the traditional method providing the same privacy level. Finally, our experimental results show that our method can have better results on the frequent itemset mining while preserving personalized privacy.

Association of the Nurse Work Environment, Collective Efficacy, and Missed Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jessica G; Morin, Karen H; Wallace, Leigh E; Lake, Eileen T

2018-06-01

Missed nursing care is a significant threat to quality patient care. Promoting collective efficacy within nurse work environments could decrease missed care. The purpose was to understand how missed care is associated with nurse work environments and collective efficacy of hospital staff nurses. A cross-sectional, convenience sample was obtained through online surveys from registered nurses working at five southwestern U.S. hospitals. Descriptive, correlational, regression, and path analyses were conducted ( N = 233). The percentage of nurses who reported that at least one care activity was missed frequently or always was 94%. Mouth care (36.0% of nurses) and ambulation (35.3%) were missed frequently or always. Nurse work environments and collective efficacy were moderately, positively correlated. Nurse work environments and collective efficacy were associated with less missed care (χ 2 = 10.714, p = .0054). Fostering collective efficacy in the nurse work environment could reduce missed care and improve patient outcomes.

Suicide in America: Frequently Asked Questions

Science.gov (United States)

... Trials? Finding Help Reprints For More Information Share Suicide in America: Frequently Asked Questions Download PDF Download ... a week. Text “HOME” to 741741. What Is Suicide? Suicide is when people direct violence at themselves ...

A Global Online Handwriting Recognition Approach Based on Frequent Patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Gmati

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In this article, the handwriting signals are represented based on geometric and spatio-temporal characteristics to increase the feature vectors relevance of each object. The main goal was to extract features in the form of a numeric vector based on the extraction of frequent patterns. We used two types of frequent motifs (closed frequent patterns and maximal frequent patterns that can represent handwritten characters pertinently. These common features patterns are generated from a raw data transformation method to achieve high relevance. A database of words consisting of two different letters was created. The proposed application gives promising results and highlights the advantages that frequent pattern extraction algorithms can achieve, as well as the central role played by the “minimum threshold” parameter in the overall description of the characters.

The effect of PBL and film showing, frequent quizzes and lecture-based method on short-term performance of dentistry students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadr Lahijani M.S

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Advocates have proposed that frequent testing increases the effectiveness of instruction by encouraging learners to study and review more often. It has also been argued that in this way, student errors can be identified and corrected earlier and good performance can be recognized, leading to more positive attitudes toward learning process. In problem-based learning (PBL, medical students reportedly take a more active role in learning and have better recall than students in a conventional learning environment. The hypothetical benefits of a PBL and studentbased environment and use of films in the class are the development of self-learning and problem-solving skills and enhancement of knowledge and motivation. Purpose: To examine the effect of combination of PBL method and film showing on the short-term performance of dentistry students and to compare it with lecture-based method and frequent quizzes. Methods: All students of 3 years (from 2000 till 2002 that had theoretical endodontic course (part 1 participated in this descriptive-analytic study. The scores of final examinations of this course were obtained from their files. Data were analyzed by SPSS software & ANOVA. Results: The results showed that by changing the way of learning (PBL and film showing in 2001, there was a statistical difference between scores of the students of 2000 and 2001. Also there was a statistical difference with the students’ scores in 2002- the group with frequent quizzes. Conclusion: The variables such as changing the way of learning, using different methods in teaching, showing scientific films in class or, as a whole, active learning have significant effects on the results of final examination. Key Words: PBL, lecture based method, education, frequent quizzes

Frequently Occurring Reconnection Jets from Sunspot Light Bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Hui; Yurchyshyn, Vasyl; Peter, Hardi; Solanki, Sami K.; Young, Peter R.; Ni, Lei; Cao, Wenda; Ji, Kaifan; Zhu, Yingjie; Zhang, Jingwen; Samanta, Tanmoy; Song, Yongliang; He, Jiansen; Wang, Linghua; Chen, Yajie

2018-02-01

Solid evidence of magnetic reconnection is rarely reported within sunspots, the darkest regions with the strongest magnetic fields and lowest temperatures in the solar atmosphere. Using the world’s largest solar telescope, the 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope, we detect prevalent reconnection through frequently occurring fine-scale jets in the Hα line wings at light bridges, the bright lanes that may divide the dark sunspot core into multiple parts. Many jets have an inverted Y-shape, shown by models to be typical of reconnection in a unipolar field environment. Simultaneous spectral imaging data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph show that the reconnection drives bidirectional flows up to 200 km s‑1, and that the weakly ionized plasma is heated by at least an order of magnitude up to ∼80,000 K. Such highly dynamic reconnection jets and efficient heating should be properly accounted for in future modeling efforts of sunspots. Our observations also reveal that the surge-like activity previously reported above light bridges in some chromospheric passbands such as the Hα core has two components: the ever-present short surges likely to be related to the upward leakage of magnetoacoustic waves from the photosphere, and the occasionally occurring long and fast surges that are obviously caused by the intermittent reconnection jets.

Influence of Frequent Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis on Food Preference

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ipema, Karin; Franssen, Casper; van der Schans, Cees; Smit, Lianne; Noordman, Sabine; Haisma, Hinke

Objective: Dialysis patients frequently report a change of taste that is reversible after renal transplantation, suggesting that uremic toxins may negatively influence taste. Currently, frequent nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHHD) is the most effective method of hemodialysis, and is associated with

Frequently Asked Questions about Radiation Emergencies

Science.gov (United States)

... Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Radiation Emergencies Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir For more information on radiation, go to the Radiation Dictionary . Get Inside: Why should I get inside during ...

Predictors of Frequent Emergency Room Visits among a Homeless Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Thakarar, Kinna; Morgan, Jake R; Gaeta, Jessie M; Hohl, Carole; Drainoni, Mari-Lynn

2015-01-01

Homelessness, HIV, and substance use are interwoven problems. Furthermore, homeless individuals are frequent users of emergency services. The main purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for frequent emergency room (ER) visits and to examine the effects of housing status and HIV serostatus on ER utilization. The second purpose was to identify risk factors for frequent ER visits in patients with a history of illicit drug use. A retrospective analysis was performed on 412 patients enrolled in a Boston-based health care for the homeless program (HCH). This study population was selected as a 2:1 HIV seronegative versus HIV seropositive match based on age, sex, and housing status. A subgroup analysis was performed on 287 patients with history of illicit drug use. Chart data were analyzed to compare demographics, health characteristics, and health service utilization. Results were stratified by housing status. Logistic models using generalized estimating equations were used to predict frequent ER visits. In homeless patients, hepatitis C was the only predictor of frequent ER visits (OR 4.49, phomeless patients. HIV seropositivity did not predict frequent ER visits, likely because HIV seropositive HCH patients are engaged in care. In patients with history of illicit drug use, hepatitis C and mental health disorders predicted frequent ER visits. Supportive housing for patients with mental health disorders and hepatitis C may help prevent unnecessary ER visits in this population.

Vaginal microbiota of women with frequent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xia; Westman, Rachel; Hickey, Roxana; Hansmann, Melanie A; Kennedy, Colleen; Osborn, Thomas W; Forney, Larry J

2009-09-01

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an insidious infection that afflicts a large proportion of women of all ages, and 5 to 8% of affected women experience recurrent VVC (RVVC). The aim of this study was to explore the possible importance of vaginal bacterial communities in reducing the risk of RVVC. The species composition and diversity of microbial communities were evaluated for 42 women with and without frequent VVC based on profiles of terminal restriction fragment polymorphisms of 16S rRNA genes and phylogenetic analysis of cloned 16S rRNA gene sequences from the numerically dominant microbial populations. The data showed that there were no significant differences between the vaginal microbial communities of women in the two groups (likelihood score, 5.948; bootstrap P value, 0.26). Moreover, no novel bacteria were found in the communities of women with frequent VVC. The vaginal communities of most women in both groups (38/42; 90%) were dominated by species of Lactobacillus. The results of this study failed to provide evidence for the existence of altered or unusual vaginal bacterial communities in women who have frequent VVC compared to women who do not have frequent VVC. The findings suggest that commensal vaginal bacterial species may not be able to prevent VVC.

Distinguishing the relevant features of frequent suicide attempters.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Castroman, Jorge; Perez-Rodriguez, Maria de las Mercedes; Jaussent, Isabelle; Alegria, Analucia A; Artes-Rodriguez, Antonio; Freed, Peter; Guillaume, Sébastien; Jollant, Fabrice; Leiva-Murillo, Jose Miguel; Malafosse, Alain; Oquendo, Maria A; de Prado-Cumplido, Mario; Saiz-Ruiz, Jeronimo; Baca-Garcia, Enrique; Courtet, Philippe

2011-05-01

In spite of the high prevalence of suicide behaviours and the magnitude of the resultant burden, little is known about why individuals reattempt. We aim to investigate the relationships between clinical risk factors and the repetition of suicidal attempts. 1349 suicide attempters were consecutively recruited in the Emergency Room (ER) of two academic hospitals in France and Spain. Patients were extensively assessed and demographic and clinical data obtained. Data mining was used to determine the minimal number of variables that blinded the rest in relation to the number of suicide attempts. Using this set, a probabilistic graph ranking relationships with the target variable was constructed. The most common diagnoses among suicide attempters were affective disorders, followed by anxiety disorders. Risk of frequent suicide attempt was highest among middle-aged subjects, and diminished progressively with advancing age of onset at first attempt. Anxiety disorders significantly increased the risk of presenting frequent suicide attempts. Pathway analysis also indicated that frequent suicide attempts were linked to greater odds for alcohol and substance abuse disorders and more intensive treatment. Novel statistical methods found several clinical features that were associated with a history of frequent suicide attempts. The identified pathways may promote new hypothesis-driven studies of suicide attempts and preventive strategies. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contaminant bioavailability in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments

OpenAIRE

Traina, Samuel J.; Laperche, Valérie

1999-01-01

The aqueous concentrations of heavy metals in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments frequently are controlled by the dissolution and precipitation of discrete mineral phases. Contaminant uptake by organisms as well as contaminant transport in natural systems typically occurs through the solution phase. Thus, the thermodynamic solubility of contaminant-containing minerals in these environments can directly influence the chemical reactivity, transport, and ecotoxici...

Frequent Pairs in Data Streams: Exploiting Parallelism and Skew

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campagna, Andrea; Kutzkow, Konstantin; Pagh, Rasmus

2011-01-01

We introduce the Pair Streaming Engine (PairSE) that detects frequent pairs in a data stream of transactions. Our algorithm finds the most frequent pairs with high probability, and gives tight bounds on their frequency. It is particularly space efficient for skewed distribution of pair supports...... items mining in data streams. We show how to efficiently scale these approaches to handle large transactions. We report experimental results showcasing precision and recall of our method. In particular, we find that often our method achieves excellent precision, returning identical upper and lower...... bounds on the supports of the most frequent pairs....

Perceived Quality of Social Relations and Frequent Drunkenness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærulff, Thora M; Rivera, Francisco; Jiménez-Iglesias, Antonia

2014-01-01

in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) 2010 survey were used including 1177 female and 1126 male students aged between 15 and 16 years. RESULTS: For both genders, students reporting low school satisfaction had increased odds of frequent drunkenness. Among females, low and medium levels of classmate support...... predictors of frequent drunkenness among female than male students and that other factors than social relations may contribute to explain excessive alcohol use among Spanish adolescents....

Classification and Target Group Selection Based Upon Frequent Patterns

NARCIS (Netherlands)

W.H.L.M. Pijls (Wim); R. Potharst (Rob)

2000-01-01

textabstractIn this technical report , two new algorithms based upon frequent patterns are proposed. One algorithm is a classification method. The other one is an algorithm for target group selection. In both algorithms, first of all, the collection of frequent patterns in the training set is

Frequent methodological errors in clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva Aycaguer, L C

2018-03-07

Several errors that are frequently present in clinical research are listed, discussed and illustrated. A distinction is made between what can be considered an "error" arising from ignorance or neglect, from what stems from a lack of integrity of researchers, although it is recognized and documented that it is not easy to establish when we are in a case and when in another. The work does not intend to make an exhaustive inventory of such problems, but focuses on those that, while frequent, are usually less evident or less marked in the various lists that have been published with this type of problems. It has been a decision to develop in detail the examples that illustrate the problems identified, instead of making a list of errors accompanied by an epidermal description of their characteristics. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Guide and manual of frequent special radiological procedures pertaining frequent pediatric patient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quesada Rodriguez, Marco V.

2012-01-01

A set of instructions and / or recommendations are afforded, developed in a systematic way, whose purpose is to help treating doctors to make decisions about the mode of study appropriate for a specialized clinical circumstance. The instructions are aimed at radiologists, in order to facilitate the selection and realization of special studies in the pediatric patient images, so that in this way, guide of the best and most efficient way to the resolution of the cases before diagnostic doubts that seek to clarify the treating clinician. The studies most frequently requested are exposed, as well as those with their prompt realization will lead to a quick and timely medical care and / or surgical of a specific problem [es

Social capital and frequent attenders in general practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pasgaard, Alexander A.; Mæhlisen, Maiken H.; Overgaard, Charlotte

2018-01-01

weeks. RESULTS: Using multiple logistic regression, we found that frequent attendance was associated with a lower score in interpersonal trust [OR 0.86 (0.79-0.94)] and social network [OR 0.88 (0.79-0.98)] for women, when adjusted for age, education, income and SF12 health scores. Norms of reciprocity...... at the individual level, and includes cognitive (interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity) as well as structural (social network and civic engagement) dimensions. Frequent attendance is defined as the upper-quartile of the total number of measured consultations with a general practitioner over a period of 148...... and civic engagement were not significantly associated with frequent attendance for women [OR 1.05 (0.99-1.11) and OR 1.01 (0.92-1.11) respectively]. None of the associations were statistically significant for men. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that for women, some aspects of social capital are associated...

GRAMI: Generalized Frequent Subgraph Mining in Large Graphs

KAUST Repository

El Saeedy, Mohammed El Sayed

2011-07-24

Mining frequent subgraphs is an important operation on graphs. Most existing work assumes a database of many small graphs, but modern applications, such as social networks, citation graphs or protein-protein interaction in bioinformatics, are modeled as a single large graph. Interesting interactions in such applications may be transitive (e.g., friend of a friend). Existing methods, however, search for frequent isomorphic (i.e., exact match) subgraphs and cannot discover many useful patterns. In this paper we propose GRAMI, a framework that generalizes frequent subgraph mining in a large single graph. GRAMI discovers frequent patterns. A pattern is a graph where edges are generalized to distance-constrained paths. Depending on the definition of the distance function, many instantiations of the framework are possible. Both directed and undirected graphs, as well as multiple labels per vertex, are supported. We developed an efficient implementation of the framework that models the frequency resolution phase as a constraint satisfaction problem, in order to avoid the costly enumeration of all instances of each pattern in the graph. We also implemented CGRAMI, a version that supports structural and semantic constraints; and AGRAMI, an approximate version that supports very large graphs. Our experiments on real data demonstrate that our framework is up to 3 orders of magnitude faster and discovers more interesting patterns than existing approaches.

Frequent rhabdomyolysis in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Jung-Ah; Lee, Soon-Tae; Kim, Tae-Joon; Moon, Jangsup; Sunwoo, Jun-Sang; Byun, Jung-Ick; Jung, Keun-Hwa; Jung, Ki-Young; Chu, Kon; Lee, Sang Kun

2016-09-15

The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical presentation and provocation factors of rhabdomyolysis in anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Among the 16 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis in our institutional cohort, nine patients had elevated CK enzyme levels and clinical evidence of rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis was more frequent after immunotherapy. The use of dopamine receptor blocker (DRB) increased the risk of rhabdomyolysis. None of the patients without rhabdomyolysis received DRBs. Rhabdomyolysis is a frequent complication in anti-NMDAR encephalitis and more common after immunotherapy and the use of DRBs increases the risk. Therefore, DRBs should be administered carefully in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association between fast food purchasing and the local food environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Lukar E; Kavanagh, A M

2012-12-03

In this study, an instrument was created to measure the healthy and unhealthy characteristics of food environments and investigate associations between the whole of the food environment and fast food consumption. In consultation with other academic researchers in this field, food stores were categorised to either healthy or unhealthy and weighted (between +10 and -10) by their likely contribution to healthy/unhealthy eating practices. A healthy and unhealthy food environment score (FES) was created using these weightings. Using a cross-sectional study design, multilevel multinomial regression was used to estimate the effects of the whole food environment on the fast food purchasing habits of 2547 individuals. Respondents in areas with the highest tertile of the healthy FES had a lower likelihood of purchasing fast food both infrequently and frequently compared with respondents who never purchased, however only infrequent purchasing remained significant when simultaneously modelled with the unhealthy FES (odds ratio (OR) 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.32-0.83). Although a lower likelihood of frequent fast food purchasing was also associated with living in the highest tertile of the unhealthy FES, no association remained once the healthy FES was included in the models. In our binary models, respondents living in areas with a higher unhealthy FES than healthy FES were more likely to purchase fast food infrequently (OR 1.35; 95% CI 1.00-1.82) however no association was found for frequent purchasing. Our study provides some evidence to suggest that healthier food environments may discourage fast food purchasing.

IMS Learning Design Frequently Asked Questions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tattersall, Colin; Manderveld, Jocelyn; Hummel, Hans; Sloep, Peter; Koper, Rob; De Vries, Fred

2004-01-01

This list of frequently asked questions was composed on the basis of questions asked of the Educational Technology Expertise Centrum. The questions addessed are: Where can I find the IMS Learning Design Specification? What is meant by the phrase “Learning Design”? What is the IMS LD Specification

Enumerating all maximal frequent subtrees in collections of phylogenetic trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Deepak, Akshay; Fernández-Baca, David

2014-01-01

A common problem in phylogenetic analysis is to identify frequent patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees. The goal is, roughly, to find a subset of the species (taxa) on which all or some significant subset of the trees agree. One popular method to do so is through maximum agreement subtrees (MASTs). MASTs are also used, among other things, as a metric for comparing phylogenetic trees, computing congruence indices and to identify horizontal gene transfer events. We give algorithms and experimental results for two approaches to identify common patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees, one based on agreement subtrees, called maximal agreement subtrees, the other on frequent subtrees, called maximal frequent subtrees. These approaches can return subtrees on larger sets of taxa than MASTs, and can reveal new common phylogenetic relationships not present in either MASTs or the majority rule tree (a popular consensus method). Our current implementation is available on the web at https://code.google.com/p/mfst-miner/. Our computational results confirm that maximal agreement subtrees and all maximal frequent subtrees can reveal a more complete phylogenetic picture of the common patterns in collections of phylogenetic trees than maximum agreement subtrees; they are also often more resolved than the majority rule tree. Further, our experiments show that enumerating maximal frequent subtrees is considerably more practical than enumerating ordinary (not necessarily maximal) frequent subtrees.

Plant adaptation to frequent alterations between high and low temperatures: remodeling of membrane lipids and maintenance of unsaturation levels

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Guowei; Tian, Bo; Zhang, Fujuan; Tao, Faqing; Li, Weiqi

2011-01-01

One major strategy by which plants adapt to temperature change is to decrease the degree of unsaturation of membrane lipids under high temperature and increase it under low temperature. We hypothesize that this strategy cannot be adopted by plants in ecosystems and environments with frequent alterations between high and low temperatures, because changes in lipid unsaturation are complex and require large energy inputs. To test this hypothesis, we used a lipidomics approach to profile changes ...

Risk factors associated with incidence and persistence of frequent headaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Marklund, Susanna; Häggman-Henrikson, Birgitta; Wänman, Anders

2014-11-01

Headaches represent a significant public health problem, but the knowledge of factors specifically related to incidence and persistence of headaches is still limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether gender, self-reported bruxism and variations in the dental occlusion contribute to onset and persistence of frequent headaches. The study population comprised 280 dental students, examined annually in a 2-year prospective study with a questionnaire and a clinical examination of the jaw function. In the analysis subjects were dichotomized into cases with frequent (once a week or more) or without frequent headaches (controls). The 2-year cumulative incidence was based on subjects without frequent headaches at baseline. Cases with 2-year persistent headaches reported such symptoms at all three examinations. Self-reported bruxism and factors in the dental occlusion at baseline were used as independent variables in logistic regression analyses. The 2-year cumulative incidence of frequent headaches was 21%. Female gender (OR = 2.6; CI = 1.3-5.4), self-reported bruxism (OR = 2.3; CI = 1.2-4.4) and mandibular instability in intercuspal position (OR = 3.2; CI = 1.4-7.5) were associated with incidence of frequent headaches. Persistent headaches during the observation period were present in 12 individuals (4%) and significantly related to mandibular instability in intercuspal position (OR = 6.1; CI = 1.6-22.6). The results indicate that female gender, self-reported bruxism and mandibular instability in intercuspal position are of importance in the development of frequent headaches. In management of these patients a multidisciplinary approach including dentists may be important and, thus, advocated.

Less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently in large supermarket chains in Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monique Potvin Kent

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The majority of food expenditures are made in supermarkets and this environment influences our purchasing and food intake. Breakfast cereals are frequently marketed as healthy food choices. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of in–store promotions for cold breakfast cereals in Canadian supermarkets and to determine whether healthier or less healthy breakfast cereals are promoted more frequently. Methods Data was collected once per week over a four-week period from a convenience sample of the five largest Canadian supermarkets in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Data collection included the number of shelf facings, promotional displays, and the cost of cereals/100 g. The UK Nutrient Profiling Model was used to determine the healthfulness of each breakfast cereal. Results 29.8% (n = 67 of the 225 unique cereals were classified as healthier and 70.2% (n = 158 were classified as less healthy. Less healthy cereals were displayed at eye level, in the profitable middle shelves, 2.9 times more frequently than healthier cereals. There were 5.3 times more breakfast cereal shelf facings, 4.2 more end cap displays, 1.7 more mid-aisle displays and 3.3 more special pricing signage for less healthy cereals compared to healthier cereals. Less healthy cereals had a significantly higher average total number of shelf facings compared to healthier cereals (t = −4.28 (280.8, p < .001. Conclusions Breakfast cereal manufacturers need to consider reformulation of their breakfast cereals to improve their healthfulness and supermarkets need to increase the marketing of healthy breakfast cereals within their stores.

Most Frequently Reported Prescription Medications and Supplements in Couples Planning Pregnancy: The LIFE Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmsten, Kristin; Flores, Katrina F; Chambers, Christina D; Weiss, Lauren A; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Buck Louis, Germaine M

2018-01-01

To identify frequently reported prescription medications and supplements among couples planning pregnancy because there is a lack of descriptive information on these agents in women and men who are trying to conceive. Five hundred one couples enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Infertility and the Environment, which took place between 2005 and 2009. Participants reported prescription medications as well as prescription and over-the-counter supplements used through interviews at study enrollment and through daily dairies during the 12-month follow-up. We identified prescription medications and supplements prospectively reported by ≥1% of women and men at baseline and from daily journal information grouped into 3-month preconception follow-up intervals while couples tried for pregnancy. The 5 most reported prescription medications among women were levothyroxine (5.8%), cetirizine (2.6%), fluticasone (2.4%), escitalopram (1.8%), and fluoxetine (1.8%) and for men were lisinopril (2.0%), mometasone (2.0%), fexofenadine (1.8%), atorvastatin (1.6%), and montelukast (1.6%). The most reported supplements were multivitamins (63.3%, 43.5%) and fish oil (13.2%, 9.4%) for women and men, respectively, and prenatal vitamins (22.0%) for women. For women during the first 3 months of follow-up, prenatal vitamins (6.0%) and antibiotics (1.2%-2.6%) were among the most frequently started medications. During the next 3 months, clomiphene (4.5%) was the most frequently initiated medication. Couples trying for pregnancy reported a variety of prescription medications and supplements, and they differed by gender. Preconception guidance should address medication and supplement use to avoid potential exposures associated with adverse reproductive and perinatal outcomes.

[Prevalence and factors associated with frequent attendence in family medicine clinic].

Science.gov (United States)

Parejo Maestre, N; Lendínez-de la Cruz, J M; Bermúdez-Torres, F M; Gónzalez-Contero, L; Gutierrez-Espinosa de Los Monteros, M P; Espejo-Almazán María, T

2016-01-01

The use of health services has seen a steep rise. The frequent users are responsible for significant economic, human and social impact. The objective is to analyze the characteristics of frequent attenders in our Health Center, in order to evaluate the possibility of taking corrective measures to improve the quality of care and efficiency in the use of resources. Descriptive observational study of a sample of 379 patients over 18 years old. The dependent variables were attendance (number of visits to their family doctor during the previous year), frequent attendance (10 or more visits to the family doctor in the last year), and persistent frequent attenders (10 or more visits to the family doctor in each of the last two years). Data were collected from medical records and by telephone interview. The mean attendance was 6.83 (95%CI: 6.13-7.53), frequent attendance reached 25.4% (95%CI: 21.4-29.6), and persistent frequent attenders, 1.6% (95%CI: 0.5-2.9). Frequent attendance was associated with sex, age, marital status, educational level, family structure, existence of chronic disease, use of anxiolytic and antidepressants, request for additional tests, and referrals to other specialists, proximity to the health center, and level of satisfaction with their family doctor. The low persistent frequent attenders found suggests that frequent attendance could be largely due to factors related to professional and organization. Studies are required to address the high level of consumption of psychotropic drugs, and improving professional skills in dealing with mental problems. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Enumerating all maximal frequent subtrees in collections of phylogenetic trees

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background A common problem in phylogenetic analysis is to identify frequent patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees. The goal is, roughly, to find a subset of the species (taxa) on which all or some significant subset of the trees agree. One popular method to do so is through maximum agreement subtrees (MASTs). MASTs are also used, among other things, as a metric for comparing phylogenetic trees, computing congruence indices and to identify horizontal gene transfer events. Results We give algorithms and experimental results for two approaches to identify common patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees, one based on agreement subtrees, called maximal agreement subtrees, the other on frequent subtrees, called maximal frequent subtrees. These approaches can return subtrees on larger sets of taxa than MASTs, and can reveal new common phylogenetic relationships not present in either MASTs or the majority rule tree (a popular consensus method). Our current implementation is available on the web at https://code.google.com/p/mfst-miner/. Conclusions Our computational results confirm that maximal agreement subtrees and all maximal frequent subtrees can reveal a more complete phylogenetic picture of the common patterns in collections of phylogenetic trees than maximum agreement subtrees; they are also often more resolved than the majority rule tree. Further, our experiments show that enumerating maximal frequent subtrees is considerably more practical than enumerating ordinary (not necessarily maximal) frequent subtrees. PMID:25061474

Stability of the frequent COPD exacerbator in the general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reilev, Mette; Lykkegaard, Jesper; Halling, Anders

2017-01-01

Exacerbation frequency is central in treatment strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients from the general population with frequent exacerbations continue to have frequent exacerbations over an extended period of time is c...... considerably over time. This could hold implications for COPD treatment and challenge assumptions made about disease progression....... is currently unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the stability of the frequent exacerbator in a population-based setting. To this end, we conducted a nationwide register-based descriptive study with a 10-year follow-up period of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with at least one...... obstructive pulmonary disease treatment guidelines and their practical application. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE: VARIATIONS IN DISEASE PROGRESSION: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who suffer from frequent exacerbations do not necessarily persist with such severity over time...

[Frequently accidents and injury at school].

Science.gov (United States)

Gautier Vargas, María; Martínez González, Vanesa

2011-01-01

During the time we have been in a private company that provide schools with medical care, we were surprised by the frequent and constant phone calls received to ask for our services. This fact made us take the decision to carry out a survey to find out the accidents and the most frequent injuries. According to the retrospective study we realized throughout two different academic courses in several schools in Cantabria, the 3.23% of the students have any accidents or injuries. We found out children between 11 and 15 have the highest accident rate, being 10.8 % higher when boys (rather than girls) are involved. The most common injuries are contusions 42.85%, followed by sprains 23.45%, being blows the reason in 42% of the cases, and surprisingly acts of aggression in 1%. It was also unexpected to learn that gyms, where children are taught in physical education, have the highest percent on accident rate. All these inquiries lead us to think that age, play and sports are determinant factors in the accidents happened in the school area.

Incremental Frequent Subgraph Mining on Large Evolving Graphs

KAUST Repository

Abdelhamid, Ehab

2017-08-22

Frequent subgraph mining is a core graph operation used in many domains, such as graph data management and knowledge exploration, bioinformatics and security. Most existing techniques target static graphs. However, modern applications, such as social networks, utilize large evolving graphs. Mining these graphs using existing techniques is infeasible, due to the high computational cost. In this paper, we propose IncGM+, a fast incremental approach for continuous frequent subgraph mining problem on a single large evolving graph. We adapt the notion of “fringe” to the graph context, that is the set of subgraphs on the border between frequent and infrequent subgraphs. IncGM+ maintains fringe subgraphs and exploits them to prune the search space. To boost the efficiency, we propose an efficient index structure to maintain selected embeddings with minimal memory overhead. These embeddings are utilized to avoid redundant expensive subgraph isomorphism operations. Moreover, the proposed system supports batch updates. Using large real-world graphs, we experimentally verify that IncGM+ outperforms existing methods by up to three orders of magnitude, scales to much larger graphs and consumes less memory.

Handling Dynamic Weights in Weighted Frequent Pattern Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Chowdhury Farhan; Tanbeer, Syed Khairuzzaman; Jeong, Byeong-Soo; Lee, Young-Koo

Even though weighted frequent pattern (WFP) mining is more effective than traditional frequent pattern mining because it can consider different semantic significances (weights) of items, existing WFP algorithms assume that each item has a fixed weight. But in real world scenarios, the weight (price or significance) of an item can vary with time. Reflecting these changes in item weight is necessary in several mining applications, such as retail market data analysis and web click stream analysis. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a dynamic weight for each item, and propose an algorithm, DWFPM (dynamic weighted frequent pattern mining), that makes use of this concept. Our algorithm can address situations where the weight (price or significance) of an item varies dynamically. It exploits a pattern growth mining technique to avoid the level-wise candidate set generation-and-test methodology. Furthermore, it requires only one database scan, so it is eligible for use in stream data mining. An extensive performance analysis shows that our algorithm is efficient and scalable for WFP mining using dynamic weights.

Examination of Operation Quality for High-frequent Railway Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Landex, Alex; Kaas, Anders H.

2009-01-01

take the first train in their direction. The article examines four different approaches to examine operation quality for high-frequent operation that are based on the experiences of the passengers. These approaches are the service frequency of the operation, travel time extension, a combination......The examination of operation quality for high-frequent operation requires other approaches than the typical evaluation of punctuality (trains on time) and reliability (operated trains). This is because passengers in high-frequent railway systems do not necessarily notice train delays as they just...... of the service frequency and travel time approaches, and passenger delays. The service frequency and travel time approaches are simple measurements with low complexity and complement each other. Therefore, the article recommends combining the service frequency and travel time approaches to get a more accurate...

Unhappiness Intensifies the Avoidance of Frequent Losses While Happiness Overcomes It.

Science.gov (United States)

Yechiam, Eldad; Telpaz, Ariel; Krupenia, Stas; Rafaeli, Anat

2016-01-01

The implication of spontaneous and induced unhappiness to people's decision style is examined. It is postulated that unhappy individuals have a greater tendency to avoid frequent losses because these can have depleting effects, and unhappy individuals are more sensitive to such effects. This is evaluated in Study 1 by using an annoying customer call manipulation to induce negative affect; and by examining the effect of this manipulation on choices in an experiential decision task (the Iowa Gambling task). In Study 2 we examined the association between self-reported (un)happiness and choices on the same decision task. In Study 1 the induction of negative affect led to avoidance of choice alternatives with frequent losses, compared to those yielding rarer but larger losses. Specifically, this pertained to the advantageous alternatives with frequent vs. non-frequent losses. In Study 2 unhappiness was similarly associated with less exposure to frequent losses; while extreme high happiness was associated with no tendency to avoid frequent losses when these were part of an advantageous alternative. The findings clarify the role of happiness in decision making processes by indicating that unhappiness induces sensitivity to the frequency rather than to the total effect of negative events.

Determinants of frequent attendance in Danish general practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Jeanette Therming; Andersen, John Sahl; Tjønneland, Anne

2016-01-01

. below recommended level), and hormone therapy in women (1.52; 1.42-1.63) were all significant determinants of frequent attendance. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to pre-existing medical conditions, gender, socio-demographic and gender-specific factors, lifestyle (obesity, smoking, exercise and alcohol use.......57-0.69, >4 years higher education vs. no vocational training) and employment (0.61; 0.57-0.65) were inversely associated with frequent attendance. Finally, obesity (1.54; 1.14-2.08), smoking (1.21; 1.12-1.30, current vs. never), physical activity (0.84; 0.80-89), alcohol consumption (0.83; 0.78-0.87 above vs...

Conserving and Restoring Old Growth in Frequent-fire Forests: Cycles of Disruption and Recovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dave Egan

2007-12-01

Full Text Available I provide a synthesis of the papers in the Special Issue, The Conservation and Restoration of Old Growth in Frequent-fire Forests of the American West. These papers - the product of an Old Growth Writing Workshop, held at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona on 18-19 April 2006 - represent the ideas of 25 workshop participants who argue for a new attitude toward managing old growth in the frequent-fire forests of the American West. Unlike the lush, old-growth rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, the dry, frequent-fire forests of the western United States evolved with surface fires that disturbed the system with such regularity that young trees were almost always killed. When saplings did survive, they grew beyond the harm of frequent surface fires and, ultimately, attained the characteristics that define old growth in these systems. This system worked well, producing old-growth trees in abundance, until the onset of Euro-American settlement in the mid- to late-19th century. The arrival of these settlers put in motion an interplay of unprecedented social, political, economic, and ecological forces (e.g., removal of Native Americans and their fire-based land management systems, overgrazing of the understory, aggressive logging, establishment of federal land management agencies, implementation of a federal fire suppression policy. These activities have culminated in 1 overly dense forested ecosystems that are now on the verge of collapse because of catastrophic fires (i.e., crown fire at the landscape level; the Rodeo-Chediski Fire and insect outbreaks, 2 the emergence of conservation-minded environmental legislation and policy, and 3 greater levels of interaction between citizens, federal agencies, and fire-prone landscapes. Recognizing the tenuous ecological situation of these forests, restoration ecologists, foresters, and others have developed ways to return historic ecological processes and lower tree densities to these forests

Control of the Environment in the Operating Room.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Jonathan D

2017-10-01

There is a direct relationship between the quality of the environment of a workplace and the productivity and efficiency of the work accomplished. Components such as temperature, humidity, ventilation, drafts, lighting, and noise each contribute to the quality of the overall environment and the sense of well-being of those who work there.The modern operating room is a unique workplace with specific, and frequently conflicting, environmental requirements for each of the inhabitants. Even minor disturbances in the internal environment of the operating room can have serious ramifications on the comfort, effectiveness, and safety of each of the inhabitants. A cool, well-ventilated, and dry climate is optimal for many members of the surgical team. Any significant deviation from these objectives raises the risk of decreased efficiency and productivity and adverse surgical outcomes. A warmer, more humid, and quieter environment is necessary for the patient. If these requirements are not met, the risk of surgical morbidity and mortality is increased. An important task for the surgical team is to find the correct balance between these 2 opposed requirements. Several of the components of the operating room environment, especially room temperature and airflow patterns, are easily manipulated by the members of the surgical team. In the following discussion, we will examine these elements to better understand the clinical ramifications of adjustments and accommodations that are frequently made to meet the requirements of both the surgical staff and the patient.

Iron Deficiency In Frequent And First Time Female Blood Donors ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Aim of the study: This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of iron deficiency and relevant factors in frequent and first time female blood donors at Casablanca blood transfusion centre, Morocco. Methods: Between November 2005 and April 2006, twenty-one female first time and twenty-one frequent female blood ...

The Impact of Frequent Shopper Programs in Grocery Retailing

OpenAIRE

David Bell; Rajiv Lal

2002-01-01

Frequent Shopper programs are becoming ubiquitous in retailing. Retailers seem unsure however about whether these programs are leading to higher loyalty, or to higher profits. In this paper we analyze data from a US supermarket chain that has used a number of frequent shopper rewards to improve sales and profitability. We find that while these programs are profitable, this is only because substantial incremental sales to casual shoppers (cherry pickers) oset subsidies to already loyal custome...

DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM FOR HUMAN MACHINE INTERACTION IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abraham Obed Chan-Canche

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The communication networks built by multiple devices and sensors are becoming more frequent. These device networks allow human-machine interaction development which aims to improve the human performance generating an adaptive environment in response to the information provided by it. The problem of this work is the quick integration of a device network that allows the development of a flexible immersive environment for different uses.

Frequent video game players resist perceptual interference.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaron V Berard

Full Text Available Playing certain types of video games for a long time can improve a wide range of mental processes, from visual acuity to cognitive control. Frequent gamers have also displayed generalized improvements in perceptual learning. In the Texture Discrimination Task (TDT, a widely used perceptual learning paradigm, participants report the orientation of a target embedded in a field of lines and demonstrate robust over-night improvement. However, changing the orientation of the background lines midway through TDT training interferes with overnight improvements in overall performance on TDT. Interestingly, prior research has suggested that this effect will not occur if a one-hour break is allowed in between the changes. These results have suggested that after training is over, it may take some time for learning to become stabilized and resilient against interference. Here, we tested whether frequent gamers have faster stabilization of perceptual learning compared to non-gamers and examined the effect of daily video game playing on interference of training of TDT with one background orientation on perceptual learning of TDT with a different background orientation. As a result, we found that non-gamers showed overnight performance improvement only on one background orientation, replicating previous results with the interference in TDT. In contrast, frequent gamers demonstrated overnight improvements in performance with both background orientations, suggesting that they are better able to overcome interference in perceptual learning. This resistance to interference suggests that video game playing not only enhances the amplitude and speed of perceptual learning but also leads to faster and/or more robust stabilization of perceptual learning.

Frequent video game players resist perceptual interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Berard, Aaron V; Cain, Matthew S; Watanabe, Takeo; Sasaki, Yuka

2015-01-01

Playing certain types of video games for a long time can improve a wide range of mental processes, from visual acuity to cognitive control. Frequent gamers have also displayed generalized improvements in perceptual learning. In the Texture Discrimination Task (TDT), a widely used perceptual learning paradigm, participants report the orientation of a target embedded in a field of lines and demonstrate robust over-night improvement. However, changing the orientation of the background lines midway through TDT training interferes with overnight improvements in overall performance on TDT. Interestingly, prior research has suggested that this effect will not occur if a one-hour break is allowed in between the changes. These results have suggested that after training is over, it may take some time for learning to become stabilized and resilient against interference. Here, we tested whether frequent gamers have faster stabilization of perceptual learning compared to non-gamers and examined the effect of daily video game playing on interference of training of TDT with one background orientation on perceptual learning of TDT with a different background orientation. As a result, we found that non-gamers showed overnight performance improvement only on one background orientation, replicating previous results with the interference in TDT. In contrast, frequent gamers demonstrated overnight improvements in performance with both background orientations, suggesting that they are better able to overcome interference in perceptual learning. This resistance to interference suggests that video game playing not only enhances the amplitude and speed of perceptual learning but also leads to faster and/or more robust stabilization of perceptual learning.

Predicting hospital mortality among frequently readmitted patients: HSMR biased by readmission

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Casemix adjusted in-hospital mortality is one of the measures used to improve quality of care. The adjustment currently used does not take into account the effects of readmission, because reliable data on readmission is not readily available through routinely collected databases. We have studied the impact of readmissions by linking admissions of the same patient, and as a result were able to compare hospital mortality among frequently, as opposed to, non-frequently readmitted patients. We also formulated a method to adjust for readmission for the calculation of hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMRs). Methods We conducted a longitudinal retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital data of six large non-university teaching hospitals in the Netherlands with casemix adjusted standardised mortality ratios ranging from 65 to 114 and a combined value of 93 over a five-year period. Participants concerned 240662 patients admitted 418566 times in total during the years 2003 - 2007. Predicted deaths by the HSMR model 2008 over a five-year period were compared with observed deaths. Results Numbers of readmissions per patient differ substantially between the six hospitals, up to a factor of 2. A large interaction was found between numbers of admissions per patient and HSMR-predicted risks. Observed deaths for frequently admitted patients were significantly lower than HSMR-predicted deaths, which could be explained by uncorrected factors surrounding readmissions. Conclusions Patients admitted more frequently show lower risks of dying on average per admission. This decline in risk is only partly detected by the current HSMR. Comparing frequently admitted patients to non-frequently admitted patients commits the constant risk fallacy and potentially lowers HSMRs of hospitals treating many frequently admitted patients and increases HSMRs of hospitals treating many non-frequently admitted patients. This misleading effect can only be demonstrated by an

Plants' responses to drought and shade environments

African Journals Online (AJOL)

전병기

Among them, drought is widely known as the main factor that limits plants' growth, productivity and development (Reddy et al., 2004; Shao et al., 2008; Li et al., 2009). Recently, drought occured frequently all over the globe due to climate changes (Khaine and Woo, 2015). Light and shade are very important environements ...

Parental employment and work-family stress: Associations with family food environments

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Katherine W.; Hearst, Mary O.; Escoto, Kamisha; Berge, Jerica M.; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2013-01-01

Parental employment provides many benefits to children's health. However, an increasing number of studies have observed associations between mothers' full-time employment and less healthful family food environments. Few studies have examined other ways in which parental employment may be associated with the family food environment, including the role of fathers' employment and parents' stress balancing work and home obligations. This study utilized data from Project F-EAT, a population-based study of a socio-demographically diverse sample of 3709 parents of adolescents living in a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States, to examine cross-sectional associations between mothers' and fathers' employment status and parents' work-life stress with multiple aspects of the family food environment. Among parents participating in Project F-EAT, 64% of fathers and 46% of mothers were full-time employed, while 25% of fathers and 37% of mothers were not employed. Results showed that full-time employed mothers reported fewer family meals, less frequent encouragement of their adolescents' healthful eating, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and less time spent on food preparation, compared to part-time and not-employed mothers, after adjusting for socio-demographics. Full-time employed fathers reported significantly fewer hours of food preparation; no other associations were seen between fathers' employment status and characteristics of the family food environment. In contrast, higher work-life stress among both parents was associated with less healthful family food environment characteristics including less frequent family meals and more frequent sugar-sweetened beverage and fast food consumption by parents. Among dual-parent families, taking into account the employment characteristics of the other parent did not substantially alter the relationships between work-life stress and family food environment characteristics. While parental employment is beneficial for many

Parental employment and work-family stress: associations with family food environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Katherine W; Hearst, Mary O; Escoto, Kamisha; Berge, Jerica M; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne

2012-08-01

Parental employment provides many benefits to children's health. However, an increasing number of studies have observed associations between mothers' full-time employment and less healthful family food environments. Few studies have examined other ways in which parental employment may be associated with the family food environment, including the role of fathers' employment and parents' stress balancing work and home obligations. This study utilized data from Project F-EAT, a population-based study of a socio-demographically diverse sample of 3709 parents of adolescents living in a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States, to examine cross-sectional associations between mothers' and fathers' employment status and parents' work-life stress with multiple aspects of the family food environment. Among parents participating in Project F-EAT, 64% of fathers and 46% of mothers were full-time employed, while 25% of fathers and 37% of mothers were not employed. Results showed that full-time employed mothers reported fewer family meals, less frequent encouragement of their adolescents' healthful eating, lower fruit and vegetable intake, and less time spent on food preparation, compared to part-time and not-employed mothers, after adjusting for socio-demographics. Full-time employed fathers reported significantly fewer hours of food preparation; no other associations were seen between fathers' employment status and characteristics of the family food environment. In contrast, higher work-life stress among both parents was associated with less healthful family food environment characteristics including less frequent family meals and more frequent sugar-sweetened beverage and fast food consumption by parents. Among dual-parent families, taking into account the employment characteristics of the other parent did not substantially alter the relationships between work-life stress and family food environment characteristics. While parental employment is beneficial for many

GRAMI: Frequent subgraph and pattern mining in a single large graph

KAUST Repository

Elseidy, M.; Abdelhamid, Ehab; Skiadopoulos, S.; Kalnis, Panos

2014-01-01

Mining frequent subgraphs is an important operation on graphs; it is defined as finding all subgraphs that appear frequently in a database according to a given frequency threshold. Most existing work assumes a database of many small graphs

Categorizing words using 'frequent frames': what cross-linguistic analyses reveal about distributional acquisition strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chemla, Emmanuel; Mintz, Toben H; Bernal, Savita; Christophe, Anne

2009-04-01

Mintz (2003) described a distributional environment called a frame, defined as the co-occurrence of two context words with one intervening target word. Analyses of English child-directed speech showed that words that fell within any frequently occurring frame consistently belonged to the same grammatical category (e.g. noun, verb, adjective, etc.). In this paper, we first generalize this result to French, a language in which the function word system allows patterns that are potentially detrimental to a frame-based analysis procedure. Second, we show that the discontinuity of the chosen environments (i.e. the fact that target words are framed by the context words) is crucial for the mechanism to be efficient. This property might be relevant for any computational approach to grammatical categorization. Finally, we investigate a recursive application of the procedure and observe that the categorization is paradoxically worse when context elements are categories rather than actual lexical items. Item-specificity is thus also a core computational principle for this type of algorithm. Our analysis, along with results from behavioural studies (Gómez, 2002; Gómez and Maye, 2005; Mintz, 2006), provides strong support for frames as a basis for the acquisition of grammatical categories by infants. Discontinuity and item-specificity appear to be crucial features.

Frequent callers to crisis helplines: who are they and why do they call?

Science.gov (United States)

Spittal, Matthew J; Fedyszyn, Izabela; Middleton, Aves; Bassilios, Bridget; Gunn, Jane; Woodward, Alan; Pirkis, Jane

2015-01-01

Frequent callers present a challenge for crisis helplines, which strive to achieve optimal outcomes for all callers within finite resources. This study aimed to describe frequent callers to Lifeline (the largest crisis helpline in Australia) and compare them with non-frequent callers, with a view to furthering knowledge about models of service delivery that might meet the needs of frequent callers. Lifeline provided an anonymous dataset on calls made between December 2011 and May 2013. We assumed calls from the same (encrypted) phone number were made by the same person, and aggregated call level data up to the person level. Individuals who made 0.667 calls per day in any period from 1 week to the full 549 days for which we had data (i.e. 4.7 calls in 7 days, 20 calls in 30 days, 40 calls in 60 days, etc.) were regarded as frequent callers. Our analysis dataset included 411,725 calls made by 98,174 individuals, 2594 (2.6%) of whom met our definition of frequent callers. We identified a number of predictors of being a frequent caller, including being male or transgender, and never having been married. The odds increased with age until 55-64 years, and then declined. Suicidality, self-harm, mental health issues, crime, child protection and domestic violence issues all predicted being a frequent caller. Collectively, frequent callers have a significant impact on crisis lines, and solutions need to be found for responding to them that are in everybody's best interests (i.e. the frequent callers themselves, other callers, telephone crisis supporters who staff crisis lines, and those who manage crisis lines). In striking this balance, the complex and multiple needs of frequent callers must be taken into account. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

The Role of Old-growth Forests in Frequent-fire Landscapes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Binkley

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Classic ecological concepts and forestry language regarding old growth are not well suited to frequent-fire landscapes. In frequent-fire, old-growth landscapes, there is a symbiotic relationship between the trees, the understory graminoids, and fire that results in a healthy ecosystem. Patches of old growth interspersed with younger growth and open, grassy areas provide a wide variety of habitats for animals, and have a higher level of biodiversity. Fire suppression is detrimental to these forests, and eventually destroys all old growth. The reintroduction of fire into degraded frequent-fire, old-growth forests, accompanied by appropriate thinning, can restore a balance to these ecosystems. Several areas require further research and study: 1 the ability of the understory to respond to restoration treatments, 2 the rate of ecosystem recovery following wildfires whose level of severity is beyond the historic or natural range of variation, 3 the effects of climate change, and 4 the role of the microbial community. In addition, it is important to recognize that much of our knowledge about these old-growth systems comes from a few frequent-fire forest types.

Predicting hospital mortality among frequently readmitted patients: HSMR biased by readmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelder Johannes C

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Casemix adjusted in-hospital mortality is one of the measures used to improve quality of care. The adjustment currently used does not take into account the effects of readmission, because reliable data on readmission is not readily available through routinely collected databases. We have studied the impact of readmissions by linking admissions of the same patient, and as a result were able to compare hospital mortality among frequently, as opposed to, non-frequently readmitted patients. We also formulated a method to adjust for readmission for the calculation of hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMRs. Methods We conducted a longitudinal retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital data of six large non-university teaching hospitals in the Netherlands with casemix adjusted standardised mortality ratios ranging from 65 to 114 and a combined value of 93 over a five-year period. Participants concerned 240662 patients admitted 418566 times in total during the years 2003 - 2007. Predicted deaths by the HSMR model 2008 over a five-year period were compared with observed deaths. Results Numbers of readmissions per patient differ substantially between the six hospitals, up to a factor of 2. A large interaction was found between numbers of admissions per patient and HSMR-predicted risks. Observed deaths for frequently admitted patients were significantly lower than HSMR-predicted deaths, which could be explained by uncorrected factors surrounding readmissions. Conclusions Patients admitted more frequently show lower risks of dying on average per admission. This decline in risk is only partly detected by the current HSMR. Comparing frequently admitted patients to non-frequently admitted patients commits the constant risk fallacy and potentially lowers HSMRs of hospitals treating many frequently admitted patients and increases HSMRs of hospitals treating many non-frequently admitted patients. This misleading effect can

Associations of work ability with frequent and long-term sickness absence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Notenbomer, A.; Groothoff, J. W.; van Rhenen, W.; Roelen, C. A. M.

Background Reduced work ability is related to long-term sickness absence. The relationship between work ability and frequent sickness absence has not previously been investigated. It is important to distinguish between frequent and long-term sickness absence as they are outcomes of different

A frequent flyer program for nuclear mythology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, J.A.L.

1997-01-01

The anti-nuclear literature contains many erroneous and misleading allegations, collectively constituting a mythology. These are repeated endlessly, however often they are refuted, and are quoted uncritically by the media. Many are collected here, together with my rebuttals. For an explanation of the use here of the term 'frequent flyers', read on... (author)

Botulism: A Frequently Forgotten Old Malady

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teguh Thajeb

2007-09-01

Full Text Available A frequently forgotten old malady called botulism has been recognized for more than a century. This ailment occurs worldwide, afflicts human of all age groups from infants to elderly and affects Oriental people more often in several regions of China. Occurrence in Taiwan is uncommon, and therefore, it is often overlooked. The outbreaks of human botulism in various regions of the world, the clinical types, the molecular mechanisms, and the electrophysiologic findings will be highlighted.

Clinical characteristics of persistent frequent attenders in primary care: case–control study

OpenAIRE

Patel, Shireen; Kai, Joe; Atha, Christopher; Avery, Anthony; Guo, Boliang; James, Marilyn; Malins, Samuel; Sampson, Christopher James; Stubley, Michelle; Morriss, Richard K.

2015-01-01

Background. Most frequent attendance in primary care is temporary, but persistent frequent attendance is expensive and may be suitable for psychological intervention. To plan appropriate intervention and service delivery, there is a need for research involving standardized psychiatric interviews with assessment of physical health and health status.\\ud \\ud Objective. To compare the mental and physical health characteristics and health status of persistent frequent attenders (FAs) in primary ca...

Frequent IgE sensitization to latex, cow's milk, and egg in children with short bowel syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazon, Angel; Solera, Eva; Alentado, Noemi; Oliver, Fernando; Pamies, Rafael; Caballero, Luis; Nieto, Antonio; Dalmau, Jaime

2008-03-01

Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) undergo frequent operations, so they are at risk for sensitizing to latex. There have been isolated reports of sensitization to food in these children. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed sensitization to latex, cow's milk, and egg with skin prick tests (SPT) and serum-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 14 children with SBS. Data were collected about the number of operations with latex devices, serum total IgE, and history of feeding with milk formula. Ten children were sensitized to latex (specific IgE median: 6.7 kU/l, range: 0.5-33). Compared with those non-sensitized, sensitized children had significantly (p range: 0.5-21.1 kU/l), and five to egg (specific IgE median: 0.68, range: 0.58-2.17 kU/l). Except for some isolated days with cow's milk formula, the children had been initially fed with a diet without intact cow's milk proteins. Sensitization to latex, cow's milk, and egg is very frequent in children with SBS. They should be treated in a latex-free environment since the very early stages of the disease, and should be routinely studied regarding food sensitization, as this might contribute as an added factor in the chronic diarrhea of these patients.

The Frequent Unusual Headache Syndromes: A Proposed Classification Based on Lifetime Prevalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Valença, Marcelo M; de Oliveira, Daniella A

2016-01-01

There is no agreement on a single cutoff point or prevalence for regarding a given disease as rare. The concept of what is a rare headache disorder is even less clear and the spectrum from a very frequent, frequent, occasional to rare headache syndrome is yet to be established. An attempt has been made to estimate the lifetime prevalence of each of the headache subtypes classified in the ICHD-II. Using the ICHD-II, 199 different headache subtypes were identified. The following classification was made according to the estimated lifetime prevalence of each headache disorder: very frequent (prevalence >10%); frequent (between 1 and 10%); occasional (between 0.07 and 1%); and unusual or rare (headache disorders, 7/199 (4%) as very frequent, 9/199 (5%) as frequent, and 29/199 (15%) as occasional forms of headache disorder. The unusual headache syndromes do not appear to be as infrequent in clinical practice as has been generally believed. About three-fourths of the classified headache disorders found in the ICHD-II can be considered as rare. This narrative review article may be regarded as an introduction to the concept of unusual headaches and a proposed classification of all headaches (at least those listed in the ICHD-II). © 2015 American Headache Society.

Frequent visitors at the psychiatric emergency room - A literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Manuela

2018-03-01

Frequent visitors at the psychiatric emergency room (PER) constitute a small subgroup of patients, yet they are responsible for a disproportionate number of visits and thus claim considerable resources. Their needs are often left unmet and their repetitive visits reflect their dissatisfaction as well as that of PERs' staff. Motivated by these dilemmas, this study systematically reviews the literature about frequent visitors at PER and seeks to answer two questions: What characterizes frequent visitors at PER in the literature? and What characterizes PER in the literature? Based on 29 studies, this paper offers answers to the two questions based on a strength weakness opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. The results of the review and subsequent analysis of the literature revealed the multiplicity and complexity of frequent visitors' characteristics and how they appear to converge. Commonalities were more difficult to identify in PER characteristics. In some cases, this happened because the characteristics were poorly described or were context specific. As a result, it was not easy to compare the studies on PER. Based on SWOT and the findings of the analysis, the paper proposes new venues of research and suggests how the field of mental health might develop by taking into account its opportunities and threats.

Moderators of the relationship between frequent family demands and inflammation among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Cynthia S; Hoffer, Lauren C; Chen, Edith

2017-05-01

Frequent demands from others in relationships are associated with worse physiological and health outcomes. The present research investigated 2 potential moderators of the relationship between frequency of demands from one's family and inflammatory profiles among adolescents: (a) closeness of adolescents' relationships with their families, and (b) the frequency with which adolescents provided help to their families. Two hundred thirty-four adolescents, ages 13-16 (Mage = 14.53; 47.83% male), completed a daily dairy in which they reported on the frequency of demands made by family members. They were also interviewed about the closeness of their family relationships and reported in the daily diary on how frequently they provided help to their families. Adolescents also underwent a blood draw to assess low-grade inflammation and proinflammatory cytokine production in response to bacterial stimulation. More frequent demands from family predicted higher levels of low-grade inflammation and cytokine production in response to bacterial stimulation in adolescents. Family closeness moderated the relationship between frequent demands and stimulated cytokine production such that more frequent demands predicted higher cytokine production among adolescents who were closer to their families. Furthermore, frequency of providing help moderated the relationship between frequent demands and both low-grade inflammation and stimulated cytokine production, such that more frequent demands predicted worse inflammatory profiles among adolescents who provided more help to their families. These findings build on previous work on family demands and health to show under what circumstances family demands might have a physiological cost. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Valuing real options: frequently made errors

OpenAIRE

Fernández, Pablo

2002-01-01

In this paper we analyze frequently made errors when valuing real options. The best way of doing it is through examples. We start by analyzing Damodaran's proposal to value the option to expand the business of Home Depot. Some of the errors and problems of this and other approaches are: - Assuming that the option is replicable and using Black and Scholes' formula. - The estimation of the option's volatility is arbitrary and has a decisive effect on the option's value. - As there is no riskles...

Incremental Frequent Subgraph Mining on Large Evolving Graphs

KAUST Repository

Abdelhamid, Ehab; Canim, Mustafa; Sadoghi, Mohammad; Bhatta, Bishwaranjan; Chang, Yuan-Chi; Kalnis, Panos

2017-01-01

, such as social networks, utilize large evolving graphs. Mining these graphs using existing techniques is infeasible, due to the high computational cost. In this paper, we propose IncGM+, a fast incremental approach for continuous frequent subgraph mining problem

Treatment of Anthrax Disease Frequently Asked Questions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Judd, Kathleen S.; Young, Joan E.; Lesperance, Ann M.; Malone, John D.

2010-05-14

This document provides a summary of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the treatment of anthrax disease caused by a wide-area release of Bacillus anthracis spores as an act bioterrorism. These FAQs are intended to provide the public health and medical community, as well as others, with guidance and communications to support the response and long-term recovery from an anthrax event.

Undifferentiated spondyloarthritis is more frequently seen in women than in men

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukran Erten

2015-01-01

Conclusion SpA are frequent diseases and physicians other than rheumatologists should also be aware of them. uSpA is more frequent in women than men. Early diagnosis of SpA is important because early treatment with new biological therapies may lead to much better Results than applying them in the advanced stages.

Frequent Users of Pornography. A Population Based Epidemiological Study of Swedish Male Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Svedin, Carl Goran; Akerman, Ingrid; Priebe, Gisela

2011-01-01

Frequent use of pornography has not been sufficiently studied before. In a Swedish survey 2015 male students aged 18 years participated. A group of frequent users of pornography (N = 200, 10.5%) were studied with respect to background and psychosocial correlates. The frequent users had a more positive attitude to pornography, were more often…

Drought, tree mortality, and wildfire in forests adapted to frequent fire

Science.gov (United States)

Scott L Stephens; Brandon M Collins; Christopher J Fettig; Mark A Finney; Chad M Hoffman; Eric E Knapp; Malcolm P North; Hugh Safford; Rebecca B Wayman

2018-01-01

Massive tree mortality has occurred rapidly in frequent-fire-adapted forests of the Sierra Nevada, California. This mortality is a product of acute drought compounded by the long-established removal of a key ecosystem process: frequent, low- to moderate-intensity fire. The recent tree mortality has many implications for the future of these forests and the ecological...

Frequent hospital admissions in Singapore: clinical risk factors and impact of socioeconomic status.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Lian Leng; Tay, Wei Yi; Ng, Matthew Joo Ming; Tan, Shu Yun; Liu, Nan; Lee, Kheng Hock

2018-01-01

Frequent admitters to hospitals are high-cost patients who strain finite healthcare resources. However, the exact risk factors for frequent admissions, which can be used to guide risk stratification and design effective interventions locally, remain unknown. Our study aimed to identify the clinical and sociodemographic risk factors associated with frequent hospital admissions in Singapore. An observational study was conducted using retrospective 2014 data from the administrative database at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. Variables were identified a priori and included patient demographics, comorbidities, prior healthcare utilisation, and clinical and laboratory variables during the index admission. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors for frequent admissions. A total of 16,306 unique patients were analysed and 1,640 (10.1%) patients were classified as frequent admitters. On multivariate logistic regression, 16 variables were independently associated with frequent hospital admissions, including age, cerebrovascular disease, history of malignancy, haemoglobin, serum creatinine, serum albumin, and number of specialist outpatient clinic visits, emergency department visits, admissions preceding index admission and medications dispensed at discharge. Patients staying in public rental housing had a 30% higher risk of being a frequent admitter after adjusting for demographics and clinical conditions. Our study, the first in our knowledge to examine the clinical risk factors for frequent admissions in Singapore, validated the use of public rental housing as a sensitive indicator of area-level socioeconomic status in Singapore. These risk factors can be used to identify high-risk patients in the hospital so that they can receive interventions that reduce readmission risk. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association

Creating a Supportive Environment : Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, Stynke; Bruggeman, Richard; Davidson, Larry; van der Gaag, Mark

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Creating a Supportive Environment: Peer Support Groups for Psychotic Disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castelein, S.; Bruggeman, R.; Davidson, L.; van der Gaag, M.

2015-01-01

People with psychotic disorders frequently experience significant mental and social limitations that may result in persisting social isolation. Research has shown that a supportive social environment is crucial for the process of personal recovery. Peer support groups can provide an opportunity to

Considerations on the Right to a Healthy Living Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florica Brasoveanu

2016-01-01

In this regard, more frequent constitutional consecration is positive and paves the way for hisinclusion among post-modern fundamentals right. It is considered that the right to environment is asubjective right to third parties whose compliance with can be requested by any natural or legalperson, public or private.

Provincial-level Land Consolidation and Ecological Environment Protection Based on the Perspective of Planning

OpenAIRE

Li, Chen; Liu, Xin-feng; Peng, Zhe; Si, Tao; Yang, Lin-li

2012-01-01

Based on the understanding of current land ecological environment in Anhui Province, we mainly analyze the relationship between land consolidation planning and ecological environment, and point out the problems concerning ecological environment, such as great soil erosion, serious soil pollution, frequent geological disasters in local areas, and forest vegetation destruction. We divide the key ecological function conservation areas into the following areas: River Source Area, River and Flood ...

Social capital and frequent attenders in general practice: a register-based cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pasgaard, Alexander A; Mæhlisen, Maiken H; Overgaard, Charlotte; Ejlskov, Linda; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Bøggild, Henrik

2018-03-02

Frequent attendance to primary care constitutes a large use of resources for the health care system. The association between frequent attendance and illness-related factors has been examined in several studies, but little is known about the association between frequent attendance and individual social capital. The aim of this study is to explore this association. The analysis is conducted on responders to the North Denmark Region Health Profile 2010 (n = 23,384), individually linked with information from administrative registers. Social capital is operationalized at the individual level, and includes cognitive (interpersonal trust and norms of reciprocity) as well as structural (social network and civic engagement) dimensions. Frequent attendance is defined as the upper-quartile of the total number of measured consultations with a general practitioner over a period of 148 weeks. Using multiple logistic regression, we found that frequent attendance was associated with a lower score in interpersonal trust [OR 0.86 (0.79-0.94)] and social network [OR 0.88 (0.79-0.98)] for women, when adjusted for age, education, income and SF12 health scores. Norms of reciprocity and civic engagement were not significantly associated with frequent attendance for women [OR 1.05 (0.99-1.11) and OR 1.01 (0.92-1.11) respectively]. None of the associations were statistically significant for men. This study suggests that for women, some aspects of social capital are associated with frequent attendance in general practice, and the statistically significant dimensions belonged to both cognitive and structural aspects of social capital. This association was not seen for men. This indicates a multifaceted and heterogeneous relationship between social capital and frequent attendance among genders.

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act frequently asked questions

Science.gov (United States)

One stop shop for Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) questions. This frequently asked document will assist with Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) related questions.

Population pressure and health risks in urban market environment: a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Population pressure and health risks in urban market environment: a study of Bodija market, Ibadan, Nigeria. ... International Journal of Development and Management Review ... This study was directed at permanent sellers in Bodija Market, (men and women) and people who frequent the market to make purchases.

Frequent epigenetic inactivation of Wnt antagonist genes in breast cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, H; Toyota, M; Caraway, H; Gabrielson, E; Ohmura, T; Fujikane, T; Nishikawa, N; Sogabe, Y; Nojima, M; Sonoda, T; Mori, M; Hirata, K; Imai, K; Shinomura, Y; Baylin, S B; Tokino, T

2008-01-01

Although mutation of APC or CTNNB1 (β-catenin) is rare in breast cancer, activation of Wnt signalling is nonetheless thought to play an important role in breast tumorigenesis, and epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonist genes, including the secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) and Dickkopf (DKK) families, has been observed in various tumours. In breast cancer, frequent methylation and silencing of SFRP1 was recently documented; however, altered expression of other Wnt antagonist genes is largely unknown. In the present study, we found frequent methylation of SFRP family genes in breast cancer cell lines (SFRP1, 7 out of 11, 64%; SFRP2, 11 out of 11, 100%; SFRP5, 10 out of 11, 91%) and primary breast tumours (SFRP1, 31 out of 78, 40%; SFRP2, 60 out of 78, 77%; SFRP5, 55 out of 78, 71%). We also observed methylation of DKK1, although less frequently, in cell lines (3 out of 11, 27%) and primary tumours (15 out of 78, 19%). Breast cancer cell lines express various Wnt ligands, and overexpression of SFRPs inhibited cancer cell growth. In addition, overexpression of a β-catenin mutant and depletion of SFRP1 using small interfering RNA synergistically upregulated transcriptional activity of T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancer factor. Our results confirm the frequent methylation and silencing of Wnt antagonist genes in breast cancer, and suggest that their loss of function contributes to activation of Wnt signalling in breast carcinogenesis. PMID:18283316

Frequently Asked Questions about Improved Academic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

A healthy school environment is one of the keys to keeping young minds and bodies strong. In fact, a healthy school environment is one of eight core components in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) model “Healthy Youth! Coordinated

Frequent premature ventricular contractions in an orbital spaceflight participant.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Richard T; Stepanek, Jan P; Scott, Luis R; Voronkov, Yury I

2010-06-01

Commercial spaceflight participants on orbital flights typically are older than career astronauts and they often have medical conditions that have not been studied at high g or in microgravity. This is a case report of a 56-yr-old orbital spaceflight participant with essential tremor and frequent premature ventricular contractions that occurred at rates up to 7000 per day. Before training and spaceflight, he was required to complete extensive clinical investigations to demonstrate normal cardiac structures and the absence of cardiac pathology. The evaluation included signal averaged ECG, transthoracic stress echocardiography, exercise tolerance tests, electrophysiological studies, cardiac MRI, electron beam CT, Holter monitoring, and overnight oximetry. While no cardiac pathology was demonstrated, the Russian medical team required that the PVCs be treated prior to training and spaceflight. For the initial flight, a selective beta-1 receptor beta blocker was used and for the second a calcium channel blocker was used in combination with a nonselective beta blocker for tremor control. Analogue environment testing assured that this combination of medications was compatible. The spaceflight participant's PVCs were incompletely suppressed with a low-dose selective beta-1 blocker, but were well suppressed by a calcium channel blocker. He tolerated in-flight periodic use of a nonselective beta blocker in combination with a calcium channel blocker. In-flight ECG and blood pressure monitoring results were normal, and an ECG obtained midmission and on landing day showed successful PVC suppression. He did not have any cardiac difficulty with launch, on-orbit operations, entry, or recovery

Firms’ behavior in conditions of imperfect competitive environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ján Kantor

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the analysis of market structure on the imperfect competitive market, measuring market power, its effect on the price of products and reasons for origin of imperfect competition at the market. Described are the market conditions issues and possibilities of their manufacturing influence on the market price with graphical expressions. Prices are higher and capacity of production is lower. It characterizes monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. With its content it expresses, that imperfect competitive environment differs from perfect competition environment disparity of demand curve and in the market economics it has a more frequent application.

Predicting frequent emergency department visits among children with asthma using EHR data.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Lala T; Abramson, Erika L; Stone, Anne E; Kondrich, Janienne E; Kern, Lisa M; Grinspan, Zachary M

2017-07-01

For children with asthma, emergency department (ED) visits are common, expensive, and often avoidable. Though several factors are associated with ED use (demographics, comorbidities, insurance, medications), its predictability using electronic health record (EHR) data is understudied. We used a retrospective cohort study design and EHR data from one center to examine the relationship of patient factors in 1 year (2013) and the likelihood of frequent ED use (≥2 visits) in the following year (2014), using bivariate and multivariable statistics. We applied and compared several machine-learning algorithms to predict frequent ED use, then selected a model based on accuracy, parsimony, and interpretability. We identified 2691 children. In bivariate analyses, future frequent ED use was associated with demographics, co-morbidities, insurance status, medication history, and use of healthcare resources. Machine learning algorithms had very good AUC (area under the curve) values [0.66-0.87], though fair PPV (positive predictive value) [48-70%] and poor sensitivity [16-27%]. Our final multivariable logistic regression model contained two variables: insurance status and prior ED use. For publicly insured patients, the odds of frequent ED use were 3.1 [2.2-4.5] times that of privately insured patients. Publicly insured patients with 4+ ED visits and privately insured patients with 6+ ED visits in a year had ≥50% probability of frequent ED use the following year. The model had an AUC of 0.86, PPV of 56%, and sensitivity of 23%. Among children with asthma, prior frequent ED use and insurance status strongly predict future ED use. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Why do they keep coming back? Persistent frequent attenders in primary care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits, F.T.M.

2014-01-01

The background of frequent attenders (FAs) of the General Practitioner (GP) often remains unclear. This thesis examines persistent frequent attendance, the relationship with (medical) conditions, methods to treat FAs, the impact of FAs on the GP’s workload and costs of healthcare, which medical file

Categorizing "frequent visitors" in the psychiatric emergency room: a semistructured interview study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buus, Niels

2011-01-01

Nurses can become demoralized and hostile toward frequent visitors in psychiatric emergency rooms because of the number of visits. The aim of this study was to develop more knowledge about the ways in which nurses categorize frequent visitors. Eleven nurses were interviewed, and their categorizing...... practices were examined from a social constructionist perspective. The results showed that the nurses did not categorize frequent visitors as particularly unlikeable or difficult to treat. Like other visitors, they could be categorized as difficult if they obstructed a smooth flow of successful referrals...... through the emergency room and/or there was poor rapport with the nurses....

Introduction of sample environment equipment for neutron scattering experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimojo, Yutaka; Ihata, Yoshiaki; Kaneko, Koji; Takeda, Masayasu

2013-02-01

Neutron scattering experiments have been frequently performed under variety of sample conditions, such as various temperatures, pressures, magnetic fields and stresses, and those complex conditions to fully utilize superior properties of neutron. To this aim, a number of sample environment equipment, refrigerators, furnaces, pressure cells, superconducting magnets are equipped in JRR-3 to be used for experiments. In this document, all available sample environment equipment in both JRR-3 reactor and guide halls are summarized. We hope this document would help neutron scattering users to perform effective and excellent experiments. (author)

Innovative High-Accuracy Lidar Bathymetric Technique for the Frequent Measurement of River Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Gisler, A.; Crowley, G.; Thayer, J. P.; Thompson, G. S.; Barton-Grimley, R. A.

2015-12-01

Lidar (light detection and ranging) provides absolute depth and topographic mapping capability compared to other remote sensing methods, which is useful for mapping rapidly changing environments such as riverine systems. Effectiveness of current lidar bathymetric systems is limited by the difficulty in unambiguously identifying backscattered lidar signals from the water surface versus the bottom, limiting their depth resolution to 0.3-0.5 m. Additionally these are large, bulky systems that are constrained to expensive aircraft-mounted platforms and use waveform-processing techniques requiring substantial computation time. These restrictions are prohibitive for many potential users. A novel lidar device has been developed that allows for non-contact measurements of water depth down to 1 cm with an accuracy and precision of shallow to deep water allowing for shoreline charting, measuring water volume, mapping bottom topology, and identifying submerged objects. The scalability of the technique opens up the ability for handheld or UAS-mounted lidar bathymetric systems, which provides for potential applications currently unavailable to the community. The high laser pulse repetition rate allows for very fine horizontal resolution while the photon-counting technique permits real-time depth measurement and object detection. The enhanced measurement capability, portability, scalability, and relatively low-cost creates the opportunity to perform frequent high-accuracy monitoring and measuring of aquatic environments which is crucial for understanding how rivers evolve over many timescales. Results from recent campaigns measuring water depth in flowing creeks and murky ponds will be presented which demonstrate that the method is not limited by rough water surfaces and can map underwater topology through moderately turbid water.

HSMNR belongs to the most frequent types of hereditary neuropathy in the Czech Republic and is twice more frequent than HMSNL.

Science.gov (United States)

Šafka Brožková, D; Haberlová, J; Mazanec, R; Laštůvková, J; Seeman, P

2016-08-01

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy type Russe (HMSNR), also called CMT4G, is an autosomal recessive inherited peripheral neuropathy (IPN) caused by a founder mutation in the HK1 gene. HMSNR affects only patients with Roma origin, similar to the better known HMSN type Lom clarified earlier. By testing IPN patients with Roma origin, we realized that HMSNR affects surprisingly many patients in the Czech Republic. HMSNR is one of the most frequent types of IPN in this country and appears to be twice more frequent than HMSNL. Pronounced lower limb atrophies and severe deformities often lead to walking inability in even young patients, but hands are usually only mildly affected even after many years of disease duration. The group of 20 patients with HMSNR presented here is the first report about the prevalence of HMSNR from central Europe. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adjustment problems and residential care environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Sebastian Novotný

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Problem: Residential care environment represents a specific social space that is associated with a number of negative consequences, covering most aspects of children and youth functioning. The paper analyzes of the presence of adjustment problems among adolescents from institutional care environment and compares this results with a population of adolescents who grew up in a family. Methods: The sample consisted of two groups of adolescents. The first group included 285 adolescents currently growing up in an residential care environment, aged 13 to 21 (M = 16.23, SD = 1.643. The second group consisted of 214 adolescents growing up in a family, aged 15 to 20 (M = 17.07, SD = 1.070. We used a questionnaire Youth Self Report. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and MANOVA. Results: Results showed that adolescents in residential care exhibit higher average values in all adjustment problems. Also, in the context of diagnostic categories are the residential care adolescents more frequently in non-normal range (borderline and clinical, primarily in the border range. The greatest differences were reflected in the Thought problems and Rule-breaking behavior. MANOVA showed a significant multivariate effect between groups of adolescents, Hotelling's T = .803, F(8, 490 = 49.202, p <.001, d = .445 (large effect. Univariate analysis further showed a significant effect for Withdrawn/depressed (p = .044, d = .089, small effect, Somatic complaints (p = .002, d = .139, medium effect, Social problems (p = 004, d = .127, a small effect, Thought problems (p <.001, d = .633, strong effect, Attention problems (p <.001, d = .320,strong effect, Rule-breaking behavior (p <.001 , d = .383, strong effect, and Aggressive behavior (p = 015, d = .110, small effect. Results for the dimension of Anxious/depressed were not significant (p = .159. Discussion: The results didn’t confirmed the assumption that more than 30% of residential care adolescents have adjustment

Workup and management of patients with frequent premature ventricular contractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Giles, Katie; Green, Martin S

2013-11-01

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are a frequently encountered entity in clinical cardiology. They rarely affect prognosis or management. However, they might produce bothersome symptoms and, in select individuals with a high PVC burden, they might contribute to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Workup of patients with very frequent PVCs consists of a thorough history and physical examination to screen for underlying cardiac disease and potential triggers. Routine investigations include a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, as well as an echocardiogram. A Holter monitor should be performed in those with severe symptoms, a history of syncope, or a malignant family history. Exercise stress testing has a role in evaluating for ischemia and in the assessment of patients with exertional symptoms. More advanced testing is not warranted if these initial investigations are reassuring. Referral to an arrhythmia specialist should be considered in patients with LV dysfunction whose PVC burden exceeds 15%. Frequent ventricular ectopy represents a rare, but reversible cause of LV dysfunction and these patients should be further evaluated for possible catheter ablation. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Restrictions of frequent frames as cues to categories: the case of Dutch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erkelens, M.A.; Chan, H.; Kapia, E.; Jacob, H.

2008-01-01

Why Dutch 12-month-old infants do not use frequent frames in early categorization Mintz (2003) proposes that very local distributional contexts of words in the input-so-called 'frequent frames'-function as reliable cues for categories corresponding to the adult verb and noun. He shows that

Localization of Outdoor Mobile Robots Using Curb Features in Urban Road Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyunsuk Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Urban road environments that have pavement and curb are characterized as semistructured road environments. In semistructured road environments, the curb provides useful information for robot navigation. In this paper, we present a practical localization method for outdoor mobile robots using the curb features in semistructured road environments. The curb features are especially useful in urban environment, where the GPS failures take place frequently. A curb extraction is conducted on the basis of the Kernel Fisher Discriminant Analysis (KFDA to minimize false detection. We adopt the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF to combine the curb information with odometry and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS. The uncertainty models for the sensors are quantitatively analyzed to provide a practical solution.

GRAMI: Frequent subgraph and pattern mining in a single large graph

KAUST Repository

Elseidy, M.

2014-01-01

Mining frequent subgraphs is an important operation on graphs; it is defined as finding all subgraphs that appear frequently in a database according to a given frequency threshold. Most existing work assumes a database of many small graphs, but modern applications, such as social networks, citation graphs, or proteinprotein interactions in bioinformatics, are modeled as a single large graph. In this paper we present GRAMI, a novel framework for frequent subgraph mining in a single large graph. GRAMI undertakes a novel approach that only finds the minimal set of instances to satisfy the frequency threshold and avoids the costly enumeration of all instances required by previous approaches. We accompany our approach with a heuristic and optimizations that significantly improve performance. Additionally, we present an extension of GRAMI that mines frequent patterns. Compared to subgraphs, patterns offer a more powerful version of matching that captures transitive interactions between graph nodes (like friend of a friend) which are very common in modern applications. Finally, we present CGRAMI, a version supporting structural and semantic constraints, and AGRAMI, an approximate version producing results with no false positives. Our experiments on real data demonstrate that our framework is up to 2 orders of magnitude faster and discovers more interesting patterns than existing approaches. 2014 VLDB Endowment.

Onset of frequent dust storms in northern China at ~AD 1100.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yuxin; Zhao, Cheng; Song, Mu; Liu, Weiguo; Chen, Fahu; Zhang, Dian; Liu, Zhonghui

2015-11-26

Dust storms in northern China strongly affect the living and health of people there and the dusts could travel a full circle of the globe in a short time. Historically, more frequent dust storms occurred during cool periods, particularly the Little Ice Age (LIA), generally attributed to the strengthened Siberian High. However, limited by chronological uncertainties in proxy records, this mechanism may not fully reveal the causes of dust storm frequency changes. Here we present a late Holocene dust record from the Qaidam Basin, where hydrological changes were previously reconstructed, and examine dust records from northern China, including the ones from historical documents. The records, being broadly consistent, indicate the onset of frequent dust storms at ~AD 1100. Further, peaked dust storm events occurred at episodes of high total solar irradiance or warm-dry conditions in source regions, superimposed on the high background of frequent dust storms within the cool LIA period. We thus suggest that besides strong wind activities, the centennial-scale dust storm events over the last 1000 years appear to be linked to the increased availability of dust source. With the anticipated global warming and deteriorating vegetation coverage, frequent occurrence of dust storms in northern China would be expected to persist.

Stable isotopes and the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krouse, H.R.

1990-01-01

Whereas traditionally, stable isotope research has been directed towards resource exploration and development, it is finding more frequent applications in helping to assess the impacts of resource utilization upon ecosystems. Among the many pursuits, two themes are evident: tracing the transport and conversions of pollutants in the environment and better understanding of the interplay among environmental receptors, e.g. food web studies. Stable isotope data are used primarily to identify the presence of pollutants in the environment and with a few exceptions, the consequence of their presence must be assessed by other techniques. Increasing attention has been given to the isotopic composition of humans with many potential applications in areas such as paleodiets, medicine, and criminology. In this brief overview examples are used from the Pacific Rim to illustrate the above concepts. 26 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs

Radiation in living environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, R.

1991-01-01

Aside from the atomic bomb attacks in 1945, the experience of radioactive contamination of human environment was the exposure of a tuna fishing boat to the radioactive fallout of a hydrogen bomb test explosion at Bikini atoll in March, 1954. Thereafter, radioactivity was frequently detected in fishes in central Pacific Ocean. Radioactivity was also detected in rain, which resulted in the contamination of agricultural products. Due to the great concern of general public for the radioactivity in food materials, the government initiated the national program of radioactivity surveillance. Since then, the fallout radioactivity due to nuclear test explosions was the main object surveillance in 1950s and 1960s, but the program was gradually expanded to include natural radiation, the artificial radioactivity due to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and other special programs. The history of the radioactive contamination of environment, natural radiation, medical exposure, the radioactive fallout due to nuclear tests, nuclear power generation and the Chernobyl accident are reported. (K.I.)

Frequently Asked Questions for Parents of Children with PH

Science.gov (United States)

... Frequently Asked Questions for Parents of Children with PH What causes pulmonary hypertension in children? I’ve ... of what I read is about adults with PH. What are the primary differences between PH in ...

Navigating the obesogenic environment: how psychological sensitivity to the food environment and self-regulatory competence are associated with adolescent unhealthy snacking.

Science.gov (United States)

Stok, F Marijn; De Vet, Emely; Wardle, Jane; Chu, Maria T; De Wit, John; De Ridder, Denise T D

2015-04-01

Living in an obesogenic environment may not affect all adolescents to the same extent, depending on their psychological sensitivity to the food environment and their self-regulatory competence. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations of these two factors with unhealthy snacking among adolescents. We also investigated whether self-regulatory competence could attenuate the negative effects of being sensitive to the food environment. A survey was completed by 11,392 European adolescents (10-17years old). The survey measured psychological sensitivity to the food environment, self-regulatory competence and self-reported unhealthy snack intake. Higher food environment sensitivity and lower self-regulatory competence were associated with more unhealthy snacking. The two factors also interacted, with self-regulatory competence attenuating the influence of high food environment sensitivity. Adolescents who are sensitive to the food environment reported higher unhealthy snack intake. More frequent use of self-regulation strategies on the other hand was associated with lower unhealthy snack intake. Moreover, self-regulatory competence was found to moderate the influence of psychological sensitivity to the food environment on unhealthy snacking, although the effect size was small. Fostering adolescents' self-regulatory competence can help enable them to better navigate the obesogenic environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frequent job change and associated health.

Science.gov (United States)

Metcalfe, Chris; Davey Smith, George; Sterne, Jonathan A C; Heslop, Pauline; Macleod, John; Hart, Carole

2003-01-01

The contemporary labour market is widely regarded as having become more "flexible". It is proposed that such flexibility is a characteristic of employment histories which will have effects on psychosocial status, health-related behaviour, and physical health. Recent increases in flexibility are unlikely to have accumulated over sufficient portions of individual employment histories for any effect on health to be apparent, but a "preview" of these effects may be gained from study of older cohorts. This cross-sectional study is based on data collected in the early 1970s from 5399 men and 945 women in paid work, recruited from 27 workplaces in the west of Scotland. A flexible employment history was defined as one encompassing a large number of changes between jobs. Perceived psychological stress, health behaviour (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, physical exercise), physiology (diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, forced expiratory volume, plasma cholesterol concentration) and current health (angina, myocardial ischaemia) were assessed. Those individuals who reported having experienced frequent job change were more likely to smoke, consume greater amounts of alcohol, and perhaps to exercise less. Similar findings were observed in both males and females, and for different age and socio-economic groups. We found no suggestion that this association was due to higher levels of psychosocial stress, and the expected consequences for health were not observed. Interpretation of these findings is not straightforward due to an uncertain direction of causation, and a possible selection bias. However, the observed relationship between frequent job changing and a higher incidence of health risk behaviours, in the absence of a relationship with poorer health, invites further research.

Efficacy of levamisole in children with frequently relapsing and steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekambaram, Sudha; Mahalingam, Vijayakumar; Nageswaran, Prahlad; Udani, Amish; Geminiganesan, Sangeetha; Priyadarshini, Shweta

2014-05-01

To assess the efficacy of levamisole in frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome and steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. Retrospective analysis of hospital case records. Pediatric nephrology department of a tertiary referral pediatric hospital. 62 children with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome and 35 children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. Case records of children who were diagnosed as steroid-dependant or frequently-relapsing nephrotic syndrome from June 2004 to June 2011, were reviewed. Levamisole was given daily (2 mg/kg/d) along with tapering doses of alternate day steroids after remission on daily steroids. Levamisole was effective in 77.3% children with a better (80.6%) efficacy in frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome. A total of 34 children completed 1 year follow-up post levamisole therapy. The cumulative mean (SD) steroid dose 1-year before therapy was 4109(1154) mg/m2 and 1-year post therapy was 661 (11) mg/m2 (P<0.001). The relapses were also less during the period of post-levamisole therapy. Levamisole is an effective alternative therapy in frequently relapsing and steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

Discovering More Accurate Frequent Web Usage Patterns

OpenAIRE

Bayir, Murat Ali; Toroslu, Ismail Hakki; Cosar, Ahmet; Fidan, Guven

2008-01-01

Web usage mining is a type of web mining, which exploits data mining techniques to discover valuable information from navigation behavior of World Wide Web users. As in classical data mining, data preparation and pattern discovery are the main issues in web usage mining. The first phase of web usage mining is the data processing phase, which includes the session reconstruction operation from server logs. Session reconstruction success directly affects the quality of the frequent patterns disc...

Occurrence of Chiral Bioactive Compounds in the Aquatic Environment: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cláudia Ribeiro

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, the presence of micropollutants in the environment has been extensively studied due to their high frequency of occurrence, persistence and possible adverse effects to exposed organisms. Concerning chiral micropollutants in the environment, enantiomers are frequently ignored and enantiomeric composition often neglected. However, enantioselective toxicity is well recognized, highlighting the need to include enantioselectivity in environmental risk assessment. Additionally, the information about enantiomeric fraction (EF is crucial since it gives insights about: (i environmental fate (i.e., occurrence, distribution, removal processes and (biodegradation; (ii illicit discharges; (iii consumption pattern (e.g., illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals used as recreational drugs, illicit use of pesticides; and (iv enantioselective toxicological effects. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review about the enantioselective occurrence of chiral bioactive compounds in aquatic environmental matrices. These include pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs and polycyclic musks (PCMs. Most frequently analytical methods used for separation of enantiomers were liquid chromatography and gas chromatography methodologies using both indirect (enantiomerically pure derivatizing reagents and direct methods (chiral stationary phases. The occurrence of these chiral micropollutants in the environment is reviewed and future challenges are outlined.

Measurements of radio frequent cavity volt ages by X-ray spectrum measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toprek Dragan

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with X-ray spectrum measurement as a method for the measurement of radio frequent cavity voltage and the theory of X-ray spectrum calculation. Experimental results at 72 MHz for three different values of the radio frequent power of ACCEL K250 super conducting cyclotron are being presented.

Frequently Asked Questions about Measles in the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

... Pan American Health Organization Frequently Asked Questions about Measles in the U.S. Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) ... I’ve been exposed to someone who has measles. What should I do? A: Immediately call your ...

Experimental evaluation of ontology-based HIV/AIDS frequently asked question retrieval system.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayalew, Yirsaw; Moeng, Barbara; Mosweunyane, Gontlafetse

2018-05-01

This study presents the results of experimental evaluations of an ontology-based frequently asked question retrieval system in the domain of HIV and AIDS. The main purpose of the system is to provide answers to questions on HIV/AIDS using ontology. To evaluate the effectiveness of the frequently asked question retrieval system, we conducted two experiments. The first experiment focused on the evaluation of the quality of the ontology we developed using the OQuaRE evaluation framework which is based on software quality metrics and metrics designed for ontology quality evaluation. The second experiment focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the ontology in retrieving relevant answers. For this we used an open-source information retrieval platform, Terrier, with retrieval models BM25 and PL2. For the measurement of performance, we used the measures mean average precision, mean reciprocal rank, and precision at 5. The results suggest that frequently asked question retrieval with ontology is more effective than frequently asked question retrieval without ontology in the domain of HIV/AIDS.

Making time for family meals: Parental influences, home eating environments, barriers and protective factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Blake L

2018-04-06

Frequent family mealtimes have been associated with numerous positive dietary, health, and behavioral outcomes for children and families. This review article summarizes some of the beneficial outcomes associated with having frequent family dinners. Current trends in family dinner frequency are discussed in the context of barriers that influence how often families eat dinner together, including time issues, work issues, and distractions in the home environment. Next, several parental influences and home environment factors that promote healthy and consistent family dinners are outlined. Finally, limitations are discussed and a few practical suggestions are mentioned to help encourage families, employers, and policy-makers to make family mealtimes a regular practice for as many families as possible. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Parenting Environment and Scholastic Achievement during Adolescence: A Retrospective Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Taris, Toon W.; Bok, Inge A.

1996-01-01

This study examined the effects of perceived parenting style (overly protective versus a warm and loving environment) on the scholastic achievement of 986 Dutch adults age 18-30 years. Retrospective and longitudinal data suggested that respondents with overprotective parents drop out more frequently and have a lower level of educational attainment…

The most frequently used tests for assessing executive functions in aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camila de Assis Faria

Full Text Available There are numerous neuropsychological tests for assessing executive functions in aging, which vary according to the different domains assessed. OBJECTIVE: To present a systematic review of the most frequently used instruments for assessing executive functions in older adults with different educational levels in clinical and experimental research. METHODS: We searched for articles published in the last five years, using the PubMed database with the following terms: "neuropsychological tests", "executive functions", and "mild cognitive impairment". There was no language restriction. RESULTS: 25 articles fulfilled all the inclusion criteria. The seven neuropsychological tests most frequently used to evaluate executive functions in aging were: [1] Trail Making Test (TMT Form B; [2] Verbal Fluency Test (VFT - F, A and S; [3] VFT Animals category; [4] Clock Drawing Test (CDT; [5] Digits Forward and Backward subtests (WAIS-R or WAIS-III; [6] Stroop Test; and [7] Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST and its variants. The domains of executive functions most frequently assessed were: mental flexibility, verbal fluency, planning, working memory, and inhibitory control. CONCLUSION: The study identified the tests and domains of executive functions most frequently used in the last five years by research groups worldwide to evaluate older adults. These results can direct future research and help build evaluation protocols for assessing executive functions, taking into account the different educational levels and socio-demographic profiles of older adults in Brazil.

GraMi: Generalized Frequent Pattern Mining in a Single Large Graph

KAUST Repository

Saeedy, Mohammed El

2011-11-01

Mining frequent subgraphs is an important operation on graphs. Most existing work assumes a database of many small graphs, but modern applications, such as social networks, citation graphs or protein-protein interaction in bioinformatics, are modeled as a single large graph. Interesting interactions in such applications may be transitive (e.g., friend of a friend). Existing methods, however, search for frequent isomorphic (i.e., exact match) subgraphs and cannot discover many useful patterns. In this paper the authors propose GRAMI, a framework that generalizes frequent subgraph mining in a large single graph. GRAMI discovers frequent patterns. A pattern is a graph where edges are generalized to distance-constrained paths. Depending on the definition of the distance function, many instantiations of the framework are possible. Both directed and undirected graphs, as well as multiple labels per vertex, are supported. The authors developed an efficient implementation of the framework that models the frequency resolution phase as a constraint satisfaction problem, in order to avoid the costly enumeration of all instances of each pattern in the graph. The authors also implemented CGRAMI, a version that supports structural and semantic constraints; and AGRAMI, an approximate version that supports very large graphs. The experiments on real data demonstrate that the authors framework is up to 3 orders of magnitude faster and discovers more interesting patterns than existing approaches.

Computer programmes development for environment variables setting for use with C compiler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sriyotha, P.; Prasertchiewcharn, N.; Yamkate, P.

1994-01-01

Compilers generally need special environment variables that operating system has not given at the beginning. Such an environment variables as COMSPEC, PATH, TMP, LIB, INCLUDE can be used as data exchange among programmes.Those variables normally occupy memories and, in some cases, an 'Out of Environment Space' error message frequently occurs when the user set a new environment variable. We would hate to give up in such a situation that just one variable has gotten too large as well as destroying all environment variables. In order to bring everything down to an earth, we try to save an old environment setting, clear and set a new one. Later on, a new setting shall have been cleared and an old one from a saved setting shall have been restored

From frequent hurricanes to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in coastal Louisiana: the impact of regulatory change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

So-Min Cheong

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The issue of whether adaptations to past disasters can impede adaptation to new disasters of a different type or intensity will be analyzed by examining the transition from frequent hurricanes to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in coastal Louisiana. In particular, the effects of changed regulatory structures from the Stafford Act to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are investigated. The article describes how the federal, state, and local governments adjust. In addition, it illustrates the shifting focus on the environment with the activation of the Oil Pollution Act and the Clean Water Act. It wraps up with a discussion of the uncertainty that is pervasive in the case of the oil spill derived from changed regulations and the novelty of the disaster.

Melioration as Rational Choice: Sequential Decision Making in Uncertain Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Sims, Chris R.; Neth, Hansjorg; Jacobs, Robert A.; Gray, Wayne D.

2013-01-01

Melioration--defined as choosing a lesser, local gain over a greater longer term gain--is a behavioral tendency that people and pigeons share. As such, the empirical occurrence of meliorating behavior has frequently been interpreted as evidence that the mechanisms of human choice violate the norms of economic rationality. In some environments, the…

Efficient Reduction of Access Latency through Object Correlations in Virtual Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damon Shing-Min Liu

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Object correlations are common semantic patterns in virtual environments. They can be exploited to improve the effectiveness of storage caching, prefetching, data layout, and disk scheduling. However, we have little approaches for discovering object correlations in VE to improve the performance of storage systems. Being an interactive feedback-driven paradigm, it is critical that the user receives responses to his navigation requests with little or no time lag. Therefore, we propose a class of view-based projection-generation method for mining various frequent sequential traversal patterns in the virtual environments. The frequent sequential traversal patterns are used to predict the user navigation behavior and, through clustering scheme, help to reduce disk access time with proper patterns placement into disk blocks. Finally, the effectiveness of these schemes is shown through simulation to demonstrate how these proposed techniques not only significantly cut down disk access time, but also enhance the accuracy of data prefetching.

Frequent use of emergency departments by older people: a comparative cohort study of characteristics and outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Street, Maryann; Berry, Debra; Considine, Julie

2018-04-12

To characterise older people who frequently use emergency departments (EDs) and compare patient outcomes with older non-frequent ED attenders. Retrospective comparative cohort study. Logistic regression modelling of patient characteristics and health service usage, comparing older frequent ED attenders (≥4 ED attendances in 12 months) to non-frequent ED attenders. Three Australian public hospital EDs, with a total of 143 327 emergency attendances in the 12 months. People aged ≥65 years attending the ED in financial year 2013/2014. The primary outcome was frequent ED use; secondary outcomes were ED length of stay, discharge destination from ED, hospital length of stay, re-presentation within 48 h, hospital readmission within 30 days and in-hospital mortality. Five percent of older people were frequent attenders (n = 1046/21 073), accounting for 16.9% (n = 5469/32 282) of all attendances by older people. Frequent ED attenders were more likely to be male, aged 75-84 years, arrive by ambulance and have a diagnosis relating to chronic illness. Frequent attenders stayed 0.4 h longer in ED (P < 0.001), were more likely to be admitted to hospital (69.2% vs 67.2%; P = 0.004), and had a 1 day longer hospital stay (P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality for older frequent ED attenders was double that of non-frequent attenders (7.0% vs 3.2%, P < 0.001) over 12 months. Older frequent ED attenders had more chronic disease and care needs requiring hospital admission than non-frequent attenders. A new approach to care planning and coordination is recommended, to optimise the patient journey and improve outcomes.

Frequent floods in the European Alps coincide with cooler periods of the past 2500 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Glur, Lukas; Wirth, Stefanie B; Büntgen, Ulf; Gilli, Adrian; Haug, Gerald H; Schär, Christoph; Beer, Jürg; Anselmetti, Flavio S

2013-09-26

Severe floods triggered by intense precipitation are among the most destructive natural hazards in Alpine environments, frequently causing large financial and societal damage. Potential enhanced flood occurrence due to global climate change would thus increase threat to settlements, infrastructure, and human lives in the affected regions. Yet, projections of intense precipitation exhibit major uncertainties and robust reconstructions of Alpine floods are limited to the instrumental and historical period. Here we present a 2500-year long flood reconstruction for the European Alps, based on dated sedimentary flood deposits from ten lakes in Switzerland. We show that periods with high flood frequency coincide with cool summer temperatures. This wet-cold synchronism suggests enhanced flood occurrence to be triggered by latitudinal shifts of Atlantic and Mediterranean storm tracks. This paleoclimatic perspective reveals natural analogues for varying climate conditions, and thus can contribute to a better understanding and improved projections of weather extremes under climate change.

Competence-Based Education and Training– about Frequently Asked Questions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulder, M.

2012-01-01

This article follows the author's previous piece on practical guidelines for the development of comprehensive competence-based education and training (Mulder, 2012). It is about the questions that have been and are still frequently asked in presentations, workshops and classes about the introduction

Frequent Symptom Sets Identification from Uncertain Medical Data in Differentially Private Way

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhe Ding

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Data mining techniques are applied to identify hidden patterns in large amounts of patient data. These patterns can assist physicians in making more accurate diagnosis. For different physical conditions of patients, the same physiological index corresponds to a different symptom association probability for each patient. Data mining technologies based on certain data cannot be directly applied to these patients’ data. Patient data are sensitive data. An adversary with sufficient background information can make use of the patterns mined from uncertain medical data to obtain the sensitive information of patients. In this paper, a new algorithm is presented to determine the top K most frequent itemsets from uncertain medical data and to protect data privacy. Based on traditional algorithms for mining frequent itemsets from uncertain data, our algorithm applies sparse vector algorithm and the Laplace mechanism to ensure differential privacy for the top K most frequent itemsets for uncertain medical data and the expected supports of these frequent itemsets. We prove that our algorithm can guarantee differential privacy in theory. Moreover, we carry out experiments with four real-world scenario datasets and two synthetic datasets. The experimental results demonstrate the performance of our algorithm.

Plant volatiles in extreme terrestrial and marine environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinnan, Riikka; Steinke, Michael; McGenity, Terry; Loreto, Francesco

2014-08-01

This review summarizes the current understanding on plant and algal volatile organic compound (VOC) production and emission in extreme environments, where temperature, water availability, salinity or other environmental factors pose stress on vegetation. Here, the extreme environments include terrestrial systems, such as arctic tundra, deserts, CO₂ springs and wetlands, and marine systems such as sea ice, tidal rock pools and hypersaline environments, with mangroves and salt marshes at the land-sea interface. The emission potentials at fixed temperature and light level or actual emission rates for phototrophs in extreme environments are frequently higher than for organisms from less stressful environments. For example, plants from the arctic tundra appear to have higher emission potentials for isoprenoids than temperate species, and hypersaline marine habitats contribute to global dimethyl sulphide (DMS) emissions in significant amounts. DMS emissions are more widespread than previously considered, for example, in salt marshes and some desert plants. The reason for widespread VOC, especially isoprenoid, emissions from different extreme environments deserves further attention, as these compounds may have important roles in stress resistance and adaptation to extremes. Climate warming is likely to significantly increase VOC emissions from extreme environments both by direct effects on VOC production and volatility, and indirectly by altering the composition of the vegetation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Predicting the transition from frequent cannabis use to cannabis dependence: a three-year prospective study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Pol, P.; Liebregts, N.; de Graaf, R.; Korf, D.J.; van den Brink, W.; van Laar, M.

2013-01-01

Background Frequent cannabis users are at high risk of dependence, still most (near) daily users are not dependent. It is unknown why some frequent users develop dependence, whereas others do not. This study aims to identify predictors of first-incidence DSM-IV cannabis dependence in frequent

Effects of frequent cannabis use on hippocampal activity during an associative memory task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, Gerry; van Hell, Hendrika H.; de Win, Maartje M. L.; Kahn, Rene S.; van den Brink, Wim; van Ree, Jan M.; Ramsey, Nick F.

2007-01-01

Interest is growing in the neurotoxic potential of cannabis on human brain function. We studied non-acute effects of frequent cannabis use on hippocampus-dependent associative memory, investigated with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in 20 frequent cannabis users and 20 non-users

Predicting the transition from frequent cannabis use to cannabis dependence: a three-year prospective study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Pol, Peggy; Liebregts, Nienke; de Graaf, Ron; Korf, Dirk J.; van den Brink, Wim; van Laar, Margriet

2013-01-01

Frequent cannabis users are at high risk of dependence, still most (near) daily users are not dependent. It is unknown why some frequent users develop dependence, whereas others do not. This study aims to identify predictors of first-incidence DSM-IV cannabis dependence in frequent cannabis users. A

СHILDREN OF MEGAPOLISES WHO FALL ILL FREQUENTLY: ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.M. Torshkhoeva

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to prevention and treatment of acute respiratory diseases children of megapolises who fall ill frequently. The authors prove the thesis that children falling ill frequently and residing in mega cities, and not only in Russia, have a similar immune status, according to which not only therapeutic but also preventive immunomodulatory treatment courses must be administered to them.Key words: frequently ill children, bacterial immunomodulation, cytokinic status.

Promiscuous 2-aminothiazoles (PrATs): a frequent hitting scaffold.

Science.gov (United States)

Devine, Shane M; Mulcair, Mark D; Debono, Cael O; Leung, Eleanor W W; Nissink, J Willem M; Lim, San Sui; Chandrashekaran, Indu R; Vazirani, Mansha; Mohanty, Biswaranjan; Simpson, Jamie S; Baell, Jonathan B; Scammells, Peter J; Norton, Raymond S; Scanlon, Martin J

2015-02-12

We have identified a class of molecules, known as 2-aminothiazoles (2-ATs), as frequent-hitting fragments in biophysical binding assays. This was exemplified by 4-phenylthiazol-2-amine being identified as a hit in 14/14 screens against a diverse range of protein targets, suggesting that this scaffold is a poor starting point for fragment-based drug discovery. This prompted us to analyze this scaffold in the context of an academic fragment library used for fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) and two larger compound libraries used for high-throughput screening (HTS). This analysis revealed that such "promiscuous 2-aminothiazoles" (PrATs) behaved as frequent hitters under both FBDD and HTS settings, although the problem was more pronounced in the fragment-based studies. As 2-ATs are present in known drugs, they cannot necessarily be deemed undesirable, but the combination of their promiscuity and difficulties associated with optimizing them into a lead compound makes them, in our opinion, poor scaffolds for fragment libraries.

Psychological distress as a predictor of frequent attendance in family practice: a cohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedsted, Peter; Fink, Per; Olesen, Frede

2001-01-01

In cross-sectional studies, psychological distress has been associated with frequent health care utilization. However, there is a need for prospective studies to confirm these findings. This cohort study evaluated whether psychological distress predicted frequent attendance in family practice.......16 [0.99-1.36] for SCL and OR 1.31 [1.05-1.65] for Whiteley). Psychological distress involved an increased risk of future frequent attendance among adult patients consulting family practice in the daytime about an illness........ In 1990, 185 consecutive adults who consulted their primary care physician (PCP) about an illness were rated on two psychometric scales (Hopkins Symptom Check List [SCL-8] and Whiteley-7), and their annual number of face-to-face contacts with a family practice was followed until 1996. Frequent attenders...

Psychological distress as a predictor of frequent attendance in family practice: a cohort study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedsted, Peter; Fink, Per; Olesen, Frede

2001-01-01

In cross-sectional studies, psychological distress has been associated with frequent health care utilization. However, there is a need for prospective studies to confirm these findings. This cohort study evaluated whether psychological distress predicted frequent attendance in family practice.......16 [0.99-1.36] for SCL and OR 1.31 [1.05-1.65] for Whiteley). Psychological distress involved an increased risk of future frequent attendance among adult patients consulting family practice in the daytime about an illness....

3D Virtual Learning Environments in Education: A Meta-Review

Science.gov (United States)

Reisoglu, I.; Topu, B.; Yilmaz, R.; Karakus Yilmaz, T.; Göktas, Y.

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate recent empirical research studies about 3D virtual learning environments. A total of 167 empirical studies that involve the use of 3D virtual worlds in education were examined by meta-review. Our findings show that the "Second Life" platform has been frequently used in studies. Among the reviewed…

Frequent users of emergency services: associated factors and reasons for seeking care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Marques Acosta

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim: to identify the profile of frequent users of emergency services, to verify the associated factors and to analyze the reasons for the frequent use of the services. METHOD: An explanatory sequential type mixed method was adopted. Quantitative data were collected from the electronic medical records, with a sample of 385 users attended four or more times in an emergency service, during the year 2011. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 users, intentionally selected from the results of the quantitative stage. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: It was found that 42.9% were elderly, 84.9% had chronic diseases, 63.5% were classified as urgent, 42.1% stayed for more than 24 hours in the service and 46.5% were discharged. Scheduled follow-up appointment, risk classification, length of stay and outcome were factors associated with frequent use. The reasons for seeking the services were mainly related to the exacerbation of chronic diseases, to easier access and concentration of technology, to the bond, and to the scheduled appointments. CONCLUSIONS: The results contribute to comprehending the repeated use of emergency services and provide additional data to plan alternatives to reduce frequent use.

Ban the Book Report: Promoting Frequent and Enthusiastic Reading

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Graham

2012-01-01

Teachers recognize that frequent independent reading increases student knowledge on a wide range of topics, enhances vocabulary, and improves comprehension. "Ban the Book Report" inspires teachers to go beyond narrow and analytical book reports by exploring the potential of book talks, alternate book covers, identifying features of informational…

Smoked cannabis' psychomotor and neurocognitive effects in occasional and frequent smokers.

Science.gov (United States)

Desrosiers, Nathalie A; Ramaekers, Johannes G; Chauchard, Emeline; Gorelick, David A; Huestis, Marilyn A

2015-05-01

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent in cannabis, impairs psychomotor performance, cognition and driving ability; thus, driving under the influence of cannabis is a public safety concern. We documented cannabis' psychomotor, neurocognitive, subjective and physiological effects in occasional and frequent smokers to investigate potential differences between these smokers. Fourteen frequent (≥4x/week) and 11 occasional (cannabis smokers entered a secure research unit ∼19 h prior to smoking one 6.8% THC cigarette. Cognitive and psychomotor performance was evaluated with the critical tracking (CTT), divided attention (DAT), n-back (working memory) and Balloon Analog Risk (BART) (risk-taking) tasks at -1.75, 1.5, 3.5, 5.5 and 22.5 h after starting smoking. GLM (General Linear Model) repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to compare scores. Occasional smokers had significantly more difficulty compensating for CTT tracking error compared with frequent smokers 1.5 h after smoking. Divided attention performance declined significantly especially in occasional smokers, with session × group effects for tracking error, hits, false alarms and reaction time. Cannabis smoking did not elicit session × group effects on the n-back or BART. Controlled cannabis smoking impaired psychomotor function, more so in occasional smokers, suggesting some tolerance to psychomotor impairment in frequent users. These data have implications for cannabis-associated impairment in driving under the influence of cannabis cases. Published by Oxford University Press 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

AN EFFICIENT DATA MINING METHOD TO FIND FREQUENT ITEM SETS IN LARGE DATABASE USING TR- FCTM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saravanan Suba

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mining association rules in large database is one of most popular data mining techniques for business decision makers. Discovering frequent item set is the core process in association rule mining. Numerous algorithms are available in the literature to find frequent patterns. Apriori and FP-tree are the most common methods for finding frequent items. Apriori finds significant frequent items using candidate generation with more number of data base scans. FP-tree uses two database scans to find significant frequent items without using candidate generation. This proposed TR-FCTM (Transaction Reduction- Frequency Count Table Method discovers significant frequent items by generating full candidates once to form frequency count table with one database scan. Experimental results of TR-FCTM shows that this algorithm outperforms than Apriori and FP-tree.

BACTERIAL LYSATES IN COMPLEX TREATMENT OF RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN FREQUENTLY SICK CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I.N. Lupan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The literature review analyzes the results of Imudon administration in pediatrics. The drug contains a mixture of purified lyzates of bacteria which are the most frequent causative agents of pathologic processes in oral cavity and throat. Presented data show high efficacy and safety of a drug.Key words: frequently sick children, respiratory infections, topical immunocorrector, clinical studies.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2011; 10 (4: 41–46

Space and Atmospheric Environments: From Low Earth Orbits to Deep Space

Science.gov (United States)

Barth, Janet L.

2003-01-01

Natural space and atmospheric environments pose a difficult challenge for designers of technological systems in space. The deleterious effects of environment interactions with the systems include degradation of materials, thermal changes, contamination, excitation, spacecraft glow, charging, radiation damage, and induced background interference. Design accommodations must be realistic with minimum impact on performance while maintaining a balance between cost and risk. The goal of applied research in space environments and effects is to limit environmental impacts at low cost relative to spacecraft cost and to infuse enabling and commercial off-the-shelf technologies into space programs. The need to perform applied research to understand the space environment in a practical sense and to develop methods to mitigate these environment effects is frequently underestimated by space agencies and industry. Applied science research in this area is critical because the complexity of spacecraft systems is increasing, and they are exposed simultaneously to a multitude of space environments.

Ecological validity of virtual environments to assess human navigation ability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ineke eVan Der Ham

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Route memory is frequently assessed in virtual environments. These environments can be presented in a fully controlled manner and are easy to use. Yet they lack the physical involvement that participants have when navigating real environments. For some aspects of route memory this may result in reduced performance in virtual environments. We assessed route memory performance in four different environments: real, virtual, virtual with directional information (compass, and hybrid. In the hybrid environment, participants walked the route outside on an open field, while all route information (i.e. path, landmarks was shown simultaneously on a handheld tablet computer. Results indicate that performance in the real life environment was better than in the virtual conditions for tasks relying on survey knowledge, like pointing to start and end point, and map drawing. Performance in the hybrid condition however, hardly differed from real life performance. Performance in the virtual environment did not benefit from directional information. Given these findings, the hybrid condition may offer the best of both worlds: the performance level is comparable to that of real life for route memory, yet it offers full control of visual input during route learning.

THE PREVALENCE OF INFECTION WITH HERPES VIRUSES AMONG FREQUENTLY ILL CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volyansky AY

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Frequently ill children (FIC - a group of dispensary an inclusion criterion which is the frequency of episodes of colds are over 4-6 throughout the year depending on age. In children population among all diseases marked the absolute predominance (90% of acute respiratory infections (ARI. The maximum incidence of acute respiratory infections among children there is between the ages of 1 to 3 years, and then gradually decreases. Among primary school children the incidence is 2-5 cases a year, among teens - no more than 2-4 diseases throughout the year. Opinions of scholars and practitioners pediatricians as to the legality of frequent classification of cases of children to pathologic conditions of the immune system are different and often diametrically opposed. Objective: To determine the prevalence of infection with herpes viruses of frequently ill children. Materials and methods. The analysis consists the results of clinical and laboratory examination of 170 frequently ill children. The criterion for selection of children for the study is the frequency of episodes of colds according to the classification of A.A.Baranov V.Yu.Albitskiy. Analysis of clinical and anamnesis data revealed that in the observed group of children there is a high rate of recurrent respiratory diseases. Thus, in the observed group of children the average incidence of ARI was 7,42 ± 0,92 episodes a year. The average duration of an episode of disease was 9,12 ± 2,75 days. The complicated course occurred in 32% of cases, the average duration of a complicated episode grew to 12,37 ± 3,91 days. This study led to the following conclusions: 1. To 3 years of age, about 85% frequently ill children are infected with at least one virus of the family Herpesviridae. By 6 years of age the number grows to 95%, to 11 years - to 98%. 2. Infectiousness 3 or more herpes viruses among children up to 3 years is more than 30%, among children 3-6 years is 48%, in the age group 6-11 years more

Consumo frequente de bebidas alcoólicas por adolescentes escolares: estudo de fatores associados Frequent consumption of alcohol by school age adolescents: study of associated factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Analy Marquardt de Matos

2010-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Analisar fatores associados ao consumo frequente de bebidas alcoólicas por adolescentes escolares em Feira de Santana, BA. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal, com amostra aleatória, estratificada por conglomerado, totalizando 10 escolas de portes diferenciados e 776 estudantes de ambos os sexos que relataram consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, na faixa etária de 14 a 19 anos, assegurando representatividade das escolas e alunos. O instrumento auto-aplicável foi elaborado segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS e questionários validados em outros estudos. A coleta garantiu procedimentos para anonimato e sigilo. Foram considerados expostos adolescentes que referiram consumo frequente (em pelo menos todo final de semana. RESULTADOS: O consumo frequente/pesado mostrou associações significantes com sexo masculino, consumo precoce, parceiro sexual pouco conhecido, problemas com substâncias psicoativas (SPAs na família, coabitação com companheiro, renda própria, tráfico de drogas, consumo com amigos, atividades na escola, motivações (ansiedade, animação/prazer; e consequências (outras SPAs, brigas, inadimplência ao trabalhoescola. CONCLUSÕES: O conhecimento dos fatores pessoais, interpessoais, familiares e ambientais associados ao consumo de bebidas alcoólicas por adolescentes devem ser considerados na implementação de programas escolares e políticas públicas de prevenção, visando comportamentos que minimizem a exposição ao risco associado.OBJECTIVES: To analyze factors associated with the frequent consumption of alcohol by school age adolescents in Feira de Santana, Bahia. METHOD: Cross sectional study with random sampling, stratified by clusters, totaling 10 schools of different sizes. Although 1,409 students were included in the sample, only 776 of both genders, aged 14 to 19 years who reported alcohol drinking were included in the analysis, providing representativeness of schools and students. Data collection tools

Competence-Based Education and Training--About Frequently Asked Questions

Science.gov (United States)

Mulder, Martin

2012-01-01

This article follows the author's previous piece on practical guidelines for the development of comprehensive competence-based education and training (Mulder, 2012). It is about the questions that have been and are still frequently asked in presentations, workshops and classes about the introduction of competence-based education. Here, the author…

Sampling Terrestrial Environments for Bacterial Polyketides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick Hill

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Bacterial polyketides are highly biologically active molecules that are frequently used as drugs, particularly as antibiotics and anticancer agents, thus the discovery of new polyketides is of major interest. Since the 1980s discovery of polyketides has slowed dramatically due in large part to the repeated rediscovery of known compounds. While recent scientific and technical advances have improved our ability to discover new polyketides, one key area has been under addressed, namely the distribution of polyketide-producing bacteria in the environment. Identifying environments where producing bacteria are abundant and diverse should improve our ability to discover (bioprospect new polyketides. This review summarizes for the bioprospector the state-of-the-field in terrestrial microbial ecology. It provides insight into the scientific and technical challenges limiting the application of microbial ecology discoveries for bioprospecting and summarizes key developments in the field that will enable more effective bioprospecting. The major recent efforts by researchers to sample new environments for polyketide discovery is also reviewed and key emerging environments such as insect associated bacteria, desert soils, disease suppressive soils, and caves are highlighted. Finally strategies for taking and characterizing terrestrial samples to help maximize discovery efforts are proposed and the inclusion of non-actinomycetal bacteria in any terrestrial discovery strategy is recommended.

Cannabis consumption patterns among frequent consumers in Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

Boidi, María Fernanda; Queirolo, Rosario; Cruz, José Miguel

2016-08-01

In 2013, Uruguay became the first country to fully regulate the cannabis market, which now operates under state control. Cannabis can be legally acquired in three ways: growing it for personal use (self-cultivation), cannabis club membership, and from pharmacies (not yet implemented). Users must be entered into a confidential official registry to gain access. This article presents findings of a Respondent Driven Sample survey of 294 high-frequency cannabis consumers in the Montevideo metropolitan area. Frequent consumers resort to more than one method for acquiring cannabis, with illegal means still predominating after 1 year of the new regulation law. Cannabis users overwhelmingly support the current regulation, but many of them are reluctant to register. Some of the attitudes and behaviors of the high-frequency consumers pose a challenge to the success of the cannabis law. Individuals relying on more than one method of access defy the single access clause, a prerequisite for legal use, while the maximum amount of cannabis individuals can access monthly seems too high even for most frequent consumers, which might promote the emergence of a grey market. Reluctance to register among a significant proportion of high-frequency consumers raises doubts about the law's ability to achieve its stated objectives. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Altered gene expression in blood and sputum in COPD frequent exacerbators in the ECLIPSE cohort.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dave Singh

Full Text Available Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD who are defined as frequent exacerbators suffer with 2 or more exacerbations every year. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenotype are poorly understood. We investigated gene expression profile patterns associated with frequent exacerbations in sputum and blood cells in a well-characterised cohort. Samples from subjects from the ECLIPSE COPD cohort were used; sputum and blood samples from 138 subjects were used for microarray gene expression analysis, while blood samples from 438 subjects were used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR testing. Using microarray, 150 genes were differentially expressed in blood (>±1.5 fold change, p≤0.01 between frequent compared to non-exacerbators. In sputum cells, only 6 genes were differentially expressed. The differentially regulated genes in blood included downregulation of those involved in lymphocyte signalling and upregulation of pro-apoptotic signalling genes. Multivariate analysis of the microarray data followed by confirmatory PCR analysis identified 3 genes that predicted frequent exacerbations; B3GNT, LAF4 and ARHGEF10. The sensitivity and specificity of these 3 genes to predict the frequent exacerbator phenotype was 88% and 33% respectively. There are alterations in systemic immune function associated with frequent exacerbations; down-regulation of lymphocyte function and a shift towards pro-apoptosis mechanisms are apparent in patients with frequent exacerbations.

Bringing stability to the COPD patient: clinical and pharmacological considerations for frequent exacerbators

Science.gov (United States)

Gulati, Swati

2017-01-01

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are critical events associated with accelerated loss of lung function, increased morbidity, and excess mortality. AECOPD are heterogeneous in nature and this may directly impact clinical decision making, specifically in patients with frequent exacerbations. A “frequent exacerbator” is a sub-phenotype of COPD that is defined as an individual who experiences ≥2 moderate to severe exacerbations per year. This distinct subgroup has higher mortality and account for more than half of COPD-related hospitalizations annually. Thus, it is imperative to identify individuals at risk for frequent exacerbations and choose optimal strategies to minimize risk for these events. New paradigms for utilizing combination inhalers and the introduction of novel oral compounds provide expanded treatment options to reduce the risk and frequency of exacerbations. The goals of managing frequent exacerbators or patients at risk for AECOPD are: 1) maximizing bronchodilation, 2) reducing inflammation, and 3) targeting specific molecular pathways implicated in COPD and AECOPD pathogenesis. Novel inhaler therapies include combination long acting muscarinic agents (LAMA) plus long acting beta agonists (LABA) show promising results compared to monotherapy or LABA inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) combination in reducing exacerbation risk among individuals at risk for exacerbations and among frequent exacerbators. Likewise, oral medications including macrolides and phosphodiesterase (PDE4) inhibitors reduce the risk for AECOPD in select groups of individuals at high risk for exacerbation. Future direction in COPD management is based on identification of various subtypes or “endotypes” and targeting therapies based on their pathophysiology. This review aims to describe the impact of AECOPD, challenges posed by frequent exacerbators, and explores the rationale for different pharmacologic approaches to preventing AECOPD in these

A Benchmark Environment Motivated by Industrial Control Problems

OpenAIRE

Hein, Daniel; Depeweg, Stefan; Tokic, Michel; Udluft, Steffen; Hentschel, Alexander; Runkler, Thomas A.; Sterzing, Volkmar

2017-01-01

In the research area of reinforcement learning (RL), frequently novel and promising methods are developed and introduced to the RL community. However, although many researchers are keen to apply their methods on real-world problems, implementing such methods in real industry environments often is a frustrating and tedious process. Generally, academic research groups have only limited access to real industrial data and applications. For this reason, new methods are usually developed, evaluated...

Screening mammography interpretation test: more frequent mistakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gozzi, Gino; Ganzetti, Alessandra; Martinoli, Carlo; Bacigalupo, Lorenzo; Bodini, Maria; Fiorentino, Carla; Marini, Ugo Paolo; Santini, Dolores

2005-01-01

Purpose: To present the mammographic cases most commonly misinterpreted by the participants in the mammography self-test proposed by the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM) National Congress in Rimini, Italy, 2002, by analysing the findings responsible for errors, suggesting reasons for the errors, and assessing possible inadequacies in the format of the test. Materials and methods: The self-test was performed on the mammograms of 160 cases (32 positive and 128 negative for cancer as confirmed by histology). The mammograms had been taken in the four standard projections and placed on four multi-panel diaphanoscopes, each displaying a set of 40 cases comprising benign and malignant cases in equal proportions. The participants were given pre-printed forms on which to note down their diagnostic judgement. We evaluated a total of 134 fully-completed forms. Among these, we identified the 23 cases most frequently misread by over 15 participants in percentages varying between 40-90%. Of these cases, 10 were malignancies and 13 were negative mammograms. On review, we also assessed the diagnostic contribution of complementary investigations (not available the participants). The 134 fully-completed forms (all of the 40 cases) yielded a total of 5360 responses, 1180 of which (22.01%) were incorrect. Of these 823 out of the 4288 cases expected to be negative (19.2%) were false positive, and 357 out of the 1072 cases expected to be positive (33.3%) were false negative. As regards the 23 most frequently misread cases, these were 10/32 (31.25%) mammograms positive for malignancy and 13/128 (10.15%) negative mammograms or mammograms showing benign disease. The 10 malignancies included 7 infiltrating ductal carcinomas, 1 infiltrating cribriform carcinoma, 1 infiltrating tubular carcinoma, and 1 carcinoma in situ. The 13 cases of benign disease - as established by histology or long-term follow-up - mistaken for malignancies by the test participants were fibrocystic breast

Designing services for frequent attenders to the emergency department: a characterisation of this population to inform service design.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacob, Rebecca; Wong, Mai Luen; Hayhurst, Catherine; Watson, Peter; Morrison, Cecily

2016-08-01

Frequent attendance to the emergency department (ED) is a growing public health concern. Designing services for frequent attenders poses challenges, given the heterogeneous nature of this group. This was a two-part observational study identifying frequent attenders from ED records. The first stage studied trends and developed personas with emphasis on differentiating moderate frequent attenders (attending between 5 and 20 times per year) and extreme frequent attenders (attending more than 20 times). Stage 2 included a case note review of 100 consecutive frequent attenders. Results showed an increase in frequent attendance from 2.59% to 4.12% over 8 years. Moderate frequent attenders accounted for 97%. Of the 100 frequent attenders studied, 45% had medically unexplained symptoms (MUS), associated with younger age (p0.05). In conclusion, the ED is a useful hub for identifying frequent attenders with MUS, particularly among moderate frequent attenders; service design for this group should consider a 'whole-systems approach' with integration between primary and secondary care, including specialist liaison psychiatry services where appropriate. © 2016 Royal College of Physicians.

Infrequent and Frequent Nondaily Smokers and Daily Smokers: Their Characteristics and Other Tobacco Use Patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yingning; Sung, Hai-Yen; Yao, Tingting; Lightwood, James; Max, Wendy

2018-05-03

The proportion of smokers who do not smoke daily has increased over time, but nondaily smokers are a heterogeneous group. We compare characteristics and other tobacco product use of infrequent nondaily, frequent nondaily, and daily US adult smokers. We analyzed data from the 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys. Current smokers were categorized as daily, infrequent nondaily (smoked 1-12 days in the past 30 days), and frequent nondaily (smoked 13-29 days in the past 30 days) smokers. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the correlates of infrequent nondaily, frequent nondaily, and daily smoking. Among current smokers, 8.3% were infrequent nondaily, 8.1% were frequent nondaily, and 83.6% were daily smokers. The prevalence of infrequent versus daily smoking increased over time, with a smaller increase among non-Hispanic Blacks than non-Hispanic Whites. The adjusted odds of both infrequent and frequent smoking versus daily smoking differed by age, race/ethnicity, education, poverty status, marital status, region, quit attempts in the past 12 months, and binge drinking. Snuff users (vs. non-snuff users) were 2.4 times as likely to be infrequent than daily smokers. There were also differences in race/ethnicity, education, marital status, region, quit attempts, and snuff use between infrequent versus frequent smokers. Infrequent smokers differ from both frequent and daily smokers in socio-demographics, quit attempts, and snuff use. The heterogeneity of nondaily smokers should be considered in developing targeted tobacco control and smoking cessation programs. Infrequent and frequent nondaily smokers were found to differ from daily smokers in age, race/ethnicity, education, poverty status, marital status, region, and quit attempts and they were different from each other in race/ethnicity, education, marital status, region, and quit attempts. Binge drinkers were more likely to be infrequent smokers and frequent smokers versus

Extremely frequent behavior in consumer research: theory and empirical evidence for chronic casino gambling.

Science.gov (United States)

Perfetto, Ralph; Woodside, Arch G

2009-09-01

The present study informs understanding of customer segmentation strategies by extending Twedt's heavy-half propositions to include a segment of users that represent less than 2% of all households-consumers demonstrating extremely frequent behavior (EFB). Extremely frequent behavior (EFB) theory provides testable propositions relating to the observation that few (2%) consumers in many product and service categories constitute more than 25% of the frequency of product or service use. Using casino gambling as an example for testing EFB theory, an analysis of national survey data shows that extremely frequent casino gamblers do exist and that less than 2% of all casino gamblers are responsible for nearly 25% of all casino gambling usage. Approximately 14% of extremely frequent casino users have very low-household income, suggesting somewhat paradoxical consumption patterns (where do very low-income users find the money to gamble so frequently?). Understanding the differences light, heavy, and extreme users and non-users can help marketers and policymakers identify and exploit "blue ocean" opportunities (Kim and Mauborgne, Blue ocean strategy, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 2005), for example, creating effective strategies to convert extreme users into non-users or non-users into new users.

Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara L. Warber

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The benefits of walking in natural environments for well-being are increasingly understood. However, less well known are the impacts different types of natural environments have on psychological and emotional well-being. This cross-sectional study investigated whether group walks in specific types of natural environments were associated with greater psychological and emotional well-being compared to group walks in urban environments. Individuals who frequently attended a walking group once a week or more (n = 708 were surveyed on mental well-being (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, depression (Major Depressive Inventory, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale and emotional well-being (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Compared to group walks in urban environments, group walks in farmland were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect, and greater mental well-being. Group walks in green corridors were significantly associated with less perceived stress and negative affect. There were no significant differences between the effect of any environment types on depression or positive affect. Outdoor walking group programs could be endorsed through “green prescriptions” to improve psychological and emotional well-being, as well as physical activity.

Internal wave-mediated shading causes frequent vertical migrations in fishes

KAUST Repository

Kaartvedt, Stein; Klevjer, TA; Aksnes, Dag L.

2012-01-01

We provide evidence that internal waves cause frequent vertical migrations (FVM) in fishes. Acoustic data from the Benguela Current revealed that pelagic scattering layers of fish below ~140 m moved in opposite phases to internal waves, ascending

Injury patterns in children with frequent emergency department visits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, B

2006-01-01

-14 years. Information on all ED visits was obtained from the Danish National Patient Registry. Injury type, place of accident, injury mechanism, admission, and distance to ED were compared between children with frequent ED visits (five or more during the three years) and children with only one visit...... less severe injuries and more dislocations, sprains, and strains....

Production loss among employees perceiving work environment problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Hagberg, Jan; Bergström, Gunnar

2015-08-01

The overall aim of this explorative study was to investigate the relationship between factors in the psychosocial work environment and work environment-related production loss. Employees at a Swedish university were invited to answer a workplace questionnaire and were selected for this study if they reported having experienced work environment-related problems in the past 7 days (n = 302). A stepwise logistic regression and a modified Poisson regression were used to identify psychosocial work factors associated with work environment-related production loss as well as to identify at what level those factors are associated with production loss. Employees who reported having experienced work environment problems but also fair leadership, good social climate, role clarity and control of decision had significantly lower levels of production loss, whereas employees who reported inequality and high decision demands reported significantly higher levels of production loss. Never or seldom experiencing fair leadership, role clarity, equality, decision demands and good social climate increase the risk of production loss due to work environment problems, compared to those who experience these circumstances frequently, always or most of the time. Several psychosocial work factors are identified as factors associated with a reduced risk of production losses among employees despite the nature of the work environment problem. Knowledge of these factors may be important not only to reduce employee ill-health and the corresponding health-related production loss, but also reduce immediate production loss due to work environment-related problems.

An Efficient Approach to Mining Maximal Contiguous Frequent Patterns from Large DNA Sequence Databases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Rezaul Karim

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Mining interesting patterns from DNA sequences is one of the most challenging tasks in bioinformatics and computational biology. Maximal contiguous frequent patterns are preferable for expressing the function and structure of DNA sequences and hence can capture the common data characteristics among related sequences. Biologists are interested in finding frequent orderly arrangements of motifs that are responsible for similar expression of a group of genes. In order to reduce mining time and complexity, however, most existing sequence mining algorithms either focus on finding short DNA sequences or require explicit specification of sequence lengths in advance. The challenge is to find longer sequences without specifying sequence lengths in advance. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach to mining maximal contiguous frequent patterns from large DNA sequence datasets. The experimental results show that our proposed approach is memory-efficient and mines maximal contiguous frequent patterns within a reasonable time.

Physical and Sexual Abuse and Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder in Youths Receiving Outpatient Services: Frequent, but Not Specific

Science.gov (United States)

Youngstrom, Eric A.; Martinez, Maria; KogosYoungstrom, Jennifer; Scovil, Kelly; Ross, Jody; Feeny, Norah C.; Findling, Robert L.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine if physical and sexual abuse showed relationships to early-onset bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSD) consistent with findings from adult retrospective data. Participants (N=829, M= 10.9 years old ±3.4 SD, 60 % male, 69 % African American, and 18 % with BPSD), primarily from a low socio-economic status, presented to an urban community mental health center and a university research center. Physical abuse was reported in 21 %, sexual abuse in 20 %, and both physical and sexual abuse in 11 % of youths with BPSD. For youths without BPSD, physical abuse was reported in 16 %, sexual abuse in 15 %, and both physical and sexual abuse in 5 % of youths. Among youth with BPSD, physical abuse was significantly associated with a worse global family environment, more severe depressive and manic symptoms, a greater number of sub-threshold manic/hypomanic symptoms, a greater likelihood of suicidality, a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with PTSD, and more self-reports of alcohol or drug use. Among youth with BPSD, sexual abuse was significantly associated with a worse global family environment, more severe manic symptoms, a greater number of sub-threshold manic/hypomanic symptoms, greater mood swings, more frequent episodes, more reports of past hospitalizations, and a greater number of current and past comorbid Axis I diagnoses. These findings suggest that if physical and/or sexual abuse is reported, clinicians should note that abuse appears to be related to increased severity of symptoms, substance use, greater co-morbidity, suicidality, and a worse family environment. PMID:25118660

Myenteric plexitis: A frequent feature in patients undergoing surgery for colonic diverticular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassotti, Gabrio; Villanacci, Vincenzo; Sidoni, Angelo; Nascimbeni, Riccardo; Dore, Maria P; Binda, Gian A; Bandelloni, Roberto; Salemme, Marianna; Del Sordo, Rachele; Cadei, Moris; Manca, Alessandra; Bernardini, Nunzia; Maurer, Christoph A; Cathomas, Gieri

2015-12-01

Diverticular disease of the colon is frequent in clinical practice, and a large number of patients each year undergo surgical procedures worldwide for their symptoms. Thus, there is a need for better knowledge of the basic pathophysiologic mechanisms of this disease entity. Because patients with colonic diverticular disease have been shown to display abnormalities of the enteric nervous system, we assessed the frequency of myenteric plexitis (i.e. the infiltration of myenteric ganglions by inflammatory cells) in patients undergoing surgery for this condition. We analyzed archival resection samples from the proximal resection margins of 165 patients undergoing left hemicolectomy (60 emergency and 105 elective surgeries) for colonic diverticulitis, by histology and immunochemistry. Overall, plexitis was present in almost 40% of patients. It was subdivided into an eosinophilic (48%) and a lymphocytic (52%) subtype. Plexitis was more frequent in younger patients; and it was more frequent in those undergoing emergency surgery (50%), compared to elective (28%) surgery (p = 0.007). All the severe cases of plexitis displayed the lymphocytic subtype. In conclusion, myenteric plexitis is frequent in patients with colonic diverticular disease needing surgery, and it might be implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Integrating Entropy and Closed Frequent Pattern Mining for Social Network Modelling and Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Adnan, Muhaimenul; Alhajj, Reda; Rokne, Jon

The recent increase in the explicitly available social networks has attracted the attention of the research community to investigate how it would be possible to benefit from such a powerful model in producing effective solutions for problems in other domains where the social network is implicit; we argue that social networks do exist around us but the key issue is how to realize and analyze them. This chapter presents a novel approach for constructing a social network model by an integrated framework that first preparing the data to be analyzed and then applies entropy and frequent closed patterns mining for network construction. For a given problem, we first prepare the data by identifying items and transactions, which arc the basic ingredients for frequent closed patterns mining. Items arc main objects in the problem and a transaction is a set of items that could exist together at one time (e.g., items purchased in one visit to the supermarket). Transactions could be analyzed to discover frequent closed patterns using any of the well-known techniques. Frequent closed patterns have the advantage that they successfully grab the inherent information content of the dataset and is applicable to a broader set of domains. Entropies of the frequent closed patterns arc used to keep the dimensionality of the feature vectors to a reasonable size; it is a kind of feature reduction process. Finally, we analyze the dynamic behavior of the constructed social network. Experiments were conducted on a synthetic dataset and on the Enron corpus email dataset. The results presented in the chapter show that social networks extracted from a feature set as frequent closed patterns successfully carry the community structure information. Moreover, for the Enron email dataset, we present an analysis to dynamically indicate the deviations from each user's individual and community profile. These indications of deviations can be very useful to identify unusual events.

Supporting Frequent Updates in R-Trees: A Bottom-Up Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Mong Li; Hsu, Wynne; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2004-01-01

Advances in hardware-related technologies promise to enable new data management applications that monitor continuous processes. In these applications, enormous amounts of state samples are obtained via sensors and are streamed to a database. Further, updates are very frequent and may exhibit loca...

Discovering frequently recurring movement sequences in team-sport athlete spatiotemporal data.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeting, Alice J; Aughey, Robert J; Cormack, Stuart J; Morgan, Stuart

2017-12-01

Athlete external load is typically analysed from predetermined movement thresholds. The combination of movement sequences and differences in these movements between playing positions is also currently unknown. This study developed a method to discover the frequently recurring movement sequences across playing position during matches. The external load of 12 international female netball athletes was collected by a local positioning system during four national-level matches. Velocity, acceleration and angular velocity were calculated from positional (X, Y) data, clustered via one-dimensional k-means and assigned a unique alphabetic label. Combinations of velocity, acceleration and angular velocity movement were compared using the Levenshtein distance and similarities computed by the longest common substring problem. The contribution of each movement sequence, according to playing position and relative to the wider data set, was then calculated via the Minkowski distance. A total of 10 frequently recurring combinations of movement were discovered, regardless of playing position. Only the wing attack, goal attack and goal defence playing positions are closely related. We developed a technique to discover the movement sequences, according to playing position, performed by elite netballers. This methodology can be extended to discover the frequently recurring movements within other team sports and across levels of competition.

Case Report Frequent malaria illness episodes in two Malawian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Frequent malaria in two patients on ART after stopping CPT 57. Malawi Medical Journal 29 (1): March 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/mmj.v29i1.12. Wongani J.S. Nyangulu1, Edson Mwinjiwa1, Titus H. Divala2, Randy G. Mungwira2,. Osward Nyirenda2, Maxwell Kanjala2, Gillian Mbambo3, Jane Mallewa4, Terrie E. Taylor2,.

Effects of frequent announced parasitology quizzes on the academic achievement.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghasem Zamini

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The effect of frequent examinations on the students' learning has had inconsistent results. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of frequent announced quizzes on the learning of a representative sample of Iranian medical students.This experimental study was conducted among 37 fifth semester medical students who had taken the course in Protozoology and Helminthology, in which the same basic information were provided about different types of protozoa and worms. Initially, in the teaching of helminthology, ten routine sessions were handled with lectures and interactive questions and answers. Then at the beginning of the protozoology topic in the beginning of all of the next 9 sessions, the students were informed that they will have a quiz at the end of each session. At the end of the semester, the total scores of quizzes were compared with the mean final scores of protozoology and helminthology using paired t and repeated measure tests.The mean final scores of the protozoology lesson were not significantly different from that of the helminthology (10.45 ± 2.75 vs.11.25 ± 2.56 on the scale of 20, respectively, P=0.13. There was no significant difference in the mean score of the five quizzes compared with the mean final term score of protozoology. The overall mean scores in the helminthology lesson (11.25±2.56, protozoology lesson (10.45±2.75, and the quizzes (9.16 ± 3.55 were significantly different (P <0.0001.Frequent announced quizzes were not effective on increasing the medical students' motivation and learning.

THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE – A WAY TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TABITA CORNELIA ADAMOV

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The future of the agriculture is a problem very frequently discussed by the specialists. During these debates, the organic agriculture has an advantage. The organic agriculture is taking into consideration two aspects: the human being and the environment. It is based on the prohibition of using chemicals like pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. This will offer healthy and natural products, but also will protect the environment. The usage of chemicals harms the environment and they remain in the soil for a long time. The substances used to protect the crops destroy the biodiversity, killing the insects, not only the harmful ones. The preservation of the biodiversity and the quality of the environment is an important objective for the beginning of this millennium, extended by the concern for the population health, for food safety assurance and for the improvement of life conditions. The existence of the future human society depends on applying in practice the concept of lasting economical development.

Alcohol and tobacco use during adolescence: the importance of the family mealtime environment.

Science.gov (United States)

White, James; Halliwell, Emma

2010-05-01

Despite evidence that frequent family meals are associated with low levels of substance use during adolescence, prior studies have not examined the role of how adolescents perceive mealtimes. We examined family meal frequency, family connectedness, perceived priority, atmosphere and structure of mealtimes as predictors of alcohol and tobacco consumption, using data from 550 adolescents (50% boys; age range 11-16). Frequent family meals were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of alcohol and tobacco use. However, this association was explained by adolescents' perception of the atmosphere at mealtimes. These findings suggest adolescents' perception of the mealtime environment contributes to family meals' protective effect.

Frequent activation of EGFR in advanced chordomas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewaele Barbara

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chordomas are rare neoplasms, arising from notochordal remnants in the midline skeletal axis, for which the current treatment is limited to surgery and radiotherapy. Recent reports suggest that receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK might be essential for the survival or proliferation of chordoma cells, providing a rationale for RTK targeted therapy. Nevertheless, the reported data are conflicting, most likely due to the assorted tumor specimens used for the studies and the heterogeneous methodological approaches. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive characterization of this rare entity using a wide range of assays in search for relevant therapeutic targets. Methods Histopathological features of 42 chordoma specimens, 21 primary and 21 advanced, were assessed by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH using PDGFRB, CSF1R, and EGFR probes. Twenty-two of these cases, for which frozen material was available (nine primary and 13 advanced tumors, were selectively analyzed using the whole-genome 4.3 K TK-CGH-array, phospho-kinase antibody array or Western immunoblotting. The study was supplemented by direct sequencing of KIT, PDGFRB, CSF1R and EGFR. Results We demonstrated that EGFR is frequently and the most significantly activated RTK in chordomas. Furthermore, concurrent to EGFR activation, the tumors commonly reveal co-activation of alternative RTK. The consistent activation of AKT, the frequent loss of the tumor suppressor PTEN allele, the recurrent activation of upstream RTK and of downstream effectors like p70S6K and mTOR, all indicate the PI3K/AKT pathway as an important mediator of transformation in chordomas. Conclusions Given the complexity of the signaling in chordomas, combined treatment regimens targeting multiple RTK and downstream effectors are likely to be the most effective in these tumors. Personalized therapy with careful selection of the patients, based on the molecular profile of

A Sustainable Industry-Environment Model for the Identification of Urban Environmental Risk to Confront Air Pollution in Beijing, China

OpenAIRE

Guilin Gao; Xueting Zeng; Chunjiang An; Lei Yu

2018-01-01

In this study, an optimized industry-environment model is proposed for identifying environmental risk under uncertainties. The strategy associated with an emission-permit trading mechanism has been introduced into the industrial-environment regulation (model) for remitting the pressures of frequent/severe haze events in Beijing City. A dual stochastic mixed fuzzy risk analysis method with Laplace’s criterion (DSFRL) can be embedded into industry-environment issues with a trading emission-perm...

Evidence-based treatment of frequent heartburn: the benefits and limitations of over-the-counter medications.

Science.gov (United States)

McRorie, Johnson W; Gibb, Roger D; Miner, Philip B

2014-06-01

This review summarizes the pharmacological effects of over-the-counter (OTC) heartburn drugs, and the implications for treating frequent heartburn. PubMed and SCOPUS were searched across all years to identify well-controlled, randomized clinical studies that assessed mechanism of action and efficacy. Antacids can transiently neutralize acid in the esophagus, but do not significantly affect gastric pH or prevent subsequent heartburn episodes. Histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2 RAs) rapidly develop tolerance with repeat dosing, and exhibit an analgesic effect that may provide heartburn relief while leaving the esophagus exposed to acid. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide a sustained inhibition of gastric acid production, and are superior to antacids and H2 RAs for control of gastric acid and treatment of frequent heartburn. When recommending therapies for frequent heartburn, it is of particular importance to understand the strengths and weaknesses of available OTC medications. Antacids and H2 RAs are not recommended for treatment of frequent heartburn, while OTC PPIs are both indicated for, and effective for, treatment of frequent heartburn. A PPI dose of 20 mg is optimal for empiric treatment of frequent heartburn, and consistent with the 2013 treatment guidelines established by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) for treatment with a minimum effective dose. ©2014 The Author(s) ©2014 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Do working environment interventions reach shift workers?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Garde, Anne Helene

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: Shift workers are exposed to more physical and psychosocial stressors in the working environment as compared to day workers. Despite the need for targeted prevention, it is likely that workplace interventions less frequently reach shift workers. The aim was therefore to investigate whether...... the reach of workplace interventions varied between shift workers and day workers and whether such differences could be explained by the quality of leadership exhibited at different times of the day. METHODS: We used questionnaire data from 5361 female care workers in the Danish eldercare sector...

A universal cue for grammatical categories in the input to children: Frequent frames.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Steven; Blasi, Damián E; Schikowski, Robert; Küntay, Aylin C; Pfeiler, Barbara; Allen, Shanley; Stoll, Sabine

2018-06-01

How does a child map words to grammatical categories when words are not overtly marked either lexically or prosodically? Recent language acquisition theories have proposed that distributional information encoded in sequences of words or morphemes might play a central role in forming grammatical classes. To test this proposal, we analyze child-directed speech from seven typologically diverse languages to simulate maximum variation in the structures of the world's languages. We ask whether the input to children contains cues for assigning syntactic categories in frequent frames, which are frequently occurring nonadjacent sequences of words or morphemes. In accord with aggregated results from previous studies on individual languages, we find that frequent word frames do not provide a robust distributional pattern for accurately predicting grammatical categories. However, our results show that frames are extremely accurate cues cross-linguistically at the morpheme level. We theorize that the nonadjacent dependency pattern captured by frequent frames is a universal anchor point for learners on the morphological level to detect and categorize grammatical categories. Whether frames also play a role on higher linguistic levels such as words is determined by grammatical features of the individual language. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The genetics of aging in optimal and stressful environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, P.A.

1978-01-01

The genetic basis of aging in Drosophila varies according to environment, as shown by variations in temperatures and levels of 60 Co-γ irradiation. Under conditions of extreme stress large additive differences occur not found under less acute stresses. In addition, longevities of strains are not necessarily correlated across levels of 60 C0-γ irradiation or temperatures, so that studies of the genetics of aging are not only relevant to the environment selected. Given these results on experimental animals, it appears impossible to separate clearly genetic and environmental factors determining longevity in man - a conclusion that in any case appears likely from human studies. In experimental organisms such as Drosophila, differences between genotypes for longevity are magnified under stress compared with optimal environments. Hybrid and heterozygote superiority frequently occur for density-independent physical stresses of the environment as well as density-dependent behavioral stresses due to crowding levels. It is argued that these conclusions apply to man, so that for maximum longevity genotypes are likely to be highly heterozygous. (author)

[Frequent attendance in a Primary Health Care District].

Science.gov (United States)

Menéndez Granados, Nicolás; Vaquero Abellán, Manuel; Toledano Estepa, Manuel; Pérez Díaz, Manuel Modesto; Redondo Pedraza, Rosa

2017-10-09

To describe the distribution of frequent attenders (FA) through the different primary care practices in Cordoba-Guadalquivir Health District (Córdoba, Spain). An ecological study was performed, including data from 2011 to 2015. Defining FA as those subjects who made12 or more appointments per year; independently analysed for nursing, general practice and paediatrics. Prevalence of frequent attendance and FA/professional ratio were used as dependent variables. Demographic characteristics from district population, number of health professionals and use of general facilities were also examinated. Aiming to understand FA distribution, primary health settings were classified according to facility size and environmental location (urban, suburban and rural). The mean prevalence for FA was 10.86% (0.5 SE) for nursing; general practice 21.70% (0.7 SE) and for paediatrics 16.96% (0.7 SE). FA/professional ratios for the different professional categories were: 101.07 (5.0 SE) for nursing, 239.74 (9.0 SE) for general practice and 159.54 (9.8 SE) for paediatrics. A major part of primary health care users make a high number of consultations. From this group, women overuse nursing and general practitioner services more compared to men. A higher prevalence of FAs was observed in smaller settings, in rural areas. Although taking the FAs:professional ratio as the bar, medium-size practices are more highly overused. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

ECONOMY AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg BOGOMOLOV

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Market reforms in the post-socialist countries have brought into sharp focus the problem of interconnection and interaction between the economy and the social environment. The economy is inseparable from politics and the operation of the political system, from the state of the social consciousness, the moral and cultural level of the population and from many other aspects of human life and behavior, in short, from everything that can be described by the concept of social environment. Society in every country is a single organism with closely interconnected and interacting parts and systems. Their conjugation and mutual influence are not always apparent and are often overlooked. It is quite easy to see how changes in policy affect the economy and then trace the feedback effect of the economy on policy. It is more difficult to discern the direct and feedback relationship of the economy with administrative relations, with the state of culture, science, morals and public opinion. Meanwhile, an underestimation of these mutual influences is a frequent cause of failures in socio-economic transformation. It is to be regretted that the reforms in Russia were accompanied by a dangerous disruption not only of the economy, but also of the entire system of social relations. What was primary here and what was secondary? In order to answer this question the paper takes a theoretical look at the problem of interaction between the economy and the social environment.

Large Scale Frequent Pattern Mining using MPI One-Sided Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vishnu, Abhinav; Agarwal, Khushbu

2015-09-08

In this paper, we propose a work-stealing runtime --- Library for Work Stealing LibWS --- using MPI one-sided model for designing scalable FP-Growth --- {\\em de facto} frequent pattern mining algorithm --- on large scale systems. LibWS provides locality efficient and highly scalable work-stealing techniques for load balancing on a variety of data distributions. We also propose a novel communication algorithm for FP-growth data exchange phase, which reduces the communication complexity from state-of-the-art O(p) to O(f + p/f) for p processes and f frequent attributed-ids. FP-Growth is implemented using LibWS and evaluated on several work distributions and support counts. An experimental evaluation of the FP-Growth on LibWS using 4096 processes on an InfiniBand Cluster demonstrates excellent efficiency for several work distributions (87\\% efficiency for Power-law and 91% for Poisson). The proposed distributed FP-Tree merging algorithm provides 38x communication speedup on 4096 cores.

Short communication: Persistent socio-economic inequality in frequent headache among Danish adolescents from 1991 to 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Holstein, B E; Andersen, A; Denbaek, A M; Johansen, A; Michelsen, S I; Due, P

2018-05-01

The association between socio-economic status (SES) and headache among adolescents is an understudied issue, and no study has examined whether such an association changes over time. The aim was to examine trends in socio-economic inequality in frequent headache among 11- to 15-year-olds in Denmark from 1991 to 2014, using occupational social class (OSC) as indicator of SES. The study applies data from the Danish part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. HBSC includes nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds. This study combines data from seven data survey years from 1991 to 2014, participation rate 88.6%, n = 31,102. We report absolute inequality as per cent difference in frequent headache between high and low OSC and relative inequality as odds ratio for frequent headache by OSC. In the entire study population, 10.4% reported frequent headache. There was a significant increase in frequent headache from 8.0% in 1991 to 12.9% in 2014, test for trend, p economic inequality in frequent headache was persistent from 1991 to 2014. There was a significant and persistent socio-economic inequality, i.e. increasing prevalence of frequent headache with decreasing OSC. The association between socio-economic position and headache did not significantly change over time, i.e. the statistical interaction between OSC and survey year was insignificant. The prevalence of frequent headache among adolescents increases with decreasing SES. This socio-economic inequality has been persistent among adolescents in Denmark from 1991 to 2014. Clinicians should be aware of this social inequality. © 2018 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

Energy Efficient in-Sensor Data Cleaning for Mining Frequent Itemsets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques M. BAHI

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Limited energy, storage, computational power represent the main constraint of sensor networks. Development of algorithms that take into consideration this extremely demanding and constrained environment of sensor networks became a major challenge. Communicating messages over a sensor network consume far more energy than processing it and mining sensors data should respect the characteristics of sensor networks in terms of energy and computation constraints, network dynamics, and faults. This lead us to think of a data cleaning pre processing phase to reduce the packet size transmitted and prepare the data for an efficient and scalable data mining. This paper introduces a tree-based bi-level periodic data cleaning approach implemented on both the source node and the aggregator levels. Our contribution in this paper is two folds. First we look on a periodic basis at each data measured and periodically clean it while taking into consideration the number of occurrences of the measures captured which we shall call weight. Then, a data cleaning is performed between groups of nodes on the level of the aggregator, which contains lists of measures along with their weights. The quality of the information should be preserved during the in-network transmission through the weight of each measure captured by the sensors. This weight will constitute the key optimization of the frequent pattern tree. The result set will constitute a perfect training set to mine without higher CPU consumption allowing us to send only the useful information to the sink. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this technique in terms of energy efficiency and quality of the information by focusing on a periodical data cleaning while taking into consideration the weight of the data captured.

Adaptations to Short, Frequent Sessions of Endurance and Strength Training Are Similar to Longer, Less Frequent Exercise Sessions When the Total Volume Is the Same.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilen, Anders; Hjelvang, Line B; Dall, Niels; Kruse, Nanna L; Nordsborg, Nikolai B

2015-11-01

The hypothesis that the distribution of weekly training across several short sessions, as opposed to fewer longer sessions, enhances maximal strength gain without compromising maximal oxygen uptake was evaluated. Twenty-nine subjects completed an 8-week controlled parallel-group training intervention. One group ("micro training" [MI]: n = 21) performed nine 15-minute training sessions weekly, whereas a second group ("classical training" [CL]: n = 8) completed exactly the same training on a weekly basis but as three 45-minute sessions. For each group, each session comprised exclusively strength, high-intensity cardiovascular training or muscle endurance training. Both groups increased shuttle run performance (MI: 1,373 ± 133 m vs. 1,498 ± 126 m, p ≤ 0.05; CL: 1,074 ± 213 m vs. 1,451 ± 202 m, p training intervention. In conclusion, similar training adaptations can be obtained with short, frequent exercise sessions or longer, less frequent sessions where the total volume of weekly training performed is the same.

Does the Social Working Environment Predict Beginning Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Feelings of Depression?

Science.gov (United States)

Devos, Christelle; Dupriez, Vincent; Paquay, Leopold

2012-01-01

We investigate how the social working environment predicts beginning teachers' self-efficacy and feelings of depression. Two quantitative studies are presented. The results show that the goal structure of the school culture (mastery or performance orientation) predicts both outcomes. Frequent collaborative interactions with colleagues are related…

Measurement Techniques for Radon in Mines, Dwellings and the Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snihs, J.O.

1983-06-01

Definitions and units appropriate for radon and radon daughters are given. The principle methods of detection are ionization chamber, scintillation technique, nuclear track detector, thermoluminescent discs and alpha spectrometry. The activity concentration is determined by grab sampling and subsequent measurement, frequent or continuous grab sampling and measurement and continuous sampling and long time integrated measurement. Sampling and measurement strategies for mines, dwellings and the environment are discussed. (author)

An u-Service Model Based on a Smart Phone for Urban Computing Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Yongyun; Yoe, Hyun

In urban computing environments, all of services should be based on the interaction between humans and environments around them, which frequently and ordinarily in home and office. This paper propose an u-service model based on a smart phone for urban computing environments. The suggested service model includes a context-aware and personalized service scenario development environment that can instantly describe user's u-service demand or situation information with smart devices. To do this, the architecture of the suggested service model consists of a graphical service editing environment for smart devices, an u-service platform, and an infrastructure with sensors and WSN/USN. The graphic editor expresses contexts as execution conditions of a new service through a context model based on ontology. The service platform deals with the service scenario according to contexts. With the suggested service model, an user in urban computing environments can quickly and easily make u-service or new service using smart devices.

Systematic review of frequent users of emergency departments in non-US hospitals: state of the art.

Science.gov (United States)

van Tiel, Sofie; Rood, Pleunie P M; Bertoli-Avella, Aida M; Erasmus, Vicky; Haagsma, Juanita; van Beeck, Ed; Patka, Peter; Polinder, Suzanne

2015-10-01

This review focuses on frequent users (FUs) of the emergency department (ED). Elucidation of the characteristics of frequent ED users will help to improve healthcare services. A systematic review of the literature (from 1999 onwards) on frequent ED users in non-US hospitals was performed. Twenty-two studies were included. FUs are responsible for a wide variety of 1-31% of ED visits depending on the FU definition used. They have a mean age between 40 and 50 years and are older than nonfrequent users. Chronic physical and mental diseases seem to be the main reasons for frequent ED visits. In terms of social characteristics, lacking a partner is more frequently reported among FUs in some studies. The absence of a universal definition for FUs complicates the determination of the burden on emergency healthcare services. FUs are a heterogeneous group of patients with genuine medical needs and high consumption of other healthcare services.

Frequent flyer business travelers. The role of the occupational health nurse.

Science.gov (United States)

Tompkins, Olga S; Randolph, Susan A; Ostendorf, Judith S

2005-03-01

When managing frequent flyer business travelers, occupational health nurses focus on health promotion and health protection goals. The three types of prevention (i.e., primary, secondary, tertiary) follow a timeline beginning with complete prevention, and proceeding through and ending with management of a disease process. Occupational health nurses design and implement practice strategies based on this progression. Travel health nursing is rapidly expanding as the number of travelers, immunizations, and modes of transportation increase. Physicians focus on disease, industrial hygienists focus on hazard exposure, and safety professionals address occupational issues related to illnesses and injuries. Occupational health nurses are the professionals who focus on all three areas, in addition to health promotion and health protection. Frequent flyer business travelers have specific and complex needs that occupational health nurses are in a unique position to address.

Esophageal motor disorders are frequent during pre and post lung transplantation. Can they influence lung rejection?

Science.gov (United States)

Ciriza de Los Ríos, Constanza; Canga Rodríguez-Valcárcel, Fernando; de Pablo Gafas, Alicia; Castel de Lucas, Isabel; Lora Pablos, David; Castellano Tortajada, Gregorio

2018-06-01

lung transplantation (LTx) is a viable option for most patients with end-stage lung diseases. Esophageal motor disorders (EMD) are frequent in candidates for LTx, but there is very little data about changes in esophageal motility post-LTx. the aim of our study was to assess esophageal motor disorders by high resolution manometry (HRM) both pre-LTx and six months post-LTx in patients with and without organ rejection. HRM (Manoscan®) was performed in 57 patients both pre-LTx and six months post-LTx. HRM plots were analyzed according to the Chicago classification 3.0. EMD were found in 33.3% and in 49.1% of patients pre-LTx and post-LTx, respectively, and abnormal peristalsis was more frequently found post-LTx (p = 0.018). Hypercontractile esophagus was frequently found post-LTx (1.8% and 19.3% pre-LTx and post-LTx, respectively). Esophagogastric junction (EGJ) morphology changed significantly pre-LTx and post-LTx; type I (normal) was more frequent post-LTx (63-2% and 82.5% respectively, p = 0.007). EMD were more frequent post-LTx in both the non-rejection and rejection group, although particularly in the rejection group (43.2% and 69.2% respectively, p = 0.09). EMD such as distal spasm, hypercontractile esophagus and EGJ outflow obstruction were also observed more frequently post-LTx in the rejection group. significant changes in esophageal motility were observed pre-LTx and particularly post-LTx; hypercontractile esophagus was a frequent EMD found post-LTx. EMD were more frequent in the group of patients that experienced organ rejection compared to the non-rejection group. EMD leading to an impaired esophageal clearance should be considered as an additional factor that contributes to LTx failure.

Vigorous physical activity and the built environment: cross-sectional study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svastisalee, Chalida; Schipperijn, Jasper; Holstein, Bjørn Evald

Purpose: To investigate the association between the likelihood of frequent vigorous physical activity (VPA), characterized by 7 hours/week or more, and various aspects of the built environment that promote opportunities for exercise (intersection density, number of street intersections, total...... length of exercise and walking paths, sports facilities and urban green space). Methods: We measured self-reported frequency of VPA in boys and girls using the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2006 survey (n = 6046) in 80 schools. We conducted multi-level logistic regression analyses to examine...... space showed even decreased likelihood of achieving frequent VPA for boys and girls from low social class backgrounds attending schools with little urban green space (OR = .49 and .28 respectively) . The synergistic effect of exercise paths, the number of sites devoted to urban green space...

School environment and school injuries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simo eSalminen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Although injuries at school are an important issue in public health, environmental factors in schools and school yards have seldom been the focus of school injury research. The goal of our investigation was to examine the effect of environmental factors on school injuries. Methods: Nine comprehensive Finnish schools registered school injuries over a period of two school years. Injuries were classified as being associated with environmental factors, suspected environmental factors, and others. The consensus between two independent classifiers was 81%. Results: A total of 722 injuries were classified. In 11.6% of these injuries, the physical environment factor was evident, and in 28.1% of the injuries, physical environment was suspected of being a contributory risk factor. Thus the physical environment of the school was a contributing factor in over a third (39.7% of injuries occurring in the school, on the school yard or during the journey to or from school. In this study, conducted in Finland, ice on the ground was mentioned most frequently as an environmental risk factor. Conclusions: In Finland, the Nordic weather conditions are not taken into account in the school yard and playground plans as they ought to from the safety point of view. An initiative has been launched on a mandatory wintertime master plan for every school yard.

Frequent hemodialysis with NxStage system in pediatric patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Stuart L; Silverstein, Douglas M; Leung, Jocelyn C; Feig, Daniel I; Soletsky, Beth; Knight, Cathy; Warady, Bradley A

2008-01-01

Recent evidence from adult hemodialysis (HD) patient studies reveal improved biochemical control and reported health-related quality of life after transition from conventional thrice weekly to daily home maintenance HD treatment. Published pediatric frequent dialysis experiences demonstrate similar improvement but all used conventional HD machines, which employ a treated municipal water supply, thereby frequently exposing patients to proinflammatory components. We report our pediatric experience with six-times-weekly HD using the NxStage system, which uses sterile dialysis fluid to provide dialysis in the home or center setting. Four patients (weight range 38-61.4 kg) completed the 16-week study. Patients exhibited progressive reductions in casual pretreatment systolic and diastolic blood pressures, discontinuation of antihypertensive medications, and decreased blood pressure load by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Mean serum phosphorus improved without change in phosphorus binder medication, and all three patients with a normalized protein catabolic rate 1.1 g/kg per day. Patients reported no adverse effects. Variable changes in proinflammatory cytokine levels were observed. We suggest that frequent HD with the NxStage system be considered for children who would benefit from home-based maintenance dialysis.

What factors are associated with frequent unhealthy snack-food consumption among Australian secondary-school students?

Science.gov (United States)

Niven, Philippa; Scully, Maree; Morley, Belinda; Baur, Louise; Crawford, David; Pratt, Iain S; Wakefield, Melanie

2015-08-01

To examine demographic and behavioural correlates of unhealthy snack-food consumption among Australian secondary-school students and the association between their perceptions of availability, convenience and intake with consumption. Cross-sectional survey of students' eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours using validated instruments administered via an online questionnaire. Australian secondary schools across all states/territories. Secondary-school students aged 12-17 years participating in the 2009-10 National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey (n 12 188). Approximately one in five students (21 %) reported consuming unhealthy snack foods ≥14 times/week ('frequent snackers'). After adjusting for all covariates, older students and those with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m² were less likely to be frequent snackers, while students who reported high fast-food and high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and those who watched television for >2 h/d were more likely to snack frequently. Furthermore, after adjusting for all covariates and demographic factors, students who agreed that snack foods are usually available at home, convenient to buy and that they eat too many snack foods were more likely to be snacking frequently. Conversely, students who agreed that fruit is a convenient snack were less likely to be frequent snackers. Frequent unhealthy snack-food consumption appears to cluster with other poor health behaviours. Perceptions of availability and convenience are factors most readily amenable to change, and findings suggest interventions should focus on decreasing the availability of unhealthy snack foods in the home and promoting healthier options such as fruit as convenient snacks.

"Frequent frames" in German child-directed speech: a limited cue to grammatical categories.

Science.gov (United States)

Stumper, Barbara; Bannard, Colin; Lieven, Elena; Tomasello, Michael

2011-08-01

Mintz (2003) found that in English child-directed speech, frequently occurring frames formed by linking the preceding (A) and succeeding (B) word (A_x_B) could accurately predict the syntactic category of the intervening word (x). This has been successfully extended to French (Chemla, Mintz, Bernal, & Christophe, 2009). In this paper, we show that, as for Dutch (Erkelens, 2009), frequent frames in German do not enable such accurate lexical categorization. This can be explained by the characteristics of German including a less restricted word order compared to English or French and the frequent use of some forms as both determiner and pronoun in colloquial German. Finally, we explore the relationship between the accuracy of frames and their potential utility and find that even some of those frames showing high token-based accuracy are of limited value because they are in fact set phrases with little or no variability in the slot position. Copyright © 2011 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

DMBT1 is frequently downregulated in well-differentiated gastric carcinoma but more frequently upregulated across various gastric cancer types

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conde, Ana R; Martins, Ana P; Brito, Miguel

2007-01-01

in cell differentiation and protection and has been proposed as a candidate tumour suppressor for brain and epithelial cancer. One study reported a loss of DMBT1 expression in 12.5% (5/40) of gastric cancer samples. Here, we examined in more detail DMBT1 protein and mRNA expression in 78 primary gastric...... preferentially take place in well-differentiated gastric carcinoma. However, an upregulation of DMBT1 expression is more frequently found across all gastric cancer types.......Well-differentiated gastric carcinomas are considered to represent a distinct entity emerging via specific molecular changes different from those found in other gastric carcinoma types. The gene deleted in malignant brain tumours 1 (DMBT1) at 10q25.3-q26.1 codes for a protein presumably involved...

Managing for Old Growth in Frequent-fire Landscapes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carl E. Fiedler

2007-12-01

Full Text Available There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing frequent-fire, old-growth forests. However, there are general guidelines to follow: 1 set objectives for both structure (tree density, diameter distribution, tree species composition, spatial arrangement, amount of coarse woody debris and function (nutrient cycling, desired tree species regeneration; 2 prioritize treatments according to ecological, economic, and social needs and risks; 3 identify the potential treatments (natural fire, prescribed fire, silvicultural cutting that best meet the objectives and scale of the project; and 4 implement the treatment(s. We discuss each of these guidelines in this article.

Brain perfusion SPECT in children with frequent fits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiskala, H.; Launes, J.; Pihko, H.; Nikkinen, P.; Santavuori, P.

1993-01-01

We studied 14 children with frequent fits using 99m Tc-HM-PAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). There were 11 patients with partial secondary generalized epilepsy (PSGE) and 3 with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). The typical regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) finding in PSGE was a single area of abnormally low perfused cortex, and that in LGS, multiple hypoperfused areas. Clinically, the LGS patients were more severely affected. SPECT was more sensitive in detecting abnormalities than EEG, CT or MRI. Extensive impairment of rCBF may thus indicate unfavourable development of intellectual performance and poor seizure control. (author)

[Which are the most frequently occurring enteropathogenic bacteria in clinical practice?].

Science.gov (United States)

Rohrbach, M; Gualzata, M D; Hollfelder, R; Viollier, A F; Viollier, M; Viollier, E H

1988-12-10

Diarrhea is an increasingly frequent clinical finding in Swiss medical practice. One reason is the volume of tourism in countries with different climatic and social circumstances. To obtain an overview of the enteropathogenic bacteria spectrum as a cause of diarrhea, we analyzed 11,163 stool specimens from a representative group of patients throughout Switzerland. Enteropathogenic bacteria were found in 15.2% of all specimens; 50% were Campylobacter jejuni/coli, 35% Salmonella spp., 8% Aeromonas hydrophila group, 4% Shigella spp. and 3% Yersinia enterocolitica. This distribution is taken for all age groups and for both sexes. In the infant age there was a maximum evidence of enteropathogenic bacteria of the female sex. In childhood this maximum concerned to the male sex. Patients older than fifty had no positive stool specimens. As expected the most frequent positive stool specimens were in summer.

AT HOME IN HOSPITAL? COMPETING CONSTRUCTIONS OF HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Kellett

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Large institutions housed in large buildings are frequently regarded as the antithesis of personalised, small scale, domestic, home environments. However the attribute of ‘homeliness’ appears to be used more broadly to describe places where people feel a sense of attachment, control and identification. In a large multi-disciplinary study of a hospital rebuilding project in northern England a range of users were interviewed to ascertain their responses to the original older buildings and later the new purpose built hospital. We found both staff and patients retained a strong sense of affection for the older buildings and frequently used the language of home to describe their responses. In contrast, the newer buildings were generally recognised as efficient but impersonal, lacking many of the positive qualities they were familiar with. In addition some respondents suggested that despite efforts to include art projects, the new architectural language was inappropriate for healthcare, believing that small scale, ‘home-like’ environments were more conducive to health and well-being. The authors will draw on anthropological and architectural frameworks to analyse the data which consists of extensive interview transcripts complemented by photographs. The paper aims to understand the conceptualisations which underpin the various user responses and to offer a critique of the design language of the current healthcare building programme.

Work environment, job satisfaction, stress and burnout among haemodialysis nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Bronwyn; Douglas, Clint; Bonner, Ann

2015-07-01

To examine the relationships among nurse and work characteristics, job satisfaction, stress, burnout and the work environment of haemodialysis nurses. Haemodialysis nursing is characterised by frequent and intense contact with patients in a complex and intense environment. A cross-sectional online survey of 417 haemodialysis nurses that included nurse and work characteristics, the Brisbane Practice Environment Measure, Index of Work Satisfaction, Nursing Stress Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Haemodialysis nurses reported an acceptable level of job satisfaction and perceived their work environment positively, although high levels of burnout were found. Nurses who were older and had worked in haemodialysis the longest had higher satisfaction levels, experienced less stress and lower levels of burnout than younger nurses. The in-centre type of haemodialysis unit had greater levels of stress and burnout than home training units. Greater satisfaction with the work environment was strongly correlated with job satisfaction, lower job stress and emotional exhaustion. Haemodialysis nurses experienced high levels of burnout even though their work environment was favourable and they had acceptable levels of job satisfaction. Targeted strategies are required to retain and avoid burnout in younger and less experienced nurses in this highly specialised field of nursing. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hybrid Recommendation System Memanfaatkan Penggalian Frequent Itemset dan Perbandingan Keyword

OpenAIRE

Suka Parwita, Wayan Gede; Winarko, Edi

2015-01-01

Abstrak Recommendation system sering dibangun dengan memanfaatkan data peringkat item dan data identitas pengguna. Data peringkat item merupakan data yang langka pada sistem yang baru dibangun. Sedangkan, pemberian data identitas pada recommendation system dapat menimbulkan kekhawatiran penyalahgunaan data identitas. Hybrid recommendation system memanfaatkan algoritma penggalian frequent itemset dan perbandingan keyword dapat memberikan daftar rekomendasi tanpa menggunakan data identi...

About some frequent objections on the civil nuclear; A propos de quelques objections frequentes sur le nucleaire civil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manicore, J.M

2002-06-01

The author brings information on the advantages of the nuclear energy for the electric power production, in the context of the energy demand increase. He tries to identify the controversy subjects and opposes arguments in favor of the nuclear energy: environment, prices, energy recovery, wastes, safety, nuclear accidents. (A.L.B.)

Antibody deficiency in patients with frequent exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Science.gov (United States)

McCullagh, Brian N; Comellas, Alejandro P; Ballas, Zuhair K; Newell, John D; Zimmerman, M Bridget; Azar, Antoine E

2017-01-01

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the third leading cause of death in the US, and is associated with periodic exacerbations, which account for the largest proportion of health care utilization, and lead to significant morbidity, mortality, and worsening lung function. A subset of patients with COPD have frequent exacerbations, occurring 2 or more times per year. Despite many interventions to reduce COPD exacerbations, there is a significant lack of knowledge in regards to their mechanisms and predisposing factors. We describe here an important observation that defines antibody deficiency as a potential risk factor for frequent COPD exacerbations. We report a case series of patients who have frequent COPD exacerbations, and who were found to have an underlying primary antibody deficiency syndrome. We also report on the outcome of COPD exacerbations following treatment in a subset with of these patients with antibody deficiency. We identified patients with COPD who had 2 or more moderate to severe exacerbations per year; immune evaluation including serum immunoglobulin levels and pneumococcal IgG titers was performed. Patients diagnosed with an antibody deficiency syndrome were treated with either immunoglobulin replacement therapy or prophylactic antibiotics, and their COPD exacerbations were monitored over time. A total of 42 patients were identified who had 2 or more moderate to severe COPD exacerbations per year. Twenty-nine patients had an underlying antibody deficiency syndrome: common variable immunodeficiency (8), specific antibody deficiency (20), and selective IgA deficiency (1). Twenty-two patients had a follow-up for at least 1 year after treatment of their antibody deficiency, which resulted in a significant reduction of COPD exacerbations, courses of oral corticosteroid use and cumulative annual dose of oral corticosteroid use, rescue antibiotic use, and hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations. This case series identifies antibody deficiency as a

The experiences of frequent users of crisis helplines: A qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Middleton, Aves; Gunn, Jane; Bassilios, Bridget; Pirkis, Jane

2016-11-01

To understand why some users call crisis helplines frequently. Nineteen semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with callers to Lifeline Australia who reported calling 20 times or more in the past month and provided informed consent. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive thematic analysis was used to generate common themes. Approval was granted by The University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee. Three overarching themes emerged from the data and included reasons for calling, service response and calling behaviours. Respondents called seeking someone to talk to, help with their mental health issues and assistance with negative life events. When they called, they found short-term benefits in the unrestricted support offered by the helpline. Over time they called about similar issues and described reactive, support-seeking and dependent calling behaviours. Frequent users of crisis helplines call about ongoing issues. They have developed distinctive calling behaviours which appear to occur through an interaction between their reasons for calling and the response they receive from the helpline. The ongoing nature of the issues prompting frequent users to call suggests that a service model that includes a continuity of care component may be more efficient in meeting their needs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parental education and exposure of female and male students to bulling in school environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Polovina Nada

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of research exploring the correlation between exposure of elementary school students to various types of bulling at school (stealing of personal belongings, violence, coercion, mockery, shunning and their parents' educational level. Special emphasis was put on connections in mother-daughter and father-son dyads were explored. The research is a part TIMSS 2007 International Project covered a representative sample of 2447 8th Grade students (1161 boys and 1286 girls from 36 elementary schools in Serbia. A questionnaire was used to collect the information on assessment of school environment, as well as students' experience of peer victimization. Overall, 48.1% students (in male sub-sample 54.4%; in female sub-sample 42.7% reported being subjected to some kind of bullying in the preceding month. Much more frequently than girls, boys were subjected to theft of personal belongings, coercion and shunning. Correlation is found between educational level of mothers and bullying of their daughters at schools (especially violence, coercion and mockery. While students/daughters of highly educated mothers were more frequently subjected to coercion (forced to do something they did not want to do, daughters of poorly educated mothers were more frequently subjected to shunning. The sub-sample of boys did not indicate any correlation between educational level of fathers and peer victimization in school environment.

Acquiring 3D indoor environments with variability and repetition

KAUST Repository

Kim, Youngmin; Mitra, Niloy J.; Yan, Dongming; Guibas, Leonidas J.

2012-01-01

Large-scale acquisition of exterior urban environments is by now a well-established technology, supporting many applications in search, navigation, and commerce. The same is, however, not the case for indoor environments, where access is often restricted and the spaces are cluttered. Further, such environments typically contain a high density of repeated objects (e.g., tables, chairs, monitors, etc.) in regular or non-regular arrangements with significant pose variations and articulations. In this paper, we exploit the special structure of indoor environments to accelerate their 3D acquisition and recognition with a low-end handheld scanner. Our approach runs in two phases: (i) a learning phase wherein we acquire 3D models of frequently occurring objects and capture their variability modes from only a few scans, and (ii) a recognition phase wherein from a single scan of a new area, we identify previously seen objects but in different poses and locations at an average recognition time of 200ms/model. We evaluate the robustness and limits of the proposed recognition system using a range of synthetic and real world scans under challenging settings. © 2012 ACM.

Acquiring 3D indoor environments with variability and repetition

KAUST Repository

Kim, Youngmin

2012-11-01

Large-scale acquisition of exterior urban environments is by now a well-established technology, supporting many applications in search, navigation, and commerce. The same is, however, not the case for indoor environments, where access is often restricted and the spaces are cluttered. Further, such environments typically contain a high density of repeated objects (e.g., tables, chairs, monitors, etc.) in regular or non-regular arrangements with significant pose variations and articulations. In this paper, we exploit the special structure of indoor environments to accelerate their 3D acquisition and recognition with a low-end handheld scanner. Our approach runs in two phases: (i) a learning phase wherein we acquire 3D models of frequently occurring objects and capture their variability modes from only a few scans, and (ii) a recognition phase wherein from a single scan of a new area, we identify previously seen objects but in different poses and locations at an average recognition time of 200ms/model. We evaluate the robustness and limits of the proposed recognition system using a range of synthetic and real world scans under challenging settings. © 2012 ACM.

Approximating Frequent Items in Asynchronous Data Stream over a Sliding Window

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho-Leung Chan

2011-09-01

Full Text Available In an asynchronous data stream, the data items may be out of order with respect to their original timestamps. This paper studies the space complexity required by a data structure to maintain such a data stream so that it can approximate the set of frequent items over a sliding time window with sufficient accuracy. Prior to our work, the best solution is given by Cormode et al. [1], who gave an O (1/ε log W log (εB/ log W min {log W, 1/ε} log |U|- space data structure that can approximate the frequent items within an ε error bound, where W and B are parameters of the sliding window, and U is the set of all possible item names. We gave a more space-efficient data structure that only requires O (1/ε log W log (εB/ logW log log W space.

[Would the Screening of Common Mental Disorders in Primary-Care Health Services Hyper-Frequent Patients Be Useful?].

Science.gov (United States)

Rincón-Hoyos, Hernán G; López, Mérida R Rodríguez; Ruiz, Ana María Villa; Hernández, Carlos Augusto; Ramos, Martha Lucía

2012-12-01

Hyper-frequentation in health services is a problem for patients, their families and the institutions. This study is aimed at determining the frequency and characteristics of common mental disorders in hyper-frequent patients showing vague symptoms and signs at a primary healthcare service during the year 2007 in the city of Cali (Colombia). Cross sectional. The most frequent mental disorders in hyper-frequent patients were detected through a telephone interview which included several modules of the PRIME MD instrument. In general, healthcare service hyper-frequenters are working women, 38,7-year old in average. Basically, the consultation is due to cephalalgia but they also exhibit a high prevalence of common mental disorders (somatization, depression and anxiety) not easily diagnosed by physicians in primary care. Expenses for additional health activities generated by these patients are attributed basically to medical consultation and required procedures. Considering hyper-frequenters in health care services as a risk group in terms of common mental disorders involves screening as an efficient strategy to prevent abuse in service use and to improve satisfaction with the attention received. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Laboratory Evolution to Alternating Substrate Environments Yields Distinct Phenotypic and Genetic Adaptive Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sandberg, Troy E.; Lloyd, Colton J.; Palsson, Bernhard O.

2017-01-01

conditions and different adaptation strategies depending on the substrates being switched between; in some environments, a persistent "generalist" strain developed, while in another, two "specialist" subpopulations arose that alternated dominance. Diauxic lag phenotype varied across the generalists...... maintain simple, static culturing environments so as to reduce selection pressure complexity. In this study, we investigated the adaptive strategies underlying evolution to fluctuating environments by evolving Escherichia coli to conditions of frequently switching growth substrate. Characterization...... of evolved strains via a number of different data types revealed the various genetic and phenotypic changes implemented in pursuit of growth optimality and how these differed across the different growth substrates and switching protocols. This work not only helps to establish general principles of adaptation...

“Frequent exacerbator” is a phenotype of poor prognosis in Japanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomioka R

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Ryusuke Tomioka,1,2 Tomotaka Kawayama,1 Masashi Suetomo,1,2 Takashi Kinoshita,1 Yoshihisa Tokunaga,1 Haruki Imaoka,1 Kazuko Matsunaga,1 Masaki Okamoto,1 Tomoaki Hoshino1 1Division of Respirology, Neurology, and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, 2Respiratory Medicine, Chikugo City Hospital, Chikugo, JapanBackground: The prognosis of Japanese patients with COPD who suffer repeated exacerbations is unclear, although Westerners with such episodes have a poor prognosis.Materials and methods: We conducted a 1-year prospective observational trial involving 90 Japanese patients with COPD: 58 nonexacerbators, 12 infrequent exacerbators, and 20 frequent exacerbators classified on the basis of exacerbation frequency (zero, one, and two or more exacerbations/year, respectively, during the previous year were observed prospectively for 1 year. The characteristics of frequent exacerbators, the frequency of exacerbation, and the period until the first event were then compared among the groups.Results: A total of 78 patients completed the study. Frequent exacerbators had a significantly higher risk of frequent exacerbation in the following year than the case for nonexacerbators (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.94 [1.21–7.17], P=0.0340, but not in comparison with infrequent exacerbators (1.51 [0.49–4.63], P>0.05. The mean annual frequency of exacerbations in the following year was significantly (P=0.0020 higher in the frequent exacerbators (1.4 exacerbations/year than in the nonexacerbators (0.4, but not in the infrequent exacerbators (0.9, P>0.05. The mean period until the first exacerbation was significantly shorter in the frequent exacerbators than in the infrequent or nonexacerbators (P=0.0012. Independent risk factors for future frequent exacerbation included the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, more severe airflow obstruction, and use of inhaled corticosteroids.Conclusion: Our present

Adverse childhood experiences and frequent insufficient sleep in 5 U.S. States, 2009: a retrospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Daniel P; Liu, Yong; Presley-Cantrell, Letitia R; Edwards, Valerie J; Wheaton, Anne G; Perry, Geraldine S; Croft, Janet B

2013-01-03

Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have previously been demonstrated to be adversely associated with a variety of health outcomes in adulthood, their specific association with sleep among adults has not been examined. To better address this issue, this study examines the relationship between eight self-reported ACEs and frequent insufficient sleep among community-dwelling adults residing in 5 U.S. states in 2009. To assess whether ACEs were associated with frequent insufficient sleep (respondent did not get sufficient rest or sleep ≥ 14 days in past 30 days) in adulthood, we analyzed ACE data collected in the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random-digit-dialed telephone survey in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington. ACEs included physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, household mental illness, incarcerated household members, household substance abuse, parental separation/divorce, and witnessing domestic violence before age 18. Smoking status and frequent mental distress (FMD) (≥ 14 days in past 30 days when self-perceived mental health was not good) were assessed as potential mediators in multivariate logistic regression analyses of frequent insufficient sleep by ACEs adjusted for race/ethnicity, gender, education, and body mass index. Overall, 28.8% of 25,810 respondents reported frequent insufficient sleep, 18.8% were current smokers, 10.8% reported frequent mental distress, 59.5% percent reported ≥ 1 ACE, and 8.7% reported ≥ 5 ACEs. Each ACE was associated with frequent insufficient sleep in multivariate analyses. Odds of frequent insufficient sleep were 2.5 (95% CI, 2.1-3.1) times higher in persons with ≥ 5 ACEs compared to those with no ACEs. Most relationships were modestly attenuated by smoking and FMD, but remained significant. Childhood exposures to eight indicators of child maltreatment and household dysfunction were significantly associated with frequent insufficient sleep during

Adverse childhood experiences and frequent insufficient sleep in 5 U.S. States, 2009: a retrospective cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chapman Daniel P

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs have previously been demonstrated to be adversely associated with a variety of health outcomes in adulthood, their specific association with sleep among adults has not been examined. To better address this issue, this study examines the relationship between eight self-reported ACEs and frequent insufficient sleep among community-dwelling adults residing in 5 U.S. states in 2009. Methods To assess whether ACEs were associated with frequent insufficient sleep (respondent did not get sufficient rest or sleep ≥14 days in past 30 days in adulthood, we analyzed ACE data collected in the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random-digit-dialed telephone survey in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington. ACEs included physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, household mental illness, incarcerated household members, household substance abuse, parental separation/divorce, and witnessing domestic violence before age 18. Smoking status and frequent mental distress (FMD (≥14 days in past 30 days when self-perceived mental health was not good were assessed as potential mediators in multivariate logistic regression analyses of frequent insufficient sleep by ACEs adjusted for race/ethnicity, gender, education, and body mass index. Results Overall, 28.8% of 25,810 respondents reported frequent insufficient sleep, 18.8% were current smokers, 10.8% reported frequent mental distress, 59.5% percent reported ≥1 ACE, and 8.7% reported ≥ 5 ACEs. Each ACE was associated with frequent insufficient sleep in multivariate analyses. Odds of frequent insufficient sleep were 2.5 (95% CI, 2.1-3.1 times higher in persons with ≥5 ACEs compared to those with no ACEs. Most relationships were modestly attenuated by smoking and FMD, but remained significant. Conclusions Childhood exposures to eight indicators of child maltreatment and household dysfunction were significantly

Automatic detection of frequent pronunciation errors made by L2-learners

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Truong, K.P.; Neri, A.; Wet, F. de; Cucchiarini, C.; Strik, H.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we present an acoustic-phonetic approach to automatic pronunciation error detection. Classifiers using techniques such as Linear Discriminant Analysis and Decision Trees were developed for three sounds that are frequently pronounced incorrectly by L2-learners of Dutch: /a/, /y/ and

Acute calcific tendonitis of dorsal interosseous muscles of the hand: uncommon site of a frequent disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Schneider

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Acute calcific tendinopathy is one of the manifestations of hydroxyapatite crystal deposition disease. While it is more frequent in the shoulder, it has been described in virtually all areas of the body, but rarely in the muscles of the hand. Its etiopathogenesis is not yet fully understood and despite being a fairly frequent condition, it is commonly misdiagnosed. The onset of the disease is usually acute and resolves spontaneously. Acute calcific tendinitis of the interosseous tendons of the hand is an uncommon site of a frequent condition. The clinical presentation is similar to other entities, thus errors in diagnosis frequently occur, resulting in over-treatment or unnecessary tests. We describe a case of acute calcific tendinitis of the interosseous muscles of the hand with a brief review of the current literature with emphasis on diagnostic imaging methods.

Silicon Impurity Release and Surface Transformation of TiO2 Anatase and Rutile Nanoparticles in Water Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Surface transformation can affect the stability, reactivity, and toxicity of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) when released to water environments. Herein, we investigated the release kinetics of Si impurity frequently introduced during NP synthesis and the resulting ef...

The Influence of the High School Classroom Environment on Learning as Mediated by Student Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Shernoff, David J.; Ruzek, Erik A.; Sinha, Suparna

2017-01-01

Classroom learning environments are frequently assumed to exert their influence on learning indirectly, via student engagement. The present study examined the influence of environmental challenge and support on learning in high school classrooms, and the potential for student engagement to act as a mediator in this relationship. Data were…

Occurrence of Legionella pneumophila and Hartmannella vermiformis in fresh water environments and their interactions in biofilms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuiper, M.W.

2006-01-01

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is widespread in natural fresh water environments and is also frequently found in man-made water systems. Microbial biofilms and protozoa are known to play a major role in the proliferation of L. pneumophila. Biofilms provide

Characterizing the vulnerability of frequent emergency department users by applying a conceptual framework: a controlled, cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodenmann, Patrick; Baggio, Stéphanie; Iglesias, Katia; Althaus, Fabrice; Velonaki, Venetia-Sofia; Stucki, Stephanie; Ansermet, Corine; Paroz, Sophie; Trueb, Lionel; Hugli, Olivier; Griffin, Judith L; Daeppen, Jean-Bernard

2015-12-09

Frequent emergency department (ED) users meet several of the criteria of vulnerability, but this needs to be further examined taking into consideration all vulnerability's different dimensions. This study aimed to characterize frequent ED users and to define risk factors of frequent ED use within a universal health care coverage system, applying a conceptual framework of vulnerability. A controlled, cross-sectional study comparing frequent ED users to a control group of non-frequent users was conducted at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. Frequent users were defined as patients with five or more visits to the ED in the previous 12 months. The two groups were compared using validated scales for each one of the five dimensions of an innovative conceptual framework: socio-demographic characteristics; somatic, mental, and risk-behavior indicators; and use of health care services. Independent t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, Pearson's Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used for the comparison. To examine the -related to vulnerability- risk factors for being a frequent ED user, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used. We compared 226 frequent users and 173 controls. Frequent users had more vulnerabilities in all five dimensions of the conceptual framework. They were younger, and more often immigrants from low/middle-income countries or unemployed, had more somatic and psychiatric comorbidities, were more often tobacco users, and had more primary care physician (PCP) visits. The most significant frequent ED use risk factors were a history of more than three hospital admissions in the previous 12 months (adj OR:23.2, 95%CI = 9.1-59.2), the absence of a PCP (adj OR:8.4, 95%CI = 2.1-32.7), living less than 5 km from an ED (adj OR:4.4, 95%CI = 2.1-9.0), and household income lower than USD 2,800/month (adj OR:4.3, 95%CI = 2.0-9.2). Frequent ED users within a universal health coverage system form a highly

Frequent Pattern Mining of Eye-Tracking Records Partitioned into Cognitive Chunks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noriyuki Matsuda

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Assuming that scenes would be visually scanned by chunking information, we partitioned fixation sequences of web page viewers into chunks using isolate gaze point(s as the delimiter. Fixations were coded in terms of the segments in a 5×5 mesh imposed on the screen. The identified chunks were mostly short, consisting of one or two fixations. These were analyzed with respect to the within- and between-chunk distances in the overall records and the patterns (i.e., subsequences frequently shared among the records. Although the two types of distances were both dominated by zero- and one-block shifts, the primacy of the modal shifts was less prominent between chunks than within them. The lower primacy was compensated by the longer shifts. The patterns frequently extracted at three threshold levels were mostly simple, consisting of one or two chunks. The patterns revealed interesting properties as to segment differentiation and the directionality of the attentional shifts.

EFFECTIVENESS OF SECRETOLYTIC THERAPY IN REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN FREQUENTLY AILING CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.V. Kiselev

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A problem of rehabilitation of frequently ailing children (FAC is one of the actual problems in pediatrics. Disorders of mucosal immunity, depending on different factors including the state of mucociliary transport, play important role in formation of FAC group including patients with recurrent episodes of obstructive bronchitis. Morphological and functional unity of mucous tunic of respiratory tract allows determining the state of mucociliary clearance and effectiveness of secretolytic therapy by the state of mucosal tunic of nose and nasopharynx (it is the most accessible mucosal tunic for the objective examination. Specified rates of time of mucociliary transport in different groups of FAC are presented in this article. An effectiveness of mucoregulatory medication ambroxol in complex treatment of FAC with adenoids and recurrent episodes of obstructive bronchitis, and advisability of its prolonged (14–18 days use for the recovery of disturbed system of mucociliary transport were described in this article.Key words: frequently ailing children, somatotype, mucociliary clearance, treatment.

Longleaf pine restoration in context comparisons of frequent fire forests

Science.gov (United States)

Seth Bigelow; Michael C. Stambaugh; Joseph J. O' Brien; Andrew J. Larson; Michael A. Battaglia

2018-01-01

To see a frequent-fire forest burn for the first time is to experience a remarkable teat of nature. Most people are accustomed to the slow change of forests with the seasons, not the instantaneous conversion of green and brown plant mass to smoke and char. Yet to visit such a forest a week after it bums is to see bright green shoots emerging, highlighted against a...

Scalable Frequent Subgraph Mining

KAUST Repository

Abdelhamid, Ehab

2017-06-19

A graph is a data structure that contains a set of nodes and a set of edges connecting these nodes. Nodes represent objects while edges model relationships among these objects. Graphs are used in various domains due to their ability to model complex relations among several objects. Given an input graph, the Frequent Subgraph Mining (FSM) task finds all subgraphs with frequencies exceeding a given threshold. FSM is crucial for graph analysis, and it is an essential building block in a variety of applications, such as graph clustering and indexing. FSM is computationally expensive, and its existing solutions are extremely slow. Consequently, these solutions are incapable of mining modern large graphs. This slowness is caused by the underlying approaches of these solutions which require finding and storing an excessive amount of subgraph matches. This dissertation proposes a scalable solution for FSM that avoids the limitations of previous work. This solution is composed of four components. The first component is a single-threaded technique which, for each candidate subgraph, needs to find only a minimal number of matches. The second component is a scalable parallel FSM technique that utilizes a novel two-phase approach. The first phase quickly builds an approximate search space, which is then used by the second phase to optimize and balance the workload of the FSM task. The third component focuses on accelerating frequency evaluation, which is a critical step in FSM. To do so, a machine learning model is employed to predict the type of each graph node, and accordingly, an optimized method is selected to evaluate that node. The fourth component focuses on mining dynamic graphs, such as social networks. To this end, an incremental index is maintained during the dynamic updates. Only this index is processed and updated for the majority of graph updates. Consequently, search space is significantly pruned and efficiency is improved. The empirical evaluation shows that the

Mining Productive-Associated Periodic-Frequent Patterns in Body Sensor Data for Smart Home Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Walaa N; Hassan, Mohammad Mehedi

2017-04-26

The understanding of various health-oriented vital sign data generated from body sensor networks (BSNs) and discovery of the associations between the generated parameters is an important task that may assist and promote important decision making in healthcare. For example, in a smart home scenario where occupants' health status is continuously monitored remotely, it is essential to provide the required assistance when an unusual or critical situation is detected in their vital sign data. In this paper, we present an efficient approach for mining the periodic patterns obtained from BSN data. In addition, we employ a correlation test on the generated patterns and introduce productive-associated periodic-frequent patterns as the set of correlated periodic-frequent items. The combination of these measures has the advantage of empowering healthcare providers and patients to raise the quality of diagnosis as well as improve treatment and smart care, especially for elderly people in smart homes. We develop an efficient algorithm named PPFP-growth (Productive Periodic-Frequent Pattern-growth) to discover all productive-associated periodic frequent patterns using these measures. PPFP-growth is efficient and the productiveness measure removes uncorrelated periodic items. An experimental evaluation on synthetic and real datasets shows the efficiency of the proposed PPFP-growth algorithm, which can filter a huge number of periodic patterns to reveal only the correlated ones.

Mining Productive-Associated Periodic-Frequent Patterns in Body Sensor Data for Smart Home Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walaa N. Ismail

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The understanding of various health-oriented vital sign data generated from body sensor networks (BSNs and discovery of the associations between the generated parameters is an important task that may assist and promote important decision making in healthcare. For example, in a smart home scenario where occupants’ health status is continuously monitored remotely, it is essential to provide the required assistance when an unusual or critical situation is detected in their vital sign data. In this paper, we present an efficient approach for mining the periodic patterns obtained from BSN data. In addition, we employ a correlation test on the generated patterns and introduce productive-associated periodic-frequent patterns as the set of correlated periodic-frequent items. The combination of these measures has the advantage of empowering healthcare providers and patients to raise the quality of diagnosis as well as improve treatment and smart care, especially for elderly people in smart homes. We develop an efficient algorithm named PPFP-growth (Productive Periodic-Frequent Pattern-growth to discover all productive-associated periodic frequent patterns using these measures. PPFP-growth is efficient and the productiveness measure removes uncorrelated periodic items. An experimental evaluation on synthetic and real datasets shows the efficiency of the proposed PPFP-growth algorithm, which can filter a huge number of periodic patterns to reveal only the correlated ones.

A construction scheme of web page comment information extraction system based on frequent subtree mining

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaowen; Chen, Bingfeng

2017-08-01

Based on the frequent sub-tree mining algorithm, this paper proposes a construction scheme of web page comment information extraction system based on frequent subtree mining, referred to as FSM system. The entire system architecture and the various modules to do a brief introduction, and then the core of the system to do a detailed description, and finally give the system prototype.

A New Fast Vertical Method for Mining Frequent Patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhihong Deng

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Vertical mining methods are very effective for mining frequent patterns and usually outperform horizontal mining methods. However, the vertical methods become ineffective since the intersection time starts to be costly when the cardinality of tidset (tid-list or diffset is very large or there are a very large number of transactions. In this paper, we propose a novel vertical algorithm called PPV for fast frequent pattern discovery. PPV works based on a data structure called Node-lists, which is obtained from a coding prefix-tree called PPC-tree. The efficiency of PPV is achieved with three techniques. First, the Node-list is much more compact compared with previous proposed vertical structure (such as tid-lists or diffsets since transactions with common prefixes share the same nodes of the PPC-tree. Second, the counting of support is transformed into the intersection of Node-lists and the complexity of intersecting two Node-lists can be reduced to O(m+n by an efficient strategy, where m and n are the cardinalities of the two Node-lists respectively. Third, the ancestor-descendant relationship of two nodes, which is the basic step of intersecting Node-lists, can be very efficiently verified by Pre-Post codes of nodes. We experimentally compare our algorithm with FP-growth, and two prominent vertical algorithms (Eclat and dEclat on a number of databases. The experimental results show that PPV is an efficient algorithm that outperforms FP-growth, Eclat, and dEclat.

Bladder injuries frequently missed in polytrauma patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanweer Karim

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Tanweer Karim, Margaret Topno, Vinod Sharma, Raymond Picardo, Ankur HastirSurgery, MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai, IndiaAbstract: Bladder injuries are very common in patients who have had road traffic accidents. The method of diagnosis and management of such injuries is well established and accepted. However, trauma to the bladder can be associated with other life-threatening injuries which are frequently missed, and often diagnosed during laparotomy for other reasons. The aim of this study was to diagnose bladder injury in polytrauma patients as early as possible, taking into consideration the fact that these patients are hemodynamically unstable and require rapid evaluation and management. In order to achieve our objective, we used bedside sonography with retrograde instillation of normal saline to diagnose bladder injury in addition to use of the conventional retrograde cystogram.Keywords: bladder injury, bladder rupture, retrograde cystogram

Risk factors for frequent readmissions and barriers to transplantation in patients with cirrhosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swaytha Ganesh

Full Text Available Hospital readmission rate is receiving increasing regulatory scrutiny. Patients with cirrhosis have high hospital readmissions rates but the relationship between frequent readmissions and barriers to transplantation remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to determine risk factors for frequent readmissions among patients with cirrhosis and identify barriers to transplantation in this population.We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 587 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of cirrhosis admitted to a large tertiary care center between May 1, 2008 and May 1, 2009. Demographics, clinical factors, and outcomes were recorded. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for high readmission rates. Transplant-related factors were assessed for patients in the high readmission group.The 587 patients included in the study had 1557 admissions during the study period. A subset of 87 (15% patients with 5 or more admissions accounted for 672 (43% admissions. The factors associated with frequent admissions were non-white race (OR = 2.45, p = 0.01, diabetes (OR = 2.04, p = 0.01, higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD score (OR = 35.10, p30 and younger age (OR = 0.98, p = 0.02. Among the 87 patients with ≥5 admissions, only 14 (16% underwent liver transplantation during the study period. Substance abuse, medical co-morbidities, and low (<15 MELD scores were barriers to transplantation in this group.A small group of patients with cirrhosis account for a disproportionately high number of hospital admissions. Interventions targeting this high-risk group may decrease frequent hospital readmissions and increase access to transplantation.

Association between frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and breast cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajan Raghu

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Eighty percent of all breast cancers and almost 90% of breast cancer deaths occur among post-menopausal women. We used a nested case control design to examine the association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID use and breast cancer occurrence among women over 65 years of age. The cyclooxygenase (COX-2 enzyme is expressed more in breast cancers than in normal breast tissue. COX-2 inhibition may have a role in breast cancer prevention. Methods In the Canadian province of Quebec, physician services are covered through a governmental insurance plan. Medication costs are covered for those ≥ 65 years of age and a publicly funded screening program for breast cancer targets all women 50 years of age or older. We obtained encrypted data from these insurance databases on all women ≥ 65 years of age who filled a prescription for COX-2 inhibitors, non-selective NSAIDs (ns-NSAIDs, aspirin, or acetaminophen between January 1998 and December 2002. Cases were defined as those women who have undergone mammography between April 2001 and June 2002 and had a diagnosis of breast cancer within six months following mammography. Controls included those who have undergone mammography between April 2001 and June 2002 without a diagnosis of any cancer during the six months following mammography. The exposure of interest, frequent NSAID use, was defined as use of ns-NSAIDs and/or COX-2 inhibitors for ≥ 90 days during the year prior to mammography. Frequent use served as a convenient proxy for long term chronic use. Results We identified 1,090 cases and 44,990 controls. Cases were older and more likely to have breast cancer risk factors. Logistic regression models adjusting for potential confounders showed that frequent use of ns-NSAIDs and/or COX-2 inhibitors was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer (OR: 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.64–0.89. Results were similar for COX-2 inhibitors (0.81, 0.68–0.97 and ns-NSAIDs (0

The influence of family environment on dissociation in pediatric injury patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, Nicole R; Sledjeski, Eve M; Christopher, Norman C; Delahanty, Douglas L

2011-10-01

Emerging support for the roles of both early trauma and family environment in the development of dissociative symptomatology is complicated by the frequent co-occurrence of dysfunctional family environments and childhood maltreatment. The present investigation prospectively examined the influence of family environment on dissociative symptom course in 82 youths (8-18 years) who experienced accidental injury. The primary caretaker reported on six-week family environment (including family cohesion and adaptability) and on youth symptoms of dissociation prior to injury at six weeks and at six months; dissociation prior to injury was assessed via retrospective parent account at the six-week timepoint. Adolescents (aged 11-18) also reported on their own dissociative symptoms at six weeks. Latent growth modeling indicated that youth in more cohesive family environments evidenced decreased symptoms of dissociation at the six-week intercept (z = -2.80). Furthermore, parent income was negatively related to symptoms of dissociation at intercept (z = -1.96) and parent education was associated with a decrease in youth dissociation symptoms over time (z = -2.57). The present findings provide support for the importance of acute family environment in pediatric post-injury adjustment and further highlight the importance of parent resources, including income and education, in post-injury adjustment.

Characteristics of women who frequently under report their energy intake: a doubly labelled water study.

Science.gov (United States)

Scagliusi, F B; Ferriolli, E; Pfrimer, K; Laureano, C; Cunha, C S F; Gualano, B; Lourenço, B H; Lancha, A H

2009-10-01

We applied three dietary assessment methods and aimed at obtaining a set of physical, social and psychological variables that can discriminate those individuals who did not underreport ('never under-reporters'), those who underreported in one dietary assessment method ('occasional under-reporters') and those who underreported in two or three dietary assessment methods ('frequent under-reporters'). Sixty-five women aged 18-57 years were recruited for this study. Total energy expenditure was determined by doubly labelled water, and energy intake was estimated by three 24-h diet recalls, 3-day food records and a food frequency questionnaire. A multiple discriminant analysis was used to identify which of those variables better discriminated the three groups: body mass index (BMI), income, education, social desirability, nutritional knowledge, dietary restraint, physical activity practice, body dissatisfaction and binge-eating symptoms. Twenty-three participants were 'never under-reporters'. Twenty-four participants were 'occasional under-reporters' and 18 were 'frequent under-reporters'. Four variables entered the discriminant model: income, BMI, social desirability and body dissatisfaction. According to potency indices, income contributed the most to the total discriminant power, followed in decreasing order by social desirability score, BMI and body dissatisfaction. Income, social desirability and BMI were the characteristics that mainly separated the 'never under-reporters' from the under-reporters (occasional or frequent). Body dissatisfaction better discriminated the 'occasional under-reporters' from the 'frequent under-reporters'. 'Frequent under-reporters' have a greater BMI, social desirability score, body dissatisfaction score and lower income. These four variables seemed to be able to discriminate individuals who are more prone to systematic under reporting.

Systematic comparative content analysis of 17 psychosocial work environment questionnaires using a new taxonomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kop, Jean-Luc; Althaus, Virginie; Formet-Robert, Nadja; Grosjean, Vincent

2016-04-01

Many questionnaires have been developed to measure how psychosocial characteristics are perceived in a work environment. But the content validity of these questionnaires has rarely been questioned due to the absence of a reference taxonomy for characteristics of work environments. To propose an exhaustive taxonomy of work environment characteristics involved in psychosocial risks and to apply this taxonomy to questionnaires on workplace psychosocial factors. The taxonomy was developed by categorizing factors present in the main theoretical models of the field. Questionnaire items most frequently cited in scientific literature were retained for classification. The taxonomy was structured into four hierarchical levels and comprises 53 categories. The 17 questionnaires analyzed included 927 items: 59 from the "physical environment" category, 116 from the "social environment" category, 236 from the "work activity" category, 255 from the "activity management" category, and 174 from the "organizational context" category. There are major content differences among analyzed questionnaires. This study offers a means for selecting a scale on the basis of content.

Socio-economic differences in predictors of frequent dairy food consumption among Australian adolescents: a longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Lena D; McNaughton, Sarah A; Crawford, David; Ball, Kylie

2015-12-01

Sufficient dairy food consumption during adolescence is necessary for preventing disease. While socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents tend to consume few dairy foods, some eat quantities more in line with dietary recommendations despite socio-economic challenges. Socio-economic variations in factors supportive of adolescents' frequent dairy consumption remain unexplored. The present study aimed to identify cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between intrapersonal, social and environmental factors and adolescents' frequent dairy consumption at baseline and two years later across socio-economic strata, and to examine whether socio-economic position moderated observed effects. Online surveys completed at baseline (2004-2005) and follow-up (2006-2007) included a thirty-eight-item FFQ and questions based on social ecological models examining intrapersonal, social and environmental dietary influences. Thirty-seven secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. Australian adolescents (n 1201) aged 12-15 years, drawn from a sub-sample of 3264 adolescents (response rate=33%). While frequent breakfast consumption was cross-sectionally associated with frequent dairy consumption among all adolescents, additional associated factors differed by socio-economic position. Baseline dairy consumption longitudinally predicted consumption at follow-up. No further factors predicted frequent consumption among disadvantaged adolescents, while four additional factors were predictive among advantaged adolescents. Socio-economic position moderated two predictors; infrequently eating dinner alone and never purchasing from school vending machines predicted frequent consumption among advantaged adolescents. Nutrition promotion initiatives aimed at improving adolescents' dairy consumption should employ multifactorial approaches informed by social ecological models and address socio-economic differences in influences on eating behaviours; e.g., selected intrapersonal factors among all

Does the Number of Pharmacies a Patient Frequents Affect Adherence to Statins?

Science.gov (United States)

Christie, Russell; Sketris, Ingrid; Andreou, Pantalis; Holbrook, Anne; Levy, Adrian; Tamim, Hala

2017-05-06

We hypothesized that medication adherence is affected by the number of pharmacies a patient frequents. The objective was to estimate the strength of association between the number of pharmacies a patient frequents and adherence to statins. Using administrative data from the Nova Scotia Seniors' Pharmacare program, a retrospective cohort study was conducted among subjects aged 65 years and older first dispensed statin between 1998 and 2008. The Usual Provider of Care (UPC), was defined as the number of dispensation days from the most frequented pharmacy divided by the total number of dispensation days. Estimated adherence of over 80% of the Medication Possession Ratio was defined as adherent. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression. The cohort of 25,641 subjects was 59% female with a mean age of 74 years. During follow-up, subjects filled prescriptions in a median of 2 (mean = 2; standard deviation = 0.88) pharmacies and visited pharmacies a median of 28 (mean = 30) times. During that time, 61% of patients used one pharmacy exclusively. Among subjects using 1 pharmacy, 59% were adherent while 58% using more than one pharmacy were adherent. However, upon adjustment for differences in distributions of age, sex, and other confounders, subjects who used more than one pharmacy had 10% decreased odds of statin adherence (odds ratio: 0.90, 95% confidence interval: 0.86-0.96). These results were robust in sensitivity analyses. Among seniors newly starting statin therapy, using a single community pharmacy was modestly associated with adherence.

Esomeprazole treatment of frequent heartburn: two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Peura, David A; Traxler, Barry; Kocun, Christopher; Lind, Tore

2014-07-01

To determine the efficacy of a 14-day regimen of esomeprazole 20 mg for the treatment of frequent heartburn in subjects who are likely to self-treat with over-the-counter medications without consulting a health care provider. Adults with frequent heartburn ≥ 2 days per week in the past 4 weeks were randomly assigned to 14-day double-blind treatment with esomeprazole 20 mg once daily or placebo in 2 identical multicenter studies (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01370525, NCT01370538). The primary efficacy outcome was percentage of heartburn-free 24-hour days across 14 days. Secondary efficacy outcomes included heartburn resolution, defined as heartburn ≤ 2 days over 14 days, and percentages of subjects reporting ≤ 1 day with heartburn in the first and final weeks of treatment. Subjects recorded data in daily self-assessment diaries. The percentage of heartburn-free 24-hour days over 14 days was significantly higher (P heartburn resolution over 14 days and in the first and final weeks compared with placebo. Within the first 4 days, the proportion of subjects with heartburn-free days was significantly greater with esomeprazole 20 mg versus placebo. Treatment was generally well tolerated, with a safety pattern consistent with the known profile for esomeprazole. A 14-day regimen of esomeprazole 20 mg once daily was effective for treating frequent heartburn in subjects who are likely to self-treat with over-the-counter medications.

Association of general psychological factors with frequent attendance in primary care: a population-based cross-sectional observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajek, André; Bock, Jens-Oliver; König, Hans-Helmut

2017-03-24

Whereas several studies have examined the association between frequent attendance in primary care and illness-specific psychological factors, little is known about the relation between frequent attendance and general psychological factors. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between being a frequent attender in primary care and general psychological factors. Data were used from a large, population-based sample of community-dwelling individuals aged 40 and above in Germany in 2014 (n = 7,446). Positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-regulation were included as general psychological factors. The number of self-reported GP visits in the past twelve months was used to quantify frequency of attendance; individuals with more than 9 visits (highest decile) were defined as frequent attenders. Multiple logistic regressions showed that being a frequent attender was positively associated with less life satisfaction [OR: 0.79 (0.70-0.89)], higher negative affect [OR: 1.38 (1.17-1.62)], less self-efficacy [OR: 0.74 (0.63-0.86)], less self-esteem [OR: 0.65 (0.54-0.79)], less self-regulation [OR: 0.74 (0.60-0.91)], and higher perceived stress [OR: 1.46 (1.28-1.66)], after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, morbidity and lifestyle factors. However, frequent attendance was not significantly associated with positive affect and self-regulation. The present study highlights the association between general psychological factors and frequent attendance. As frequent GP visits produce high health care costs and are potentially associated with increased referrals and use of secondary health care services, this knowledge might help to address these individuals with high needs.

Effects of frequent hemodialysis on perceived caregiver burden in the Frequent Hemodialysis Network trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Suri, Rita S; Larive, Brett; Hall, Yoshio; Kimmel, Paul L; Kliger, Alan S; Levin, Nathan; Tamura, Manjula Kurella; Chertow, Glenn M

2014-05-01

Patients receiving hemodialysis often perceive their caregivers are overburdened. We hypothesize that increasing hemodialysis frequency would result in higher patient perceptions of burden on their unpaid caregivers. In two separate trials, 245 patients were randomized to receive in-center daily hemodialysis (6 days/week) or conventional hemodialysis (3 days/week) while 87 patients were randomized to receive home nocturnal hemodialysis (6 nights/week) or home conventional hemodialysis for 12 months. Changes in overall mean scores over time in the 10-question Cousineau perceived burden scale were compared. In total, 173 of 245 (70%) and 80 of 87 (92%) randomized patients in the Daily and Nocturnal Trials, respectively, reported having an unpaid caregiver at baseline or during follow-up. Relative to in-center conventional dialysis, the 12-month change in mean perceived burden score with in-center daily hemodialysis was -2.1 (95% confidence interval, -9.4 to +5.3; P=0.58). Relative to home conventional dialysis, the 12-month change in mean perceived burden score with home nocturnal dialysis was +6.1 (95% confidence interval, -0.8 to +13.1; P=0.08). After multiple imputation for missing data in the Nocturnal Trial, the relative difference between home nocturnal and home conventional hemodialysis was +9.4 (95% confidence interval, +0.55 to +18.3; P=0.04). In the Nocturnal Trial, changes in perceived burden were inversely correlated with adherence to dialysis treatments (Pearson r=-0.35; P=0.02). Relative to conventional hemodialysis, in-center daily hemodialysis did not result in higher perceptions of caregiver burden. There was a trend to higher perceived caregiver burden among patients randomized to home nocturnal hemodialysis. These findings may have implications for the adoption of and adherence to frequent nocturnal hemodialysis.

Bayesian Method for Building Frequent Landsat-Like NDVI Datasets by Integrating MODIS and Landsat NDVI

OpenAIRE

Limin Liao; Jinling Song; Jindi Wang; Zhiqiang Xiao; Jian Wang

2016-01-01

Studies related to vegetation dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes often require Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets with both high spatial resolution and frequent coverage, which cannot be satisfied by a single sensor due to technical limitations. In this study, we propose a new method called NDVI-Bayesian Spatiotemporal Fusion Model (NDVI-BSFM) for accurately and effectively building frequent high spatial resolution Landsat-like NDVI datasets by integrating Moderate Resol...

Prioritizing research for trace pollutants and emerging contaminants in the freshwater environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, Kyle E., E-mail: Kyle.Murray@utsa.ed [Center for Water Research, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249-0663 (United States); Thomas, Sheeba M [San Antonio River Authority, San Antonio, TX (United States); Bodour, Adria A [Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE), Brooks City-Base, TX (United States)

2010-12-15

Organic chemicals have been detected at trace concentrations in the freshwater environment for decades. Though the term trace pollutant indicates low concentrations normally in the nanogram or microgram per liter range, many of these pollutants can exceed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Trace pollutants referred to as emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently been detected in the freshwater environment and may have adverse human health effects. Analytical techniques continue to improve; therefore, the number and frequency of detections of ECs are increasing. It is difficult for regulators to restrict use of pollutants that are a human health hazard; scientists to improve treatment techniques for higher priority pollutants; and the public to modify consumption patterns due to the vast number of ECs and the breadth of literature on the occurrence, use, and toxicity. Hence, this paper examines literature containing occurrence and toxicity data for three broad classes of trace pollutants and ECs (industrials, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)), and assesses the relevance of 71 individual compounds. The evaluation indicates that widely used industrials (BPF) and PPCPs (AHTN, HHCB, ibuprofen, and estriol) occur frequently in samples from the freshwater environment but toxicity data were not available; thus, it is important to establish their ADI. Other widely used industrials (BDE-47, BDE-99) and pesticides (benomyl, carbendazim, aldrin, endrin, ethion, malathion, biphenthrin, and cypermethrin) have established ADI values but occurrence in the freshwater environment was not well documented. The highest priority pollutants for regulation and treatment should include industrials (PFOA, PFOS and DEHP), pesticides (diazinon, methoxychlor, and dieldrin), and PPCPs (EE2, carbamazepine, {beta}E2, DEET, triclosan, acetaminophen, and E1) because they occur frequently in the freshwater environment and pose a human health hazard at

Prioritizing research for trace pollutants and emerging contaminants in the freshwater environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, Kyle E.; Thomas, Sheeba M.; Bodour, Adria A.

2010-01-01

Organic chemicals have been detected at trace concentrations in the freshwater environment for decades. Though the term trace pollutant indicates low concentrations normally in the nanogram or microgram per liter range, many of these pollutants can exceed an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans. Trace pollutants referred to as emerging contaminants (ECs) have recently been detected in the freshwater environment and may have adverse human health effects. Analytical techniques continue to improve; therefore, the number and frequency of detections of ECs are increasing. It is difficult for regulators to restrict use of pollutants that are a human health hazard; scientists to improve treatment techniques for higher priority pollutants; and the public to modify consumption patterns due to the vast number of ECs and the breadth of literature on the occurrence, use, and toxicity. Hence, this paper examines literature containing occurrence and toxicity data for three broad classes of trace pollutants and ECs (industrials, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)), and assesses the relevance of 71 individual compounds. The evaluation indicates that widely used industrials (BPF) and PPCPs (AHTN, HHCB, ibuprofen, and estriol) occur frequently in samples from the freshwater environment but toxicity data were not available; thus, it is important to establish their ADI. Other widely used industrials (BDE-47, BDE-99) and pesticides (benomyl, carbendazim, aldrin, endrin, ethion, malathion, biphenthrin, and cypermethrin) have established ADI values but occurrence in the freshwater environment was not well documented. The highest priority pollutants for regulation and treatment should include industrials (PFOA, PFOS and DEHP), pesticides (diazinon, methoxychlor, and dieldrin), and PPCPs (EE2, carbamazepine, βE2, DEET, triclosan, acetaminophen, and E1) because they occur frequently in the freshwater environment and pose a human health hazard at

Estimated Bioaccessibility to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from Frequently Consumed Dried Fruits in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nooshin Rahimzadeh

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We sought to determine levels of oral bioaccessibility of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF from frequently consumed dried fruits in Iran. Fifty samples from frequently consumed types of dried fruits were analyzed for moisture, acidity and HMF content before and after in vitro digestion. Besides, bioaccessibility of HMF in dried fruits using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestive model and HMF intake from dried fruits based on consumption of each dried fruit groups wasdetermined. The mean estimated intake of HMF was 72.90 mg/kg and the maximum intake was 240.23 mg/kg for fruit bread. The mean bioaccessibility was 60.26%. There was a correlation between HMF and acid content of fruit bread (r= 0.98, P<0.05. In conclusion, the HMF levels in dried fruits remains high even after the in vitro digestion.

Macro-environment of breast carcinoma: frequent genetic alterations in the normal appearing skins of patients with breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Moinfar, Farid; Beham, Alfred; Friedrich, Gerhard; Deutsch, Alexander; Hrzenjak, Andelko; Luschin, Gero; Tavassoli, Fattaneh A

2008-05-01

Genetic abnormalities in microenvironmental tissues with subsequent alterations of reciprocal interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells play a key role in the breast carcinogenesis. Although a few reports have demonstrated abnormal fibroblastic functions in normal-appearing fibroblasts taken from the skins of breast cancer patients, the genetic basis of this phenomenon and its implication for carcinogenesis are unexplored. We analyzed 12 mastectomy specimens showing invasive ductal carcinomas. In each case, morphologically normal epidermis and dermis, carcinoma, normal stroma close to carcinoma, and stroma at a distant from carcinoma were microdissected. Metastatic-free lymphatic tissues from lymph nodes served as a control. Using PCR, DNA extracts were examined with 11 microsatellite markers known for a high frequency of allelic imbalances in breast cancer. Losses of heterozygosity and/or microsatellite instability were detected in 83% of the skin samples occurring either concurrently with or independently from the cancerous tissues. In 80% of these cases at least one microsatellite marker displayed loss of heterozygosity or microsatellite instability in the skin, which was absent in carcinoma. A total of 41% of samples showed alterations of certain loci observed exclusively in the carcinoma but not in the skin compartments. Our study suggests that breast cancer is not just a localized genetic disorder, but rather part of a larger field of genetic alterations/instabilities affecting multiple cell populations in the organ with various cellular elements, ultimately contributing to the manifestation of the more 'localized' carcinoma. These data indicate that more global assessment of tumor micro- and macro-environment is crucial for our understanding of breast carcinogenesis.

Frequent use of household cleaning products is associated with rhinitis in Chinese children.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xudong; Lao, Xiang Qian; Wong, Claudie Chiu-Yi; Tan, Lixing; Zhang, Zilong; Wong, Tze Wai; Tse, Lap-Ah; Lau, Arthur P S; Yu, Ignatius T S

2016-09-01

Despite the popular use of household cleaning products worldwide, there is no published study investigating the health effects of these products on rhinitis in children. We sought to investigate the household use of cleaning products and rhinitis patterns in Chinese children. A total of 2299 children were recruited from 21 primary schools with wide geographic coverage in Hong Kong. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by parents/guardians to collect detailed information on respiratory symptoms and household use of 14 types of chemical cleaning products, as well as clean water. Students were categorized into 4 mutually exclusive rhinitis patterns (never, occasional, frequent, and persistent). The total chemical burden (TCB) score was used as the exposure indicator by calculating the total time of exposure to the 14 cleaning products. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between rhinitis patterns and the use of household cleaning products. Every 10-unit increment of TCB score was associated with an increase in the odds of occasional (odds ratio [OR], 1.21; 95% CI, 1.05-1.41), frequent (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.13-1.60), and persistent (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.56) rhinitis after adjustment for a wide range of potential confounders. Compared with the children within the lowest tertile of TCB scores, the adjusted ORs of occasional, frequent, and persistent rhinitis in children within the highest tertile were 1.29 (95% CI, 1.01-1.65), 1.97 (95% CI, 1.40-2.76), and 1.67 (95% CI, 1.10-2.54), respectively. Frequent use of chemical cleaning products at home is associated with an increase in the odds of rhinitis in Chinese primary school children. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequently Asked Questions in Fire Probabilistic Safety Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Dae Il; Kim, Kil Yoo; Park, Gee Yong

2010-05-01

The FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions) in the Fire Probabilistic Safety Assessment(FPSA) are the issues occurred during performing the engineering evaluation based on NFPA-805. In this report, the background and resolutions are reviewed and described for 17 FAQs related to FPSA among 57 FAQs. The current FAQs related to FPSA are the issues concerning to NUREG/CR-6850, and are almost resolved but for the some FAQ, the current resolutions would be changed depending on the results of the future or on-going research. Among FAQs related to FPSA, best estimate approaches are suggested concerning to the conservative method of NUREG/CR-6850. If these best estimate solutions are used in the FPSA of nuclear power plants, realistic evaluation results of fire risk would be obtained

Turning Off Frequently Overridden Drug Alerts: Limited Opportunities for Doing It Safely

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I.H. van der Sijs (Heleen); J.E.C.M. Aarts (Jos); T. van Gelder (Teun); M. Berg (Marc); A.G. Vulto (Arnold)

2008-01-01

textabstractObjectives: This study sought to identify opportunities to safely turn off frequently overridden drug-drug interaction alerts (DDIs) in computerized physician order entry (CPOE). Design: Quantitative retrospective analysis of drug safety alerts overridden during 1 month and qualitative

Fractures and Osteomalacia in a Patient Treated With Frequent Home Hemodialysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanudel, Mark R; Froch, Larry; Gales, Barbara; Jüppner, Harald; Salusky, Isidro B

2017-09-01

Bone deformities and fractures are common consequences of renal osteodystrophy in the dialysis population. Persistent hypophosphatemia may be observed with more frequent home hemodialysis regimens, but the specific effects on the skeleton are unknown. We present a patient with end-stage renal disease treated with frequent home hemodialysis who developed severe bone pain and multiple fractures, including a hip fracture and a tibia-fibula fracture complicated by nonunion, rendering her nonambulatory and wheelchair bound for more than a year. A bone biopsy revealed severe osteomalacia, likely secondary to chronic hypophosphatemia and hypocalcemia. Treatment changes included the addition of phosphate to the dialysate, a higher dialysate calcium concentration, and increased calcitriol dose. Several months later, the patient no longer required a wheelchair and was able to ambulate without pain. Repeat bone biopsy revealed marked improvements in bone mineralization and turnover parameters. Also, with increased dialysate phosphate and calcium concentrations, as well as increased calcitriol, circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 levels increased. Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Point-of-purchase tobacco environments and variation by store type--United States, 1999.

Science.gov (United States)

2002-03-08

To promote its products, the tobacco industry spent $8.2 billion on marketing in 1999, an increase of $1.5 billion over the previous year. Tobacco advertising in various media increases tobacco consumption and adolescents are more susceptible than adults to being influenced by some forms of tobacco advertising. To describe the retail tobacco advertising and marketing environment, researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored ImpacTeen Project collected and analyzed store observation data in 163 communities throughout the United States. This report summarizes the extent of point-of-purchase (POP) tobacco advertising and marketing found in various types of stores. The findings in this report indicate that certain retail environments frequented by teenagers heavily promote tobacco use. To reduce demand for tobacco products among adolescents, public health efforts should address POP environment exposure to tobacco advertising and marketing.

Cool, callous and in control: superior inhibitory control in frequent players of video games with violent content

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, Robert G; Palumbo, Robert; Garbarino, James; Silton, Rebecca L

2017-01-01

Abstract Research on the effects of media violence exposure has shown robust associations among violent media exposure, increased aggressive behavior, and decreased empathy. Preliminary research indicates that frequent players of violent video games may have differences in emotional and cognitive processes compared to infrequent or nonplayers, yet research examining the amount and content of game play and the relation of these factors with affective and cognitive outcomes is limited. The present study measured neural correlates of response inhibition in the context of implicit attention to emotion, and how these factors are related to empathic responding in frequent and infrequent players of video games with graphically violent content. Participants completed a self-report measure of empathy as well as an affective stop-signal task that measured implicit attention to emotion and response inhibition during electroencephalography. Frequent players had lower levels of empathy as well as a reduction in brain activity as indicated by P100 and N200/P300 event related potentials. Reduced P100 amplitude evoked by happy facial expressions was observed in frequent players compared to infrequent players, and this effect was moderated by empathy, such that low levels of empathy further reduced P100 amplitudes for happy facial expressions for frequent players compared to infrequent players. Compared to infrequent players, frequent players had reduced N200/P300 amplitude during response inhibition, indicating less neural resources were recruited to inhibit behavior. Results from the present study illustrate that chronic exposure to violent video games modulates empathy and related neural correlates associated with affect and cognition. PMID:29040750

Development of an assessment of functioning scale for prison environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Deborah; Wakai, Sara

2015-01-01

This paper reports the development of a global assessment of functioning (GAF), modified from the DSM Axis V GAF for the prison environment. Focus groups, which were conducted with 36 correctional officers and clinicians in two prisons, provided descriptions of behavior in prison settings to re-align the GAF scale. Face validity was established. It was found that Habitation/Behavior, Social, and Symptoms emerged as important domains of functioning in prison. Gender differences were noted with regard to cleanliness, relationships and coping strategies. The cut-off score was identified at a score where offenders were unable to participate in a disciplinary process due to their mental illness. The structure of prison alters human functioning, requiring different assessment language and ratings to measure perceived behavioral norms and/or expectations. Front-line staff need the ability to observe and communicate behavioral changes quickly and accurately in a prison environment without undue burden upon their workload. This assessment was modified by front-line staff specifically for the prison environment to document quick and frequent assessments of observed changes over time in the offender population.

Determinants of frequent Internet use in an urban kidney transplant population in the United States: characterizing the digital divide.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, Mark; Saunders, Milda; Josephson, Michelle A; Becker, Yolanda T; Lee, Christopher

2015-03-01

The Internet is a staple of electronic communication and is essential to the emerging telemonitoring and health information technology interventions for adults with chronic diseases. To identify determinants of frequent Internet use in an urban kidney transplant population in the United States. A single center, cross-sectional survey study. An urban Midwestern transplant center. 78 pretransplant and 177 posttransplant patients. Frequent Internet use, defined as using the Internet more than 5 hours per week. Only 38% of participants reported being frequent Internet users. Non-Hispanic blacks and participants who reported their race/ethnicity as "other" were significantly less likely than whites to report being frequent Internet users. Women were 59% less likely than men to be frequent users of the Internet. Those who reported having kidney disease for more than 3 years were more likely to report being frequent Internet users. As education increased, Internet use increased. As age increased, Internet use decreased. Alternatives to electronic information sources and/or additional resources should be considered for those who may fall in the so-called digital divide.

Factors influencing the effectiveness of clinical learning environment in nursing education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Gurková

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of the cross-sectional descriptive study was to investigate how nursing students evaluate particular factors of clinical learning environment during their professional placement in hospitals. We explored which factors of clinical environment contribute significantly to students' evaluation of it. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: The sample included 503 nursing students in their second or third year of study at six Slovak universities. A valid and reliable questionnaire, the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale (CLES+T, was used to evaluate the student nurses' experiences and clinical placement. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square test, multifactorial ANOVA procedure and Pearsons' correlations, and p-value < 0.05 was taken to indicate statistical significance for all comparisons. Results: A significant proportion of students experienced a traditional model of group supervision. Supervision method, supervisory session frequency, and duration of clinical placement had a significant impact on their evaluation of clinical environments. Conclusion: Supervision methods are a significant factor influencing student evaluation of their clinical placement environment. Compared to other European studies, we found a less frequent application of individual supervision and that the Slovak university setting is dominated by a traditional group model of supervision. The study offers a valuable insight into the analysis of factors contributing to improvements in clinical learning environment and models of clinical or workplace training.

In situ bioremediation strategies for oiled shoreline environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K.; Mora, S. de

1999-01-01

Despite advances in preventative measures, recent events have demonstrated that accidental oil spills at sea will still occur. While physical (e.g. booms and skimmers) and chemical (e.g. chemical dispersants) methods have been developed to recover and/or disperse oil spilled at sea, they are not 100% effective and are frequently limited by operational constraints attributed to sea state and/or nature of the contamination. As a result, oil spills frequently impact shoreline environments. In situ bioremediation, the addition of substances or modification of habitat at contaminated sites to accelerate natural biodegradation processes, is now recognised as an alternative spill response technology of the remediation of these sites. Recommended for use following the physical removal of bulk oil, this treatment strategy has an operational advantage in that it breaks down and/or removes the residual contamination in place. Laboratory experiments and field trials have demonstrated the feasibility and success of bioremediation strategies such as nutrient enrichment to enhance bacterial degradation of oil on cobble, sand beach and salt marsh environments. With improved knowledge of the factors that limit natural oil degradation rates, the feasibility of other strategies such as phytoremediation, enhanced oil-mineral fines interaction and the addition of oxygen or alternative electron acceptors are now being evaluated. Laboratory and field test protocols are being refined for the selection of effective bioremediation agents and methods of application. It is recommended that future operational guidelines include real time product efficacy test and environmental effects monitoring programs. Termination of treatment should be implemented when: 1) it is no longer effective; 2) the oil has degraded to acceptable biologically benign concentrations; or 3) toxicity due to the treatment is increasing. (Author)

Approximating Frequent Items in Asynchronous Data Stream over a Sliding Window

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ting, Hing-Fung; Lee, Lap Kei; Chan, Ho-Leung

2011-01-01

with sufficient accuracy. Prior to our work, the best solution is given by Cormode et al. [1], who gave an O (1/ε log W log (εB/ log W) min {log W, 1/ε} log |U|)- space data structure that can approximate the frequent items within an ε error bound, where W and B are parameters of the sliding window, and U...

The physical environment mediates male harm and its effect on selection in females.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, Li; Chen, Patrick J; Singh, Amardeep; Agrawal, Aneil F; Rundle, Howard D

2017-07-12

Recent experiments indicate that male preferential harassment of high-quality females reduces the variance in female fitness, thereby weakening natural selection through females and hampering adaptation and purging. We propose that this phenomenon, which results from a combination of male choice and male-induced harm, should be mediated by the physical environment in which intersexual interactions occur. Using Drosophila melanogaster , we examined intersexual interactions in small and simple (standard fly vials) versus slightly more realistic (small cages with spatial structure) environments. We show that in these more realistic environments, sexual interactions are less frequent, are no longer biased towards high-quality females, and that overall male harm is reduced. Next, we examine the selective advantage of high- over low-quality females while manipulating the opportunity for male choice. Male choice weakens the viability advantage of high-quality females in the simple environment, consistent with previous work, but strengthens selection on females in the more realistic environment. Laboratory studies in simple environments have strongly shaped our understanding of sexual conflict but may provide biased insight. Our results suggest that the physical environment plays a key role in the evolutionary consequences of sexual interactions and ultimately the alignment of natural and sexual selection. © 2017 The Author(s).

RESULTS OF MULTICENTER STUDY OF PIDOTIMOD FOR THE PROPHYLAXIS OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS IN FREQUENTLY AILING CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.S. Namazova-Baranova

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes actual pediatric problem — frequent development of respiratory infections in children. Authors present the results of Russian multicenter study of effectiveness and safety of pidotimod (Imunorix in frequently ailing children. It was shown that treatment with pidotimod during 30 days resulted in decreased rate of acute respiratory infections and their complications including ones with necessity of antibacterial therapy compared to children from control group. The dynamics of immunological rates in blood serum was studied.Key words: frequently ailing children, acute respiratory infections, prophylaxis, pidotimod.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2010;9(2:40-44

Latent resilience in ponderosa pine forest: effects of resumed frequent fire.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Andrew J; Belote, R Travis; Cansler, C Alina; Parks, Sean A; Dietz, Matthew S

2013-09-01

Ecological systems often exhibit resilient states that are maintained through negative feedbacks. In ponderosa pine forests, fire historically represented the negative feedback mechanism that maintained ecosystem resilience; fire exclusion reduced that resilience, predisposing the transition to an alternative ecosystem state upon reintroduction of fire. We evaluated the effects of reintroduced frequent wildfire in unlogged, fire-excluded, ponderosa pine forest in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, USA. Initial reintroduction of fire in 2003 reduced tree density and consumed surface fuels, but also stimulated establishment of a dense cohort of lodgepole pine, maintaining a trajectory toward an alternative state. Resumption of a frequent fire regime by a second fire in 2011 restored a low-density forest dominated by large-diameter ponderosa pine by eliminating many regenerating lodgepole pines and by continuing to remove surface fuels and small-diameter lodgepole pine and Douglas-fir that established during the fire suppression era. Our data demonstrate that some unlogged, fire-excluded, ponderosa pine forests possess latent resilience to reintroduced fire. A passive model of simply allowing lightning-ignited fires to burn appears to be a viable approach to restoration of such forests.

Why eat at fast-food restaurants: reported reasons among frequent consumers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rydell, Sarah A; Harnack, Lisa J; Oakes, J Michael; Story, Mary; Jeffery, Robert W; French, Simone A

2008-12-01

A convenience sample of adolescents and adults who regularly eat at fast-food restaurants were recruited to participate in an experimental trial to examine the effect of nutrition labeling on meal choices. As part of this study, participants were asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with 11 statements to assess reasons for eating at fast-food restaurants. Logistic regression was conducted to examine whether responses differed by demographic factors. The most frequently reported reasons for eating at fast-food restaurants were: fast food is quick (92%), restaurants are easy to get to (80%), and food tastes good (69%). The least frequently reported reasons were: eating fast food is a way of socializing with family and friends (33%), restaurants have nutritious foods to offer (21%), and restaurants are fun and entertaining (12%). Some differences were found with respect to the demographic factors examined. It appears that in order to reduce fast-food consumption, food and nutrition professionals need to identify alternative quick and convenient food sources. As motivation for eating at fast-food restaurants appears to differ somewhat by age, sex, education, employment status, and household size, tailored interventions could be considered.

Run-Time and Compiler Support for Programming in Adaptive Parallel Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guy Edjlali

1997-01-01

Full Text Available For better utilization of computing resources, it is important to consider parallel programming environments in which the number of available processors varies at run-time. In this article, we discuss run-time support for data-parallel programming in such an adaptive environment. Executing programs in an adaptive environment requires redistributing data when the number of processors changes, and also requires determining new loop bounds and communication patterns for the new set of processors. We have developed a run-time library to provide this support. We discuss how the run-time library can be used by compilers of high-performance Fortran (HPF-like languages to generate code for an adaptive environment. We present performance results for a Navier-Stokes solver and a multigrid template run on a network of workstations and an IBM SP-2. Our experiments show that if the number of processors is not varied frequently, the cost of data redistribution is not significant compared to the time required for the actual computation. Overall, our work establishes the feasibility of compiling HPF for a network of nondedicated workstations, which are likely to be an important resource for parallel programming in the future.

Frequent gene conversion events between the X and Y homologous chromosomal regions in primates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hirai Hirohisa

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mammalian sex-chromosomes originated from a pair of autosomes. A step-wise cessation of recombination is necessary for the proper maintenance of sex-determination and, consequently, generates a four strata structure on the X chromosome. Each stratum shows a specific per-site nucleotide sequence difference (p-distance between the X and Y chromosomes, depending on the time of recombination arrest. Stratum 4 covers the distal half of the human X chromosome short arm and the p-distance of the stratum is ~10%, on average. However, a 100-kb region, which includes KALX and VCX, in the middle of stratum 4 shows a significantly lower p-distance (1-5%, suggesting frequent sequence exchanges or gene conversions between the X and Y chromosomes in humans. To examine the evolutionary mechanism for this low p-distance region, sequences of a corresponding region including KALX/Y from seven species of non-human primates were analyzed. Results Phylogenetic analysis of this low p-distance region in humans and non-human primate species revealed that gene conversion like events have taken place at least ten times after the divergence of New World monkeys and Catarrhini (i.e., Old World monkeys and hominoids. A KALY-converted KALX allele in white-handed gibbons also suggests a possible recent gene conversion between the X and Y chromosomes. In these primate sequences, the proximal boundary of this low p-distance region is located in a LINE element shared between the X and Y chromosomes, suggesting the involvement of this element in frequent gene conversions. Together with a palindrome on the Y chromosome, a segmental palindrome structure on the X chromosome at the distal boundary near VCX, in humans and chimpanzees, may mediate frequent sequence exchanges between X and Y chromosomes. Conclusion Gene conversion events between the X and Y homologous regions have been suggested, mainly in humans. Here, we found frequent gene conversions in the

Impacts of Frequent Burning on Live Tree Carbon Biomass and Demography in Post-Harvest Regrowth Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke Collins

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The management of forest ecosystems to increase carbon storage is a global concern. Fire frequency has the potential to shift considerably in the future. These shifts may alter demographic processes and growth of tree species, and consequently carbon storage in forests. Examination of the sensitivity of forest carbon to the potential upper and lower extremes of fire frequency will provide crucial insight into the magnitude of possible change in carbon stocks associated with shifts in fire frequency. This study examines how tree biomass and demography of a eucalypt forest regenerating after harvest is affected by two experimentally manipulated extremes in fire frequency (i.e., ~3 year fire intervals vs. unburnt sustained over a 23 year period. The rate of post-harvest biomass recovery of overstorey tree species, which constituted ~90% of total living tree biomass, was lower within frequently burnt plots than unburnt plots, resulting in approximately 20% lower biomass in frequently burnt plots by the end of the study. Significant differences in carbon biomass between the two extremes in frequency were only evident after >15–20 years of sustained treatment. Reduced growth rates and survivorship of smaller trees on the frequently burnt plots compared to unburnt plots appeared to be driving these patterns. The biomass of understorey trees, which constituted ~10% of total living tree biomass, was not affected by frequent burning. These findings suggest that future shifts toward more frequent fire will potentially result in considerable reductions in carbon sequestration across temperate forest ecosystems in Australia.

Repeated evolution of amphibious behavior in fish and its implications for the colonization of novel environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Ord, Terry J; Cooke, Georgina M

2016-08-01

We know little about on how frequently transitions into new habitats occur, especially the colonization of novel environments that are the most likely to instigate adaptive evolution. One of the most extreme ecological transitions has been the shift in habitat associated with the move from water to land by amphibious fish. We provide the first phylogenetic investigation of these transitions for living fish. Thirty-three families have species reported to be amphibious and these are likely independent evolutionary origins of fish emerging onto land. Phylogenetic reconstructions of closely related taxa within one of these families, the Blenniidae, inferred as many as seven convergences on a highly amphibious lifestyle. Taken together, there appear to be few constraints on fish emerging onto land given amphibious behavior has evolved repeatedly many times across ecologically diverse families. The colonization of novel habitats by other taxa resulting in less dramatic changes in environment should be equally, if not, more frequent in nature, providing an important prerequisite for subsequent adaptive differentiation. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution © 2016 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Geographical Distribution of the Most Frequent Mutations of Familial Mediterranean fever in the World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soraya Hadi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF is an autosomal recessive disease. Generally, the Mediterranean basin is the region where the first cases of FMF have been identified. The gene responsible for FMF is gene MEFV. Disease occurs due to mutations in the gene MEFV. Our aim was to determine the geographical distribution of the most frequent mutations in Familial Mediterranean Fever Disease in the world. Material and Methods: In this study, databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, Ovid, IranMedex, Irandoc, SID, Magiran and published papers were searched with no limitation in time. Then, all collected studies without any limitation were assessed to determine relevant studies. At the end, world map of the most frequent mutations of FMF was generated by Geographical Information System (GIS software. Results: Although more than 290 mutations of the MEFV gene have been described, only four mutations (M694V, M694I, V726A, and E148Q were prevalent among patients with FMF. Conclusion: The most frequent mutation associated with FMF mutation is M694V all over the world. E148Q mutation was found to be with mild clinical relevance.

Cool, callous and in control: superior inhibitory control in frequent players of video games with violent content.

Science.gov (United States)

Stockdale, Laura; Morrison, Robert G; Palumbo, Robert; Garbarino, James; Silton, Rebecca L

2017-12-01

Research on the effects of media violence exposure has shown robust associations among violent media exposure, increased aggressive behavior, and decreased empathy. Preliminary research indicates that frequent players of violent video games may have differences in emotional and cognitive processes compared to infrequent or nonplayers, yet research examining the amount and content of game play and the relation of these factors with affective and cognitive outcomes is limited. The present study measured neural correlates of response inhibition in the context of implicit attention to emotion, and how these factors are related to empathic responding in frequent and infrequent players of video games with graphically violent content. Participants completed a self-report measure of empathy as well as an affective stop-signal task that measured implicit attention to emotion and response inhibition during electroencephalography. Frequent players had lower levels of empathy as well as a reduction in brain activity as indicated by P100 and N200/P300 event related potentials. Reduced P100 amplitude evoked by happy facial expressions was observed in frequent players compared to infrequent players, and this effect was moderated by empathy, such that low levels of empathy further reduced P100 amplitudes for happy facial expressions for frequent players compared to infrequent players. Compared to infrequent players, frequent players had reduced N200/P300 amplitude during response inhibition, indicating less neural resources were recruited to inhibit behavior. Results from the present study illustrate that chronic exposure to violent video games modulates empathy and related neural correlates associated with affect and cognition. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

The Trump Administrations March 2017 Defense Budget Proposals: Frequently Asked Questions

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-03

The Trump Administration’s March 2017 Defense Budget Proposals: Frequently Asked Questions Pat Towell Specialist in U.S. Defense Policy and...Budget Lynn M. Williams Analyst in U.S. Defense Budget Policy April 3, 2017 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R44806 The Trump ...8 The Trump Administration’s March 2017 Defense Budget Proposals: FAQs Congressional Research Service 1 Introduction On

Frequent Frames as a Cue for Grammatical Categories in Child Directed Speech

Science.gov (United States)

Mintz, Toben H.

2003-01-01

This paper introduces the notion of frequent frames, distributional patterns based on co-occurrence patterns of words in sentences, then investigates the usefulness of this information in grammatical categorization. A frame is defined as two jointly occurring words with one word intervening. Qualitative and quantitative results from distributional…

Cancer mortality among women frequently exposed to radiographic examinations for spinal disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ronckers, Cécile M.; Land, Charles E.; Miller, Jeremy S.; Stovall, Marilyn; Lonstein, John E.; Doody, Michele M.

2010-01-01

We studied cancer mortality in a cohort of 5,573 women with scoliosis and other spine disorders who were diagnosed between 1912 and 1965 and were exposed to frequent diagnostic X-ray procedures. Patients were identified from medical records in 14 orthopedic medical centers in the United States and

Detection time for THC in oral fluid after frequent cannabis smoking.

Science.gov (United States)

Andås, Hilde T; Krabseth, Hege-Merete; Enger, Asle; Marcussen, Bjarne N; Haneborg, An-Magritt; Christophersen, Asbjørg S; Vindenes, Vigdis; Øiestad, Elisabeth L

2014-12-01

The use of oral fluid for detecting drugs of abuse has become increasingly more frequent. Few studies have, however, investigated the detection times for drugs of abuse in oral fluid, compared with that of in urine or in blood. Cannabis is the world's most widely used drug of abuse, and the detection times for cannabis, in different types of matrixes, are therefore important information to the laboratories or institutions performing and evaluating drugs of abuse analyses. It is well known that frequent use of high dosages of cannabis, for longer periods of time, might lead to prolonged detection times for THC-COOH in urine. Cannabis intake is detected in oral fluid as THC, and a positive finding is considered to be a result of recent smoking, although some studies have already reported longer detection times. The aim of this study was to investigate the detection time for THC in oral fluid, collected from drug addicts admitted for detoxification. Findings in oral fluid were compared with findings in urine, among 26 patients admitted to a closed detoxification unit. The study, being the first in doing so, describes the concentration-time profiles for THC in oral fluid among chronic cannabis users, during monitored abstinence, using the Intercept collection kit. The study also includes the concentration-time profiles for creatinine-corrected THC-COOH ratios in urine samples, included to monitor for the possibility of new intakes. THC was detected in oral fluid collected from 11 of the 26 patients in the study. The elimination curves for THC in oral fluid revealed that negative samples could be interspersed among positive samples several days after cessation, whereas the THC-COOH concentrations in urine were decreasing. THC was, in this study, detected in oral fluid for up to 8 days after admission. The study shows that frequent use of high dosages of cannabis may lead to prolonged detection times, and that positive samples can be interspersed among negative samples

Transgelin gene is frequently downregulated by promoter DNA hypermethylation in breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayar, Nilufer; Karahan, Gurbet; Konu, Ozlen; Bozkurt, Betul; Bozdogan, Onder; Yulug, Isik G

2015-01-01

CpG hypermethylation in gene promoters is a frequent mechanism of tumor suppressor gene silencing in various types of cancers. It usually occurs at early steps of cancer progression and can be detected easily, giving rise to development of promising biomarkers for both detection and progression of cancer, including breast cancer. 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (AZA) is a DNA demethylating and anti-cancer agent resulting in induction of genes suppressed via DNA hypermethylation. Using microarray expression profiling of AZA- or DMSO-treated breast cancer and non-tumorigenic breast (NTB) cells, we identified for the first time TAGLN gene as a target of DNA hypermethylation in breast cancer. TAGLN expression was significantly and frequently downregulated via promoter DNA hypermethylation in breast cancer cells compared to NTB cells, and also in 13/21 (61.9 %) of breast tumors compared to matched normal tissues. Analyses of public microarray methylation data showed that TAGLN was also hypermethylated in 63.02 % of tumors compared to normal tissues; relapse-free survival of patients was worse with higher TAGLN methylation; and methylation levels could discriminate between tumors and healthy tissues with 83.14 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity. Additionally, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments showed that TAGLN expression was significantly downregulated in two more independent sets of breast tumors compared to normal tissues and was lower in tumors with poor prognosis. Colony formation was increased in TAGLN silenced NTB cells, while decreased in overexpressing BC cells. TAGLN gene is frequently downregulated by DNA hypermethylation, and TAGLN promoter methylation profiles could serve as a future diagnostic biomarker, with possible clinical impact regarding the prognosis in breast cancer.

Exposure research going mobile: A smartphone-based measurement of media exposure to political information in a convergent media environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ohme, J.; Albæk, E.; de Vreese, C.H.

2016-01-01

In today’s convergent media environment, media exposure becomes increasingly channel-independent and social media-bound, and media content is more frequently accessed on mobile devices. This calls for new approaches to measuring media exposure. This study applies an innovative approach to survey (n

A search for covert precipitating clinical parameters in frequent exacerbators of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ankit Bhatia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Acute exacerbations are a significant source of morbidity and mortality associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. Some patients suffer an inordinate number of exacerbations while others remain relatively protected. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentially modifiable precipitating parameters of frequent severe exacerbations requiring hospital admission in COPD. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients admitted with acute exacerbation of COPD for a period of one year in a tertiary care hospital were evaluated prospectively. Data regarding the number of exacerbations in the previous year, current comorbidities, medications, and clinical and functional status of COPD patients were evaluated. Results: We included 98 COPD patients (81.63% men admitted consecutively with exacerbations in our department. The mean number of severe exacerbations was (2.42 per patient/per year, and 65% of the patients had frequent severe exacerbations. Multivariate analysis indicated that serum uric acid, serum total IgE, depression and anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, air pollution, poor adherence to inhaled therapy, and irregular outpatient followup visits were independent predictors of frequent severe exacerbations. Conclusion: COPD patients with frequent exacerbations should be carefully assessed for modifiable confounding risk factors regardless of poor lung function to decrease exacerbation frequency and related poor prognosis. Raised serum total IgE levels may point towards atopy as an additional comorbidity in COPD while uric acid can have a clinically useful role in risk stratification in a primary care setting.

Dichlobenil and 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) in the environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Björklund, Erland; Styrishave, Bjarne; Anskjær, Gitte Gotholdt

2011-01-01

Dichlobenil is a herbicide widely used for weed control, mainly in non-agricultural areas and in the aquatic environment. When released into the environment, dichlobenil can undergo many processes such as vaporization to air, binding to soil and sediment, as well as degradation to a number of new...... compounds. The main metabolite is 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) which is water soluble and causes ground water contamination. It is frequently found in levels exceeding maximum allowed concentrations of pesticides and metabolites in ground water (0.1 μg/L) set by the European Commission. The environmental...... distribution of both dichlobenil and BAM was outlined and the risk quotients were calculated for biota and for humans. For organisms living in aquatic habitats, risk quotients were low for both dichlobenil and BAM, approximately 0.02 for dichlobenil and 2.4·10(-4) to 1.3·10(-3) for BAM. For humans, a margin...

Optical diagnostics in the advanced test accelerator (ATA) environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chong, Y.P.; Cornish, J.P.; Donnelly, D.

1987-05-01

The ATA is a 50-MeV, 10-kA, 70-ns pulsed electron beam accelerator that generates an extremely harsh environment for diagnostic measurements. Diagnostic targets placed in the beamline are subject to damage, frequently being destroyed by a single pulse. High radiation (x-ray, gamma, and neutron) and electromagnetic interference levels preclude placing components near the beamline that are susceptible to radiation damage. Examples of such components are integrated circuit elements, hydrocarbons such as Teflon insulation, and optical components that darken, resulting in transmission loss. Optical diagnostics play an important part in measuring experimental parameters such as the beam current density profile. A large number of optical lines of sight (LOS) are routinely deployed along the experimental beamlines that use the ATA beam. Gated TV cameras are located outside the accelerator tunnel, because the tunnel is inaccessible during operations. We will describe and discuss the difficulties, problems, and solutions encountered in making optical measurements in the ATA environment

Brain intrinsic network connectivity in individuals with frequent tanning behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Ketcherside, Ariel; Filbey, Francesca M; Aubert, Pamela M; Seibyl, John P; Price, Julianne L; Adinoff, Bryon

2018-05-01

Emergent studies suggest a bidirectional relationship between brain functioning and the skin. This neurocutaneous connection may be responsible for the reward response to tanning and, thus, may contribute to excessive tanning behavior. To date, however, this association has not yet been examined. To explore whether intrinsic brain functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) is related to indoor tanning behavior. Resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) was obtained in twenty adults (16 females) with a history of indoor tanning. Using a seed-based [(posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)] approach, the relationship between tanning severity and FC strength was assessed. Tanning severity was measured with symptom count from the Structured Clinical Interview for Tanning Abuse and Dependence (SITAD) and tanning intensity (lifetime indoor tanning episodes/years tanning). rsFC strength between the PCC and other DMN regions (left globus pallidus, left medial frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus) is positively correlated with tanning symptom count. rsFC strength between the PCC and salience network regions (right anterior cingulate cortex, left inferior parietal lobe, left inferior temporal gyrus) is correlated with tanning intensity. Greater connectivity between tanning severity and DMN and salience network connectivity suggests that heightened self-awareness of salient stimuli may be a mechanism that underlies frequent tanning behavior. These findings add to the growing evidence of brain-skin connection and reflect dysregulation in the reward processing networks in those with frequent tanning.

Cerebral venous thrombosis study by magnetic resonance. A not frequent pathology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagel, J.; Miralles, S.; Singerman, L.; Neuman, J.

2007-01-01

The cerebral venous thrombosis constitutes a neurological disorder not frequent, potentially reversible with a early diagnosis. Exist multiple causative factors and its clinical manifestation is diverse, for which the images studies represents the first diagnostic when it is clinically suspected. The intention of the work is to carry out a bibliographical review of the cerebral venous thrombosis and to show the sequences for magnetic nuclear resonance for the diagnosis [es

Sialorrhoea: How to Manage a Frequent Complication of Motor Neuron Disease

OpenAIRE

Andrea Pellegrini; Christian Lunetta; Carlo Ferrarese; Lucio Tremolizzo

2015-01-01

Sialorrhoea, the unintentional loss of saliva through the mouth, is the frequent complication of neurological disorders affecting strength or coordination of oropharyngeal muscles, such as motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (MND/ALS) or Parkinson’s disease. Sialorrhoea might affect up to 42% of ALS patients, with almost half of them having poorly managed symptoms. Sialorrhoea can impair patients’ social life, while dermatological complications, such as skin rashes, may arise d...

Radon and its short-lived decay nuclides in the living environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Siro

1988-01-01

The problem about radon and its shortlived decay nuclides in the living environment has been frequently closed-up. The problem is focused on the exposure of human being due to radon and its progeny. This paper reports the reason to the occurrence of the problem. Radon source as well as its pathway into our rooms are outlined here. The behavior of radon and its progeny indoors is also shown in this paper in comparison with outdoor situation and from the persons' activity's point of view. (author)

Precession mechanism of spin relaxation at frequent electron-electron collisions

CERN Document Server

Glazov, M M

2002-01-01

It is shown that the spin relaxation mechanism in the two-dimensional electron gas, is controlled not only through the electron pulse relaxation processes, determining the mobility, but through the electron-electron collisions as well. It is decided to use the kinetic equation, describing the electron spin mixing in the k-space, for determining the spin relaxation time tau sub s at frequent electron-electron collisions. The tau sub s time is calculated for the nondegenerated electron gas both with an account and with no account of the exchange interaction

Supporting Frequent Updates in R-Trees: A Bottom-Up Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Mong Li; Hsu, Wynne; Jensen, Christian Søndergaard

2003-01-01

Advances in hardware-related technologies promise to enable new data management applications that monitor continuous processes. In these applications, enormous amounts of state samples are obtained via sensors and are streamed to a database. Further, updates are very frequent and may exhibit...... and aims to improve update performance. It has different levels of reorganization—ranging from global to local—during updates, avoiding expensive top-down updates. A compact main-memory summary structure that allows direct access to the R-tree index nodes is used together with efficient bottom...

Coital frequency and infertility: which male factors predict less frequent coitus among infertile couples?

Science.gov (United States)

Perlis, Nathan; Lo, Kirk C; Grober, Ethan D; Spencer, Leia; Jarvi, Keith

2013-08-01

To determine the coital frequency among infertile couples and which factors are associated with less frequent coitus. Cross-sectional study. Tertiary-level male infertility clinic. A total of 1,298 infertile men. Administration of computer-based survey, semen analysis, and serum hormone evaluation. Monthly coital frequency. A total of 1,298 patients presented to clinic for infertility consultation and completed the computer-based survey. The median male age was 35 years (interquartile range [IQR] 32-39 years) and the median duration of infertility was 2 years (IQR 1-4 years) before consultation. Median monthly coital frequency was seven (IQR 5-10; range 0-40); 24% of couples were having intercourse ≤ 4 times per month. Overall, 0.6%, 2.7%, 4.8%, 5.8%, and 10.8% of the men reported having intercourse 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 times per month, respectively. When simultaneously taking into account the influence of age, libido, erectile function, and semen volume on coital frequency, older patients had 1.05 times higher odds (per year of age) of less frequent coitus (odds ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.08). In addition, patients with better erectile function had 1.12 times higher odds (per point on Sexual Health Inventory for Men scale) of more frequent coitus (odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.18). Similar to the general population, most infertile couples report having coitus more than four times per month. Older male age and erectile dysfunction are independent risk factors for less frequent coitus among infertile men, which could have an impact on fertility. Coital frequency should be considered in infertility assessments. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A scalable method for identifying frequent subtrees in sets of large phylogenetic trees.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramu, Avinash; Kahveci, Tamer; Burleigh, J Gordon

2012-10-03

We consider the problem of finding the maximum frequent agreement subtrees (MFASTs) in a collection of phylogenetic trees. Existing methods for this problem often do not scale beyond datasets with around 100 taxa. Our goal is to address this problem for datasets with over a thousand taxa and hundreds of trees. We develop a heuristic solution that aims to find MFASTs in sets of many, large phylogenetic trees. Our method works in multiple phases. In the first phase, it identifies small candidate subtrees from the set of input trees which serve as the seeds of larger subtrees. In the second phase, it combines these small seeds to build larger candidate MFASTs. In the final phase, it performs a post-processing step that ensures that we find a frequent agreement subtree that is not contained in a larger frequent agreement subtree. We demonstrate that this heuristic can easily handle data sets with 1000 taxa, greatly extending the estimation of MFASTs beyond current methods. Although this heuristic does not guarantee to find all MFASTs or the largest MFAST, it found the MFAST in all of our synthetic datasets where we could verify the correctness of the result. It also performed well on large empirical data sets. Its performance is robust to the number and size of the input trees. Overall, this method provides a simple and fast way to identify strongly supported subtrees within large phylogenetic hypotheses.

Mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis frequently remains unrecorded in subjects with craniofacial fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Puljula, Jussi; Cygnel, Hanna; Mäkinen, Elina; Tuomivaara, Veli; Karttunen, Vesa; Karttunen, Ari; Hillbom, Matti

2012-12-01

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in subjects with craniofacial fractures are usually diagnosed by emergency room physicians. We investigated how often TBI remains unrecorded in these subjects, and whether diagnostic accuracy has improved after the implementation of new TBI guidelines. All subjects with craniofacial fractures admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1999 and in 2007 were retrospectively identified. New guidelines for improving the diagnostic accuracy of TBI were implemented between 2000 and 2006. Clinical symptoms of TBI were gathered from notes on hospital charts and compared to the recorded diagnoses at discharge. Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors for TBI to remain unrecorded. Of 194 subjects with craniofacial fracture, 111(57%) had TBI, 40 in 1999 and 71 in 2007. Fifty-one TBIs (46%) remained unrecorded at discharge, 48 being mild and 3 moderate-to-severe. Subjects with unrecorded TBI were significantly less frequently referred to follow-up visits. Failures to record the TBI diagnosis were less frequent (29/71, 41%) in 2007 than in 1999 (22/40, 55%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The most significant independent predictor for this failure was the clinical specialty (other than neurology/neurosurgery) of the examining physician (palcohol intoxication did not hamper the diagnosis of TBI. TBIs remain frequently unrecorded in subjects with craniofacial fractures. Recording of mild TBI slightly but insignificantly improved after the implementation of new guidelines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Virtual reality for accessibility assessment of a built environment for a wheelchair user

OpenAIRE

MOUSSAOUI, Abdelhak; PRUSKI, Alain; MAAOUI, Choubeila

2012-01-01

The aging world population requires more attention to the autonomy of individuals. The impaired physical abilities need changes in the built environment for an optimal use. Due to physical limitations, aged persons frequently become users of a wheelchair which also leads to limitations in accessing their homes. This paper describes a tool for evaluating mobility and grasping, thus allowing housing professionals to assess the needed changes in terms of accessibility. This tool, which uses the ...

Patterns of magnetic resonance imaging bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis--which bones are most frequently involved and show the most change?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ostergaard, Mikkel; Møller Døhn, Uffe; Duer-Jensen, Anne

2011-01-01

To investigate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which bones in wrists and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints most frequently show bone erosions, and which most frequently demonstrate erosive progression, in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).......To investigate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which bones in wrists and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints most frequently show bone erosions, and which most frequently demonstrate erosive progression, in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA)....

About some frequent objections on the civil nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manicore, J.M.

2002-06-01

The author brings information on the advantages of the nuclear energy for the electric power production, in the context of the energy demand increase. He tries to identify the controversy subjects and opposes arguments in favor of the nuclear energy: environment, prices, energy recovery, wastes, safety, nuclear accidents. (A.L.B.)

Frequently asked questions in hypoxia research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenger RH

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Roland H Wenger,1,2 Vartan Kurtcuoglu,1,2 Carsten C Scholz,1,2 Hugo H Marti,3 David Hoogewijs1,2,4 1Institute of Physiology and Zurich Center for Human Physiology (ZIHP, University of Zurich, 2National Center of Competence in Research “Kidney.CH”, Zurich, Switzerland; 3Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, 4Institute of Physiology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany Abstract: “What is the O2 concentration in a normoxic cell culture incubator?” This and other frequently asked questions in hypoxia research will be answered in this review. Our intention is to give a simple introduction to the physics of gases that would be helpful for newcomers to the field of hypoxia research. We will provide background knowledge about questions often asked, but without straightforward answers. What is O2 concentration, and what is O2 partial pressure? What is normoxia, and what is hypoxia? How much O2 is experienced by a cell residing in a culture dish in vitro vs in a tissue in vivo? By the way, the O2 concentration in a normoxic incubator is 18.6%, rather than 20.9% or 20%, as commonly stated in research publications. And this is strictly only valid for incubators at sea level. Keywords: gas laws, hypoxia-inducible factor, Krogh tissue cylinder, oxygen diffusion, partial pressure, tissue oxygen levels

Absence of frequent herpesvirus transmission in a nonhuman primate predator-prey system in the wild.

Science.gov (United States)

Murthy, Sripriya; Couacy-Hymann, Emmanuel; Metzger, Sonja; Nowak, Kathrin; De Nys, Helene; Boesch, Christophe; Wittig, Roman; Jarvis, Michael A; Leendertz, Fabian H; Ehlers, Bernhard

2013-10-01

Emergence of viruses into the human population by transmission from nonhuman primates (NHPs) represents a serious potential threat to human health that is primarily associated with the increased bushmeat trade. Transmission of RNA viruses across primate species appears to be relatively frequent. In contrast, DNA viruses appear to be largely host specific, suggesting low transmission potential. Herein, we use a primate predator-prey system to study the risk of herpesvirus transmission between different primate species in the wild. The system was comprised of western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and their primary (western red colobus, Piliocolobus badius badius) and secondary (black-and-white colobus, Colobus polykomos) prey monkey species. NHP species were frequently observed to be coinfected with multiple beta- and gammaherpesviruses (including new cytomegalo- and rhadinoviruses). However, despite frequent exposure of chimpanzees to blood, organs, and bones of their herpesvirus-infected monkey prey, there was no evidence for cross-species herpesvirus transmission. These findings suggest that interspecies transmission of NHP beta- and gammaherpesviruses is, at most, a rare event in the wild.

How do brochures encourage walking in natural environments in the UK? A content analysis.

OpenAIRE

Elliott, LR; White, MP; Taylor, AH; Abraham, C

2016-01-01

Although walking for leisure can support health, there has been little systematic attempt to consider how recreational walking is best promoted. In the UK, local authorities create promotional materials for walking networks, but little is known about whether they effectively encourage walking through persuasive messaging. Many of these materials pertain to walks in natural environments which evidence suggests are generally visited less frequently by physically inactive individuals. Consequent...

The role of natural environments in the evolution of resistance traits in pathogenic bacteria

OpenAIRE

Martinez, Jose L.

2009-01-01

Antibiotics are among the most valuable compounds used for fighting human diseases. Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria have evolved towards resistance. One important and frequently forgotten aspect of antibiotics and their resistance genes is that they evolved in non-clinical (natural) environments before the use of antibiotics by humans. Given that the biosphere is mainly formed by micro-organisms, learning the functional role of antibiotics and their resistance elements in nature has releva...

Memory complaints are frequent but qualitatively different in young and elderly healthy people

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ginó, Sandra; Mendes, Tiago; Maroco, João; Ribeiro, Filipa; Schmand, Ben A.; de Mendonça, Alexandre; Guerreiro, Manuela

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: Subjective memory complaints are frequently reported by the elderly. There is less information about the characterization of subjective memory complaints in young people. OBJECTIVE: To determine different memory complaints between young and elderly people with the use of the Subjective

Memory complaints are frequent but qualitatively different in young and elderly healthy people

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ginó, S.; Mendes, T.; Maroco, J.; Ribeiro, F.; Schmand, B.A.; de Mendonca, A.; Guerreiro, M.

2010-01-01

Background: Subjective memory complaints are frequently reported by the elderly. There is less information about the characterization of subjective memory complaints in young people. Objective: To determine different memory complaints between young and elderly people with the use of the Subjective

Competition and facilitation structure plant communities under nurse tree canopies in extremely stressful environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Namazi, Ali A; El-Bana, Magdy I; Bonser, Stephen P

2017-04-01

Nurse plant facilitation in stressful environments can produce an environment with relatively low stress under its canopy. These nurse plants may produce the conditions promoting intense competition between coexisting species under the canopy, and canopies may establish stress gradients, where stress increases toward the edge of the canopy. Competition and facilitation on these stress gradients may control species distributions in the communities under canopies. We tested the following predictions: (1) interactions between understory species shift from competition to facilitation in habitats experiencing increasing stress from the center to the edge of canopy of a nurse plant, and (2) species distributions in understory communities are controlled by competitive interactions at the center of canopy, and facilitation at the edge of the canopy. We tested these predictions using a neighbor removal experiment under nurse trees growing in arid environments. Established individuals of each of four of the most common herbaceous species in the understory were used in the experiment. Two species were more frequent in the center of the canopy, and two species were more frequent at the edge of the canopy. Established individuals of each species were subjected to neighbor removal or control treatments in both canopy center and edge habitats. We found a shift from competitive to facilitative interactions from the center to the edge of the canopy. The shift in the effect of neighbors on the target species can help to explain species distributions in these canopies. Canopy-dominant species only perform well in the presence of neighbors in the edge microhabitat. Competition from canopy-dominant species can also limit the performance of edge-dominant species in the canopy microhabitat. The shift from competition to facilitation under nurse plant canopies can structure the understory communities in extremely stressful environments.

Protection of the environment against emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wentzel, K F

1966-05-01

Gas exposure experiments with plants do not reflect their relative resistance to air pollutants in nature. For example, such experiments showed that vegetables are the plants most sensitive to air pollutants. If the environment is observed closely, however, it will be found that deciduous trees show symptoms of air pollution damage much earlier. This can be explained by the fact that vegetables are frequently protected by buildings or trees. Thus, plant resistance cannot be evaluated correctly without taking the environment into account. With this approach, it can be concluded that coniferous trees are hardest hit by air pollution. If they grow in the vicinity of a deciduous forest, they will disappear first. However, crops and deciduous trees can still be grown in industrial areas. There are three ways to protect coniferous trees in an industrial area: by good stack gas dispersion using high stacks; by cleaning the raw material or by using non-toxic material; and by removing dust and pollutants from the emissions. Despite such measures, a minimum of air pollution will remain. In view of this fact, pollution-resistant plants ought to be selected for cultivation in such areas; their growth conditions (soil, water supply, etc.) must be optimized, and a belt of protective plants must be created. 24 references, 4 figures.

Do the physical and environment PETTLEP elements predict sport imagery ability?

Science.gov (United States)

Anuar, Nurwina; Williams, Sarah E; Cumming, Jennifer

2017-11-01

The present study aimed to examine whether physical and environment elements of PETTLEP imagery relate to the ability to image five types of sport imagery (i.e. skill, strategy, goal, affect and mastery). Two hundred and ninety participants (152 males, 148 females; M age  = 20.24 years, SD = 4.36) from various sports completed the Sport Imagery Ability Questionnaire (SIAQ), and a set of items designed specifically for the study to assess how frequently participants incorporate physical (e.g. 'I make small movements or gestures during the imagery') and environment (e.g. 'I image in the real training/competition environment') elements of PETTLEP imagery. Structural equation modelling tested a hypothesised model in which imagery priming (i.e. the best fitting physical and environment elements) significantly and positively predicted imagery ability of the different imagery types (skill, β = 0.38; strategy, β = 0.23; goal, β = 0.21; affect, β = 0.25; mastery, β = 0.22). The model was a good fit to the data: χ 2 (174) = 263.87, p environment elements is associated with better skill, strategy, goal, affect and mastery imagery ability. The findings extend models of imagery use by indicating that how athletes images may influence their imagery ability.

Retrieval program system of Chinese Evaluated (frequently useful) Nuclear Decay Database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Xiaolong; Zhou Chunmei

1995-01-01

The Chinese Evaluated (frequently useful) Nuclear Decay Database has been set up in MICRO-VAX-11 computer at Chinese Nuclear Data Center (CNDC). For users' convenience, the retrieval program system of the database is written. Retrieval can be carried out for one nucleus or multi-nucleus. The retrieved results can be displayed on terminal screen or output to M3081 printer and laser printer in ENSDF format, table report or scheme diagrams

Crime: impacts of urban design and environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paula Santana

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The criminal research has confirmed that there are clear patterns of crime, with concentrations in specific places at specific times. That is to say, incidence of crime are not distributed randomly; rather, there are certain areas in cities that are relatively small, but where crimes occur much more frequently than elsewhere (the so-called “hotspots”, making them highly vulnerable and predictable. Urban design and environment may play a part in the decision of whether or not to commit a crime; for example, the lack of natural vigilance, poor lighting and other variables mean that a small area may easily be transformed into a potential crime hotspot. The relationship between specific aspects of urban design and the formation of “hotspots” is present in the theory of “Crime Prevention through Environmental Design” (CPTED. This paper examines the relationship between the “hotspots” and the characteristics of the environment, in accordance with CPTED Index, in one city from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Amadora. The results highlight the need to reassess specific elements of urban design. This fact has drawn attention to the study of localities and urban design.

Daily variations in pathogenic bacterial populations in a monsoon influenced tropical environment

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Khandeparker, L.; Anil, A.C.; Naik, S.D.; Gaonkar, C.C.

and an assessment of the health of such an ecosystem benefits from high resolution observations. Virulent pathogenic Vibrio species are expected more frequently in tropical marine environments, since the virulence gene expression seems to increase at elevated... cells ml−1 (July 2009) to 5.9 x 107 cells ml−1 (February 2011) (Fig. 2b). Inter annual variations point out that the total bacterial abundance increased 5 from 2009 to 2011, while the viable bacterial numbers decreased. Complex physical, chemical...

Key factors of case management interventions for frequent users of healthcare services: a thematic analysis review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudon, Catherine; Chouinard, Maud-Christine; Lambert, Mireille; Diadiou, Fatoumata; Bouliane, Danielle; Beaudin, Jérémie

2017-10-22

The aim of this paper was to identify the key factors of case management (CM) interventions among frequent users of healthcare services found in empirical studies of effectiveness. Thematic analysis review of CM studies. We built on a previously published review that aimed to report the effectiveness of CM interventions for frequent users of healthcare services, using the Medline, Scopus and CINAHL databases covering the January 2004-December 2015 period, then updated to July 2017, with the keywords 'CM' and 'frequent use'. We extracted factors of successful (n=7) and unsuccessful (n=6) CM interventions and conducted a mixed thematic analysis to synthesise findings. Chaudoir's implementation of health innovations framework was used to organise results into four broad levels of factors: (1) ,environmental/organisational level, (2) practitioner level, (3) patient level and (4) programme level. Access to, and close partnerships with, healthcare providers and community services resources were key factors of successful CM interventions that should target patients with the greatest needs and promote frequent contacts with the healthcare team. The selection and training of the case manager was also an important factor to foster patient engagement in CM. Coordination of care, self-management support and assistance with care navigation were key CM activities. The main issues reported by unsuccessful CM interventions were problems with case finding or lack of care integration. CM interventions for frequent users of healthcare services should ensure adequate case finding processes, rigorous selection and training of the case manager, sufficient intensity of the intervention, as well as good care integration among all partners. Other studies could further evaluate the influence of contextual factors on intervention impacts. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted

PROGRAM RATIONALE OF TREATMENT AND PREVENTION IN CHILDREN WITH FREQUENT RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Deryusheva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The results of complex clinical and laboratory examination of 146 children aged 2—3 years attending kindergarten were presented. The leading predictors of frequent respiratory disease: disturbance of microbiocenosis oropharyngeal mucosa, immunoglobulins decrease, respiratory allergic pathology were established and scientifically substantiated. The results obtained prove the main directions of therapeutic and preventive measures.

Frequent video-game playing in young males is associated with central adiposity and high-sugar, low-fibre dietary consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Mario, Siervo; Hannah, Cameron; Jonathan, Wells C K; Jose, Lara

2014-12-01

Video-game playing is associated with an increased obesity risk. The association of video-game playing with body composition, physical activity and eating behaviour was investigated. A total of 45 young males (age range 18-27 years, BMI range 18.5-35.1 kg/m(2)) were recruited. Measurements of body composition and blood pressure were performed. The EPIC-FFQ questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake. A questionnaire battery was administered to assess physical activity, eating behaviour, sleep quality and frequency of video-game playing (hours/week). Subjects were categorised into frequent (>7 h/week) and non-frequent (≤7 h/week) players. Frequent video-game players had greater waist circumference and fat mass. Video-game playing was significantly associated with high added sugar and low fibre consumption. A higher level of dietary restraint was observed in non-frequent video-game users. These preliminary results identify frequent video-game playing as an important lifestyle behaviour which may have important implications for understanding obesity risk in young male adults.

Thermal equilibrium control by frequent bang-bang modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Cheng-Xi; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2010-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the non-Markovian heat transfer between a weakly damped harmonic oscillator (system) and a thermal bath. When the system is initially in a thermal state and not correlated with the environment, the mean energy of the system always first increases, then oscillates, and finally reaches equilibrium with the bath, no matter what the initial temperature of the system is. Moreover, the heat transfer between the system and the bath can be controlled by fast bang-bang modulation. This modulation does work on the system, and temporarily inverts the direction of heat flow. In this case, the common sense that heat always transfers from hot to cold does not hold any more. At the long time scale, a new dynamic equilibrium is established between the system and the bath. At this equilibrium, the energy of the system can be either higher or lower than its normal equilibrium value. A comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the dynamic equilibrium and the parameters of the modulation as well as the environment is presented.

Efficacy of inosine pranobex in frequently ill children with chronic Epstein–Barr virus infection: randomized study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.N. Simovanyan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available High incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI in immunocompromised frequently ill children with chronic Epstein–Barr infection forces the prescription of drugs with complex antivirus and immunocorrecting effect. The objective: to study the efficacy of inosine pranobex (Isoprinosine in treatment of active Epstein–Barr virus infection in frequently ill children. Methods: patients were randomized in group of standard treatment (n = 24 and standard treatment + inosine pranobex 50 mg/kg of body weight divided to 3–4 parts daily (3 courses of 10 days every other 10 days. Primary efficacy criterion was the incidence of ARI episodes during 12 months of observation. Results: the treatment with inosine pranobex resulted in decrease of incidence (4 and 25% and duration of ARI (5.6 ± 1.2 and 8.8 ± 3.3 days compared to standard treatment. Besides, inosine pranobex decreased the frequency of lymphoproliferation, arthralgic and cardiac syndromes, favored to rapid elimination of serologic markers of Epstein–Barr virus replication and normalization of blood concentrations of interferon _ and interleukine 4. Side effects of treatment with inosine pranobex were not registered. Conclusion: inosine pranobex is efficient and safe drug in treatment of active form of chronic Epstein–Barr virus infection in frequently ill children.Key words: frequently ill children, Epstein–Barr virus, inosine pranobex, treatment.

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A FREQUENT WORK-RELATED ILLNESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Cannizzaro

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD is an anxiety disorder that results from exposure to a traumatic event, and is characterized by hypermnesia of the traumatic event with frequent re-experiencing of the tragic occurrence, hyperarousal, and avoidance behaviour. Depression, anxiety, sleep dysfunction and substance abuse are also commonly reported. PTSD is highly prevalent both in the general population and in certain occupations that are particularly exposed to life-threatening situations, physically and psychological demanding activities, and physical assault, such as rescue workers, firefighters and paramedics. Recent advances in the comprehension of the epidemiology, physiopathology and clinical presentation of PTSD could push toward increased identification of this common psychiatric disorder with significant reflections on the chances of successful treatment.

Gas Adsorption in Novel Environments, Including Effects of Pore Relaxation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, Milton W; Gatica, Silvina M; Kim, Hye-Young; Lueking, Angela D; Sircar, Sarmishtha

2012-01-01

Adsorption experiments have been interpreted frequently with simplified model geometries, such as ideally flat surfaces and slit or cylindrical pores. Recent explorations of unusual environments, such as fullerenes and metal-organic-framework materials, have led to a broadened scope of experimental, theoretical and simulation investigations. This paper reviews a number of such studies undertaken by our group. Among the topics receiving emphasis are these: universality of gas uptake in pores, relaxation of a porous absorbent due to gas uptake and the novel phases of gases on a single nanotube, all of which studies have been motivated by recent experiments.

Interactive browsing of 3D environment over the Internet

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Cha; Li, Jin

2000-12-01

In this paper, we describe a system for wandering in a realistic environment over the Internet. The environment is captured by the concentric mosaic, compressed via the reference block coder (RBC), and accessed and delivered over the Internet through the virtual media (Vmedia) access protocol. Capturing the environment through the concentric mosaic is easy. We mount a camera at the end of a level beam, and shoot images as the beam rotates. The huge dataset of the concentric mosaic is then compressed through the RBC, which is specifically designed for both high compression efficiency and just-in-time (JIT) rendering. Through the JIT rendering function, only a portion of the RBC bitstream is accessed, decoded and rendered for each virtual view. A multimedia communication protocol -- the Vmedia protocol, is then proposed to deliver the compressed concentric mosaic data over the Internet. Only the bitstream segments corresponding to the current view are streamed over the Internet. Moreover, the delivered bitstream segments are managed by a local Vmedia cache so that frequently used bitstream segments need not be streamed over the Internet repeatedly, and the Vmedia is able to handle a RBC bitstream larger than its memory capacity. A Vmedia concentric mosaic interactive browser is developed where the user can freely wander in a realistic environment, e.g., rotate around, walk forward/backward and sidestep, even under a tight bandwidth of 33.6 kbps.

[Utilization of antibiotics according to most frequent indications at Hungarian hospitals and results of surveys].

Science.gov (United States)

Ternák, G; Almási, I

1997-05-25

Antibiotic utilisation of 8 Hungarian hospitals was analyzed examining the case histories of patients who were discharged between January 1 and 31, 1995. Usage of antibiotics in the most frequent indications is reported in this paper. Majority of the prescriptions for the treatment of upper and lower respiratory tract infections were broad spectrum beta lactams. Higher rate of penicillin usage was found only in tonsillitis cases. Besides II. generation cephalosporins (22.7% of 730 prescriptions), beta-lactamase inhibitor + aminopenicillin combinations (13.4%) and III. generation cephalosporins (9.5%) considerable quantity of aminoglycosides (14.9%) and quinolones (9.5%) were found in pneumonia. Relatively high rate of aminoglycosides in the treatment of lower respiratory infections is inconsistent with therapeutic guidelines in force. Co-trimoxazol and quinolones were most frequently prescribed for the treatment of lower urinary tract infections. Traditional urodesinficients were on the first place only at one hospital. Treatment of frequently occurring nosocomial infections was compared with those of community acquired at the same site. There was not significant difference in the utilisation rates of the most of antibiotic groups regarding place of disease acquisition. 44% of the 1373 prescriptions for perioperative profilaxis was indicated for clean operations where benefit of antibiotic administration is questionable. Duration of antibiotic profilaxis was more than 48 hours in 59% of prescriptions. Drugs most frequently used for perioperative profilaxis were II. generation cephalosporins (23.7%), metronidazol (16.7%), aminoglycosides (9.6%) and III. generation cephalosporines (9.6%). The authors compare their results to the literature. They suggest the setting up of "infection control committees" to organise the antibiotic policies in hospitals.

Frequent beneficial mutations during single-colony serial transfer of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen E Stevens

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The appearance of new mutations within a population provides the raw material for evolution. The consistent decline in fitness observed in classical mutation accumulation studies has provided support for the long-held view that deleterious mutations are more common than beneficial mutations. Here we present results of a study using a mutation accumulation design with the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae in which the fitness of the derived populations increased. This rise in fitness was associated specifically with adaptation to survival during brief stationary phase periods between single-colony population bottlenecks. To understand better the population dynamics behind this unanticipated adaptation, we developed a maximum likelihood model describing the processes of mutation and stationary-phase selection in the context of frequent population bottlenecks. Using this model, we estimate that the rate of beneficial mutations may be as high as 4.8×10(-4 events per genome for each time interval corresponding to the pneumococcal generation time. This rate is several orders of magnitude higher than earlier estimates of beneficial mutation rates in bacteria but supports recent results obtained through the propagation of small populations of Escherichia coli. Our findings indicate that beneficial mutations may be relatively frequent in bacteria and suggest that in S. pneumoniae, which develops natural competence for transformation, a steady supply of such mutations may be available for sampling by recombination.

Frequent gain and loss of introns in fungal cytochrome b genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang-Fen Yin

Full Text Available In this study, all available cytochrome b (Cyt b genes from the GOBASE database were compiled and the evolutionary dynamics of the Cyt b gene introns was assessed. Cyt b gene introns were frequently present in the fungal kingdom and some lower plants, but generally absent or rare in Chromista, Protozoa, and Animalia. Fungal Cyt b introns were found at 35 positions in Cyt b genes and the number of introns varied at individual positions from a single representative to 32 different introns at position 131, showing a wide and patchy distribution. Many homologous introns were present at the same position in distantly related species but absent in closely related species, suggesting that introns of the Cyt b genes were frequently lost. On the other hand, highly similar intron sequences were observed in some distantly related species rather than in closely related species, suggesting that these introns were gained independently, likely through lateral transfers. The intron loss-and-gain events could be mediated by transpositions that might have occurred between nuclear and mitochondria. Southern hybridization analysis confirmed that some introns contained repetitive sequences and might be transposable elements. An intron gain in Botryotinia fuckeliana prevented the development of QoI fungicide resistance, suggesting that intron loss-and-gain events were not necessarily beneficial to their host organisms.

A MapReduce-Based Parallel Frequent Pattern Growth Algorithm for Spatiotemporal Association Analysis of Mobile Trajectory Big Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawen Xia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Frequent pattern mining is an effective approach for spatiotemporal association analysis of mobile trajectory big data in data-driven intelligent transportation systems. While existing parallel algorithms have been successfully applied to frequent pattern mining of large-scale trajectory data, two major challenges are how to overcome the inherent defects of Hadoop to cope with taxi trajectory big data including massive small files and how to discover the implicitly spatiotemporal frequent patterns with MapReduce. To conquer these challenges, this paper presents a MapReduce-based Parallel Frequent Pattern growth (MR-PFP algorithm to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of taxi operating using large-scale taxi trajectories with massive small file processing strategies on a Hadoop platform. More specifically, we first implement three methods, that is, Hadoop Archives (HAR, CombineFileInputFormat (CFIF, and Sequence Files (SF, to overcome the existing defects of Hadoop and then propose two strategies based on their performance evaluations. Next, we incorporate SF into Frequent Pattern growth (FP-growth algorithm and then implement the optimized FP-growth algorithm on a MapReduce framework. Finally, we analyze the characteristics of taxi operating in both spatial and temporal dimensions by MR-PFP in parallel. The results demonstrate that MR-PFP is superior to existing Parallel FP-growth (PFP algorithm in efficiency and scalability.

FREQUENT SUBGRAPH MINING OF PERSONALIZED SIGNALING PATHWAY NETWORKS GROUPS PATIENTS WITH FREQUENTLY DYSREGULATED DISEASE PATHWAYS AND PREDICTS PROGNOSIS.

Science.gov (United States)

Durmaz, Arda; Henderson, Tim A D; Brubaker, Douglas; Bebek, Gurkan

2017-01-01

Large scale genomics studies have generated comprehensive molecular characterization of numerous cancer types. Subtypes for many tumor types have been established; however, these classifications are based on molecular characteristics of a small gene sets with limited power to detect dysregulation at the patient level. We hypothesize that frequent graph mining of pathways to gather pathways functionally relevant to tumors can characterize tumor types and provide opportunities for personalized therapies. In this study we present an integrative omics approach to group patients based on their altered pathway characteristics and show prognostic differences within breast cancer (p network-based classifier algorithms and showed that our unsupervised approach generates more robust and biologically relevant clustering whereas previous approaches failed to report specific functions for similar patient groups or classify patients into prognostic groups. These results could serve as a means to improve prognosis for future cancer patients, and to provide opportunities for improved treatment options and personalized interventions. The proposed novel graph mining approach is able to integrate PPI networks with gene expression in a biologically sound approach and cluster patients in to clinically distinct groups. We have utilized breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme datasets from microarray and RNA-Seq platforms and identified disease mechanisms differentiating samples. Supplementary methods, figures, tables and code are available at https://github.com/bebeklab/dysprog.

Analysis on Space Environment from the Anomalies of Geosynchronous Satellites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaejin Lee

2009-12-01

Full Text Available While it is well known that space environment can produce spacecraft anomaly, defining space environment effects for each anomalies is difficult. This is caused by the fact that spacecraft anomaly shows various symptoms and reproducing it is impossible. In this study, we try to find the conditions of when spacecraft failures happen more frequently and give satellite operators useful information. Especially, our study focuses on the geosynchronous satellites which cost is high and required high reliability. We used satellite anomaly data given by Satellite News Digest which is internet newspaper providing space industry news. In our analysis, 88 anomaly cases occurred from 1997 to 2008 shows bad corelation with Kp index. Satellite malfunctions were likely to happen in spring and fall and in local time from midnight to dawn. In addition, we found the probability of anomaly increase when high energy electron flux is high. This is more clearly appeared in solar minimum than maximum period.

Students’ perception of frequent assessments and its relation to motivation and grades in a statistics course: a pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vaessen, B.E.; van den Beemt, A.A.J.; van de Watering, G.A.; van Meeuwen, L.W.; Lemmens, A.M.C.; den Brok, P.J.

2017-01-01

This pilot study measures university students’ perceptions of graded frequent assessments in an obligatory statistics course using a novel questionnaire. Relations between perceptions of frequent assessments, intrinsic motivation and grades were also investigated. A factor analysis of the

Psychiatric status, somatisation, and health care utilization of frequent attenders at the emergency department: a comparison with routine attenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, E R; Guthrie, E; Mackway-Jones, K; James, M; Tomenson, B; Eastham, J; McNally, D

2001-03-01

Seventy-seven frequent attenders at an emergency department (ED) in an inner-city hospital in the UK (defined as seven or more visits in the previous 12 months) were compared with 182 patients who were attending the same department on a routine basis. Patients completed the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) and the Short Form (SF)-36. Information was obtained on 64% of the frequent attenders and 45% underwent a detailed psychiatric assessment. Of the frequent attenders, 45% had psychiatric disorder and 49% had some form of an alcohol-related disorder. Compared with routine attenders, frequent attenders reported lower health status, had more psychiatric disorder (odds ratio: OR=8.2, 95% confidence interval: CI=3.8--18.1), had more general hospital admissions (OR=19.9, 95% CI=8.3--47.8), more psychiatric admissions (OR=167.5, 95% CI=9.5--2959.0), and more GP visits (95% CI for difference=-10.2 to -5.7). There was no evidence that frequent attenders had more somatisation than routine attenders. Specific treatment and management strategies need to be developed for this group of patients, although a substantial proportion may be difficult to engage in the treatment process.

Radiotherapy of the most frequent solid tumors in childhood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfeiffer, J.; Kamprad, F.

1980-01-01

During the past decade the prognosis of malignant tumors in childhood could be clearly improved, realized by combining surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Recommendations for the use of radiotherapy for the most frequent solid tumors in childhood are represented basing on the experience of the study groups 'Pediatric Hematology and Oncology' of the Society for Pediatrics of the GDR and 'Tumors in Childhood' of the Section of Children's Surgery of the GDR. Besides general problems which have to be taken into consideration in the treatment of infantile tumors the radiotherapeutical measures for Wilms' tumors, neuroblastomas, cerebral tumors, embryonal sarcomas of the soft parts and bone tumors are discussed. The necessary close cooperation of the attending branches is pointed out and both the regional centralization of patients' care and a superregional cooperation are required. (author)

Long-term effects of frequent cannabis use on working memory and attention: an fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jager, Gerry; Kahn, Rene S; Van Den Brink, Wim; Van Ree, Jan M; Ramsey, Nick F

2006-04-01

Excessive use of cannabis may have long-term effects on cognitive abilities. Mild impairments have been found in several cognitive domains, particularly in memory and attention. It is not clear, however, whether these effects also occur with moderate, recreational use of cannabis. Furthermore, little is known about underlying brain correlates. The aim of this study is to assess brain function in frequent but relatively moderate cannabis users in the domains of working memory and selective attention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine verbal working memory and visuo-auditory selective attention in ten frequent cannabis users (after 1 week of abstinence) and ten non-using healthy controls. Groups were similar in age, gender and estimated IQ. Cannabis users and controls performed equally well during the working memory task and the selective attention task. Furthermore, cannabis users did not differ from controls in terms of overall patterns of brain activity in the regions involved in these cognitive functions. However, for working memory, a more specific region-of-interest analysis showed that, in comparison to the controls, cannabis users displayed a significant alteration in brain activity in the left superior parietal cortex. No evidence was found for long-term deficits in working memory and selective attention in frequent cannabis users after 1 week of abstinence. Nonetheless, frequent cannabis use may affect brain function, as indicated by altered neurophysiological dynamics in the left superior parietal cortex during working memory processing.

Frequent Users of Hospital Emergency Departments in Korea Characterized by Claims Data from the National Health Insurance: A Cross Sectional Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jung Hoon Woo

Full Text Available The Korean National Health Insurance, which provides universal coverage for the entire Korean population, is now facing financial instability. Frequent emergency department (ED users may represent a medically vulnerable population who could benefit from interventions that both improve care and lower costs. To understand the nature of frequent ED users in Korea, we analyzed claims data from a population-based national representative sample. We performed both bivariate and multivariable analyses to investigate the association between patient characteristics and frequent ED use (4+ ED visits in a year using claims data of a 1% random sample of the Korean population, collected in 2009. Among 156,246 total ED users, 4,835 (3.1% were frequent ED users. These patients accounted for 14% of 209,326 total ED visits and 17.2% of $76,253,784 total medical expenses generated from all ED visits in the 1% data sample. Frequent ED users tended to be older, male, and of lower socio-economic status compared with occasional ED users (p < 0.001 for each. Moreover, frequent ED users had longer stays in the hospital when admitted, higher probability of undergoing an operative procedure, and increased mortality. Among 8,425 primary diagnoses, alcohol-related complaints and schizophrenia showed the strongest positive correlation with the number of ED visits. Among the frequent ED users, mortality and annual outpatient department visits were significantly lower in the alcohol-related patient subgroup compared with other frequent ED users; furthermore, the rate was even lower than that for non-frequent ED users. Our findings suggest that expanding mental health and alcohol treatment programs may be a reasonable strategy to decrease the dependence of these patients on the ED.

An novel frequent probability pattern mining algorithm based on circuit simulation method in uncertain biological networks

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Motif mining has always been a hot research topic in bioinformatics. Most of current research on biological networks focuses on exact motif mining. However, due to the inevitable experimental error and noisy data, biological network data represented as the probability model could better reflect the authenticity and biological significance, therefore, it is more biological meaningful to discover probability motif in uncertain biological networks. One of the key steps in probability motif mining is frequent pattern discovery which is usually based on the possible world model having a relatively high computational complexity. Methods In this paper, we present a novel method for detecting frequent probability patterns based on circuit simulation in the uncertain biological networks. First, the partition based efficient search is applied to the non-tree like subgraph mining where the probability of occurrence in random networks is small. Then, an algorithm of probability isomorphic based on circuit simulation is proposed. The probability isomorphic combines the analysis of circuit topology structure with related physical properties of voltage in order to evaluate the probability isomorphism between probability subgraphs. The circuit simulation based probability isomorphic can avoid using traditional possible world model. Finally, based on the algorithm of probability subgraph isomorphism, two-step hierarchical clustering method is used to cluster subgraphs, and discover frequent probability patterns from the clusters. Results The experiment results on data sets of the Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks and the transcriptional regulatory networks of E. coli and S. cerevisiae show that the proposed method can efficiently discover the frequent probability subgraphs. The discovered subgraphs in our study contain all probability motifs reported in the experiments published in other related papers. Conclusions The algorithm of probability graph isomorphism

Frequent Use of Emergency Departments by the Elderly Population When Continuing Care Is Not Well Established.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacopo M Legramante

Full Text Available The elderly, who suffer from multiple chronic diseases, represent a substantial proportion of Emergency Department (ED frequent users, thus contributing to ED overcrowding, although they could benefit from other health care facilities, if those were available. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize hospital visits of older patients (age 65 or greater to the ED of a university teaching hospital in Rome from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2014, in order to identify clinical and social characteristics potentially associated with "elderly frequent users".A retrospective study was performed during the calendar year 2014 (1st January 2014 - 31st December 2014 analyzing all ED admissions to the University Hospital of Rome Tor Vergata. Variables collected included age, triage code, arrival data, discharge diagnosis, and visit outcome. We performed a risk analysis using univariate binary logistic regression models.A total number of 38,016 patients accessed the ED, generating 46,820 accesses during the study period, with an average of 1.23 accesses for patient. The elderly population represented a quarter of the total ED population and had an increased risk of frequent use (OR 1.5: CI 1.4-1.7 and hospitalization (OR 3.8: CI 3.7-4. Moreover, they showed a greater diagnostic complexity, as demonstrated by the higher incidence of yellow and red priority codes compared to other ED populations (OR 3.1: CI 2.9-3.2.Older patients presented clinical and social characteristics related to the definition of "elderly frail frequent users". The fact that a larger number of hospitalizations occurred in such patients is indirect evidence of frailty in this specific population, suggesting that hospital admissions may be an inappropriate response to frailty, especially when continued care is not established.Enhancement of continuity of care, establishment of a tracking system for those who are at greater risk of visiting the ED and evaluating

Frequent Use of Emergency Departments by the Elderly Population When Continuing Care Is Not Well Established.

Science.gov (United States)

Legramante, Jacopo M; Morciano, Laura; Lucaroni, Francesca; Gilardi, Francesco; Caredda, Emanuele; Pesaresi, Alessia; Coscia, Massimo; Orlando, Stefano; Brandi, Antonella; Giovagnoli, Germano; Di Lecce, Vito N; Visconti, Giuseppe; Palombi, Leonardo

2016-01-01

The elderly, who suffer from multiple chronic diseases, represent a substantial proportion of Emergency Department (ED) frequent users, thus contributing to ED overcrowding, although they could benefit from other health care facilities, if those were available. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize hospital visits of older patients (age 65 or greater) to the ED of a university teaching hospital in Rome from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2014, in order to identify clinical and social characteristics potentially associated with "elderly frequent users". A retrospective study was performed during the calendar year 2014 (1st January 2014 - 31st December 2014) analyzing all ED admissions to the University Hospital of Rome Tor Vergata. Variables collected included age, triage code, arrival data, discharge diagnosis, and visit outcome. We performed a risk analysis using univariate binary logistic regression models. A total number of 38,016 patients accessed the ED, generating 46,820 accesses during the study period, with an average of 1.23 accesses for patient. The elderly population represented a quarter of the total ED population and had an increased risk of frequent use (OR 1.5: CI 1.4-1.7) and hospitalization (OR 3.8: CI 3.7-4). Moreover, they showed a greater diagnostic complexity, as demonstrated by the higher incidence of yellow and red priority codes compared to other ED populations (OR 3.1: CI 2.9-3.2). Older patients presented clinical and social characteristics related to the definition of "elderly frail frequent users". The fact that a larger number of hospitalizations occurred in such patients is indirect evidence of frailty in this specific population, suggesting that hospital admissions may be an inappropriate response to frailty, especially when continued care is not established. Enhancement of continuity of care, establishment of a tracking system for those who are at greater risk of visiting the ED and evaluating fragile

Exposure Research Going Mobile: A Smartphone-Based Measurement of Media Exposure to Political Information in a Convergent Media Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ohme, J.; Albaek, E.; H. de Vreese, C.

2016-01-01

platform modes. The study furthermore confirms limitations of mere usage time measurements of social media platforms in effects research and explores a range of actual content types that citizens encounter in social networks. It recommends more frequent use of mobile exposure measurements and argues...... for a content-related assessment of social media use in effects research. © 2016 Taylor & Francis.......In today’s convergent media environment, media exposure becomes increasingly channel-independent and social media-bound, and media content is more frequently accessed on mobile devices. This calls for new approaches to measuring media exposure. This study applies an innovative approach to survey (n...

Environment as a basis for the design of advertising structures by forming

Science.gov (United States)

Khmelevsky, Y. P.; Seryakov, V. A.; Mamontov, G. Y.; Tsarenko, D. T.

2017-01-01

A few different neighbouring styles of architectural forms are quite frequent in the cities of great historical past. As a result, a designer or architect has to solve the complex problem while designing the objects within such environment, i.e. one has to fit them naturally into the existing site development. Often, form making is found to be hard, due to the fact that the existing architectural forms of totally different stylistic execution coexist in the visual proximity. Presently, placement of the advertising bills in urban environment is both an urgent and debatable issue. On the one hand, advertising providers are keen to present their product bigger and brighter, on the other hand, the overall and eye-catching exhibition stands can be disharmonious with the surrounding architectural ensemble of the city. This situation is relevant for every cultural city.

An atmospheric vulnerability assessment framework for environment management and protection based on CAMx.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yang; Shen, Jing; Li, Yu

2018-02-01

This paper presents an atmospheric vulnerability assessment framework based on CAMx that should be helpful to assess potential impacts of changes in human, atmospheric environment, and social economic elements of atmospheric vulnerability. It is also a useful and effective tool that can provide policy-guidance for environmental protection and management to reduce the atmospheric vulnerability. The developed framework was applied to evaluate the atmospheric environment vulnerability of 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region for verification. The results indicated that regional disparity of the atmospheric vulnerability existed in the study site. More specifically, the central and southern regions show more atmospheric environment vulnerability than the northern regions. The impact factors of atmospheric environment vulnerability in the BTH region mainly derived from increasing population press, frequently unfavorable meteorological conditions, extensive economic growth of secondary industry, increased environmental pollution, and accelerating population aging. The framework shown in this paper is an interpretative and heuristic tool for a better understanding of atmospheric vulnerability. This framework can also be replicated at different spatial and temporal scales using context-specific datasets to straightly support environmental managers with decision-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accumulation of Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloids in Periwinkle Seedlings ("Catharanthus roseus") as a Model for the Study of Plant-Environment Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda-Ham, Maria de Lourdes; Islas-Flores, Ignacio; Vazquez-Flota, Felipe

2007-01-01

Alkaloids are part of the chemical arsenal designed to protect plants against an adverse environment. Therefore, their synthesis and accumulation are frequently induced in response to certain environmental conditions and are mediated by chemical signals, which are formed as the first responses to the external stimulus. A set of experiments using…

Introduction to the development of models of radionuclides transfer in the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Olivares, A.

1994-01-01

This work explores the foundations of radioecological modelization with environmental assessment pourposes. In particular its relation with the theory of dynamic systems, and the basic hypothesis underlying the modelization practices. Some very theoretical considerations are followed by some guidelines for the application of the concepts to specific problems of radiological modelization in assessment of consequences. In particular, the report studies the mechanisms most frequently involved in the radionuclide transfer through the environment, the steps to generate a predictive model, the obtaining of generic parameters and finally the uncertainty analysis of the model. (Author) 41 refs

Introduction to the development of models of radionuclides transfer in the environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Olivares, A

1994-07-01

This work explores the foundations of radioecological modelization with environmental assessment purposes. In particular its relation with the theory of dynamic systems, and the basic hypothesis underlying the modelization practices. Some very theoretical considerations are followed by some guidelines for the application of the concepts to specific problems of radiological modelization in assessment of consequences. In particular, the report studies the mechanisms most frequently involved in the radionuclide transfer through the environment, the steps to generate a predictive model, the obtaining of generic parameters and finally the uncertainty analysis of the model. (Author) 41 refs.

Introduction to the development of models of radionuclides transfer in the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Olivares, A.

1994-01-01

This work explores the foundations of radioecological modelization with environmental assessment purposes. In particular its relation with the theory of dynamic systems, and the basic hypothesis underlying the modelization practices. Some very theoretical considerations are followed by some guidelines for the application of the concepts to specific problems of radiological modelization in assessment of consequences. In particular, the report studies the mechanisms most frequently involved in the radionuclide transfer through the environment, the steps to generate a predictive model, the obtaining of generic parameters and finally the uncertainty analysis of the model. (Author) 41 refs

How community environment shapes physical activity: perceptions revealed through the PhotoVoice method.

Science.gov (United States)

Belon, Ana Paula; Nieuwendyk, Laura M; Vallianatos, Helen; Nykiforuk, Candace I J

2014-09-01

A growing body of evidence shows that community environment plays an important role in individuals' physical activity engagement. However, while attributes of the physical environment are widely investigated, sociocultural, political, and economic aspects of the environment are often neglected. This article helps to fill these knowledge gaps by providing a more comprehensive understanding of multiple dimensions of the community environment relative to physical activity. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how people's experiences and perceptions of their community environments affect their abilities to engage in physical activity. A PhotoVoice method was used to identify barriers to and opportunities for physical activity among residents in four communities in the province of Alberta, Canada, in 2009. After taking pictures, the thirty-five participants shared their perceptions of those opportunities and barriers in their community environments during individual interviews. Using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework, themes emerging from these photo-elicited interviews were organized in four environment types: physical, sociocultural, economic, and political. The data show that themes linked to the physical (56.6%) and sociocultural (31.4%) environments were discussed more frequently than the themes of the economic (5.9%) and political (6.1%) environments. Participants identified nuanced barriers and opportunities for physical activity, which are illustrated by their quotes and photographs. The findings suggest that a myriad of factors from physical, sociocultural, economic, and political environments influence people's abilities to be physically active in their communities. Therefore, adoption of a broad, ecological perspective is needed to address the barriers and build upon the opportunities described by participants to make communities more healthy and active. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Occurrence, sources, and fate of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environment and soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, W.C.

2014-01-01

With the rapid economic development, a better living condition leads to longer life expectancy, which increased the total population, in particular the elderly group. It may result in increase in the demand of pharmaceuticals for people in domestic use or in hospital. Although most sewage treatment plants or waste water treatment plantsmet the regulatory requirement, there are still many pharmaceuticals removed incompletely and thus discharged to the environment. Therefore, the pharmaceuticals residue draws the public concern because they might cause adverse effects on the organism even human beings. Recently, many studies have published on the source and occurrence as well as the fate of pharmaceuticals all over the world. This paper summarized and reviewed the recent studies on the sources, occurrence, fate and the effects of the most common pharmaceuticals. Finally, it gave the suggestion and risk management for controlling the pharmaceuticals. - Highlights: • The sources of pharmaceutical residuals are studied. • Occurrence and fate of pharmaceutical in environment are studied. • Risk management and recommendation are provided on pharmaceutical pollution. - Concentration of pharmaceuticals in the natural environment is lower than in effluent of sewage treatment plants in which carbamazepine is found frequently in soil and water body

TOPICAL IMMUNOCORRECTION IN PROPHYLAXIS AND TREATMENT OF FREQUENTLY AND LONG AILING CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye. A. Vishneva

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Treatment and prophylaxis of acute respiratory infections remain serious social and economical problem. Modern medicine estimates immunomodulators as one of promising methods of treatment and preventing of acute respiratory infections (ARI especially in frequently and long ailing children. Prophylactic administration of immunomodulators allows decreasing the risk of recurrent ARI, and treatment with these drugs in acute phase shortens terms of a disease and compensates immunosuppression.

How Do I Sample the Environment and Equipment?

Science.gov (United States)

Kornacki, Jeffrey L.

Food product contamination from the post-processing environment is likely the most frequent cause of contaminated processed food product recalls and a significant source of poisoning outbreaks, and shelf life problems in North America with processed Ready-To-Eat foods. Conditions exist for the growth of microorganisms in most food processing factories. Failure to clean and effectively sanitize a microbial growth niche can lead to biofilm formation. Biofilms may be orders of magnitude more resistant to destruction by sanitizers. Cells in some biofilms have been shown to be 1,000 times more resistant to destruction than those which are freely suspended. This has implications for cleaning, sanitizing, sampling, and training. Sampling the factory environment is one means of monitoring the efficacy of microbiological control as well as a powerful tool for in-factory contamination investigation. Many sampling techniques exist and are discussed. It is important to recognize the difference between cleaning (removal of soil) and sanitization (reduction of microbial populations). Knowing where, when, and how to sample, how many samples to take, and what to test for and how to interpret test information is critical in finding and preventing contamination.

Frequent Users of Hospital Emergency Departments in Korea Characterized by Claims Data from the National Health Insurance: A Cross Sectional Study

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Jung Hoon; Grinspan, Zachary; Shapiro, Jason; Rhee, Sang Youl

2016-01-01

The Korean National Health Insurance, which provides universal coverage for the entire Korean population, is now facing financial instability. Frequent emergency department (ED) users may represent a medically vulnerable population who could benefit from interventions that both improve care and lower costs. To understand the nature of frequent ED users in Korea, we analyzed claims data from a population-based national representative sample. We performed both bivariate and multivariable analyses to investigate the association between patient characteristics and frequent ED use (4+ ED visits in a year) using claims data of a 1% random sample of the Korean population, collected in 2009. Among 156,246 total ED users, 4,835 (3.1%) were frequent ED users. These patients accounted for 14% of 209,326 total ED visits and 17.2% of $76,253,784 total medical expenses generated from all ED visits in the 1% data sample. Frequent ED users tended to be older, male, and of lower socio-economic status compared with occasional ED users (p users had longer stays in the hospital when admitted, higher probability of undergoing an operative procedure, and increased mortality. Among 8,425 primary diagnoses, alcohol-related complaints and schizophrenia showed the strongest positive correlation with the number of ED visits. Among the frequent ED users, mortality and annual outpatient department visits were significantly lower in the alcohol-related patient subgroup compared with other frequent ED users; furthermore, the rate was even lower than that for non-frequent ED users. Our findings suggest that expanding mental health and alcohol treatment programs may be a reasonable strategy to decrease the dependence of these patients on the ED. PMID:26809051

Erika: evaluation of residual sanitary risks linked to the beaches-going after cleaning-up; Erika: evaluation des risques sanitaires residuels lies a la frequentation des plages apres depollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the sanitary risks for the populations frequenting the coast beaches affected by the fuel oils of the tanker Erika, after their cleaning up. This quantitative evaluation of sanitary risks is led according to a protocol developed jointly between the two institutes ( the national institute of industrial environment and risks, I.N.E.R.I.S., and the national institute of sanitary watch I.n.V.S.). It does not give the risks in function the residual pollution level of concerned beaches but supplies to the authorities elements of scientific information in order to allow them to choose criteria appropriate for the management of eventual residual risks. (N.C.)

Long-term outcome of biopsy-proven, frequently relapsing minimal-change nephrotic syndrome in children.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kyrieleis, H.A.; Lowik, M.M.; Pronk, I.; Cruysberg, J.R.M.; Kremer, J.A.M.; Oyen, W.J.G.; Heuvel, L.P.W.J. van den; Wetzels, J.F.M.; Levtchenko, E.N.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Frequently relapsing and steroid-dependent minimal-change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) that originates in childhood can persist after puberty in >20% of patients. These patients require immunosuppressive treatment during several decades of their life. We examined long-term

Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lars; Saervoll, Charlotte A; Mortensen, Ole S

2011-01-01

Regular physical exercise is a cornerstone in rehabilitation programs, but adherence to comprehensive exercise remains low. This study determined the effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for relieving neck/shoulder pain in healthy adults with frequent symptoms...

Impact of frequent evaluations in English in Modern Operating Systems lessons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dasiel Alberto Pérez Suárez

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the impact that frequent evaluations in English in Modern Operating Systems classes have over the students at the University of Informatics Sciences. The research allo wed showing that, despite of the initially rejection of the students, they gradually assimilated the importance of English in their future profession. This had a positive impact on English language study in order to solve academic problems by raising the academic performance and the self - confidence level , to face the English language for professional purposes required in a career as Informatics Sciences Engineering.

The influence of maternal drinking and drug use on the quality of the home environment of school-aged children.

Science.gov (United States)

Jester, J M; Jacobson, S W; Sokol, R J; Tuttle, B S; Jacobson, J L

2000-08-01

Although many studies have examined the development of children of male alcoholics, few studies have considered substance use by the female caregiver. This study evaluated the relationship between substance use by female caregivers and factors that affect the child-rearing environment. A total of 480 inner-city African-American women were recruited during pregnancy for a longitudinal study of the effects of prenatal alcohol use and substance use by caregivers on the development of their children. All women were screened for alcohol consumption at their first prenatal visit to a large urban maternity hospital. Those who averaged seven or more drinks per week (0.5 oz absolute alcohol per day) at the time of conception were invited to participate in the study, as was a 5% random sample of lighter drinkers and abstainers. At the 7.5-year follow-up assessment, the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption and drug use, as well as several measures of the child-rearing environment, were assessed for 231 of the caregivers. Current alcohol use was uncorrelated with standard demographic factors, such as socioeconomic status, but was related to poorer family functioning, lower quality of parental intellectual stimulation, and higher levels of domestic violence. There were independent effects of illicit drug use on family environment, domestic violence, and caregiver depression. History of drinking during pregnancy, however, was not related to the current child-rearing environment. Poorer parental functioning generally was found only among the caregivers who currently drank both heavily (six or more drinks/occasion) and frequently (three or more days/week). After controlling for lifetime alcohol problems, current drinking still predicted a less cohesive and organized family environment and higher levels of domestic violence. Current heavy, frequent drinking in this relatively homogenous, economically disadvantaged sample was unrelated to demographics and seemed to have an

Incorrect condom use and frequent breakage among female sex workers and their clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukenge-Tshibaka, Léonard; Alary, Michel; Geraldo, Nassirou; Lowndes, Catherine M

2005-05-01

Our objective was to assess if female sex workers (FSWs) and their potential male clients in Cotonou, Benin, know how to use male condoms correctly. From April to June 2000, 314 FSWs and 208 men were interviewed, and asked to demonstrate on a wooden penis how they usually use male condoms. In all, 27.6% of both women and men tore the condom envelope on the notch; 89.3% of the women versus 75.4% of the men easily found the correct side; 17.3% of the women versus 28.3% of the men held the top of the condom to avoid air entering; 91.4% of the women versus 75.6% of the men correctly unrolled the condom. Taking all the four criteria together, only approximately 11% of participants performed a correct condom use demonstration. FSWs frequently reported condom breakage, which was significantly associated with incorrect condom demonstration (P = 0.04). Correct condom use is suboptimal in these heavy consumers of male condoms in Benin. Condom breakage is frequent and is associated with incorrect use.

Possibilities of Correction and Prophylaxis of Intestinal Microbiocenosis Disorders in Frequently Ill Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. N. Surkov

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Frequently and protractedly ill children constitute a special for pediatricians group of patients. Acute respiratory infections with severe and frequently relapsing course badly affect children’s health and contribute to the decrease of the functional activity of the immune system. Risk factors of the high prevalence of acute respiratory infections are changes in the immune responses at the background of unfavorable ante- and perinatal conditions, numerous contacts with potential causative agents at the beginning of attendance of infant schools, widespread intra- and inter-family contacts as well as susceptibility to Th2 immune response (allergy and prolonged course of inflammatory process. Etiotropic treatment of acute respiratory infections often includes antibacterial drugs, which, however, have negative effects on intestinal microflora, such as dyspeptic syndrome and antibiotic-induced diarrhea. Intestinal dysbiosis affects homeostasis, leads to significant changes in functional activity of various organs and systems. That is why correction and prophylaxis of intestinal dysbacteriosis is very important in pediatric practice. In this article the main data on epidemiology, pathogenesis, forms, clinical manifestation, diagnostics and treatment of antibiotic-induced diarrhea in children.

A Case of Frequent Arousal Following Nocturnal Dyspnea Caused by Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dae Wui Yoon

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD is a common disorder that is associated with many esophageal syndromes and complications. Most cases of reflux event occur during the day, but reflux during sleep can cause not only esophageal problems, but also sleep problems, such as arousal and poor sleep quality. We report the case of a 17-year-old man who had been referred to us with frequent arousal following sudden dyspnea. On polysomnography, no respiratory disturbances and periodic limb movements were found during the sleep study, but frequent events of arousal were reported (arousal index: 12.3/h. On a 24-hr esophageal pH monitoring test, his DeMeester score was 176.43 and the total reflux time was 1120.9 min (76.9%, indicating the presence of significant acid reflux. After treatment with a proton-pump inhibitor, the arousals following nocturnal dyspnea and fatigue in the morning disappeared in the patient. GERD should be considered as a cause of spontaneous arousal or awakening not accompanying respiratory disturbances.

Ocular sporotrichosis: A frequently misdiagnosed cause of granulomatous conjunctivitis in epidemic areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamagata, João Paulo M; Rudolph, Fabiana B; Nobre, Maria Clara L; Nascimento, Leninha V; Sampaio, Felipe Maurício S; Arinelli, Andrea; Freitas, Dayvison F

2017-12-01

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis caused by Sporothrix sp., a dimorphic fungus. Although the cutaneous form is the most frequent form, the ocular presentation has been increasingly diagnosed in epidemic areas. We describe three cases of ocular sporotrichosis with the involvement of the ocular adnexa due to autoinoculation without trauma with successful antifungal treatment. Patient 1: A 68-year-old woman presented with granulomatous conjunctivitis of the right eye with an ulcerated nodule on the right temporal region for 5 months. Patient 2: A 46-year-old woman with conjunctival hyperemia of the left eye with associated periorbital edema and erythema for the past 4 months was referred to the Dermatology Department due to an ulcerated nodule on the left malar region. Patient 3: A 14-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with inferior palpebral edema with a 5-day evolution. Specimens were obtained from the lesions of the three patients, and the cultures were positive for Sporothrix sp. The three cases were diagnosed as ocular sporotrichosis and were successfully treated with itraconazole (200-400 mg/d). Two of the three patients developed sequelae such as conjunctival fibrosis and symblepharon. We emphasize the importance of the ophthalmologist being familiar with the diagnosis and management of this rare and frequently misdiagnosed form of sporotrichosis.

Frequent Statement and Dereference Elimination for Imperative and Object-Oriented Distributed Programs

Science.gov (United States)

El-Zawawy, Mohamed A.

2014-01-01

This paper introduces new approaches for the analysis of frequent statement and dereference elimination for imperative and object-oriented distributed programs running on parallel machines equipped with hierarchical memories. The paper uses languages whose address spaces are globally partitioned. Distributed programs allow defining data layout and threads writing to and reading from other thread memories. Three type systems (for imperative distributed programs) are the tools of the proposed techniques. The first type system defines for every program point a set of calculated (ready) statements and memory accesses. The second type system uses an enriched version of types of the first type system and determines which of the ready statements and memory accesses are used later in the program. The third type system uses the information gather so far to eliminate unnecessary statement computations and memory accesses (the analysis of frequent statement and dereference elimination). Extensions to these type systems are also presented to cover object-oriented distributed programs. Two advantages of our work over related work are the following. The hierarchical style of concurrent parallel computers is similar to the memory model used in this paper. In our approach, each analysis result is assigned a type derivation (serves as a correctness proof). PMID:24892098

Managing Multiple Sources of Competitive Advantage in a Complex Competitive Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Howard Henry Lapersonne

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to review the literature on the topic of sustained and temporary competitive advantage creation, specifically in dynamic markets, and to propose further research possibilities. After having analyzed the main trends and scholars’ works on the subject, it was concluded that a firm which has been experiencing erosion of its core sources of economic rent generation, should have diversified its strategy portfolio in a search for new sources of competitive advantage, ones that could compensate for the decline of profits provoked by intensive competitive environments. This review concludes with the hypothesis that firms, who have decided to enter and manage multiple competitive environments, should have developed a multiple strategies framework approach. The management of this source of competitive advantage portfolio should have allowed persistence of a firm’s superior economic performance through the management of diverse temporary advantages lifecycle and through a resilient effect, where a very successful source of competitive advantage compensates the ones that have been eroded. Additionally, the review indicates that economies of emerging countries, such as the ones from the BRIC block, should present a more complex competitive environment due to their historical nature of cultural diversity, social contrasts and frequent economic disruption, and also because of recent institutional normalization that has turned the market into hypercompetition. Consequently, the study of complex competition should be appropriate in such environments.

Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valentini, Chiara

2017-01-01

The term environment refers to the internal and external context in which organizations operate. For some scholars, environment is defined as an arrangement of political, economic, social and cultural factors existing in a given context that have an impact on organizational processes and structures....... For others, environment is a generic term describing a large variety of stakeholders and how these interact and act upon organizations. Organizations and their environment are mutually interdependent and organizational communications are highly affected by the environment. This entry examines the origin...... and development of organization-environment interdependence, the nature of the concept of environment and its relevance for communication scholarships and activities....

Family physician-patient relationship and frequent attendance of primary and specialist health care: Results from a German population-based cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinkel, Andreas; Schneider, Antonius; Schmutzer, Gabriele; Brähler, Elmar; Häuser, Winfried

2016-07-01

To investigate the association between the quality of the family physician-patient relationship and frequent attendance of primary and specialist health care. Cross-sectional survey of a representative German population sample (N=2.266). Family physician-patient relationship was assessed with the Patient Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9). Determinants of frequent attendance were analyzed using logistic regression. Frequent attendance of family physicians was associated with lower income (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02-2.00), not being in paid work (OR 1.58, CI 1.08-2.30), psychological distress (OR 1.14, CI 1.07-1.22), somatic symptoms (OR 1.07, CI 1.04-1.11), and physical comorbidity (OR 1.54, CI 1.36-1.74) in the multivariate analysis. Frequent attendance of specialists was related to psychological distress (OR 1.12, CI 1.04-1.20), somatic symptoms (OR 1.08, CI 1.04-1.11), and physical comorbidity (OR 1.69, CI 1.48-1.93) in the multivariate analysis. Quality of the relationship was associated with frequent attendance only in the univariate analyses. A stronger relationship with the family physician was not associated with reduced contact with specialists. The quality of the family physician-patient relationship is not independently associated with frequent attendance. Family physicians should be aware that need factors, i.e. symptom burden and physical comorbidities, are main drivers of frequent attendance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contact allergy in children with and without atopic dermatitis; which are the frequent allergens?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubbes, S.; Rustemeyer, T.; Schuttelaar, M.L.A.; Sillevis Smitt, J.H.; Middelkamp-Hup, M.A.

2014-01-01

Background: Data on contact allergies in children are conflicting. This study aims to identify frequent contact allergens and their relevance in children with and without atopic dermatitis (AD). This will allow better identification of potential sensitizers and improve patients' care in children.

Predictors of frequent exacerbations in (ex)smoking and never smoking adults with severe asthma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerhof, Guus A.; de Groot, Jantina C.; Amelink, Marijke; de Nijs, Selma B.; ten Brinke, Anneke; Weersink, Els J.; Bel, Elisabeth H.

2016-01-01

Persistent eosinophilic airway inflammation is an important driver for asthma exacerbations in non-smokers with asthma. Whether eosinophilic inflammation is also a predictor of asthma exacerbations in (ex)smokers is not known. The aim was to investigate factors associated with frequent exacerbations

Psychological and physiological human responses to simulated and real environments: A comparison between Photographs, 360° Panoramas, and Virtual Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Higuera-Trujillo, Juan Luis; López-Tarruella Maldonado, Juan; Llinares Millán, Carmen

2017-11-01

Psychological research into human factors frequently uses simulations to study the relationship between human behaviour and the environment. Their validity depends on their similarity with the physical environments. This paper aims to validate three environmental-simulation display formats: photographs, 360° panoramas, and virtual reality. To do this we compared the psychological and physiological responses evoked by simulated environments set-ups to those from a physical environment setup; we also assessed the users' sense of presence. Analysis show that 360° panoramas offer the closest to reality results according to the participants' psychological responses, and virtual reality according to the physiological responses. Correlations between the feeling of presence and physiological and other psychological responses were also observed. These results may be of interest to researchers using environmental-simulation technologies currently available in order to replicate the experience of physical environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subclinical mastitis occurs frequently in association with dramatic changes in inflammatory/anti-inflammatory breast milk components.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuaillon, Edouard; Viljoen, Johanes; Dujols, Pierre; Cambonie, Gilles; Rubbo, Pierre-Alain; Nagot, Nicolas; Bland, Ruth M; Badiou, Stéphanie; Newell, Marie-Louise; Van de Perre, Philippe

2017-04-01

Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is a frequent, but poorly characterized entity that may influence immune development of breastfed infants. Mechanisms driving the emergence of SCM and changes in immunological content of human milk during SCM remain to be explored. In this study, the breast milk environment was to describe during SCM. One hundred and ten samples of mature breast milk were collected from 44 healthy, HIV-negative mothers, included in a large infant feeding intervention cohort (ANRS 1271/Vertical Transmission Study). Immune markers related to inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balances and secreted in response to bacterial exposure were explored in SCM breast milk samples (Na/K ratio > 1) and compared to non-SCM controls. SCM was observed in 23% of women (95% confidence interval (CI): 21-24) and associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers (β2 microgobulin, PS100A9, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, and RANTES) and Th1-related cytokines (IL-2R, IL-12p40/70, IFN-α, IFN-γ, CXCL-9, andIP-10). High levels of factors secreted in response to bacteria and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure were observed in SCM breast milk samples (MIP-1α, MIP-1β, LPS binding protein, α-defensins, and antileukoproteinase 1). SCM is associated with important changes in breast milk microenvironment, with a proinflammatory/Th1-cytokine predominant profile. During SCM, cytokine imbalances in breast milk may have a notable influence on mucosal immune system of the infant early in life.

CUSTOMER-PERCEIVED INSECURITY OF ONLINE SHOPPING ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matea Matic

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Customer-perceived insecurity of online shopping environment has become one of the major obstacles to the growth of electronic commerce. The main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of insecurity of Internet usage towards online purchase decision as well as consumers’ attitudes and intentions towards online purchasing. The data was collected through survey questionnaire using the purposive sample of 253 Croatian students from the University of Dubrovnik. Research results indicate a significant relationship between the insecurity of Internet usage and online purchase decision. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between the insecurity of Internet usage and consumers’ attitudes and intentions towards online purchasing. The overall analysis reveals that consumers have positive attitudes and intentions towards online purchasing whilst insecurity towards online purchasing lowers when online purchases are made more frequently.

Case Management Reduces Length of Stay, Charges, and Testing in Emergency Department Frequent Users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jameel Sughair

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Case management is an effective, short-term means to reduce emergency department (ED visits in frequent users of the ED. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of case management on frequent ED users, in terms of reducing ED and hospital length of stay (LOS, accrued costs, and utilization of diagnostic tests. Methods: The study consisted of a retrospective chart review of ED and inpatient visits in our hospital’s ED case management program, comparing patient visits made in the one year prior to enrollment in the program, to the visits made in the one year after enrollment in the program. We examined the LOS, use of diagnostic testing, and monetary charges incurred by these patients one year prior and one year after enrollment into case management. Results: The study consisted of 158 patients in case management. Comparing the one year prior to enrollment to the one year after enrollment, ED visits decreased by 49%, inpatient admissions decreased by 39%, the use of computed tomography imaging decreased 41%, the use of ultrasound imaging decreased 52%, and the use of radiographs decreased 38%. LOS in the ED and for inpatient admissions decreased by 39%, reducing total LOS for these patients by 178 days. ED and hospital charges incurred by these patients decreased by 5.8 million dollars, a 41% reduction. All differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: Case management for frequent users of the ED is an effective method to reduce patient visits, the use of diagnostic testing, length of stay, and cost within our institution.

Exposure of Medical Students to Pharmaceutical Marketing in Primary Care Settings: Frequent and Influential

Science.gov (United States)

Sarikaya, Ozlem; Civaner, Murat; Vatansever, Kevser

2009-01-01

It is known that interaction between pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals may lead to corruption of professional values, irrational use of medicine, and negative effects on the patient-physician relationship. Medical students frequently interact with pharmaceutical company representatives and increasingly accept their gifts.…

Highly frequent promoter methylation and PIK3CA amplification in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Meiju; Guan, Haixia; Gao, Cuixia; Shi, Bingyin; Hou, Peng

2011-01-01

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Genetic and epigenetic alterations have been identified frequently in lung cancer, such as promoter methylation, gene mutations and genomic amplification. However, the interaction between genetic and epigenetic events and their significance in lung tumorigenesis remains poorly understood. We determined the promoter methylation of 6 genes and PIK3CA amplification using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP) and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively, and explore the association of promoter methylation with PIK3CA amplification in a large cohort of clinically well-characterized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Highly frequent promoter methylation was observed in NSCLC. With 100% diagnostic specificity, excellent sensitivity, ranging from 45.8 to 84.1%, was found for each of the 6 genes. The promoter methylation was associated with histologic type. Methylation of CALCA, CDH1, DAPK1, and EVX2 was more common in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) compared to adenocarcinomas (ADC). Conversely, there was a trend toward a higher frequency of RASSF1A methylation in ADC than SCC. In addition, PIK3CA amplification was frequently found in NSCLC, and was associated with certain clinicopathologic features, such as smoking history, histologic type and pleural indentation. Importantly, aberrant promoter methylation of certain genes was significantly associated with PIK3CA amplification. Our data showed highly frequent promoter methylation and PIK3CA amplification in Chinese NSCLC population, and first demonstrated the associations of gene methylation with PIK3CA amplification, suggesting that these epigenetic events may be a consequence of overactivation of PI3K/Akt pathway

Do working environment interventions reach shift workers?

Science.gov (United States)

Nabe-Nielsen, Kirsten; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Garde, Anne Helene; Clausen, Thomas

2016-01-01

Shift workers are exposed to more physical and psychosocial stressors in the working environment as compared to day workers. Despite the need for targeted prevention, it is likely that workplace interventions less frequently reach shift workers. The aim was therefore to investigate whether the reach of workplace interventions varied between shift workers and day workers and whether such differences could be explained by the quality of leadership exhibited at different times of the day. We used questionnaire data from 5361 female care workers in the Danish eldercare sector. The questions concerned usual working hours, quality of leadership, and self-reported implementation of workplace activities aimed at stress reduction, reorganization of the working hours, and participation in improvements of working procedures or qualifications. Compared with day workers, shift workers were less likely to be reached by workplace interventions. For example, night workers less frequently reported that they had got more flexibility (OR 0.5; 95 % CI 0.3-0.7) or that they had participated in improvements of the working procedures (OR 0.6; 95 % CI 0.5-0.8). Quality of leadership to some extent explained the lack of reach of interventions especially among fixed evening workers. In the light of the evidence of shift workers' stressful working conditions, we suggest that future studies focus on the generalizability of results of the present study and on how to reach this group and meet their needs when designing and implementing workplace interventions.

THE FREQUENT USE OF TEACHING STRATEGIES/METHODS AMONG TEACHERS ACCORDING TO THE TEACHER CANDIDATES OBSERVATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukaddes SAKALLI

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to show the frequent use of teaching stratergies/methods amongteachers which has been observed by teacher candidates currently undergoing their own field/area teaching program.This study undertakes the general research model and the tools used to obtain the necessary data are personalinformation form and a questionaire. “Teachers frequent use of teaching methods/stratergies” to obtain necessarydata a 4 likert scale type of questionaire has been used. The scale developed on behalf of the researcher involves 35teaching methods/stratergies.The data obtained through 71 quetionaires where evaluated from 4 (always and 1(none as points and has been evaluated through the SPSS package program. In addition, the resultsof the data havebeen analysed through the following techniques: percentage (%, average (X and standard deviation (SS.According to the observations made by the teacher candidates the following teaching methods/stratergies wereundertaken by the teachers according to thier teaching field: lecturing, question-answer method were always used,homework, practice in the classroom, problem solving, showing and practicing methods were frequently used,project work, anaylsing example situations, debates, similarity, computer based education, observing privatetutorials, eduational games, cooperative learning, brainstroming, field trips and reflecting/miroring situations,group/team work, experiment, role play, micro-learning technique, statement, speech,meeting, display, drama,conference, formal debates, sempozium, seminar, panel, umbrella technique, forum and opposite panel

Impact of persistent, frequent regurgitation on quality of life in heartburn responders treated with acid suppression: a multinational primary care study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahrilas, P J; Howden, C W; Wernersson, B; Denison, H; Nuevo, J; Gisbert, J P

2013-05-01

In gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn responds well to acid suppression, but regurgitation is a common cause of incomplete treatment response. To assess the prevalence and burden of persistent, frequent regurgitation in primary care patients with GERD treated with acid suppression. We analysed observational data from 134 sites across six European countries in patients diagnosed with GERD. Within 3 months of the index visit, symptoms were assessed using the Reflux Disease Questionnaire, and their impact on sleep and work productivity with the Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia questionnaire and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire, respectively. Patients provided information on concomitant over-the-counter (OTC) GERD medication use. Persistent, frequent (3-7 days/week) regurgitation was reported by 13.2% (153/1156) of GERD patients with no heartburn on acid suppression; the prevalence was very similar for patients with up to 2 days/week of ongoing mild heartburn. Among patients without heartburn, sleep disturbance of any type was reported by 50.7-60.1% with persistent, frequent regurgitation, compared with 38.1-51.1% and 14.4-19.2% of those with less frequent or no regurgitation respectively. Persistent, frequent regurgitation was associated with increased use of OTC medication and more hours of work missed, whether mild, infrequent heartburn was present or not. Frequent regurgitation, which persisted in 12-13% of patients with no or infrequent, mild heartburn on acid suppression, negatively affected sleep and work productivity, and increased use of OTC medication. Persistent, frequent regurgitation is problematic for primary care patients with GERD. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Utilizing functional near-infrared spectroscopy for prediction of cognitive workload in noisy work environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabbard, Ryan; Fendley, Mary; Dar, Irfaan A; Warren, Rik; Kashou, Nasser H

2017-10-01

Occupational noise frequently occurs in the work environment in military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. This impacts cognitive performance by acting as a stressor, potentially interfering with the analysts' decision-making process. We investigated the effects of different noise stimuli on analysts' performance and workload in anomaly detection by simulating a noisy work environment. We utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to quantify oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), as well as behavioral measures, which include eye tracking, reaction time, and accuracy rate. We hypothesized that noisy environments would have a negative effect on the participant in terms of anomaly detection performance due to the increase in workload, which would be reflected by an increase in PFC activity. We found that HbO for some of the channels analyzed were significantly different across noise types ([Formula: see text]). Our results also indicated that HbO activation for short-intermittent noise stimuli was greater in the PFC compared to long-intermittent noises. These approaches using fNIRS in conjunction with an understanding of the impact on human analysts in anomaly detection could potentially lead to better performance by optimizing work environments.

Linking online gaming and addictive behavior: converging evidence for a general reward deficiency in frequent online gamers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Tim; Notebaert, Karolien Hilde; Dresler, Thomas; Kowarsch, Linda; Reif, Andreas; Fallgatter, Andreas J

2014-01-01

Millions of people regularly play so-called massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs). Recently, it has been argued that MMORPG overuse is becoming a significant health problem worldwide. Symptoms such as tolerance, withdrawal, and craving have been described. Based on behavioral, resting state, and task-related neuroimaging data, we test whether frequent players of the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" (WoW) - similar to drug addicts and individuals with an increased risk for addictions - show a generally deficient reward system. In frequent players of the MMORPG "World of Warcraft" (WoW-players) and in a control group of non-gamers we assessed (1) trait sensitivity to reward (SR), (2) BOLD responses during monetary reward processing in the ventral striatum, and (3) ventral-striatal resting-state dynamics. We found a decreased neural activation in the ventral striatum during the anticipation of both small and large monetary rewards. Additionally, we show generally altered neurodynamics in this region independent of any specific task for WoW players (resting state). On the behavioral level, we found differences in trait SR, suggesting that the reward processing deficiencies found in this study are not a consequence of gaming, but predisposed to it. These findings empirically support a direct link between frequent online gaming and the broad field of behavioral and drug addiction research, thus opening new avenues for clinical interventions in addicted gamers and potentially improving the assessment of addiction-risk in the vast population of frequent gamers.

High-tech solutions for the environment

CERN Multimedia

Gabrielle Thomas

2013-01-01

Four solar-powered compactor dustbins have recently been installed at various locations around the Meyrin site. These compact systems fitted with photovoltaic panels compress waste; their increased capacity compared to a standard dustbin reduces the number of collections and the associated CO2 emissions.   Four strange "machines" have recently appeared on the CERN site. Made by the company Big Belly, these intelligent solar-powered mini-compactors fitted with the latest energy-saving technology are perfectly aligned with the Laboratory's policy of minimising the impact of its activities on the environment. With their ability to hold up to four times more waste than the average bin, they need to be emptied less frequently, significantly reducing the CO2 emissions associated with collection and transport. What's more, the integrated software monitors the fill level of each bin in real time and sends an e-mail or text when it needs emptying, thus optimising coll...

A Parallel Approach for Frequent Subgraph Mining in a Single Large Graph Using Spark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fengcai Qiao

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Frequent subgraph mining (FSM plays an important role in graph mining, attracting a great deal of attention in many areas, such as bioinformatics, web data mining and social networks. In this paper, we propose SSiGraM (Spark based Single Graph Mining, a Spark based parallel frequent subgraph mining algorithm in a single large graph. Aiming to approach the two computational challenges of FSM, we conduct the subgraph extension and support evaluation parallel across all the distributed cluster worker nodes. In addition, we also employ a heuristic search strategy and three novel optimizations: load balancing, pre-search pruning and top-down pruning in the support evaluation process, which significantly improve the performance. Extensive experiments with four different real-world datasets demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing GraMi (Graph Mining algorithm by an order of magnitude for all datasets and can work with a lower support threshold.

The role of faults in the hydrogeological environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, J.H.; Alexander, J.; Jackson, P.D.; Kimbell, G.S.; Lake, R.D.

1986-09-01

Depending on rock type (limestones, mudrocks etc), faults in mixed sedimentary rocks are variously assumed to enhance or reduce groundwater flow. The report attempts to erect a very broad classification system based on fault-associated phenomena to identify geological environments in which faults might be expected to be more permeable than surrounding rock. The manner in which faults (of enhanced or decreased permeability) could be expected to influence groundwater flow is briefly assessed. It shows that for faults to be important they must either have strongly changed properties, occur frequently, or almost cut the low permeability rocks in the system. A final section on the use of geophysics to identify faults in mudrocks picks out seismic reflection and resistivity methods as the most promising. Detection limits are calculated. (author)

Mid-latitude mesospheric clouds and their environment from SOFIE observations

Science.gov (United States)

Hervig, Mark E.; Gerding, Michael; Stevens, Michael H.; Stockwell, Robert; Bailey, Scott M.; Russell, James M.; Stober, Gunter

2016-11-01

Observations from the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) on the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite are used to examine noctilucent clouds (NLC) and their environment at middle latitudes ( 56°N and 52°S). Because SOFIE is uniquely capable of measuring NLC, water vapor, and temperature simultaneously, the local cloud environment can be specified to examine what controls their formation at mid-latitudes. Compared to higher latitudes, mid-latitude NLCs are less frequent and have lower ice mass density, by roughly a factor of five. Compared to higher latitudes at NLC heights, mid-latitude water vapor is only 12% lower while temperatures are more than 10 K higher. As a result the reduced NLC mass and frequency at mid-latitudes can be attributed primarily to temperature. Middle and high latitude NLCs contain a similar amount of meteoric smoke, which was not anticipated because smoke abundance increases towards the equator in summer. SOFIE indicates that mid-latitude NLCs may or may not be associated with supersaturation with respect to ice. It is speculated that this situation is due in part to SOFIE uncertainties related to the limb measurement geometry combined with the non-uniform nature of NLCs. SOFIE is compared with concurrent NLC, temperature, and wind observations from Kühlungsborn, Germany (54°N) during the 2015 summer. The results indicate good agreement in temperature and NLC occurrence frequency, backscatter, and height. SOFIE indicates that NLCs were less frequent over Europe during 2015 compared to other longitudes, in contrast to previous years at higher latitudes that showed no clear longitude dependence. Comparisons of SOFIE and the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) indicate good agreement in average ice water column (IWC), although differences in occurrence frequency were often large.

A survey of imidacloprid levels in water sources potentially frequented by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the Eastern U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

This study was undertaken to examine contamination levels of imidacloprid (IMI), a water soluble neonicotinoid insecticide, in still or slow moving water sources of the sort often frequented by honey bees, Apis mellifera. Honey bees frequent open water to transport water into the hive for consumpti...

Decision support for customers in electronic environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

František Dařena

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the rapid spread of computer technologies into day-to-day lives many purchases or purchase-related decisions are made in the electronic environment of the Web. In order to handle information overload that is the result of the availability of many web-based stores, products and services, consumers use decision support aids that help with need recognition, information retrieval, filtering, comparisons and choice making. Decision support systems (DSS discipline spreads about 40 years back and was mostly focused on assisting managers. However, online environments and decision support in such environments bring new opportunities also to the customers. The focus on decision support for consumers is also not investigated to the large extent and not documented in the literature. Providing customers with well designed decision aids can lead to lower cognitive decision effort associated with the purchase decision which results in significant increase of consumer’s confidence, satisfaction, and cost savings. During decision making process the subjects can chose from several methods (optimizing, reasoning, analogizing, and creating, DSS types (data-, model-, communication-, document-driven, and knowledge-based and benefit from different modern technologies. The paper investigates popular customer decision making aids, such as search, filtering, comparison, ­e-negotiations and auctions, recommendation systems, social network systems, product design applications, communication support etc. which are frequently related to e-commerce applications. Results include the overview of such decision supporting tools, specific examples, classification according the way how the decisions are supported, and possibilities of applications of progressive technologies. The paper thus contributes to the process of development of the interface between companies and the customers where customer decisions take place.

Is the Field of Numbers a Real Physical Field? On the Frequent Distribution and Masses of the Elementary Patricles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belyakov A. V.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Frequent distributions of the databases of the numerical values obtained by resolving algorithms, which describe physical and other processes, give a possibility for bonding the probability of that results the algorithms get. In the frequent distribution of the fractions of integers (rational numbers, local maxima which meet the ratios of masses of the elementary particles have been found.

Is the Field of Numbers a Real Physical Field? On the Frequent Distribution and Masses of the Elementary Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belyakov A. V.

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Frequent distributions of the databases of the numerical values obtained by resolving algorithms, which describe physical and other processes, give a possibility for bonding the probability of that results the algorithms get. In the frequent distribution of the fractions of integers (rational numbers, local maxima which meet the ratios of masses of the elementary particles have been found.

Responses to the change in the environment in pairs of male rats genetically selected for activity level.

Science.gov (United States)

Franková, S; Tikal, K

1989-12-01

Laboratory Wistar strain rats were genetically selected for high (+A) and low (-A) activity level. In thirteen pairs of adult males of the 23rd filial generation reactions to changes in the external environment were studied. The animals were housed in breeding cages four each. Two parallel studies were conducted: in pairs simultaneously placed into a novel environment (NOV), empty cages of the same dimensions as the home cage (HC), in the second, behaviour of the second pair that remained in the HC, after removal of two cage-mates, was tested. Once a minute, for a period of one hour, the type of activity was recorded and noted whether it was an element effected in contact with the partner or without any contact. The animals +A and -A differed in the frequency of various types of activity and immobility, in the ratio between behavioural manifestations shown in or without contact as well as in the response to the type of modified environment. To changes in the situation, whether removed cage-mates from the HC or placed into NOV +A animals reacted with a high wave of environment exploration which gradually habituated. -A rats equally responded with exploration but on a lower level. In +rats we recorded more frequently exploration without contact with the partner in HC and NOV in comparison with -A, more frequent grooming, less immobility in contact and with no contact. Between +A partners there was a greater number of contacts in NOV than in HC whereas in the -A group the incidence of contact did not differ between HC and NOV. ANOVA revealed the influence of factors of genetics and environment and interaction in several behavioural categories. The simple and in time economical method demonstrated the possibility of use for the detection of differences between +A and -A lines even at relatively small changes in the external stimulatory situation.

25 CFR 115.405 - How frequently will a minor's statement of performance be mailed?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How frequently will a minor's statement of performance be mailed? 115.405 Section 115.405 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FINANCIAL... minor's statement of performance be mailed? We will mail a minor's statement of performance to the...

Lessons learnt from stakeholder engagement in the UK Environment Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandler, Steve

2004-01-01

The Environment Agency has many reasons and occasions for engaging with stakeholders and does so very frequently. Many of these are relatively formal, often statutory, consultations which are part of the determination of regulatory permits. Other consultations are part of the Agency's role as developer, for example in the construction of flood defence schemes. The Agency also consults nationally on its significant policies, such as the stocking of salmon fisheries. This paper gives some examples of lessons learnt from the Agency's own stakeholder engagements and also from our participation in those led by other organizations. In the next section it also describes the Agency's current approach to stakeholder consultation and engagement. (author)

The relationship between internet-gaming experience and executive functions measured by virtual environment compared with conventional laboratory multitasks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong-Quan Chen

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate if individuals with frequent internet gaming (IG experience exhibited better or worse multitasking ability compared with those with infrequent IG experience. The individuals' multitasking abilities were measured using virtual environment multitasks, such as Edinburgh Virtual Errands Test (EVET, and conventional laboratory multitasks, such as the dual task and task switching. Seventy-two young healthy college students participated in this study. They were split into two groups based on the time spent on playing online games, as evaluated using the Internet Use Questionnaire. Each participant performed EVET, dual-task, and task-switching paradigms on a computer. The current results showed that the frequent IG group performed better on EVET compared with the infrequent IG group, but their performance on the dual-task and task-switching paradigms did not differ significantly. The results suggest that the frequent IG group exhibited better multitasking efficacy if measured using a more ecologically valid task, but not when measured using a conventional laboratory multitasking task. The differences in terms of the subcomponents of executive function measured by these task paradigms were discussed. The current results show the importance of the task effect while evaluating frequent internet gamers' multitasking ability.

High prevalence of frequent attendance in the over 65s.

Science.gov (United States)

McMahon, C Geraldine; Power Foley, Megan; Robinson, David; O'Donnell, Kate; Poulton, Miriam; Kenny, Rose A; Bennett, Kathleen

2018-02-01

Characteristics of older frequent users of Emergency Departments (EDs) are poorly understood. Our aim was to examine the characteristics of the ED frequent attenders (FAs) by age (under 65 and over 65 years). We examined the prevalence of FA attending the ED of an Urban Teaching Hospital in a cross-sectional study between 2009 and 2011. FA was defined as an individual who presented to the ED four or more times over a 12-month period. Randomly selected groups of FA and non-FA from two age groups (under 65 and over 65 years) were then examined to compare the characteristics between older FAs and non-FAs and older FAs and younger FAs. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for 12-month mortality in FA compared with non-FA aged at least 65 years. Overall, 137 150 ED attendances were recorded between 2009 and 2011. A total of 21.6% were aged at least 65 years, 4.4% of whom were FAs, accounting for 18.4% of attendances by patients older than 65 years. There was a bimodal age distribution of FA (mean±SD; under 65 years 40±12.7; and over 65 years 76.9±7.4). Older FAs were five times more likely to present outside normal working hours and 5.5 times more likely to require admission. Cardiovascular emergencies were the most common complaint, in contrast with the younger FA group, where injury and psychosocial conditions dominated. The odds ratio for death at 12 months was 2.07 (95% confidence interval 0.93-4.63; P=0.07), adjusting for age and sex. One-in-five ED patients older than 65 years of age are FAs. Older FAs largely present with complex medical conditions. Enhanced access to expert gerontology assessment should be considered as part of effective intervention strategies for older ED users.

[Is nocturnal polyuria more frequent among patients with Parkinson's disease?].

Science.gov (United States)

Romain, J; Torny, F; Dumas, J-P; Gamé, X; Descazeaud, A

2015-05-01

Nocturia is a frequent complaint in the population of idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients (IPD). The consequences of nocturia in the IPD population are at high importance as these patients have motor problems and therefore a risk of nocturnal fall. The aim of the study was to determine the mechanism of nocturia in patients with MPI, by determining the prevalence of nocturnal polyuria (NP) in this population. A prospective study by bladder diary was conducted on 70 consecutive IPD patients consulting for regular neurological follow-up at a non-severe stage. Nocturia was defined as 1 or more awakenings to urinate. Two definitions of NP were used: nocturnal diuresis 33% or higher of the total diuresis (NUV33), which is the ICS (International Continence Society) definition, and nocturnal diuresis 90 mL/h or higher (NUP90). The mean patient age was 71 years (45-86, sex ratio 33/30). On average, patients were diagnosed for IPD 6.76 years earlier. The prevalence of NP was 64.5% according to NUV33 definition, and 17.7% according to NUP90 definition. Among patients with nocturia, the prevalence of NP was 66% (NUV33) and 21.5% (NUP90). No association was observed between disease duration of the IPD and the prevalence of nocturia and NP. Patients 70 years and older were more likely to have NP as defined by NUV33 than those less than 70 years (72.7% versus 55.17%, P=0.015). Men had more frequently nocturia (33.3% versus 20.7%, P=0.027). The prevalence of NP and nocturia was analyzed in patients with IPD at a non-severe stage. This prevalence was not higher than in the general population of the same age. The mechanism of nocturia in patients with IPD is not unambiguous and therefore requires to be explored by a bladder diary. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Centralized vs. decentralized nursing stations: effects on nurses' functional use of space and work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Zborowsky, Terri; Bunker-Hellmich, Lou; Morelli, Agneta; O'Neill, Mike

2010-01-01

Evidence-based findings of the effects of nursing station design on nurses' work environment and work behavior are essential to improve conditions and increase retention among these fundamental members of the healthcare delivery team. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate how nursing station design (i.e., centralized and decentralized nursing station layouts) affected nurses' use of space, patient visibility, noise levels, and perceptions of the work environment. Advances in information technology have enabled nurses to move away from traditional centralized paper-charting stations to smaller decentralized work stations and charting substations located closer to, or inside of, patient rooms. Improved understanding of the trade-offs presented by centralized and decentralized nursing station design has the potential to provide useful information for future nursing station layouts. This information will be critical for understanding the nurse environment "fit." The study used an exploratory design with both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative data regarding the effects of nursing station design on nurses' health and work environment were gathered by means of focus group interviews. Quantitative data-gathering techniques included place- and person-centered space use observations, patient visibility assessments, sound level measurements, and an online questionnaire regarding perceptions of the work environment. Nurses on all units were observed most frequently performing telephone, computer, and administrative duties. Time spent using telephones, computers, and performing other administrative duties was significantly higher in the centralized nursing stations. Consultations with medical staff and social interactions were significantly less frequent in decentralized nursing stations. There were no indications that either centralized or decentralized nursing station designs resulted in superior visibility. Sound levels measured in all

Linking online gaming and addictive behavior: Converging evidence for a general reward deficiency in frequent online gamers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim eHahn

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Millions of people regularly play so-called Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs. Recently, it has been argued that MMORPG overuse is becoming a significant health problem worldwide. Symptoms such as tolerance, withdrawal and craving have been described. Based on behavioral, resting state and task-related neuroimaging data, we test whether frequent players of the MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW – similar to drug addicts and individuals with an increased risk for addictions – show a generally deficient reward system. In frequent players of the MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW-players and in a control group of non-gamers we assessed 1 trait sensitivity to reward, 2 BOLD responses during monetary reward processing in the ventral striatum and 3 ventral-striatal resting state dynamics. We find a decreased neural activation in the ventral striatum during the anticipation of both small and large monetary rewards. Additionally, we show generally altered neurodynamics in this region independent of any specific task for WoW players (resting state. On the behavioral level, we found differences in trait sensitivity to reward, suggesting that the reward processing deficiencies found in this study are not a consequence of gaming, but predisposed to it. These findings empirically support a direct link between frequent online gaming and the broad field of behavioral and drug addiction research, thus opening new avenues for clinical interventions in addicted gamers and potentially improving the assessment of addiction-risk in the vast population of frequent gamers.

Widespread use and frequent detection of neonicotinoid insecticides in wetlands of Canada's Prairie Pothole Region.

Science.gov (United States)

Main, Anson R; Headley, John V; Peru, Kerry M; Michel, Nicole L; Cessna, Allan J; Morrissey, Christy A

2014-01-01

Neonicotinoids currently dominate the insecticide market as seed treatments on Canada's major Prairie crops (e.g., canola). The potential impact to ecologically significant wetlands in this dominantly agro-environment has largely been overlooked while the distribution of use, incidence and level of contamination remains unreported. We modelled the spatial distribution of neonicotinoid use across the three Prairie Provinces in combination with temporal assessments of water and sediment concentrations in wetlands to measure four active ingredients (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and acetamiprid). From 2009 to 2012, neonicotinoid use was increasing; by 2012, applications covered an estimated ∼11 million hectares (44% of Prairie cropland) with >216,000 kg of active ingredients. Thiamethoxam, followed by clothianidin, were the dominant seed treatments by mass and area. Areas of high neonicotinoid use were identified as high density canola or soybean production. Water sampled four times from 136 wetlands (spring, summer, fall 2012 and spring 2013) across four rural municipalities in Saskatchewan similarly revealed clothianidin and thiamethoxam in the majority of samples. In spring 2012 prior to seeding, 36% of wetlands contained at least one neonicotinoid. Detections increased to 62% in summer 2012, declined to 16% in fall, and increased to 91% the following spring 2013 after ice-off. Peak concentrations were recorded during summer 2012 for both thiamethoxam (range: Wetlands situated in barley, canola and oat fields consistently contained higher mean concentrations of neonicotinoids than in grasslands, but no individual crop singularly influenced overall detections or concentrations. Distribution maps indicate neonicotinoid use is increasing and becoming more widespread with concerns for environmental loading, while frequently detected neonicotinoid concentrations in Prairie wetlands suggest high persistence and transport into wetlands.

Communication Assessment of the Most Frequented Breast Cancer Websites: Evaluation of Design and Theoretical Criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitten, Pamela; Smith, Sandi; Munday, Samantha; LaPlante, Carolyn

2008-07-01

The internet is a prominent source of health information for the public. This research evaluated both basic use and design tenets and the presence of theoretical components to motivate healthy breast cancer behavior for users of the most frequented breast cancer websites. Each website was evaluated with 2 sets of questions. The first attends to the basic use and design tenets of the website. The second coding form assessed the websites use of 3 behavior change theories. The majority of the websites fared well with regards to their use of basic tenet and design principles. Theoretical components were used sparingly on the majority of websites. The most frequented breast cancer websites are currently well equipped with basic use and design tenets. However, their lack of behavioral change components is likely to impede users' motivations to protect themselves against breast cancer.

Perceived Case Management Needs and Service Preferences of Frequent Emergency Department Users: Lessons Learned in a Large Urban Centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahan, Deborah; Poremski, Daniel; Wise-Harris, Deborah; Pauly, Daniel; Leszcz, Molyn; Wasylenki, Donald; Stergiopoulos, Vicky

2016-01-01

This study aimed to explore the service needs and preferences of frequent emergency department users with mental health and addictions concerns who participated in a brief intensive case management intervention. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 20 frequent emergency department users with mental health and addictions challenges, 13 service providers involved in the delivery of a brief case management intervention, and a focus group with intervention case managers. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceived service user profiles, service needs and preferences of care. Service users experienced complex health and social needs and social isolation, while exhibiting resilience and the desire to contribute. They described multiple instances of stigmatization in interactions with healthcare professionals. Components of the brief intensive case management intervention perceived to be helpful included system navigation, advocacy, intermediation, and practical needs assistance. Frequent service users valued relational responsiveness, a non-judgmental stance, and a recovery orientation in case managers. Interventions for frequent service users in mental health may be enhanced by focusing on the engagement of formal and informal social supports, practical needs assistance, system navigation, advocacy and intermediation, and attention to the recovery goals of service users.

Perceived Case Management Needs and Service Preferences of Frequent Emergency Department Users: Lessons Learned in a Large Urban Centre.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Kahan

Full Text Available This study aimed to explore the service needs and preferences of frequent emergency department users with mental health and addictions concerns who participated in a brief intensive case management intervention.We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 20 frequent emergency department users with mental health and addictions challenges, 13 service providers involved in the delivery of a brief case management intervention, and a focus group with intervention case managers. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceived service user profiles, service needs and preferences of care.Service users experienced complex health and social needs and social isolation, while exhibiting resilience and the desire to contribute. They described multiple instances of stigmatization in interactions with healthcare professionals. Components of the brief intensive case management intervention perceived to be helpful included system navigation, advocacy, intermediation, and practical needs assistance. Frequent service users valued relational responsiveness, a non-judgmental stance, and a recovery orientation in case managers.Interventions for frequent service users in mental health may be enhanced by focusing on the engagement of formal and informal social supports, practical needs assistance, system navigation, advocacy and intermediation, and attention to the recovery goals of service users.

Animal Allergens and Their Presence in the Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Zahradnik, Eva; Raulf, Monika

2014-01-01

Exposure to animal allergens is a major risk factor for sensitization and allergic diseases. Besides mites and cockroaches, the most important animal allergens are derived from mammals. Cat and dog allergies affect the general population; whereas, allergies to rodents or cattle is an occupational problem. Exposure to animal allergens is not limited to direct contact to animals. Based on their aerodynamic properties, mammalian allergens easily become airborne, attach to clothing and hair, and can be spread from one environment to another. For example, the major cat allergen Fel d 1 was frequently found in homes without pets and in public buildings, including schools, day-care centers, and hospitals. Allergen concentrations in a particular environment showed high variability depending on numerous factors. Assessment of allergen exposure levels is a stepwise process that involves dust collection, allergen quantification, and data analysis. Whereas a number of different dust sampling strategies are used, ELISA assays have prevailed in the last years as the standard technique for quantification of allergen concentrations. This review focuses on allergens arising from domestic, farm, and laboratory animals and describes the ubiquity of mammalian allergens in the human environment. It includes an overview of exposure assessment studies carried out in different indoor settings (homes, schools, workplaces) using numerous sampling and analytical methods and summarizes significant factors influencing exposure levels. However, methodological differences among studies have contributed to the variability of the findings and make comparisons between studies difficult. Therefore, a general standardization of methods is needed and recommended. PMID:24624129

Animal allergens and their presence in the environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva eZahradnik

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Exposure to animal allergens is a major risk factor for sensitization and allergic diseases. Besides mites and cockroaches, the most important animal allergens are derived from mammals. Cat and dog allergies affect the general population; whereas, allergies to rodents or cattle is an occupational problem. Exposure to animal allergens is not limited to direct contact to animals. Based on their aerodynamic properties, mammalian allergens easily become airborne, attach to clothing and hair, and can be spread from one environment to another. For example, the major cat allergen Fel d 1 was frequently found in homes without pets and in public buildings, including schools, day care centers and hospitals. Allergen concentrations in a particular environment showed high variability depending on numerous factors.Assessment of allergen exposure levels is a stepwise process that involves dust collection, allergen quantification and data analysis. Whereas a number of different dust sampling strategies are used, ELISA assays have prevailed in the last years as the standard technique for quantification of allergen concentrations. This review focuses on allergens arising from domestic, farm and laboratory animals and describes the ubiquity of mammalian allergens in the human environment. It includes an overview of exposure assessment studies carried out in different indoor settings (homes, schools, workplaces using numerous sampling and analytical methods and summarizes significant factors influencing exposure levels. However, methodological differences among studies have contributed to the variability of the findings and make comparisons between studies difficult. Therefore, a general standardization of methods is needed and recommended.

The school environment and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Guatemalan adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Godin, Katelyn M; Chacón, Violeta; Barnoya, Joaquin; Leatherdale, Scott T

2017-11-01

The current study sought to examine Guatemalan adolescents' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), identify which individual-level characteristics are associated with SSB consumption and describe school characteristics that may influence students' SSB consumption. Within this observational pilot study, a questionnaire was used to assess students' consumption of three varieties of SSB (soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened coffees/teas), as well as a variety of sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics. We collected built environment data to examine aspects of the school food environment. We developed Poisson regression models for each SSB variety and used descriptive analyses to characterize the sample. Guatemala City, Guatemala. Guatemalan adolescents (n 1042) from four (two public, two private) secondary schools. Built environment data revealed that students from the two public schools lacked access to water fountains/coolers. The SSB industry had a presence in the schools through advertisements, sponsored food kiosks and products available for sale. Common correlates of SSB consumption included school type, sedentary behaviour, frequency of purchasing lunch in the cafeteria, and frequency of purchasing snacks from vending machines in school and off school property. Guatemalan adolescents frequently consume SSB, which may be encouraged by aspects of the school environment. Schools represent a viable setting for equitable population health interventions designed to reduce SSB consumption, including increasing access to clean drinking-water, reducing access to SSB, restricting SSB marketing and greater enforcement of existing food policies.

21 CFR 101.44 - What are the 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits, vegetables, and fish in the United States?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... fruits, vegetables, and fish in the United States? 101.44 Section 101.44 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... raw fruits, vegetables, and fish in the United States? (a) The 20 most frequently consumed raw fruits..., and watermelon. (b) The 20 most frequently consumed raw vegetables are: Asparagus, bell pepper...

Modification of GNPS environment radiation monitoring network system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Lili; Cao Chunsheng

1999-01-01

GNPS Environment Radiation Continuous Monitoring System (KRS), the only real time on-line system of site radiation monitoring, was put into service in 1993 prior to the first loading the the plant. It is revealed through several years of operation that this system has some deficiencies such as inadequate real time monitoring means, no figure and diagram display function on the central computer, high failures, frequent failure warning signals, thus making the availability of the system at a low level. In recent years, with the rapid development of computer network technology and increasingly strict requirements on the NPP environment protection raised by the government and public, KRS modification had become necessary and urgent. In 1996, GNPS carried out modification work on the measuring geometry condition of γ radiation monitoring sub-station and lightening protection. To enhance the functions of real time monitoring and data auto-processing, further modification of the system was made in 1998, including the update of the software and hardware of KRS central processor, set-up of system computer local network and database. In this way, the system availability and monitoring quality are greatly improved and effective monitoring and analysis means are provided for gaseous release during normal operation and under accident condition

REVIEW OF SELECTED BIOLOGICAL METHODS OF ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Beata Jakubus

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The xenobiotics introduced into the environment are the effect of human activities. It is especially soil contamination that leads to degradation of soils, which may finally be referred to the biological imbalance of the ecosystem. Normally chemical methods are used for the assessment of soil’s quality. Unfortunately, they are not always quick and inexpensive. Therefore, the practice and the science at environmental monitoring more frequently employ biological methods. Most of them meet the above mentioned conditions and become a supplement of routine laboratory practices. This publication shows an overview of selected common biological methods used to estimate the quality of the environment. The first part of the paper presents biomonitoring as a first step of environmental control which relies on the observation of indicator organisms. The next section was dedicated to the bioassays, indicating the greater or lesser practical applications confirmed by literature on the subject. Particular attention has been focused on phytotests and the tests based on the invertebrates.

Cognitive evaluation by tasks in a virtual reality environment in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamargue-Hamel, Delphine; Deloire, Mathilde; Saubusse, Aurore; Ruet, Aurélie; Taillard, Jacques; Philip, Pierre; Brochet, Bruno

2015-12-15

The assessment of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) requires large neuropsychological batteries that assess numerous domains. The relevance of these assessments to daily cognitive functioning is not well established. Cognitive ecological evaluation has not been frequently studied in MS. The aim of this study was to determine the interest of cognitive evaluation in a virtual reality environment in a sample of persons with MS with cognitive deficits. Thirty persons with MS with at least moderate cognitive impairment were assessed with two ecological evaluations, an in-house developed task in a virtual reality environment (Urban DailyCog®) and a divided attention task in a driving simulator. Classical neuropsychological testing was also used. Fifty-two percent of the persons with MS failed the driving simulator task and 80% failed the Urban DailyCog®. Virtual reality assessments are promising in identifying cognitive impairment in MS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

External radiation monitoring in TAPS and RAPS environs (1980-81) using TLD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, A.S.; Nambi, K.S.V.; Sunta, C.M.

1983-01-01

Results of environmental external radiation monitoring using quarterly integrated TLD measurements are presented for environments of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) and the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) for the two year monitoring period (1980-81). The data fit into the unimodal log-normal distribution except for locations where gaseous radioactivity escaping from the plant makes a significant contribution. The average natural radiation background in TAPS and RAPS environment is estimated to be 59.6 +- 4.7 mR yr -1 and 65.1 +- 9.8 mR yr -1 respectively. Contribution from the plant superimposed over the natural level leads frequently to bi-normal distribution. The effect of stack-released gaseous radioactivity is seen in locations within 1.6 km of TAPS: for example Ghivoli village registered an excess of 9.3 mR yr -1 over the natural background. The quarterly background values indicate minor temporal and spatial variations which can be attributed to changes in natural as well as stack released radioactivity. (author)

Medical surgical nurses describe missed nursing care tasks-Evaluating our work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Winsett, Rebecca P; Rottet, Kendra; Schmitt, Abby; Wathen, Ellen; Wilson, Debra

2016-11-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the nurse work environment by evaluating the self-report of missed nursing care and the reasons for the missed care. A convenience sample of medical surgical nurses from four hospitals was invited to complete the survey for this descriptive study. The sample included 168 nurses. The MISSCARE survey assessed the frequency and reason of 24 routine nursing care elements. The most frequently reported missed care was ambulation as ordered, medications given within a 30 minute window, and mouth care. Moderate or significant reasons reported for the missed care were: unexpected rise in volume/acuity, heavy admissions/discharges, inadequate assistants, inadequate staff, meds not available when needed, and urgent situations. Identifying missed nursing care and reasons for missed care provides an opportunity for exploring strategies to reduce interruptions, develop unit cohesiveness, improve the nurse work environment, and ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members: Frequently Asked Questions

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving policy decisions practice or discourse, either in the public or private sectors .” 6. What...2017 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members 433 | OPA Frequently Asked Questions 2016 Workplace and Gender Relations...OPA), has been conducting surveys of gender issues for the active duty military since 1988. RSSC uses scientific state of the art statistical

Oral Astragalus (Huang qi) for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infection in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Guobin; Chen, Xiankun; Liu, Zhuangzhu; Yang, Lihong; Zhang, La; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia; Wen, Zehuai; Guo, Xinfeng; Qin, Xindong; Liang, Jueyao; Liu, Xusheng

2016-12-01

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are common in children and can involve both upper and lower airways. Many children experience frequent ARTI episodes or recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in early life, which creates challenges for paediatricians, primary care physicians, parents and carers of children.In China, Astragalus (Huang qi), alone or in combination with other herbs, is used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in the form of a water extract, to reduce the risk of ARTIs; it is believed to stimulate the immune system. Better understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms of Astragalus may provide insights into ARTI prevention, and consequently reduced antibiotic use. To assess the effectiveness and safety of oral Astragalus for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children in community settings. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 12, 2015), MEDLINE (Ovid) (1946 to 31 December 2015), Embase (Elsevier) (1974 to 31 December 2015), AMED (Ovid) (1985 to 31 December 2015), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1979 to 31 December 2015) and Chinese Scientific Journals full text database (CQVIP) (1989 to 31 December 2015), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM 1976 to 31 December 2015) and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (WanFang) (1998 to 31 December 2015). We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral Astragalus as a sole Chinese herbal preparation with placebo to prevent frequent episodes of ARTIs in children. We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures for this review. We assessed search results to identify relevant studies. We planned to extract data using standardised forms. Disagreements were to be resolved through discussion. Risk of bias was to be assessed using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool. We planned to use mean difference (MD) or standardised mean difference (SMD) for continuous data and risk

Agitation After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Frequent Omen of Hospital Complications Associated with Worse Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Reznik, Michael E; Schmidt, J Michael; Mahta, Ali; Agarwal, Sachin; Roh, David J; Park, Soojin; Frey, Hans Peter; Claassen, Jan

2017-06-01

Agitated delirium is frequent following acute brain injury, but data are limited in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We examined incidence, risk factors, and consequences of agitation in these patients in a single-center retrospective study. We identified all patients treated with antipsychotics or dexmedetomidine from a prospective observational cohort of patients with spontaneous SAH. Agitation was confirmed by chart review. Outcomes were assessed at 12 months using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), and Lawton IADL (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) scores. Independent predictors were identified using logistic regression. From 309 SAH patients admitted between January 2011 and December 2015, 52 (17 %) developed agitation, frequently in the first 72 h (50 %) and in patients with Hunt-Hess grades 3-4 (12 % of grades 1-2, 28 % of grades 3-4, 8 % of grade 5). There was also a significant association between agitation and a history of cocaine use or prior psychiatric diagnosis. Agitated patients were more likely to develop multiple hospital complications; and in half of these patients, complications were diagnosed within 24 h of agitation onset. Agitation was associated with IADL impairment at 12 months (Lawton >8; p = 0.03, OR 2.7, 95 % CI, 1.1-6.8) in non-comatose patients (Hunt-Hess 1-4), but not with functional outcome (mRS >3), cognitive impairment (TICS ≤30), or ICU/hospital length of stay after controlling for other predictors. Agitation occurs frequently after SAH, especially in non-comatose patients with higher clinical grades. It is associated with the development of multiple hospital complications and may have an independent impact on long-term outcomes.

Effects of Mediterranean diet in patients with recurring colds and frequent complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Calatayud, F M; Calatayud, B; Gallego, J G; González-Martín, C; Alguacil, L F

In recent years, traditional diets enriched with fresh plant-based foods have been gradually abandoned, increasing the consumption of animal foods and highly processed food. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a nutritional intervention with a Traditional Mediterranean Diet in patients with recurring colds (RC) and frequent inflammatory complications (IC). Prospective before-after comparison study of 63 girls and 65 boys aged 1-5 years were included over a year in the nutritional programme "Learning to eat from the Mediterranean". We studied clinical and therapeutic variables and various anthropometric parameters. All the studied indicators (number of catarrhal episodes CB, degree of intensity, emergency and hospital admissions) showed a positive and statistically significant evolution, evidenced from the first weeks of starting treatment, until the end of the year, after which 53.9% of patients had no CB, 25% had only one, and 16.4% had two episodes, compared to the 4.64 episodes on average in the previous year. Antibiotic use decreased by 87.4%, from 3.85±1.27 times/patient/year to 0.49±0.79 (pMediterranean Diet, increased from 7.8 to 10.9 points. The adoption of a Traditional Mediterranean Diet could be a major contribution to the improvement of patients with recurring colds and frequent inflammatory complications. Copyright © 2016 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Lower life satisfaction related to materialism in children frequently exposed to advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

Opree, Suzanna J; Buijzen, Moniek; Valkenburg, Patti M

2012-09-01

Research among adults suggests that materialism and life satisfaction negatively influence each other, causing a downward spiral. So far, cross-sectional research among children has indicated that materialistic children are less happy, but causality remains uncertain. This study adds to the literature by investigating the longitudinal relation between materialism and life satisfaction. We also investigated whether their relation depended on children's level of exposure to advertising. A sample of 466 children (aged 8-11; 55% girls) participated in a 2-wave online survey with a 1-year interval. We asked children questions about material possessions, life satisfaction, and advertising. We used structural equation modeling to study the relationship between these variables. For the children in our sample, no effect of materialism on life satisfaction was observed. However, life satisfaction did have a negative effect on materialism. Exposure to advertising facilitated this effect: We only found an effect of life satisfaction on materialism for children who were frequently exposed to advertising. Among 8- to 11-year-old children, life satisfaction leads to decreased materialism and not the other way around. However, this effect only holds for children who are frequently exposed to television advertising. It is plausible that the material values portrayed in advertising teach children that material possessions are a way to cope with decreased life satisfaction. It is important to reduce this effect, because findings among adults suggest that materialistic children may become less happy later in life. Various intervention strategies are discussed.

Carotid near-occlusion frequently has high peak systolic velocity on Doppler ultrasound

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khangure, Simon R.; Machnowska, Matylda; Fox, Allan J.; Hojjat, Seyed-Parsa; Aviv, Richard I. [Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Medical Imaging, Neuroradiology Division, Toronto, ON (Canada); University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Neuroimaging, Toronto (Canada); Benhabib, Hadas [Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Medical Imaging, Neuroradiology Division, Toronto, ON (Canada); Groenlund, Christer [Umeaa University, Department of Radiation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Umeaa (Sweden); Herod, Wendy [Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto (Canada); Maggisano, Robert [Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto (Canada); University of Toronto, Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Toronto (Canada); Sjoeberg, Anders [Umeaa University, Department of Radiation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Umeaa (Sweden); Umeaa University, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeaa (Sweden); Wester, Per [Umeaa University, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeaa (Sweden); Karolinska Institutet Danderyds Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences, Stockholm (Sweden); Hopyan, Julia [University of Toronto, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Toronto (Canada); Johansson, Elias [Umeaa University, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeaa (Sweden); Umeaa University, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeaa (Sweden)

2018-01-15

Carotid near-occlusion is a tight atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) resulting in decrease in diameter of the vessel lumen distal to the stenosis. Near-occlusions can be classified as with or without full collapse, and may have high peak systolic velocity (PSV) across the stenosis, mimicking conventional > 50% carotid artery stenosis. We aimed to determine how frequently near-occlusions have high PSV in the stenosis and determine how accurately carotid Doppler ultrasound can distinguish high-velocity near-occlusion from conventional stenosis. Included patients had near-occlusion or conventional stenosis with carotid ultrasound and CT angiogram (CTA) performed within 30 days of each other. CTA examinations were analyzed by two blinded expert readers. Velocities in the internal and common carotid arteries were recorded. Mean velocity, pulsatility index, and ratios were calculated, giving 12 Doppler parameters for analysis. Of 136 patients, 82 had conventional stenosis and 54 had near-occlusion on CTA. Of near-occlusions, 40 (74%) had high PSV (≥ 125 cm/s) across the stenosis. Ten Doppler parameters significantly differed between conventional stenosis and high-velocity near-occlusion groups. However, no parameter was highly sensitive and specific to separate the groups. Near-occlusions frequently have high PSV across the stenosis, particularly those without full collapse. Carotid Doppler ultrasound does not seem able to distinguish conventional stenosis from high-velocity near-occlusion. These findings question the use of ultrasound alone for preoperative imaging evaluation. (orig.)

Interesting association rule mining with consistent and inconsistent rule detection from big sales data in distributed environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinesh J. Prajapati

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there is an increasing demand in mining interesting patterns from the big data. The process of analyzing such a huge amount of data is really computationally complex task when using traditional methods. The overall purpose of this paper is in twofold. First, this paper presents a novel approach to identify consistent and inconsistent association rules from sales data located in distributed environment. Secondly, the paper also overcomes the main memory bottleneck and computing time overhead of single computing system by applying computations to multi node cluster. The proposed method initially extracts frequent itemsets for each zone using existing distributed frequent pattern mining algorithms. The paper also compares the time efficiency of Mapreduce based frequent pattern mining algorithm with Count Distribution Algorithm (CDA and Fast Distributed Mining (FDM algorithms. The association generated from frequent itemsets are too large that it becomes complex to analyze it. Thus, Mapreduce based consistent and inconsistent rule detection (MR-CIRD algorithm is proposed to detect the consistent and inconsistent rules from big data and provide useful and actionable knowledge to the domain experts. These pruned interesting rules also give useful knowledge for better marketing strategy as well. The extracted consistent and inconsistent rules are evaluated and compared based on different interestingness measures presented together with experimental results that lead to the final conclusions.

Long-term continuous N-carbamylglutamate treatment in frequently decompensated propionic acidemia: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Tummolo, Albina; Melpignano, Livio; Carella, Antonella; Di Mauro, Anna Maria; Piccinno, Elvira; Vendemiale, Marcella; Ortolani, Federica; Fedele, Stefania; Masciopinto, Maristella; Papadia, Francesco

2018-04-22

Propionic acidemia is a rare autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder that can inhibit the synthesis of N-acetylglutamate, the obligatory activator in urea synthesis, leading to hyperammonemia. N-carbamylglutamate ameliorates hyperammonemia in decompensated propionic acidemia. The effects of long-term continuous N-acetylglutamate administration in such patients are unknown. We report our clinical experience with continuous administration of N-acetylglutamate for 6 years in a patient with propionic acidemia frequently presenting with hyperammonemia. A male Caucasian patient with frequently decompensated propionic acidemia and hyperammonemia was admitted 78 times for acute attacks during the first 9 years of his life. Continuous daily treatment with oral N-carbamylglutamate 100 mg/kg (50 mg/kg after 6 months) was initiated. During 6 years of treatment, he had a significant decrease in his mean plasma ammonia levels (75.7 μmol/L vs. 140.3 μmol/L before N-carbamylglutamate therapy, p N-acetylglutamate administration outside the emergency setting. If this observation is confirmed, future studies should aim to optimize the dosage and explore effects of the dosage requirements on other drugs and on protein tolerance.

International environment, enterprise environment and energy environment giving different look

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubo, Shunsuke

1987-04-01

0he international environment, enterprise environment and energy environment surrounding Japan are changing their looks. In such situation, what Japan should do for the development of the world was discussed. Internationally, in the Western Pacific economical block including Japan and Asian NICs, Japan promotes the international exchange of materials, capital, technology, information and people, and creates various international public properties. Enterprisers should have global mind, and cope with the internationalization, technical innovation and information orientation which are in progress at present through international exchange, interindustrial exchange, industry-university-government exchange and so on. In the aspect of energy environment, Japan carries out the technical development of energy conservation, energy, creation and the exploration of energy resources, in this way, contributes to the stabilization of energy in the world. (3 figs, 1 tab)

Pulmonary rehabilitation referral and participation are commonly influenced by environment, knowledge, and beliefs about consequences: a systematic review using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Narelle S; Oliveira, Cristino C; Lahham, Aroub; Holland, Anne E

2017-04-01

What are the barriers and enablers of referral, uptake, attendance and completion of pulmonary rehabilitation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Systematic review of qualitative or quantitative studies reporting data relating to referral, uptake, attendance and/or completion in pulmonary rehabilitation. People aged >18years with a diagnosis of COPD and/or their healthcare professionals. Data were extracted regarding the nature of barriers and enablers of pulmonary rehabilitation referral and participation. Extracted data items were mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). A total of 6969 references were screened, with 48 studies included and 369 relevant items mapped to the TDF. The most frequently represented domain was 'Environment' (33/48 included studies, 37% of mapped items), which included items such as waiting time, burden of illness, travel, transport and health system resources. Other frequently represented domains were 'Knowledge' (18/48 studies, including items such as clinician knowledge of referral processes, patient understanding of rehabilitation content) and 'Beliefs about consequences' (15/48 studies, including items such as beliefs regarding role and safety of exercise, expectations of rehabilitation outcomes). Barriers to referral, uptake, attendance or completion represented 71% (n=183) of items mapped to the TDF. All domains of the TDF were represented; however, items were least frequently coded to the domains of 'Optimism' and 'Memory'. The methodological quality of included studies was fair (mean quality score 9/12, SD 2). Many factors - particularly those related to environment, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours - interact to influence referral, uptake, attendance and completion of pulmonary rehabilitation. Overcoming the challenges associated with the personal and/or healthcare system environment will be imperative to improving access and uptake of pulmonary rehabilitation. PROSPERO CRD42015015976

Nurture net of nature: Re-evaluating the role of shared environments in academic achievement and verbal intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Daw, Jonathan; Guo, Guang; Harris, Kathie Mullan

2015-07-01

Prominent authors in the behavioral genetics tradition have long argued that shared environments do not meaningfully shape intelligence and academic achievement. However, we argue that these conclusions are erroneous due to large violations of the additivity assumption underlying behavioral genetics methods - that sources of genetic and shared and nonshared environmental variance are independent and non-interactive. This is compounded in some cases by the theoretical equation of the effective and objective environments, where the former is defined by whether siblings are made more or less similar, and the latter by whether siblings are equally subject to the environmental characteristic in question. Using monozygotic twin fixed effects models, which compare outcomes among genetically identical pairs, we show that many characteristics of objectively shared environments significantly moderate the effects of nonshared environments on adolescent academic achievement and verbal intelligence, violating the additivity assumption of behavioral genetic methods. Importantly, these effects would be categorized as nonshared environmental influences in standard twin models despite their roots in shared environments. These findings should encourage caution among those who claim that the frequently trivial variance attributed to shared environments in behavioral genetic models means that families, schools, and neighborhoods do not meaningfully influence these outcomes. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Physical therapists' perception of workplace ethics in an evolving health-care delivery environment: a cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantu, Roberto

2018-03-30

Physical therapists are trained and obligated to deliver optimal health care and put patients first above all else. In the changing health-care environment, health-care organizations are grappling with controlling cost and increasing revenues. Moral distress may be created when physical therapists' desire to provide optimal care conflicts with their organization's goals to remain financially viable or profitable. Moral distress has been associated with low perception of ethical environment, professional burnout, and high turnover in organizations. This study identified groups who may be vulnerable to low perception of organizational ethical environment and identified self-reported strategies to remedy these perceptions. An ethics environment questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 1200 physical therapists in Georgia. Respondents (n = 340) were analyzed by age, workplace setting, and position in organization. Therapists working in skilled nursing/assisted living environments scored the lowest on the questionnaire and voiced concerns regarding their ethical work environments. Owners and executives perceived their organizations to be more ethical than front-line clinicians. Respondent concerns included high productivity standards, aggressive coding/billing policies, decreased reimbursement, and increased insurance regulation. Possible solutions included more frequent communication between management and clinicians about ethics, greater professional autonomy, and increased training in business ethics and finance.

Frequent binge drinking five to six years after exposure to 9/11: Findings from the World Trade Center Health Registry

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, Alice E.; Caramanica, Kimberly; Maslow, Carey B.; Cone, James E.; Farfel, Mark R.; Keyes, Katherine M.; Stellman, Steven D.; Hasin, Deborah S.

2014-01-01

Background Exposure to 9/11 may have considerable long-term impact on health behaviors, including increased alcohol consumption. We examined the association between frequent binge drinking, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and number of 9/11-specific experiences among World Trade Center Health Registry (Registry) enrollees five-to-six years after 9/11. Methods Participants included 41,284 lower Manhattan residents, workers, passers-by, and rescue/recovery workers aged 18 or older without a pre-9/11 PTSD diagnosis who completed Wave 1 (2003–2004) and Wave 2 (2006–2007) interviews. Frequent binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks on five or more occasions in the prior 30 days at Wave 2. Probable PTSD was defined as scoring 44 or greater on the PTSD Checklist. 9/11 exposure was measured as the sum of 12 experiences and grouped as none/low (0–1), medium (2–3), high (4–5) and very high (6+). Results Frequent binge drinking was significantly associated with increasing 9/11 exposure and PTSD. Those with very high and high exposures had a higher prevalence of frequent binge drinking (13.7% and 9.8%, respectively) than those with medium and low exposures (7.5% and 4.4%, respectively). Upon stratification, very high and high exposures were associated with frequent binge drinking in both the PTSD and no PTSD subgroups. Conclusions Our findings suggest that 9/11 exposure had an impact on frequent binge drinking five-to-six years later among Registry enrollees. Understanding the effects of traumatic exposure on alcohol use is important to identify risk factors for post-disaster alcohol misuse, inform policy, and improve post-disaster psychological and alcohol screening and counseling. PMID:24831753

MASSIVE GALAXIES ARE LARGER IN DENSE ENVIRONMENTS: ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF MASS–SIZE RELATION OF EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Yongmin; Im, Myungshin; Kim, Jae-Woo, E-mail: yymx2@astro.snu.ac.kr, E-mail: mim@astro.snu.ac.kr [Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU), Astronomy Program, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-01-01

Under the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmological models, massive galaxies are expected to be larger in denser environments through frequent hierarchical mergers with other galaxies. Yet, observational studies of low-redshift early-type galaxies have shown no such trend, standing as a puzzle to solve during the past decade. We analyzed 73,116 early-type galaxies at 0.1 ≤  z  < 0.15, adopting a robust nonparametric size measurement technique and extending the analysis to many massive galaxies. We find for the first time that local early-type galaxies heavier than 10{sup 11.2} M {sub ⊙} show a clear environmental dependence in mass–size relation, in such a way that galaxies are as much as 20%–40% larger in the densest environments than in underdense environments. Splitting the sample into the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and non-BCGs does not affect the result. This result agrees with the ΛCDM cosmological simulations and suggests that mergers played a significant role in the growth of massive galaxies in dense environments as expected in theory.

Frequent nonprescription stimulant use and risky behaviors in college students: the role of effortful control.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Adam M; Graziano, Paulo A; Balkhi, Amanda M; McNamara, Joseph P H; Cottler, Linda B; Meneses, Evander; Geffken, Gary R

2015-01-01

The goal of this study was to (a) investigate the association between nonprescription stimulant use (NPSU) and risky behaviors, including risky sex, driving, financial behaviors, and drug use and (b) collect preliminary evidence on mechanisms that may link NPSU to risky behaviors. A sample of 555 college students was collected between August 2010 and February 2012. Students completed several self-report measures assessing their drug use history, attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, temperament, and risky behaviors beyond drug use. Those who reported more frequent NPSU were more likely to engage in high-risk behavior across all 4 domains studied. Further, effortful control abilities partially mediated the link between NPSU and risky behaviors. These results highlight the associated risks of frequent NPSU for college students as well as provide future directions for examining effortful control as a potentially important mechanism linking NPSU to other risky behaviors.

Frequent Shifts in Aspergillus flavus Populations Associated with Maize Production in Sonora, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega-Beltran, A; Cotty, P J

2018-03-01

Aspergillus flavus frequently contaminates maize, a critical staple for billions of people, with aflatoxins. Diversity among A. flavus L morphotype populations associated with maize in Sonora, Mexico was assessed and, in total, 869 isolates from 83 fields were placed into 136 vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) using nitrate-nonutilizing mutants. VCG diversity indices did not differ in four agroecosystems (AES) but diversity significantly differed among years. Frequencies of certain VCGs changed manyfold over single years in both multiple fields and multiple AES. Certain VCGs were highly frequent (>1%) in 2006 but frequencies declined repeatedly in each of the two subsequent years. Other VCGs that had low frequencies in 2006 increased in 2007 and subsequently declined. None of the VCGs were consistently associated with any AES. Fourteen VCGs were considered dominant in at least a single year. However, frequencies often varied significantly among years. Only 9% of VCGs were detected all 3 years whereas 66% were detected in only 1 year. Results suggest that the most realistic measurements of both genetic diversity and the frequency of A. flavus VCGs are obtained by sampling multiple locations in multiple years. Single-season sampling in many locations should not be substituted for sampling over multiple years.

USE OF IMMUNOMODULATORS IN ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION TREATMENT IN FREQUENTLY ILL CHILDREN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.I. Ivardava

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Respiratory infections, relapses of ear, nose, throat infections, acute and chronic bronchial infections — these are the most common infantile infections. Regardless the wide range of medications, treatment of recurrent ENT and respiratory infections is not always effective especially in the group of frequently ill children. This article contains analysis of the necessity of immunomodulation therapy of recurrent respiratory infections as a part of complex prophylaxis and treatment of infants.Key words: children, acute respiratory infection, polyoxidonium, treatment.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2011; 10 (3: 103–107

Can the interaction between occupant behaviour and the indoor environment in residences be influenced?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Søren

study and four field studies that focused on how to affect occupants’ control of the indoor environment. The four studies used measurements of the temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration in 84 rental apartments. The conclusions made in the thesis are derived from an analysis...... the findings of earlier studies, that feedback should be disseminated as frequently as possible. The studies demonstrated the importance of barrier-free access to real-time feedback, as even a little barrier caused the occupants to ignore the feedback. It is recommended that feedback should be disseminated...

Increasing resiliency in frequent fire forests: Lessons from the Sierra Nevada and western Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Scott L. Stephens

2014-01-01

This paper will primarily focus on the management and restoration of forests adapted to frequent, low-moderate intensity fire regimes. These are the forest types that are most at risk from large, high-severity wildfires and in many regions their fire regimes are changing. Fire as a landscape process can exhibit self-limiting characteristics in some forests which can...

Care workers health in Swiss nursing homes and its association with psychosocial work environment: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhaini, Suzanne R; Zúñiga, Franziska; Ausserhofer, Dietmar; Simon, Michael; Kunz, Regina; De Geest, Sabina; Schwendimann, Rene

2016-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated poor health of care workers in nursing homes. Yet, little is known about the prevalence of physical and mental health outcomes, and their associations with the psychosocial work environment in nursing homes. (1) To explore the prevalence of physical and mental health outcomes of care workers in Swiss nursing homes, (2) their association with psychosocial work environment. This is a secondary data analysis of the cross-sectional Swiss Nursing Home Human Resources Project (SHURP). We used survey data on socio-demographic characteristics and work environment factors from care workers (N=3471) working in Swiss nursing homes (N=155), collected between May 2012 and April 2013. GEE logistic regression models were used to estimate the relationship between psychosocial work environment and physical and mental health outcomes, taking into account care workers' age. Back pain (19.0%) and emotional exhaustion (24.2%) were the most frequent self-reported physical and mental health. Back pain was associated with increased workload (odds ratios (OR) 1.52, confidence interval (CI) 1.29-1.79), conflict with other health professionals and lack of recognition (OR 1.72, CI 1.40-2.11), and frequent verbal aggression by residents (OR 1.36, CI 1.06-1.74), and inversely associated with staffing adequacy (OR 0.69, CI 0.56-0.84); emotional exhaustion was associated with increased workload (OR 1.96, CI 1.65-2.34), lack of job preparation (OR 1.41, CI 1.14-1.73), and conflict with other health professionals and lack of recognition (OR 1.68, CI 1.37-2.06), and inversely associated with leadership (OR 0.70, CI 0.56-0.87). Physical and mental health among care workers in Swiss nursing homes is of concern. Modifying psychosocial work environment factors offer promising strategies to improve health. Longitudinal studies are needed to conduct targeted assessments of care workers health status, taking into account their age, along with the exposure to all four

Daily corticosteroids reduce infection-associated relapses in frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulati, Ashima; Sinha, Aditi; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla; Math, Aparna; Hari, Pankaj; Bagga, Arvind

2011-01-01

Relapses of nephrotic syndrome often follow minor infections, commonly of the upper respiratory tract. Daily administration of maintenance prednisolone during intercurrent infections was examined to determine whether the treatment reduces relapse rates in children with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome. In a randomized controlled trial (nonblind, parallel group, tertiary-care hospital), 100 patients with idiopathic, frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome eligible for therapy with prolonged low-dose, alternate-day prednisolone with or without levamisole were randomized to either receive their usual dose of alternate-day prednisolone daily for 7 days during intercurrent infections (intervention group) or continue alternate-day prednisolone (controls). Primary outcome was assessed by comparing the rates of infection-associated relapses at 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were the frequency of infections and the cumulative amount of prednisolone received in both groups. Patients in the intervention group showed significantly lower infection-associated (rate difference, 0.7 episodes/patient per year; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.3, 1.1) and lower total relapse rates (0.9 episodes/patient per year, 95% CI 0.4, 1.4) without increase in steroid toxicity. Poisson regression, adjusted for occurrence of infections, showed that daily administration of prednisolone during infections independently resulted in 59% reduction in frequency of relapses (rate ratio, 0.41; 95% CI 0.3, 0.6). For every six patients receiving this intervention, one showed a reduction of relapse frequency to less than three per year. Daily administration of maintenance doses of prednisolone, during intercurrent infections, significantly reduces relapse rates and the proportion of children with frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome.

Frequent downregulation of miR-34 family in human ovarian cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Corney, David C; Hwang, Chang-Il; Matoso, Andres; Vogt, Markus; Flesken-Nikitin, Andrea; Godwin, Andrew K; Kamat, Aparna A; Sood, Anil K; Ellenson, Lora H; Hermeking, Heiko; Nikitin, Alexander Yu

2010-02-15

The miR-34 family is directly transactivated by tumor suppressor p53, which is frequently mutated in human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We hypothesized that miR-34 expression would be decreased in EOC and that reconstituted miR-34 expression might reduce cell proliferation and invasion of EOC cells. miR-34 expression was determined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization in a panel of 83 human EOC samples. Functional characterization of miR-34 was accomplished by reconstitution of miR-34 expression in EOC cells with synthetic pre-miR molecules followed by determining changes in proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. miR-34a expression is decreased in 100%, and miR-34b*/c in 72%, of EOC with p53 mutation, whereas miR-34a is also downregulated in 93% of tumors with wild-type p53. Furthermore, expression of miR-34b*/c is significantly reduced in stage IV tumors compared with stage III (P = 0.0171 and P = 0.0029, respectively). Additionally, we observed promoter methylation and copy number variations at mir-34. In situ hybridization showed that miR-34a expression is inversely correlated with MET immunohistochemical staining, consistent with translational inhibition by miR-34a. Finally, miR-34 reconstitution experiments in p53 mutant EOC cells resulted in reduced proliferation, motility, and invasion, the latter of which was dependent on MET expression. Our work suggests that miR-34 family plays an important role in EOC pathogenesis and reduced expression of miR-34b*/c may be particularly important for progression to the most advanced stages. Part of miR-34 effects on motility and invasion may be explained by regulation of MET, which is frequently overexpressed in EOC.

Research of the Occupational Psychological Impact Factors Based on the Frequent Item Mining of the Transactional Database

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Dongmei

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the massive reading of data mining and association rules mining documents, this paper will start from compressing transactional database and propose the frequent complementary item storage structure of the transactional database. According to the previous analysis, this paper will also study the association rules mining algorithm based on the frequent complementary item storage structure of the transactional database. At last, this paper will apply this mining algorithm in the test results analysis module of team psychological health assessment system, and will extract the relationship between each psychological impact factor, so as to provide certain guidance for psychologists in their mental illness treatment.

THE FREQUENT LABOUR TURNOVER IN INSURANCE COMPANIES IN NIGERIA : (Case : Nigerian Insurance sector)

OpenAIRE

Onashile, Ademola

2012-01-01

The essence of this thesis is to ascertain the causes, effects and solutions to the frequent labour turnover in the Nigerian insurance companies. Incessant labour turnover has become a phenomenon which many insurance companies have been vehemently battling with as this has undermined their potentials and strengths. The research methodology adopted is the qualitative method which involves the use of telephone interview with the aid of a voice recorder gadget. Therefore, the telepho...

[The role of the microbial environment for the development of childhood asthma and allergies].

Science.gov (United States)

Braun-Fahrländer, Charlotte

2013-12-01

Asthma and allergies are among the most frequent chronic diseases in childhood. Their prevalence has increased during the second half of the twentieth century but seem to stabilize in recent years in many Western European countries such as Switzerland. Although the genetic background is known to have a strong impact on an individual's risk to develop asthma or allergy it seems likely that environmental factors are mostly responsible for the increase in prevalence over time. Much research has been devoted to environmental risk factors promoting the development of asthma and allergies. Yet, there is increasing interest in environmental factors which might protect from the development of these diseases and which might have been reduced along with the development of a "Western lifestyle". The role of environmental allergens, the hygiene hypothesis and the role of the farm environment on the development of asthma and allergies are discussed. An emphasis is put on the microbial environment as encountered in the farming environment which has been shown to confer protection from the development of asthma and allergies. It is likely that among other factors the development of a "Western lifestyle" went along with a marked change of the microbial environment children are exposed to.

Chest Pain: The Need to Consider Less Frequent Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Magalhães

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Chest pain is one of the most frequent patient’s complaints. The commonest underlying causes are well known, but, sometimes, in some clinical scenarios, it is necessary to consider other diagnoses. We report a case of a 68-year-old Caucasian male, chronically hypertensive, who complained of recurrent episodes of chest pain and fever with elevated acute phase reactants. The first investigation was negative for some of the most likely diagnosis and he quickly improved with anti-inflammatory drugs. Over a few months, his symptoms continued to recur periodically, his hypertension was aggravated, and he developed headaches and lower limbs claudication. After a temporal artery biopsy that was negative for vasculitis, he underwent a positron emission tomography suggestive of Takayasu Arteritis. Takayasu Arteritis is a rare chronic granulomatous vasculitis of the aorta and its first-order branches affecting mostly females up to 50 years old. Chest pain is experienced by >40% of the patients and results from the inflammation of the aorta, pulmonary artery, or coronaries.

Automatic, Global and Dynamic Student Modeling in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabine Graf

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Ubiquitous learning allows students to learn at any time and any place. Adaptivity plays an important role in ubiquitous learning, aiming at providing students with adaptive and personalized learning material, activities, and information at the right place and the right time. However, for providing rich adaptivity, the student model needs to be able to gather a variety of information about the students. In this paper, an automatic, global, and dynamic student modeling approach is introduced, which aims at identifying and frequently updating information about students’ progress, learning styles, interests and knowledge level, problem solving abilities, preferences for using the system, social connectivity, and current location. This information is gathered in an automatic way, using students’ behavior and actions in different learning situations provided by different components/services of the ubiquitous learning environment. By providing a comprehensive student model, students can be supported by rich adaptivity in every component/service of the learning environment. Furthermore, the information in the student model can help in giving teachers a better understanding about the students’ learning process.

Food for Thought: Frequent Interracial Dining Experiences as a Predictor of Students' Racial Climate Perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Maria R.; Byron, Reginald A.; Ferry, Griffin; Garcia, Melissa

2013-01-01

This article describes a study that explored factors which influenced undergraduate students' perceptions of the racial climate at a predominantly white liberal arts university in the South. Mixed methods results suggest that race, aspects of the institutional climate, and frequent interracial dining experiences in the campus cafeteria…

Mucinous Cystic Neoplasms Lined by Abundant Mucinous Epithelium Frequently Involve KRAS Mutations and Malignant Progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, Hideki; Ohike, Nobuyuki; Norose, Tomoko; Isobe, Tomohide; Suzuki, Reika; Imai, Hideyuki; Shiokawa, Akira; Aoki, Takeshi; Murakami, Masahiko; Mizukami, Hiroki; Tanaka, Jun-Ichi; Takimoto, Masafumi

2017-12-01

Pancreatic and hepatic mucinous cyst neoplasms (MCNs) have a malignant potential, but indolent MCNs are not uncommon. The pathological and genetic characteristics of resected MCNs (n=15) categorized by the amount of mucin of the lining epithelium were investigated. MCNs were divided into two groups: (i) a rich (r)-MCN group (n=6), in which more than half of the epithelium was lined by abundant mucinous epithelium; and (ii) a poor (p)-MCN group (n=9), which consisted of the remaining cases. Three patients in the r-MCN group showed invasive carcinoma or high-grade dysplasia, whereas all patients in the p-MCN group showed low-grade dysplasia. Mutations of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) were more frequent in the r-MCN group (83%) (p-MCN; 11%, p<0.05). Mucinous MCNs more frequently have KRAS mutations and higher risk of malignant progression. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Convenience store visits by US adolescents: Rationale for healthier retail environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders-Jackson, Ashley; Parikh, Nina M; Schleicher, Nina C; Fortmann, Stephen P; Henriksen, Lisa

2015-07-01

Given interest in the public health impact of convenience stores, it is surprising that so little is known about the popularity of these destinations for youth. We surveyed 2772 adolescents (age 13-16) from a nationally representative web panel of US households. Nearly half (47.5%) of adolescents reported visiting convenience stores at least weekly. Significant risk factors for frequent visits were age, being African-American, living in rural areas and in areas with higher levels of neighborhood deprivation. With approximately 4.1 million US adolescents visiting convenience stores at least weekly, new policies and other interventions are needed to promote a healthier retail environment for youth. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The deep subterranean environment as a potential model system in ecological, biogeographical and evolutionary research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Sánchez-Fernández

2018-01-01

Full Text Available One of the main challenges in ecology, biogeography and evolution is to understand and predict how species may respond to environmental changes. Here we focus on the deep subterranean environment, a system that minimizes most of the typical uncertainties of studies on epigean (surface environments. Caves are relatively homogeneous habitats with nearly constant environmental conditions and simplified biological communities, allowing to control for biotic interactions. Thus, this particular system could be considered a natural habitat whose environmental conditions are similar to what can be reproduced in a laboratory, being an ideal model system for ecological, biogeographical and evolutionary studies. Subterranean species may potentially be used to assess the capability to persist in situ in a global change scenario, as they cannot accommodate to drastic changing conditions by behavioural plasticity, microhabitat use or by migrating to distant, more suitable areas, something frequent in epigean environments. In order to provide accurate predictions of the response of the subterranean biodiversity to climate change, we encourage evolutionary biologist, biogeographers and conservation biologist to work in this interesting ecosystem.

Widespread use and frequent detection of neonicotinoid insecticides in wetlands of Canada's Prairie Pothole Region.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anson R Main

Full Text Available Neonicotinoids currently dominate the insecticide market as seed treatments on Canada's major Prairie crops (e.g., canola. The potential impact to ecologically significant wetlands in this dominantly agro-environment has largely been overlooked while the distribution of use, incidence and level of contamination remains unreported. We modelled the spatial distribution of neonicotinoid use across the three Prairie Provinces in combination with temporal assessments of water and sediment concentrations in wetlands to measure four active ingredients (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and acetamiprid. From 2009 to 2012, neonicotinoid use was increasing; by 2012, applications covered an estimated ∼11 million hectares (44% of Prairie cropland with >216,000 kg of active ingredients. Thiamethoxam, followed by clothianidin, were the dominant seed treatments by mass and area. Areas of high neonicotinoid use were identified as high density canola or soybean production. Water sampled four times from 136 wetlands (spring, summer, fall 2012 and spring 2013 across four rural municipalities in Saskatchewan similarly revealed clothianidin and thiamethoxam in the majority of samples. In spring 2012 prior to seeding, 36% of wetlands contained at least one neonicotinoid. Detections increased to 62% in summer 2012, declined to 16% in fall, and increased to 91% the following spring 2013 after ice-off. Peak concentrations were recorded during summer 2012 for both thiamethoxam (range:

High quality maize centromere 10 sequence reveals evidence of frequent recombination events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Kai Wolfgruber

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The ancestral centromeres of maize contain long stretches of the tandemly arranged CentC repeat. The abundance of tandem DNA repeats and centromeric retrotransposons (CR have presented a significant challenge to completely assembling centromeres using traditional sequencing methods. Here we report a nearly complete assembly of the 1.85 Mb maize centromere 10 from inbred B73 using PacBio technology and BACs from the reference genome project. The error rates estimated from overlapping BAC sequences are 7 x 10-6 and 5 x 10-5 for mismatches and indels, respectively. The number of gaps in the region covered by the reassembly was reduced from 140 in the reference genome to three. Three expressed genes are located between 92 and 477 kb of the inferred ancestral CentC cluster, which lies within the region of highest centromeric repeat density. The improved assembly increased the count of full-length centromeric retrotransposons from 5 to 55 and revealed a 22.7 kb segmental duplication that occurred approximately 121,000 years ago. Our analysis provides evidence of frequent recombination events in the form of partial retrotransposons, deletions within retrotransposons, chimeric retrotransposons, segmental duplications including higher order CentC repeats, a deleted CentC monomer, centromere-proximal inversions, and insertion of mitochondrial sequences. Double-strand DNA break (DSB repair is the most plausible mechanism for these events and may be the major driver of centromere repeat evolution and diversity. This repair appears to be mediated by microhomology, suggesting that tandem repeats may have evolved to facilitate the repair of frequent DSBs in centromeres.

Maternal prepregnancy obesity is an independent risk factor for frequent wheezing in infants by age 14 months.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra, Stefano; Sartini, Claudio; Mendez, Michelle; Morales, Eva; Guxens, Mònica; Basterrechea, Mikel; Arranz, Leonor; Sunyer, Jordi

2013-01-01

Maternal prepregnancy obesity has been linked to the offspring's risk for subsequent asthma. We determined whether maternal obesity is associated with increased risk of wheezing phenotypes early in life. We used data on 1107 mother-child pairs from two birth cohorts from the INMA-INfancia y Medio Ambiente project. Maternal height was measured and prepregnancy weight self-reported at enrolment (on average at 13.7 ± 2 weeks of gestation). Maternal prepregnancy body mass index was categorised as underweight, normal, overweight and obese according to WHO recommendations. Information on child's wheezing was obtained through questionnaires up to the age of 14 (± 1) months. Wheezing was classified as infrequent (<4 reported wheezing episodes) or frequent (≥ 4 episodes). Weight and length of infants were measured by trained study staff at 14.6 (± 1) months of age and weight-for-length z-scores computed. Although maternal obesity did not increase the risk of the child to have any or infrequent wheezing, children of obese mothers were more likely to have frequent wheezing than children of normal-weight mothers (11.8% vs. 3.8%; P = 0.002). In fully adjusted multinomial logistic regression models, including infants' weight-for-length z-scores and other covariates, maternal prepregnancy obesity was associated with increased risk of frequent [adjusted relative risk (RR) 4.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.55, 11.3] but not infrequent (RR 1.05 [95% CI 0.55, 2.01]) wheezing in their children. Maternal prepregnancy obesity is independently associated with an increased risk of frequent wheezing in the infant by the age of 14 months. These findings add evidence on the potential effects of in utero exposures on asthma-related phenotypes. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Evolving Robot Controllers for Structured Environments Through Environment Decomposition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moreno, Rodrigo; Faiña, Andres; Støy, Kasper

2015-01-01

In this paper we aim to develop a controller that allows a robot to traverse an structured environment. The approach we use is to decompose the environment into simple sub-environments that we use as basis for evolving the controller. Specifically, we decompose a narrow corridor environment...... environments and that the order in which the decomposed sub-environments are presented in sequence impacts the performance of the evolutionary algorithm....

Goal Development Practices of Physical Therapists Working in Educational Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wynarczuk, Kimberly D; Chiarello, Lisa A; Gohrband, Catherine L

2017-11-01

The aims of this study were to (1) describe the practices that school-based physical therapists use in developing student goals, and (2) identify facilitators and barriers to development of goals that are specific to participation in the context of the school setting. 46 school-based physical therapists who participated in a previous study on school-based physical therapy practice (PT COUNTS) completed a questionnaire on goal development. Frequencies and cross tabulations were generated for quantitative data. Open-ended questions were analyzed using an iterative qualitative analysis process. A majority of therapists reported that they frequently develop goals collaboratively with other educational team members. Input from teachers, related services personnel, and parents has the most influence on goal development. Qualitative analysis identified five themes that influence development of participation-based goals: (1) school-based philosophy and practice; (2) the educational environment, settings, and routines; (3) student strengths, needs, and personal characteristics; (4) support from and collaboration with members of the educational team; and (5) therapist practice and motivation. Goal development is a complex process that involves multiple members of the educational team and is influenced by many different aspects of practice, the school environment, and student characteristics.

Performance of concrete blended with pozzolanic materials in marine environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan Asad-ur-Rehman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Reinforced concretes structures located at or near the coast line needs to be repaired more frequently when compared to structures located elsewhere. This study is continuation of previous studies carried out at the Department of Civil Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan to study the performance of concrete made up of cements blended by pozzolonic materials. Different pozzolanic materials (blast furnace slag, fly ash and silica fume were used in the study. Tests conducted during the study to compare the performance of samples cast from concrete of different mix designs were Compressive Strength Test (ASTM C 39, Flexural Strength Test (ASTM C 293, Rapid Migration Test (NT Build 492, Absorptivity of the oven-dried samples (ASTM C 642 and Half Cell Potential (ASTM C 876. Use of cements blended with pozzolanic materials, used during the study, proved to be effective in enhancing the performance of the concrete exposed to marine environment. Use of pozzolans in concrete not only provides a sustainable and feasible solution to the durability problems in coastal areas, it also helps in conservation of natural resources and reduction of pollution and energy leading to a green environment.

Effect of a reorganized after-hours family practice service on frequent attenders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vedsted, Peter; Olesen, Frede

1999-01-01

of this reorganization on the use of services by frequent attenders (FAs). METHODS: From 1990 to 1994, methods of contact and annual costs per attender were analyzed in an ecological time-trend study based on aggregated administrative data collected from the database of the Public Health Insurance, Aarhus County......, Denmark (600,000 inhabitants). The study only included attenders ages 18 and over. FAs were defined as the group that, within each calendar year (12 months), had 4 or more contacts with the after-hours family practice service. RESULTS: FAs made up 9.5% of the attenders and accounted for more than 40...

Neutron Environment Characterization of the Central Cavity in the Annular Core Research Reactor *

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parma Edward J.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Characterization of the neutron environment in the central cavity of the Sandia National Laboratories' Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR is important in order to provide experimenters with the most accurate spectral information and maintain a high degree of fidelity in performing reactor experiments. Characterization includes both modeling and experimental efforts. Building accurate neutronic models of the ACRR and the central cavity “bucket” environments that can be used by experimenters is important in planning and designing experiments, as well as assessing the experimental results and quantifying uncertainties. Neutron fluence characterizations of two bucket environments, LB44 and PLG, are presented. These two environments are used frequently and represent two extremes in the neutron spectrum. The LB44 bucket is designed to remove the thermal component of the neutron spectrum and significantly attenuate the gamma-ray fluence. The PLG bucket is designed to enhance the thermal component of the neutron spectrum and attenuate the gamma-ray fluence. The neutron characterization for each bucket was performed by irradiating 20 different activation foil types, some of which were cadmium covered, resulting in 37 different reactions at the peak axial flux location in each bucket. The dosimetry results were used in the LSL-M2 spectrum adjustment code with a 640-energy group MCNP-generated trial spectrum, self-shielding correction factors, the SNLRML or IRDFF dosimetry cross-section library, trial spectrum uncertainty, and trial covariance matrix, to generate a least-squares adjusted neutron spectrum, spectrum uncertainty, and covariance matrix. Both environment character-izations are well documented and the environments are available for use by experimenters.

Self-reported and observed risky driving behaviors among frequent and infrequent cell phone users.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Nan; Reimer, Bryan; Mehler, Bruce; D'Ambrosio, Lisa A; Coughlin, Joseph F

2013-12-01

The apparently higher crash risk among individuals who use cell phones while driving may be due both to the direct interference of cell phone use with the driving task and tendencies to engage in risky driving behaviors independent of cell phone use. Measurements of actual highway driving performance, self-reported aberrant driving behaviors as measured by the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), and attitudes toward speeding, passing behaviors and relative concern about being involved in a crash were assessed. Individuals who reported frequently using cell phones while driving were found to drive faster, change lanes more frequently, spend more time in the left lane, and engage in more instances of hard braking and high acceleration events. They also scored higher in self-reported driving violations on the DBQ and reported more positive attitudes toward speeding and passing than drivers who did not report using a cell phone regularly while driving. These results indicate that a greater reported frequency of cell phone use while driving is associated with a broader pattern of behaviors that are likely to increase the overall risk of crash involvement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Possible roles for frequent salivary antiepileptic drug monitoring in the management of epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Herkes, G K; Eadie, M J

1990-07-01

Salivary levels of phenytoin, phenobarbitone, carbamazepine and carbamazepine-epoxide correlate with the simultaneous plasma water levels of these substances, after correcting for the effects of pH differences between saliva and plasma in the case of phenobarbitone. Saliva is easy and painless to collect, and salivary levels of the drugs are conveniently measured. Frequent (often daily) monitoring of pre-dose morning anticonvulsant drug concentrations in saliva over periods of weeks or months in 3 groups of epileptic subjects showed that (i) in some but not all poorly controlled epileptic patients seizures tended to occur on days when salivary anticonvulsant levels were lower than on non-seizure days, (ii) in such subjects it was possible to estimate an anticipated optimal drug concentration and dose to minimize seizure activity from the plot of seizure frequency against drug concentrations, (iii) in women with 'catamenial' epilepsy, salivary anticonvulsant levels were lower on perimenstrual days than at mid-cycle in half of the subjects studied, and (iv) in pregnant epileptic women the time course of the change in drug levels relative to dose could be followed more closely throughout pregnancy and the post-natal period than was practicable when using blood level measurements. Frequent measurement of salivary anticonvulsant concentrations appears a promising and inexpensive adjunct to the investigation and management of certain problem areas in epilepsy.

EDITORIAL: BUILT ENVIRONMENT PERSPECTIVES ON POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason von Meding

2013-11-01

It is with great pleasure that we would like to introduce this special issue of IJAR, a compilation of cutting-edge research that covers many of the key themes relevant to built environment researchers in disaster-related areas. This knowledge area is by its very nature absolutely multidisciplinary and for this reason it is difficult to quantify built environment impacts, drivers and outcomes in isolation and disaggregate them from non-built environment factors. However, regardless of certain limitations to research carried out from a built environment perspective, as would be the case from any specific disciplinary perspective, a significant body of work has emerged and is constantly growing and evolving in parallel with the research agenda. Built environment researchers around the globe are now, more than ever, exploring various problems that threaten humanity in the way of dire vulnerability and more frequent and powerful hazards. This collection of papers will look specifically at one area of disaster management, postdisaster reconstruction. Reconstruction projects primarily occur during the recovery phase of the disaster cycle, playing a key role in bringing vulnerable communities back to normalcy, integrating disaster risk reduction and preparedness measures to increase resilience to future hazard events. The special issue is broken into four thematic areas; Context and Culture, Theory, Resilience and Risk Reduction and Design. The three papers in Section 1- Context and Culture deal with the impacts of disasters on places and the people that inhabit them, investigating the extent to which reconstruction projects can address social and cultural problems. Meanwhile, the two papers in Section 2- Theory put forward new theoretical perspectives with regards to stakeholder engagement and management, representing the growth of alternative points of departure in this area. The three papers in Section 3- Resilience and Risk Reduction explore various approaches to

[Non alcoholic fatty liver. A frequent entity with an unknown outcome].

Science.gov (United States)

Barisio D'Angelo, María Gabriela; Mariel Actis, Andrea; Outomuro, Delia

2009-01-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), defined as excessive fat accumulation into the hepatocytes, has a prevalence of approximately 15 to 25%. Frequently associated risk factors for NAFLD are obesity, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. It has been proponed that a mitochondrial dysfunction would play a crucial role in the disease development.On the other hand, focus is on insulin resistance syndrome, the only metabolic alteration strongly associated with this malady. The disease is suspected in individuals with insulina resistance characteristics such as metabolic syndrome and also in those with augmented serum aminotransferases levels. Different tests with biochemical markers have been proposed to predict the development of fibrosis or steatohepatitis. Therapeutic options in NAFLD patients are limited and weight lost remains as the most recommended one.

Self-Adapting Routing Overlay Network for Frequently Changing Application Traffic in Content-Based Publish/Subscribe System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng Chi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the large-scale distributed simulation area, the topology of the overlay network cannot always rapidly adapt to frequently changing application traffic to reduce the overall traffic cost. In this paper, we propose a self-adapting routing strategy for frequently changing application traffic in content-based publish/subscribe system. The strategy firstly trains the traffic information and then uses this training information to predict the application traffic in the future. Finally, the strategy reconfigures the topology of the overlay network based on this predicting information to reduce the overall traffic cost. A predicting path is also introduced in this paper to reduce the reconfiguration numbers in the process of the reconfigurations. Compared to other strategies, the experimental results show that the strategy proposed in this paper could reduce the overall traffic cost of the publish/subscribe system in less reconfigurations.

Melioration as rational choice: sequential decision making in uncertain environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Sims, Chris R; Neth, Hansjörg; Jacobs, Robert A; Gray, Wayne D

2013-01-01

Melioration-defined as choosing a lesser, local gain over a greater longer term gain-is a behavioral tendency that people and pigeons share. As such, the empirical occurrence of meliorating behavior has frequently been interpreted as evidence that the mechanisms of human choice violate the norms of economic rationality. In some environments, the relationship between actions and outcomes is known. In this case, the rationality of choice behavior can be evaluated in terms of how successfully it maximizes utility given knowledge of the environmental contingencies. In most complex environments, however, the relationship between actions and future outcomes is uncertain and must be learned from experience. When the difficulty of this learning challenge is taken into account, it is not evident that melioration represents suboptimal choice behavior. In the present article, we examine human performance in a sequential decision-making experiment that is known to induce meliorating behavior. In keeping with previous results using this paradigm, we find that the majority of participants in the experiment fail to adopt the optimal decision strategy and instead demonstrate a significant bias toward melioration. To explore the origins of this behavior, we develop a rational analysis (Anderson, 1990) of the learning problem facing individuals in uncertain decision environments. Our analysis demonstrates that an unbiased learner would adopt melioration as the optimal response strategy for maximizing long-term gain. We suggest that many documented cases of melioration can be reinterpreted not as irrational choice but rather as globally optimal choice under uncertainty.

Study of selected phenotype switching strategies in time varying environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horvath, Denis, E-mail: horvath.denis@gmail.com [Centre of Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Science, P.J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice (Slovakia); Brutovsky, Branislav, E-mail: branislav.brutovsky@upjs.sk [Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, P.J. Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice (Slovakia)

2016-03-22

Population heterogeneity plays an important role across many research, as well as the real-world, problems. The population heterogeneity relates to the ability of a population to cope with an environment change (or uncertainty) preventing its extinction. However, this ability is not always desirable as can be exemplified by an intratumor heterogeneity which positively correlates with the development of resistance to therapy. Causation of population heterogeneity is therefore in biology and medicine an intensively studied topic. In this paper the evolution of a specific strategy of population diversification, the phenotype switching, is studied at a conceptual level. The presented simulation model studies evolution of a large population of asexual organisms in a time-varying environment represented by a stochastic Markov process. Each organism disposes with a stochastic or nonlinear deterministic switching strategy realized by discrete-time models with evolvable parameters. We demonstrate that under rapidly varying exogenous conditions organisms operate in the vicinity of the bet-hedging strategy, while the deterministic patterns become relevant as the environmental variations are less frequent. Statistical characterization of the steady state regimes of the populations is done using the Hellinger and Kullback–Leibler functional distances and the Hamming distance. - Highlights: • Relation between phenotype switching and environment is studied. • The Markov chain Monte Carlo based model is developed. • Stochastic and deterministic strategies of phenotype switching are utilized. • Statistical measures of the dynamic heterogeneity reveal universal properties. • The results extend to higher lattice dimensions.

Study of selected phenotype switching strategies in time varying environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvath, Denis; Brutovsky, Branislav

2016-01-01

Population heterogeneity plays an important role across many research, as well as the real-world, problems. The population heterogeneity relates to the ability of a population to cope with an environment change (or uncertainty) preventing its extinction. However, this ability is not always desirable as can be exemplified by an intratumor heterogeneity which positively correlates with the development of resistance to therapy. Causation of population heterogeneity is therefore in biology and medicine an intensively studied topic. In this paper the evolution of a specific strategy of population diversification, the phenotype switching, is studied at a conceptual level. The presented simulation model studies evolution of a large population of asexual organisms in a time-varying environment represented by a stochastic Markov process. Each organism disposes with a stochastic or nonlinear deterministic switching strategy realized by discrete-time models with evolvable parameters. We demonstrate that under rapidly varying exogenous conditions organisms operate in the vicinity of the bet-hedging strategy, while the deterministic patterns become relevant as the environmental variations are less frequent. Statistical characterization of the steady state regimes of the populations is done using the Hellinger and Kullback–Leibler functional distances and the Hamming distance. - Highlights: • Relation between phenotype switching and environment is studied. • The Markov chain Monte Carlo based model is developed. • Stochastic and deterministic strategies of phenotype switching are utilized. • Statistical measures of the dynamic heterogeneity reveal universal properties. • The results extend to higher lattice dimensions.

Nutritional behaviours of pregnant women in rural and urban environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edyta Suliga

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Monitoring of the environmental differences in the mode of nutrition is especially important in pregnant women, for whom normal body weight gain is especially important for both the course of pregnancy and the normal development of the foetus, and is inseparably associated with rational nutrition. Objective. The objective of the study was evaluation of the mode of nutrition of pregnant women according to the place of residence. Materials and methods. The investigation comprised 704 women. Information was collected by means of an anonymous survey concerning place of residence, consumption of selected products and beverages, and taking folic acid and other vitamin and/or mineral dietary supplements. Results. In the urban environment, pregnant women more frequently consumed vegetables, milk and dairy products, sea fish and wholemeal cereal products, drank more liquids, as well as more fruit and/or vegetable juices, and more often used the supplementation with folic acid, even before becoming pregnant. No significant differences were found in the consumption of fruits, pulses, products which are the source of complete proteins, confectionery products and sweets, according to the place of residence. Conclusions. The diet of pregnant women from the rural environment compared to that of women from urban areas, was characterized by worse quality. It is necessary to carry out health education in the area of adequate nutrition among pregnant women, and those who plan pregnancy, directed primarily to all women from the rural environment.

An ontological framework for requirement change management in distributed environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khatoon, A.; Hafeez, Y.; Ali, T.

2014-01-01

Global Software Development (GSD) is getting fame in the software industry gradually. However, in GSD, multiple and diverse stakeholders are involved in the development of complex software systems. GSD introduces several challenges, i.e. physical distance, time zone, culture difference, language barriers. As requirements play a significant role in any software development. The greatest challenge in GSD environment is to maintain a consistent view of the system even if the requirements change. But at the same time single change in the requirement might affect several other modules. In GSD different people use terms and have different ways of expressing the concepts for which people at remote sites are unable to get uniformity regarding the semantics of the terms. In a global environment requires effective communication and coordination. However, to overcome inconsistencies and ambiguities among the team members and to make the team members aware of the consistent view, a shared and common understanding is required. In this paper an approach beneficial to software industry has been proposed, focusing on changing requirements in a Global Software Development environment. A case study has been used for the evaluation of the proposed approach. Therefore, Requirements change management process has been improved by applying the approach of the case study. The proposed approach is beneficial to the software development organizations where frequent changes occur. It guided the software industry to provide the common understandings to all the development teams residing in remote locations. (author)

Application of frequent itemsets mining to analyze patterns of one-stop visits in Taiwan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Yi Tu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The free choice of health care facilities without limitations on frequency of visits within the National Health Insurance in Taiwan gives rise to not only a high number of annual ambulatory visits per capita but also a unique "one-stop shopping"phenomenon, which refers to a patient' visits to several specialties of the same healthcare facility in one day. The visits to multiple physicians would increase the potential risk of polypharmacy. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and patterns of one-stop visits in Taiwan. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The claims datasets of 1 million nationally representative people within Taiwan's National Health Insurance in 2005 were used to calculate the number of patients with one-stop visits. The frequent itemsets mining was applied to compute the combination patterns of specialties in the one-stop visits. Among the total 13,682,469 ambulatory care visits in 2005, one-stop visits occurred 144,132 times and involved 296,822 visits (2.2% of all visits by 66,294 (6.6% persons. People tended to have this behavior with age and the percentage reached 27.5% (5,662 in 20,579 in the age group ≥80 years. In general, women were more likely to have one-stop visits than men (7.2% vs. 6.0%. Internal medicine plus ophthalmology was the most frequent combination with a visited frequency of 3,552 times (2.5%, followed by cardiology plus neurology with 3,183 times (2.2%. The most frequent three-specialty combination, cardiology plus neurology and gastroenterology, occurred only 111 times. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Without the novel computational technique, it would be hardly possible to analyze the extremely diverse combination patterns of specialties in one-stop visits. The results of the study could provide useful information either for the hospital manager to set up integrated services or for the policymaker to rebuild the health care system.

The Electrostatic Environments of Mars and the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Calle, Carlos I.

2011-01-01

The electrical activity present in the environment near the surfaces of Mars and the moon has very different origins and presents a challenge to manned and robotic planetary exploration missions. Mars is covered with a layer of dust that has been redistributed throughout the entire planet by global dust storms. Dust, levitated by these storms as well as by the frequent dust devils, is expected to be electrostatically charged due to the multiple grain collisions in the dust-laden atmosphere. Dust covering the surface of the moon is expected to be electrostatically charged due to the solar wind, cosmic rays, and the solar radiation itself through the photoelectric effect. Electrostatically charged dust has a large tendency to adhere to surfaces. NASA's Mars exploration rovers have shown that atmospheric dust falling on solar panels can decrease their efficiency to the point of rendering the rover unusable. And as the Apollo missions to the moon showed, lunar dust adhesion can hinder manned and unmanned lunar exploration activities. Taking advantage of the electrical activity on both planetary system bodies, dust removal technologies are now being developed that use electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces to produce controlled dust motion. This paper presents a short review of the theoretical and semiempirical models that have been developed for the lunar and Martian electrical environments.

The electrostatic environments of Mars and the Moon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calle, C I

2011-01-01

The electrical activity present in the environment near the surfaces of Mars and the moon has very different origins and presents a challenge to manned and robotic planetary exploration missions. Mars is covered with a layer of dust that has been redistributed throughout the entire planet by global dust storms. Dust, levitated by these storms as well as by the frequent dust devils, is expected to be electrostatically charged due to the multiple grain collisions in the dust-laden atmosphere. Dust covering the surface of the moon is expected to be electrostatically charged due to the solar wind, cosmic rays, and the solar radiation itself through the photoelectric effect. Electrostatically charged dust has a large tendency to adhere to surfaces. NASA's Mars exploration rovers have shown that atmospheric dust falling on solar panels can decrease their efficiency to the point of rendering the rover unusable. And as the Apollo missions to the moon showed, lunar dust adhesion can hinder manned and unmanned lunar exploration activities. Taking advantage of the electrical activity on both planetary system bodies, dust removal technologies are now being developed that use electrostatic and dielectrophoretic forces to produce controlled dust motion. This paper presents a short review of the theoretical and semiempirical models that have been developed for the lunar and Martian electrical environments.

Advances in analytical methods and occurrence of organic UV-filters in the environment--A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, Sara; Homem, Vera; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

2015-09-01

UV-filters are a group of compounds designed mainly to protect skin against UVA and UVB radiation, but they are also included in plastics, furniture, etc., to protect products from light damage. Their massive use in sunscreens for skin protection has been increasing due to the awareness of the chronic and acute effects of UV radiation. Some organic UV-filters have raised significant concerns in the past few years for their continuous usage, persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. UV-filters end up in wastewater and because wastewater treatment plants are not efficient in removing them, lipophilic compounds tend to sorb onto sludge and hydrophilics end up in river water, contaminating the existing biota. To better understand the risk associated with UV-filters in the environment a thorough review regarding their physicochemical properties, toxicity and environmental degradation, analytical methods and their occurrence was conducted. Higher UV-filter concentrations were found in rivers, reaching 0.3mg/L for the most studied family, the benzophenone derivatives. Concentrations in the ng to μg/L range were also detected for the p-aminobenzoic acid, cinnamate, crylene and benzoyl methane derivatives in lake and sea water. Although at lower levels (few ng/L), UV-filters were also found in tap and groundwater. Swimming pool water is also a sink for UV-filters and its chlorine by-products, at the μg/L range, highlighting the benzophenone and benzimidazole derivatives. Soils and sediments are not frequently studied, but concentrations in the μg/L range have already been found especially for the benzophenone and crylene derivatives. Aquatic biota is frequently studied and UV-filters are found in the ng/g-dw range with higher values for fish and mussels. It has been concluded that more information regarding UV-filter degradation studies both in water and sediments is necessary and environmental occurrences should be monitored more

Competing definitions of contextual environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerrett Michael

2006-12-01

constitutes the boundaries of the communities. The Minimum Bounding Rectangle was preferred because it focused attention on the most frequently used spaces and it controlled potential aggregation problems. There is a need to further examine the validity of different methods proposed here. Given that no method is likely to capture the full complexity of human-environment interactions, we would need baseline data describing people's daily activity patterns along with expert knowledge of the area to evaluate our neighborhood units.

Evolution of learning strategies in temporally and spatially variable environments: a review of theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Kenichi; Feldman, Marcus W

2014-02-01

The theoretical literature from 1985 to the present on the evolution of learning strategies in variable environments is reviewed, with the focus on deterministic dynamical models that are amenable to local stability analysis, and on deterministic models yielding evolutionarily stable strategies. Individual learning, unbiased and biased social learning, mixed learning, and learning schedules are considered. A rapidly changing environment or frequent migration in a spatially heterogeneous environment favors individual learning over unbiased social learning. However, results are not so straightforward in the context of learning schedules or when biases in social learning are introduced. The three major methods of modeling temporal environmental change--coevolutionary, two-timescale, and information decay--are compared and shown to sometimes yield contradictory results. The so-called Rogers' paradox is inherent in the two-timescale method as originally applied to the evolution of pure strategies, but is often eliminated when the other methods are used. Moreover, Rogers' paradox is not observed for the mixed learning strategies and learning schedules that we review. We believe that further theoretical work is necessary on learning schedules and biased social learning, based on models that are logically consistent and empirically pertinent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolution of learning strategies in temporally and spatially variable environments: A review of theory

Science.gov (United States)

Aoki, Kenichi; Feldman, Marcus W.

2013-01-01

The theoretical literature from 1985 to the present on the evolution of learning strategies in variable environments is reviewed, with the focus on deterministic dynamical models that are amenable to local stability analysis, and on deterministic models yielding evolutionarily stable strategies. Individual learning, unbiased and biased social learning, mixed learning, and learning schedules are considered. A rapidly changing environment or frequent migration in a spatially heterogeneous environment favors individual learning over unbiased social learning. However, results are not so straightforward in the context of learning schedules or when biases in social learning are introduced. The three major methods of modeling temporal environmental change – coevolutionary, two-timescale, and information decay – are compared and shown to sometimes yield contradictory results. The so-called Rogers’ paradox is inherent in the two-timescale method as originally applied to the evolution of pure strategies, but is often eliminated when the other methods are used. Moreover, Rogers’ paradox is not observed for the mixed learning strategies and learning schedules that we review. We believe that further theoretical work is necessary on learning schedules and biased social learning, based on models that are logically consistent and empirically pertinent. PMID:24211681

Smartphone gaming and frequent use pattern associated with smartphone addiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chun-Hao; Lin, Sheng-Hsuan; Pan, Yuan-Chien; Lin, Yu-Hsuan

2016-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors of smartphone addiction in high school students.A total of 880 adolescents were recruited from a vocational high school in Taiwan in January 2014 to complete a set of questionnaires, including the 10-item Smartphone Addiction Inventory, Chen Internet Addiction Scale, and a survey of content and patterns of personal smartphone use. Of those recruited, 689 students (646 male) aged 14 to 21 and who owned a smartphone completed the questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the variables associated with smartphone addiction.Smartphone gaming and frequent smartphone use were associated with smartphone addiction. Furthermore, both the smartphone gaming-predominant and gaming with multiple-applications groups showed a similar association with smartphone addiction. Gender, duration of owning a smartphone, and substance use were not associated with smartphone addiction.Our findings suggest that smartphone use patterns should be part of specific measures to prevent and intervene in cases of excessive smartphone use.

Childhood temperament: passive gene-environment correlation, gene-environment interaction, and the hidden importance of the family environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn; Kao, Karen; Swann, Gregory; Goldsmith, H Hill

2013-02-01

Biological parents pass on genotypes to their children, as well as provide home environments that correlate with their genotypes; thus, the association between the home environment and children's temperament can be genetically (i.e., passive gene-environment correlation) or environmentally mediated. Furthermore, family environments may suppress or facilitate the heritability of children's temperament (i.e., gene-environment interaction). The sample comprised 807 twin pairs (mean age = 7.93 years) from the longitudinal Wisconsin Twin Project. Important passive gene-environment correlations emerged, such that home environments were less chaotic for children with high effortful control, and this association was genetically mediated. Children with high extraversion/surgency experienced more chaotic home environments, and this correlation was also genetically mediated. In addition, heritability of children's temperament was moderated by home environments, such that effortful control and extraversion/surgency were more heritable in chaotic homes, and negative affectivity was more heritable under crowded or unsafe home conditions. Modeling multiple types of gene-environment interplay uncovered the complex role of genetic factors and the hidden importance of the family environment for children's temperament and development more generally.

Frequent ice cream consumption is associated with reduced striatal response to receipt of an ice cream-based milkshake.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Kyle S; Stice, Eric

2012-04-01

Weight gain leads to reduced reward-region responsivity to energy-dense food receipt, and consumption of an energy-dense diet compared with an isocaloric, low-energy-density diet leads to reduced dopamine receptors. Furthermore, phasic dopamine signaling to palatable food receipt decreases after repeated intake of that food, which collectively suggests that frequent intake of an energy-dense food may reduce striatal response to receipt of that food. We tested the hypothesis that frequent ice cream consumption would be associated with reduced activation in reward-related brain regions (eg, striatum) in response to receipt of an ice cream-based milkshake and examined the influence of adipose tissue and the specificity of this relation. Healthy-weight adolescents (n = 151) underwent fMRI during receipt of a milkshake and during receipt of a tasteless solution. Percentage body fat, reported food intake, and food craving and liking were assessed. Milkshake receipt robustly activated the striatal regions, yet frequent ice cream consumption was associated with a reduced response to milkshake receipt in these reward-related brain regions. Percentage body fat, total energy intake, percentage of energy from fat and sugar, and intake of other energy-dense foods were not related to the neural response to milkshake receipt. Our results provide novel evidence that frequent consumption of ice cream, independent of body fat, is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction. Data also imply that intake of a particular energy-dense food results in attenuated reward-region responsivity specifically to that food, which suggests that sensory aspects of eating and reward learning may drive the specificity.

In a Manner of Speaking: Assessing Frequent Spoken Figurative Idioms to Assist ESL/EFL Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Lynn E.

2007-01-01

This article outlines criteria to define a figurative idiom, and then compares the frequent figurative idioms identified in two sources of spoken American English (academic and contemporary) to their frequency in spoken British English. This is done by searching the spoken part of the British National Corpus (BNC), to see whether they are frequent…

The Role of Frequent Short Exams in Improving Student Performance in Hybrid Global Business Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Nakos, George; Whiting, Anita

2018-01-01

The authors investigate whether frequent in class exams can improve the performance of students in hybrid global business courses. An experiment was conducted in three hybrid sections of a global business course exposing students to short in class exams. The expectation of a short exam forces students to watch the online lectures and study the…

Test-retest of computerized health status questionnaires frequently used in the monitoring of knee osteoarthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudbergsen, Henrik; Bartels, Else M.; Krusager, Peter

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: To compare data based on touch screen to data based on traditional paper versions of questionnaires frequently used to examine patient reported outcomes in knee osteoarthritis patients and to examine the impact of patient characteristics on this comparison METHODS: Participa......ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: To compare data based on touch screen to data based on traditional paper versions of questionnaires frequently used to examine patient reported outcomes in knee osteoarthritis patients and to examine the impact of patient characteristics on this comparison METHODS...... subgroups, completing either the paper or touch screen version first. Mean, mean differences (95% CI), median, median differences and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) were calculated for all questionnaires. RESULTS: ICCs between data based on computerized and paper versions ranged from 0.86 to 0.......99. Analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between versions of the ADL Taxonomy, but not for the remaining questionnaires. Age, computer experience or education-level had no significant impact on the results. The computerized questionnaires were reported to be easier to use. CONCLUSION...

Identifying Characteristics of Airline Frequent-Fliers in Australia: Implications for Market Segmentation, Target Marketing, and Product Differentiation

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

Airlines can cultivate new business, enjoy repeat patronage through progressively attractive awards given directly to frequent fliers, deter emerging airlines from entering established markets, and compile the demographic profiles and travel characte...

Advances in analytical methods and occurrence of organic UV-filters in the environment — A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos, Sara; Homem, Vera; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

2015-01-01

UV-filters are a group of compounds designed mainly to protect skin against UVA and UVB radiation, but they are also included in plastics, furniture, etc., to protect products from light damage. Their massive use in sunscreens for skin protection has been increasing due to the awareness of the chronic and acute effects of UV radiation. Some organic UV-filters have raised significant concerns in the past few years for their continuous usage, persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. UV-filters end up in wastewater and because wastewater treatment plants are not efficient in removing them, lipophilic compounds tend to sorb onto sludge and hydrophilics end up in river water, contaminating the existing biota. To better understand the risk associated with UV-filters in the environment a thorough review regarding their physicochemical properties, toxicity and environmental degradation, analytical methods and their occurrence was conducted. Higher UV-filter concentrations were found in rivers, reaching 0.3 mg/L for the most studied family, the benzophenone derivatives. Concentrations in the ng to μg/L range were also detected for the p-aminobenzoic acid, cinnamate, crylene and benzoyl methane derivatives in lake and sea water. Although at lower levels (few ng/L), UV-filters were also found in tap and groundwater. Swimming pool water is also a sink for UV-filters and its chlorine by-products, at the μg/L range, highlighting the benzophenone and benzimidazole derivatives. Soils and sediments are not frequently studied, but concentrations in the μg/L range have already been found especially for the benzophenone and crylene derivatives. Aquatic biota is frequently studied and UV-filters are found in the ng/g-dw range with higher values for fish and mussels. It has been concluded that more information regarding UV-filter degradation studies both in water and sediments is necessary and environmental occurrences should be monitored more

Advances in analytical methods and occurrence of organic UV-filters in the environment — A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos, Sara; Homem, Vera, E-mail: vhomem@fe.up.pt; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

2015-09-01

UV-filters are a group of compounds designed mainly to protect skin against UVA and UVB radiation, but they are also included in plastics, furniture, etc., to protect products from light damage. Their massive use in sunscreens for skin protection has been increasing due to the awareness of the chronic and acute effects of UV radiation. Some organic UV-filters have raised significant concerns in the past few years for their continuous usage, persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. UV-filters end up in wastewater and because wastewater treatment plants are not efficient in removing them, lipophilic compounds tend to sorb onto sludge and hydrophilics end up in river water, contaminating the existing biota. To better understand the risk associated with UV-filters in the environment a thorough review regarding their physicochemical properties, toxicity and environmental degradation, analytical methods and their occurrence was conducted. Higher UV-filter concentrations were found in rivers, reaching 0.3 mg/L for the most studied family, the benzophenone derivatives. Concentrations in the ng to μg/L range were also detected for the p-aminobenzoic acid, cinnamate, crylene and benzoyl methane derivatives in lake and sea water. Although at lower levels (few ng/L), UV-filters were also found in tap and groundwater. Swimming pool water is also a sink for UV-filters and its chlorine by-products, at the μg/L range, highlighting the benzophenone and benzimidazole derivatives. Soils and sediments are not frequently studied, but concentrations in the μg/L range have already been found especially for the benzophenone and crylene derivatives. Aquatic biota is frequently studied and UV-filters are found in the ng/g-dw range with higher values for fish and mussels. It has been concluded that more information regarding UV-filter degradation studies both in water and sediments is necessary and environmental occurrences should be monitored more

Eco-Environment Status Evaluation and Change Analysis of Qinghai Based on National Geographic Conditions Census Data

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, M.; Zhu, M.; Wang, Y.; Xu, C.; Yang, H.

2018-04-01

As the headstream of the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and the Lantsang River, located in the hinterland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Qinghai province is hugely significant for ecosystem as well as for ecological security and sustainable development in China. With the accomplishment of the first national geographic condition census, the frequent monitoring has begun. The classification indicators of the census and monitoring data are highly correlated with Technical Criterion for Ecosystem Status Evaluation released by Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2015. Based on three years' geographic conditions data (2014-2016), Landsat-8 images and thematic data (water resource, pollution emissions, meteorological data, soil erosion, etc.), a multi-years and high-precision eco-environment status evaluation and spatiotemporal change analysis of Qinghai province has been researched on the basis of Technical Criterion for Ecosystem Status Evaluation in this paper. Unlike the evaluation implemented by environmental protection department, the evaluation unit in this paper is town rather than county. The evaluation result shows that the eco-environment status in Qinghai is generally in a fine condition, and has significant regional differences. The eco-environment status evaluation based on national geographic conditions census and monitoring data can improve both the time and space precision. The eco-environment status with high space precise and multi-indices is a key basis for environment protection decision-making.

Tumor suppressor genes are frequently methylated in lymph node metastases of breast cancers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Jia

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Metastasis represents a major adverse step in the progression of breast carcinoma. Lymph node invasion is the most relevant prognostic factor; however little is known on the molecular events associated with lymph node metastasis process. This study is to investigate the status and role of methylation in lymph node metastatic tumors. Materials and methods Bisulfite pyrosequencing is used to screen 6 putative tumor suppressor genes (HIN-1, RASSF1A, RIL, CDH13, RARβ2 and E-cadherin in 38 pairs of primary breast tumors and lymph node metastases. Results We found that HIN-1, CDH13, RIL, RASSF1A and RARβ2 were frequently methylated both in primary and metastatic tissues (range: 55.3%~89.5%. E-cadherin was not frequently methylated in either setting (range: 18.4%~23.7%. The methylation status of HIN-1, CDH13, RIL, and RARβ2 in lymph nodes metastasis were correlated with that in primary tumors. The Pearson correlation values ranged from 0.624 to 0.472 (p values HIN-1 methylation and hormone status in metastatic lymph nodes. Hypermethylation of HIN-1 in metastasis lymph nodes was significantly associated with expression of ER (odds ratio, 1.070; P = 0.024 and with PR (odds ratio, 1.046; P = 0.026. Conclusions This study suggests that hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes is extended from primary to metastatic tumors during tumor progression.

Detection of frequently-burn locations using multi-temporal Terra/Aqua MODIS fire product (MOD14) in Oudomxay province, Laos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phonekeo, V; Samarakoon, L; Saphangthong, T

2014-01-01

Wildfire is natural and man-made disaster that relates to global warming and climate change. Wildfire is prominent disaster that destroys natural resources, and causes enormous danger to human life and property. The study on the spatial and temporal distribution of wildfire is significant to understand wildfire occurrence and behavior. In the past, people usually study on the pattern of wildfire and open-space burning according to the daily number of active fire detected by MODIS sensor onboard of Terra and Aqua satellites for a particular area at the time of satellite over pass. However, there is no study that focused on the active fire that frequently occurred at the same location for a given period of time. Therefore, in this paper, the authors has focused on the study of frequently-burn locations in Oudomxay province of Laos, which has the 3rd highest active fire number in burning season of year 2007-2009 using spatial and statistical analysis of the active fire distribution and occurrence by time and space. The results of the study show that the highest number of burning frequency is 6 and 7 times within the study period and these numbers are located at 3 districts. One is Xai district which has the highest frequently-burn location for 7 times during the study period at the coordinate of N20.72° and E101.88°. The second districts are Beng and Nga districts which has the 2nd highest frequently-burn location for 6 times during the study period at the coordinate of N 20.28°, E101.68°, and N20.17°, E102.02°, respectively. The obtained information on frequently-burn locations in the province would be useful to identify the repeat burning activity by the local people occurred in the same location and allows the forestry and agricultural officers understand the wildfire distribution pattern

Cue-induced striatal activity in frequent cannabis users independently predicts cannabis problem severity three years later

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vingerhoets, W.A.M.; Koenders, L.; van den Brink, W.P.; Wiers, R.W.; Goudriaan, A.E.; van Amelsvoort, T.; de Haan, L.; Cousijn, J.

2016-01-01

Cannabis is the most frequently used illicit drug worldwide, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying continued cannabis use. Cue-reactivity (the physical, psychological, behavioural and neural reaction to substance-related cues) might be related to continued cannabis use. In this 3-year

SITUATION ASSESSMENT THROUGH MULTI-MODAL SENSING OF DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTS TO SUPPORT COGNITIVE ROBOT CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atta Badii

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Awareness of emerging situations in a dynamic operational environment of a robotic assistive device is an essential capability of such a cognitive system, based on its effective and efficient assessment of the prevailing situation. This allows the system to interact with the environment in a sensible (semiautonomous / pro-active manner without the need for frequent interventions from a supervisor.  In this paper, we report a novel generic Situation Assessment Architecture for robotic systems directly assisting humans as developed in the CORBYS project. This paper presents the overall architecture for situation assessment and its application in proof-of-concept Demonstrators as developed and validated within the CORBYS project. These include a robotic human follower and a mobile gait rehabilitation robotic system. We present an overview of the structure and functionality of the Situation Assessment Architecture for robotic systems with results and observations as collected from initial validation on the two CORBYS Demonstrators.

Frequent mutations of chromatin remodeling genes in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gui, Yaoting; Guo, Guangwu; Huang, Yi

2011-01-01

frequently in tumors of low stages and grades, highlighting its potential role in the classification and diagnosis of bladder cancer. Our results provide an overview of the genetic basis of TCC and suggest that aberration of chromatin regulation might be a hallmark of bladder cancer.......Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most common type of bladder cancer. Here we sequenced the exomes of nine individuals with TCC and screened all the somatically mutated genes in a prevalence set of 88 additional individuals with TCC with different tumor stages and grades. In our study, we...

Electrocardiogram PR Interval Is a Surrogate Marker to Predict New Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Frequent Premature Atrial Contractions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Kwang Jin; Hwang, Jin Kyung; Choi, So Ra; Park, Seung-Jung; On, Young Keun; Kim, June Soo; Park, Kyoung-Min

2016-04-01

The clinical significance of prolonged PR interval has not been evaluated in patients with frequent premature atrial contractions (PACs). We investigated whether prolonged PR interval could predict new occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with frequent PACs. We retrospectively analyzed 684 patients with frequent PACs (> 100 PACs/day) who performed repeated 24-hour Holter monitoring. Prolonged PR interval was defined as longer than 200 msec. Among 684 patients, 626 patients had normal PR intervals (group A) and 58 patients had prolonged PR intervals (group B). After a mean follow-up of 59.3 months, 14 patients (24.1%) in group B developed AF compared to 50 patients (8.0%) in group A (P PR interval (hazard ratio [HR], 1.950; 95% CI, 1.029-3.698; P = 0.041), age (HR, 1.033; 95% CI, 1.006-1.060; P = 0.015), and left atrial (LA) dimension (HR, 1.061; 95% CI, 1.012-1.112; P = 0.015) were associated with AF occurrence. Prolonged PR interval, advanced age, and enlarged LA dimension are independent risk factors of AF occurrence in patients with frequent PACs.

Clinical trial: lansoprazole 15 or 30 mg once daily vs. placebo for treatment of frequent nighttime heartburn in self-treating subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Peura, D A; Riff, D S; Snoddy, A M; Fennerty, M B

2009-09-01

Frequent nighttime heartburn is common. Lansoprazole 15 mg is indicated for treatment of heartburn and other gastro-oesophageal reflux disease-related symptoms. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lansoprazole in self-treating subjects with frequent nocturnal heartburn. A total of 864 subjects with heartburn on >or=2 days/week over the past month were randomized to double-blind treatment with lansoprazole 15 or 30 mg or placebo each morning. Endpoints were percentage of night times without heartburn (primary), percentage of 24-h days without heartburn and percentage of subjects without heartburn on day 1. Mean percentage of night times without heartburn was significantly greater with lansoprazole 15 mg (61.3%) or lansoprazole 30 mg (61.7%) vs. placebo (47.8%) over 14 days (P heartburn and percentage of subjects without heartburn on day 1 were significantly greater with lansoprazole 15 or 30 mg vs. placebo. Both lansoprazole 15 and 30 mg were highly effective and well tolerated in reducing symptoms in subjects with frequent nighttime heartburn. The benefit of therapy on 24-h heartburn and nighttime heartburn on day 1 of treatment was also evident. Lansoprazole 15 mg is a suitable choice for management of frequent nighttime heartburn.

The relationship between health literacy and quality of life among frequent users of health care services: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Couture, Éva Marjorie; Chouinard, Maud-Christine; Fortin, Martin; Hudon, Catherine

2017-07-06

Although health literacy and quality of life are important concepts in health care, the link between them is unclear, especially for a population of frequent users of health care services with chronic diseases. Low health literacy is a common problem that has been linked to several negative health outcomes. Quality of life is an important health outcome in patient-centered care. Frequent users of health care services are a vulnerable population that deserves attention due to high costs and negative outcomes such as lower quality of life and higher mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and the physical and mental components of quality of life among frequent users of health care services with chronic diseases. This study presents the cross-sectional analysis of data collected through the V1SAGES project, a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of a case management intervention in primary care in Quebec, Canada. Participants (n = 247) were frequent users of health care services presenting at least one chronic condition. Health literacy was measured by the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and the physical and mental components of quality of life were evaluated by the Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2). The association between health literacy (independent variable) and the physical and mental components of quality of life was examined using biserial correlation. No association was found between health literacy and quality of life (physical component: r = 0.108, ρ = 0.11; mental component: r = 0.147, ρ = 0.15). This study suggests that there is no relationship between health literacy and the physical and mental components of quality of life among frequent users of health care services. NCT01719991 . Registered October 25, 2012.

The SWOOPE experience: Precollege students mapping the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckhardt, R.C.; Hyer, D.K.

1992-01-01

SWOOPE (Students Watching Over Our Planet Earth) is an innovative environmental science education program for teachers and students sponsored by the Department of Energy and developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The students, kindergarten through high school, gather data on an item of concern in the environment and send some of those data to a database at Los Alamos. Discussions and graphs of their results are sent back to them in newsletters. One of the key ideas of the program i s to involve the students in the process of science. They learn how to gather the data through a variety of hands-on science activities in the classroom and then take the measuring devices home to gather data in their own environment. Frequently, this involves their parents in the process as well. Although the measuring devices are usually simple and inexpensive, they are true scientific instruments, capable of gathering meaningful data. The collected data are available to scientists, agencies, and the community at large. Thus, the students participate in a truly collaborative scientific effort. Two SWOOPE Discovery Units, Water Quality and Radiation and Radon, were developed by teachers at summer institutes and have been piloted in the classroom over a two-year period. Currently, 112 teachers and almost 5000 students are using the materials. Data collected by students in the Radiation and Radon Unit include radon measurements and background measurements of ionizing radiation. The. student data on radon are being used b a study of home radon levels in New Mexico by the New Mexico Environment Department. Students in the Water Quality Unit are gathering data on city, ground and surface water that should also prove useful to environmental scientists. The water measurements include pH, temperature, turbidity, hardness, and the concentrations of nitrates, chlorine, and coliform bacteria

Priority Substances and Emerging Organic Pollutants in Portuguese Aquatic Environment: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro, Cláudia; Ribeiro, Ana Rita; Tiritan, Maria Elizabeth

Aquatic environments are among the most noteworthy ecosystems regarding chemical pollution due to the anthropogenic pressure. In 2000, the European Commission implemented the Water Framework Directive, with the aim of progressively reducing aquatic chemical pollution of the European Union countries. Therefore, the knowledge about the chemical and ecological status is imperative to determine the overall quality of water bodies. Concerning Portugal, some studies have demonstrated the presence of pollutants in the aquatic environment but an overall report is not available yet. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review about the occurrence of priority substances included in the Water Framework Directive and some classes of emerging organic pollutants that have been found in Portuguese aquatic environment. The most frequently studied compounds comprise industrial compounds, natural and synthetic estrogens, phytoestrogens, phytosterols, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Concentration of these pollutants ranged from few ng L(-1) to higher values such as 30 μg L(-1) for industrial compounds in surface waters and up to 106 μg L(-1) for the pharmaceutical ibuprofen in wastewaters. Compounds already banned in Europe such as atrazine, alkylphenols and alkylphenol polyethoxylates are still found in surface waters, nevertheless their origin is still poorly understood. Beyond the contamination of the Portuguese aquatic environment by priority substances and emerging organic pollutants, this review also highlights the need of more research on other classes of pollutants and emphasizes the importance of extending this research to other locations in Portugal, which have not been investigated yet.

Reference values of thirty-one frequently used laboratory markers for 75-year-old males and females

Science.gov (United States)

Ryden, Ingvar; Lind, Lars

2012-01-01

Background We have previously reported reference values for common clinical chemistry tests in healthy 70-year-old males and females. We have now repeated this study 5 years later to establish reference values also at the age of 75. It is important to have adequate reference values for elderly patients as biological markers may change over time, and adequate reference values are essential for correct clinical decisions. Methods We have investigated 31 frequently used laboratory markers in 75-year-old males (n = 354) and females (n = 373) without diabetes. The 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles for these markers were calculated according to the recommendations of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry. Results Reference values are reported for 75-year-old males and females for 31 frequently used laboratory markers. Conclusion There were minor differences between reference intervals calculated with and without individuals with cardiovascular diseases. Several of the reference intervals differed from Scandinavian reference intervals based on younger individuals (Nordic Reference Interval Project). PMID:22300333

Family Home Food Environment and Nutrition-Related Parent and Child Personal and Behavioral Outcomes of the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Fulkerson, Jayne A; Friend, Sarah; Horning, Melissa; Flattum, Colleen; Draxten, Michelle; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Gurvich, Olga; Garwick, Ann; Story, Mary; Kubik, Martha Y

2018-02-01

Research has demonstrated a significant positive association between frequent family meals and children's dietary intake; however, the promotion of healthful family meals has not been rigorously tested for key food environment and nutrition-related behavioral outcomes in a randomized trial. To describe family home food environment and nutrition-related parent and child personal and behavioral outcomes of the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment Plus program, the first rigorously tested family meals intervention targeting childhood obesity prevention. Randomized controlled trial. Baseline, postintervention (12 months, 93% retention), and follow-up (21 months, 89% retention) data (surveys and dietary recalls) were collected. Children aged 8 to 12 years (N=160) and their parents were randomized to intervention (n=81) or control (n=79) groups. The intervention included five parent goal-setting calls and 10 monthly sessions delivered to families in community settings that focused on experiential nutrition activities and education, meal planning, cooking skill development, and reducing screen time. Family home food environment outcomes and nutrition-related child and parent personal and behavioral outcomes. Analyses used generalized linear mixed models. Primary comparisons were contrasts between intervention and control groups at postintervention and follow-up, with adjustments for child age and parent education. Compared with control parents, intervention parents showed greater improvement over time in scores of self-efficacy for identifying appropriate portion sizes, with significant differences in adjusted means at both post-intervention (P=0.002) and follow-up (P=0.01). Intervention children were less likely to consume at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily at post-intervention than control children (P=0.04). The Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment Plus program involved the entire family and targeted personal, behavioral, and

Review of the Instruments Most Frequently Employed to Assess Tactics in Physical Education and Youth Sports

Science.gov (United States)

Arias, Jose L.; Castejon, Francisco Javier

2012-01-01

Investigators' increased interest in teaching game tactics requires generalizable assessment instruments that are appropriate to whatever is needed by the tactic. This literature review aims to provide information about the instruments most frequently used to assess tactics in youth sports. We found that very few studies used instruments that…

Effectiveness of simple balancing training program in elderly patients with history of frequent falls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuptniratsaikul V

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Vilai Kuptniratsaikul1, Rungnirand Praditsuwan2, Prasert Assantachai3, Teerada Ploypetch1, Suthipol Udompunturak4, Julaporn Pooliam41Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2Department of Medicine, 3Department of Preventive Medicine, 4Office for Research and Development, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, ThailandObjective: To study the effectiveness of simply-performed balancing exercises in fall prevention.Design: Pre- and post-trial.Setting: University hospital from January 2009 to May 2010.Participants: Elderly with falls in the previous year.Intervention: Simple balancing exercise was performed at home every day and was recorded in the booklet.Measurements: New falling events and a battery of balancing abilities including the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT, chair stand, functional reach, and Berg balance scale-short form were evaluated at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month periods. Fear of falling and quality of life scores were assessed at baseline and 12-month periods.Results: 146 subjects were recruited, 116 female (79.5% with a mean age of 67.1 years. At the end of the study, 49% of participants had not fallen. All of the balancing abilities were compared between frequent and infrequent fallers and were significantly improved (P < 0.001 except for functional reach in the frequent fall group. Most subjects (72%–79% complied well with the exercise program. However, compliance had no effect on balancing abilities. About 36.4% of participants had adverse events from exercise, of which knee pain was the top ranked. The quality of life and the fall efficacy scores increased significantly at the end of the study. Factors affecting falling were compliance with exercise (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.55, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.04, 6.30 and a history of falling ≥3 times in the previous year (adjusted OR: 3.76, 95% CI: 1.18, 11.98.Conclusion: Performing simply-designed balancing exercises, at least 3 days per week, can increase

APC promoter is frequently methylated in pancreatic juice of patients with pancreatic carcinomas or periampullary tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ginesta, Mireia M; Diaz-Riascos, Zamira Vanessa; Busquets, Juli; Pelaez, Núria; Serrano, Teresa; Peinado, Miquel Àngel; Jorba, Rosa; García-Borobia, Francisco Javier; Capella, Gabriel; Fabregat, Joan

2016-09-01

Early detection of pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms is critical to improve their clinical outcome. The present authors previously demonstrated that DNA hypermethylation of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), histamine receptor H2 (HRH2), cadherin 13 (CDH13), secreted protein acidic and cysteine rich (SPARC) and engrailed-1 (EN-1) promoters is frequently detected in pancreatic tumor cells. The aim of the present study was to assess their prevalence in pancreatic juice of carcinomas of the pancreas and periampullary area. A total of 135 pancreatic juices obtained from 85 pancreatic cancer (PC), 26 ampullary carcinoma (AC), 10 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and 14 chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients were analyzed. The methylation status of the APC, HRH2, CDH13, SPARC and EN-1 promoters was analyzed using methylation specific-melting curve analysis (MS-MCA). Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations were also tested with allele-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification. Out of the 5 promoters analyzed, APC (71%) and HRH2 (65%) were the most frequently methylated in PC juice. APC methylation was also detected at a high frequency in AC (76%) and IPMN (80%), but only occasionally observed in CP (7%). APC methylation had a high sensitivity (71-80%) for all types of cancer analyzed. The panel (where a sample scored as positive when ≥2 markers were methylated) did not outperform APC as a single marker. Finally, KRAS detection in pancreatic juice offered a lower sensitivity (50%) and specificity (71%) for detection of any cancer. APC hypermethylation in pancreatic juice, as assessed by MS-MCA, is a frequent event of potential clinical usefulness in the diagnosis of pancreatic and periampullary neoplasms.

Do frequent moderate exacerbations contribute to progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients who are ex-smokers?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dreyse J

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Jorge Dreyse,1 Orlando Díaz,1 Paula Repetto,2 Arturo Morales,1 Fernando Saldías,1 Carmen Lisboa11Department of Pulmonary Diseases, School of Medicine, 2School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, ChileBackground: In addition to smoking, acute exacerbations are considered to be a contributing factor to progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. However, these findings come from studies including active smokers, while results in ex-smokers are scarce and contradictory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if frequent acute moderate exacerbations are associated with an accelerated decline in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 and impairment of functional and clinical outcomes in ex-smoking COPD patients.Methods: A cohort of 100 ex-smoking patients recruited for a 2-year follow-up study was evaluated at inclusion and at 6-monthly scheduled visits while in a stable condition. Evaluation included anthropometry, spirometry, inspiratory capacity, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, severity of dyspnea, a 6-minute walking test, BODE (Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise performance index, and quality of life (St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. Severity of exacerbation was graded as moderate or severe according to health care utilization. Patients were classified as infrequent exacerbators if they had no or one acute exacerbation/year and frequent exacerbators if they had two or more acute exacerbations/year. Random effects modeling, within hierarchical linear modeling, was used for analysis.Results: During follow-up, 419 (96% moderate acute exacerbations were registered. At baseline, frequent exacerbators had more severe disease than infrequent exacerbators according to their FEV1 and BODE index, and also showed greater impairment in inspiratory capacity, forced vital capacity, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation