The utilization of microbes as a fermentation agent to reduce saponin in Trembesi leaves (Sammanea saman)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sariri, A. K.; Mulyono, A. M. W.; Tari, A. I. N.

2018-03-01

This objective of this research was to observe the utilization of microbes as a fermentation agent of trembesi leaves that can increase the quality of trembesi leaves as ruminants feed. Before fermentation, trembesi leaves were divided into three treatments. They were control = non-agentic in fermentation, D-An = the addition of Aspergillus niger as fermentation agent, and D-Lp = the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum as fermentation agent. Each treatment experienced five repetitions. The experimental design used a randomized direct pattern group design. The analysis included proximate analysis consisting of water content, crude protein content, crude fiber content, lipid content, mineral content (ash) and saponin content after fermentation. It could be concluded that the utilization of Aspergillus niger and Lactobacillus plantarum in fermentation could decrease saponin content and could increase the nutrient content of trembesi leaves by increasing crude protein content otherwise by decreasing crude fiber content of trembesi leaves.

Fair balance in direct-to-consumer antidepressant print and television advertising, 1995-2007.

PubMed

Avery, Rosemary J; Eisenberg, Matthew; Simon, Kosali I

2012-01-01

The authors evaluated fair balance in the presentation of risks and benefits in a large sample of direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription antidepressant medications appearing in magazines (1995-2006) and television (1999-2007) to assess how well they meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Using content analysis to capture relevant dimensions of the ads, results indicated that (a) considerably less attention is given to risks relative to benefits and (b) implicit ad content favors communication of drug benefits over risks, but that fair balance in direct-to-consumer ads has improved over time. The authors discuss policy implications and explore future research directions.

Informational content, literacy demands, and usability of websites offering health-related genetic tests directly to consumers.

PubMed

Lachance, Christina R; Erby, Lori A H; Ford, Beth M; Allen, Vincent C; Kaphingst, Kimberly A

2010-05-01

As direct-to-consumer genetic testing becomes more available, a diverse group of consumers, including those with limited health literacy, may consider testing. In light of concerns raised about direct-to-consumer genetic testing, this study sought to critically examine whether the informational content, literacy demands, and usability of health-related direct-to-consumer websites met existing recommendations. A content analysis was performed on 29 health-related direct-to-consumer websites. Two coders independently evaluated each website for informational content (e.g., benefits, limitations), literacy demands (e.g., reading level), and usability (e.g., ease of navigation). Most sites presented health conditions and some markers for which they tested, benefits of testing, a description of the testing process, and their privacy policy. Fewer cited scientific literature, explained test limitations, or provided an opportunity to consult a health professional. Key informational content was difficult to locate on most sites. Few sites gave sample disease risk estimates or used common language and explained technical terms consistently. Average reading level was grade 15. The quality of informational content, literacy demands, and usability across health-related direct-to-consumer websites varied widely. Many users would struggle to find and understand the important information. For consumers to better understand the content on these sites and evaluate the meaning of the tests for their health, sites should lower the demands placed on users by distilling and prioritizing the key informational content while simultaneously attending to the reading level and usability elements. In the absence of regulation compelling such changes, government agencies or professional organizations may need to increase consumer and provider awareness of these issues.

The Best Extraction Technique for Kaempferol and Quercetin Isolation from Guava Leaves (Psidium guajava)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batubara, I.; Suparto, I. H.; Wulandari, N. S.

2017-03-01

Guava leaves contain various compounds that have biological activity such as kaempferol and quercetin as anticancer. Twelve extraction techniques were performed to obtain the best extraction technique to isolate kaempferol and quercetin from the guava leaves. Toxicity of extracts was tested against Artemia salina larvae. All extracts were toxic (LC50 value less than 1000 ppm) except extract of direct soxhletation on guava leaves, and extract of sonication and soxhletation using n-hexane. The extract with high content of total phenols and total flavonoids, low content of tannins, intense color of spot on thin layer chromatogram was selected for high performance liquid chromatography analysis. Direct sonication of guava leaves was chosen as the best extraction technique with kampferol and quercetin content of 0.02% and 2.15%, respectively. In addition to high content of kaempferol and quercetin, direct sonication was chosen due to the shortest extraction time, lesser impurities and high toxicity.

[Correlation analysis of major agronomic characters and the polysaccharide contents in Dendrobium officinale].

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Zheng, Xi-Long; Qiu, Dao-Shou; Cai, Shi-Ke; Luo, Huan-Ming; Deng, Rui-Yun; Liu, Xiao-Jin

2013-10-01

In order to provide theoretical and technological basis for the germplasm innovation and variety breeding in Dendrobium officinale, a study of the correlation between polysaccharide content and agronomic characters was conducted. Based on the polysaccharide content determination and the agronomic characters investigation of 30 copies (110 individual plants) of Dendrobium officinale germplasm resources, the correlation between polysaccharide content and agronomic characters was analyzed via path and correlation analysis. Correlation analysis results showed that there was a significant negative correlation between average spacing and polysaccharide content, the correlation coefficient was -0.695. And the blade thickness was positively correlated with the polysaccharide content, but the correlation was not significant. The path analysis results showed that the stem length was the maximum influence factor to the polysaccharide, and it was positive effect, the direct path coefficient was 1.568. According to thess results, the polysaccharide content can be easily and intuitively estimated by the agronomic characters investigating data in the germpalsm resources screening and variety breeding. Therefore, it is a visual and practical technology guidance in quality variety breeding of Dendrobium officinale.

Analysis of factors controlling sediment phosphorus flux potential of wetlands in Hulun Buir grassland by principal component and path analysis method.

PubMed

He, Jing; Su, Derong; Lv, Shihai; Diao, Zhaoyan; Ye, Shengxing; Zheng, Zhirong

2017-11-08

Phosphorus (P) flux potential can predict the trend of phosphorus release from wetland sediments to water and provide scientific parameters for further monitoring and management for phosphorus flux from wetland sediments to overlying water. Many studies have focused on factors affecting sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, but rarely on the relationship among these factors. In the present study, experiment on sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface was conducted in six wetlands in Hulun Buir grassland, China and the relationships among sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, sediment physical properties, and sediment chemical characteristics were examined. Principal component analysis and path analysis were used to discuss these data in correlation coefficient, direct, and indirect effects on sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface. Results indicated that the major factors affecting sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface were amount of organophosphate-degradation bacterium in sediment, Ca-P content, and total phosphorus concentrations. The factors of direct influence sediment P flux potential were sediment Ca-P content, Olsen-P content, SOC content, and sediment Al-P content. The indirect influence sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface was sediment Olsen-P content, sediment SOC content, sediment Ca-P content, and sediment Al-P content. And the standard multiple regression describing the relationship between sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface and its major effect factors was Y = 5.849 - 1.025X 1  - 1.995X 2  + 0.188X 3  - 0.282X 4 (r = 0.9298, p < 0.01, n = 96), where Y is sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface, X 1 is sediment Ca-P content, X 2 is sediment Olsen-P content, X 3 is sediment SOC content, and X 4 is sediment Al-P content. Therefore, future research will focus on these sediment properties to analyze the interrelation among sediment properties factors, main vegetable factors, and environment factors which influence the sediment P flux potential in sediment-water interface.

Identifying Ecosystem Services of Rivers and Streams Through Content Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

While much ecosystem services research focuses on analysis such as mapping and/or valuation, fewer research efforts are directed toward in-depth understanding of the specific ecological quantities people value. Ecosystem service monitoring and analysis efforts and communications ...

Oil Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-23

LUBRICATION, FAILURE PROGRESSION WNITORING OIL-ANALYSIS, FAILURE ANALYSIS, TRIBOLOGY WEAR DEBRIS ANALYSIS, WEAR REGIMS DIAGNOSTICS, BENCH TESTING, FERROGRApHy ...Spectrometric Oil Analysis . ............... 400 G. Analytical Ferrography ............................. 411 3 NAEC-92-153 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued...of ferrography entry deposit mnicrographs of these sequences, which can be directly related to sample debris concentration levels. These micrographs

Studies of cellulose surfaces by titration and ESCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenius, Per; Laine, Janne

1994-01-01

The surface properties of unbleached kraft pulp fibers of varying lignin content prepared by digestion with different amounts of excess alkali have been investigated using polyelectrolyte titration, potentiometric titration and ESCA. The surfaces contain two different acidic groups that dissociate completely above pH 7.5, one with pK ≈ 3.6 and one with pK ≈ 5.7. The amount of the latter group correlates directly with the amount of lignin in the pulp. The ESCA analysis indicates that the relative amount of carboxylic groups and alkyl carbon in the surface decreases as the lignin content decreases and also that material with high alkyl carbon content is enriched in the outermost surface of the cellulose. Thus, a combination of ESCA analysis and high-precision titrations is able to yield a very detailed picture of the effect of digestion conditions on surface properties of cellulose fibers of direct relevance to paper properties.

Content analysis to document publicly valued ecosystem services of rivers and streams

EPA Science Inventory

While much ecosystem services research focuses on analysis such as mapping and/or valuation, fewer research efforts are directed toward in-depth understanding of the specific ecological quantities people value. Ecosystem service monitoring and analysis efforts and communications ...

Marketing pharmaceutical drugs to women in magazines: a content analysis.

PubMed

Sokol, Jennifer; Wackowski, Olivia; Lewis, M J

2010-01-01

To examine the prevalence and content of pharmaceutical ads in demographically different women's magazines. A content analysis was conducted using one year's worth of 5 different women's magazines of varying age demographics. Magazines differed in the proportion of drug ads for different health conditions (eg, cardiovascular) and target audience by age demographic. Use of persuasive elements (types of appeals, evidence) varied by condition promoted (eg, mental-health drug ads more frequently used emotional appeals). Ads placed greater emphasis on direction to industry information resources than on physician discussions. Prevalence of pharmaceutical advertising in women's magazines is high; continued surveillance is recommended.

The science of ecological economics: a content analysis of Ecological Economics, 1989-2004.

PubMed

Luzadis, Valerie A; Castello, Leandro; Choi, Jaewon; Greenfield, Eric; Kim, Sung-kyun; Munsell, John; Nordman, Erik; Franco, Carol; Olowabi, Flavien

2010-01-01

The Ecological Economics journal is a primary source for inquiry on ecological economics and sustainability. To explore the scholarly pursuit of ecological economics, we conducted a content analysis of 200 randomly sampled research, survey, and methodological articles published in Ecological Economics during the 15-year period of 1989-2004. Results of the analysis were used to investigate facets of transdisciplinarity within the journal. A robust qualitative approach was used to gather and examine data to identify themes representing substantive content found within the span of sampled journal papers. The extent to which each theme was represented was counted as well as additional data, such as author discipline, year published, etc. Four main categories were revealed: (1) foundations (self-reflexive themes stemming from direct discussions about ecological economics); (2) human systems, represented by the themes of values, social indicators of well-being, intergenerational distribution, and equity; (3) biophysical systems, including themes, such as carrying capacity and scarcity, energy, and resource use, relating directly to the biophysical aspects of systems; and (4) policy and management encompassing themes of development, growth, trade, accounting, and valuation, as well as institutional structures and management. The results provide empirical evidence for discussing the future direction of ecological economic efforts.

A rapid Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method for direct quantification of paracetamol content in solid pharmaceutical formulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallah, Muhammad Ali; Sherazi, Syed Tufail Hussain; Bhanger, Muhammad Iqbal; Mahesar, Sarfaraz Ahmed; Bajeer, Muhammad Ashraf

2015-04-01

A transmission FTIR spectroscopic method was developed for direct, inexpensive and fast quantification of paracetamol content in solid pharmaceutical formulations. In this method paracetamol content is directly analyzed without solvent extraction. KBr pellets were formulated for the acquisition of FTIR spectra in transmission mode. Two chemometric models: simple Beer's law and partial least squares employed over the spectral region of 1800-1000 cm-1 for quantification of paracetamol content had a regression coefficient of (R2) of 0.999. The limits of detection and quantification using FTIR spectroscopy were 0.005 mg g-1 and 0.018 mg g-1, respectively. Study for interference was also done to check effect of the excipients. There was no significant interference from the sample matrix. The results obviously showed the sensitivity of transmission FTIR spectroscopic method for pharmaceutical analysis. This method is green in the sense that it does not require large volumes of hazardous solvents or long run times and avoids prior sample preparation.

What Makes Patient Navigation Most Effective: Defining Useful Tasks and Networks.

PubMed

Gunn, Christine; Battaglia, Tracy A; Parker, Victoria A; Clark, Jack A; Paskett, Electra D; Calhoun, Elizabeth; Snyder, Frederick R; Bergling, Emily; Freund, Karen M

2017-01-01

Given the momentum in adopting patient navigation into cancer care, there is a need to understand the contribution of specific navigator activities to improved clinical outcomes. A mixed-methods study combined direct observations of patient navigators within the Patient Navigation Research Program and outcome data from the trial. We correlated the frequency of navigator tasks with the outcome of rate of diagnostic resolution within 365 days among patients who received the intervention relative to controls. A focused content analysis examined those tasks with the strongest correlations between navigator tasks and patient outcomes. Navigating directly with specific patients (r = 0.679), working with clinical providers to facilitate patient care (r = 0.643), and performing tasks not directly related to their diagnostic evaluation for patients were positively associated with more timely diagnosis (r = 0.714). Using medical records for non-navigation tasks had a negative association (r = -0.643). Content analysis revealed service provision directed at specific patients improved care while systems-focused activities did not.

Direct transesterification of fresh microalgal cells.

PubMed

Liu, Jiao; Liu, Yanan; Wang, Haitao; Xue, Song

2015-01-01

Transesterification of lipids is a vital step during the processes of both biodiesel production and fatty acid analysis. By comparing the yields and fatty acid profiles obtained from microalgal oil and dry microalgal cells, the reliability of method for the transesterification of micro-scale samples was tested. The minimum amount of microalgal cells needed for accurate analysis was found to be approximately 300μg dry cells. This direct transesterification method of fresh cells was applied to eight microalgal species, and the results indicate that the efficiency of the developed method is identical to that of conventional method, except for Spirulina whose lipid content is very low, which means the total lipid content should been considered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Makes a Top-Selling Textbook? Comparing Characteristics of AIS Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badua, Frank; Sharifi, Mohsen; Mendez Mediavilla, Francis

2014-01-01

The factors involved in the selection of accounting textbooks are under-investigated, and most of the research is survey-based, largely ignoring the information that could be analyzed by direct inspection of textbook content and its impact on textbook selection. In this study the authors fill this lacuna by deploying content analysis of the…

Rivers and streams in the media: a content analysis of ecosystem services

EPA Science Inventory

While ecosystem services research has become common, few efforts are directed toward in-depth understanding of the specific ecological quantities people value. Environmental communications as well as ecological monitoring and analysis efforts could be enhanced by such information...

Re-designing Orem's Self-care Theory for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis.

PubMed

Hasanpour-Dehkordi, Ali; Mohammadi, Nooredin; Nikbakht-Nasrabadi, Alireza

2016-01-01

Hepatitis is an inflammatory disease which has many adverse effects on patients' life because of its chronic nature. Since Orem's theory of self-care is a grounded theory, the concepts and applications of this theory in patients with chronic hepatitis who have special needs may lead to some challenges. The purpose of this study was to explore self-care in patients with chronic hepatitis. A directed content analysis was used in this qualitative study. Participants were recruited from a metropolitan area. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The verbatim transcripts of the participants' interviews were analyzed according to directed content analysis. In this study, four themes, suggested by Orem, were drawn from the data according to directed content analysis. The codes generated from the data were classified into concepts and then the concepts were assigned into these four themes. These themes were needs in the matrix of time and place, self-care agency, need for change in self-care and consequences of hepatitis. The use of Orem's self-care theory cannot meet the need for self-care in hepatitis patients because these patients have vital sexual, respect and belonging, physical, economical, and psychological-behavioral needs, and lack adequate knowledge about self-care. Consequently, the specific self-care model developed in this study helps health professionals identify self-care activities in patients with chronic hepatitis.

Sociocultural Meanings of Nanotechnology: Research Methodologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bainbridge, William Sims

2004-06-01

This article identifies six social-science research methodologies that will be useful for charting the sociocultural meaning of nanotechnology: web-based questionnaires, vignette experiments, analysis of web linkages, recommender systems, quantitative content analysis, and qualitative textual analysis. Data from a range of sources are used to illustrate how the methods can delineate the intellectual content and institutional structure of the emerging nanotechnology culture. Such methods will make it possible in future to test hypotheses such as that there are two competing definitions of nanotechnology - the technical-scientific and the science-fiction - that are influencing public perceptions by different routes and in different directions.

Nanomanipulation-Coupled Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/ Ionization-Direct Organelle Mass Spectrometry: A Technique for the Detailed Analysis of Single Organelles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phelps, Mandy S.; Sturtevant, Drew; Chapman, Kent D.; Verbeck, Guido F.

2016-02-01

We describe a novel technique combining precise organelle microextraction with deposition and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) for a rapid, minimally invasive mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of single organelles from living cells. A dual-positioner nanomanipulator workstation was utilized for both extraction of organelle content and precise co-deposition of analyte and matrix solution for MALDI-direct organelle mass spectrometry (DOMS) analysis. Here, the triacylglycerol (TAG) profiles of single lipid droplets from 3T3-L1 adipocytes were acquired and results validated with nanoelectrospray ionization (NSI) MS. The results demonstrate the utility of the MALDI-DOMS technique as it enabled longer mass analysis time, higher ionization efficiency, MS imaging of the co-deposited spot, and subsequent MS/MS capabilities of localized lipid content in comparison to NSI-DOMS. This method provides selective organellar resolution, which complements current biochemical analyses and prompts for subsequent subcellular studies to be performed where limited samples and analyte volume are of concern.

Acetone enhances the direct analysis of total condensed tannins in plant tissues by the butanol-HCl-iron assay

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The butanol-HCl spectrophotometric assay is widely used to quantify extractable and insoluble forms of condensed tannin (CT, syn. proanthocyanidin) in foods, feeds, and foliage of herbaceous and woody plants. However, this method underestimates total CT content when applied directly to plant materia...

Creative Drama Course in College of Education: A Study of Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dikici, Ayhan; Yavuzer, Yasemin; Gundogdu, Rezzan

2008-01-01

Drama at primary teaching course is given as a compulsory course to students enrolling department of the primary teaching in college of education in Turkey. In drama, assessment is problematic as the content of the lesson often deviates from the plan because of spontaneous input from the students and on-the-spot changes in direction by the…

Harvesting Intelligence in Multimedia Social Tagging Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakidou, Eirini; Kaklidou, Foteini; Chatzilari, Elisavet; Kompatsiaris, Ioannis; Vakali, Athena

As more people adopt tagging practices, social tagging systems tend to form rich knowledge repositories that enable the extraction of patterns reflecting the way content semantics is perceived by the web users. This is of particular importance, especially in the case of multimedia content, since the availability of such content in the web is very high and its efficient retrieval using textual annotations or content-based automatically extracted metadata still remains a challenge. It is argued that complementing multimedia analysis techniques with knowledge drawn from web social annotations may facilitate multimedia content management. This chapter focuses on analyzing tagging patterns and combining them with content feature extraction methods, generating, thus, intelligence from multimedia social tagging systems. Emphasis is placed on using all available "tracks" of knowledge, that is tag co-occurrence together with semantic relations among tags and low-level features of the content. Towards this direction, a survey on the theoretical background and the adopted practices for analysis of multimedia social content are presented. A case study from Flickr illustrates the efficiency of the proposed approach.

[Factors affecting the DAPI fluorescence direct count in the tidal river sediment].

PubMed

Chen, Chen; Huang, Shan; Wu, Qun-he; Li, Rui-yi; Zhang, Ren-duo

2010-08-01

The factors affecting the DAPI (4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylidole) fluorescence direct count in the tidal river sediment were examined. Sediment samples were collected from the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River. Besides sediment texture and organic matter, an improved staining procedure and the involved parameters were analyzed. Results showed that the procedure with the sediment with 2000 fold dilution and ultrasonic water bath for 10 min, and with a final DAPI concentration of 10 microg x mL(-1) and staining time for more than 30 min produced the optimum results of DAPI direct count in the sediment. The total bacterial number was correlated to the proportion of the non-nucleoid-containing cells to the total bacterial number (r = 0.587, p = 0.004). The organic matter content also correlated to the ration. The clay content had a strong correlation with the organic matter, through which the clay content also affected the ratio. A multiple regression analysis between the ration versus the organic matter, the total bacterial number, and the clay content showed that the regression equation fit the measure values satisfactorily (r = 0.694). These results indicated that the above factors needed to be considered in the applications of the DAPI fluorescence direct counting method to the tidal river sediment.

Characterization of soil salinization in typical estuarine area of the Jiaozhou Bay, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qifei; Xi, Min; Wang, Qinggai; Kong, Fanlong; Li, Yue

2018-02-01

In this study, the characteristics of soil salinization and the effects of main land use/land cover and other factors in typical estuarine area of the Jiaozhou Bay are investigated. Soil samples were collected in the parallel coastal zone, vertical coastal zone and longitudinal profile depth in the area to determine the soil salt content. The correlation analysis and principal component analysis are used to address the general characteristics of soil salinization in the study area. In the horizontal direction, there are moderate salinization, severe salinization and saline soil state. The farther from the sea (within 1.1 km), the lower the soil salinization degree. In the direction of longitudinal profile depth, there are severe salinization and saline soil state, and the soil salt content is accumulated in the surface and bottom. The Na+ and Cl- are the dominant cation and anion, respectively, the distributions of which are consistent with that of salt content. All the salinization indexes, except for soil pH, are of moderate/strong variability. The invasion of Spartina alterniflora results in the increase of soil salt content and salinization degree, the effects of which are mainly determined by the physiological characteristics and the growth years. The degree of soil salinization increased significantly in the aquaculture ponds, which is mainly caused by the use of chemicals. The correlation between soil salt content and Na+, Cl- is particularly significant. From the results of principal component analysis, Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42- could be used as main diagnostic factors for salinization in typical estuarine area of the Jiaozhou Bay. The effects of NaCl and sulfate on salt content further affect the degree of salinization in the estuarine area.

Laser radar measurements of the aerosol content of the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grams, G. W.

1969-01-01

A summary of the results of laser radar observations of atmospheric aerosols is presented along with a description of the laser radar system devised during the study and of the data handling techniques utilized for the analysis of the data of the temporal and spatial distribution of atmospheric aerosols. Current research conducted by the group is directed toward the analysis of the frequency spectrum of laser radar echoes to obtain absolute measurements of the dust content of the atmosphere by resolving the molecular and aerosol contributions to the laser radar echoes.

Quantitative Fissile Assay In Used Fuel Using LSDS System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, YongDeok; Jeon, Ju Young; Park, Chang-Je

2017-09-01

A quantitative assay of isotopic fissile materials (U235, Pu239, Pu241) was done at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), using lead slowing down spectrometer (LSDS). The optimum design of LSDS was performed based on economics, easy maintenance and assay effectiveness. LSDS system consists of spectrometer, neutron source, detection and control. LSDS system induces fissile fission and fast neutrons are collected at fission chamber. The detected signal has a direct relation to the mass of existing fissile isotopes. Many current commercial assay technologies have a limitation in direct application on isotopic fissile assay of spent fuel, except chemical analysis. In the designed system, the fissile assay model was setup and the correction factor for self-shield was obtained. The isotopic fissile content assay was performed by changing the content of Pu239. Based on the fuel rod, the isotopic content was consistent with 2% uncertainty for Pu239. By applying the covering (neutron absorber), the effective shielding was obtained and the activation was calculated on the target. From the assay evaluation, LSDS technique is very powerful and direct to analyze the isotopic fissile content. LSDS is applicable for nuclear fuel cycle and spent fuel management for safety and economics. Additionally, an accurate fissile content will contribute to the international transparency and credibility on spent fuel.

Acetone enhances the direct analysis of Procyanidin- and Prodelphinidin-based condensed tannins in lotus species by the butanol-HCl-iron assay

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The butanol-HCl spectrophotometric assay is widely used for quantifying extractable and insoluble condensed tannins (CT, syn. proanthocyanidins) in foods, feeds, and foliage of herbaceous and woody plants, but the method underestimates total CT content when applied directly to plant material. To imp...

Students' Self-Identified Long-Term Leadership Development Goals: An Analysis by Gender and Race

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosch, David M.; Boyd, Barry L.; Duran, Kristina M.

2014-01-01

Leadership development goal statements of 92 undergraduate students enrolled in a multi-year self-directed leadership development program were analyzed using content and thematic analyses to investigate patterns of similarities and differences across gender and race. This qualitative analysis utilized a theoretical framework that approached…

The Bilingual Child; Research and Analysis of Existing Educational Themes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simoes, Antonio, Jr., Ed.

The contents of this book are divided into sections on cognitive and affective studies in bilingual-bicultural education, programs in bilingual-bicultural education: an analysis of total or partial immersion programs, and teacher directed issues: some practical suggestions from theoretical domains. The following papers are in this collection:…

The Toileting Habit Profile Questionnaire: Screening for Sensory-Based Toileting Difficulties in Young Children with Constipation and Retentive Fecal Incontinence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudry-Bellefeuille, Isabelle; Lane, Shelly J.; Ramos-Polo, Eduardo

2016-01-01

This study examined the face and preliminary content validity of the Toileting Habit Profile Questionnaire, a tool designed to screen for sensory-based defecation difficulties in children. A panel of experts reviewed a pilot version of the questionnaire and responded to probe questions. Two reviewers conducted direct content analysis of responses;…

Evaluation of Traditional and Contemporary Methods for Detecting Syphacia obvelata and Aspiculuris tetraptera in Laboratory Mice

PubMed Central

Gerwin, Philip M; Arbona, Rodolfo J Ricart; Riedel, Elyn R; Lepherd, Michelle L; Henderson, Ken S; Lipman, Neil S

2017-01-01

There is no consensus regarding the best practice for detecting murine pinworm infections. Initially, we evaluated 7 fecal concentration methods by using feces containing Aspiculuris tetraptera (AT) eggs (n = 20 samples per method). Sodium nitrate flotation, sodium nitrate centrifugation, Sheather sugar centrifugation, and zinc sulfate centrifugation detected eggs in 100% of samples; zinc sulfate flotation and water sedimentation detected eggs in 90%. All had better detection rates than Sheather sugar flotation (50%). To determine optimal detection methods, Swiss Webster mice were exposed to Syphacia obvelata (SO; n = 60) or AT (n = 60). We compared the following methods at days 0, 30, and 90, beginning 21 or 28 d after SO and AT exposure, respectively: fecal concentration (AT only), anal tape test (SO only), direct examination of intestinal contents (cecum and colon), Swiss roll histology (cecum and colon), and PCR analysis (pooled fur swab and feces). Detection rates for SO-exposed mice were: PCR analysis, 45%; Swiss roll histology, 30%; intestinal content exam, 27%; and tape test, 27%. The SO detection rate for PCR analysis was significantly greater than that for the tape test. Detection rates for AT-exposed mice were: intestinal content exam, 53%; PCR analysis, 33%; fecal flotation, 22%; and Swiss roll histology, 17%. The AT detection rate of PCR analysis combined with intestinal content examination was greater than for PCR analysis only and the AT detection rate of intestinal content examination was greater than for Swiss roll histology. Combining PCR analysis with intestinal content examination detected 100% of infected animals. No single test detected all positive animals. We recommend combining PCR analysis with intestinal content examination for optimal pinworm detection. PMID:28905712

Putting the positive in health psychology: a content analysis of three journals.

PubMed

Schmidt, Christa K; Raque-Bogdan, Trisha L; Piontkowski, Sarah; Schaefer, Kathryn L

2011-05-01

This content analysis investigated the inclusion of positive psychological constructs in research published in three leading health psychology journals. A list of positive constructs relevant to health psychology was compiled and their inclusion in these journals was examined. It was found that although there has been a sharp increase in recent years, only 3 percent of all articles published (114 of 3789) included the study of overtly positive constructs. The constructs that have been most and least studied in health psychology were identified and are discussed. This analysis provides insight into the foundations of positive health psychology and identifies future directions.

Metal Matrix Composite Material by Direct Metal Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novichenko, D.; Marants, A.; Thivillon, L.; Bertrand, P. H.; Smurov, I.

Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) is a laser cladding process for producing a protective coating on the surface of a metallic part or manufacturing layer-by-layer parts in a single-step process. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the possibility to create carbide-reinforced metal matrix composite objects. Powders of steel 16NCD13 with different volume contents of titanium carbide are tested. On the base of statistical analysis, a laser cladding processing map is constructed. Relationships between the different content of titanium carbide in a powder mixture and the material microstructure are found. Mechanism of formation of various precipitated titanium carbides is investigated.

Marginal Fisher analysis and its variants for human gait recognition and content- based image retrieval.

PubMed

Xu, Dong; Yan, Shuicheng; Tao, Dacheng; Lin, Stephen; Zhang, Hong-Jiang

2007-11-01

Dimensionality reduction algorithms, which aim to select a small set of efficient and discriminant features, have attracted great attention for human gait recognition and content-based image retrieval (CBIR). In this paper, we present extensions of our recently proposed marginal Fisher analysis (MFA) to address these problems. For human gait recognition, we first present a direct application of MFA, then inspired by recent advances in matrix and tensor-based dimensionality reduction algorithms, we present matrix-based MFA for directly handling 2-D input in the form of gray-level averaged images. For CBIR, we deal with the relevance feedback problem by extending MFA to marginal biased analysis, in which within-class compactness is characterized only by the distances between each positive sample and its neighboring positive samples. In addition, we present a new technique to acquire a direct optimal solution for MFA without resorting to objective function modification as done in many previous algorithms. We conduct comprehensive experiments on the USF HumanID gait database and the Corel image retrieval database. Experimental results demonstrate that MFA and its extensions outperform related algorithms in both applications.

Used battery collection in central Mexico: metal content, legislative/management situation and statistical analysis.

PubMed

Guevara-García, José Antonio; Montiel-Corona, Virginia

2012-03-01

A statistical analysis of a used battery collection campaign in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, is presented. This included a study of the metal composition of spent batteries from formal and informal markets, and a critical discussion about the management of spent batteries in Mexico with respect to legislation. A six-month collection campaign was statistically analyzed: 77% of the battery types were "AA" and 30% of the batteries were from the informal market. A substantial percentage (36%) of batteries had residual voltage in the range 1.2-1.4 V, and 70% had more than 1.0 V; this may reflect underutilization. Metal content analysis and recovery experiments were performed with the five formal and four more frequent informal trademarks. The analysis of Hg, Cd and Pb showed there is no significant difference in content between formal and informal commercialized batteries. All of the analyzed trademarks were under the permissible limit levels of the proposed Mexican Official Norm (NOM) NMX-AA-104-SCFI-2006 and would be classified as not dangerous residues (can be thrown to the domestic rubbish); however, compared with the EU directive 2006/66/EC, 8 out of 9 of the selected battery trademarks would be rejected, since the Mexican Norm content limit is 20, 7.5 and 5 fold higher in Hg, Cd and Pb, respectively, than the EU directive. These results outline the necessity for better regulatory criteria in the proposed Mexican NOM in order to minimize the impact on human health and the environment of this type of residues. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct ophthalmoscopy on YouTube: analysis of instructional YouTube videos' content and approach to visualization.

PubMed

Borgersen, Nanna Jo; Henriksen, Mikael Johannes Vuokko; Konge, Lars; Sørensen, Torben Lykke; Thomsen, Ann Sofia Skou; Subhi, Yousif

2016-01-01

Direct ophthalmoscopy is well-suited for video-based instruction, particularly if the videos enable the student to see what the examiner sees when performing direct ophthalmoscopy. We evaluated the pedagogical effectiveness of instructional YouTube videos on direct ophthalmoscopy by evaluating their content and approach to visualization. In order to synthesize main themes and points for direct ophthalmoscopy, we formed a broad panel consisting of a medical student, junior and senior physicians, and took into consideration book chapters targeting medical students and physicians in general. We then systematically searched YouTube. Two authors reviewed eligible videos to assess eligibility and extract data on video statistics, content, and approach to visualization. Correlations between video statistics and contents were investigated using two-tailed Spearman's correlation. We screened 7,640 videos, of which 27 were found eligible for this study. Overall, a median of 12 out of 18 points (interquartile range: 8-14 key points) were covered; no videos covered all of the 18 points assessed. We found the most difficulties in the approach to visualization of how to approach the patient and how to examine the fundus. Time spent on fundus examination correlated with the number of views per week (Spearman's ρ=0.53; P=0.029). Videos may help overcome the pedagogical issues in teaching direct ophthalmoscopy; however, the few available videos on YouTube fail to address this particular issue adequately. There is a need for high-quality videos that include relevant points, provide realistic visualization of the examiner's view, and give particular emphasis on fundus examination.

Elemental profiling and geographical differentiation of Ethiopian coffee samples through inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and direct mercury analyzer (DMA).

PubMed

Habte, Girum; Hwang, In Min; Kim, Jae Sung; Hong, Joon Ho; Hong, Young Sin; Choi, Ji Yeon; Nho, Eun Yeong; Jamila, Nargis; Khan, Naeem; Kim, Kyong Su

2016-12-01

This study was aimed to establish the elemental profiling and provenance of coffee samples collected from eleven major coffee producing regions of Ethiopia. A total of 129 samples were analyzed for forty-five elements using inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-optical emission spectroscopy (OES), ICP-mass spectrometry (MS) and direct mercury analyzer (DMA). Among the macro elements, K showed the highest levels whereas Fe was found to have the lowest concentration values. In all the samples, Ca, K, Mg, P and S contents were statistically significant (p<0.05). Micro elements showed the concentrations order of: Mn>Cu>Sr>Zn>Rb>Ni>B. Contents of the trace elements were lower than the permissible standard values. Inter-regions differentiation by cluster analysis (CA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that micro and trace elements are the best chemical descriptors of the analyzed coffee samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Mold Biomass on Gypsum Board: Comparison of Ergosterol and Beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidase as Mold Biomass Parameters

PubMed Central

Reeslev, M.; Miller, M.; Nielsen, K. F.

2003-01-01

Two mold species, Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus versicolor, were inoculated onto agar overlaid with cellophane, allowing determination of a direct measurement of biomass density by weighing. Biomass density, ergosterol content, and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase (3.2.1.52) activity were monitored from inoculation to stationary phase. Regression analysis showed a good linear correlation to biomass density for both ergosterol content and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity. The same two mold species were inoculated onto wallpapered gypsum board, from which a direct biomass measurement was not possible. Growth was measured as an increase in ergosterol content and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity. A good linear correlation was seen between ergosterol content and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity. From the experiments performed on agar medium, conversion factors (CFs) for estimating biomass density from ergosterol content and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity were determined. The CFs were used to estimate the biomass density of the molds grown on gypsum board. The biomass densities estimated from ergosterol content and beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity data gave similar results, showing significantly slower growth and lower stationary-phase biomass density on gypsum board than on agar. PMID:12839773

A Short Note on Rules and Higher Order Rules.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scandura, Joseph M.

This brief paper argues that structural analysis--an extended form of cognitive task analysis--demonstrates that both domain dependent and domain independent knowledge can be derived from specific content domains. It is noted that the major difference between the two is that lower order rules (specific knowledge) are derived directly from specific…

The Social Construction of Death in the Gulf War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umberson, Debra; Henderson, Kristin

1992-01-01

Applies social construction of reality example to explain why and how media reports facilitated denial of death in Gulf War. Conducted content analysis of war-related stories in "New York Times" for duration of Gulf War, giving special attention to direct and indirect references to death and killing. Analysis revealed four themes.…

Trace element analysis by PIXE in several biomedical fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, G.; Robaye, G.; Bartsch, P.; Collignon, A.; Beguin, Y.; Roelandts, I.; Delbrouck, J. M.

1984-04-01

Since 1980 in the University of Liége trace element analysis by PIXE has been developed in several directions, among these: the elemental composition of lung parenchyma, hilar lymph nodes, blood content in hematological disorders and renal insufficiency. The content in trace elements of lung tumor and surrounding tissue is measured and compared to similar content previously obtained on unselected patients of comparable ages. The normalization of the bromine deficiency observed in hemodialized patients is achieved by using a dialyzing bath doped with NaBr in order to obtain a normal bromine level of 5.7 μg/ml. The content of Cu, Zn, Br and Se in blood serum from more than 100 patients suffering from malignant hemopathy has been measured. The results are compared with a reference group. These oligoelements have also been measured sequentially for patients under intensive chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia.

Analysis of coke beverages by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Ruiz, Ramón; von Bohlen, Alex; Friedrich K, E. Josue; Redrejo, M. J.

2018-07-01

The influence of the organic content, sample preparation process and the morphology of the depositions of two types of Coke beverage, traditional and light Coke, have been investigated by mean of Total-reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry. Strong distortions of the nominal concentration values, up to 128% for P, have been detected in the analysis of traditional Coke by different preparation methods. These differences have been correlated with the edge X-ray energies of the elements analyzed being more pronounced for the lighter elements. The influence of the organic content (mainly sugar) was evaluated comparing traditional and light Coke analytical TXRF results. Three sample preparation methods have been evaluated as follows: direct TXRF analysis of the sample only adding internal standard, TXRF analysis after open vessel acid digestion and TXRF analysis after high pressure and temperature microwave-assisted acid digestion. Strong correlations were detected between quantitative results, methods of preparation and energies of the X-ray absorption edges of quantified elements. In this way, a decay behavior for the concentration differences between preparation methods and the energies of the X-ray absorption edges of each element were observed. The observed behaviors were modeled with exponential decay functions obtaining R2 correlation coefficients from 0.989 to 0.992. The strong absorption effect observed, and even possible matrix effect, can be explained by the inherent high organic content of the evaluated samples and also by the morphology and average thickness of the TXRF depositions observed. As main conclusion of this work, the analysis of light elements in samples with high organic content by TXRF, i.e. medical, biological, food or any other organic matrixes should be taken carefully. In any case, the direct analysis is not recommended and a previous microwave-assisted acid digestion, or similar, is mandatory, for the correct elemental quantification by TXRF.

Pro-anorexia websites: what a clinician should know.

PubMed

Harshbarger, Jenni L; Ahlers-Schmidt, Carolyn R; Mayans, Laura; Mayans, David; Hawkins, Joseph H

2009-05-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of the "Tips and Tricks" section of pro-ana websites to better understand information shared on these sites, and aide clinicians in identification, treatment, and prevention of anorexia. Nine pro-ana websites were evaluated to identify categories of information in "Tips and Tricks." A content analysis was performed using emergent coding methods and 16 categories were determined. Reliability was acceptable (Cohen's Kappa = 0.702). Discrepancies were corrected by consensus. Frequencies of individual categories were computed. Most "Tips and Tricks" are directed at dieting/restricting calories (28.6%) and distraction (14.0%). Most disturbing, 11% of comments were directed at lying and concealing symptoms. Clinicians aware of "Tips and Tricks" might be better equipped to recognize the symptoms of anorexia early in treatment. Knowledge of "Tips and Tricks" can also facilitate better education, making it difficult for clients to conceal their illness.

Informed choice in direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) websites: a content analysis of benefits, risks, and limitations.

PubMed

Singleton, Amanda; Erby, Lori Hamby; Foisie, Kathryn V; Kaphingst, Kimberly A

2012-06-01

An informed choice about health-related direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) requires knowledge of potential benefits, risks, and limitations. To understand the information that potential consumers of DTCGT services are exposed to on company websites, we conducted a content analysis of 23 health-related DTCGT websites. Results revealed that benefit statements outweighed risk and limitation statements 6 to 1. The most frequently described benefits were: 1) disease prevention, 2) consumer education, 3) personalized medical recommendations, and 4) the ability to make health decisions. Thirty-five percent of websites also presented at least one risk of testing. Seventy-eight percent of websites mentioned at least one limitation of testing. Based on this information, potential consumers might get an inaccurate picture of genetic testing which could impact their ability to make an informed decision. Practices that enhance the presentation of balanced information on DTCGT company websites should be encouraged.

Assessment of the content, structure, and source of soil dissolved organic matter in the coastal wetlands of Jiaozhou Bay, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xi, Min; Zi, Yuanyuan; Wang, Qinggai; Wang, Sen; Cui, Guolu; Kong, Fanlong

2018-02-01

The contents and the spectral analysis of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in four typical wetlands, such as naked tidal, suaeda salsa, reed and spartina, were conducted to investigate the content, structure, and source of DOM in coastal wetland soil. The soil samples were obtained from Jiaozhou Bay in January, April, July, and October of 2014. Results showed that the DOM contents in soil of four typical wetland were in order of spartina wetland > naked tidal > suaeda salsa wetland > reed wetland in horizontal direction, and decreased with the increase of soil depth on vertical section. In addition, the DOM contents changed with the seasons, in order of spring > summer > autumn > winter. The structural characteristics of DOM in Jiaozhou Bay wetland, such as aromaticity, hydrophobicity, molecular weight, polymerization degree of benzene ring carbon frame structure and so on were in order of spartina wetland > naked tidal > suaeda salsa wetland > reed wetland in the horizontal direction. On the vertical direction, they showed a decreasing trend with the increase of soil depth. The results of three dimensional fluorescence spectra and fluorescence spectrum parameters (FI, HIX, and BIX) indicated that the DOM in Jiaozhou Bay was mainly derived from the biological activities. The contents and structure of DOM had certain relevance, but the contents and source as well as the structure and source of DOM had no significant correlation. The external pollution including domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, and aquaculture sewage affected the correlation among the content, structure and source of DOM by influencing the percentage of non-fluorescent substance in DOM and disturbing the determination of protein-like fluorescence.

Bullet identification: a case of a fatal hunting accident resolved by comparison of lead shot using instrumental neutron activation analysis.

PubMed

Capannesi, G; Sedda, A F

1992-03-01

Bullet identification by chemical analysis often provides a powerful clue in forensic science. A case is reported in which a hunting accident was resolved by using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for direct comparison of the trace element content in lead shot. Different preparation batches of lead shot appear to have a high within-group composition homogeneity, and good differentiation is achieved between different batches. Determination of the nickel and antimony content on a bush branch demonstrated that the branch had been perforated by one of the shot pellets, and this helped the detectives in reconstruction of the crime scene.

78 FR 23289 - Public Review of Draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-18

...The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) is conducting a public review of the draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard. The FGDC has developed a draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard that provides a framework for shoreline data development, sharing of data, and shoreline data transformation and fusion. The FGDC Coastal and Marine Spatial Data Subcommittee, chaired by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sponsored development of the draft standard. The FGDC Coordination Group, comprised of representatives of Federal agencies, has approved releasing this draft standard for public review and comment. The draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard defines attributes or elements that are common for shoreline data development and provides suggested domains for the elements. The functional scope includes definition of data models, schemas, entities, relationships, definitions, and crosswalks to related standards. The draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard is intended to enhance the shoreline framework by providing technical guidance on shoreline semantics, data structures and their relationships to builders and users of shoreline data. The geographical scope of the draft standard comprises all shorelines of navigable waters within the United States and its territories. The primary intended users of the National Shoreline Data Content Standard are the mapping, shoreline engineering, coastal zone management, flood insurance, and natural resource management communities. The FGDC invites all stakeholders to comment on this draft standard to ensure that it meets their needs. The draft National Shoreline Data Content Standard may be downloaded from https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards- projects/shoreline-data-content/ revisedDraftNationalShorelineDataContentStandard. Comments shall be submitted using the content template at http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/ process/standards-directives/template.doc. Instructions for completing the comment template are found in FGDC Standards Directive 2d, Standards Working Group Review Guidelines: Review Comment Template, http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/process/standards-directives/directive- 2d-standards-working-group-review-guidelines-review-comment-template. Comments that concern specific issues/changes/additions may result in revisions to the National Shoreline Data Content Standard. Reviewers may obtain information about how comments were addressed upon request. After formal endorsement of the standard by the FGDC, the National Shoreline Data Content Standard and a summary analysis of the changes will be made available to the public on the FGDC Web site, www.fgdc.gov.

Multi-sensory storytelling for persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: an analysis of the development, content and application in practice.

PubMed

ten Brug, Annet; van der Putten, Annette; Penne, Anneleen; Maes, Bea; Vlaskamp, Carla

2012-07-01

Multi-sensory storytelling (MSST) books are individualized stories, which involve sensory stimulation in addition to verbal text. Despite the frequent use of MSST in practice, little research is conducted into its structure, content and effectiveness. This study aims at the analysis of the development, content and application in practice of the MSST books in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). Forty-nine persons with PIMD and their direct support person participated. We analysed if the books are constructed and read according to guidelines. Content and used stimuli were related to age. Of the books 84% were constructed according to guidelines. In just 1.3% of the sessions, the story was read as intended. Regarding content, 67.4% of the stories focused on daily life excursions. Tactile stimuli were used most. Age related to stimuli choice, but not to content. Although most books were properly constructed, guidelines were barely followed during reading which may negatively influence the effectiveness. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Analysis of fuel using the Direct LSC method determination of bio-originated fuel in the presence of quenching

DOE PAGES

Doll, Charles G.; Wright, Cherylyn W.; Morley, Shannon M.; ...

2017-02-01

In this paper, a modified version of the Direct LSC method to correct for quenching effect was investigated for the determination of bio-originated fuel content in fuel samples produced from multiple biological starting materials. The modified method was found to be accurate in determining the percent bio-originated fuel to within 5% of the actual value for samples with quenching effects ≤43%. Finally, analysis of highly quenched samples was possible when diluted with the exception of one sample with a 100% quenching effect.

Analysis of fuel using the Direct LSC method determination of bio-originated fuel in the presence of quenching

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doll, Charles G.; Wright, Cherylyn W.; Morley, Shannon M.

A modified version of the Direct LSC method to correct for quenching effect was investigated for the determination of bio-originated fuel content in fuel samples produced from multiple biological starting materials. The modified method was found to be accurate in determining the percent bio-originated fuel to within 5% of the actual value for samples with quenching effects ≤43%. Analysis of highly quenched samples was possible when diluted with the exception of one sample with a 100% quenching effect.

Still the Great Debate – "Fair Balance" in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising

PubMed Central

Rollins, Brent L.

2016-01-01

The above titled paper examined the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) warning letters and notice of violations (NOV) over a 10-year period. Findings from this content analysis reinforced what has been the primary issue for prescription direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) since its beginning, the fair balance of risk and benefit information. As opposed to another analysis in 2026 about this still being an issue, is there anything that can be done to prevent this problem from continuing? PMID:27239875

Analysis of fuel using the Direct LSC method determination of bio-originated fuel in the presence of quenching

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doll, Charles G.; Wright, Cherylyn W.; Morley, Shannon M.

In this paper, a modified version of the Direct LSC method to correct for quenching effect was investigated for the determination of bio-originated fuel content in fuel samples produced from multiple biological starting materials. The modified method was found to be accurate in determining the percent bio-originated fuel to within 5% of the actual value for samples with quenching effects ≤43%. Finally, analysis of highly quenched samples was possible when diluted with the exception of one sample with a 100% quenching effect.

Analysis of Moisture Content in Beetroot using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and by Principal Component Analysis.

PubMed

Nesakumar, Noel; Baskar, Chanthini; Kesavan, Srinivasan; Rayappan, John Bosco Balaguru; Alwarappan, Subbiah

2018-05-22

The moisture content of beetroot varies during long-term cold storage. In this work, we propose a strategy to identify the moisture content and age of beetroot using principal component analysis coupled Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Frequent FTIR measurements were recorded directly from the beetroot sample surface over a period of 34 days for analysing its moisture content employing attenuated total reflectance in the spectral ranges of 2614-4000 and 1465-1853 cm -1 with a spectral resolution of 8 cm -1 . In order to estimate the transmittance peak height (T p ) and area under the transmittance curve [Formula: see text] over the spectral ranges of 2614-4000 and 1465-1853 cm -1 , Gaussian curve fitting algorithm was performed on FTIR data. Principal component and nonlinear regression analyses were utilized for FTIR data analysis. Score plot over the ranges of 2614-4000 and 1465-1853 cm -1 allowed beetroot quality discrimination. Beetroot quality predictive models were developed by employing biphasic dose response function. Validation experiment results confirmed that the accuracy of the beetroot quality predictive model reached 97.5%. This research work proves that FTIR spectroscopy in combination with principal component analysis and beetroot quality predictive models could serve as an effective tool for discriminating moisture content in fresh, half and completely spoiled stages of beetroot samples and for providing status alerts.

Curricula and Programmes in Petroleum Engineering for Higher Technical Education Institutions: Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tymkiv, Nadiya

2018-01-01

The article states the analysis of the curriculum that regulates the main purposes, essence and directions for petroleum training. The importance and necessity of positive usage of Austrian, English and Norwegian experience at the time of petroleum engineers training in the petroleum industry has been stressed on. The structure and content of…

Direct ophthalmoscopy on YouTube: analysis of instructional YouTube videos’ content and approach to visualization

PubMed Central

Borgersen, Nanna Jo; Henriksen, Mikael Johannes Vuokko; Konge, Lars; Sørensen, Torben Lykke; Thomsen, Ann Sofia Skou; Subhi, Yousif

2016-01-01

Background Direct ophthalmoscopy is well-suited for video-based instruction, particularly if the videos enable the student to see what the examiner sees when performing direct ophthalmoscopy. We evaluated the pedagogical effectiveness of instructional YouTube videos on direct ophthalmoscopy by evaluating their content and approach to visualization. Methods In order to synthesize main themes and points for direct ophthalmoscopy, we formed a broad panel consisting of a medical student, junior and senior physicians, and took into consideration book chapters targeting medical students and physicians in general. We then systematically searched YouTube. Two authors reviewed eligible videos to assess eligibility and extract data on video statistics, content, and approach to visualization. Correlations between video statistics and contents were investigated using two-tailed Spearman’s correlation. Results We screened 7,640 videos, of which 27 were found eligible for this study. Overall, a median of 12 out of 18 points (interquartile range: 8–14 key points) were covered; no videos covered all of the 18 points assessed. We found the most difficulties in the approach to visualization of how to approach the patient and how to examine the fundus. Time spent on fundus examination correlated with the number of views per week (Spearman’s ρ=0.53; P=0.029). Conclusion Videos may help overcome the pedagogical issues in teaching direct ophthalmoscopy; however, the few available videos on YouTube fail to address this particular issue adequately. There is a need for high-quality videos that include relevant points, provide realistic visualization of the examiner’s view, and give particular emphasis on fundus examination. PMID:27574393

A study on real-time low-quality content detection on Twitter from the users' perspective.

PubMed

Chen, Weiling; Yeo, Chai Kiat; Lau, Chiew Tong; Lee, Bu Sung

2017-01-01

Detection techniques of malicious content such as spam and phishing on Online Social Networks (OSN) are common with little attention paid to other types of low-quality content which actually impacts users' content browsing experience most. The aim of our work is to detect low-quality content from the users' perspective in real time. To define low-quality content comprehensibly, Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is first used to coarsely classify low-quality tweets into four categories. Based on this preliminary study, a survey is carefully designed to gather users' opinions on different categories of low-quality content. Both direct and indirect features including newly proposed features are identified to characterize all types of low-quality content. We then further combine word level analysis with the identified features and build a keyword blacklist dictionary to improve the detection performance. We manually label an extensive Twitter dataset of 100,000 tweets and perform low-quality content detection in real time based on the characterized significant features and word level analysis. The results of our research show that our method has a high accuracy of 0.9711 and a good F1 of 0.8379 based on a random forest classifier with real time performance in the detection of low-quality content in tweets. Our work therefore achieves a positive impact in improving user experience in browsing social media content.

A study on real-time low-quality content detection on Twitter from the users’ perspective

PubMed Central

Yeo, Chai Kiat; Lau, Chiew Tong; Lee, Bu Sung

2017-01-01

Detection techniques of malicious content such as spam and phishing on Online Social Networks (OSN) are common with little attention paid to other types of low-quality content which actually impacts users’ content browsing experience most. The aim of our work is to detect low-quality content from the users’ perspective in real time. To define low-quality content comprehensibly, Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm is first used to coarsely classify low-quality tweets into four categories. Based on this preliminary study, a survey is carefully designed to gather users’ opinions on different categories of low-quality content. Both direct and indirect features including newly proposed features are identified to characterize all types of low-quality content. We then further combine word level analysis with the identified features and build a keyword blacklist dictionary to improve the detection performance. We manually label an extensive Twitter dataset of 100,000 tweets and perform low-quality content detection in real time based on the characterized significant features and word level analysis. The results of our research show that our method has a high accuracy of 0.9711 and a good F1 of 0.8379 based on a random forest classifier with real time performance in the detection of low-quality content in tweets. Our work therefore achieves a positive impact in improving user experience in browsing social media content. PMID:28793347

How people react to Zika virus outbreaks on Twitter? A computational content analysis.

PubMed

Fu, King-Wa; Liang, Hai; Saroha, Nitin; Tse, Zion Tsz Ho; Ip, Patrick; Fung, Isaac Chun-Hai

2016-12-01

Zika-related Twitter incidence peaked after the World Health Organization declared an emergency. Five themes were identified from Zika-related Twitter content: (1) societal impact of the outbreak; (2) government, public and private sector, and general public responses to the outbreak; (3) pregnancy and microcephaly: negative health consequences related to pregnant women and babies; (4) transmission routes; and (5) case reports. User-generated contents sites were preferred direct information channels rather than those of the government authorities. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 1152.22 - Contents of application.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION RULES OF PRACTICE ABANDONMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE OF RAIL LINES AND RAIL... of transportation service (rail, motor, water, air) available, and the highway network in the.... Questions concerning environmental issues may be directed to the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1152.22 - Contents of application.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION RULES OF PRACTICE ABANDONMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE OF RAIL LINES AND RAIL... of transportation service (rail, motor, water, air) available, and the highway network in the.... Questions concerning environmental issues may be directed to the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis...

49 CFR 1152.22 - Contents of application.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... OF TRANSPORTATION RULES OF PRACTICE ABANDONMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE OF RAIL LINES AND RAIL... of transportation service (rail, motor, water, air) available, and the highway network in the.... Questions concerning environmental issues may be directed to the Board's Section of Environmental Analysis...

Pharmaceutical companies and their drugs on social media: a content analysis of drug information on popular social media sites.

PubMed

Tyrawski, Jennifer; DeAndrea, David C

2015-06-01

Many concerns have been raised about pharmaceutical companies marketing their drugs directly to consumers on social media. This form of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) can be interactive and, because it is largely unmonitored, the benefits of pharmaceutical treatment could easily be overemphasized compared to the risks. Additionally, nonexpert consumers can share their own drug product testimonials on social media and illegal online pharmacies can market their services on popular social media sites. There is great potential for the public to be exposed to misleading or dangerous information about pharmaceutical drugs on social media. Our central aim was to examine how pharmaceutical companies use social media to interact with the general public and market their drugs. We also sought to analyze the nature of information that appears in search results for widely used pharmaceutical drugs in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube with a particular emphasis on the presence of illegal pharmacies. Content analyses were performed on (1) social media content on the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world and (2) the content that appears when searching on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the top 20 pharmaceutical drugs purchased in the United States. Notably, for the company-specific analysis, we examined the presence of information similar to various forms of DTCA, the audience reach of company postings, and the quantity and quality of company-consumer interaction. For the drug-specific analysis, we documented the presence of illegal pharmacies, personal testimonials, and drug efficacy claims. From the company-specific analysis, we found information similar to help-seeking DTCA in 40.7% (301/740) of pharmaceutical companies' social media posts. Drug product claims were present in only 1.6% (12/740) of posts. Overall, there was a substantial amount of consumers who interacted with pharmaceutical companies through commenting (23.9%, 177/740). For the drug-specific analysis, we found that the majority of search results contained drug product claims (69.4%, 482/695); more claims mentioned only benefits (44.8%, 216/482) relative to only risks (27.2%, 131/482). Additionally, approximately 25% (150/603) of posts on Twitter and YouTube were presented as personal testimonials. A considerable percentage of content on Facebook contained advertisements for illegal online pharmacies (17%, 16/92). Pharmaceutical companies avoid making drug product claims on their social media accounts but frequently post content that is consistent with FDA definitions for help-seeking DTCA. Thousands of people often view content posted by pharmaceutical companies on social media; users also share company postings making both direct and indirect influence possible. Finally, people are likely to be exposed to drug product claims and information about illegal pharmacies when searching for information about popular pharmaceutical drugs on social media.

Pharmaceutical Companies and Their Drugs on Social Media: A Content Analysis of Drug Information on Popular Social Media Sites

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Many concerns have been raised about pharmaceutical companies marketing their drugs directly to consumers on social media. This form of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) can be interactive and, because it is largely unmonitored, the benefits of pharmaceutical treatment could easily be overemphasized compared to the risks. Additionally, nonexpert consumers can share their own drug product testimonials on social media and illegal online pharmacies can market their services on popular social media sites. There is great potential for the public to be exposed to misleading or dangerous information about pharmaceutical drugs on social media. Objective Our central aim was to examine how pharmaceutical companies use social media to interact with the general public and market their drugs. We also sought to analyze the nature of information that appears in search results for widely used pharmaceutical drugs in the United States on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube with a particular emphasis on the presence of illegal pharmacies. Methods Content analyses were performed on (1) social media content on the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world and (2) the content that appears when searching on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the top 20 pharmaceutical drugs purchased in the United States. Notably, for the company-specific analysis, we examined the presence of information similar to various forms of DTCA, the audience reach of company postings, and the quantity and quality of company-consumer interaction. For the drug-specific analysis, we documented the presence of illegal pharmacies, personal testimonials, and drug efficacy claims. Results From the company-specific analysis, we found information similar to help-seeking DTCA in 40.7% (301/740) of pharmaceutical companies’ social media posts. Drug product claims were present in only 1.6% (12/740) of posts. Overall, there was a substantial amount of consumers who interacted with pharmaceutical companies through commenting (23.9%, 177/740). For the drug-specific analysis, we found that the majority of search results contained drug product claims (69.4%, 482/695); more claims mentioned only benefits (44.8%, 216/482) relative to only risks (27.2%, 131/482). Additionally, approximately 25% (150/603) of posts on Twitter and YouTube were presented as personal testimonials. A considerable percentage of content on Facebook contained advertisements for illegal online pharmacies (17%, 16/92). Conclusions Pharmaceutical companies avoid making drug product claims on their social media accounts but frequently post content that is consistent with FDA definitions for help-seeking DTCA. Thousands of people often view content posted by pharmaceutical companies on social media; users also share company postings making both direct and indirect influence possible. Finally, people are likely to be exposed to drug product claims and information about illegal pharmacies when searching for information about popular pharmaceutical drugs on social media. PMID:26032738

Shaking video stabilization with content completion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yi; Ye, Qixiang; Liu, Yanmei; Jiao, Jianbin

2009-01-01

A new stabilization algorithm to counterbalance the shaking motion in a video based on classical Kandade-Lucas- Tomasi (KLT) method is presented in this paper. Feature points are evaluated with law of large numbers and clustering algorithm to reduce the side effect of moving foreground. Analysis on the change of motion direction is also carried out to detect the existence of shaking. For video clips with detected shaking, an affine transformation is performed to warp the current frame to the reference one. In addition, the missing content of a frame during the stabilization is completed with optical flow analysis and mosaicking operation. Experiments on video clips demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Application of direct thermometric analysis in iodometry.

PubMed

Marik-Korda, P; Erdey, L

1970-12-01

Elementary chlorine was determined by a thermometric method using potassium iodide as reagent. The temperature rise corresponding to the heat of reaction was proportional to the chlorine content. Iodine formed in the reaction was also determined with sodium thiosulphate. The heat of the chlorine-iodide reaction is about five times that of the iodine-thiosulphate reaction. Direct determination with potassium iodide is simpler and more rapid than the indirect one.

The Use of Evidence in Public Debates in the Media: The Case of Swiss Direct-Democratic Campaigns in the Health Policy Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stucki, Iris

2016-01-01

This article analyses the reporting of evidence in Swiss direct-democratic campaigns in the health policy sector, assuming that an informed public helps democracy function successfully. A content analysis of the media's news reporting shows that of 5030 media items retrieved, a reference to evidence is found in 6.8%. The voter receives evidence in…

Direct profiling of phytochemicals in tulip tissues and in vivo monitoring of the change of carbohydrate content in tulip bulbs by probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Yu, Zhan; Chen, Lee Chuin; Suzuki, Hiroaki; Ariyada, Osamu; Erra-Balsells, Rosa; Nonami, Hiroshi; Hiraoka, Kenzo

2009-12-01

Probe electrospray ionization (PESI) is a recently developed ESI-based ionization technique which generates electrospray from the tip of a solid needle. In this study, we have applied PESI interfaced with a time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) for direct profiling of phytochemicals in a section of a tulip bulb in different regions, including basal plate, outer and inner rims of scale, flower bud and foliage leaves. Different parts of tulip petals and leaves have also been investigated. Carbohydrates, amino acids and other phytochemicals were detected. A series of in vivo PESI-MS experiments were carried out on the second outermost scales of four living tulip bulbs to monitoring the change of carbohydrate content during the first week of initial growth. The breakdown of carbohydrates was observed which was in accordance with previous reports achieved by other techniques. This study has indicated that PESI-MS can be used for rapid and direct analysis of phytochemicals in living biological systems with advantages of low sample consumption and little sample preparation. Therefore, PESI-MS can be a new choice for direct analysis/profiling of bioactive compounds or monitoring metabolic changes in living biological systems.

Analysis of verbal communication during teaching in the operating room and the potentials for surgical training.

PubMed

Blom, E M; Verdaasdonk, E G G; Stassen, L P S; Stassen, H G; Wieringa, P A; Dankelman, J

2007-09-01

Verbal communication in the operating room during surgical procedures affects team performance, reflects individual skills, and is related to the complexity of the operation process. During the procedural training of surgeons (residents), feedback and guidance is given through verbal communication. A classification method based on structural analysis of the contents was developed to analyze verbal communication. This study aimed to evaluate whether a classification method for the contents of verbal communication in the operating room could provide insight into the teaching processes. Eight laparoscopic cholecystectomies were videotaped. Two entire cholecystectomies and the dissection phase of six additional procedures were analyzed by categorization of the communication in terms of type (4 categories: commanding, explaining, questioning, and miscellaneous) and content (9 categories: operation method, location, direction, instrument handling, visualization, anatomy and pathology, general, private, undefinable). The operation was divided into six phases: start, dissection, clipping, separating, control, closing. Classification of the communication during two entire procedures showed that each phase of the operation was dominated by different kinds of communication. A high percentage of explaining anatomy and pathology was found throughout the whole procedure except for the control and closing phases. In the dissection phases, 60% of verbal communication concerned explaining. These explaining communication events were divided as follows: 27% operation method, 19% anatomy and pathology, 25% location (positioning of the instrument-tissue interaction), 15% direction (direction of tissue manipulation), 11% instrument handling, and 3% other nonclassified instructions. The proposed classification method is feasible for analyzing verbal communication during surgical procedures. Communication content objectively reflects the interaction between surgeon and resident. This information can potentially be used to specify training needs, and may contribute to the evaluation of different training methods.

Interest Convergence and Hegemony in Dual Language: Bilingual Education, but for Whom and Why?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Laura Beth

2018-01-01

I analyze two bills from the state legislatures of California (SB 1174) and Arizona (SB 1242) that propose to expand bilingual education where English-only education was previously the default. Using a critical discourse analysis lens to conduct a directed content analysis, I ask who bilingual education is for, why it is offered, and how the…

[Content informatics and professional analysis of Hungarian health-related websites].

PubMed

Geges, József; Juhász, Eva; Vasas, Lívia

2006-06-04

The number of health-related homepages is increasing and their content is exceeding. The visitor, let him/her be a private visitor or an expert, a patient or relative would like to access relevant data, trust the accuracy and up-to-date state of the web content. It is in the nature of these kind of services, that visitors would share their question and remarks with the authors specialized in a particular topic. Among others these circumstances led to the format and content-related regulation of websites. In a nationwide research the authors examined, to what extent the Hungarian sites meet the requirements of the Health on Net codification and the criteria of the European Union Committee. By studying the quality criteria-related websites, the authors examined each Hungarian website to see how the Hungarian pages live up to the regulations. The work concentrates on the content, but it does not neglect functional analysis either. The authors conclude, that in spite of shortcomings, home webpages aim to keep the directives of the European Union.

Analysis of fuel using the Direct LSC method determination of bio-originated fuel in the presence of quenching.

PubMed

Doll, Charles G; Wright, Cherylyn W; Morley, Shannon M; Wright, Bob W

2017-04-01

A modified version of the Direct LSC method to correct for quenching effect was investigated for the determination of bio-originated fuel content in fuel samples produced from multiple biological starting materials. The modified method was found to be accurate in determining the percent bio-originated fuel to within 5% of the actual value for samples with quenching effects ≤43%. Analysis of highly quenched samples was possible when diluted with the exception of one sample with a 100% quenching effect. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Estimation of the oxalate content of foods and daily oxalate intake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmes, R. P.; Kennedy, M.

2000-01-01

BACKGROUND: The amount of oxalate ingested may be an important risk factor in the development of idiopathic calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. Reliable food tables listing the oxalate content of foods are currently not available. The aim of this research was to develop an accurate and reliable method to measure the food content of oxalate. METHODS: Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and ion chromatography (IC) were compared as direct techniques for the estimation of the oxalate content of foods. Foods were thoroughly homogenized in acid, heat extracted, and clarified by centrifugation and filtration before dilution in water for analysis. Five individuals consuming self-selected diets maintained food records for three days to determine their mean daily oxalate intakes. RESULTS: Both techniques were capable of adequately measuring the oxalate in foods with a significant oxalate content. With foods of very low oxalate content (<1.8 mg/100 g), IC was more reliable than CE. The mean daily intake of oxalate by the five individuals tested was 152 +/- 83 mg, ranging from 44 to 352 mg/day. CONCLUSIONS: CE appears to be the method of choice over IC for estimating the oxalate content of foods with a medium (>10 mg/100 g) to high oxalate content due to a faster analysis time and lower running costs, whereas IC may be better suited for the analysis of foods with a low oxalate content. Accurate estimates of the oxalate content of foods should permit the role of dietary oxalate in urinary oxalate excretion and stone formation to be clarified. Other factors, apart from the amount of oxalate ingested, appear to exert a major influence over the amount of oxalate excreted in the urine.

Determination of silver in irons and steels by atomic-absorption spectrometry with an induction furnace: Direct analysis of solid samples.

PubMed

Aziz-Alrahman, A M; Headridge, J B

1978-07-01

The silver contents of 17 irons and steels have been determined by dropping 0.5-20mg of millings or turnings of the metals into an induction furnace situated within an atomic-absorption spectrophotometer. The limit of detection was 0.005 mug/g and the relative standard deviations were 12% or better for silver contents of not less than 0.05 mug/g. Samples are added to the furnace at 4-5 min intervals.

Automated document analysis system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Black, Jeffrey D.; Dietzel, Robert; Hartnett, David

2002-08-01

A software application has been developed to aid law enforcement and government intelligence gathering organizations in the translation and analysis of foreign language documents with potential intelligence content. The Automated Document Analysis System (ADAS) provides the capability to search (data or text mine) documents in English and the most commonly encountered foreign languages, including Arabic. Hardcopy documents are scanned by a high-speed scanner and are optical character recognized (OCR). Documents obtained in an electronic format bypass the OCR and are copied directly to a working directory. For translation and analysis, the script and the language of the documents are first determined. If the document is not in English, the document is machine translated to English. The documents are searched for keywords and key features in either the native language or translated English. The user can quickly review the document to determine if it has any intelligence content and whether detailed, verbatim human translation is required. The documents and document content are cataloged for potential future analysis. The system allows non-linguists to evaluate foreign language documents and allows for the quick analysis of a large quantity of documents. All document processing can be performed manually or automatically on a single document or a batch of documents.

Direct-to-consumer advertising in oncology: a content analysis of print media.

PubMed

Abel, Gregory A; Lee, Stephanie J; Weeks, Jane C

2007-04-01

Content analysis of cancer-related direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), with a focus on how benefit and risk/adverse effect information is presented, is essential to understanding its potential impact on oncology outcomes. We reviewed all oncology DTCA appearing in three patient-focused cancer magazines and a sample of selected popular magazines from January 2003 to June 2006. We determined the Flesch reading ease score (FRES) for the text in each advertisement (a score > or = 65 is readable for the average person). We also assessed the proportion, type size, and placement of benefits and risks/adverse effects, as well as the nature and content of advertising appeals. Of 284 advertisements identified, 49 were unique. Oncology-related DTCA was rare in the popular magazines, and appeared mostly in those aimed at female readership. About equal amounts of text were devoted to benefits and risks/adverse effects, and all text was difficult to read. The mean FRES for benefit text was 39.71; for risk/adverse effect text, it was 38.22, a difference of 1.49 (95% CI, -4.02 to 7.00). The largest font size for benefits was 4.60 mm on average; for risks/adverse effects, it was 2.38 mm, a difference of 2.22 mm (95% CI, 1.35 to 3.09). Appeals to medication effectiveness were frequent (95%) and often made with clinical trial data (61%). Oncology print DTCA is prevalent in cancer-related, patient-directed magazines, and infrequent in the popular press. The information presented is considerably difficult to read, raising important questions about the appropriateness of direct-to-consumer marketing for oncologic medications.

Injection molding as a one-step process for the direct production of pharmaceutical dosage forms from primary powders.

PubMed

Eggenreich, K; Windhab, S; Schrank, S; Treffer, D; Juster, H; Steinbichler, G; Laske, S; Koscher, G; Roblegg, E; Khinast, J G

2016-05-30

The objective of the present study was to develop a one-step process for the production of tablets directly from primary powder by means of injection molding (IM), to create solid-dispersion based tablets. Fenofibrate was used as the model API, a polyvinyl caprolactame-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft co-polymer served as a matrix system. Formulations were injection-molded into tablets using state-of-the-art IM equipment. The resulting tablets were physico-chemically characterized and the drug release kinetics and mechanism were determined. Comparison tablets were produced, either directly from powder or from pre-processed pellets prepared via hot melt extrusion (HME). The content of the model drug in the formulations was 10% (w/w), 20% (w/w) and 30% (w/w), respectively. After 120min, both powder-based and pellet-based injection-molded tablets exhibited a drug release of 60% independent of the processing route. Content uniformity analysis demonstrated that the model drug was homogeneously distributed. Moreover, analysis of single dose uniformity also revealed geometric drug homogeneity between tablets of one shot. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Consumer Health Informatics Aspects of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomic Testing.

PubMed

Gray, Kathleen; Stephen, Remya; Terrill, Bronwyn; Wilson, Brenda; Middleton, Anna; Tytherleigh, Rigan; Turbitt, Erin; Gaff, Clara; Savard, Jacqueline; Hickerton, Chriselle; Newson, Ainsley; Metcalfe, Sylvia

2017-01-01

This paper uses consumer health informatics as a framework to explore whether and how direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing can be regarded as a form of information which assists consumers to manage their health. It presents findings from qualitative content analysis of web sites that offer testing services, and of transcripts from focus groups conducted as part a study of the Australian public's expectations of personal genomics. Content analysis showed that service offerings have some features of consumer health information but lack consistency. Focus group participants were mostly unfamiliar with the specifics of test reports and related information services. Some of their ideas about aids to knowledge were in line with the benefits described on provider web sites, but some expectations were inflated. People were ambivalent about whether these services would address consumers' health needs, interests and contexts and whether they would support consumers' health self-management decisions and outcomes. There is scope for consumer health informatics approaches to refine the usage and the utility of direct-to-consumer personal genomic testing. Further research may focus on how uptake is affected by consumers' health literacy or by services' engagement with consumers about what they really want.

Identification and test of pedestrian safety messages for public education programs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-03-01

A review of the literature and data from pedestrian accident research was used as input to an analysis which developed 14 message contents. Each of these is directed at a specific aspect of the identified pedestrian accident problem. Seven of the mes...

RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS OF PM 2.5 AMBIENT AEROSOL

EPA Science Inventory

The radiocarbon (14C) content of an ambient aerosol sample can be directly related to the fraction of the sample's total carbon mass contributed by natural (biogenic) sources. Such knowledge is difficult to determine by other means, and important for devising ambient PM contro...

Informed choice in direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) websites: a content analysis of benefits, risks, and limitations

PubMed Central

Singleton, Amanda; Erby, Lori Hamby; Foisie, Kathryn V.; Kaphingst, Kimberly

2012-01-01

An informed choice about health-related direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) requires knowledge of potential benefits, risks, and limitations. To understand the information that potential consumers of DTCGT services are exposed to on company websites, we conducted a content analysis of 23 health-related DTCGT websites. Results revealed that benefit statements outweighed risk and limitation statements 6 to 1. The most frequently described benefits were 1) disease prevention, 2) consumer education, 3) personalized medical recommendations, and 4) the ability to make health decisions. Thirty-five percent of websites also presented at least one risk of testing. Seventy-eight percent of websites mentioned at least one limitation of testing. Based on this information, potential consumers might get an inaccurate picture of genetic testing which could impact their ability to make an informed decision. Practices that enhance the presentation of balanced information on DTCGT company websites should be encouraged. PMID:22194036

A Qualitative Study of the Work Environments of Mexican Nurses

PubMed Central

Squires, Allison; Juarez, Adrian

2012-01-01

Background Studies of the nursing work environment are increasingly common in developed countries, but few exist in developing countries. Because of resource differences between the two contexts, researchers need to clarify what aspects of the work environments are similar and different. Objectives To study the perspectives of Mexican nurses about their work environments to determine similarities and differences to results from developed world studies. Design A secondary, directed content analysis of qualitative data from 46 Spanish language interviews using workplace-oriented themes Setting Purposively selected Mexican states from four regions of the country that reflect the country’s socioeconomic differences. Participants Practicing Mexican nurses with at least one year of clinical experience and currently working in nursing. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Methods Initial data collection occurred in 2006 and 2008 during a broader study about professionalization processes that occurred in Mexican nursing between 1980 and 2005. The secondary, directed content analysis focused on an in-depth exploration of a central theme that emerged from the two original studies: The Workplace. The directed content analysis used themes from the global nursing work environment literature to structure the analysis: Professional relationships, organizational administrative practices, and quality of care and services. Results The three themes from the global literature were relevant for the Mexican context and a new one emerged related to hiring practices. By category, the same factors that created positive or negative perceptions of the work environment matched findings from other international studies conducted in developed countries. The descriptors of the category, however, had different conceptual meanings that illustrate the health system challenges in Mexico. Conclusions Findings from this study suggest that studies that seek to measure nursing work environments will most likely apply in Mexico and other Latin American or middle-income countries. Instruments designed to measure the work environment of nurses in these countries may prove relevant in those contexts, but require careful adaptation and systematic translations to ensure it. PMID:22386989

Exploring ambivalence in motivational interviewing with obese African American adolescents and their caregivers: A mixed methods analysis

PubMed Central

Carcone, April Idalski; Barton, Ellen; Eggly, Susan; Brogan Hartlieb, Kathryn E.; Thominet, Luke; Naar, Sylvie

2016-01-01

Objective We conducted an exploratory mixed methods study to describe the ambivalence African-American adolescents and their caregivers expressed during motivational interviewing sessions targeting weight loss. Methods We extracted ambivalence statements from 37 previously coded counseling sessions. We used directed content analysis to categorize ambivalence related to the target behaviors of nutrition, activity, or weight. We compared adolescent-caregiver dyads’ ambivalence using the paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. We then used conventional content analysis to compare the specific content of adolescents’ and caregivers’ ambivalence statements. Results Adolescents and caregivers expressed the same number of ambivalence statements overall, related to activity and weight, but caregivers expressed more statements about nutrition. Content analysis revealed convergences and divergences in caregivers’ and adolescents’ ambivalence about weight loss. Conclusion Understanding divergences in adolescent-caregiver ambivalence about the specific behaviors to target may partially explain the limited success of family-based weight loss interventions targeting African American families and provides a unique opportunity for providers to enhance family communication, foster teamwork, and build self-efficacy to promote behavior change. Practice implications Clinicians working in family contexts should explore how adolescents and caregivers converge and diverge in their ambivalence in order to recommend weight loss strategies that best meet families’ needs. PMID:26916012

Non-destructive evaluation of chlorophyll content in quinoa and amaranth leaves by simple and multiple regression analysis of RGB image components.

PubMed

Riccardi, M; Mele, G; Pulvento, C; Lavini, A; d'Andria, R; Jacobsen, S-E

2014-06-01

Leaf chlorophyll content provides valuable information about physiological status of plants; it is directly linked to photosynthetic potential and primary production. In vitro assessment by wet chemical extraction is the standard method for leaf chlorophyll determination. This measurement is expensive, laborious, and time consuming. Over the years alternative methods, rapid and non-destructive, have been explored. The aim of this work was to evaluate the applicability of a fast and non-invasive field method for estimation of chlorophyll content in quinoa and amaranth leaves based on RGB components analysis of digital images acquired with a standard SLR camera. Digital images of leaves from different genotypes of quinoa and amaranth were acquired directly in the field. Mean values of each RGB component were evaluated via image analysis software and correlated to leaf chlorophyll provided by standard laboratory procedure. Single and multiple regression models using RGB color components as independent variables have been tested and validated. The performance of the proposed method was compared to that of the widely used non-destructive SPAD method. Sensitivity of the best regression models for different genotypes of quinoa and amaranth was also checked. Color data acquisition of the leaves in the field with a digital camera was quick, more effective, and lower cost than SPAD. The proposed RGB models provided better correlation (highest R (2)) and prediction (lowest RMSEP) of the true value of foliar chlorophyll content and had a lower amount of noise in the whole range of chlorophyll studied compared with SPAD and other leaf image processing based models when applied to quinoa and amaranth.

[Comparison of sulfur fumigation processing and direct hot air heating technology on puerarin contents and efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix].

PubMed

Yu, Hong-Li; Zhang, Qian; Jin, Yang-Ping; Wang, Kui-Long; Lu, Tu-Lin; Li, Lin

2016-07-01

In order to compare the effect of sulfur fumigation processing and direct hot air heating technology on puerarin contents and efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix, the fresh roots of Pueraria thomsonii were cut into small pieces and prepared into direct sunshine drying samples, direct hot air drying samples, and sulfur fumigation-hot air drying samples. Moisture contents of the samples were then determined. The puerarin contents of different samples were compared by HPLC method. Moreover, the models of drunkenness mice were established, and then with superoxide dismutase (SOD) content as the index, aqueous decoction extracts of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix samples with sulfur fumigation processing and non-sulfur fumigation processing methods were administrated by ig; the effects of sulfur fumigation on contents of SOD in mice liver and serum were determined, and the sulfur fumigation samples and non-sulfur fumigation samples were investigated for moth and mildew under different packaging and storage conditions. Results showed that the sulfur fumigation samples significantly changed the puerarin content from Puerariae Thomsonii Radix. The content of puerarin was decreased gradually when increasing the times of sulfur fumigation and amount of sulfur. SOD content in drunken mice liver and serum was significantly decreased when increasing the times of sulfur fumigation, showing significant difference with both direct sunshine drying group and direct hot air drying group. Moth and mildew were not found in the sulfur fumigation samples and direct hot air drying samples whose moisture contents were lower than the limit in Pharmacopoeia. Research showed that sulfur fumigation can significantly reduce the content of main active ingredients and reduce the efficacy of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix, indicating that the quality of Puerariae Thomsonii Radix was significantly decreased after sulfur fumigation. However, the contents of the main active ingredients, efficacy and storage results of the direct hot air drying samples were similar to those in direct sunshine drying samples, so the hot air drying process was a nice drying technology which could be promoted for use. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Structural Evolution of Q-Carbon and Nanodiamonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Siddharth; Bhaumik, Anagh; Sachan, Ritesh; Narayan, Jagdish

2018-04-01

This article provides insights pertaining to the first-order phase transformation involved in the growth of densely packed Q-carbon and nanodiamonds by nanosecond laser melting and quenching of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films. DLC films with different sp 3 content were melted rapidly in a controlled way in super-undercooled state and quenched, leading to formation of distinct nanostructures, i.e., nanodiamonds, Q-carbon, and Q-carbon nanocomposites. This analysis provides direct evidence of the dependence of the super-undercooling on the structural evolution of Q-carbon. Finite element heat flow calculations showed that the super-undercooling varies monotonically with the sp 3 content. The phenomenon of solid-liquid interfacial instability during directional solidification from the melt state is studied in detail. The resulting lateral segregation leads to formation of cellular filamentary Q-carbon nanostructures. The dependence of the cell size and wavelength at the onset of instability on the sp 3 content of DLC thin films was modeled based on perturbation theory.

Seniors' online communities: a quantitative content analysis.

PubMed

Nimrod, Galit

2010-06-01

To examine the contents and characteristics of seniors' online communities and to explore their potential benefits to older adults. Quantitative content analysis of a full year's data from 14 leading online communities using a novel computerized system. The overall database included 686,283 messages. There was a constant increase in the daily activity level during the research period. Content analysis identified 13 main subjects discussed in the communities, including (in descending order) "Fun on line," "Retirement," "Family," "Health," "Work and Study," "Recreation" "Finance," "Religion and Spirituality," "Technology," "Aging," "Civic and Social," "Shopping," and "Travels." The overall tone was somewhat more positive than negative. The findings suggest that the utilities of Information and Communications Technologies for older adults that were identified in previous research are valid for seniors' online communities as well. However, the findings suggest several other possible benefits, which may be available only to online communities. The communities may provide social support, contribute to self-preservation, and serve as an opportunity for self-discovery and growth. Because they offer both leisure activity and an expanded social network, it is suggested that active participation in the communities may contribute to the well-being of older adults. Directions for future research and applied implications are further discussed.

Content analysis of Australian direct-to-consumer websites for emerging breast cancer imaging devices.

PubMed

Vreugdenburg, Thomas D; Laurence, Caroline O; Willis, Cameron D; Mundy, Linda; Hiller, Janet E

2014-09-01

To describe the nature and frequency of information presented on direct-to-consumer websites for emerging breast cancer imaging devices. Content analysis of Australian website advertisements from 2 March 2011 to 30 March 2012, for three emerging breast cancer imaging devices: digital infrared thermal imaging, electrical impedance scanning and electronic palpation imaging. Type of imaging offered, device safety, device performance, application of device, target population, supporting evidence and comparator tests. Thirty-nine unique Australian websites promoting a direct-to-consumer breast imaging device were identified. Despite a lack of supporting evidence, 22 websites advertised devices for diagnosis, 20 advertised devices for screening, 13 advertised devices for prevention and 13 advertised devices for identifying breast cancer risk factors. Similarly, advertised ranges of diagnostic sensitivity (78%-99%) and specificity (44%-91%) were relatively high compared with published literature. Direct comparisons with conventional screening tools that favoured the new device were highly prominent (31 websites), and one-third of websites (12) explicitly promoted their device as a suitable alternative. Australian websites for emerging breast imaging devices, which are also available internationally, promote the use of such devices as safe and effective solutions for breast cancer screening and diagnosis in a range of target populations. Many of these claims are not supported by peer-reviewed evidence, raising questions about the manner in which these devices and their advertising material are regulated, particularly when they are promoted as direct alternatives to established screening interventions.

How Self-Generated Thought Shapes Mood—The Relation between Mind-Wandering and Mood Depends on the Socio-Temporal Content of Thoughts

PubMed Central

Ruby, Florence J. M.; Smallwood, Jonathan; Engen, Haakon; Singer, Tania

2013-01-01

Recent work has highlighted that the generation of thoughts unrelated to the current environment may be both a cause and a consequence of unhappiness. The current study used lag analysis to examine whether the relationship between self-generated thought and negative affect depends on the content of the thoughts themselves. We found that the emotional content could strongly predict subsequent mood (e.g. negative thoughts were associated with subsequent negative mood). However, this direct relationship was modulated by the socio-temporal content of the thoughts: thoughts that were past- and other-related were associated with subsequent negative mood, even if current thought content was positive. By contrast, future- and self-related thoughts preceded improvements of mood, even when current thought content was negative. These results highlight the important link between self-generated thought and mood and suggest that the socio-temporal content plays an important role in determining whether an individual's future affective state will be happy or sad. PMID:24194889

Application of a new model for groundwater age distributions: Modeling and isotopic analysis of artificial recharge in the Rialto-Colton basin, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ginn, T.R.; Woolfenden, L.

2002-01-01

A project for modeling and isotopic analysis of artificial recharge in the Rialto-Colton basin aquifer in California, is discussed. The Rialto-Colton aquifer has been divided into four primary and significant flowpaths following the general direction of groundwater flow from NW to SE. The introductory investigation include sophisticated chemical reaction modeling, with highly simplified flow path simulation. A comprehensive reactive transport model with the established set of geochemical reactions over the whole aquifer will also be developed for treating both reactions and transport realistically. This will be completed by making use of HBGC123D implemented with isotopic calculation step to compute Carbon-14 (C14) and stable Carbon-13 (C13) contents of the water. Computed carbon contents will also be calibrated with the measured carbon contents for assessment of the amount of imported recharge into the Linden pond.

Readability and Content of Patient Education Material Related to Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

PubMed Central

Strachan, Patricia H.; de Laat, Sonya; Carroll, Sandra L.; Schwartz, Lisa; Vaandering, Katie; Toor, Gurjit K.; Arthur, Heather M.

2012-01-01

Background Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are increasingly offered to patients for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. Candidates for ICD receive ICD-related patient education material when they make decisions to consent or decline a primary prevention ICD. Printed patient education material directed at ICD candidates has not been the focus of direct appraisal. Objective We evaluated the readability and content of ICD-related print education materials made available to patients who were enrolled in a study involving patient decision making for ICD from 3 ICD sites in southern Ontario, Canada. Methods All ICD print materials referred to during interviews and/or that were available in ICD site waiting rooms were collected for analysis. Readability testing was conducted using the SMOG (“simple measurement of gobbledygook”) and Fry methods. The material was evaluated according to selected plain-language criteria, thematic content analysis, and rhetoric analysis. Results Twenty-one print materials were identified and analyzed. Documents were authored by device manufacturers, tertiary care hospitals, and cardiac support organizations. Although many documents adhered to plain-language recommendations, text-reading levels were higher than recommended. Twelve major content themes were identified. Content focused heavily on the positive aspects of living with the device to the exclusion of other possible information that could be relevant to the decisions that patients made. Conclusions Print-based patient education materials for ICD candidates are geared to a highly literate population. The focus on positive information to the exclusion of potentially negative aspects of the ICD, or alternatives to accepting 1, could influence and/or confuse patients about the purpose and implications of this medical device. Development of print materials is indicated that includes information about possible problems and that would be relevant for the multicultural and debilitated population who may require ICDs. The findings are highly relevant for nurses who care for primary prevention ICD candidates. PMID:21926915

A quantitative approach for pesticide analysis in grape juice by direct interfacing of a matrix compatible SPME phase to dielectric barrier discharge ionization-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Mirabelli, Mario F; Gionfriddo, Emanuela; Pawliszyn, Janusz; Zenobi, Renato

2018-02-12

We evaluated the performance of a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source for pesticide analysis in grape juice, a fairly complex matrix due to the high content of sugars (≈20% w/w) and pigments. A fast sample preparation method based on direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was developed, and novel matrix compatible SPME fibers were used to reduce in-source matrix suppression effects. A high resolution LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer allowed for rapid quantification in full scan mode. This direct SPME-DBDI-MS approach was proven to be effective for the rapid and direct analysis of complex sample matrices, with limits of detection in the parts-per-trillion (ppt) range and inter- and intra-day precision below 30% relative standard deviation (RSD) for samples spiked at 1, 10 and 10 ng ml -1 , with overall performance comparable or even superior to existing chromatographic approaches.

Advance directives from haematology departments: the patient's freedom of choice and communication with families. A qualitative analysis of 35 written documents.

PubMed

Trarieux-Signol, S; Bordessoule, D; Ceccaldi, J; Malak, S; Polomeni, A; Fargeas, J B; Signol, N; Pauliat, H; Moreau, S

2018-01-02

In France, advance directives are favourably perceived by most of the population, although the drafting rate is low. This ambivalence is challenging because advance directives are meant to promote the autonomy and freedom of choice of patients. The purpose of this study was to analyse the content of advance directives written by patients suffering from malignant haemopathies to better understand how patients put them into practice. These could be relevant as early as the initial diagnosis of haematological malignancies because of the uncertain course of the disease. This was a multicentre, qualitative, descriptive study. The advance directives written by patients with malignant haemopathies treated in one of the six French hospital departments were included in the study from 01/06/2008 to 15/04/2016. A thematic analysis of the advance directives was performed by two researchers: a senior haematologist and a research assistant. The median age of the patients was 69. Most were women (sex ratio: 0.59), living as a couple (57%), with lymphoid pathologies (66%), who were still alive two years after the instructions were written (63%) and had nominated a health care proxy (88.6%). Free texts (62.9%) were richer in content than pre-defined forms. The advance directives were used in three ways: for a purely legal purpose, to focus on medical treatments or actions, or to communicate a message to the family. Three main themes emerged: (1) refusal of medical treatment (100%), in which patients express refusal of life-sustaining care (97.1%). The actual treatments or the moment when they should be limited or stopped were not always mentioned in detail. (2) A desire for effective pain relief to avoid suffering (57.1%) and (3) messages for their family (34.3%), such as funeral arrangements (17.1%) and messages of love or trust (14.3%). Patients who write advance directives are not necessarily at the end of their lives. Their content mainly conveys treatment wishes, although patients also use them to pass on personal messages to their close family. This emerging role of advance directives to communicate messages within the family should be valued, even if it is not their original purpose.

[Magnetic Response of Dust-loaded Leaves in Parks of Shanghai to Atmospheric Heavy Metal Pollution].

PubMed

Liu, Fei; Chu, Hui-min; Zheng, Xiang-min

2015-12-01

To reveal the magnetic response to the atmospheric heavy metal pollution in leaves along urban parks, Camphor leaf samples, widely distributed at urban parks, were collected along the year leading wind direction of Shanghai, by setting two vertical and horizontal sections, using rock magnetic properties and heavy metal contents analysis. The results showed that the magnetic minerals of samples were predominated by ferromagnetic minerals, and both the concentration and grain size of magnetite particles gradually decreased with the winter monsoon direction from the main industrial district. A rigorous cleaning of leaves using ultrasonic agitator washer could remove about 63%-90% of low-field susceptibility values of the leaves, and this strongly indicated that the intensity of magnetic signal was mainly controlled by the PMs accumulated on the leaves surfaces. Moreover, there was a significant linear relationship between heavy metals contents (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, V and Pb) and magnetic parameters (0.442 ≤ R ≤ 0.799, P < 0.05), which suggested that magnetic parameters of urban park leaves could be used as a proxy for atmospheric heavy metal pollution. The results of multivariate statistical analysis showed that the content of magnetic minerals and heavy metal indust-loaded tree leaves was affected by associated pollution of industry and traffic.

The Tip of the Iceberg of Misleading Online Advertising Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

PubMed

Mintzes, Barbara

2016-02-18

Kim's overview of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory actions from 2005 to 2014 is a comprehensive analysis of the US regulatory experience with online direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines. This experience is of relevance internationally as online DTCA reaches the English-speaking public globally, despite the illegality of DTCA in most countries. The most common violations were omissions or minimizations of risk information, overstatements of efficacy, unsubstantiated claims, and promotion of unapproved ("off-label") use. Nearly one fourth of violations involved cancer drugs, raising additional concerns about patient vulnerability, limited treatment advance, and high costs. Based on content analyses of online DTCA, these cases likely reflect a small proportion of unbalanced and misleading promotional information available on the web. The FDA is only able to review a small proportion of promotional materials submitted to them, due to limited staffing, and the delay between first posting and regulatory action means that many people may be exposed to messages that are found to be inaccurate and misleading. The sheer volume of online DTCA, combined with the ability for content to shift continually, poses unique regulatory challenges. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Statistical evaluation of fatty acid profile and cholesterol content in fish (common carp) lipids obtained by different sample preparation procedures.

PubMed

Spiric, Aurelija; Trbovic, Dejana; Vranic, Danijela; Djinovic, Jasna; Petronijevic, Radivoj; Matekalo-Sverak, Vesna

2010-07-05

Studies performed on lipid extraction from animal and fish tissues do not provide information on its influence on fatty acid composition of the extracted lipids as well as on cholesterol content. Data presented in this paper indicate the impact of extraction procedures on fatty acid profile of fish lipids extracted by the modified Soxhlet and ASE (accelerated solvent extraction) procedure. Cholesterol was also determined by direct saponification method, too. Student's paired t-test used for comparison of the total fat content in carp fish population obtained by two extraction methods shows that differences between values of the total fat content determined by ASE and modified Soxhlet method are not statistically significant. Values obtained by three different methods (direct saponification, ASE and modified Soxhlet method), used for determination of cholesterol content in carp, were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The obtained results show that modified Soxhlet method gives results which differ significantly from the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method. However the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method do not differ significantly from each other. The highest quantities for cholesterol (37.65 to 65.44 mg/100 g) in the analyzed fish muscle were obtained by applying direct saponification method, as less destructive one, followed by ASE (34.16 to 52.60 mg/100 g) and modified Soxhlet extraction method (10.73 to 30.83 mg/100 g). Modified Soxhlet method for extraction of fish lipids gives higher values for n-6 fatty acids than ASE method (t(paired)=3.22 t(c)=2.36), while there is no statistically significant difference in the n-3 content levels between the methods (t(paired)=1.31). The UNSFA/SFA ratio obtained by using modified Soxhlet method is also higher than the ratio obtained using ASE method (t(paired)=4.88 t(c)=2.36). Results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the highest positive impact to the second principal component (PC2) is recorded by C18:3 n-3, and C20:3 n-6, being present in a higher amount in the samples treated by the modified Soxhlet extraction, while C22:5 n-3, C20:3 n-3, C22:1 and C20:4, C16 and C18 negatively influence the score values of the PC2, showing significantly increased level in the samples treated by ASE method. Hotelling's paired T-square test used on the first three principal components for confirmation of differences in individual fatty acid content obtained by ASE and Soxhlet method in carp muscle showed statistically significant difference between these two data sets (T(2)=161.308, p<0.001). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The feasibility study based on e-commerce instructions-focuses on detection and deletion of illegal content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Tianze; Bi, Siyu; Liu, Jiaming

2018-04-01

This essay legally restrains the illegal content based on the e-commerce directive and introduces that the European countries detect and notify illegal content through the instructions of competent authorities, notification of credible flaggers, user reports and technical tools. The illegal content should be deleted through the service terms and transparency report basing on prevent excessive deletions system. At the same time, use filters to detect and filter to against the recurrence of illegal content. By analyzing the advantages of China under the environment of cracking down on illegal content, this essay concludes that the success of China in cracking down on illegal content lies in all-round collaborative management model of countries, governments, enterprises and individuals. At the end of the essay, one is to build a training corpus that can automatically update the ability to identify the illegal content. And it proposes an optimization scheme that establish a complete set of address resolution procedures and classify IP address data according to big data analysis and DNS protection module to prevent hackers from spreading illegal content by tampering with DNS segments.

SPAR demonstration problems. [for stress analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, C. L.; Moore, R. A.; Whetstone, W. D.

1974-01-01

A series of examples are presented to indicate some of the principal functions of the SPAR system and to illustrate SPAR's control card-data card structure. Information in the following categories is given: (1) a description of the problem and, in most cases, comparisons with analytical solutions; (2) a list of the input cards; (3) a printout of the table of contents of the direct access library into which all SPAR output was directed; and (4) a few representative plots.

An Updated Analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements for Prescription Drugs.

PubMed

Applequist, Janelle; Ball, Jennifer Gerard

2018-05-01

In 2015, the American Medical Association called for a ban of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs. Yet, the pharmaceutical industry spends more than ever on broadcast advertisements, with national health care costs largely driven by drug spending. An evaluation of these ads is critical, as these advertisements can impact the frequency which patients ask their doctors about medications. A content analysis of prime-time direct-to-consumer ads was conducted across 4 major cable television networks. The ad content (n = 61) was coded for factual claims made regarding target conditions, appeals used, portrayal of medications, and lifestyle characteristics shown. We found a substantial decrease in the percentage of ads that conveyed information about the conditions being targeted, such as risk factors (16%) and prevalence (16%). Positive emotional appeals (94%) continued to be emphasized; yet there was decreased use of negative emotional appeals (51%), pointing to an overall more positive portrayal of a patient's experience with a medication. The lifestyles portrayed in the sample largely featured how products can enable more recreational activities (69%) and fewer ads (7%) presented alternatives to product use. Direct-to-consumer advertising continued to promote prescription drugs above educating the population. Improvement in the educational value of DTCA is likely to require regulatory action rather than reliance on self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry. © 2018 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Microbial Diversity and Metal Speciation Changes in Mine Tailings Following Compost-Assisted Direct Planting: A Four-Year Superfund Site Field Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maier, R. M.; Gil-Loaiza, J.; Honeker, L. K.; Hottenstein, J. D.; Valentin-Vargas, A.; Jennings, L. L.; Hammond, C.; Neilson, J. W.; Root, R. A.; Chorover, J.

2014-12-01

EPA estimates that future mine tailings remediation costs will exceed US $50 billion using present technologies based on constructing an inert or biological cap on the tailings. Both approaches require large amounts of capping materials that can be difficult and expensive to obtain especially for sites several thousand hectares in size. An alternative technology is direct planting into tailings. However, direct planting alone is not feasible for many legacy sites due to extreme acidity and high metal content which prevent plant germination and growth. Therefore the process must be "assisted" through the addition of amendments such as compost. Here we present results from the first four years of a field study at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund site demonstrating the feasibility of compost-assisted direct planting. Parameters measured during the field study included: canopy cover, pH, nutrient content, plant metal uptake, metal(loid) speciation, mineral analysis, microbiome analysis, and plant root-metal-microbe interactions. Integrated analysis of these parameters suggests that even in this "worst-case scenario" mine tailings site (pH 2.5; As and Pb each exceeding 2 g kg-1), we have created a sustainable system. In this system, phyto-catalyzed stabilization of inorganic contaminants in the root zone is driven by plant root exudates and the associated rhizosphere microbial community. The results of this research will be put into context of a larger topic- that of ecological engineering of mine tailings sites - a technique being proposed to prevent creation of acidic conditions and metal(loid) mobilization in the first place.

Microbial Diversity and Metal Speciation Changes in Mine Tailings Following Compost-Assisted Direct Planting: A Four-Year Superfund Site Field Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maier, R. M.; Gil-Loaiza, J.; Honeker, L. K.; Hottenstein, J. D.; Valentin-Vargas, A.; Jennings, L. L.; Hammond, C.; Neilson, J. W.; Root, R. A.; Chorover, J.

2015-12-01

EPA estimates that future mine tailings remediation costs will exceed US $50 billion using present technologies based on constructing an inert or biological cap on the tailings. Both approaches require large amounts of capping materials that can be difficult and expensive to obtain especially for sites several thousand hectares in size. An alternative technology is direct planting into tailings. However, direct planting alone is not feasible for many legacy sites due to extreme acidity and high metal content which prevent plant germination and growth. Therefore the process must be "assisted" through the addition of amendments such as compost. Here we present results from the first four years of a field study at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund site demonstrating the feasibility of compost-assisted direct planting. Parameters measured during the field study included: canopy cover, pH, nutrient content, plant metal uptake, metal(loid) speciation, mineral analysis, microbiome analysis, and plant root-metal-microbe interactions. Integrated analysis of these parameters suggests that even in this "worst-case scenario" mine tailings site (pH 2.5; As and Pb each exceeding 2 g kg-1), we have created a sustainable system. In this system, phyto-catalyzed stabilization of inorganic contaminants in the root zone is driven by plant root exudates and the associated rhizosphere microbial community. The results of this research will be put into context of a larger topic- that of ecological engineering of mine tailings sites - a technique being proposed to prevent creation of acidic conditions and metal(loid) mobilization in the first place.

[Development and succession of artificial biological soil crusts and water holding characteristics of topsoil].

PubMed

Wu, Li; Chen, Xiao-Guo; Zhang, Gao-Ke; Lan, Shu-Bin; Zhang, De-Lu; Hu, Chun-Xiang

2014-03-01

In order to understand the improving effects of cyanobacterial inoculation on water retention of topsoil in desert regions, this work focused on the development and succession of biological soil crusts and water holding characteristics of topsoil after cyanobacterial inoculation in Qubqi Desert. The results showed that after the artificial inoculation of desert cyanobacteria, algal crusts were quickly formed, and in some microenvironments direct succession of the algal crusts to moss crusts occurred after 2-3 years. With the development and succession of biological soil crusts, the topsoil biomass, polysaccharides content, crust thickness and porosity increased, while the soil bulk density decreased. At the same time, with crust development and succession, the topsoil texture became finer and the percents of fine soil particles including silt and clay contents increased, while the percents of coarse soil particles (sand content) decreased proportionately. In addition, it was found that with crust development and succession, the water holding capacity and water content of topsoil showed an increasing trend, namely: moss crust > algal crusts > shifting sand. The water content (or water holding capacity) in algal and moss crusts were 1.1-1.3 and 1.8-2.2 times of those in shifting sand, respectively. Correlation analysis showed that the water holding capacity and water content of topsoil were positively correlated with the crust biomass, polysaccharides content, thickness, bulk density, silt and clay content; while negatively correlated with the porosity and sand content. Furthermore, stepwise regression analysis showed that the main factor affecting water content was the clay content, while that affecting water holding capacity was the porosity.

Rapid, accurate, and direct determination of total lycopene content in tomato paste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicanic, D.; Anese, M.; Luterotti, S.; Dadarlat, D.; Gibkes, J.; Lubbers, M.

2003-01-01

Lycopene that imparts red color to the tomato fruit is the most potent antioxidant among carotenes, an important nutrient and also used as a color ingredient in many food formulations. Since cooked and processed foods derived from tomatoes were shown to provide optimal lycopene boost, products such as paste, puree, juice, etc. are nowadays gaining popularity as dietary sources. The analysis of lycopene in tomato paste (partially dehydrated product prepared by vacuum concentrating tomato juice) is carried out using either high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), spectrophotometry, or by evaluating the color. The instability of lycopene during processes of extraction, etc., handling, and disposal of organic solvents makes the preparation of a sample for the analysis a delicate task. Despite a recognized need for accurate and rapid assessment of lycopene in tomato products no such method is available at present. The study described here focuses on a direct determination of a total lycopene content in different tomato pastes by means of the laser optothermal window (LOW) method at 502 nm. The concentration of lycopene in tomato paste ranged between 25 and 150 mg per 100 g product; the results are in excellent agreement with those obtained by spectrophotometry. The time needed to complete LOW analysis is very short, so that decomposition of pigment and the formation of artifacts are minimized. Preliminary results indicate a good degree of reproducibility making the LOW method suitable for routine assays of lycopene content in tomato paste.

A Review of Literature: Plagiarism in the Papers of Turkish Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gokmenoglu, Tuba

2017-01-01

The present review attempted to address the direction of plagiarism literature in Turkish context. 15 studies conducted in Turkey on plagiarism were analyzed through content analysis. The context, purposes, methodological issues and results of researching plagiarism were categorized. The findings of this review indicated that although plagiarism's…

Transparency in Higher Educational Student Learning Assessment as Seen through Accreditation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krzykowski, Linda M.

2012-01-01

This study is about transparency in direct assessment of student learning information in higher educational institutions. Using content analysis, the self-study reports from institutions recently reaccredited by two different regional accreditors [the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC) and the New England Association of…

Family Language Policies among Albanian Immigrants in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chatzidaki, Aspassia; Maligkoudi, Christina

2013-01-01

This article reports on an investigation of family language policies among 37 Albanian immigrant families in Northern Greece within the framework of Spolsky's language policy model. Data collection was based on semi-directed interviews with parents which were analysed using both content and discourse analysis. According to our findings, three…

Gaze-Based Assistive Technology - Usefulness in Clinical Assessments.

PubMed

Wandin, Helena

2017-01-01

Gaze-based assistive technology was used in informal clinical assessments. Excerpts of medical journals were analyzed by directed content analysis using a model of communicative competence. The results of this pilot study indicate that gaze-based assistive technology is a useful tool in communication assessments that can generate clinically relevant information.

Oral transfer of chemical cues, growth proteins and hormones in social insects

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange between members of the same colony. This is often simply food sharing, but may also serve as a means of communicating information that directly influences colony organization. Analysis of the contents of the fluids exchanged by the Florida carp...

Predicting Students' Writing Performance on the NAEP from Student- and State-Level Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mo, Ya; Troia, Gary A.

2017-01-01

This study examines the relationship between students' demographic background and their experiences with writing at school, the alignment between state and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) direct writing assessments, and students' NAEP writing performance. The study utilizes primary data collection via content analysis of writing…

Inquiry and Groups: Student Interactions in Cooperative Inquiry-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods-McConney, Amanda; Wosnitza, Marold; Sturrock, Keryn L.

2016-01-01

Science education research has recommended cooperative inquiry based science in the primary science context for more than two decades but after more than 20 years, student achievement in science has not substantially improved. This study, through direct observation and analysis, investigated content-related student interactions in an authentic…

[Value of the tritium test for determining the fat content in the body of rats].

PubMed

Pisarchuk, K L

1990-01-01

An indirect method for estimation of the fat percentage in the animal organism, a tritium test, was studied on laboratory male rats aged 4 and 12 months. Results obtained from the tritium test and direct chemical analysis were compared. With age a mean absolute error of the tritium test increased (from 1 to 8%) as against actual values of the water and fat percentage in the organism obtained by a direct chemical analysis. The data obtained testify to the relative insolvency of the tritium test, as well as the necessity to carry additional investigations in order to obtain adequate data.

Study on Frequency content in seismic hazard analysis in West Azarbayjan and East Azarbayjan provinces (Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behzadafshar, K.; Abbaszadeh Shahri, A.; Isfandiari, K.

2012-12-01

ABSTRACT: Iran plate is prone to earthquake, occurrence of destructive earthquakes approximately every 5 years certify it. Due to existence of happened great earthquakes and large number of potential seismic sources (active faults) which some of them are responsible for great earthquakes the North-West of Iran which is located in junction of Alborz and Zagros seismotectonic provinces (Mirzaii et al, 1998) is an interesting area for seismologists. Considering to population and existence of large cities like Tabriz, Ardabil and Orumiyeh which play crucial role in industry and economy of Iran, authors decided to focus on study of seismic hazard assessment in these two provinces to achieve ground acceleration in different frequency content and indicate critical frequencies in the studied area. It is important to note that however lots of studies have been done in North -West of Iran, but building code modifications also need frequency content analysis to asses seismic hazard more precisely which has been done in the present study. Furthermore, in previous studies have been applied free download softwares which were provided before 2000 but the most important advantage of this study is applying professional industrial software which has been written in 2009 and provided by authors. This applied software can cover previous software weak points very well such as gridding potential sources, attention to the seismogenic zone and applying attenuation relationships directly. Obtained hazard maps illustrate that maximum accelerations will be experienced in North West to South East direction which increased by frequency reduction from 100 Hz to 10 Hz then decreased by frequency reduce (to 0.25 Hz). Maximum acceleration will be occurred in the basement in 10 HZ frequency content. Keywords: hazard map, Frequency content, seismogenic zone, Iran

Mixing of low-dose cohesive drug and overcoming of pre-blending step using a new gentle-wing high-shear mixer granulator.

PubMed

Alsulays, Bader B; Fayed, Mohamed H; Alalaiwe, Ahmed; Alshahrani, Saad M; Alshetaili, Abdullah S; Alshehri, Sultan M; Alanazi, Fars K

2018-05-16

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of drug amount and mixing time on the homogeneity and content uniformity of a low-dose drug formulation during the dry mixing step using a new gentle-wing high-shear mixer. Moreover, the study investigated the influence of drug incorporation mode on the content uniformity of tablets manufactured by different methods. Albuterol sulfate was selected as a model drug and was blended with the other excipients at two different levels, 1% w/w and 5% w/w at impeller speed of 300 rpm and chopper speed of 3000 rpm for 30 min. Utilizing a 1 ml unit side-sampling thief probe, triplicate samples were taken from nine different positions in the mixer bowl at selected time points. Two methods were used for manufacturing of tablets, direct compression and wet granulation. The produced tablets were sampled at the beginning, middle, and end of the compression cycle. An analysis of variance analysis indicated the significant effect (p < .05) of drug amount on the content uniformity of the powder blend and the corresponding tablets. For 1% w/w and 5% w/w formulations, incorporation of the drug in the granulating fluid provided tablets with excellent content uniformity and very low relative standard deviation (∼0.61%) during the whole tableting cycle compared to direct compression and granulation method with dry incorporation mode of the drug. Overall, gentle-wing mixer is a good candidate for mixing of low-dose cohesive drug and provides tablets with acceptable content uniformity with no need for pre-blending step.

Video content analysis of surgical procedures.

PubMed

Loukas, Constantinos

2018-02-01

In addition to its therapeutic benefits, minimally invasive surgery offers the potential for video recording of the operation. The videos may be archived and used later for reasons such as cognitive training, skills assessment, and workflow analysis. Methods from the major field of video content analysis and representation are increasingly applied in the surgical domain. In this paper, we review recent developments and analyze future directions in the field of content-based video analysis of surgical operations. The review was obtained from PubMed and Google Scholar search on combinations of the following keywords: 'surgery', 'video', 'phase', 'task', 'skills', 'event', 'shot', 'analysis', 'retrieval', 'detection', 'classification', and 'recognition'. The collected articles were categorized and reviewed based on the technical goal sought, type of surgery performed, and structure of the operation. A total of 81 articles were included. The publication activity is constantly increasing; more than 50% of these articles were published in the last 3 years. Significant research has been performed for video task detection and retrieval in eye surgery. In endoscopic surgery, the research activity is more diverse: gesture/task classification, skills assessment, tool type recognition, shot/event detection and retrieval. Recent works employ deep neural networks for phase and tool recognition as well as shot detection. Content-based video analysis of surgical operations is a rapidly expanding field. Several future prospects for research exist including, inter alia, shot boundary detection, keyframe extraction, video summarization, pattern discovery, and video annotation. The development of publicly available benchmark datasets to evaluate and compare task-specific algorithms is essential.

The Violent Content in Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms.

PubMed

Marshall, Catherine; Deighton, Stephanie; Cadenhead, Kristin S; Cannon, Tyrone D; Cornblatt, Barbara A; McGlashan, Thomas H; Perkins, Diana O; Seidman, Larry J; Tsuang, Ming T; Walker, Elaine F; Woods, Scott W; Bearden, Carrie E; Mathalon, Daniel; Addington, Jean

2016-08-30

The relationship between psychosis and violence has typically focused on factors likely to predict who will commit violent acts. One unexplored area is violence in the content of subthreshold positive symptoms. The current aim was to conduct an exploratory analysis of violent content in the attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) of those at clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR) who met criteria for attenuated psychotic symptom syndrome (APSS). The APS of 442 CHR individuals, determined by the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes, were described in comprehensive vignettes. The content of these symptoms were coded using the Content of Attenuated Positive Symptoms Codebook. Other measures included clinical symptoms, functioning, beliefs and trauma. Individuals with violent content had significantly higher APS, greater negative beliefs about the self and others, and increased bullying. The same findings and higher ratings on anxiety symptoms were present when participants with self-directed violence were compared to participants with no violent content. Individuals reporting violent content differ in their clinical presentation compared to those who do not experience violent content. Adverse life events, like bullying, may impact the presence of violent content in APS symptoms. Future studies should explore violent content in relation to actual behavior. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Identification of Metabolic QTLs and Candidate Genes for Glucosinolate Synthesis in Brassica oleracea Leaves, Seeds and Flower Buds

PubMed Central

Sotelo, Tamara; Soengas, Pilar; Velasco, Pablo; Rodríguez, Víctor M.; Cartea, María Elena

2014-01-01

Glucosinolates are major secondary metabolites found in the Brassicaceae family. These compounds play an essential role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses, but more interestingly they have beneficial effects on human health. We performed a genetic analysis in order to identify the genome regions regulating glucosinolates biosynthesis in a DH mapping population of Brassica oleracea. In order to obtain a general overview of regulation in the whole plant, analyses were performed in the three major organs where glucosinolates are synthesized (leaves, seeds and flower buds). Eighty two significant QTLs were detected, which explained a broad range of variability in terms of individual and total glucosinolate (GSL) content. A meta-analysis rendered eighteen consensus QTLs. Thirteen of them regulated more than one glucosinolate and its content. In spite of the considerable variability of glucosinolate content and profiles across the organ, some of these consensus QTLs were identified in more than one tissue. Consensus QTLs control the GSL content by interacting epistatically in complex networks. Based on in silico analysis within the B. oleracea genome along with synteny with Arabidopsis, we propose seven major candidate loci that regulate GSL biosynthesis in the Brassicaceae family. Three of these loci control the content of aliphatic GSL and four of them control the content of indolic glucosinolates. GSL-ALK plays a central role in determining aliphatic GSL variation directly and by interacting epistatically with other loci, thus suggesting its regulatory effect. PMID:24614913

Fanpage metrics analysis. "Study on content engagement"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Zoha; Suberamanian, Kumaran; Zanuddin, Hasmah Binti; Moghavvemi, Sedigheh; Nasir, Mohd Hairul Nizam Bin Md

2016-08-01

Social Media is now determined as an excellent communicative tool to connect directly with consumers. One of the most significant ways to connect with the consumers through these Social Networking Sites (SNS) is to create a facebook fanpage with brand contents and to place different posts periodically on these fanpages. In measuring social networking sites' effectiveness, corporate houses are now analyzing metrics in terms of calculating engagement rate, number of comments/share and likings in fanpages. So now, it is very important for the marketers to know the effectiveness of different contents or posts of fanpages in order to increase the fan responsiveness and engagement rate in the fan pages. In the study the authors have analyzed total 1834 brand posts from 17 international brands of Electronics companies. Data of 9 months (From December 2014 to August 2015) have been collected for analyses, which were available online in the Brand' fan pages. An econometrics analysis is conducted using Eviews 9, to determine the impact of different contents on fanpage engagement. The study picked the four most frequently posted content to determine their impact on PTA (people Talking About) metrics and Fanpage engagement activities.

Food references in UK children's magazines - an oral health perspective.

PubMed

Chapman, K J; Fairchild, R M; Morgan, M Z

2014-11-01

Children's magazines are popular in the United Kingdom, but their content is poorly regulated. Consequently, food and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), detrimental to oral and wider health, make unrestricted appearances. The study aim was to assess the amount of HFSS food and drink children are exposed to while reading magazines; with particular focus on foods containing free sugars due to their known cariogenic properties, and foods with low pH due to their erosive potential. Eleven of the most popular UK children's magazines were selected and purchased at four separate time points in 2012. These 44 magazines were examined using content analysis; any references to food/beverages (in advertisements, free gifts, editorial and general content) were recorded. Of the 508 food references observed, 73.6% (374/508) were for foods detrimental to oral health owing to their high sugar and/or acid content. 5.9% (30/508) were considered 'unhealthy' due to their fat or salt content. 20.5% of references were for 'healthy' foods (104/508). The most common food categories referenced were baked goods (181/508) and sweets (86/508). Over a third (36.4%, 16/44) of magazines came with free sweets. In terms of positioning, the food/drink references were predominantly found in the general content of the magazines, including the editorial spreads. Direct advertisements for food/drink only accounted for 9.6% (36/374) of the total number of references counted. Food references within children's magazines are biased towards unhealthy foods especially those detrimental to oral health; these permeate throughout the general and editorial content and are not restricted to direct advertisements. Magazine editors, journalists and illustrators are responsible for the editorial and general content of magazines. Without regulation, subliminal placement of advertisements within editorial and general content leads to 'advertorials' which are known to confuse children and parents alike. This study concludes that regulation may therefore need to cover more than just the direct advertisements. Dental professionals need to be aware of current trends in children's media when giving health education advice or designing health promotion initiatives.

Analysis of popular press articles concerning postpartum depression: 1998-2006.

PubMed

Schanie, Carrie L; Pinto-Foltz, Melissa D; Logsdon, M Cynthia

2008-11-01

The purpose of the study was to analyze the content of popular press magazine articles that focused on postpartum depression, published from 1998-2006. Replicating earlier research by Martinez, Johnson-Robledo, Ulsh, and Chrisler, 2000, 47 articles were identified and their content analyzed in the areas of etiology, symptoms, treatment, resources, and demographic assumptions about readers. Popular press magazines contained contradictory information about the definition, prevalence, onset, duration, symptoms, and treatment of postpartum mood disorders. Health care providers should be proactive in directing childbearing women to factual sources of information on postpartum depression.

[Proximate analysis of straw by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)].

PubMed

Huang, Cai-jin; Han, Lu-jia; Liu, Xian; Yang, Zeng-ling

2009-04-01

Proximate analysis is one of the routine analysis procedures in utilization of straw for biomass energy use. The present paper studied the applicability of rapid proximate analysis of straw by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology, in which the authors constructed the first NIRS models to predict volatile matter and fixed carbon contents of straw. NIRS models were developed using Foss 6500 spectrometer with spectra in the range of 1,108-2,492 nm to predict the contents of moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon in the directly cut straw samples; to predict ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon in the dried milled straw samples. For the models based on directly cut straw samples, the determination coefficient of independent validation (R2v) and standard error of prediction (SEP) were 0.92% and 0.76% for moisture, 0.94% and 0.84% for ash, 0.88% and 0.82% for volatile matter, and 0.75% and 0.65% for fixed carbon, respectively. For the models based on dried milled straw samples, the determination coefficient of independent validation (R2v) and standard error of prediction (SEP) were 0.98% and 0.54% for ash, 0.95% and 0.57% for volatile matter, and 0.78% and 0.61% for fixed carbon, respectively. It was concluded that NIRS models can predict accurately as an alternative analysis method, therefore rapid and simultaneous analysis of multicomponents can be achieved by NIRS technology, decreasing the cost of proximate analysis for straw.

Analysis of Content Shared in Online Cancer Communities: Systematic Review

PubMed Central

van de Poll-Franse, Lonneke V; Krahmer, Emiel; Verberne, Suzan; Mols, Floortje

2018-01-01

Background The content that cancer patients and their relatives (ie, posters) share in online cancer communities has been researched in various ways. In the past decade, researchers have used automated analysis methods in addition to manual coding methods. Patients, providers, researchers, and health care professionals can learn from experienced patients, provided that their experience is findable. Objective The aim of this study was to systematically review all relevant literature that analyzes user-generated content shared within online cancer communities. We reviewed the quality of available research and the kind of content that posters share with each other on the internet. Methods A computerized literature search was performed via PubMed (MEDLINE), PsycINFO (5 and 4 stars), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ScienceDirect. The last search was conducted in July 2017. Papers were selected if they included the following terms: (cancer patient) and (support group or health communities) and (online or internet). We selected 27 papers and then subjected them to a 14-item quality checklist independently scored by 2 investigators. Results The methodological quality of the selected studies varied: 16 were of high quality and 11 were of adequate quality. Of those 27 studies, 15 were manually coded, 7 automated, and 5 used a combination of methods. The best results can be seen in the papers that combined both analytical methods. The number of analyzed posts ranged from 200 to 1,500,000; the number of analyzed posters ranged from 75 to 90,000. The studies analyzing large numbers of posts mainly related to breast cancer, whereas those analyzing small numbers were related to other types of cancers. A total of 12 studies involved some or entirely automatic analysis of the user-generated content. All the authors referred to two main content categories: informational support and emotional support. In all, 15 studies reported only on the content, 6 studies explicitly reported on content and social aspects, and 6 studies focused on emotional changes. Conclusions In the future, increasing amounts of user-generated content will become available on the internet. The results of content analysis, especially of the larger studies, give detailed insights into patients’ concerns and worries, which can then be used to improve cancer care. To make the results of such analyses as usable as possible, automatic content analysis methods will need to be improved through interdisciplinary collaboration. PMID:29615384

Correlation analysis between sulphate content and leaching of sulphates in recycled aggregates from construction and demolition wastes.

PubMed

Barbudo, Auxi; Galvín, Adela P; Agrela, Francisco; Ayuso, Jesús; Jiménez, Jose Ramón

2012-06-01

In some recycled aggregates applications, such as component of new concrete or roads, the total content of soluble sulphates should be measured and controlled. Restrictions are usually motivated by the resistance or stability of the new structure, and in most cases, structural concerns can be remedied by the use of techniques such as sulphur-resistant cements. However, environmental risk assessment from recycling and reuse construction products is often forgotten. The purpose of this study is to analyse the content of soluble sulphate on eleven recycled aggregates and six samples prepared in laboratory by the addition of different gypsum percentages. As points of reference, two natural aggregates were tested. An analysis of the content of the leachable amount of heavy metals regulated by European regulation was included. As a result, the correlation between solubility and leachability data allow suggest a limiting gypsum amount of 4.4% on recycled aggregates. This limit satisfies EU Landfill Directive criteria, which is currently used as reference by public Spanish Government for recycled aggregates in construction works. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of black clay soil moisture on the electrochemical behavior of API X70 pipeline steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendi, R.; Saifi, H.; Belmokre, K.; Ouadah, M.; Smili, B.; Talhi, B.

2018-03-01

The effect of moisture content variation (20–100 wt.%) on the electrochemical behavior of API X70 pipeline steel buried in the soil of Skikda (East of Algeria) was studied using electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and weight loss measurement. The electrochemical measurements showed that the corrosion current Icorr is directly proportional to the moisture content up to 50 wt.%, beyond this content, this value becomes almost constant. The result were confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; the capacitance of the double layer formed on the surface is the highest at 50 wt.%. A single time constant was detected by plotting the Bode diagrams. The steel surface degradation has been appreciated using the scanning electron microscopy observations. A few pitting corrosion at 20 wt.% moisture, followed by more degradation at 50 wt.% have been revealed. However, when the moisture amount exceeded 50 wt.%, the surface became entirely covered by a corrosion product. XRD analysis revealed the dominance of FeOOH and Fe3O4 phases on steel surface for a moisture content of 50 wt.%.

Spectral characteristics of normal and nutrient-deficient maize leaves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Abbas, A. H.; Barr, R.; Hall, J. D.; Crane, F. L.; Baumgardner, M. F.

1972-01-01

Reflectance, transmittance and absorbance spectra of normal and six types of mineral-deficient (N,P,K,S,Mg and Ca) maize (Zea mays L.) leaves were analyzed at 30 selected wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum from 500 to 2600 nm. Chlorophyll content and percent leaf moisture were also determined. Leaf thermograms were obtained for normal, N- and S- deficient leaves. The results of the analysis of variance showed significant differences in reflectance, transmittance and absorbance in the visible wavelengths among leaf numbers 3, 4, and 5, among the seven nutrient treatments, and among the interactions of leaves and treatments. In the reflective infrared wavelengths only treatments produced significant differences. The chlorophyll content of leaves was reduced in all deficiencies in comparison to controls. Percent moisture was increased in S-, Mg- and N- deficiencies. Positive correlation (r = 0.707) between moisture content and percent absorption at both 1450 and 1930 nm were obtained. Polynomial regression analysis of leaf thickness and leaf moisture content showed that these two variables were significantly and directly related (r = 0.894).

Concentration of Elements in Food: How Can It Reflect Impact of Environmental and Other Influencing Factors?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincevica-Gaile, Zane; Klavins, Maris

2013-12-01

Element content of food is variable and can be influenced by different factors. The aim of the present study was to discover the linkage between macro- and microelement concentrations in food produced in Latvia, and possible impacts of environmental factors. More than 300 fresh food samples such as eggs, cottage cheese, honey, root vegetables, apple juice, apple wine were collected in the time period from 2009 to 2011. Samples were mineralised or analysed directly by appropriate method of quantitative analysis: atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry or total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Statistical analysis of data revealed that food elemental content can be influenced by sitespecific factors such as geographical origin, seasonality, environmental pollution.

Myb14, a direct activator of STS, is associated with resveratrol content variation in berry skin in two grape cultivars.

PubMed

Fang, Linchuan; Hou, Yanlin; Wang, Lijun; Xin, Haiping; Wang, Nian; Li, Shaohua

2014-10-01

High and low resveratrol (Res) contents in two cultivars are correlated with the expression abundance of Myb14 , which could directly activate transcriptional expression of stilbene synthase gene ( STS ). Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) is one of the natural polyphenols produced by secondary metabolism in some plants. Stilbene synthase (STS) is the key enzyme for the final step of precursor formation of resveratrol (Res) in grapevines. In this study, we found that Res contents in ripe berry skin were completely different in two grape cultivars, namely, 'Z168' (Vitis monticola × Vitis riparia) with high-Res and 'Jingzaojing' (Vitis vinifera) with low-Res. Moreover, the level of expression of STS gene was higher in the ripe berry skin of 'Z168' than in that of 'Jingzaojing'. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms, we conducted a co-expression analysis through transcriptomic data. We confirmed that Myb14, an R2R3 Myb transcription factor, is the direct regulator of STS by binding to Box-L5 motif. Moreover, the expression pattern of Myb14 is associated with the variation of Res content. To test this prediction, we conducted a number of experiments in vivo and in vitro. The expression patterns of Myb14 and STS in grapevine leaves were identical under a series of stimulus. Myb14 showed higher expression in the ripe berry skin of 'Z168' than in that of 'Jingzaojing'. Yeast one-hybrid assay indicated that grapevine Myb14 could interact with the promoter of STS in vitro, and the transient overexpression of Myb14 promoted the expression of STS. Furthermore, co-expressing 35S::Myb14 in transgenic Arabidopsis could activate GUS expression promoted by STS promoter. Thus, Myb14 is the direct activator of STS, and its expression pattern is associated with Res content variation in grapes.

[Study on ecological suitability regionalization of Eucommia ulmoides in Guizhou].

PubMed

Kang, Chuan-Zhi; Wang, Qing-Qing; Zhou, Tao; Jiang, Wei-Ke; Xiao, Cheng-Hong; Xie, Yu

2014-05-01

To study the ecological suitability regionalization of Eucommia ulmoides, for selecting artificial planting base and high-quality industrial raw material purchase area of the herb in Guizhou. Based on the investigation of 14 Eucommia ulmoides producing areas, pinoresinol diglucoside content and ecological factors were obtained. Using spatial analysis method to carry on ecological suitability regionalization. Meanwhile, combining pinoresinol diglucoside content, the correlation of major active components and environmental factors were analyzed by statistical analysis. The most suitability planting area of Eucommia ulmoides was the northwest of Guizhou. The distribution of Eucommia ulmoides was mainly affected by the type and pH value of soil, and monthly precipitation. The spatial structure of major active components in Eucommia ulmoides were randomly distributed in global space, but had only one aggregation point which had a high positive correlation in local space. The major active components of Eucommia ulmoides had no correlation with altitude, longitude or latitude. Using the spatial analysis method and statistical analysis method, based on environmental factor and pinoresinol diglucoside content, the ecological suitability regionalization of Eucommia ulmoides can provide reference for the selection of suitable planting area, artificial planting base and directing production layout.

Immobilization of Chlorosulfonyl-Calix[4]arene onto the surface of silica gel through the directly estrification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taghvaei-Ganjali, Saeed; Zadmard, Reza; Saber-Tehrani, Mandana

2012-06-01

For the first time Chlorosulfonyl-Calix[4]arene has been chemically bonded to silica gel through the directly estrification without silane coupling agent to prepare Chlorosulfonyl-Calix[4]arene-bonded silica gel. Sample characterization was performed by various techniques such as elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), 29Si CP/MAS spectroscopy and acid-base titration. All data approve the successful incorporation of organic group via covalent bond. From the comparison between sulfur content determined by elemental analysis and the number of H+ determined by acid-base titration, it was shown that two ester units took place onto the new synthesized sample and two acidic sites exist on the surface.

Spectrophotometric Quantification of Flavonoids in Herbal Material, Crude Extract, and Fractions from Leaves of Eugenia uniflora Linn.

PubMed

Ramos, Rhayanne T M; Bezerra, Isabelle C F; Ferreira, Magda R A; Soares, Luiz Alberto Lira

2017-01-01

The traditional use of Eugenia uniflora L. ("Pitanga") is reported due to several properties, which have often been related to its flavonoid content. The aim was to evaluate analytical procedures for quantification of total flavonoids content (TFCs) by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry in the herbal material (HM), crude extract (CE), and fractions from leaves of E. uniflora . The method for quantification of flavonoids after complexation with aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) was evaluated: amount of sample (0.25-1.5 g); solvent (40%-80% ethanol); reaction time and AlCl 3 concentration (2.5%-7.5%). The procedures by direct dilution (DD) and after acid hydrolysis (AH) were used and validated for HM and CE and applied to the aqueous fraction (AqF), hexane fraction, and ethyl acetate fractions (EAF). The ideal conditions of analysis were ethanol 80% as solvent; 0.5 g of sample; λmax of 408 (DD) and 425 nm (AH); 25 min after addition of AlCl 3 5%. The procedures validated for standards and samples showed linearity ( R 2 > 0.99) with limit of detection and limit of quantification between 0.01 and 0.17 mg/mL (rutin and quercetin); and 0.03 and 0.09 mg/mL (quercetin), for DD and AH, respectively. The procedures were accurate (detect, practice, and repair < 5% and recovery >90%), and stable under robustness conditions (luminosity, storage, reagents, and equipment). The TFCs in AqF and EAF were 0.65 g% and 17.72 g%, calculated as rutin. UV-Vis methods for quantification of TFC in HM, CE, and fractions from leaves of E. uniflora were suitably validated. Regarding the analysis of fractions, the EAF achieved enrichment of about nine times in the content of flavonoids. The total flavonoids content (TFCs) of herbal material, crude extract, and fractions from Eugenia uniflora can be quantified by ultraviolet-visibleThe spectrophotometric methods (direct dilution and acid hydrolysis) were reproducible and able to quantify TFC in raw material and derivatives from leaves of E. uniflora Higher flavonoids content was observed in ethyl acetate fractions after enrichment. Abbreviations Used : HM: Herbal material, CE: Crude extract, AqF: Aqueous fraction, HF: Hexanic fraction, EAF: Ethyl acetate fraction, TFC: Total flavonoids content, HCl: Hydrochloric acid, DD: Direct dilution, AH: After hydrolysis, RSD: Relative standard, A.U.: Absorption units.

An Individual Differences Analysis of Memory Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salthouse, Timothy A.; Siedlecki, Karen L.; Krueger, Lacy E.

2006-01-01

Performance on a wide variety of memory tasks can be hypothesized to be influenced by processes associated with controlling the contents of memory. In this project 328 adults ranging from 18 to 93 years of age performed six tasks (e.g., multiple trial recall with an interpolated interference list, directed forgetting, proactive interference, and…

Educators' Understanding of Workplace Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Wet, Corene

2014-01-01

This article looks at educators' understanding of workplace bullying through the lens of a two- dimensional model of bullying. Educators, who were furthering their studies at the University of the Free State, were invited to take part in a study on different types of bullying. Deductive, directed content analysis was used to analyse 59…

Countering School Bullying: An Analysis of Policy Content in Ontario and Saskatchewan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberge, Ginette Diane

2011-01-01

The incidence of extreme school violence as a direct consequence of bullying among peers, exacerbated by vast media attention, has caused educational institutions worldwide to put bullying intervention and prevention strategies into operation. This study focused on an overview of two provincewide antibullying incentives in the Canadian provinces…

Picturing Service-Learning: Defining the Field, Setting Expectations, Shaping Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donahue, David M.; Fenner, Derek; Mitchell, Tania D.

2015-01-01

This study used content analysis and audiencing to understand how service-learning is presented visually by institutions of higher education and interpreted by college students. Data included 834 photographs from the service-learning web pages of 63 four-year institutions in California. The majority showed a narrow range of direct service…

Content Analysis of Language-Promoting Teaching Strategies Used in Infant-Directed Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaala, Sarah E.; Linebarger, Deborah L.; Fenstermacher, Susan K.; Tedone, Ashley; Brey, Elizabeth; Barr, Rachel; Moses, Annie; Shwery, Clay E.; Calvert, Sandra L.

2010-01-01

The number of videos produced specifically for infants and toddlers has grown exponentially in the last decade. Many of these products make educational claims regarding young children's language development. This study explores infant media producer claims regarding language development, and the extent to which these claims reflect different…

Ecology Content in Introductory Biology Courses: A Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pool, Richard F.; Turner, Gregory D.; Böttger, S. Anne

2013-01-01

In recent years the need for ecological literacy and problem solving has increased, but there is no evidence that this need is reflected by increased ecology coverage at institutions of higher education (IHE) across the United States. Because introductory biology courses may serve to direct student interest toward particular biological categories…

Investigating Positive Psychology Approaches in Case Management and Residential Programming with Incarcerated Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Lara E.; Morrison, William; Peterson, Patricia; Domene, Jose F.

2012-01-01

This article examines how a rural Canadian secure custody facility for youth implemented positive psychology principles in its case management protocols and residential programming. A directed content analysis design was utilized to identify specific factors of positive psychology in the facility's policy and programming manual, as well as in…

Secondary School Teachers' Classroom Activities and Their Perceptions on Effectiveness of the Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guvenc, Hulya

2017-01-01

In the present research, effective and ineffective activities that secondary school teachers used and their perceptions on the effectiveness of the activities are investigated. The data were collected from 20 teachers using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using open coding and directed content analysis. Research findings showed that…

Music in Infant-Directed Digital Video Discs: A Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Wendy Louise

2015-01-01

A rapidly growing industry creates and markets a vast range of screen media products designed specifically for babies and children under the age of three. Marketing of these products targets parents and is based on both implicit and explicit educational claims. Although the majority of products target literacy and numeracy, music presentations are…

Infant-Directed Media: An Analysis of Product Information and Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenstermacher, Susan K.; Barr, Rachel; Salerno, Katherine; Garcia, Amaya; Shwery, Clay E.; Calvert, Sandra L.; Linebarger, Deborah L.

2010-01-01

Infant DVDs typically have titles and even company names that imply some educational benefit. It is not known whether these educational claims are reflected in actual content. The present study examined this question. Of 686 claims (across 58 programs) listed on packaging, websites and promotional materials, implicit claims were most frequent…

Content and Effect of Children's Commercials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Henry; And Others

The 3 studies described in this paper focused on the image of the child in television advertising directed toward children between the ages of 2 and 11. Using an analysis code containing 16 operationally-defined categories, the first study analyzed the behaviors of children depicted in 37 commercials for toys, food, and clothing from Saturday…

Sexual Orientation Microaggressions: "Death by a Thousand Cuts" for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadal, Kevin L.; Issa, Marie-Anne; Leon, Jayleen; Meterko, Vanessa; Wideman, Michelle; Wong, Yinglee

2011-01-01

In recent years, there has been a growth of literature examining the mental health impacts of microaggressions, which are defined as subtle forms of discrimination toward oppressed groups. The current study utilized a qualitative focus group method and directed content analysis to categorize several types of sexual orientation microaggressions…

Molecular gut-content analysis of a predator assemblage reveals the effect of habitat manipulation on biological control in the field

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Despite growing evidence that habitat manipulation can alter predators’ impact on target prey consumption, few studies have directly examined the effect of habitat context on conservation biological control in the field. Because of contradictory evidence in the literature for the outcome of habita...

Fat stigmatization in television shows and movies: a content analysis.

PubMed

Himes, Susan M; Thompson, J Kevin

2007-03-01

To examine the phenomenon of fat stigmatization messages presented in television shows and movies, a content analysis was used to quantify and categorize fat-specific commentary and humor. Fat stigmatization vignettes were identified using a targeted sampling procedure, and 135 scenes were excised from movies and television shows. The material was coded by trained raters. Reliability indices were uniformly high for the seven categories (percentage agreement ranged from 0.90 to 0.98; kappas ranged from 0.66 to 0.94). Results indicated that fat stigmatization commentary and fat humor were often verbal, directed toward another person, and often presented directly in the presence of the overweight target. Results also indicated that male characters were three times more likely to engage in fat stigmatization commentary or fat humor than female characters. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first information regarding the specific gender, age, and types of fat stigmatization that occur frequently in movies and television shows. The stimuli should prove useful in future research examining the role of individual difference factors (e.g., BMI) in the reaction to viewing such vignettes.

Rapid detection of terbufos in stomach contents using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wilson, Christina R; Mulligan, Christopher C; Strueh, Kurt D; Stevenson, Gregory W; Hooser, Stephen B

2014-05-01

Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is an emerging analytical technique that permits the rapid and direct analysis of biological or environmental samples under ambient conditions. Highlighting the versatility of this technique, DESI-MS has been used for the rapid detection of illicit drugs, chemical warfare agents, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals from a variety of sample matrices. In diagnostic veterinary toxicology, analyzing samples using traditional analytical instrumentation typically includes extensive sample extraction procedures, which can be time consuming and labor intensive. Therefore, efforts to expedite sample analyses are a constant goal for diagnostic toxicology laboratories. In the current report, DESI-MS was used to directly analyze stomach contents from a dog exposed to the organophosphate insecticide terbufos. The total DESI-MS analysis time required to confirm the presence of terbufos and diagnose organophosphate poisoning in this case was approximately 5 min. This highlights the potential of this analytical technique in the field of veterinary toxicology for the rapid diagnosis and detection of toxicants in biological samples. © 2014 The Author(s).

Effects of and attention to graphic warning labels on cigarette packages.

PubMed

Süssenbach, Philipp; Niemeier, Sarah; Glock, Sabine

2013-01-01

The present study investigates the effects of graphic cigarette warnings compared to text-only cigarette warnings on smokers' explicit (i.e. ratings of the packages, cognitions about smoking, perceived health risk, quit intentions) and implicit attitudes. In addition, participants' visual attention towards the graphic warnings was recorded using eye-tracking methodology. Sixty-three smokers participated in the present study and either viewed graphic cigarette warnings with aversive and non-aversive images or text-only warnings. Data were analysed using analysis of variance and correlation analysis. Especially, graphic cigarette warnings with aversive content drew attention and elicited high threat. However, whereas attention directed to the textual information of the graphic warnings predicted smokers' risk perceptions, attention directed to the images of the graphic warnings did not. Moreover, smokers' in the graphic warning condition reported more positive cognitions about smoking, thus revealing cognitive dissonance. Smokers employ defensive psychological mechanisms when confronted with threatening warnings. Although aversive images attract attention, they do not promote health knowledge. Implications for graphic health warnings and the importance of taking their content (i.e. aversive vs. non-aversive images) into account are discussed.

78 FR 19164 - Amendments to Compliance Certification Content Requirements for State and Federal Operating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-29

...-AQ71 Amendments to Compliance Certification Content Requirements for State and Federal Operating... direct final rulemaking for the part 70 program reads as follows: Sec. 70.6 Permit content. * * * * * (c... the 2001 direct final rulemaking for the part 71 program reads as follows: Sec. 71.6 Permit content...

Access and Use: Improving Digital Multimedia Consumer Health Information.

PubMed

Thomas, Alex

2016-01-01

This project enabled novel organisational insight into the comparative utility of a portfolio of consumer health information content, by measuring patterns of attrition (abandonment) in content use. The project used as a case study the event activity log of a fully automated digital information kiosk, located in a community health facility. Direct measurements of the duration of content use were derived from the user interface activity recorded in the kiosk log, thus avoiding issues in using other approaches to collecting this type of data, such as sampling and observer bias. The distribution patterns of 1,383 durations of observed abandonments of use for twenty-eight discrete modules of health information content were visualised using Kaplan-Meir survival plots. Clear patterns of abandonment of content use were exhibited. The method of analysis is cost-effective, scalable and provides deep insight into the utility of health promotion content. The impact on the content producers, platform operators and service users is to improve organisational learning and thus increase the confidence in stakeholders that the service is continuously delivering high quality health and wellbeing benefits.

Decoding the direction of imagined visual motion using 7 T ultra-high field fMRI

PubMed Central

Emmerling, Thomas C.; Zimmermann, Jan; Sorger, Bettina; Frost, Martin A.; Goebel, Rainer

2016-01-01

There is a long-standing debate about the neurocognitive implementation of mental imagery. One form of mental imagery is the imagery of visual motion, which is of interest due to its naturalistic and dynamic character. However, so far only the mere occurrence rather than the specific content of motion imagery was shown to be detectable. In the current study, the application of multi-voxel pattern analysis to high-resolution functional data of 12 subjects acquired with ultra-high field 7 T functional magnetic resonance imaging allowed us to show that imagery of visual motion can indeed activate the earliest levels of the visual hierarchy, but the extent thereof varies highly between subjects. Our approach enabled classification not only of complex imagery, but also of its actual contents, in that the direction of imagined motion out of four options was successfully identified in two thirds of the subjects and with accuracies of up to 91.3% in individual subjects. A searchlight analysis confirmed the local origin of decodable information in striate and extra-striate cortex. These high-accuracy findings not only shed new light on a central question in vision science on the constituents of mental imagery, but also show for the first time that the specific sub-categorical content of visual motion imagery is reliably decodable from brain imaging data on a single-subject level. PMID:26481673

Analysis of the impact of the use of broad specification fuels on combustors for commercial aircraft gas turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szetela, E. J.; Lehmann, R. P.; Smith, A. L.

1979-01-01

An analytical study was conducted to assess the impact of the use of broad specification fuels with reduced hydrogen content on the design, performance, durability, emissions and operational characteristics of combustors for commercial aircraft gas turbine engines. The study was directed at defining necessary design revisions to combustors designed for use of Jet A when such are operated on ERBS (Experimental Referee Broad Specification Fuel) which has a nominal hydrogen content of 12.8 percent as opposed to 13.7 percent in current Jet A. The results indicate that improvements in combustor liner cooling, and/or materials, and methods of fuel atomization will be required if the hydrogen content of aircraft gas turbine fuel is decreased.

Effect of solvents and oil content on direct transesterification of wet oil-bearing microalgal biomass of Chlorella vulgaris ESP-31 for biodiesel synthesis using immobilized lipase as the biocatalyst.

PubMed

Tran, Dang-Thuan; Chen, Ching-Lung; Chang, Jo-Shu

2013-05-01

In this work, a one-step extraction/transesterification process was developed to directly convert wet oil-bearing microalgal biomass of Chlorella vulgaris ESP-31 into biodiesel using immobilized Burkholderia lipase as the catalyst. The microalgal biomass (water content of 86-91%; oil content 14-63%) was pre-treated by sonication to disrupt the cell walls and then directly mixed with methanol and solvent to carry out the enzymatic transesterification. Addition of a sufficient amount of solvent (hexane is most preferable) is required for the direct transesterification of wet microalgal biomass, as a hexane-to-methanol mass ratio of 1.65 was found optimal for the biodiesel conversion. The amount of methanol and hexane required for the direct transesterification process was also found to correlate with the lipid content of the microalga. The biodiesel synthesis process was more efficient and economic when the lipid content of the microalgal biomass was higher. Therefore, using high-lipid-content microalgae as feedstock appears to be desirable. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Participants' Assessment of the Impact of Behavioral Health Self-Direction on Recovery.

PubMed

Croft, Bevin; Parish, Susan

2016-10-01

Self-direction involves managing a flexible budget, selecting and purchasing services and supports to meet individual needs and preferences. An emerging practice in the behavioral health field, self-direction is part of a systemic shift toward person-centered approaches to service provision. To understand the relationship between recovery and self-direction, the authors conducted a content analysis of 30 in-depth interviews with individuals from two self-direction programs in one state. A positive relationship between self-direction and recovery was established. Meeting basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are important first steps in the recovery process for self-directing participants. Recovery domains were dynamic and interrelated, with gains in independence, self-esteem, and self-confidence facilitating achievement of goals in other domains. To maximize the benefits of self-direction, program administrators may need to develop clearer program implementation standards and address poverty and limited access to appropriate behavioral health services and supports.

Intelligent bandwidth compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, D. Y.; Bullock, B. L.; Olin, K. E.; Kandt, R. K.; Olsen, J. D.

1980-02-01

The feasibility of a 1000:1 bandwidth compression ratio for image transmission has been demonstrated using image-analysis algorithms and a rule-based controller. Such a high compression ratio was achieved by first analyzing scene content using auto-cueing and feature-extraction algorithms, and then transmitting only the pertinent information consistent with mission requirements. A rule-based controller directs the flow of analysis and performs priority allocations on the extracted scene content. The reconstructed bandwidth-compressed image consists of an edge map of the scene background, with primary and secondary target windows embedded in the edge map. The bandwidth-compressed images are updated at a basic rate of 1 frame per second, with the high-priority target window updated at 7.5 frames per second. The scene-analysis algorithms used in this system together with the adaptive priority controller are described. Results of simulated 1000:1 bandwidth-compressed images are presented.

Re-entrant Projections Modulate Visual Cortex in Affective Perception: Evidence From Granger Causality Analysis

PubMed Central

Keil, Andreas; Sabatinelli, Dean; Ding, Mingzhou; Lang, Peter J.; Ihssen, Niklas; Heim, Sabine

2013-01-01

Re-entrant modulation of visual cortex has been suggested as a critical process for enhancing perception of emotionally arousing visual stimuli. This study explores how the time information inherent in large-scale electrocortical measures can be used to examine the functional relationships among the structures involved in emotional perception. Granger causality analysis was conducted on steady-state visual evoked potentials elicited by emotionally arousing pictures flickering at a rate of 10 Hz. This procedure allows one to examine the direction of neural connections. Participants viewed pictures that varied in emotional content, depicting people in neutral contexts, erotica, or interpersonal attack scenes. Results demonstrated increased coupling between visual and cortical areas when viewing emotionally arousing content. Specifically, intraparietal to inferotemporal and precuneus to calcarine connections were stronger for emotionally arousing picture content. Thus, we provide evidence for re-entrant signal flow during emotional perception, which originates from higher tiers and enters lower tiers of visual cortex. PMID:18095279

Modeling spatial patterns of soil respiration in maize fields from vegetation and soil property factors with the use of remote sensing and geographical information system.

PubMed

Huang, Ni; Wang, Li; Guo, Yiqiang; Hao, Pengyu; Niu, Zheng

2014-01-01

To examine the method for estimating the spatial patterns of soil respiration (Rs) in agricultural ecosystems using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS), Rs rates were measured at 53 sites during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, leaf area index (LAI), canopy chlorophyll content, aboveground biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and soil total nitrogen content were selected as the factors that affected spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize. The use of a structural equation modeling approach revealed that only LAI and SOC content directly affected Rs. Meanwhile, other factors indirectly affected Rs through LAI and SOC content. When three greenness vegetation indices were extracted from an optical image of an environmental and disaster mitigation satellite in China, enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed the best correlation with LAI and was thus used as a proxy for LAI to estimate Rs at the regional scale. The spatial distribution of SOC content was obtained by extrapolating the SOC content at the plot scale based on the kriging interpolation method in GIS. When data were pooled for 38 plots, a first-order exponential analysis indicated that approximately 73% of the spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize can be explained by EVI and SOC content. Further test analysis based on independent data from 15 plots showed that the simple exponential model had acceptable accuracy in estimating the spatial patterns of Rs in maize fields on the basis of remotely sensed EVI and GIS-interpolated SOC content, with R2 of 0.69 and root-mean-square error of 0.51 µmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1). The conclusions from this study provide valuable information for estimates of Rs during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China.

Modeling Spatial Patterns of Soil Respiration in Maize Fields from Vegetation and Soil Property Factors with the Use of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System

PubMed Central

Huang, Ni; Wang, Li; Guo, Yiqiang; Hao, Pengyu; Niu, Zheng

2014-01-01

To examine the method for estimating the spatial patterns of soil respiration (Rs) in agricultural ecosystems using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS), Rs rates were measured at 53 sites during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, leaf area index (LAI), canopy chlorophyll content, aboveground biomass, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and soil total nitrogen content were selected as the factors that affected spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize. The use of a structural equation modeling approach revealed that only LAI and SOC content directly affected Rs. Meanwhile, other factors indirectly affected Rs through LAI and SOC content. When three greenness vegetation indices were extracted from an optical image of an environmental and disaster mitigation satellite in China, enhanced vegetation index (EVI) showed the best correlation with LAI and was thus used as a proxy for LAI to estimate Rs at the regional scale. The spatial distribution of SOC content was obtained by extrapolating the SOC content at the plot scale based on the kriging interpolation method in GIS. When data were pooled for 38 plots, a first-order exponential analysis indicated that approximately 73% of the spatial variability in Rs during the peak growing season of maize can be explained by EVI and SOC content. Further test analysis based on independent data from 15 plots showed that the simple exponential model had acceptable accuracy in estimating the spatial patterns of Rs in maize fields on the basis of remotely sensed EVI and GIS-interpolated SOC content, with R2 of 0.69 and root-mean-square error of 0.51 µmol CO2 m−2 s−1. The conclusions from this study provide valuable information for estimates of Rs during the peak growing season of maize in three counties in North China. PMID:25157827

Typology of after-hours care instructions for patients: telephone survey and multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Bordman, Risa; Bovett, Monica; Drummond, Neil; Crighton, Eric J; Wheler, David; Moineddin, Rahim; White, David

2007-03-01

To develop a typology of after-hours care (AHC) instructions and to examine physician and practice characteristics associated with each type of instruction. Cross-sectional telephone survey. Physicians' offices were called during evenings and weekends to listen to their messages regarding AHC. All messages were categorized. Thematic analysis of a subset of messages was conducted to develop a typology of AHC instructions. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between physician and practice characteristics and the instructions left for patients. Family practices in the greater Toronto area. Stratified random sample of family physicians providing office-based primary care. Form of response (eg, answering machine), content of message, and physician and practice characteristics. Of 514 after-hours messages from family physicians' offices, 421 were obtained from answering machines, 58 were obtained from answering services, 23 had no answer, 2 gave pager numbers, and 10 had other responses. Message content ranged from no AHC instructions to detailed advice; 54% of messages provided a single instruction, and the rest provided a combination of instructions. Content analysis identified 815 discrete instructions or types of response that were classified into 7 categories: 302 instructed patients to go to an emergency department; 122 provided direct contact with a physician; 115 told patients to go to a clinic; 94 left no directions; 76 suggested calling a housecall service; 45 suggested calling Telehealth; and 61 suggested other things. About 22% of messages only advised attending an emergency department, and 18% gave no advice at all. Physicians who were female, had Canadian certification in family medicine, held hospital privileges, or had attended a Canadian medical school were more likely to be directly available to their patients. Important issues identified included the recommendation to use an emergency department as the sole source of AHC, practices providing no specific AHC instructions to their patients, and physicians' lack of acceptance of Telehealth. To improve AHC, new initiatives should build upon the existing system, changes should be integrated, and there should be a range of AHC options for patients and physicians.

Proximate biochemical composition and caloric content calculated from elemental CHN analysis: a stoichiometric concept.

PubMed

Gnaiger, E; Bitterlich, G

1984-06-01

Carbohydrate, lipid, and protein compositions are stoichiometrically related to organic CHN (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen) contents. Elemental CHN analyses of total biomass and ash, therefore, provide a basis for the calculation of proximate biochemical composition and bomb caloric value. The classical nitrogen to protein conversion factor (6.25) should be replaced by 5.8±0.13. A linear relation exists between the mass fraction of non-protein carbon and the carbohydrate and lipid content. Residual water in dry organic matter can be estimated with the additional information derived from hydrogen measurements.The stoichiometric CHN method and direct biochemical analysis agreed within 10% of ash-free dry biomass (for muscle, liver and fat tissue of silver carp; gut contents composed of detritus and algae; commercial fish food). The detrital material, however, had to be corrected for non-protein nitrogen.A linear relationship between bomb caloric value and organic carbon fractions was derived on the basis of thermodynamic and stoichiometric principles, in agreement with experimental data published for bacteria, algae, protozoa and invertebrates. The highly automatic stoichiometric CHN method for the separation of nutrient contents in biomass extends existing ecophysiological concepts for the construction of balanced carbon and nitrogen, as well as biochemical and energy budgets.

Trace-element partition coefficients in the calcite-water system and their paleoclimatic significance in cave studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gascoyne, Melvyn

1983-02-01

Speleothems (stalactites, stalagmites) formed in limestone caves have been found to contain much information on the timing and intensity of past climates, from analysis of their U, Th, 13C and 18O contents. Because the incorporation of certain trace elements (e.g., Mg, Mn and Zn) in calcite is known to be temperature-dependent, it may be possible to use variations in trace-metal content of fossil speleothems as an alternative paleotem-perature indicator. Using specially developed ion-exchange sampling techniques, analysis of trace-metal content of seepage water and associated fresh calcite deposits in caves in Vancouver Island and Jamaica shows that Mg is distributed between phases in a consistent manner within the temperature regimes of the caves (7° and 23°C, respectively). Average values of the distribution coefficient for Mg are respectively 0.017 and 0.045 at these temperatures. These results indicate that the Mg content of calcite varies directly with temperature and in a sufficiently pronounced manner that a 1°C rise in depositional temperature of a speleothem containing 500 ppm Mg, at ˜10°C, would be seen as an increase of ˜35ppm Mg — a readily determinable shift. Other factors affecting Mg content of a speleothem are considered.

Efficient Conversion of Lignin to Electricity Using a Novel Direct Biomass Fuel Cell Mediated by Polyoxometalates at Low Temperatures.

PubMed

Zhao, Xuebing; Zhu, J Y

2016-01-01

A novel polyoxometalates (POMs) mediated direct biomass fuel cell (DBFC) was used in this study to directly convert lignin to electricity at low temperatures with high power output and Faradaic efficiency. When phosphomolybdic acid H3 PMo12 O40 (PMo12) was used as the electron and proton carrier in the anode solution with a carbon electrode, and O2 was directly used as the final electron acceptor under the catalysis of Pt, the peak power density reached 0.96 mW cm(-2), 560 times higher than that of phenol-fueled microbial fuel cells (MFCs). When the cathode reaction was catalyzed by PMo12, the power density could be greatly enhanced to 5 mW cm(-2). Continuous operation demonstrated that this novel fuel cell was promising as a stable electrochemical power source. Structure analysis of the lignin indicated that the hydroxyl group content was reduced whereas the carbonyl group content increased. Both condensation and depolymerization takes place during the PMo12 oxidation of lignin. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Path analysis of the energy density of wood in eucalyptus clones.

PubMed

Couto, A M; Teodoro, P E; Trugilho, P F

2017-03-16

Path analysis has been used for establishing selection criteria in genetic breeding programs for several crops. However, it has not been used in eucalyptus breeding programs yet. In the present study, we aimed to identify the wood technology traits that could be used as the criteria for direct and indirect selection of eucalyptus genotypes with high energy density of wood. Twenty-four eucalyptus clones were evaluated in a completely randomized design with five replications. The following traits were assessed: basic wood density, total extractives, lignin content, ash content, nitrogen content, carbon content, hydrogen content, sulfur content, oxygen content, higher calorific power, holocellulose, and energy density. After verifying the variability of all evaluated traits among the clones, a two-dimensional correlation network was used to determine the phenotypic patterns among them. The obtained coefficient of determination (0.94) presented a higher magnitude in relation to the effect of the residual variable, and it served as an excellent model for explaining the genetic effects related to the variations observed in the energy density of wood in all eucalyptus clones. However, for future studies, we recommend evaluating other traits, especially the morphological traits, because of the greater ease in their measurement. Selecting clones with high basic density is the most promising strategy for eucalyptus breeding programs that aim to increase the energy density of wood because of its high heritability and magnitude of the cause-and-effect relationship with this trait.

Content Analysis of Informed Consent for Whole Genome Sequencing Offered by Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Companies.

PubMed

Niemiec, Emilia; Borry, Pascal; Pinxten, Wim; Howard, Heidi Carmen

2016-12-01

Whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) have become increasingly available in the research and clinical settings and are now also being offered by direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing (GT) companies. This offer can be perceived as amplifying the already identified concerns regarding adequacy of informed consent (IC) for both WES/WGS and the DTC GT context. We performed a qualitative content analysis of Websites of four companies offering WES/WGS DTC regarding the following elements of IC: pre-test counseling, benefits and risks, and incidental findings (IFs). The analysis revealed concerns, including the potential lack of pre-test counseling in three of the companies studied, missing relevant information in the risks and benefits sections, and potentially misleading information for consumers. Regarding IFs, only one company, which provides opportunistic screening, provides basic information about their management. In conclusion, some of the information (and related practices) present on the companies' Web pages salient to the consent process are not adequate in reference to recommendations for IC for WGS or WES in the clinical context. Requisite resources should be allocated to ensure that commercial companies are offering high-throughput sequencing under responsible conditions, including an adequate consent process. © 2016 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

The intersectionality framework and identity intersections in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and The Counseling Psychologist: A content analysis.

PubMed

Shin, Richard Q; Welch, Jamie C; Kaya, Aylin E; Yeung, Jeffrey G; Obana, Chynna; Sharma, Rajni; Vernay, Collin N; Yee, Stephanie

2017-10-01

The framework of intersectionality is a powerful analytical tool for making sense of how interlocking systems of privilege and oppression are experienced by individuals and groups. Despite the long history of the concept, intersectionality has only recently gained attention in psychology. We conducted a content analysis to assess counseling psychology's engagement with an intersectional perspective. All articles published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (n = 4,800) and The Counseling Psychologist (n = 1,915) from their first issues until July 2016 were reviewed to identify conceptual and empirical work focused on intersectionality. A total of 40 articles were identified and examined for themes. Limitations and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Identification of the Relationship between Oil Body Morphology and Oil Content by Microstructure Comparison Combining with QTL Analysis in Brassica napus

PubMed Central

Gu, Jianwei; Chao, Hongbo; Wang, Hao; Li, Yonghong; Li, Dianrong; Xiang, Jun; Gan, Jianping; Lu, Guangyuan; Zhang, Xuekun; Long, Yan; Li, Maoteng

2017-01-01

Oil bodies (OBs) are relatively simple but very important organelles comprising a matrix of triacylglycerol (TAG) surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer embedded and covered with unique proteins. The OB structure in Brassica napus with different oil content and the relationship between the oil content and the OB structure needs to be better understood. In this paper, the characteristics of OBs in the embryo of a series of B. napus materials with different oil content ranging from 34% to over 60% were studied. The results indicated that the OB size was significantly positively correlated with the oil content but was significantly negatively correlated with the glucosinolates and the protein content. Many genes associated with TAG synthesis, OB-membrane proteins, and the cell progress regulatory pathway were identified in the confidence interval of co-located QTLs for oil content, fatty acid (FA) compositions, and protein content. Our results suggested that the morphology of OBs might be directly controlled by the genes associated with OB-membrane proteins and indirectly controlled by the genes associated with TAG synthesis and cell progress regulatory pathway. PMID:28111582

Identification of the Relationship between Oil Body Morphology and Oil Content by Microstructure Comparison Combining with QTL Analysis in Brassica napus.

PubMed

Gu, Jianwei; Chao, Hongbo; Wang, Hao; Li, Yonghong; Li, Dianrong; Xiang, Jun; Gan, Jianping; Lu, Guangyuan; Zhang, Xuekun; Long, Yan; Li, Maoteng

2016-01-01

Oil bodies (OBs) are relatively simple but very important organelles comprising a matrix of triacylglycerol (TAG) surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer embedded and covered with unique proteins. The OB structure in Brassica napus with different oil content and the relationship between the oil content and the OB structure needs to be better understood. In this paper, the characteristics of OBs in the embryo of a series of B. napus materials with different oil content ranging from 34% to over 60% were studied. The results indicated that the OB size was significantly positively correlated with the oil content but was significantly negatively correlated with the glucosinolates and the protein content. Many genes associated with TAG synthesis, OB-membrane proteins, and the cell progress regulatory pathway were identified in the confidence interval of co-located QTLs for oil content, fatty acid (FA) compositions, and protein content. Our results suggested that the morphology of OBs might be directly controlled by the genes associated with OB-membrane proteins and indirectly controlled by the genes associated with TAG synthesis and cell progress regulatory pathway.

State Policy and Guidance for Identifying Learning Disabilities in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Amy N.; Boynton Hauerwas, Laura; Brown, Rachel D.

2014-01-01

This study investigates how state Departments of Education address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students as they relate to the identification of students with a specific learning disability (SLD). A qualitative research design of directed content analysis was used to examine each state's regulatory criteria for SLD, as…

Gender, Power and Management: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagilhole, Barbara, Ed.; White, Kate, Ed.

2011-01-01

Women are now part of senior management in higher education (HE) to varying degrees in most countries and actively contribute to the vision and strategic direction of universities. This book attempts to analyse their impact and potential impact on both organisational growth and culture. Contents of this book include: (1) Building a Feminist…

Long-Term Experiences in Cash and Counseling for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Familial Programme Representative Descriptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harry, Melissa L.; MacDonald, Lynn; McLuckie, Althea; Battista, Christina; Mahoney, Ellen K.; Mahoney, Kevin J.

2017-01-01

Background: Our aim was to explore previously unknown long-term outcomes of self-directed personal care services for young adults with intellectual disabilities and limitations in activities of daily living. Materials and Methods: The present authors utilized participatory action research and qualitative content analysis in interviewing 11 unpaid…

Sexuality Education: Analysis of Moroccan Teachers' and Future Teachers' Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabah, Selmaoui; Boujemaa, Agorram; Salah-Eddine, Khzami; Taoufik, EL Abboudi; Dominique, Berger

2010-01-01

Conceptions are analyzed as being the emergences from interactions between three poles:scientific knowledge (K), values (V) and social practices (P). The teachers' beliefs and values have a direct influence on the way of understanding and teaching a topic. These beliefs must be taken into account in the content and strategies of the teacher's…

History of Science in the Physics Curriculum: A Directed Content Analysis of Historical Sources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seker, Hayati; Guney, Burcu G.

2012-01-01

Although history of science is a potential resource for instructional materials, teachers do not have a tendency to use historical materials in their lessons. Studies showed that instructional materials should be adaptable and consistent with curriculum. This study purports to examine the alignment between history of science and the curriculum in…

Examination of Studies on Technology-Assisted Collaborative Learning Published between 2010-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnavut, Ahmet; Özdamli, Fezile

2016-01-01

This study is a content analysis of the articles about technology-assisted collaborative learning published in Science Direct database between the years of 2010 and 2014. Developing technology has become a topic that we encounter in every aspect of our lives. Educators deal with the contribution and integration of technology into education.…

The Past, Present, and Future of Research in Distance Education: Results of a Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Youngmin; Driscoll, Marcy P.; Nelson, David W.

2005-01-01

The articles published in four prominent distance education journals between 1997 and 2002 were categorized and the references cited were tallied. The study provides an opportunity to examine research topics, methods, and citation trends. The results can be used to review current research trends and to explore potential research directions.…

The Past, Present, and Future of Research in Distance Education: Results of a Content Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Youngmin; Driscoll, Marcy P.; Nelson, David W.

2004-01-01

The articles published in four prominent distance education journals between 1997 and 2002 were categorized and the references cited were tallied. The study provides an opportunity to examine research topics, methods, and citation trends. The results can be used to review current research trends and to explore potential research directions.

"Take This Brochure...": An Analysis of Current Educational Materials Given to Clients with Diabetes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConnell-Imbriotis, Alison

2001-01-01

Format, graphics, and content of print materials for people with diabetes were analyzed. The materials do not encourage proactive self-direction, the information is not contextualized, and diabetes is not presented as systemic. More flexible and inclusive formats and media, use of analogies, and more diversity were recommended. (47 Contains…

Barriers and Facilitators to Self-Directed Learning in Continuing Professional Development for Physicians in Canada: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Jeong, Dahn; Presseau, Justin; ElChamaa, Rima; Naumann, Danielle N; Mascaro, Colin; Luconi, Francesca; Smith, Karen M; Kitto, Simon

2018-04-10

This scoping review explored the barriers and facilitators that influence engagement in and implementation of self-directed learning (SDL) in continuing professional development (CPD) for physicians in Canada. This review followed the six-stage scoping review framework of Arksey and O'Malley and of Daudt et al. In 2015, the authors searched eight online databases for English-language Canadian articles published January 2005-December 2015. To chart and analyze the data from the 17 included studies, they employed two-step analysis process of conventional content analysis followed by directed coding guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Conventional content analysis generated five categories of barriers and facilitators: individual, program, technological, environmental, and workplace/organizational. Directed coding guided by the TDF allowed analysis of barriers and facilitators to behavior change according to two key groups: physicians engaging in SDL and SDL developers designing and implementing SDL programs. Of the 318 total barriers and facilitators coded, 290 (91.2%) were coded for physicians and 28 (8.8%) for SDL developers. The majority (209; 65.7%) were coded in four key TDF domains: environmental context and resources, social influences, beliefs about consequences, and behavioral regulation. This scoping review identified five categories of barriers and facilitators in the literature and four key TDF domains where most factors related to behavior change of physicians and SDL developers regarding SDL programs in CPD were coded. There was a significant gap in the literature about factors that may contribute to SDL developers' capacity to design and implement SDL programs in CPD.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

Influence of Goal Contents on Exercise Addiction: Analysing the Mediating Effect of Passion for Exercise

PubMed Central

Sicilia, Álvaro; Alcaraz-Ibáñez, Manuel; Lirola, María-Jesús; Burgueño, Rafael

2017-01-01

Abstract Based on the self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000), the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise goal contents on exercise addiction, taking into account the mediating effects of passion for exercise. A total of 384 university students (284 men and 100 women; Mage = 20.31, SD = 3.10) completed a questionnaire that measured exercise frequency and intensity, exercise goal contents (e.g. intrinsic: social affiliation, health management, skill development; extrinsic: image and social recognition), passion for exercise (e.g. harmonious and obsessive), and exercise addiction. After controlling the exercise frequency and intensity effects, results showed that goal contents did not directly predict exercise addiction. However, mediation analysis showed that goal contents predicted addiction through passion for exercise. These results support a motivational sequence in which extrinsic versus intrinsic goals influence exercise addiction because such goals are positively associated with obsessive passion for exercise and negatively associated with harmonious passion. PMID:29134055

Influence of Goal Contents on Exercise Addiction: Analysing the Mediating Effect of Passion for Exercise.

PubMed

Sicilia, Álvaro; Alcaraz-Ibáñez, Manuel; Lirola, María-Jesús; Burgueño, Rafael

2017-10-01

Based on the self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2000), the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise goal contents on exercise addiction, taking into account the mediating effects of passion for exercise. A total of 384 university students (284 men and 100 women; M age = 20.31, SD = 3.10) completed a questionnaire that measured exercise frequency and intensity, exercise goal contents (e.g. intrinsic: social affiliation, health management, skill development; extrinsic: image and social recognition), passion for exercise (e.g. harmonious and obsessive), and exercise addiction. After controlling the exercise frequency and intensity effects, results showed that goal contents did not directly predict exercise addiction. However, mediation analysis showed that goal contents predicted addiction through passion for exercise. These results support a motivational sequence in which extrinsic versus intrinsic goals influence exercise addiction because such goals are positively associated with obsessive passion for exercise and negatively associated with harmonious passion.

Estimation of canopy carotenoid content of winter wheat using multi-angle hyperspectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Weiping; Huang, Wenjiang; Liu, Jiangui; Chen, Pengfei; Qin, Qiming; Ye, Huichun; Peng, Dailiang; Dong, Yingying; Mortimer, A. Hugh

2017-11-01

Precise estimation of carotenoid (Car) content in crops, using remote sensing data, could be helpful for agricultural resources management. Conventional methods for Car content estimation were mostly based on reflectance data acquired from nadir direction. However, reflectance acquired at this direction is highly influenced by canopy structure and soil background reflectance. Off-nadir observation is less impacted, and multi-angle viewing data are proven to contain additional information rarely exploited for crop Car content estimation. The objective of this study was to explore the potential of multi-angle observation data for winter wheat canopy Car content estimation. Canopy spectral reflectance was measured from nadir as well as from a series of off-nadir directions during different growing stages of winter wheat, with concurrent canopy Car content measurements. Correlation analyses were performed between Car content and the original and continuum removed spectral reflectance. Spectral features and previously published indices were derived from data obtained at different viewing angles and were tested for Car content estimation. Results showed that spectral features and indices obtained from backscattering directions between 20° and 40° view zenith angle had a stronger correlation with Car content than that from the nadir direction, and the strongest correlation was observed from about 30° backscattering direction. Spectral absorption depth at 500 nm derived from spectral data obtained from 30° backscattering direction was found to reduce the difference induced by plant cultivars greatly. It was the most suitable for winter wheat canopy Car estimation, with a coefficient of determination 0.79 and a root mean square error of 19.03 mg/m2. This work indicates the importance of taking viewing geometry effect into account when using spectral features/indices and provides new insight in the application of multi-angle remote sensing for the estimation of crop physiology.

"When diet and exercise are not enough": an examination of lifestyle change inefficacy claims in direct-to-consumer advertising.

PubMed

Byrne, Sahara; Niederdeppe, Jeff; Avery, Rosemary J; Cantor, Jonathan

2013-01-01

Previous research suggests that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs have the potential to influence consumers' perceptions of whether symptoms should be treated medically and/or through behavior change. However, the relative frequency of messages emphasizing these approaches in pharmaceutical advertising remains largely unknown. A content analysis of print and television advertisements for cholesterol management medication between 1994 and 2005 (for print) and between 1999 and 2007 (for television) was conducted. First, the extent to which established theoretical constructs drawn from health communication scholarship are depicted in the content of DTC cholesterol advertisements is quantified. Second, specific claims about behavior change inefficacy when a pharmaceutical alternative is available are identified. Findings indicate that DTC ads offer many mixed messages about the efficacy of diet and exercise in reducing cholesterol and risk of heart disease. Theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed.

Analysis of Content Shared in Online Cancer Communities: Systematic Review.

PubMed

van Eenbergen, Mies C; van de Poll-Franse, Lonneke V; Krahmer, Emiel; Verberne, Suzan; Mols, Floortje

2018-04-03

The content that cancer patients and their relatives (ie, posters) share in online cancer communities has been researched in various ways. In the past decade, researchers have used automated analysis methods in addition to manual coding methods. Patients, providers, researchers, and health care professionals can learn from experienced patients, provided that their experience is findable. The aim of this study was to systematically review all relevant literature that analyzes user-generated content shared within online cancer communities. We reviewed the quality of available research and the kind of content that posters share with each other on the internet. A computerized literature search was performed via PubMed (MEDLINE), PsycINFO (5 and 4 stars), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ScienceDirect. The last search was conducted in July 2017. Papers were selected if they included the following terms: (cancer patient) and (support group or health communities) and (online or internet). We selected 27 papers and then subjected them to a 14-item quality checklist independently scored by 2 investigators. The methodological quality of the selected studies varied: 16 were of high quality and 11 were of adequate quality. Of those 27 studies, 15 were manually coded, 7 automated, and 5 used a combination of methods. The best results can be seen in the papers that combined both analytical methods. The number of analyzed posts ranged from 200 to 1,500,000; the number of analyzed posters ranged from 75 to 90,000. The studies analyzing large numbers of posts mainly related to breast cancer, whereas those analyzing small numbers were related to other types of cancers. A total of 12 studies involved some or entirely automatic analysis of the user-generated content. All the authors referred to two main content categories: informational support and emotional support. In all, 15 studies reported only on the content, 6 studies explicitly reported on content and social aspects, and 6 studies focused on emotional changes. In the future, increasing amounts of user-generated content will become available on the internet. The results of content analysis, especially of the larger studies, give detailed insights into patients' concerns and worries, which can then be used to improve cancer care. To make the results of such analyses as usable as possible, automatic content analysis methods will need to be improved through interdisciplinary collaboration. ©Mies C van Eenbergen, Lonneke V van de Poll-Franse, Emiel Krahmer, Suzan Verberne, Floortje Mols. Originally published in JMIR Cancer (http://cancer.jmir.org), 03.04.2018.

Continuing debates on direct social perception: Some notes on Gallagher's analysis of "the new hybrids".

PubMed

Bohl, Vivian

2015-11-01

This commentary argues that Gallagher's account of direct social perception has remained underdeveloped in several respects. Gallagher has not provided convincing evidence to support his claim that mindreading is rare in social situations. He and other direct perception theorists have not offered a substantive critique of standard theories of mindreading because they have attacked a much stronger claim about the putative unobservability of mental states than most theories of mindreading imply. To provide a genuine alternative to standard theories of mindreading, the direct perception theorist needs to provide more detailed answers to the following questions: What are the criteria for distinguishing perceptual processes from non-perceptual processes? How exactly does direct social perception function on the subpersonal level? What is the content of direct social perception? How does direct perception theory relate to more recent developments in the mindreading literature? Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct measurement of crosslinks, pyridinoline, deoxypyridinoline, and pentosidine, in the hydrolysate of tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Takahashi, M; Hoshino, H; Kushida, K; Inoue, T

1995-12-10

Pyridinoline (Pyr) and deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) are mature crosslinks which maintain the structure of the collagen fibril. Pentosidine (Pen) is a senescent crosslink and one of the advanced glycation end products. We developed a direct and one-injection method to measure Pyr, Dpyr, and Pen in the hydrolysate of tissues using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Using a linear gradient of acetonitrile and a cleaning step, the objective crosslinks were well separated and continuously and automatically assayed. Recovery rates of Pyr, Dpyr, and Pen were 95-116, 94-110, and 92-120%, respectively (n = 5). The intraassay coefficients of variation for Pyr, Dpyr, and Pen were 5.3, 5.8, and 4.3%, respectively (n = 5), and the interassay coefficients of variation for Pyr, Dpyr, and Pen were 3.5, 4.6, and 5.7%, respectively (n = 5). Linear regression analysis showed the linearity (r = 0.999) of calibration line for each Pyr, Dpyr, and Pen. We measured the content of these crosslinks in the tissues from the young and old subjects. There was no difference in the content of Pyr and Dpyr between the young and the old group. On the other hand, the content of Pen in the old group was extremely higher than that in the young group. We demonstrated the direct method for measuring two kinds of major crosslinks which have different characters and believe that this method will be useful in determining the content of these crosslinks in tissues under various conditions.

Evaluating the educational content of direct-to-consumer fulfillment materials.

PubMed

Chao, Blenda A

2005-03-15

The educational content of direct-to-consumer (DTC) fulfillment materials was evaluated. A list of prescription drug products advertised to consumers via broadcast media from August 1997 through April 20, 2002, was obtained from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The prescription products were categorized by disease state on the basis of their FDA-approved indications. Eight disease states were selected for analysis purposes and included acne, allergic rhinitis, depression, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, migraine, overactive bladder, and osteoporosis. A total of 31 products were advertised directly to consumers for the eight targeted disease states, 26 of which met the inclusion criteria. The educational content of the advertisements for these 26 products was assessed by analyzing the materials' consistency, instructiveness, and consumer orientation. Two of the 26 materials analyzed contained claims that potentially broadened a drug's indication from that listed in the FDA-approved labeling. The majority of materials listed the condition name (92%), symptom information (77%), the drug's mechanism of action (65%), the drug's time to onset of action (54%), and supportive behaviors (62%). Twenty of 24 DTC fulfillment materials (83%) were not written at the reading level of eighth grade or lower. Fifteen of the 26 mailings contained educational diagrams, 52% of which met the criteria for necessity, and a greater percentage met the criteria for suitability (90%), familiarity (86%), overall layout (88%), single concept (86%), and lack of distracting elements (100%). DTC fulfillment materials appear to have more educational content than DTC print advertisements but are still overwhelmingly deficient in meeting the recommended sixth to eighth-grade reading level.

A pilot study of the effects of interview content, retention interval, and grade on accuracy of dietary information from children

PubMed Central

Baxter, Suzanne Domel; Hitchcock, David B; Guinn, Caroline H; Royer, Julie A; Wilson, Dawn K; Pate, Russell R; McIver, Kerry L; Dowda, Marsha

2013-01-01

Objective Investigate differences in dietary recall accuracy by interview content (diet-only; diet-and-physical-activity), retention interval (same-day; previous-day), and grade (3rd; 5th). Methods Thirty-two children observed eating school-provided meals and interviewed once each; interview content and retention interval randomly assigned. Multivariate analysis of variance on rates for omissions (foods observed but unreported) and intrusions (foods reported but unobserved); independent variables—interview content, retention interval, grade. Results Accuracy differed by retention interval (P = .05; better for same-day [omission rate, intrusion rate: 28%, 20%] than previous-day [54%, 45%]) but not interview content (P > .48; diet-only: 41%, 33%; diet-and-physical-activity: 41%, 33%) or grade (P > .27; 3rd: 48%, 42%; 5th: 34%, 24%). Conclusions and Implications Although the small sample limits firm conclusions, results provide evidence-based direction to enhance accuracy; specifically, to shorten the retention interval. Larger validation studies need to investigate the combined effect of interview content, retention interval, and grade on accuracy. PMID:23562487

Predicting extractives content of Eucalyptus bosistoana F. Muell. Heartwood from stem cores by near infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yanjie; Altaner, Clemens

2018-06-01

Time and resource are the restricting factors for the wider use of chemical information of wood in tree breeding programs. NIR offers an advantage over wet-chemical analysis in these aspects and is starting to be used for tree breeding. This work describes the development of a NIR-based assessment of extractive content in heartwood of E. bosistoana, which does not require milling and conditioning of the samples. This was achieved by applying the signal processing algorithms (external parameter orthogonalisation (EPO) and significance multivariate correlation (sMC)) to spectra obtained from solid wood cores, which were able to correct for moisture content, grain direction and sample form. The accuracy of extractive content predictions was further improved by variable selection, resulting in a root mean square error of 1.27%. Considering the range of extractive content in E. bosistoana heartwood of 1.3 to 15.0%, the developed NIR calibration has the potential to be used in an E. bosistoana breeding program or to assess the special variation in extractive content throughout a stem.

Tobacco industry marketing: an analysis of direct mail coupons and giveaways.

PubMed

Brock, Betsy; Schillo, Barbara A; Moilanen, Molly

2015-09-01

Despite marketing prohibitions, tobacco company marketing expenditures in the USA have continued to grow with tobacco companies shifting focus towards point-of-sale-marketing and direct marketing to consumers through the mail and on the web. The purpose of this observational study was to investigate the content of direct marketing sent in response to registrations on select industry websites. An analysis of 659 tobacco company direct mail marketing pieces received between July 2011 and June 2012 was conducted. Mailings were coded for type and value of tobacco coupons, type of tobacco products promoted with coupons and number and type of giveaways offered. The most common type of mailing was tobacco coupon distribution; 86.5% of the mailings contained at least one coupon. Mailings with coupons had an average estimated coupon value of $4.17. The total coupon value of each mailing varied by the type of coupon offer and product promoted. The Camel and Marlboro coupon mailings heavily promoted snus, with over half of Camel coupon mailings (60.9%) and nearly half (44.8%) of Marlboro coupon mailings promoting snus alone. In addition, 47.9% of Marlboro coupon mailings and 11.4% of Camel mailings promoted snus alongside cigarettes. Tobacco companies use direct mail marketing to communicate with consumers and provide valuable tobacco coupons. More research is needed to understand the content of these mailings and how they are used by tobacco consumers in order to develop effective policy solutions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

High-content image analysis (HCIA) assay has the highest correlation with direct counting cell suspension compared to the ATP, WST-8 and Alamar blue assays for measurement of cytotoxicity.

PubMed

Tahara, Haruna; Matsuda, Shun; Yamamoto, Yusuke; Yoshizawa, Hiroe; Fujita, Masaharu; Katsuoka, Yasuhiro; Kasahara, Toshihiko

2017-11-01

Various cytotoxicity assays measuring indicators such as enzyme activity, dye uptake, or cellular ATP content are often performed using 96-well microplates. However, recent reports show that cytotoxicity assays such as the ATP assay and MTS assay underestimate cytotoxicity when compounds such as anti-cancer drugs or mutagens induce cell hypertrophy whilst increasing intracellular ATP content. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the reliability of a high-content image analysis (HCIA) assay to count cell number in a 96-well microplate automatically without using a cell-number indicator. We compared cytotoxicity results of 25 compounds obtained from ATP, WST-8, Alamar blue, and HCIA assays with those directly measured using an automatic cell counter, and repeating individual experiments thrice. The number of compounds showing low correlation in cell viability measured using cytotoxicity assays compared to automatic cell counting (r 2 <0.8, at least 2 of 3 experiments) were follows: ATP assay; 7; WST-8 assay, 2; Alamar blue assay, 3; HCIA cytotoxicity assay, 0. Compounds for which correlation was poor in 3 assays, except the HCIA assay, induced an increase in nuclear and cell size. However, correlation between cell viability measured by automatic cell counter and the HCIA assay was strong regardless of nuclear and cell size. Additionally, correlation coefficients between IC 50 values obtained from automatic cell counter and from cytotoxicity assays were as follows: ATP assay, 0.80; WST-8 assay, 0.84; Alamar blue assay, 0.84; and HCIA assay, 0.98. From the above, we showed that the HCIA cytotoxicity assay produces similar data to the automatic cell counter and is highly accurate in measuring cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photothermal method of determining calorific properties of coal

DOEpatents

Amer, N.M.

1983-05-16

Predetermined amounts of heat are generated within a coal sample by directing pump light pulses of predetermined energy content into a small surface region of the sample. A beam of probe light is directed along the sample surface and deflection of the probe beam from thermally induced changes of index of refraction in the fluid medium adjacent the heated region are detected. Deflection amplitude and the phase lag of the deflection, relative to the initiating pump light pulse, are indicative of the calorific value and the porosity of the sample. The method provides rapid, accurate and nondestructive analysis of the heat producing capabilities of coal samples. In the preferred form, sequences of pump light pulses of increasing durations are directed into the sample at each of a series of minute regions situated along a raster scan path enabling detailed analysis of variations of thermal properties at different areas of the sample and at different depths.

Direction of Contents Development for SMART Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, YoungSun; An, SangJin; Lee, YoungJun

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to suggest a direction of developing SMART education contents for its effective implementation by analyzing the status of educational informatization policies in Korea. Korean government has built the information and communication infrastructure, and provided teachers and students with various kinds of contents. And, in…

Direct effect of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll content of terrestrial plants in China.

PubMed

Du, Enzai; Dong, Dan; Zeng, Xuetong; Sun, Zhengzhong; Jiang, Xiaofei; de Vries, Wim

2017-12-15

Anthropogenic emissions of acid precursors in China have resulted in widespread acid rain since the 1980s. Although efforts have been made to assess the indirect, soil mediated ecological effects of acid rain, a systematic assessment of the direct foliage injury by acid rain across terrestrial plants is lacking. Leaf chlorophyll content is an important indicator of direct foliage damage and strongly related to plant productivity. We synthesized data from published literature on experiments of simulated acid rain, by directly exposing plants to acid solutions with varying pH levels, to assess the direct effect of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll content across 67 terrestrial plants in China. Our results indicate that acid rain substantially reduces leaf chlorophyll content by 6.71% per pH unit across the recorded plant species. The direct reduction of leaf chlorophyll content due to acid rain exposure showed no significant difference across calcicole, ubiquist or calcifuge species, implying that soil acidity preference does not influence the sensitivity to leaf injury by acid rain. On average, the direct effects of acid rain on leaf chlorophyll on trees, shrubs and herbs were comparable. The effects, however varied across functional groups and economic use types. Specifically, leaf chlorophyll content of deciduous species was more sensitive to acid rain in comparison to evergreen species. Moreover, vegetables and fruit trees were more sensitive to acid rain than other economically used plants. Our findings imply a potential production reduction and economic loss due to the direct foliage damage by acid rain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patient safety and infection control: bases for curricular integration.

PubMed

Silva, Andréa Mara Bernardes da; Bim, Lucas Lazarini; Bim, Felipe Lazarini; Sousa, Alvaro Francisco Lopes; Domingues, Pedro Castania Amadio; Nicolussi, Adriana Cristina; Andrade, Denise de

2018-05-01

To analyze curricular integration between teaching of patient safety and good infection prevention and control practices. Integrative review, designed to answer the question: "How does curricular integration of content about 'patient safety teaching' and content about 'infection prevention and control practices' occur in undergraduate courses in the health field?". The following databases were searched for primary studies: CINAHL, LILACS, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, Europe PMC and MEDLINE. The final sample consisted of 13 studies. After content analysis, primary studies were grouped into two subject categories: "Innovative teaching practices" and "Curricular evaluation. Patient safety related to infection prevention and control practices is present in the curriculum of health undergraduate courses, but is not coordinated with other themes, is taught sporadically, and focuses mainly on hand hygiene.

Gas-phase synthesis of magnetic metal/polymer nanocomposites.

PubMed

Starsich, Fabian H L; Hirt, Ann M; Stark, Wendelin J; Grass, Robert N

2014-12-19

Highly magnetic metal Co nanoparticles were produced via reducing flame spray pyrolysis, and directly coated with an epoxy polymer in flight. The polymer content in the samples varied between 14 and 56 wt% of nominal content. A homogenous dispersion of Co nanoparticles in the resulting nanocomposites was visualized by electron microscopy. The size and crystallinity of the metallic fillers was not affected by the polymer, as shown by XRD and magnetic hysteresis measurements. The good control of the polymer content in the product nanocomposite was shown by elemental analysis. Further, the successful polymerization in the gas phase was demonstrated by electron microscopy and size measurements. The presented effective, dry and scalable one-step synthesis method for highly magnetic metal nanoparticle/polymer composites presented here may drastically decrease production costs and increase industrial yields.

Gas-phase synthesis of magnetic metal/polymer nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starsich, Fabian H. L.; Hirt, Ann M.; Stark, Wendelin J.; Grass, Robert N.

2014-12-01

Highly magnetic metal Co nanoparticles were produced via reducing flame spray pyrolysis, and directly coated with an epoxy polymer in flight. The polymer content in the samples varied between 14 and 56 wt% of nominal content. A homogenous dispersion of Co nanoparticles in the resulting nanocomposites was visualized by electron microscopy. The size and crystallinity of the metallic fillers was not affected by the polymer, as shown by XRD and magnetic hysteresis measurements. The good control of the polymer content in the product nanocomposite was shown by elemental analysis. Further, the successful polymerization in the gas phase was demonstrated by electron microscopy and size measurements. The presented effective, dry and scalable one-step synthesis method for highly magnetic metal nanoparticle/polymer composites presented here may drastically decrease production costs and increase industrial yields.

[Content analysis of websites directed to low back pain].

PubMed

Gülcü, Nebahat; Bulut, Sefa

2010-04-01

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the websites directed at providing information about low back pain with respect to their content and quality. The websites were detected by scanning the words 'low back pain' from the Turkish pages module of the Google search portal. One hundred and fifty websites introduced on the first 20 pages were evaluated; the 65 websites determined to fulfill the desired criteria were analyzed in detail. Twenty of the 65 websites were excluded due to low quality, extraction from another website, sales promotion-related books/products, or qualified as news. In the majority of websites, no site administrator was indicated. When an administrator was indicated, the common specialities were physical therapists (13%), neurosurgeons (8%) and anesthesiologists (4%). Ten of the websites (22%) provided a pain definition close to international standards, whereas pain classification was available on most of the websites (84%). There was no mention of methods of pain scoring on any of them. Treatment modalities for which information was given included mostly behavioral, physical and pharmacological therapies, respectively. Complementary techniques, in order, included acupuncture, yoga and bioenergy. On 10 websites, text was supported with medical photographs, and videos were available on two. None of the websites had a provision for selection of other languages. Websites directed to low back pain should be enriched with respect to scientific content, thereby serving to increase the level of social education related to pain management.

Environmental Determinants of Cardiovascular Diseases Risk Factors: A Qualitative Directed Content Analysis

PubMed Central

Sabzmakan, Leila; Mohammadi, Eesa; Morowatisharifabad, Mohammad Ali; Afaghi, Ahmad; Naseri, Mohammad Hassan; Mirzaei, Masoud

2014-01-01

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death in the world. In most analyses of health problems, environment plays a significant and modifiable role in causing the problem either directly or indirectly through behavior. Objectives: This study aims to understand the patients and healthcare providers’ experiences about the environmental determinants of CVD risk factors based on the Precede Model. Patients and Methods: This qualitative study conducted over six months in 2012 at Diabetes Units of Health Centers associated with Alborz University of Medical Sciences and Health Services which is located in Karaj, Iran. The data were collected based on individual semi-structured interviews with 50 patients and 12 healthcare providers. Data analysis was performed simultaneous with data collection using the content analysis directed method. Results: Lack of behaviors like stress control, healthy eating and physical activity were the roots of the risk factors for CVD. The environmental factor is one of the barriers for conducting these behaviors. The environmental barriers included of structural environment including “availability and accessibility of health resources”, “new skills”, and “law and policies” which are located in enabling category and social environment including “social support”, “motivation to comply” and “consequences of behavior” which are located in reinforcing category. The most barriers to performing health behaviors were often structural. Conclusions: The environmental factors were barriers for doing healthy behaviors. These factors need to be considered to design health promotion interventions. Policymakers should not only focus on patients’ education but also should provide specific facilities to enhance economic, social and cultural status. PMID:25031848

Analysis of free online physician advice services.

PubMed

Cohen, Raphael; Elhadad, Michael; Birk, Ohad

2013-01-01

Online Consumer Health websites are a major source of information for patients worldwide. We focus on another modality, online physician advice. We aim to evaluate and compare the freely available online expert physicians' advice in different countries, its scope and the type of content provided. Using automated methods for information retrieval and analysis, we compared consumer health portals from the US, Canada, the UK and Israel (WebMD,NetDoctor,AskTheDoctor and BeOK). The evaluated content was generated between 2002 and 2011. We analyzed the different sites, looking at the distribution of questions in the various health topics, answer lengths and content type. Answers could be categorized into longer broad-educational answers versus shorter patient-specific ones, with different physicians having personal preferences as to answer type. The Israeli website BeOK, providing 10 times the number of answers than in the other three health portals, supplied answers that are shorter on average than in the other websites. Response times in these sites may be rapid with 32% of the WebMD answers and 64% of the BeOK answers provided in less than 24 hours. The voluntary contribution model used by BeOK and WebMD enables generation of large numbers of physician expert answers at low cost, providing 50,000 and 3,500 answers per year, respectively. Unlike health information in online databases or advice and support in patient-forums, online physician advice provides qualified specialists' responses directly relevant to the questions asked. Our analysis showed that high numbers of expert answers could be generated in a timely fashion using a voluntary model. The length of answers varied significantly between the internet sites. Longer answers were associated with educational content while short answers were associated with patient-specific content. Standard site-specific guidelines for expert answers will allow for more desirable content (educational content) or better throughput (patient-specific content).

Problem-Based Learning for Didactic Presentation to Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

PubMed

Montenery, Susan

2017-05-01

Nursing judgment is an essential component in the delivery of safe, quality patient care. Nurses must have the knowledge and skills to question authority, make judgments, substantiate evidence, and advocate for the patient. Traditional pedagogy in content-laden courses remains primarily lecture based. Incorporating active strategies to strengthen professional practice is essential. A pilot study assessed senior baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of problem-based learning (PBL) and their readiness for self-directed learning. In addition, the authors analyzed the relationship between readiness for self-directed learning and course content mastery using PBL. Students completed the Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale, the Problem-Based Learning Environment Inventory, and course content mastery exams. Students reported positive experiences with PBL and readiness for self-directed learning. Readiness for self-directed learning and 2 of 5 exam scores were inversely, significantly related. Students' perceptions of their readiness for self-directed learning did not always correspond with course content mastery. Specifically, some students who perceived themselves as ready for self-directed learning did not perform well on course content exams. This inverse relationship has not been reported by other researchers and brings an interesting perspective to student perceptions and actual performance. Four themes emerged from students' narrative responses: Prepared Me for Real Life Professional Situations, Stimulated My Critical Thinking, Promoted Independent Problem Solving, and Supported Learning Retention. PBL as a pedagogical approach provides opportunities for nursing students to explore their professional independence while attempting to master content.

In “Step” with HIV Vaccines? A Content Analysis of Local Recruitment Campaigns for an International HIV Vaccine Study

PubMed Central

Frew, Paula M.; Macias, Wendy; Chan, Kayshin; Harding, Ashley C.

2009-01-01

During the past two decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, several recruitment campaigns were designed to generate community involvement in preventive HIV vaccine clinical trials. These efforts utilized a blend of advertising and marketing strategies mixed with public relations and community education approaches to attract potential study participants to clinical trials (integrated marketing communications). Although more than 30,000 persons worldwide have participated in preventive HIV vaccine studies, no systematic analysis of recruitment campaigns exists. This content analysis study was conducted to examine several United States and Canadian recruitment campaigns for one of the largest-scale HIV vaccine trials to date (the “Step Study”). This study examined persuasive features consistent with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) including message content, personal relevance of HIV/AIDS and vaccine research, intended audiences, information sources, and other contextual features. The results indicated variation in messages and communication approaches with gay men more exclusively targeted in these regions. Racial/ethnic representations also differed by campaign. Most of the materials promote affective evaluation of the information through heuristic cueing. Implications for subsequent campaigns and research directions are discussed. PMID:19609373

In "Step" with HIV Vaccines? A Content Analysis of Local Recruitment Campaigns for an International HIV Vaccine Study.

PubMed

Frew, Paula M; Macias, Wendy; Chan, Kayshin; Harding, Ashley C

2009-01-01

During the past two decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, several recruitment campaigns were designed to generate community involvement in preventive HIV vaccine clinical trials. These efforts utilized a blend of advertising and marketing strategies mixed with public relations and community education approaches to attract potential study participants to clinical trials (integrated marketing communications). Although more than 30,000 persons worldwide have participated in preventive HIV vaccine studies, no systematic analysis of recruitment campaigns exists. This content analysis study was conducted to examine several United States and Canadian recruitment campaigns for one of the largest-scale HIV vaccine trials to date (the "Step Study"). This study examined persuasive features consistent with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) including message content, personal relevance of HIV/AIDS and vaccine research, intended audiences, information sources, and other contextual features. The results indicated variation in messages and communication approaches with gay men more exclusively targeted in these regions. Racial/ethnic representations also differed by campaign. Most of the materials promote affective evaluation of the information through heuristic cueing. Implications for subsequent campaigns and research directions are discussed.

Social attention in ASD: A review and meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies.

PubMed

Chita-Tegmark, Meia

2016-01-01

Determining whether social attention is reduced in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and what factors influence social attention is important to our theoretical understanding of developmental trajectories of ASD and to designing targeted interventions for ASD. This meta-analysis examines data from 38 articles that used eye-tracking methods to compare individuals with ASD and TD controls. In this paper, the impact of eight factors on the size of the effect for the difference in social attention between these two groups are evaluated: age, non-verbal IQ matching, verbal IQ matching, motion, social content, ecological validity, audio input and attention bids. Results show that individuals with ASD spend less time attending to social stimuli than typically developing (TD) controls, with a mean effect size of 0.55. Social attention in ASD was most impacted when stimuli had a high social content (showed more than one person). This meta-analysis provides an opportunity to survey the eye-tracking research on social attention in ASD and to outline potential future research directions, more specifically research of social attention in the context of stimuli with high social content. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of NIR-chemometric methods for chemical and pharmaceutical characterization of meloxicam tablets.

PubMed

Tomuta, Ioan; Iovanov, Rares; Bodoki, Ede; Vonica, Loredana

2014-04-01

Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an important component of a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) toolbox and is a key technology for enabling the rapid analysis of pharmaceutical tablets. The aim of this research work was to develop and validate NIR-chemometric methods not only for the determination of active pharmaceutical ingredients content but also pharmaceutical properties (crushing strength, disintegration time) of meloxicam tablets. The development of the method for active content assay was performed on samples corresponding to 80%, 90%, 100%, 110% and 120% of meloxicam content and the development of the methods for pharmaceutical characterization was performed on samples prepared at seven different compression forces (ranging from 7 to 45 kN) using NIR transmission spectra of intact tablets and PLS as a regression method. The results show that the developed methods have good trueness, precision and accuracy and are appropriate for direct active content assay in tablets (ranging from 12 to 18 mg/tablet) and also for predicting crushing strength and disintegration time of intact meloxicam tablets. The comparative data show that the proposed methods are in good agreement with the reference methods currently used for the characterization of meloxicam tablets (HPLC-UV methods for the assay and European Pharmacopeia methods for determining the crushing strength and disintegration time). The results show the possibility to predict both chemical properties (active content) and physical/pharmaceutical properties (crushing strength and disintegration time) directly, without any sample preparation, from the same NIR transmission spectrum of meloxicam tablets.

Training addiction professionals in empirically supported treatments: perspectives from the treatment community.

PubMed

Hartzler, Bryan; Rabun, Carl

2014-01-01

Large-scale dissemination efforts seek to expand opportunities for the addiction treatment community to receive training in empirically supported treatments (ESTs). Prospective consumers of such training are valuable sources of input about content of interest, preferences for how training events are structured, and obstacles that deter receipt of training. In this mixed-method study, data were collected in 64 semistructured individual interviews with personnel during site visits to 16 community opioid treatment programs (OTPs). At each OTP, interviews were completed with the executive director, a clinical supervisor, and 2 direct-service clinicians. Topical interests were analyzed qualitatively in a cultural domain analysis. Likert ratings of training event preferences were analyzed via generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), and unstructured interviewee comments were analyzed via narrative analysis. Obstacles to training receipt were analyzed qualitatively with both content coding and narrative analysis. Based on topics of reported interest, cultural domain analysis suggests as ESTs of note: Multidimensional Family Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Relapse Prevention Therapy, "Seeking Safety," and broad addiction-focused pharmacotherapy. Regarding training event preferences, GLMMs and narrative analysis revealed clear preferences for time-distributed trainings and use of participatory activities (e.g., trainer demonstrations, role plays, small group exercises). Content coding identified cost as the primary obstacle to receipt of EST trainings, followed by lack of time, logistical challenges, and disinterest, and narrative analysis elaborated on contextual issues underlying these obstacles. As primary consumers of EST technologies, the treatment community has valuable input to offer. Dissemination efforts may be enhanced by greater consideration of their preferences for training content and event structure, as well as practical obstacles that challenge their receipt of training.

A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the New Zealand media portrayal of Down syndrome.

PubMed

Wardell, S; Fitzgerald, R P; Legge, M; Clift, K

2014-04-01

There are only a small number of studies that systematically explore the tensions between the global shift to universal screening and the media representations of the people with Down syndrome. This paper contributes to the literature by analyzing the New Zealand media coverage of this topic. To describe the content and quality of selected New Zealand media references to Down syndrome in light of the claim by New Zealand support group Saving Downs of state supported eugenics via universal screening. Quantitative content analysis was conducted of 140 relevant New Zealand articles (from 2001 to 2011) and qualitative critical discourse analysis of 18 relevant articles (from 2009 to 2011) selected from television, magazine and newspaper. The content analysis showed no strong directional reporting although the quality of life for people with Down syndrome was represented as slightly negative. Most articles focused on issues of society, government and care rather than genetics. The qualitative analysis identified themes around quality of life, information and bias, preparedness, eugenics, the visualness of disability and the need for public debate around genetic screening and testing. The New Zealand print media coverage of these issues has been relatively balanced. Recent mixed media coverage of the topic is critical, complex and socially inclusive of people with Down syndrome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the construct of dignity and content validity of the patient dignity inventory

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Maintaining dignity, the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect, is considered as a goal of palliative care. The aim of this study was to analyse the construct of personal dignity and to assess the content validity of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) in people with an advance directive in the Netherlands. Methods Data were collected within the framework of an advance directives cohort study. This cohort study is aiming to get a better insight into how decisions are made at the end of life with regard to advance directives in the Netherlands. One half of the cohort (n = 2404) received an open-ended question concerning factors relevant to dignity. Content labels were assigned to issues mentioned in the responses to the open-ended question. The other half of the cohort (n = 2537) received a written questionnaire including the PDI. The relevance and comprehensiveness of the PDI items were assessed with the COSMIN checklist ('COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments'). Results The majority of the PDI items were found to be relevant for the construct to be measured, the study population, and the purpose of the study but the items were not completely comprehensive. The responses to the open-ended question indicated that communication and care-related aspects were also important for dignity. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the PDI items were relevant for people with an advance directive in the Netherlands. The comprehensiveness of the items can be improved by including items concerning communication and care. PMID:21682924

Analysis of the construct of dignity and content validity of the patient dignity inventory.

PubMed

Albers, Gwenda; Pasman, H Roeline W; Rurup, Mette L; de Vet, Henrica C W; Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Bregje D

2011-06-19

Maintaining dignity, the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect, is considered as a goal of palliative care. The aim of this study was to analyse the construct of personal dignity and to assess the content validity of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) in people with an advance directive in the Netherlands. Data were collected within the framework of an advance directives cohort study. This cohort study is aiming to get a better insight into how decisions are made at the end of life with regard to advance directives in the Netherlands. One half of the cohort (n = 2404) received an open-ended question concerning factors relevant to dignity. Content labels were assigned to issues mentioned in the responses to the open-ended question. The other half of the cohort (n = 2537) received a written questionnaire including the PDI. The relevance and comprehensiveness of the PDI items were assessed with the COSMIN checklist ('COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments'). The majority of the PDI items were found to be relevant for the construct to be measured, the study population, and the purpose of the study but the items were not completely comprehensive. The responses to the open-ended question indicated that communication and care-related aspects were also important for dignity. This study demonstrated that the PDI items were relevant for people with an advance directive in the Netherlands. The comprehensiveness of the items can be improved by including items concerning communication and care.

Method comparison for forest soil carbon and nitrogen estimates in the Delaware River basin

Treesearch

B. Xu; Yude Pan; A.H. Johnson; A.F. Plante

2016-01-01

The accuracy of forest soil C and N estimates is hampered by forest soils that are rocky, inaccessible, and spatially heterogeneous. A composite coring technique is the standard method used in Forest Inventory and Analysis, but its accuracy has been questioned. Quantitative soil pits provide direct measurement of rock content and soil mass from a larger, more...

Why Go Back to School? Investigating the Motivations of Student Parents to Pursue Post-Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Rhijn, Tricia; Lero, Donna S.; Burke, Taniesha

2016-01-01

This study explored the factors that motivate student parents to pursue post-secondary education. Student parents at four Canadian universities (n = 398) completed open-ended questions on their reasons for attending school in an online survey. Using Possible Selves Theory as a lens, we conducted a directed content analysis and found that student…

Implicit and Explicit Use of the Strengths Perspective in Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Probst, Barbara

2010-01-01

Most of the literature on the strengths perspective has addressed issues of practice; far less has been written about the role of the strengths perspective in social work education. Empirical studies have tended to focus on content analysis of texts and syllabi rather than data obtained directly from social work faculty. To address this gap, the…

Competencies, Curricula, and Compliance: An Analysis of Music Theory in Music Education Programs in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Vicky V.

2010-01-01

Music theory faculty members in all four-year institutions of higher education in Texas that are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and offer degrees in music education were invited to take an online survey. The content of the survey consisted of competencies taken directly from standards outlined by the National…

Analysis of the Impact of Creative Technique on the Motivation of Physical Education Students in Dance Content: Gender Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amado, Diana; Del Villar, Fernando; Sánchez-Miguel, Pedro Antonio; Leo, Francisco Miguel; García-Calvo, Tomás

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to learn about the effectiveness of two dance teaching techniques, the creative examination technique and the direct instruction technique, on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, the level of self-determination, the perception of usefulness, enjoyment and effort of physical education students. Likewise, it…

A Comparison of Male and Female Directors in Popular Pornography: What Happens when Women Are at the Helm?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Chyng; Bridges, Ana; Wosnitzer, Robert; Scharrer, Erica; Liberman, Rachael

2008-01-01

Pornography is a lucrative business. Increasingly, women have participated in both its production, direction, and consumption. This study investigated how the content in popular pornographic videos created by female directors differs from that of their male counterparts. We conducted a quantitative analysis of 122 randomly selected scenes from 44…

Directing Curriculum through Standards: A Content Analysis of the 2010 Texas State Social Studies Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Norman

2012-01-01

In 2010 the Texas Education Agency adopted newly rewritten curriculum standards for the state's social studies courses K-12. The period leading up to the adoption of the standards proved contentious as the new standards moved out of the writing committees and into the public realm. The issues brought forth from initial readings of the standards…

Descriptive Analysis of Teacher Instructional Practices and Student Engagement among Adolescents with and without Challenging Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirn, Regina G.; Scott, Terrance M.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine teacher and student behavior in high school classrooms that included at least one student identified with challenging behavior. Across two school years and within the content areas of math, reading/English, social studies, and science, student/ teacher dyads were directly observed in the typical…

Nurses' reasoning process during care planning taking pressure ulcer prevention as an example. A think-aloud study.

PubMed

Funkesson, Kajsa Helena; Anbäcken, Els-Marie; Ek, Anna-Christina

2007-09-01

Nurses' clinical reasoning is of great importance for the delivery of safe and efficient care. Pressure ulcer prevention allows a variety of aspects within nursing to be viewed. The aim of this study was to describe both the process and the content of nurses' reasoning during care planning at different nursing homes, using pressure ulcer prevention as an example. A qualitative research design was chosen. Seven different nursing homes within one community were included. Eleven registered nurses were interviewed. The methods used were think-aloud technique, protocol analysis and qualitative content analysis. Client simulation illustrating transition was used. The case used for care planning was in three parts covering the transition from hospital until 3 weeks in the nursing home. Most nurses in this study conducted direct and indirect reasoning in a wide range of areas in connection with pressure ulcer prevention. The reasoning focused different parts of the nursing process depending on part of the case. Complex assertations as well as strategies aiming to reduce cognitive strain were rare. Nurses involved in direct nursing care held a broader reasoning than consultant nurses. Both explanations and actions based on older ideas and traditions occurred. Reasoning concerning pressure ulcer prevention while care planning was dominated by routine thinking. Knowing the person over a period of time made a more complex reasoning possible. The nurses' experience, knowledge together with how close to the elderly the nurses work seem to be important factors that affect the content of reasoning.

Characterization of upgraded fast pyrolysis oak oil distillate fractions from sulfided and non-sulfided catalytic hydrotreating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Olarte, Mariefel V.; Padmaperuma, Asanga B.; Ferrell, Jack R.

Catalytic hydroprocessing of pyrolysis oils from biomass produces hydrocarbons that can be considered for liquid fuel production. This process requires removal of oxygen and cracking of the heavier molecular weight bio-oil constituents into smaller fragments at high temperatures and pressures under hydrogen. A comprehensive understanding of product oils is useful to optimize cost versus degree of deoxygenation. Additionally, a better understanding of the chemical composition of the distillate fractions can open up other uses of upgraded oils for potentially higher-value chemical streams. We present in this paper the characterization data for five well-defined distillate fractions of two hydroprocessed oils withmore » different oxygen levels: a low oxygen content (LOC, 1.8% O, wet basis) oil and a medium oxygen content (MOC, 6.4% O, wet basis) oil. Elemental analysis and 13C NMR results suggest that the distillate fractions become more aromatic/unsaturated as they become heavier. Our results also show that the use of sulfided catalysts directly affects the S content of the lightest distillate fraction. Carbonyl and carboxylic groups were found in the MOC light fractions, while phenols were present in the heavier fractions for both MOC and LOC. PIONA analysis of the light LOC fraction shows a predominance of paraffins with a minor amount of olefins. These results can be used to direct future research on refinery integration and production of value-added product from specific upgraded oil streams.« less

Assessment of the influence of field size on maize gene flow using SSR analysis.

PubMed

Palaudelmàs, M; Melé, E; Monfort, A; Serra, J; Salvia, J; Messeguer, J

2012-06-01

One of the factors that may influence the rate of cross-fertilization is the relative size of the pollen donor and receptor fields. We designed a spatial distribution with four varieties of genetically-modified (GM) yellow maize to generate different sized fields while maintaining a constant distance to neighbouring fields of conventional white kernel maize. Samples of cross-fertilized, yellow kernels in white cobs were collected from all of the adjacent fields at different distances. A special series of samples was collected at distances of 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80 and 120 m following a transect traced in the dominant down-wind direction in order to identify the origin of the pollen through SSR analysis. The size of the receptor fields should be taken into account, especially when they extend in the same direction than the GM pollen flow is coming. From collected data, we then validated a function that takes into account the gene flow found in the field border and that is very useful for estimating the % of GM that can be found in any point of the field. It also serves to predict the total GM content of the field due to cross fertilization. Using SSR analysis to identify the origin of pollen showed that while changes in the size of the donor field clearly influence the percentage of GMO detected, this effect is moderate. This study demonstrates that doubling the donor field size resulted in an approximate increase of GM content in the receptor field of 7%. This indicates that variations in the size of the donor field have a smaller influence on GM content than variations in the size of the receptor field.

Quantitation of Indoleacetic Acid Conjugates in Bean Seeds by Direct Tissue Hydrolysis 1

PubMed Central

Bialek, Krystyna; Cohen, Jerry D.

1989-01-01

Gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectral analysis using [13C6]indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as an internal standard provides an effective means for quantitation of IAA liberated during direct strong basic hydrolysis of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seed powder, provided that extra precautions are undertaken to exclude oxygen from the reaction vial. Direct seed powder hydrolysis revealed that the major portion of amide IAA conjugates in bean seeds are not extractable by aqueous acetone, the solvent used commonly for IAA conjugate extraction from seeds and other plant tissues. Strong basic hydrolysis of plant tissue can be used to provide new information on IAA content. Images Figure 1 PMID:16666783

Non-destructive elemental analysis of a carbonaceous chondrite with direct current Muon beam at MuSIC.

PubMed

Terada, K; Sato, A; Ninomiya, K; Kawashima, Y; Shimomura, K; Yoshida, G; Kawai, Y; Osawa, T; Tachibana, S

2017-11-13

Electron- or X-ray-induced characteristic X-ray analysis has been widely used to determine chemical compositions of materials in vast research fields. In recent years, analysis of characteristic X-rays from muonic atoms, in which a muon is captured, has attracted attention because both a muon beam and a muon-induced characteristic X-ray have high transmission abilities. Here we report the first non-destructive elemental analysis of a carbonaceous chondrite using one of the world-leading intense direct current muon beam source (MuSIC; MUon Science Innovative Channel). We successfully detected characteristic muonic X-rays of Mg, Si, Fe, O, S and C from Jbilet Winselwan CM chondrite, of which carbon content is about 2 wt%, and the obtained elemental abundance pattern was consistent with that of CM chondrites. Because of its high sensitivity to carbon, non-destructive elemental analysis with a muon beam can be a novel powerful tool to characterize future retuned samples from carbonaceous asteroids.

On the molecular mechanism of GC content variation among eubacterial genomes.

PubMed

Wu, Hao; Zhang, Zhang; Hu, Songnian; Yu, Jun

2012-01-10

As a key parameter of genome sequence variation, the GC content of bacterial genomes has been investigated for over half a century, and many hypotheses have been put forward to explain this GC content variation and its relationship to other fundamental processes. Previously, we classified eubacteria into dnaE-based groups (the dimeric combination of DNA polymerase III alpha subunits), according to a hypothesis where GC content variation is essentially governed by genome replication and DNA repair mechanisms. Further investigation led to the discovery that two major mutator genes, polC and dnaE2, may be responsible for genomic GC content variation. Consequently, an in-depth analysis was conducted to evaluate various potential intrinsic and extrinsic factors in association with GC content variation among eubacterial genomes. Mutator genes, especially those with dominant effects on the mutation spectra, are biased towards either GC or AT richness, and they alter genomic GC content in the two opposite directions. Increased bacterial genome size (or gene number) appears to rely on increased genomic GC content; however, it is unclear whether the changes are directly related to certain environmental pressures. Certain environmental and bacteriological features are related to GC content variation, but their trends are more obvious when analyzed under the dnaE-based grouping scheme. Most terrestrial, plant-associated, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria are members of the dnaE1|dnaE2 group, whereas most pathogenic or symbiotic bacteria in insects, and those dwelling in aquatic environments, are largely members of the dnaE1|polV group. Our studies provide several lines of evidence indicating that DNA polymerase III α subunit and its isoforms participating in either replication (such as polC) or SOS mutagenesis/translesion synthesis (such as dnaE2), play dominant roles in determining GC variability. Other environmental or bacteriological factors, such as genome size, temperature, oxygen requirement, and habitat, either play subsidiary roles or rely indirectly on different mutator genes to fine-tune the GC content. These results provide a comprehensive insight into mechanisms of GC content variation and the robustness of eubacterial genomes in adapting their ever-changing environments over billions of years.

Image analysis method for the measurement of water saturation in a two-dimensional experimental flow tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belfort, Benjamin; Weill, Sylvain; Lehmann, François

2017-07-01

A novel, non-invasive imaging technique is proposed that determines 2D maps of water content in unsaturated porous media. This method directly relates digitally measured intensities to the water content of the porous medium. This method requires the classical image analysis steps, i.e., normalization, filtering, background subtraction, scaling and calibration. The main advantages of this approach are that no calibration experiment is needed, because calibration curve relating water content and reflected light intensities is established during the main monitoring phase of each experiment and that no tracer or dye is injected into the flow tank. The procedure enables effective processing of a large number of photographs and thus produces 2D water content maps at high temporal resolution. A drainage/imbibition experiment in a 2D flow tank with inner dimensions of 40 cm × 14 cm × 6 cm (L × W × D) is carried out to validate the methodology. The accuracy of the proposed approach is assessed using a statistical framework to perform an error analysis and numerical simulations with a state-of-the-art computational code that solves the Richards' equation. Comparison of the cumulative mass leaving and entering the flow tank and water content maps produced by the photographic measurement technique and the numerical simulations demonstrate the efficiency and high accuracy of the proposed method for investigating vadose zone flow processes. Finally, the photometric procedure has been developed expressly for its extension to heterogeneous media. Other processes may be investigated through different laboratory experiments which will serve as benchmark for numerical codes validation.

[Relationships between decomposition rate of leaf litter and initial quality across the alpine timberline ecotone in Western Sichuan, China].

PubMed

Yang, Lin; Deng, Chang-chun; Chen Ya-mei; He, Run-lian; Zhang, Jian; Liu, Yang

2015-12-01

The relationships between litter decomposition rate and their initial quality of 14 representative plants in the alpine forest ecotone of western Sichuan were investigated in this paper. The decomposition rate k of the litter ranged from 0.16 to 1.70. Woody leaf litter and moss litter decomposed much slower, and shrubby litter decomposed a little faster. Then, herbaceous litters decomposed fastest among all plant forms. There were significant linear regression relationships between the litter decomposition rate and the N content, lignin content, phenolics content, C/N, C/P and lignin/N. Lignin/N and hemicellulose content could explain 78.4% variation of the litter decomposition rate (k) by path analysis. The lignin/N could explain 69.5% variation of k alone, and the direct path coefficient of lignin/N on k was -0.913. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the contribution rate of the first sort axis to k and the decomposition time (t) reached 99.2%. Significant positive correlations existed between lignin/N, lignin content, C/N, C/P and the first sort axis, and the closest relationship existed between lignin/N and the first sort axis (r = 0.923). Lignin/N was the key quality factor affecting plant litter decomposition rate across the alpine timberline ecotone, with the higher the initial lignin/N, the lower the decomposition rate of leaf litter.

Identifying changes in the role of the infection preventionist through the 2014 practice analysis study conducted by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

PubMed

Henman, Lita Jo; Corrigan, Robert; Carrico, Ruth; Suh, Kathryn N

2015-07-01

The Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc (CBIC) is a voluntary autonomous multidisciplinary board that provides direction and administers the certification process for professionals who are responsible for the infection prevention and control program in a health care facility. The CBIC performs a practice analysis approximately every 4-5 years. The practice analysis is an integral part of the certification examination development process and serves as the backbone of the test content outline. In 2013, the CBIC determined that a practice analysis was required and contracted with Prometric to facilitate the process. The practice analysis was carried out in 2014 by a diverse group of subject matter experts from the United States and Canada. The practice analysis results showed a significant change in the number of tasks and associated knowledge required for the competent practice of infection prevention. As authorized by the CBIC, the test committee is currently reclassifying the bank of examination questions as required and is writing and reviewing questions based on the updated test specifications and content outline. The new content outline will be reflected in examinations that are taken beginning in July 2015. This iterative process of assessing and updating the certification examination ensures not only a valid competency tool but a true reflection of current practices. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Temporospatial analysis of explicit and implicit processing of negative content during word comprehension.

PubMed

Hinojosa, J A; Albert, J; López-Martín, S; Carretié, L

2014-06-01

Although divergences between explicit and implicit processing of affective content during word comprehension have been reported, the underlying nature of those differences remains in dispute. Prior studies focused on either the timing or the spatial location of the effects. The present study examined the precise dynamics of the processing of negative words when attention is directed to affective content or to non-emotional properties by capitalizing on fine temporal resolution of the event-related potentials (ERPs) and recent advances in source localization. Tasks were used that required accessing knowledge about different semantic properties of negative and neutral words. In the direct task, participants' attention was directed towards emotional information. By contrast, subjects had to decide whether the words' referent could be touched or not in the indirect task. Regardless of being processed explicitly or implicitly, negative compared to neutral words were associated with more errors and greater key pressure responses. Electrophysiologically, affective processing was reflected in larger amplitudes to negative words in a late positive component (LPC) at the scalp level, and in increased activity in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) at the voxel level. Interestingly, an interaction between emotion and type of task was observed. Negative words were associated with more errors, larger anterior distributed LPC amplitudes and increased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in the direct compared to the indirect task. This LPC effect was modulated by the concreteness of the words. Finally, a task effect was found in a posterior negativity around 220ms, with enhanced amplitudes to words in the direct compared to the indirect task. The present results suggest that negative information contained in written language is processed irrespective of controlled attention is directed to it or not, but that this processing is reinforced in the former case. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen content estimation of hydrogenated amorphous carbon by visible Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamopoulos, G.; Robertson, J.; Morrison, N. A.; Godet, C.

2004-12-01

In the present study, we report the hydrogen content estimation of the hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films using visible Raman spectroscopy in a fast and nondestructive way. Hydrogenated diamondlike carbon films were deposited by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, plasma beam source, and integrated distributed electron cyclotron resonance techniques. Methane and acetylene were used as source gases resulting in different hydrogen content and sp2/sp3 fraction. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic ellipsometry (1.5-5eV ) as well as UV-Vis spectroscopy were provided with the optical band gap (Tauc gap). The sp2/sp3 fraction and the hydrogen content were independently estimated by electron energy loss spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analysis-Rutherford back scattering, respectively. The Raman spectra that were acquired in the visible region using the 488nm line shows the superposition of Raman features on a photoluminescence (PL) background. The direct relationship of the sp2 content and the optical band gap has been confirmed. The difference in the PL background for samples of the same optical band gap (sp2 content) and different hydrogen content was demonstrated and an empirical relationship between the visible Raman spectra PL background slope and the corresponding hydrogen content was extracted.

Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts of Hybrid Giant Napier (Pennisetum Hydridum) Direct-fired Power Generation in South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Yanfen; Fang, Hailin; Zhang, Hengjin; Yu, Zhaosheng; Liu, Zhichao; Ma, Xiaoqian

2017-05-01

To meet with the demand of energy conservation and emission reduction policies, the method of life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to assess the feasibility of Hybrid Giant Napier (HGN) direct-fired power generation in this study. The entire life cycle is consisted of five stages (cultivation and harvesting, transportation, drying and comminuting, direct-fired power generation, constructing and decommissioning of biomass power plant). Analytical results revealed that to generate 10000kWh electricity, 10.925 t of customized HGN fuel (moisture content: 30 wt%) and 6659.430 MJ of energy were required. The total environmental impact potential was 0.927 PET2010 (person equivalents, targeted, in 2010) and the global warming (GW), acidification (AC), and nutrient (NE) emissions were 339.235 kg CO2-eq, 22.033 kg SO2-eq, and 25.486 kg NOx-eq respectively. The effect of AC was the most serious among all calculated category impacts. The energy requirements and environmental impacts were found to be sensitive to single yield, average transport distance, cutting frequency, and moisture content. The results indicated that HGN direct-fired power generation accorded well with Chinese energy planning; in addition, HGN proved to be a promising contribution to reducing non-renewable energy consumption and had encouraging prospects as a renewable energy plant.

Improved intracellular PHA determinations with novel spectrophotometric quantification methodologies based on Sudan black dye.

PubMed

Porras, Mauricio A; Villar, Marcelo A; Cubitto, María A

2018-05-01

The presence of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) is usually studied using Sudan black dye solution (SB). In a previous work it was shown that the PHA could be directly quantified using the absorbance of SB fixed by PHA granules in wet cell samples. In the present paper, the optimum SB amount and the optimum conditions to be used for SB assays were determined following an experimental design by hybrid response surface methodology and desirability-function. In addition, a new methodology was developed in which it is shown that the amount of SB fixed by PHA granules can also be determined indirectly through the absorbance of the supernatant obtained from the stained cell samples. This alternative methodology allows a faster determination of the PHA content (involving 23 and 42 min for indirect and direct determinations, respectively), and can be undertaken by means of basic laboratory equipment and reagents. The correlation between PHA content in wet cell samples and the spectra of the SB stained supernatant was determined by means of multivariate and linear regression analysis. The best calibration adjustment (R 2  = 0.91, RSE: 1.56%), and the good PHA prediction obtained (RSE = 1.81%), shows that the proposed methodology constitutes a reasonably precise way for PHA content determination. Thus, this methodology could anticipate the probable results of the above mentioned direct PHA determination. Compared with the most used techniques described in the scientific literature, the combined implementation of these two methodologies seems to be one of the most economical and environmentally friendly, suitable for rapid monitoring of the intracellular PHA content. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of Spatial Data with Open Source Social Network Analysis and Geographic Information Systems Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabah, L.; Şimşek, M.

2017-11-01

Social networks are the real social experience of individuals in the online environment. In this environment, people use symbolic gestures and mimics, sharing thoughts and content. Social network analysis is the visualization of complex and large quantities of data to ensure that the overall picture appears. It is the understanding, development, quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relations in the social networks of Graph theory. Social networks are expressed in the form of nodes and edges. Nodes are people/organizations, and edges are relationships between nodes. Relations are directional, non-directional, weighted, and weightless. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of social networks on the evaluation of person data with spatial coordinates. For this, the cluster size and the effect on the geographical area of the circle where the placements of the individual are influenced by the frequently used placeholder feature in the social networks have been studied.

Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: Teaching Drug Marketers How to Inform Better or Spin Better?

PubMed Central

Doran, Evan

2016-01-01

Hyosun Kim’s report "Trouble Spots in Online Direct to Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters" aims to teach marketers how to avoid breaching current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines in their online drug promotion. While Kim hopes to minimise the potential for online promotion to misinform consumers and the study is carefully conducted, teaching drug marketers how to avoid the common mistakes in online drug promotion is more likely to make marketers more adept at spinning information than appropriately balancing it PMID:27239884

Coping with an altered mouth and perceived supportive care needs following head and neck cancer treatment.

PubMed

Pateman, K A; Ford, P J; Batstone, M D; Farah, C S

2015-08-01

Oral health is essential to general health and well-being and is severely impacted by head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment. This study aimed to describe how people who have been treated for HNC cope with altered oral health and function and to identify their supportive care needs. A qualitative, descriptive approach was used. Data was collected from individual interviews with six participants 6 months after treatment. Data analysis was performed by qualitative content analysis involving inductive and directed approaches. Directed content analysis was guided by the Stress, Appraisal and Coping Model. Three themes describing changed oral health were identified from the data: dimensions of eating, maintaining oral health after treatment and adapting to the chronic side effects of treatment. A strong use of problem-focussed coping was described, in addition to the importance of peer support in adapting to the psychosocial outcomes of treatment. Support needs identified related to increased access to specialist dental oncology services post treatment, information needs and a need for more psychological support. The study findings describe the experience of a sample of people who have received treatment for HNC. Due to a demographically homogenous sample and the strong use of positive coping strategies, the results presented may not describe the experience of the wider HNC population; however, these results provide insight into factors that may influence positive coping.

Self-presentation 2.0: narcissism and self-esteem on Facebook.

PubMed

Mehdizadeh, Soraya

2010-08-01

Online social networking sites have revealed an entirely new method of self-presentation. This cyber social tool provides a new site of analysis to examine personality and identity. The current study examines how narcissism and self-esteem are manifested on the social networking Web site Facebook.com . Self-esteem and narcissistic personality self-reports were collected from 100 Facebook users at York University. Participant Web pages were also coded based on self-promotional content features. Correlation analyses revealed that individuals higher in narcissism and lower in self-esteem were related to greater online activity as well as some self-promotional content. Gender differences were found to influence the type of self-promotional content presented by individual Facebook users. Implications and future research directions of narcissism and self-esteem on social networking Web sites are discussed.

Secular variation and fluctuation of GPS Total Electron Content over Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Rui; Jin, Shuanggen

2013-01-01

The total electron content (TEC) is an important parameters in the Earth's ionosphere, related to various space weather and solar activities. However, understanding of the complex ionospheric environments is still a challenge due to the lack of direct observations, particularly in the polar areas, e.g., Antarctica. Now the Global Positioning System (GPS) can be used to retrieve total electron content (TEC) from dual-frequency observations. The continuous GPS observations in Antarctica provide a good opportunity to investigate ionospheric climatology. In this paper, the long-term variations and fluctuations of TEC over Antarctica are investigated from CODE global ionospheric maps (GIM) with a resolution of 2.5°×5° every two hours since 1998. The analysis shows significant seasonal and secular variations in the GPS TEC. Furthermore, the effects of TEC fluctuations are discussed.

Intelligent bandwith compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, D. Y.; Bullock, B. L.; Olin, K. E.; Kandt, R. K.; Olsen, J. D.

1980-02-01

The feasibility of a 1000:1 bandwidth compression ratio for image transmission has been demonstrated using image-analysis algorithms and a rule-based controller. Such a high compression ratio was achieved by first analyzing scene content using auto-cueing and feature-extraction algorithms, and then transmitting only the pertinent information consistent with mission requirements. A rule-based controller directs the flow of analysis and performs priority allocations on the extracted scene content. The reconstructed bandwidth-compressed image consists of an edge map of the scene background, with primary and secondary target windows embedded in the edge map. The bandwidth-compressed images are updated at a basic rate of 1 frame per second, with the high-priority target window updated at 7.5 frames per second. The scene-analysis algorithms used in this system together with the adaptive priority controller are described. Results of simulated 1000:1 band width-compressed images are presented. A video tape simulation of the Intelligent Bandwidth Compression system has been produced using a sequence of video input from the data base.

Predicting objectively assessed physical activity from the content and regulation of exercise goals: evidence for a mediational model.

PubMed

Sebire, Simon J; Standage, Martyn; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

2011-04-01

Grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), the purpose of this work was to examine effects of the content and motivation of adults' exercise goals on objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). After reporting the content and motivation of their exercise goals, 101 adult participants (Mage = 38.79 years; SD = 11.5) wore an ActiGraph (GT1M) accelerometer for seven days. Accelerometer data were analyzed to provide estimates of engagement in MVPA and bouts of physical activity. Goal content did not directly predict behavioral engagement; however, mediation analysis revealed that goal content predicted behavior via autonomous exercise motivation. Specifically, intrinsic versus extrinsic goals for exercise had a positive indirect effect on average daily MVPA, average daily MVPA accumulated in 10-min bouts and the number of days on which participants performed 30 or more minutes of MVPA through autonomous motivation. These results support a motivational sequence in which intrinsic versus extrinsic exercise goals influence physical activity behavior because such goals are associated with more autonomous forms of exercise motivation.

A TiO2 abundance map for the northern maria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, T. V.; Saunders, R. S.; Matson, D. L.; Mosher, J. A.

1977-01-01

A map of TiO2 abundance for most of the northern maria is presented. The telescopic data base used is the 0.38/0.56-micron ratio mosaic from Johnson et at. (1977). The titanium content has been estimated using the correlation established by Charette et al. (1974). The combination of observational, processing, and calibration errors indicates that the TiO2 map is accurate to + or - 2% (wt% TiO2) for high TiO2 content (more than 5%) and + or - 1% for low values of TiO2. Analysis of the lunar sample and telescopic data suggests strongly that the spectral parameter mapped is sensitive primarily to TiO2 abundance in the range 3-9% and does not correlate directly with iron content. It is suggested, however, that for the low TiO2 mare regions (less than 2-3% TiO2) there may be a relation between the spectral ratio and iron content and that some of the reddest mare areas in the Imbrium region may have low iron contents as well as low titanium abundances.

A Direct Quantitative Agar-Plate Based Assay for Analysis of Pseudomonas protegens PF-5 Degradation of Polyurethane Films (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-02

Journal article published in International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 95 (2014) 311-319. The U.S. Government is joint author of the work and...SUBJECT TERMS pseudomonas biofilms, polyurethane, biodegradation , FTIR spectroscopy, citrate, impranil 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF...International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 95 (2014) 311e319Contents lists avaiInternational Biodeterioration & Biodegradation journal homepage

An Initital Analysis of Content and Cognitive Level of Questions Appearing on Intermediate Level Tests of Geographic Knowledge and Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kracht, James B.

The paper describes a study of the scope of geography achievement tests and the social studies components of national achievement tests. The research examined whether the tests' items were (1) directed primarily toward testing knowledge at the recall/memory level, and (2) comprehensive in their treatment of the discipline. Ten tests were analyzed,…

Sociolinguistic and Measurement Considerations for Construction of Armed Services Selection Batteries. Final Report for Period October 1975-June 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boldt, R. F.; And Others

Test fairness or bias may be defined in many different ways, and the existence of possible bias is difficult to demonstrate. Sociolinguistic analysis may be used to check for fairness or bias in test directions, test content specifications, or test items. Four sociolinguistic principles are held to be relevant for this task: (1) pragmatics--that…

Typology of after-hours care instructions for patients

PubMed Central

Bordman, Risa; Bovett, Monica; Drummond, Neil; Crighton, Eric J.; Wheler, David; Moineddin, Rahim; White, David

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE To develop a typology of after-hours care (AHC) instructions and to examine physician and practice characteristics associated with each type of instruction. DESIGN Cross-sectional telephone survey. Physicians’ offices were called during evenings and weekends to listen to their messages regarding AHC. All messages were categorized. Thematic analysis of a subset of messages was conducted to develop a typology of AHC instructions. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between physician and practice characteristics and the instructions left for patients. SETTING Family practices in the greater Toronto area. PARTICIPANTS Stratified random sample of family physicians providing office-based primary care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Form of response (eg, answering machine), content of message, and physician and practice characteristics. RESULTS Of 514 after-hours messages from family physicians’ offices, 421 were obtained from answering machines, 58 were obtained from answering services, 23 had no answer, 2 gave pager numbers, and 10 had other responses. Message content ranged from no AHC instructions to detailed advice; 54% of messages provided a single instruction, and the rest provided a combination of instructions. Content analysis identified 815 discrete instructions or types of response that were classified into 7 categories: 302 instructed patients to go to an emergency department; 122 provided direct contact with a physician; 115 told patients to go to a clinic; 94 left no directions; 76 suggested calling a housecall service; 45 suggested calling Telehealth; and 61 suggested other things. About 22% of messages only advised attending an emergency department, and 18% gave no advice at all. Physicians who were female, had Canadian certification in family medicine, held hospital privileges, or had attended a Canadian medical school were more likely to be directly available to their patients. CONCLUSION Important issues identified included the recommendation to use an emergency department as the sole source of AHC, practices providing no specific AHC instructions to their patients, and physicians’ lack of acceptance of Telehealth. To improve AHC, new initiatives should build upon the existing system, changes should be integrated, and there should be a range of AHC options for patients and physicians. PMID:17872681

Positive relationship detected between soil bioaccessible organic pollutants and antibiotic resistance genes at dairy farms in Nanjing, Eastern China.

PubMed

Sun, Mingming; Ye, Mao; Wu, Jun; Feng, Yanfang; Wan, Jinzhong; Tian, Da; Shen, Fangyuan; Liu, Kuan; Hu, Feng; Li, Huixin; Jiang, Xin; Yang, Linzhang; Kengara, Fredrick Orori

2015-11-01

Co-contaminated soils by organic pollutants (OPs), antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been becoming an emerging problem. However, it is unclear if an interaction exists between mixed pollutants and ARG abundance. Therefore, the potential relationship between OP contents and ARG and class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) abundance was investigated from seven dairy farms in Nanjing, Eastern China. Phenanthrene, pentachlorophenol, sulfadiazine, roxithromycin, associated ARG genes, and intI1 had the highest detection frequencies. Correlation analysis suggested a stronger positive relationship between the ARG abundance and the bioaccessible OP content than the total OP content. Additionally, the significant correlation between the bioaccessible mixed pollutant contents and ARG/intI1 abundance suggested a direct/indirect impact of the bioaccessible mixed pollutants on soil ARG dissemination. This study provided a preliminary understanding of the interaction between mixed pollutants and ARGs in co-contaminated soils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A validated near-infrared spectroscopic method for methanol detection in biodiesel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Andrea; Bräuer, Bastian; Nieuwenkamp, Gerard; Ent, Hugo; Bremser, Wolfram

2016-06-01

Biodiesel quality control is a relevant issue as biodiesel properties influence diesel engine performance and integrity. Within the European metrology research program (EMRP) ENG09 project ‘Metrology for Biofuels’, an on-line/at-site suitable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method has been developed in parallel with an improved EN14110 headspace gas chromatography (GC) analysis method for methanol in biodiesel. Both methods have been optimized for a methanol content of 0.2 mass% as this represents the maximum limit of methanol content in FAME according to EN 14214:2009. The NIRS method is based on a mobile NIR spectrometer equipped with a fiber-optic coupled probe. Due to the high volatility of methanol, a tailored air-tight adaptor was constructed to prevent methanol evaporation during measurement. The methanol content of biodiesel was determined from evaluation of NIRS spectra by partial least squares regression (PLS). Both GC analysis and NIRS exhibited a significant dependence on biodiesel feedstock. The NIRS method is applicable to a content range of 0.1% (m/m) to 0.4% (m/m) of methanol with uncertainties at around 6% relative for the different feedstocks. A direct comparison of headspace GC and NIRS for samples of FAMEs yielded that the results of both methods are fully compatible within their stated uncertainties.

Using Twitter to Understand Public Perceptions Regarding the #HPV Vaccine: Opportunities for Public Health Nurses to Engage in Social Marketing.

PubMed

Keim-Malpass, Jessica; Mitchell, Emma M; Sun, Emily; Kennedy, Christine

2017-07-01

Given the degree of public mistrust and provider hesitation regarding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, it is important to explore how information regarding the vaccine is shared online via social media outlets. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content of messaging regarding the HPV vaccine on the social media and microblogging site Twitter, and describe the sentiment of those messages. This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive approach. Over a 2-week period, Twitter content was searched hourly using key terms "#HPV and #Gardasil," which yielded 1,794 Twitter posts for analysis. Each post was then analyzed individually using an a priori coding strategy and directed content analysis. The majority of Twitter posts were written by lay consumers and were sharing commentary about a media source. However, when actual URLs were shared, the most common form of share was linking back to a blog post written by lay users. The vast majority of content was presented as polarizing (either as a positive or negative tweet), with 51% of the Tweets representing a positive viewpoint. Using Twitter to understand public sentiment offers a novel perspective to explore the context of health communication surrounding certain controversial issues. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Preliminarily application of content analysis to qualitative nursing data].

PubMed

Liang, Shu-Yuan; Chuang, Yeu-Hui; Wu, Shu-Fang

2012-10-01

Content analysis is a methodology for objectively and systematically studying the content of communication in various formats. Content analysis in nursing research and nursing education is called qualitative content analysis. Qualitative content analysis is frequently applied to nursing research, as it allows researchers to determine categories inductively and deductively. This article examines qualitative content analysis in nursing research from theoretical and practical perspectives. We first describe how content analysis concepts such as unit of analysis, meaning unit, code, category, and theme are used. Next, we describe the basic steps involved in using content analysis, including data preparation, data familiarization, analysis unit identification, creating tentative coding categories, category refinement, and establishing category integrity. Finally, this paper introduces the concept of content analysis rigor, including dependability, confirmability, credibility, and transferability. This article elucidates the content analysis method in order to help professionals conduct systematic research that generates data that are informative and useful in practical application.

A comprehensive review of the SLMTA literature part 1: Content analysis and future priorities

PubMed Central

Yao, Katy; Nkengasong, John N.

2014-01-01

Background Since its introduction in 2009, the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme has been implemented widely throughout Africa, as well as in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Objective We compiled results from local, national and global studies to provide a broad view of the programme and identify directions for the future. The review consists of two companion papers; this paper focuses on content analysis, examining various thematic components of the SLMTA programme and future priorities. Methods A systematic literature search identified 28 published articles about implementing the SLMTA programme. Results for various components of the SLMTA programme were reviewed and summarised. Results Local and national studies provide substantial information on previous experiences with quality management systems; variations on SLMTA implementation; building human resource capacity for trainers, mentors and auditors; the benefits and effectiveness of various types of mentorship; the importance of management buy-in to ensure country ownership; the need to instill a culture of quality in the laboratory; success factors and challenges; and future directions for the programme. Conclusions Local, national and global results suggest that the SLMTA programme has been overwhelmingly successful in transforming laboratory quality management. There is an urgent need to move forward in four strategic directions: progression (continued improvement in SLMTA laboratories), saturation (additional laboratories within countries that have implemented SLMTA), expansion (implementation in additional countries), and extension (adapting SLMTA for implementation beyond the laboratory), to lead to transformation of overall health systems and patient care. PMID:29043200

Analyzing the Effects of Climate Factors on Soybean Protein, Oil Contents, and Composition by Extensive and High-Density Sampling in China.

PubMed

Song, Wenwen; Yang, Ruping; Wu, Tingting; Wu, Cunxiang; Sun, Shi; Zhang, Shouwei; Jiang, Bingjun; Tian, Shiyan; Liu, Xiaobing; Han, Tianfu

2016-05-25

From 2010 to 2013, 763 soybean samples were collected from an extensive area of China. The correlations between seed compositions and climate data were analyzed. The contents of crude protein and water-soluble protein, total amount of protein plus oil, and most of the amino acids were positively correlated with an accumulated temperature ≥15 °C (AT15) and the mean daily temperature (MDT) but were negatively correlated with hours of sunshine (HS) and diurnal temperature range (DTR). The correlations of crude oil and most fatty acids with climate factors were opposite to those of crude protein. Crude oil content had a quadratic regression relationship with MDT, and a positive correlation between oil content and MDT was found when the daily temperature was <19.7 °C. A path analysis indicated that DTR was the main factor that directly affected soybean protein and oil contents. The study illustrated the effects of climate factors on soybean protein and oil contents and proposed agronomic practices for improving soybean quality in different regions of China. The results provide a foundation for the regionalization of high-quality soybean production in China and similar regions in the world.

Rare earth element geochemistry of oceanic ferromanganese nodules and associated sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elderfield, H.; Hawkesworth, C. J.; Greaves, M. J.; Calvert, S. E.

1981-04-01

Analyses have been made of REE contents of a well-characterized suite of deep-sea (> 4000 m.) principally todorokite-bearing ferromanganese nodules and associated sediments from the Pacific Ocean. REE in nodules and their sediments are closely related: nodules with the largest positive Ce anomalies are found on sediments with the smallest negative Ce anomalies; in contrast, nodules with the highest contents of other rare earths (3 + REE) are found on sediments with the lowest 3 + REE contents and vice versa. 143Nd /144Nd ratios in the nodules (˜0.51244) point to an original seawater source but an identical ratio for sediments in combination with the REE patterns suggests that diagenetic reactions may transfer elements into the nodules. Analysis of biogenic phases shows that the direct contribution of plankton and carbonate and siliceous skeletal materials to REE contents of nodules and sediments is negligible. Inter-element relationships and leaching tests suggest that REE contents are controlled by a P-rich phase with a REE pattern similar to that for biogenous apatite and an Fe-rich phase with a pattern the mirror image of that for sea water. It is proposed that 3 + REE concentrations are controlled by the surface chemistry of these phases during diagenetic reactions which vary with sediment accumulation rate. Processes which favour the enrichment of transition metals in equatorial Pacific nodules favour the depletion of 3 + REE in nodules and enrichment of 3 + REE in associated sediments. In contrast, Ce appears to be added both to nodules and sediments directly from seawater and is not involved in diagenetic reactions.

Development of an automated method for determining oil in water by direct aqueous supercritical fluid extraction coupled on-line with infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Minty, B; Ramsey, E D; Davies, I

2000-12-01

A direct aqueous supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) system was developed which can be directly interfaced to an infrared spectrometer for the determination of oil in water. The technique is designed to provide an environmentally clean, automated alternative to established IR methods for oil in water analysis which require the use of restricted organic solvents. The SFE-FTIR method involves minimum sample handling stages, with on-line analysis of a 500 ml water sample being complete within 15 min. Method accuracy for determining water samples spiked with gasoline, white spirit, kerosene, diesel or engine oil was 81-100% with precision (RSD) ranging from 3 to 17%. An independent evaluation determined a 2 ppm limit of quantification for diesel in industrial effluents. The results of a comparative study involving an established IR method and the SFE-FTIR method indicate that oil levels calculated using an accepted equation which includes coefficients derived from reference hydrocarbon standards may result in significant errors. A new approach permitted the derivation of quantification coefficients for the SFE-FTIR analyses which provided improved results. In situations where the identity of the oil to be analysed is known, a rapid off-line SFE-FTIR system calibration procedure was developed and successfully applied to various oils. An optional in-line silica gel clean-up procedure incorporated within the SFE-FTIR system enables the same water sample to be analysed for total oil content including vegetable oils and selectively for petroleum oil content within a total of 20 min. At the end of an analysis the SFE system is cleaned using an in situ 3 min clean cycle.

Is Project Based Learning More Effective than Direct Instruction in School Science Classrooms? An Analysis of the Empirical Research Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dann, Clifford

An increasingly loud call by parents, school administrators, teachers, and even business leaders for "authentic learning", emphasizing both group-work and problem solving, has led to growing enthusiasm for inquiry-based learning over the past decade. Although "inquiry" can be defined in many ways, a curriculum called "project-based learning" has recently emerged as the inquiry practice-of-choice with roots in the educational constructivism that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. Often, project-based learning is framed as an alternative instructional strategy to direct instruction for maximizing student content knowledge. This study investigates the empirical evidence for such a comparison while also evaluating the overall quality of the available studies in the light of accepted standards for educational research. Specifically, this thesis investigates what the body of quantitative research says about the efficacy of project-based learning vs. direct instruction when considering student acquisition of content knowledge in science classrooms. Further, existing limitations of the research pertaining to project based learning and secondary school education are explored. The thesis concludes with a discussion of where and how we should focus our empirical efforts in the future. The research revealed that the available empirical research contains flaws in both design and instrumentation. In particular, randomization is poor amongst all the studies considered. The empirical evidence indicates that project-based learning curricula improved student content knowledge but that, while the results were statistically significant, increases in raw test scores were marginal.

"It's our DNA, we deserve the right to test!" A content analysis of a petition for the right to access direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

PubMed

Su, Yeyang; Borry, Pascal; Otte, Ina C; Howard, Heidi C

2013-09-01

Various companies are currently advertising or selling genetic tests over the internet using a model of provision referred to as 'direct-to-consumer' (DTC). This commercial offer of DTC genetic testing (GT) has fueled a number of scientific, ethical and policy debates. To date there have been few studies published regarding the users' perspective. This study aimed to obtain information regarding the issues raised by individuals who signed a petition in support of DTC GT and the 'unrestricted' access to their genetic information. We conducted qualitative content analysis of comments written by individuals who signed a public online petition initiated by DIYgenomics (CA, USA) to support "personal access to genetic information". Of the 523 individuals who signed the petition sponsored by DIYgenomics, 247 individuals also wrote individual comments. A content analysis of these comments reveals that petitioners raised six main issues in support of unrestricted access to DTC GT: that their ownership of their DNA should allow them to have unrestricted access to their genomic information; that they should have the right to their genomic information; that the government has no place in (further) regulating DTC GT; that healthcare professionals should not be placed as intermediaries when purchasing DTC GT services; that many petioners who had already obtained DTC GT had positive experiences with this model of provision; and that genealogy or ancestry DNA testing is one of the main activities petitioners wish to have 'unrestricted' or 'direct' access. These results give insight into why individuals may support unrestricted access to their genomic information and confirm some of the motivations of users for purchasing DTC GT. Our analysis also brings to the forefront themes that have been raised less often in empirical studies involving motivations to purchase DTC GT services; these include the strongly held beliefs of some petitioners that, since they own their DNA, they should have the right to access the information without (further) government control or physician involvement. Interestingly, the comments left by petitioners also reveal a certain distrust of governmental agencies and healthcare professionals. This urges us to further study the public's views of these services and the potential impact of these views in order to responsibly address the ongoing debate on DTC GT.

Directing the public to evidence-based online content

PubMed Central

Cooper, Crystale Purvis; Gelb, Cynthia A; Vaughn, Alexandra N; Smuland, Jenny; Hughes, Alexandra G; Hawkins, Nikki A

2015-01-01

To direct online users searching for gynecologic cancer information to accurate content, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ‘Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer’ campaign sponsored search engine advertisements in English and Spanish. From June 2012 to August 2013, advertisements appeared when US Google users entered search terms related to gynecologic cancer. Users who clicked on the advertisements were directed to relevant content on the CDC website. Compared with the 3 months before the initiative (March–May 2012), visits to the CDC web pages linked to the advertisements were 26 times higher after the initiative began (June–August 2012) (p<0.01), and 65 times higher when the search engine advertisements were supplemented with promotion on television and additional websites (September 2012–August 2013) (p<0.01). Search engine advertisements can direct users to evidence-based content at a highly teachable moment—when they are seeking relevant information. PMID:25053580

Usage Analysis of a Shared Care Planning System

PubMed Central

Warren, Jim; Gu, Yulong; Humphrey, Gayl

2012-01-01

We examined the content of electronically mediated communications in a trial of shared care planning (SCP) for long-term condition management. Software supports SCP by sharing patient records and care plans among members of the multidisciplinary care team (with patient access). Our analysis focuses on a three-month period with 73 enrolled patients, 149 provider-assigned tasks, 64 clinical notes and 48 care plans with 162 plan elements. Results show that content of notes entries is often related to task assignment and that nurses are the most active users. Directions for refinement of the SCP technology are indicated, including better integration of notes, tasks and care team notifications, as well as the central role of nurses for design use cases. Broader issues are raised about workforce roles and responsibilities for SCP, integrating patient-provider and provider-provider communications, and the centrality of care plans as the key entity in mediation of the care team. PMID:23304370

Social support and online postpartum depression discussion groups: a content analysis.

PubMed

Evans, Marilyn; Donelle, Lorie; Hume-Loveland, Laurie

2012-06-01

Social support has a positive influence on women's childbearing experience and is shown to be a preventive factor in postpartum depression. This study examined the perceived value and types of social supports that characterize the discussions of women who participate in postpartum depression online discussion groups. A directed content analysis was used to examine 512 messages posted on a postpartum depression online support group over six months. The majority of the women's postings illustrated emotional support followed by informational and instrumental support. Online support groups provide women experiencing postpartum depression a safe place to connect with others and receive information, encouragement and hope. Education strategies are needed to address the many questions regarding PPD medical treatment. Recommending vetted links to PPD online support groups will create opportunities for women to share their experiences and obtain support. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Older Adults' Opinions on Fall Prevention in Relation to Physical Activity Level.

PubMed

Tuvemo Johnson, Susanna; Martin, Cathrin; Anens, Elisabeth; Johansson, Ann-Christin; Hellström, Karin

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe older adults' opinions regarding actions to prevent falls and to analyze differences in the opinions of highly versus less physically active older adults. An open-ended question was answered by 262 individuals aged 75 to 98 years living in the community. The answers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and differences in the categories were compared between highly and less physically active persons. Physical activity was measured according to a five-level scale. The content analysis resulted in eight categories: assistive devices, avoiding hazards, behavioral adaptive strategies, being physically active, healthy lifestyle, indoor modifications, outdoor modifications, and seeking assistance. Behavioral adaptive strategies were mentioned to a greater extent by highly active people, and indoor modifications were more often mentioned by less active older adults. Support for active self-directed behavioral strategies might be important for fall prevention among less physically active older adults.

Visual Analysis Based on the Data of Chinese Surveying and Mapping Journals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Liu, Haiyan; Guo, Wenyue; Yu, Anzhu

2016-06-01

Taking four influential Chinese surveying and mapping journals as the data source, 5863 papers published during the period of 2003-2013 were obtained. Using the method of bibliometrics and visual analysis, summarizing the surveying and mapping papers in the past ten years (2003-2013), research themes, authors, and geographical distribution were analyzed. In the study, the papers of geodesy, cartography and GIS are 59.9%, more than half of all the papers. We also determine that the core author group has 131 authors, mainly of whom are from big cities. 90% of top ten cities on the number of publishing papers are capital cities or municipalities directly under the central government.In conclusion, we found that the research focus was different every year, and the research content was richness, the content of geodesy, cartography and GIS were widely researched, and the development of surveying and mapping is imbalanced in China.

Consistency of seven different GNSS global ionospheric mapping techniques during one solar cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roma-Dollase, David; Hernández-Pajares, Manuel; Krankowski, Andrzej; Kotulak, Kacper; Ghoddousi-Fard, Reza; Yuan, Yunbin; Li, Zishen; Zhang, Hongping; Shi, Chuang; Wang, Cheng; Feltens, Joachim; Vergados, Panagiotis; Komjathy, Attila; Schaer, Stefan; García-Rigo, Alberto; Gómez-Cama, José M.

2018-06-01

In the context of the International GNSS Service (IGS), several IGS Ionosphere Associated Analysis Centers have developed different techniques to provide global ionospheric maps (GIMs) of vertical total electron content (VTEC) since 1998. In this paper we present a comparison of the performances of all the GIMs created in the frame of IGS. Indeed we compare the classical ones (for the ionospheric analysis centers CODE, ESA/ESOC, JPL and UPC) with the new ones (NRCAN, CAS, WHU). To assess the quality of them in fair and completely independent ways, two assessment methods are used: a direct comparison to altimeter data (VTEC-altimeter) and to the difference of slant total electron content (STEC) observed in independent ground reference stations (dSTEC-GPS). The main conclusion of this study, performed during one solar cycle, is the consistency of the results between so many different GIM techniques and implementations.

Multi-spacecraft coherent Doppler and ranging for interplanetary-navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollmeier, Vincent M.

1995-01-01

Future plans for planetary exploration currently include using multiple spacecraft to simultaneously explore one planet. This never before encountered situation places new demands on tracking systems used to support navigation. One possible solution to the problem of heavy ground resource conflicts is the use of multispacecraft coherent radio metric data, also known as, bent-pipe data. Analysis of the information content of these data types show that the information content of multi-spacecraft Doppler is dependent only on the frequency of the final downlink leg and is independent of the frequencies used on other legs. Numerical analysis shows that coherent bent-pipe data can provide significantly better capability to estimate the location of a lander on the surface of Mars than can direct lander to Earth radio metric data. However, this is complicated by difficulties in separating the effect of a lander position error from that of an orbiter position error for single passes of data.

A method of lead determination in human teeth by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF).

PubMed

Sargentini-Maier, M L; Frank, R M; Leroy, M J; Turlot, J C

1988-12-01

A systematic sampling procedure was combined with a method of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) to study lead content and its variations in human teeth. On serial ground sections made on unembedded permanent teeth of inhabitants of Strasbourg with a special diamond rotating disk, 2 series of 500 microns large punch biopsies were made systematically in 5 directions from the tooth surface to the inner pulpal dentine with a micro-punching unit. In addition, pooled fragments of enamel and dentine were made for each tooth. On each punched fragment or pooled sample, lead content was determined after dissolution in ultrapure nitric acid, on a 4 microns thick polypropylene film, and irradiation with a Siemens EDXRF prototype with direct sample excitation by a high power X-ray tube with a molybdenum anode. Fluorescence was detected by a Si(Li) detector and calcium was used as an internal standard. This technique allowed a rapid, automatic, multielementary and non-destructive analysis of microsamples with good detection limits.

Macrosegregation During Re-melting and Holding of Directionally Solidified Al-7 wt.% Si Alloy in Microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, M.; Ghods, M.; Angart, S. G.; Grugel, R. N.; Tewari, S. N.; Poirier, D. R.

2017-08-01

As-cast aluminum-7 wt.% ailicon alloy sample rods were re-melted and directionally solidified on Earth which resulted in uniform dendritically aligned arrays. These arrays were then partially back-melted through an imposed, and constant, temperature gradient in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station. The mushy zones that developed in the seed crystals were held for different periods prior to initiating directional solidification. Upon return, examination of the initial mushy-zone regions exhibited significant macrosegregation in terms of a solute-depleted zone that increased as a function of the holding time. The silicon (solute) content in these regions was measured on prepared longitudinal sections by electron microprobe analysis as well as by determining the fraction eutectic on several transverse sections. The silicon content was found to increase up the temperature gradient resulting in significant silicon concentration immediately ahead of the mushy-zone tips. The measured macrosegregation agrees well with calculations from a mathematical model developed to simulate the re-melting and holding process. The results, due to processing in a microgravity environment where buoyancy and thermosolutal convection are minimized, serve as benchmark solidification data.

Development of a direct education workshop for cervical cancer prevention in high risk women: the Forsyth County project.

PubMed

Dignan, M B; Beal, P E; Michielutte, R; Sharp, P C; Daniels, L A; Young, L D

1990-01-01

With funding from the National Cancer Institute, a public health education program was developed with the primary objective of increasing the proportion of black women in Forsyth County, North Carolina, who receive Pap smears on a regular basis. This paper reports on the development and implementation of the direct education component of the program. The content of the workshop was based on community analysis of current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in the target population, and a review of relevant literature on cervical cancer and the Pap smear. Methods for presentation of the content were refined through three pilot tests. Audiovisual materials were also developed to illustrate key points. The direct education component of the program was designed to function as a short workshop and includes an overview of healthy lifestyles, coverage of the importance of early detection of cancer, a description and discussion of the pelvic exam and the Pap smear, and a discussion of common barriers to obtaining Pap smears on a regular basis. Evaluation of the workshop emphasizes process measures, including a questionnaire to collect demographic information and impressions of the presentation. Interim results of the evaluation are discussed.

Applicability of direct total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis for selenium determination in solutions related to environmental and geochemical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marguí, E.; Floor, G. H.; Hidalgo, M.; Kregsamer, P.; Roman-Ross, G.; Streli, C.; Queralt, I.

2010-12-01

A significant amount of environmental studies related to selenium determination in different environmental compartments have been published in the last years due to the narrow range between the Se nutritious requirement as essential element and toxic effects upon exposure. However, the direct analysis of complex liquid samples like natural waters and extraction solutions presents significant problems related to the low Se concentrations and the complicated matrix of this type of samples. The goal of the present research was to study the applicability of direct TXRF analysis of different type of solutions commonly used in environmental and geochemical studies, confirm the absence or presence of matrix effects and evaluate the limits of detection and accuracy for Se determination in the different matrices. Good analytical results were obtained for the direct analysis of ground and rain water samples with limits of detection for Se two orders of magnitude lower than the permissible Se concentration in drinking waters ([Se] = 10 μg/L) according to the WHO. However, the Se detection limits for more complex liquid samples such as thermal waters and extraction solutions were in the μg/L range due to the presence of high contents of other elements present in the matrix (i.e., Br, Fe, Zn) or the high background of the TXRF spectrum that hamper the Se determination at trace levels. Our results give insight into the possibilities and drawbacks of direct TXRF analysis and to a certain extent the potential applications in the environmental and geochemical field.

Label-free in vivo analysis of intracellular lipid droplets in the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum by coherent Raman scattering microscopy.

PubMed

Jaeger, Daniel; Pilger, Christian; Hachmeister, Henning; Oberländer, Elina; Wördenweber, Robin; Wichmann, Julian; Mussgnug, Jan H; Huser, Thomas; Kruse, Olaf

2016-10-21

Oleaginous photosynthetic microalgae hold great promise as non-food feedstocks for the sustainable production of bio-commodities. The algal lipid quality can be analysed by Raman micro-spectroscopy, and the lipid content can be imaged in vivo in a label-free and non-destructive manner by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy. In this study, both techniques were applied to the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum, a biotechnologically promising microalga resistant to commonly applied lipid staining techniques. The lipid-specific CARS signal was successfully separated from the interfering two-photon excited fluorescence of chlorophyll and for the first time, lipid droplet formation during nitrogen starvation could directly be analysed. We found that the neutral lipid content deduced from CARS image analysis strongly correlated with the neutral lipid content measured gravimetrically and furthermore, that the relative degree of unsaturation of fatty acids stored in lipid droplets remained similar. Interestingly, the lipid profile during cellular adaption to nitrogen starvation showed a two-phase characteristic with initially fatty acid recycling and subsequent de novo lipid synthesis. This works demonstrates the potential of quantitative CARS microscopy as a label-free lipid analysis technique for any microalgal species, which is highly relevant for future biotechnological applications and to elucidate the process of microalgal lipid accumulation.

[Quantitative analysis of nucleotide mixtures with terahertz time domain spectroscopy].

PubMed

Zhang, Zeng-yan; Xiao, Ti-qiao; Zhao, Hong-wei; Yu, Xiao-han; Xi, Zai-jun; Xu, Hong-jie

2008-09-01

Adenosine, thymidine, guanosine, cytidine and uridine form the building blocks of ribose nucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA). Nucleosides and their derivants are all have biological activities. Some of them can be used as medicine directly or as materials to synthesize other medicines. It is meaningful to detect the component and content in nucleosides mixtures. In the present paper, components and contents of the mixtures of adenosine, thymidine, guanosine, cytidine and uridine were analyzed. THz absorption spectra of pure nucleosides were set as standard spectra. The mixture's absorption spectra were analyzed by linear regression with non-negative constraint to identify the components and their relative content in the mixtures. The experimental and analyzing results show that it is simple and effective to get the components and their relative percentage in the mixtures by terahertz time domain spectroscopy with a relative error less than 10%. Component which is absent could be excluded exactly by this method, and the error sources were also analyzed. All the experiments and analysis confirms that this method is of no damage or contamination to the sample. This means that it will be a simple, effective and new method in biochemical materials analysis, which extends the application field of THz-TDS.

Intravascular laser speckle imaging for the mechanical analysis of coronary plaques (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosoda, Masaki; Wang, Jing; Tsikudi, Diane; Nadkarni, Seemantini

2016-02-01

Acute myocardial infarction is frequently caused by the rupture of coronary plaques with severely compromised viscoelastic properties. We have developed a new optical technology termed intravascular laser speckle imaging (ILSI) that evaluates plaque viscoelastic properties, by measuring the time scale (time constant, τ) of temporally evolving laser speckle fluctuations. To enable coronary evaluation in vivo, an optical ILSI catheter has been developed that accomplishes omni-directional illumination and viewing of the entire coronary circumference without the need for mechanical rotation. Here, we describe the capability of ILSI for evaluating human coronary atherosclerosis in cadaveric hearts. ILSI was conducted in conjunction with optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging in five human cadaveric hearts. The left coronary artery (LCA), left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCx), and right coronary artery (RCA) segments were resected and secured on custom-developed coronary holders to enable accurate co-registration between ILSI, OCT, and histopathology. Speckle time constants, τ, calculated from each ILSI section were compared with lipid and collagen content measured from quantitative Histopathological analysis of the corresponding Oil Red O and Picrosirius Red stained sections. Because the presence of low viscosity lipid elicits rapid speckle fluctuations, we observed an inverse correlation between τ measured by ILSI and lipid content (R= -0.64, p< 0.05). In contrast, the higher viscoelastic modulus of fibrous regions resulted in a positive correlation between τ and collagen content (R= 0.54, p< 0.05). These results demonstrate the feasibility of conducting ILSI evaluation of arterial mechanical properties using a miniaturized omni-directional catheter.

[Post-graduate gerontology training in Spain: Number, characteristics, and contents taught in master courses].

PubMed

Villar, Feliciano; Giuliani, María Florencia; Serrat, Rodrigo

Population aging raises the need for specialised professionals to address the needs of the elderly. The aim of this paper is to describe the number, characteristics, and contents of the Master degree courses that are currently offered in Spain. There were 32 Master degree courses offered in the 2014-15 academic year. These required at least 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). At least half of the course credits were based on contents directly related to old age, older people, or aging. An analysis was made that included, information on the institutional affiliation, official status, academic structure, and contents taught. A content analysis was performed on curriculum subjects, in order to classify the courses into multidisciplinary or specialised (with focus either on health, behavioural, or social sciences). Most of the courses required mandatory class attendance, and lasted one academic year (60 ECTS). They also included the completion of a final project and a practicum. The majority (59%) of Master degree courses were classified as multidisciplinary. Of the remaining ones, 19% were labelled as specialised in behavioural sciences, 16% in health sciences, and 2% in social sciences. The field of higher education in gerontology in Spain seems to be consolidated, taking into account indicators such as the number of courses offered, their territorial distribution, or the number of official Master degree courses. While the academic structure of the courses is quite similar, in contrast, their contents and nature are highly diverse, which responds to the different training needs. Copyright © 2016 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Geotechnical behavior of the MSW in Tianziling landfill.

PubMed

Zhu, Xiang-Rong; Jin, Jian-Min; Fang, Peng-Fei

2003-01-01

The valley shaped Tianziling landfill of Hangzhou in China built in 1991 to dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW) was designed for a service life of 13 years. The problem of waste landfill slope stability and expansion must be considered from the geotechnical engineering point of view, for which purpose, it is necessary to understand the geotechnical properties of the MSW in the landfill, some of whose physical properties were measured by common geotechnical tests, such as those on unit weight, water content, organic matter content, specific gravity, coefficient of permeability, compressibility, etc. The mechanical properties were studied by direct shear test, triaxial compression test, and static and dynamic penetration tests. Some strength parameters for engineering analysis were obtained.

Lost in Translation: The Unintended Consequences of Advance Directive Law on Clinical Care

PubMed Central

Castillo, Lesley S.; Williams, Brie A.; Hooper, Sarah M.; Sabatino, Charles P.; Weithorn, Lois A.; Sudore, Rebecca L.

2011-01-01

Background Advance directive law may compromise the clinical effectiveness of advance directives. Purpose To identify unintended legal consequences of advance directive law that may prevent patients from communicating end-of-life preferences. Data Sources Advance directive legal statutes for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and English-language searches of LexisNexis, Westlaw, and MEDLINE from 1966 to August 2010. Study Selection Two independent reviewers selected 51 advance directive statutes and 20 articles. Three independent legal reviewers selected 105 legal proceedings. Data Extraction Two reviewers independently assessed data sources and used critical content analysis to determine legal barriers to the clinical effectiveness of advance directives. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Data Synthesis Legal and content-related barriers included poor readability (that is, laws in all states were written above a 12th-grade reading level), health care agent or surrogate restrictions (for example, 40 states did not include same-sex or domestic partners as default surrogates), and execution requirements needed to make forms legally valid (for example, 35 states did not allow oral advance directives, and 48 states required witness signatures, a notary public, or both). Vulnerable populations most likely to be affected by these barriers included patients with limited literacy, limited English proficiency, or both who cannot read or execute advance directives; same-sex or domestic partners who may be without legally valid and trusted surrogates; and unbefriended, institutionalized, or homeless patients who may be without witnesses and suitable surrogates. Limitation Only appellate-level legal cases were available, which may have excluded relevant cases. Conclusion Unintended negative consequences of advance directive legal restrictions may prevent all patients, and particularly vulnerable patients, from making and communicating their end-of-life wishes and having them honored. These restrictions have rendered advance directives less clinically useful. Recommendations include improving readability, allowing oral advance directives, and eliminating witness or notary requirements. Primary Funding Source U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pfizer Foundation. PMID:21242368

Eulerian frequency analysis of structural vibrations from high-speed video

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Venanzoni, Andrea; Siemens Industry Software NV, Interleuvenlaan 68, B-3001 Leuven; De Ryck, Laurent

An approach for the analysis of the frequency content of structural vibrations from high-speed video recordings is proposed. The techniques and tools proposed rely on an Eulerian approach, that is, using the time history of pixels independently to analyse structural motion, as opposed to Lagrangian approaches, where the motion of the structure is tracked in time. The starting point is an existing Eulerian motion magnification method, which consists in decomposing the video frames into a set of spatial scales through a so-called Laplacian pyramid [1]. Each scale — or level — can be amplified independently to reconstruct a magnified motionmore » of the observed structure. The approach proposed here provides two analysis tools or pre-amplification steps. The first tool provides a representation of the global frequency content of a video per pyramid level. This may be further enhanced by applying an angular filter in the spatial frequency domain to each frame of the video before the Laplacian pyramid decomposition, which allows for the identification of the frequency content of the structural vibrations in a particular direction of space. This proposed tool complements the existing Eulerian magnification method by amplifying selectively the levels containing relevant motion information with respect to their frequency content. This magnifies the displacement while limiting the noise contribution. The second tool is a holographic representation of the frequency content of a vibrating structure, yielding a map of the predominant frequency components across the structure. In contrast to the global frequency content representation of the video, this tool provides a local analysis of the periodic gray scale intensity changes of the frame in order to identify the vibrating parts of the structure and their main frequencies. Validation cases are provided and the advantages and limits of the approaches are discussed. The first validation case consists of the frequency content retrieval of the tip of a shaker, excited at selected fixed frequencies. The goal of this setup is to retrieve the frequencies at which the tip is excited. The second validation case consists of two thin metal beams connected to a randomly excited bar. It is shown that the holographic representation visually highlights the predominant frequency content of each pixel and locates the global frequencies of the motion, thus retrieving the natural frequencies for each beam.« less

Pedagogical issues for effective teaching of biosignal processing and analysis.

PubMed

Sandham, William A; Hamilton, David J

2010-01-01

Biosignal processing and analysis is generally perceived by many students to be a challenging topic to understand, and to become adept with the necessary analytical skills. This is a direct consequence of the high mathematical content involved, and the many abstract features of the topic. The MATLAB and Mathcad software packages offer an excellent algorithm development environment for teaching biosignal processing and analysis modules, and can also be used effectively in many biosignal, and indeed bioengineering, research areas. In this paper, traditional introductory and advanced biosignal processing (and analysis) syllabi are reviewed, and the use of MATLAB and Mathcad for teaching and research is illustrated with a number of examples.

Photothermal method of determining calorific properties of coal

DOEpatents

Amer, Nabil M.

1985-01-01

Predetermined amounts of heat are generated within a coal sample (11) by directing pump light pulses (14) of predetermined energy content into a small surface region (16) of the sample (11). A beam (18) of probe light is directed along the sample surface (19) and deflection of the probe beam (18) from thermally induced changes of index of refraction in the fluid medium adjacent the heated region (16) are detected. Deflection amplitude and the phase lag of the deflection, relative to the initiating pump light pulse (14), are indicative of the calorific value and the porosity of the sample (11). The method provides rapid, accurate and non-destructive analysis of the heat producing capabilities of coal samples (11). In the preferred form, sequences of pump light pulses (14) of increasing durations are directed into the sample (11) at each of a series of minute regions (16) situated along a raster scan path (21) enabling detailed analysis of variations of thermal properties at different areas of the sample (11) and at different depths.

Cross-border healthcare directive: Assessing stakeholders' perspectives in Poland and Portugal.

PubMed

Helena, Ricardo

2016-04-01

Within the context of the EU, a succession of rulings from the European Court of Justice addressed the gap of specific healthcare legislation. These rulings shook the member states assumption of health provision autonomy and led the European Commission to produce a specific directive concerning cross-border healthcare. In spite of different viewpoints of member states, including Poland and Portugal, the directive was approved and expected to be implemented by October 2013. The objective of this study was to analyse stakeholders' perspective towards the directive, unveiling the factors that supported a different viewpoint, and to identify challenges and assess the expected impact associated with the directive implementation on Poland and Portugal, using the WHO health systems conceptual framework. Information was collected through a literature review, identifying potential stakeholders. Primary qualitative analysis was conducted through the dissemination of open-ended questionnaires. Content and critical analysis was performed considering the available literature intertwined with the WHO health systems conceptual framework. The directive appears to be positive regarding patient rights, increased transparency, and potential to set new information technologies and healthcare networks. However, it also seems to potentially generate access inequalities between home and foreign patients, and increase healthcare costs due to the short-term investments needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of Underwater Friction Stir Welding of Hardenable Alloy Steel

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

Base Material CNC – Computer Numerical Controlled EDM – Electrical Discharge Machining FSP – Friction Stir Processing FSW – Friction Stir Welding...Hydrogen content was determined through vacuum hot extraction according to ASTM E 146-83. All other components were analyzed by direct current plasma ...emission spectroscopy according to ASTM E 1097-07. C. MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS 1. Specimen Preparation A Charmilles Andrew EF630 CNC Wire EDM

An Analysis of Full Scale Measurements on M/V Stewart J. Cort during the 1979 and 1980 Trial Programs. Parts I and II.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

IKCuNITY CLASSIFICATION OF Tm4iS IMAGE (Vrhn Dot& Entered) .,.-’- . . . . . ... .. ... " . . ...... ....... .. . . . . . . . . TABLE OF CONTENTS...11-19 APPENDIX D: BASIC PROCESSING ............................... 11-21 APPENDIX E: SIMULATION OF DATA...equipment previously developed, and an on-board data processing system. These full scale ship trials were the first in history with the objective of directly

Gravitational effects on body composition in birds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, A. H.; Sanchez P., O.; Burton, R. R.

1975-01-01

Gallinaceous birds, presenting a wide range of body size, were adapted physiologically to hyperdynamic environments, provided by chronic centrifugation. Chemical composition was measured directly on prepared carcasses, which were anatomically comparable, and more amenable to analysis than the intact body. Body mass and body fat decreased arithmetically with increasing field strength and also with increasing body mass. Water content of lean tissue increased in hyperdynamic environments, but irrespectively of body size.

Experiences of nursing students of Evidence-Based Practice Education according to Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Model: A Directed Content Analysis.

PubMed

Pashaeypoor, Shahzad; Ashktorab, Tahereh; Rassouli, Maryam; Alavi Majd, Hamid

2017-10-01

Evidence based practice (EBP) education is essential in promoting of clinical care, but an effective educational strategy for teaching EBP in nursing faculties is not available. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nursing students of EBP Education according to Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Model. This qualitative study was carried out using a directed content analysis method and purposeful sampling. Data were collected until saturation by fourteen semi-structured face-to-face individual interviews and two focus group discussions with nursing students from two nursing faculties in Tehran, Iran. Rogers' Model was used in this study. Data were classified into five themes and 11 categories according to the Rogers's Model. Themes and main categories were knowledge (educational enrichment, new strategy for education), persuasion (internalization of education, improvement of motivation), decision (acceptance, use in the future), implementation (objectivity, consolidation of learning) and confirmation (learning and teaching, achieving a goal, self-confidence). EBP Education, based on the teaching strategy of Rogers's Model, leads to an improved EBP learning. All the necessary steps for a better education of it are included in this educational approach which can be used to teach any new subject like EBP.

Qualitative content analysis of online news media coverage of weight loss surgery and related reader comments.

PubMed

Glenn, N M; Champion, C C; Spence, J C

2012-10-01

The media has the ability to affect public opinion and policy direction. Prevalence of morbid obesity in Canada is increasing; as is the only effective long-term treatment, weight loss surgery (WLS). Limited research has explored media re/presentations of WLS. The purpose of this study was to examine national online news coverage (and reader comments) of WLS using content analysis. We sought to understand the dominant messages being conveyed within the news texts and reader comments, specifically whose voice was represented, who was the intended audience and what was the overall tone. Articles and comments were retrieved from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news web site and analysed using line-by-line techniques. Articles were predominantly 'positive/supportive' (63%) in tone and frequently presented the voices and opinions of 'experts' conveying a biomedical perspective. Comments were overwhelmingly 'negative' (56%) and often derogatory including such language as 'piggy' and 'fatty'. Comments were almost exclusively anonymous (99%) and were frequently directed at other commenters (33%) and 'fat' people (6%). The potentially problematic nature of media framing and reader comments, particularly as they could relate to weight-based stigmatization and discrimination is discussed. © 2012 The Authors. Clinical Obesity © 2012 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Investigations on structural, vibrational, morphological and optical properties of CdS and CdS/Co films by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksay, S.; Polat, M.; Özer, T.; Köse, S.; Gürbüz, G.

2011-09-01

CdS and CdS/Co films have been deposited on glass substrates by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The effects of Co incorporation on the structural, optical, morphological, elemental and vibrational properties of these films were investigated. XRD analysis confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of all films and had no impurity phase. While CdS film has (0 0 2) as the preferred orientation, CdS/Co films have (1 1 0) as the preferred orientation. The direct optical band gap was found to decrease from 2.42 to 2.39 eV by Co incorporation. The decrease of the direct energy gaps by increasing Co contents is mainly due to the sp-d exchange interaction between the localized d-electrons of Co2+ ions and band electrons of CdS. After the optical investigations, it was seen that the transmittance of CdS films decreased by Co content. The Raman measurements revealed two peaks corresponding to the 1LO and 2LO modes of hexagonal CdS. The vibrational modes of Cd-S were obtained in the wavenumber range (590-715 cm-1) using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The elemental analysis of the film was done by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry.

Compositional and structural properties of pulsed laser-deposited ZnS:Cr films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nematollahi, Mohammadreza; Yang, Xiaodong; Seim, Eivind; Vullum, Per Erik; Holmestad, Randi; Gibson, Ursula J.; Reenaas, Turid W.

2016-02-01

We present the properties of Cr-doped zinc sulfide (ZnS:Cr) films deposited on Si(100) by pulsed laser deposition. The films are studied for solar cell applications, and to obtain a high absorption, a high Cr content (2.0-5.0 at.%) is used. It is determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy that Cr is relatively uniformly distributed, and that local Cr increases correspond to Zn decreases. The results indicate that most Cr atoms substitute Zn sites. Consistently, electron energy loss and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the films contain mainly Cr2+ ions. Structural analysis showed that the films are polycrystalline and textured. The films with ~4 % Cr are mainly grown along the hexagonal [001] direction in wurtzite phase. The average lateral grain size decreases with increasing Cr content, and at a given Cr content, increases with increasing growth temperature.

A metagenomic framework for the study of airborne microbial communities.

PubMed

Yooseph, Shibu; Andrews-Pfannkoch, Cynthia; Tenney, Aaron; McQuaid, Jeff; Williamson, Shannon; Thiagarajan, Mathangi; Brami, Daniel; Zeigler-Allen, Lisa; Hoffman, Jeff; Goll, Johannes B; Fadrosh, Douglas; Glass, John; Adams, Mark D; Friedman, Robert; Venter, J Craig

2013-01-01

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria.

A Metagenomic Framework for the Study of Airborne Microbial Communities

PubMed Central

Tenney, Aaron; McQuaid, Jeff; Williamson, Shannon; Thiagarajan, Mathangi; Brami, Daniel; Zeigler-Allen, Lisa; Hoffman, Jeff; Goll, Johannes B.; Fadrosh, Douglas; Glass, John; Adams, Mark D.; Friedman, Robert; Venter, J. Craig

2013-01-01

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria. PMID:24349140

NPK NMR Sensor: Online Monitoring of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in Animal Slurry.

PubMed

Sørensen, Morten K; Jensen, Ole; Bakharev, Oleg N; Nyord, Tavs; Nielsen, Niels Chr

2015-07-07

Knowledge of the actual content of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) in animal slurry is highly important to optimize crop production and avoid environmental pollution when slurry is spread on agricultural fields. Here, we present a mobile, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensor suitable for online monitoring of the NPK content in animal slurry as an alternative to crude estimates or tedious nonspecific, off-site laboratory analysis. The sensor is based on (14)N, (17)O, (31)P, and (39)K NMR in a digital NMR instrument equipped with a 1.5 T Halbach magnet for direct detection of ammonium N, total P, and K and indirect evaluation of the organic N content, covering all practical components of NPK in animal slurry. In correlation studies, the obtained NMR measurements show good agreement with reference measurements from commercial laboratories.

Determination of fossil carbon content in Swedish waste fuel by four different methods.

PubMed

Jones, Frida C; Blomqvist, Evalena W; Bisaillon, Mattias; Lindberg, Daniel K; Hupa, Mikko

2013-10-01

This study aimed to determine the content of fossil carbon in waste combusted in Sweden by using four different methods at seven geographically spread combustion plants. In total, the measurement campaign included 42 solid samples, 21 flue gas samples, 3 sorting analyses and 2 investigations using the balance method. The fossil carbon content in the solid samples and in the flue gas samples was determined using (14)C-analysis. From the analyses it was concluded that about a third of the carbon in mixed Swedish waste (municipal solid waste and industrial waste collected at Swedish industry sites) is fossil. The two other methods (the balance method and calculations from sorting analyses), based on assumptions and calculations, gave similar results in the plants in which they were used. Furthermore, the results indicate that the difference between samples containing as much as 80% industrial waste and samples consisting of solely municipal solid waste was not as large as expected. Besides investigating the fossil content of the waste, the project was also established to investigate the usability of various methods. However, it is difficult to directly compare the different methods used in this project because besides the estimation of emitted fossil carbon the methods provide other information, which is valuable to the plant owner. Therefore, the choice of method can also be controlled by factors other than direct determination of the fossil fuel emissions when considering implementation in the combustion plants.

Direct observation of CD4 T cell morphologies and their cross-sectional traction force derivation on quartz nanopillar substrates using focused ion beam technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Joo; Kim, Gil-Sung; Hyung, Jung-Hwan; Lee, Won-Yong; Hong, Chang-Hee; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2013-07-01

Direct observations of the primary mouse CD4 T cell morphologies, e.g., cell adhesion and cell spreading by culturing CD4 T cells in a short period of incubation (e.g., 20 min) on streptavidin-functionalized quartz nanopillar arrays (QNPA) using a high-content scanning electron microscopy method were reported. Furthermore, we first demonstrated cross-sectional cell traction force distribution of surface-bound CD4 T cells on QNPA substrates by culturing the cells on top of the QNPA and further analysis in deflection of underlying QNPA via focused ion beam-assisted technique.

Qualitative human body composition analysis assessed with bioelectrical impedance.

PubMed

Talluri, T

1998-12-01

Body composition is generally aiming at quantitative estimates of fat mass, inadequate to assess nutritional states that on the other hand are well defined by the intra/extra cellular masses proportion (ECM/BCM). Direct measures performed with phase sensitive bioelectrical impedance analyzers can be used to define the current distribution in normal and abnormal populations. Phase angle and reactance nomogram is directly reflecting the ECM/BCM pathways proportions and body impedance analysis (BIA) is also validated to estimate the individual content of body cell mass (BCM). A new body cell mass index (BCMI) obtained dividing the weight of BCM in kilograms by the body surface in square meters is confronted to the scatterplot distribution of phase angle and reactance values obtained from controls and patients, and proposed as a qualitative approach to identify abnormal ECM/BCM ratios and nutritional states.

Middle school students' earthquake content and preparedness knowledge - A mixed method study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henson, Harvey, Jr.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of earthquake instruction on students' earthquake content and preparedness for earthquakes. This study used an innovative direct instruction on earthquake science content and concepts with an inquiry-based group activity on earthquake safety followed by an earthquake simulation and preparedness video to help middle school students understand and prepare for the regional seismic threat. A convenience sample of 384 sixth and seventh grade students at two small middle schools in southern Illinois was used in this study. Qualitative information was gathered using open-ended survey questions, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were collected using a 21 item content questionnaire administered to test students' General Earthquake Knowledge, Local Earthquake Knowledge, and Earthquake Preparedness Knowledge before and after instruction. A pre-test and post-test survey Likert scale with 21 items was used to collect students' perceptions and attitudes. Qualitative data analysis included quantification of student responses to the open-ended questions and thematic analysis of observation notes and interview transcripts. Quantitative datasets were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including t tests to evaluate the differences in means scores between paired groups before and after interventions and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test for differences between mean scores of the comparison groups. Significant mean differences between groups were further examined using a Dunnett's C post hoc statistical analysis. Integration and interpretation of the qualitative and quantitative results of the study revealed a significant increase in general, local and preparedness earthquake knowledge among middle school students after the interventions. The findings specifically indicated that these students felt most aware and prepared for an earthquake after an intervention that consisted of an inquiry-based group discussion on safety, earthquake content presentation and earthquake simulation video presentation on preparedness. Variations of the intervention, including no intervention, were not as effective in significantly increasing students' conceptual learning of earthquake knowledge.

On the molecular mechanism of GC content variation among eubacterial genomes

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background As a key parameter of genome sequence variation, the GC content of bacterial genomes has been investigated for over half a century, and many hypotheses have been put forward to explain this GC content variation and its relationship to other fundamental processes. Previously, we classified eubacteria into dnaE-based groups (the dimeric combination of DNA polymerase III alpha subunits), according to a hypothesis where GC content variation is essentially governed by genome replication and DNA repair mechanisms. Further investigation led to the discovery that two major mutator genes, polC and dnaE2, may be responsible for genomic GC content variation. Consequently, an in-depth analysis was conducted to evaluate various potential intrinsic and extrinsic factors in association with GC content variation among eubacterial genomes. Results Mutator genes, especially those with dominant effects on the mutation spectra, are biased towards either GC or AT richness, and they alter genomic GC content in the two opposite directions. Increased bacterial genome size (or gene number) appears to rely on increased genomic GC content; however, it is unclear whether the changes are directly related to certain environmental pressures. Certain environmental and bacteriological features are related to GC content variation, but their trends are more obvious when analyzed under the dnaE-based grouping scheme. Most terrestrial, plant-associated, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria are members of the dnaE1|dnaE2 group, whereas most pathogenic or symbiotic bacteria in insects, and those dwelling in aquatic environments, are largely members of the dnaE1|polV group. Conclusion Our studies provide several lines of evidence indicating that DNA polymerase III α subunit and its isoforms participating in either replication (such as polC) or SOS mutagenesis/translesion synthesis (such as dnaE2), play dominant roles in determining GC variability. Other environmental or bacteriological factors, such as genome size, temperature, oxygen requirement, and habitat, either play subsidiary roles or rely indirectly on different mutator genes to fine-tune the GC content. These results provide a comprehensive insight into mechanisms of GC content variation and the robustness of eubacterial genomes in adapting their ever-changing environments over billions of years. Reviewers This paper was reviewed by Nicolas Galtier, Adam Eyre-Walker, and Eugene Koonin. PMID:22230424

Analysis of factors controlling soil phosphorus loss with surface runoff in Huihe National Nature Reserve by principal component and path analysis methods.

PubMed

He, Jing; Su, Derong; Lv, Shihai; Diao, Zhaoyan; Bu, He; Wo, Qiang

2018-01-01

Phosphorus (P) loss with surface runoff accounts for the P input to and acceleration of eutrophication of the freshwater. Many studies have focused on factors affecting P loss with surface runoff from soils, but rarely on the relationship among these factors. In the present study, rainfall simulation on P loss with surface runoff was conducted in Huihe National Nature Reserve, in Hulunbeier grassland, China, and the relationships between P loss with surface runoff, soil properties, and rainfall conditions were examined. Principal component analysis and path analysis were used to analyze the direct and indirect effects on P loss with surface runoff. The results showed that P loss with surface runoff was closely correlated with soil electrical conductivity, soil pH, soil Olsen P, soil total nitrogen (TN), soil total phosphorus (TP), and soil organic carbon (SOC). The main driving factors which influenced P loss with surface runoff were soil TN, soil pH, soil Olsen P, and soil water content. Path analysis and determination coefficient analysis indicated that the standard multiple regression equation for P loss with surface runoff and each main factor was Y = 7.429 - 0.439 soil TN - 6.834 soil pH + 1.721 soil Olsen-P + 0.183 soil water content (r = 0.487, p < 0.01, n = 180). Soil TN, soil pH, soil Olsen P, and soil water content and the interactions between them were the main factors affecting P loss with surface runoff. The effect of physical and chemical properties of undisturbed soils on P loss with surface runoff was discussed, and the soil water content and soil Olsen P were strongly positive influences on the P loss with surface runoff.

Everyday ethics issues in the outpatient clinical practice of pediatric residents.

PubMed

Moon, Margaret; Taylor, Holly A; McDonald, Erin L; Hughes, Mark T; Carrese, Joseph A

2009-09-01

To describe the ethics issues that pediatric residents encounter during routine care in an outpatient teaching clinic. Qualitative study including in-depth interviews with pediatric residents and direct observation of interactions between preceptors and residents in a pediatric teaching clinic. The Johns Hopkins Harriet Lane Pediatric Primary Care Clinic, March 20 through April 11, 2006. A convenience sample including all pediatric faculty preceptors supervising at the clinic during the 19 half-day sessions that occurred during the observation period (N = 15) and the pediatric residents seeing patients during these clinic sessions (N = 50). Main Outcome Measure Field notes of preceptor-resident discussions about patient care were made and transcribed for qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis of the ethics content of cases presented by residents in this pediatric teaching clinic identified 5 themes for categorizing ethics challenges: (1) promoting the child's best interests in complex and resource-poor home and social settings; (2) managing the therapeutic alliance with parents and caregivers; (3) protecting patient privacy and confidentiality; (4) balancing the dual roles of learner and health care provider; and (5) using professional authority appropriately. Qualitative analysis of the ethics content of directly observed preceptor-resident case discussions yielded a set of themes describing the ethics challenges facing pediatric residents. The themes are somewhat different from the lists of residents' ethics experiences developed using recall or survey methods and may be very different from the ideas usually included in hospital-based ethics discussions. This may have implications for improving ethics education during residency training.

Mathematics teaching experiences of elementary preservice teachers with high and low mathematics anxiety during student teaching: A multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Leslie Deanna

This study investigated the teaching experiences of six elementary preservice teachers (EPTs), three with high mathematics anxiety and three with low mathematics anxiety, during their student teaching semester. The EPTs were selected from an initial pool of 121 EPTs who took the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The cases were compared in a cross case analysis to highlight mathematics teaching experiences among EPTs. Data sources included EPT and researcher journal entries, interview transcripts, pre-lesson surveys, field notes, lesson plans, and artifacts of observed lessons. Data were coded using Shulman's content knowledge, Graeber's mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematics anxiety characteristics. Findings revealed both similarities and differences across EPTs as related to four major categories: (a) planning and resources used, (b) role of the cooperating teacher, (c) content knowledge, and (d) pedagogical content knowledge. All EPTs used mostly direct instruction and relied on the course textbook and their respective cooperating teacher as their primary resources for planning. Additionally, across participants, the cooperating teacher influenced EPTs' perceptions of students and teaching. Also, EPTs with high mathematics anxiety were weaker with respect to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest a need to re-design methods courses to address improving the pedagogical content knowledge of EPTs with mathematics anxiety. Findings also suggest a need to develop content specific mathematics courses for EPTs to improve their content knowledge. Future studies could include a longitudinal study to follow highly anxious EPTs who take content specific elementary mathematics courses to observe their content knowledge and mathematics anxiety.

Establishing a Link Between Prescription Drug Abuse and Illicit Online Pharmacies: Analysis of Twitter Data.

PubMed

Katsuki, Takeo; Mackey, Tim Ken; Cuomo, Raphael

2015-12-16

Youth and adolescent non-medical use of prescription medications (NUPM) has become a national epidemic. However, little is known about the association between promotion of NUPM behavior and access via the popular social media microblogging site, Twitter, which is currently used by a third of all teens. In order to better assess NUPM behavior online, this study conducts surveillance and analysis of Twitter data to characterize the frequency of NUPM-related tweets and also identifies illegal access to drugs of abuse via online pharmacies. Tweets were collected over a 2-week period from April 1-14, 2015, by applying NUPM keyword filters for both generic/chemical and street names associated with drugs of abuse using the Twitter public streaming application programming interface. Tweets were then analyzed for relevance to NUPM and whether they promoted illegal online access to prescription drugs using a protocol of content coding and supervised machine learning. A total of 2,417,662 tweets were collected and analyzed for this study. Tweets filtered for generic drugs names comprised 232,108 tweets, including 22,174 unique associated uniform resource locators (URLs), and 2,185,554 tweets (376,304 unique URLs) filtered for street names. Applying an iterative process of manual content coding and supervised machine learning, 81.72% of the generic and 12.28% of the street NUPM datasets were predicted as having content relevant to NUPM respectively. By examining hyperlinks associated with NUPM relevant content for the generic Twitter dataset, we discovered that 75.72% of the tweets with URLs included a hyperlink to an online marketing affiliate that directly linked to an illicit online pharmacy advertising the sale of Valium without a prescription. This study examined the association between Twitter content, NUPM behavior promotion, and online access to drugs using a broad set of prescription drug keywords. Initial results are concerning, as our study found over 45,000 tweets that directly promoted NUPM by providing a URL that actively marketed the illegal online sale of prescription drugs of abuse. Additional research is needed to further establish the link between Twitter content and NUPM, as well as to help inform future technology-based tools, online health promotion activities, and public policy to combat NUPM online.

Establishing a Link Between Prescription Drug Abuse and Illicit Online Pharmacies: Analysis of Twitter Data

PubMed Central

Cuomo, Raphael

2015-01-01

Background Youth and adolescent non-medical use of prescription medications (NUPM) has become a national epidemic. However, little is known about the association between promotion of NUPM behavior and access via the popular social media microblogging site, Twitter, which is currently used by a third of all teens. Objective In order to better assess NUPM behavior online, this study conducts surveillance and analysis of Twitter data to characterize the frequency of NUPM-related tweets and also identifies illegal access to drugs of abuse via online pharmacies. Methods Tweets were collected over a 2-week period from April 1-14, 2015, by applying NUPM keyword filters for both generic/chemical and street names associated with drugs of abuse using the Twitter public streaming application programming interface. Tweets were then analyzed for relevance to NUPM and whether they promoted illegal online access to prescription drugs using a protocol of content coding and supervised machine learning. Results A total of 2,417,662 tweets were collected and analyzed for this study. Tweets filtered for generic drugs names comprised 232,108 tweets, including 22,174 unique associated uniform resource locators (URLs), and 2,185,554 tweets (376,304 unique URLs) filtered for street names. Applying an iterative process of manual content coding and supervised machine learning, 81.72% of the generic and 12.28% of the street NUPM datasets were predicted as having content relevant to NUPM respectively. By examining hyperlinks associated with NUPM relevant content for the generic Twitter dataset, we discovered that 75.72% of the tweets with URLs included a hyperlink to an online marketing affiliate that directly linked to an illicit online pharmacy advertising the sale of Valium without a prescription. Conclusions This study examined the association between Twitter content, NUPM behavior promotion, and online access to drugs using a broad set of prescription drug keywords. Initial results are concerning, as our study found over 45,000 tweets that directly promoted NUPM by providing a URL that actively marketed the illegal online sale of prescription drugs of abuse. Additional research is needed to further establish the link between Twitter content and NUPM, as well as to help inform future technology-based tools, online health promotion activities, and public policy to combat NUPM online. PMID:26677966

Integrating multiple vegetation indices via an artificial neural network model for estimating the leaf chlorophyll content of Spartina alterniflora under interspecies competition.

PubMed

Liu, Pudong; Shi, Runhe; Zhang, Chao; Zeng, Yuyan; Wang, Jiapeng; Tao, Zhu; Gao, Wei

2017-10-31

The invasive species Spartina alterniflora and native species Phragmites australis display a significant co-occurrence zonation pattern and this co-exist region exerts most competitive situations between these two species, competing for the limited space, directly influencing the co-exist distribution in the future. However, these two species have different growth ratios in this area, which increase the difficulty to detect the distribution situation directly by remote sensing. As chlorophyll content is a key indicator of plant growth and physiological status, the objective of this study was to reduce the effect of interspecies competition when estimating Cab content; we evaluated 79 published representative indices to determine the optimal indices for estimating the chlorophyll a and b (Cab) content. After performing a sensitivity analysis for all 79 spectral indices, five spectral indices were selected and integrated using an artificial neural network (ANN) to estimate the Cab content of different competition ratios: the Gitelson ratio green index, the transformed chlorophyll absorption ratio index/optimized soil-adjusted vegetation index, the modified normalized difference vegetation index, the chlorophyll fluorescence index, and the Vogelmann chlorophyll index. The ANN method yielded better results (R 2  = 0.7110 and RMSE = 8.3829 μg cm -2 ) on average than the best single spectral index (R 2  = 0.6319 and RMSE = 9.3535 μg cm -2 ), representing an increase of 10.78% in R 2 and a decrease of 10.38% in RMSE. Our results indicated that integrating multiple vegetation indices with an ANN can alleviate the impact of interspecies competition and achieve higher estimation accuracy than the traditional approach using a single index.

[XPS analysis of beads formed by fuse breaking of electric copper wire].

PubMed

Wu, Ying; Meng, Qing-Shan; Wang, Xin-Ming; Gao, Wei; Di, Man

2010-05-01

The in-depth composition of beads formed by fuse breaking of the electric copper wire in different circumstances was studied by XPS with Ar+ ion sputtering. In addition, the measured Auger spectra and the calculated Auger parameters were compared for differentiation of the substances of Cu and Cu2O. Corresponding to the sputtering depth, the molten product on a bead induced directly by fuse breaking of the copper wire without cover may be distinguished as three portions: surface layer with a drastic decrease in carbon content; intermediate layer with a gentle change in oxygen content and gradually diminished carbon peak, and consisting of Cu2O; transition layer without Cu2O and with a rapid decrease in oxygen content. While the molten product on a bead formed by fuse breaking of the copper wire after its insulating cover had been burned out may be distinguished as two portions: surface layer with carbon content decreasing quickly; subsurface layer without Cu2O and with carbon and oxygen content decreasing gradually. Thus, it can be seen that there was an obvious interface between the layered surface product and the substrate for the first type of bead, while as to the second type of bead there was no interface. As a result, the presence of Cu2O and the quantitative results can be used to identify the molten product on a bead induced directly by fuse breaking of the copper wire without cover and the molten product on a bead formed by fuse breaking of the cupper wire after its insulating cover had been burned out, as a complementary technique for the judgments of fire cause.

Codon usage patterns in Nematoda: analysis based on over 25 million codons in thirty-two species

PubMed Central

2006-01-01

Background Codon usage has direct utility in molecular characterization of species and is also a marker for molecular evolution. To understand codon usage within the diverse phylum Nematoda, we analyzed a total of 265,494 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from 30 nematode species. The full genomes of Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae were also examined. A total of 25,871,325 codons were analyzed and a comprehensive codon usage table for all species was generated. This is the first codon usage table available for 24 of these organisms. Results Codon usage similarity in Nematoda usually persists over the breadth of a genus but then rapidly diminishes even within each clade. Globodera, Meloidogyne, Pristionchus, and Strongyloides have the most highly derived patterns of codon usage. The major factor affecting differences in codon usage between species is the coding sequence GC content, which varies in nematodes from 32% to 51%. Coding GC content (measured as GC3) also explains much of the observed variation in the effective number of codons (R = 0.70), which is a measure of codon bias, and it even accounts for differences in amino acid frequency. Codon usage is also affected by neighboring nucleotides (N1 context). Coding GC content correlates strongly with estimated noncoding genomic GC content (R = 0.92). On examining abundant clusters in five species, candidate optimal codons were identified that may be preferred in highly expressed transcripts. Conclusion Evolutionary models indicate that total genomic GC content, probably the product of directional mutation pressure, drives codon usage rather than the converse, a conclusion that is supported by examination of nematode genomes. PMID:26271136

A Content Analysis of Unique Selling Propositions of Tobacco Print Ads.

PubMed

Johnson Shen, Megan; Banerjee, Smita C; Greene, Kathryn; Carpenter, Amanda; Ostroff, Jamie S

2017-03-01

We describe the unique selling propositions (USPs) (propositions used to convince customers to use a particular brand/product by focusing on the unique benefit) of print tobacco ads. A qualitative content analysis was conducted of print tobacco ads (N = 171) selected from August 2012 to August 2013 for cigarettes, moist snuff, e-cigarettes, cigars, and snus to determine the content and themes of USPs for tobacco ads. Cigarette ad USP themes focused on portraying the product as attractive; moist snuff ads focused on portraying product as masculine; cigar ads focused on selling a "high end product;" and new and emerging tobacco products (e-cigarette, snus) focused on directly comparing these products to cigarettes. Whereas traditional tobacco product ads used USPs focused on themes of enjoyment and pleasure (eg, attractive for cigarettes, "high end product" for cigars), new and emerging tobacco product ads offered the unique benefit (USP) of their product being a better and "safer" alternative to traditional tobacco products. Snuff's USPs focused nearly exclusively on the masculinity of their products. Our results provide targets for potential tobacco regulatory actions that could be implemented to reduce demand for tobacco products by reducing their perceived unique benefits.

Strategy to Overcome Effect of Raw Materials on Enzymatic Process of Biodiesel from Non-edible Oils Using Candida sp. 99-125 Lipase.

PubMed

Nie, Kaili; Wang, Fang; Tan, Tianwei; Liu, Luo

2015-11-01

Non-edible oils are preferred raw materials for biodiesel production. However, the properties of raw materials significantly affect the synthesis process, leading to difficulties to design one process suitable for any kind of raw material. In this study, the composition of five typical non-edible oils was analyzed. The major difference was the content of free fatty acids, reflected from their acid values. The influence of different oils was investigated by using lipase from Candida sp. 99-125. At low lipase dosage and low water content, the conversion was found proportional to the acid value. However, by increasing the water content or lipase dosage, we observed that the conversions for all kinds of oils used in this study could exceed 80%. Time course analysis indicates that the lipase used in this study catalyzed hydrolysis followed by esterification, rather than direct transesterification. Accumulation of free fatty acids at the very beginning was necessary. A high water content facilitated the hydrolysis of oils with low acid value. This lipase showed capability to transform all the oils by controlling the water content.

A new type of subchloroplast fragments isolated from pea chloroplasts in the presence of digitonin.

PubMed

Kochubey, S M; Bondarenko, O Yu; Shevchenko, V V

2007-09-01

Heavy fragments were isolated from pea chloroplasts using digitonin treatment and differential centrifugation. The particles were characterized by a significantly lowered chlorophyll a/b ratio, contents of photosystem I (PS I) proteins and ATPase, as well as of amount of P700. The content of photosystem II (PS II) proteins decreased insignificantly, whereas that of proteins of the light-harvesting complex II did not change. The absorption and low-temperature fluorescence spectra were indicative of a decreased content of PS I. Electron microscopy of ultrathin sections of heavy fragment preparations identified them as grana with reduced content of thylakoids. The diameter of these particles was practically the same as within chloroplasts. Comparison of various characteristics of the fragments and chloroplasts from which the fragments were isolated allowed us to define a high degree of preservation of marginal regions in thylakoids present in the heavy fragment particles. Analysis of the results shows that the procedure of fragmentation produces grana with high extent of thylakoid integrity. The phenomenon of reduction of the thylakoid content in grana, occurring as our heavy fragments, is considered in the frame of our previous hypothesis concerning the peculiarities of grana organization in the transversal direction.

Scaling up semi-arid grassland biochemical content from the leaf to the canopy level: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

He, Yuhong; Mui, Amy

2010-01-01

Remote sensing imagery is being used intensively to estimate the biochemical content of vegetation (e.g., chlorophyll, nitrogen, and lignin) at the leaf level. As a result of our need for vegetation biochemical information and our increasing ability to obtain canopy spectral data, a few techniques have been explored to scale leaf-level biochemical content to the canopy level for forests and crops. However, due to the contribution of non-green materials (i.e., standing dead litter, rock, and bare soil) from canopy spectra in semi-arid grasslands, it is difficult to obtain information about grassland biochemical content from remote sensing data at the canopy level. This paper summarizes available methods used to scale biochemical information from the leaf level to the canopy level and groups these methods into three categories: direct extrapolation, canopy-integrated approach, and inversion of physical models. As for semi-arid heterogeneous grasslands, we conclude that all methods are useful, but none are ideal. It is recommended that future research should explore a systematic upscaling framework which combines spatial pattern analysis, canopy-integrated approach, and modeling methods to retrieve vegetation biochemical content at the canopy level.

Inquiry and groups: student interactions in cooperative inquiry-based science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods-McConney, Amanda; Wosnitza, Marold; Sturrock, Keryn L.

2016-03-01

Science education research has recommended cooperative inquiry based science in the primary science context for more than two decades but after more than 20 years, student achievement in science has not substantially improved. This study, through direct observation and analysis, investigated content-related student interactions in an authentic inquiry based primary science class setting. Thirty-one upper primary students were videotaped working in cooperative inquiry based science activities. Cooperative talk and negotiation of the science content was analysed to identify any high-level group interactions. The data show that while all groups have incidences of high-level content-related group interactions, the frequency and duration of these interactions were limited. No specific pattern of preceding events was identified and no episodes of high-level content-related group interactions were immediately preceded by the teacher's interactions with the groups. This in situ study demonstrated that even without any kind of scaffolding, specific skills in knowing how to implement cooperative inquiry based science, high-level content-related group interactions did occur very briefly. Support for teachers to develop their knowledge and skills in facilitating cooperative inquiry based science learning is warranted to ensure that high-level content-related group interactions and the associated conceptual learning are not left to chance in science classrooms.

Development of an instrument to measure the use of behaviors taught in the American Physical Therapy Association Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Program (APTA CIECP): a pilot study.

PubMed

Bridges, Patricia H; Carter, Vincent; Rehm, Stephanie; Tintl, Sara Bowers; Halperin, Rebecca; Kniesly, Elizabeth; Pelino, Soni

2013-01-01

Conduct a pilot study to establish the reliability and validity of a survey instrument that directly measures the objectives and content of the APTA CIECP; and measure the self-reported frequency of use of the behaviors taught in the APTA CIECP. Eighteen (18) APTA credentialed CIs. Develop a web-based survey consisting of 58 items representative of the behaviors taught in the APTA CIECP and 8 demographic characteristics. Establish the content validity and reliability of the survey instrument. Conduct a descriptive analysis of the frequency of self-reported use of the behaviors. The APTA Clinical Instructor Education Board (CIEB) reviewed the items and determined that the items matched the objectives and content of the APTA CIECP, thereby establishing content validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.79-0.90 confirmed the reliability. The overall mean for all items on a 1-6 scale was 4.81. The content validity and reliability of the survey instrument were established. The outcomes of this pilot study suggest that when measured by a valid and reliable instrument that is representative of the objectives and content of the CIECP, the behaviors taught in the CIECP are being applied in the clinical setting by APTA credentialed clinical instructors.

Exploring context and content links in social media: a latent space method.

PubMed

Qi, Guo-Jun; Aggarwal, Charu; Tian, Qi; Ji, Heng; Huang, Thomas S

2012-05-01

Social media networks contain both content and context-specific information. Most existing methods work with either of the two for the purpose of multimedia mining and retrieval. In reality, both content and context information are rich sources of information for mining, and the full power of mining and processing algorithms can be realized only with the use of a combination of the two. This paper proposes a new algorithm which mines both context and content links in social media networks to discover the underlying latent semantic space. This mapping of the multimedia objects into latent feature vectors enables the use of any off-the-shelf multimedia retrieval algorithms. Compared to the state-of-the-art latent methods in multimedia analysis, this algorithm effectively solves the problem of sparse context links by mining the geometric structure underlying the content links between multimedia objects. Specifically for multimedia annotation, we show that an effective algorithm can be developed to directly construct annotation models by simultaneously leveraging both context and content information based on latent structure between correlated semantic concepts. We conduct experiments on the Flickr data set, which contains user tags linked with images. We illustrate the advantages of our approach over the state-of-the-art multimedia retrieval techniques.

Image analysis method for the measurement of water saturation in a two-dimensional experimental flow tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belfort, Benjamin; Weill, Sylvain; Lehmann, François

2017-04-01

A novel, non-invasive imaging technique that determines 2D maps of water content in unsaturated porous media is presented. This method directly relates digitally measured intensities to the water content of the porous medium. This method requires the classical image analysis steps, i.e., normalization, filtering, background subtraction, scaling and calibration. The main advantages of this approach are that no calibration experiment is needed and that no tracer or dye is injected into the flow tank. The procedure enables effective processing of a large number of photographs and thus produces 2D water content maps at high temporal resolution. A drainage / imbibition experiment in a 2D flow tank with inner dimensions of 40 cm x 14 cm x 6 cm (L x W x D) is carried out to validate the methodology. The accuracy of the proposed approach is assessed using numerical simulations with a state-of-the-art computational code that solves the Richards. Comparison of the cumulative mass leaving and entering the flow tank and water content maps produced by the photographic measurement technique and the numerical simulations demonstrate the efficiency and high accuracy of the proposed method for investigating vadose zone flow processes. Application examples to a larger flow tank with various boundary conditions are finally presented to illustrate the potential of the methodology.

Gaps in content-based image retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deserno, Thomas M.; Antani, Sameer; Long, Rodney

2007-03-01

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is a promising technology to enrich the core functionality of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). CBIR has a potentially strong impact in diagnostics, research, and education. Research successes that are increasingly reported in the scientific literature, however, have not made significant inroads as medical CBIR applications incorporated into routine clinical medicine or medical research. The cause is often attributed without sufficient analytical reasoning to the inability of these applications in overcoming the "semantic gap". The semantic gap divides the high-level scene analysis of humans from the low-level pixel analysis of computers. In this paper, we suggest a more systematic and comprehensive view on the concept of gaps in medical CBIR research. In particular, we define a total of 13 gaps that address the image content and features, as well as the system performance and usability. In addition to these gaps, we identify 6 system characteristics that impact CBIR applicability and performance. The framework we have created can be used a posteriori to compare medical CBIR systems and approaches for specific biomedical image domains and goals and a priori during the design phase of a medical CBIR application. To illustrate the a posteriori use of our conceptual system, we apply it, initially, to the classification of three medical CBIR implementations: the content-based PACS approach (cbPACS), the medical GNU image finding tool (medGIFT), and the image retrieval in medical applications (IRMA) project. We show that systematic analysis of gaps provides detailed insight in system comparison and helps to direct future research.

Axiomatic Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-09-01

which, it seems to us, can be naturally interpreted as directly supporting this contention is reported in Hochstein and Shapley (1976a, b ), Levick ...are certainly positive aspects in many of these methodologies and, in particular, in what they are trying to obtain. To b * effective, however, a...statement about control structures Thus if y • A(x); we can say Where (y,x) are INTEGERS, A is a constant FUNCTION; in addition, if 2 « C( b ); we

History of Science in the Physics Curriculum: A Directed Content Analysis of Historical Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seker, Hayati; Guney, Burcu G.

2012-05-01

Although history of science is a potential resource for instructional materials, teachers do not have a tendency to use historical materials in their lessons. Studies showed that instructional materials should be adaptable and consistent with curriculum. This study purports to examine the alignment between history of science and the curriculum in the light of the facilitator model on the use of history of science in science teaching, and to expose possible difficulties in preparing historical materials. For this purpose, qualitative content analysis method was employed. Codes and themes were defined beforehand, with respect to levels and their sublevels of the model. The analysis revealed several problems with the alignment of historical sources for the physics curriculum: limited information about scientists' personal lives, the difficulty of linking with content knowledge, the lack of emphasis on scientific process in the physics curriculum, differences between chronology and sequence of topics, the lack of information about scientists' reasoning. Based on the findings of the analysis, it would be difficult to use original historical sources; educators were needed to simplify historical knowledge within a pedagogical perspective. There is a need for historical sources, like Harvard Case Histories in Experimental Science, since appropriate historical information to the curriculum objectives can only be obtained by simplifying complex information at the origin. The curriculum should leave opportunities for educators interested in history of science, even historical sources provides legitimate amount of information for every concepts in the curriculum.

Social media use by community-based organizations conducting health promotion: a content analysis.

PubMed

Ramanadhan, Shoba; Mendez, Samuel R; Rao, Megan; Viswanath, Kasisomayajula

2013-12-05

Community-based organizations (CBOs) are critical channels for the delivery of health promotion programs. Much of their influence comes from the relationships they have with community members and other key stakeholders and they may be able to harness the power of social media tools to develop and maintain these relationships. There are limited data describing if and how CBOs are using social media. This study assesses the extent to which CBOs engaged in health promotion use popular social media channels, the types of content typically shared, and the extent to which the interactive aspects of social media tools are utilized. We assessed the social media presence and patterns of usage of CBOs engaged in health promotion in Boston, Lawrence, and Worcester, Massachusetts. We coded content on three popular channels: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We used content analysis techniques to quantitatively summarize posts, tweets, and videos on these channels, respectively. For each organization, we coded all content put forth by the CBO on the three channels in a 30-day window. Two coders were trained and conducted the coding. Data were collected between November 2011 and January 2012. A total of 166 organizations were included in our census. We found that 42% of organizations used at least one of the channels of interest. Across the three channels, organization promotion was the most common theme for content (66% of posts, 63% of tweets, and 93% of videos included this content). Most organizations updated Facebook and Twitter content at rates close to recommended frequencies. We found limited interaction/engagement with audience members. Much of the use of social media tools appeared to be uni-directional, a flow of information from the organization to the audience. By better leveraging opportunities for interaction and user engagement, these organizations can reap greater benefits from the non-trivial investment required to use social media well. Future research should assess links between use patterns and organizational characteristics, staff perspectives, and audience engagement.

"My YAP Family": Analysis of a Facebook Group for Young Adults Living with HIV.

PubMed

Gaysynsky, Anna; Romansky-Poulin, Kathryn; Arpadi, Stephen

2015-06-01

Little research exists regarding the use of social networking sites, like Facebook, for improving patient well-being. The aim of this study was to evaluate a private Facebook group established for members of an HIV clinic's young adult program. This study employed directed content analysis to examine the types and frequencies of interactions observable in the 3,838 posts and comments that appeared on the Facebook group page between March 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012. Analysis revealed that a large percentage (41.7 %) of the content was classified as "administrative/engagement in group" and functioned to enhance the operations of the program as a whole. Additionally, positive interactions were frequently observed, especially socializing (24.8 %), banter (20.2 %), and offers of social support (15.1 %). Emotional support was the most frequent type of support requested, while esteem support was the most commonly provided form of support. The results of this study demonstrate that a Facebook group can be a means of providing patients with social support and positive social interaction and can improve services for young adults with HIV.

Timing of Formal Phase Safety Reviews for Large-Scale Integrated Hazard Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massie, Michael J.; Morris, A. Terry

2010-01-01

Integrated hazard analysis (IHA) is a process used to identify and control unacceptable risk. As such, it does not occur in a vacuum. IHA approaches must be tailored to fit the system being analyzed. Physical, resource, organizational and temporal constraints on large-scale integrated systems impose additional direct or derived requirements on the IHA. The timing and interaction between engineering and safety organizations can provide either benefits or hindrances to the overall end product. The traditional approach for formal phase safety review timing and content, which generally works well for small- to moderate-scale systems, does not work well for very large-scale integrated systems. This paper proposes a modified approach to timing and content of formal phase safety reviews for IHA. Details of the tailoring process for IHA will describe how to avoid temporary disconnects in major milestone reviews and how to maintain a cohesive end-to-end integration story particularly for systems where the integrator inherently has little to no insight into lower level systems. The proposal has the advantage of allowing the hazard analysis development process to occur as technical data normally matures.

Experiences of Academic Members About their Professional Challenges: a Content Analysis Qualitative study

PubMed Central

Shahhosseini, Zohreh; Danesh, Mahmonier

2014-01-01

Background: University faculty members of different disciplines in any country, by giving better quality services, will further accelerate the development of their respective countries. This study aims to explore the experiences of faculty members about their professional challenges. Aim: In this qualitative study, which was conducted in 2013, fifteen faculty members in the departments of clinical and basic sciences of Mazandaran university of Medical Sciences in northern Iran were chosen for semi-structured in-depth interviews by purposive sampling method. All tape-recorded data were fully transcribed and content analysis was performed. Results: After immersion and data analysis, three main themes were emerged including: “Imbalances in academic members’ tasks in different areas”, “Weakness of evaluation and promotion system” and “Failure to provide the infrastructure educational facilities”. The main themes and sub-themes are explained by the help of participants’ direct quotations. Conclusions: This study suggested that it is better to take effective measures to improve the faculty members’ situation and therefore increase their efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. PMID:24825939

Wildlife connectivity approaches and best practices in U.S. state wildlife action plans.

PubMed

Lacher, Iara; Wilkerson, Marit L

2014-02-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation threaten biodiversity on large geographic scales, creating and maintaining connectivity of wildlife populations is an increasingly common conservation objective. To assess the progress and success of large-scale connectivity planning, conservation researchers need a set of plans that cover large geographic areas and can be analyzed as a single data set. The state wildlife action plans (SWAPs) fulfill these requirements. We examined 50 SWAPs to determine the extent to which wildlife connectivity planning, via linkages, is emphasized nationally. We defined linkage as connective land that enables wildlife movement. For our content analysis, we identified and quantified 6 keywords and 7 content criteria that ranged in specificity and were related to linkages for wide-ranging terrestrial vertebrates and examined relations between content criteria and statewide data on focal wide-ranging species, spending, revenue, and conserved land. Our results reflect nationwide disparities in linkage conservation priorities and highlight the continued need for wildlife linkage planning. Only 30% or less of the 50 SWAPs fulfilled highly specific content criteria (e.g., identifying geographic areas for linkage placement or management). We found positive correlations between our content criteria and statewide data on percent conserved land, total focal species, and spending on parks and recreation. We supplemented our content analysis with interviews with 17 conservation professionals to gain specific information about state-specific context and future directions of linkage conservation. Based on our results, relevant literature, and interview responses, we suggest the following best practices for wildlife linkage conservation plans: collect ecologically meaningful background data; be specific; establish community-wide partnerships; and incorporate sociopolitical and socioeconomic information. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Analysis of annual fluctuations in the content of phenol, chlorophenols and their derivatives in chlorinated drinking waters.

PubMed

Michałowicz, Jaromir; Stufka-Olczyk, Jadwiga; Milczarek, Anna; Michniewicz, Małgorzata

2011-08-01

Chlorophenols are widely represented, toxic, and persistent environmental pollutants. In this work, we analyzed annual fluctuations in the content of phenol, guaiacol, chlorophenols, chlorocatechols, and chlorinated methoxyphenols in drinking water collected in Warsaw and Tomaszów Mazowiecki (Poland). Moreover, the effect of dissolved organic matter content on the occurrence of phenolic compounds in drinking water was studied. The compounds were adsorbed on octadecyl C18 solid-phase discs, separated by the use of gas chromatography, and analyzed using mass spectrometry. The content of organic matter was evaluated by the analysis of UV absorption at 254 nm by water samples. In Warsaw, raw water (derived from infiltration intakes situated in the Vistula River) and treated water (subjected to coagulation, filtration, and disinfection with chlorine dioxide) were collected in order to analyze phenols. In Tomaszów Mazowiecki, raw water (taken directly form the river) and treated water (subjected to coagulation, sand filtration, ozonation, and disinfection with gaseous chlorine) were taken to determine phenolic substances. The obtained results showed the occurrence of phenol, guaiacol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP), tetrachlorophenol (TeCP), and pentachlorophenol in drinking water of both cities. Occasionally, in the waters studied, the appearance of chloroguaiacols, 3-chlorosyringol, and some chlorocatechols were noted. It was also observed that the content of dissolved organic matter in river waters may have contributed to the formation of some phenols, e.g., phenol, guaiacol, 2,4,6-TCP, and TeCP in drinking water. Finally, it was found that there were no annual (seasonal) fluctuations in phenolic compounds contents in drinking waters examined.

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers.

PubMed

Koester, Meike; Gergs, René

2017-10-05

Analyzing food webs is essential for a better understanding of ecosystems. For example, food web interactions can undergo severe changes caused by the invasion of non-indigenous species. However, an exact identification of field predator-prey interactions is difficult in many cases. These analyses are often based on a visual evaluation of gut content or the analysis of stable isotope ratios (δ 15 N and δ 13 C). Such methods require comprehensive knowledge about, respectively, morphologic diversity or isotopic signature from individual prey organisms, leading to obstacles in the exact identification of prey organisms. Visual gut content analyses especially underestimate soft bodied prey organisms, because maceration, ingestion and digestion of prey organisms make identification of specific species difficult. Hence, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based strategies, for example the use of group-specific primer sets, provide a powerful tool for the investigation of food web interactions. Here, we describe detailed protocols to investigate the gut contents of macroinvertebrate consumers from the field using group-specific primer sets for nuclear ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA). DNA can be extracted either from whole specimens (in the case of small taxa) or out of gut contents of specimens collected in the field. Presence and functional efficiency of the DNA templates need to be confirmed directly from the tested individual using universal primer sets targeting the respective subunit of DNA. We also demonstrate that consumed prey can be determined further down to species level via PCR with unmodified group-specific primers combined with subsequent single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses using polyacrylamide gels. Furthermore, we show that the use of different fluorescent dyes as labels enables parallel screening for DNA fragments of different prey groups from multiple gut content samples via automated fragment analysis.

Development of k-300 concrete mix for earthquake-resistant Housing infrastructure in indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulkarnain, Fahrizal

2018-03-01

In determining the strength of K-300 concrete mix that is suitable for earthquake-resistant housing infrastructure, it is necessary to research the materials to be used for proper quality and quantity so that the mixture can be directly applied to the resident’s housing, in the quake zone. In the first stage, the examination/sieve analysis of the fine aggregate or sand, and the sieve analysis of the coarse aggregate or gravel will be carried out on the provided sample weighing approximately 40 kilograms. Furthermore, the specific gravity and absorbance of aggregates, the examination of the sludge content of aggregates passing the sieve no. 200, and finally, examination of the weight of the aggregate content. In the second stage, the planned concrete mix by means of the Mix Design K-300 is suitable for use in Indonesia, with implementation steps: Planning of the cement water factor (CWF), Planning of concrete free water (Liters / m3), Planning of cement quantity, Planning of minimum cement content, Planning of adjusted cement water factor, Planning of estimated aggregate composition, Planning of estimated weight of concrete content, Calculation of composition of concrete mixture, Calculation of mixed correction for various water content. Implementation of the above tests also estimates the correction of moisture content and the need for materials of mixture in kilograms for the K-300 mixture, so that the slump inspection result will be achieved in planned 8-12 cm. In the final stage, a compressive strength test of the K-300 experimental mixture is carried out, and subsequently the composition of the K-300 concrete mixture suitable for one sack of cement of 50 kg is obtained for the foundation of the proper dwelling. The composition is consists of use of Cement, Sand, Gravel, and Water.

Wildlife connectivity approaches and best practices in U.S. state wildlife action plans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lacher, Iara; Wilkerson, Marit L.

2014-01-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation threaten biodiversity on large geographic scales, creating and maintaining connectivity of wildlife populations is an increasingly common conservation objective. To assess the progress and success of large-scale connectivity planning, conservation researchers need a set of plans that cover large geographic areas and can be analyzed as a single data set. The state wildlife action plans (SWAPs) fulfill these requirements. We examined 50 SWAPs to determine the extent to which wildlife connectivity planning, via linkages, is emphasized nationally. We defined linkage as connective land that enables wildlife movement. For our content analysis, we identified and quantified 6 keywords and 7 content criteria that ranged in specificity and were related to linkages for wide-ranging terrestrial vertebrates and examined relations between content criteria and statewide data on focal wide-ranging species, spending, revenue, and conserved land. Our results reflect nationwide disparities in linkage conservation priorities and highlight the continued need for wildlife linkage planning. Only 30% or less of the 50 SWAPs fulfilled highly specific content criteria (e.g., identifying geographic areas for linkage placement or management). We found positive correlations between our content criteria and statewide data on percent conserved land, total focal species, and spending on parks and recreation. We supplemented our content analysis with interviews with 17 conservation professionals to gain specific information about state-specific context and future directions of linkage conservation. Based on our results, relevant literature, and interview responses, we suggest the following best practices for wildlife linkage conservation plans: collect ecologically meaningful background data; be specific; establish community-wide partnerships; and incorporate sociopolitical and socioeconomic information.

Skeletal mass in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison with forearm bone mineral content. [Photon transmission scanning of bone tissues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zanzi, I.; Roginsky, M.S.; Ellis, K.J.

1976-01-01

The evaluation of diffuse osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains controversial. An important associated problem is the compounded effect of osteopenia secondary to chronic corticosteroid treatment. Photon-absorptiometric techniques have been utilized for measurements of selected sites of the skeleton, such as the distal femur and the distal radius. The development of the technique of in-vivo total body neutron activation analysis (TBNAA) along with whole body counting, has made possible the direct measurement of skeletal mass (total body calcium, TBCa). The TBCa and radial bone mineral content (BMC) were evaluated in 19 Caucassian women with R.A., with and withoutmore » a history of corticosteroid treatment. (auth)« less

Self- directed learning barriers in a virtual environment: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Kohan, Noushin; Soltani Arabshahi, Kamran; Mojtahedzadeh, Rita; Abbaszadeh, Abbas; Rakhshani, Tayebeh; Emami, Amirhousein

2017-07-01

There is a growing trend in online education courses in higher education institutes. Previous studies have shown that high levels of self-direction are essential for successful online learning. The present study aims to investigate challenges of and barriers to self-directed virtual-learning among postgraduate students of medical sciences. 23 postgraduate virtual students of medical sciences in Iran, collected through maximum variation purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews, served as the sample of this study. The collected data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. Three themes and six sub-themes were identified as barriers to self-directed learning in virtual education, including cognitive barriers (information overload and lack of focus on learning or mind wondering), communication barriers (inadequate coping skills and inadequate writing skills) and educational environment barriers (heavy workload and role ambiguity). By the importance of self-direction in online education, the present study results can be used by virtual education planners in the review and design of courses, so as to adequately equip students, obviate barriers to self-directed virtual education, and ultimately train highly self-directed learners in online medical education.

Characterization of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) nectar-to-honey transformation pathway using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Svečnjak, Lidija; Prđun, Saša; Rogina, Josip; Bubalo, Dragan; Jerković, Igor

2017-10-01

Samples of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) nectar, honey sac content and honey were analyzed by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and reference methods. The spectral analysis allowed detection of the major chemical constituents in C. unshiu nectar-to-honey transformation pathway thus providing information on the intensity and location of the compositional changes occurring during this process. The preliminary results showed that in average more than one-third of sugar-related nectar-to-honey conversion takes place directly in the honey sac; the average sugar content (w/w) was 17.93% (nectar), 47.03% (honey sac) and 79.63% (honey). FTIR-ATR results showed great spectral similarity of analyzed honey samples and small degree variations in both sugar and water content in nectar samples. The spectral data revealed distinctive differences in the chemical composition of individual honey sac contents with the most intensive and complex absorption envelope in the spectral region between 1175 and 950cm -1 (glucose, fructose and sucrose absorption bands). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Digital junk: food and beverage marketing on Facebook.

PubMed

Freeman, Becky; Kelly, Bridget; Baur, Louise; Chapman, Kathy; Chapman, Simon; Gill, Tim; King, Lesley

2014-12-01

We assessed the amount, reach, and nature of energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and beverage marketing on Facebook. We conducted a content analysis of the marketing techniques used by the 27 most popular food and beverage brand Facebook pages in Australia. We coded content across 19 marketing categories; data were collected from the day each page launched (mean = 3.65 years of activity per page). We analyzed 13 international pages and 14 Australian-based brand pages; 4 brands (Subway, Coca-Cola, Slurpee, Maltesers) had both national and international pages. Pages widely used marketing features unique to social media that increase consumer interaction and engagement. Common techniques were competitions based on user-generated content, interactive games, and apps. Four pages included apps that allowed followers to place an order directly through Facebook. Adolescent and young adult Facebook users appeared most receptive to engaging with this content. By using the interactive and social aspects of Facebook to market products, EDNP food brands capitalize on users' social networks and magnify the reach and personal relevance of their marketing messages.

Digital Junk: Food and Beverage Marketing on Facebook

PubMed Central

Freeman, Becky; Kelly, Bridget; Baur, Louise; Chapman, Kathy; Chapman, Simon; Gill, Tim; King, Lesley

2014-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the amount, reach, and nature of energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and beverage marketing on Facebook. Methods. We conducted a content analysis of the marketing techniques used by the 27 most popular food and beverage brand Facebook pages in Australia. We coded content across 19 marketing categories; data were collected from the day each page launched (mean = 3.65 years of activity per page). Results. We analyzed 13 international pages and 14 Australian-based brand pages; 4 brands (Subway, Coca-Cola, Slurpee, Maltesers) had both national and international pages. Pages widely used marketing features unique to social media that increase consumer interaction and engagement. Common techniques were competitions based on user-generated content, interactive games, and apps. Four pages included apps that allowed followers to place an order directly through Facebook. Adolescent and young adult Facebook users appeared most receptive to engaging with this content. Conclusions. By using the interactive and social aspects of Facebook to market products, EDNP food brands capitalize on users’ social networks and magnify the reach and personal relevance of their marketing messages. PMID:25322294

Mapping the field of medical sociology: a comparative analysis of journals.

PubMed

Seale, Clive

2008-07-01

A comparative keyword analysis of the content of nine leading journals is used to suggest potential new directions for medical sociology. The major British and American journals in sociology and medical sociology tend to publish authors based in their own countries, contrasting with the internationalism of other social science disciplines relevant to health, although Sociology of Health and Illness is an exception to this. Medical sociology journals on both sides of the Atlantic focus on individual experience more than general sociology journals, which focus more on social systems levels of analysis. While journal contents reveal British medical sociology to be relatively atheoretical when compared with British general sociology journals, American medical sociology appears relatively apolitical on the same comparison with American general journals. American journals of sociology publish more quantitative studies than their British equivalents, more studies concerning race and other social divisions in American society, and less work drawing on social constructionist perspectives or that is engaged with social theory. Analysis of health and health care at societal and global levels and a deeper engagement with the political and public issues that concern non-sociologists represents a possible future for a medical sociology that is internationally relevant and outward looking.

Soft Decision Analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, Glen; Lansdowne, Chatwin; Zucha, Joan; Schlensinger, Adam

2013-01-01

The Soft Decision Analyzer (SDA) is an instrument that combines hardware, firmware, and software to perform realtime closed-loop end-to-end statistical analysis of single- or dual- channel serial digital RF communications systems operating in very low signal-to-noise conditions. As an innovation, the unique SDA capabilities allow it to perform analysis of situations where the receiving communication system slips bits due to low signal-to-noise conditions or experiences constellation rotations resulting in channel polarity in versions or channel assignment swaps. SDA s closed-loop detection allows it to instrument a live system and correlate observations with frame, codeword, and packet losses, as well as Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) events. The SDA s abilities are not confined to performing analysis in low signal-to-noise conditions. Its analysis provides in-depth insight of a communication system s receiver performance in a variety of operating conditions. The SDA incorporates two techniques for identifying slips. The first is an examination of content of the received data stream s relation to the transmitted data content and the second is a direct examination of the receiver s recovered clock signals relative to a reference. Both techniques provide benefits in different ways and allow the communication engineer evaluating test results increased confidence and understanding of receiver performance. Direct examination of data contents is performed by two different data techniques, power correlation or a modified Massey correlation, and can be applied to soft decision data widths 1 to 12 bits wide over a correlation depth ranging from 16 to 512 samples. The SDA detects receiver bit slips within a 4 bits window and can handle systems with up to four quadrants (QPSK, SQPSK, and BPSK systems). The SDA continuously monitors correlation results to characterize slips and quadrant change and is capable of performing analysis even when the receiver under test is subjected to conditions where its performance degrades to high error rates (30 percent or beyond). The design incorporates a number of features, such as watchdog triggers that permit the SDA system to recover from large receiver upsets automatically and continue accumulating performance analysis unaided by operator intervention. This accommodates tests that can last in the order of days in order to gain statistical confidence in results and is also useful for capturing snapshots of rare events.

Label-free in vivo analysis of intracellular lipid droplets in the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum by coherent Raman scattering microscopy

PubMed Central

Jaeger, Daniel; Pilger, Christian; Hachmeister, Henning; Oberländer, Elina; Wördenweber, Robin; Wichmann, Julian; Mussgnug, Jan H.; Huser, Thomas; Kruse, Olaf

2016-01-01

Oleaginous photosynthetic microalgae hold great promise as non-food feedstocks for the sustainable production of bio-commodities. The algal lipid quality can be analysed by Raman micro-spectroscopy, and the lipid content can be imaged in vivo in a label-free and non-destructive manner by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy. In this study, both techniques were applied to the oleaginous microalga Monoraphidium neglectum, a biotechnologically promising microalga resistant to commonly applied lipid staining techniques. The lipid-specific CARS signal was successfully separated from the interfering two-photon excited fluorescence of chlorophyll and for the first time, lipid droplet formation during nitrogen starvation could directly be analysed. We found that the neutral lipid content deduced from CARS image analysis strongly correlated with the neutral lipid content measured gravimetrically and furthermore, that the relative degree of unsaturation of fatty acids stored in lipid droplets remained similar. Interestingly, the lipid profile during cellular adaption to nitrogen starvation showed a two-phase characteristic with initially fatty acid recycling and subsequent de novo lipid synthesis. This works demonstrates the potential of quantitative CARS microscopy as a label-free lipid analysis technique for any microalgal species, which is highly relevant for future biotechnological applications and to elucidate the process of microalgal lipid accumulation. PMID:27767024

Ontology of gaps in content-based image retrieval.

PubMed

Deserno, Thomas M; Antani, Sameer; Long, Rodney

2009-04-01

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is a promising technology to enrich the core functionality of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). CBIR has a potential for making a strong impact in diagnostics, research, and education. Research as reported in the scientific literature, however, has not made significant inroads as medical CBIR applications incorporated into routine clinical medicine or medical research. The cause is often attributed (without supporting analysis) to the inability of these applications in overcoming the "semantic gap." The semantic gap divides the high-level scene understanding and interpretation available with human cognitive capabilities from the low-level pixel analysis of computers, based on mathematical processing and artificial intelligence methods. In this paper, we suggest a more systematic and comprehensive view of the concept of "gaps" in medical CBIR research. In particular, we define an ontology of 14 gaps that addresses the image content and features, as well as system performance and usability. In addition to these gaps, we identify seven system characteristics that impact CBIR applicability and performance. The framework we have created can be used a posteriori to compare medical CBIR systems and approaches for specific biomedical image domains and goals and a priori during the design phase of a medical CBIR application, as the systematic analysis of gaps provides detailed insight in system comparison and helps to direct future research.

Principal Components Analysis of Triaxial Vibration Data From Helicopter Transmissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Huff, Edward M.

2001-01-01

Research on the nature of the vibration data collected from helicopter transmissions during flight experiments has led to several crucial observations believed to be responsible for the high rates of false alarms and missed detections in aircraft vibration monitoring systems. This work focuses on one such finding, namely, the need to consider additional sources of information about system vibrations. In this light, helicopter transmission vibration data, collected using triaxial accelerometers, were explored in three different directions, analyzed for content, and then combined using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to analyze changes in directionality. In this paper, the PCA transformation is applied to 176 test conditions/data sets collected from an OH58C helicopter to derive the overall experiment-wide covariance matrix and its principal eigenvectors. The experiment-wide eigenvectors. are then projected onto the individual test conditions to evaluate changes and similarities in their directionality based on the various experimental factors. The paper will present the foundations of the proposed approach, addressing the question of whether experiment-wide eigenvectors accurately model the vibration modes in individual test conditions. The results will further determine the value of using directionality and triaxial accelerometers for vibration monitoring and anomaly detection.

Understanding Barriers for Communicating Injury Prevention Messages and Strategies Moving Forward: Perspectives from Community Stakeholders.

PubMed

Mack, Diane E; Aymar, Matt; Cosby, Jarold; Wilson, Philip M; Bradley, Christina; Walters Gray, Casey

2016-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to elicit the perspectives of direct care providers on barriers and facilitators to communicating injury prevention messages to parents/caregivers of children under 4 years of age. The secondary objective was to examine characteristics of an injury prevention messaging strategy preferred by direct care providers. This qualitative study was conducted across four regions in Ontario Canada. Fifty-nine direct care providers were purposefully sampled and data interpreted using focus group analysis. Transcripts were analyzed verbatim using content and discourse analysis. Several barriers to communicating injury prevention messages were identified encompassing (a) role, (b) parental, (c) social determinants, and (d) evidence impediments. In an effort to offset some of these barriers, participants endorsed the development of a tailored multicomponent injury prevention strategy adopting action-based messages. The results of this study provide an in-depth exploration of direct care providers perceptions that can inform the design of materials and dissemination strategies to help increase and optimize access to injury prevention information. Injury prevention messages should be action-oriented, specifically tailored to the stage of child development, and disseminated through both face-to-face interactions and mobile technology. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Personalization of XML Content Browsing Based on User Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Encelle, Benoit; Baptiste-Jessel, Nadine; Sedes, Florence

2009-01-01

Personalization of user interfaces for browsing content is a key concept to ensure content accessibility. In this direction, we introduce concepts that result in the generation of personalized multimodal user interfaces for browsing XML content. User requirements concerning the browsing of a specific content type can be specified by means of…

Spatial analysis of soil organic carbon in Zhifanggou catchment of the Loess Plateau.

PubMed

Li, Mingming; Zhang, Xingchang; Zhen, Qing; Han, Fengpeng

2013-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) reflects soil quality and plays a critical role in soil protection, food safety, and global climate changes. This study involved grid sampling at different depths (6 layers) between 0 and 100 cm in a catchment. A total of 1282 soil samples were collected from 215 plots over 8.27 km(2). A combination of conventional analytical methods and geostatistical methods were used to analyze the data for spatial variability and soil carbon content patterns. The mean SOC content in the 1282 samples from the study field was 3.08 g · kg(-1). The SOC content of each layer decreased with increasing soil depth by a power function relationship. The SOC content of each layer was moderately variable and followed a lognormal distribution. The semi-variograms of the SOC contents of the six different layers were fit with the following models: exponential, spherical, exponential, Gaussian, exponential, and exponential, respectively. A moderate spatial dependence was observed in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers, which resulted from stochastic and structural factors. The spatial distribution of SOC content in the four layers between 20 and 100 cm exhibit were mainly restricted by structural factors. Correlations within each layer were observed between 234 and 562 m. A classical Kriging interpolation was used to directly visualize the spatial distribution of SOC in the catchment. The variability in spatial distribution was related to topography, land use type, and human activity. Finally, the vertical distribution of SOC decreased. Our results suggest that the ordinary Kriging interpolation can directly reveal the spatial distribution of SOC and the sample distance about this study is sufficient for interpolation or plotting. More research is needed, however, to clarify the spatial variability on the bigger scale and better understand the factors controlling spatial variability of soil carbon in the Loess Plateau region.

Adherence of Pharmaceutical Advertisements in Medical Journals to FDA Guidelines and Content for Safe Prescribing

PubMed Central

Korenstein, Deborah; Keyhani, Salomeh; Mendelson, Ali; Ross, Joseph S.

2011-01-01

Background Physician-directed pharmaceutical advertising is regulated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); adherence to current FDA guidelines is unknown. Our objective was to determine adherence rates of physician-directed print advertisements in biomedical journals to FDA guidelines and describe content important for safe prescribing. Methods and Findings Cross-sectional analysis of November 2008 pharmaceutical advertisements within top U.S.-based biomedical journals publishing original research. We excluded advertisements for devices, over the counter medications, and disease awareness. We utilized FDA guideline items identifying unique forms of advertisement bias to categorize advertisements as adherent to FDA guidelines, possibly non-adherent to at least 1 item, or non-adherent to at least 1 item. We also evaluated advertisement content important for safe prescribing, including benefit quantification, risk information and verifiable references. All advertisements were evaluated by 2 or more investigators, with differences resolved by discussion. Twelve journals met inclusion criteria. Nine contained pharmaceutical advertisements, including 192 advertisements for 82 unique products; median 2 per product (range 1–14). Six “teaser” advertisements presented only drug names, leaving 83 full unique advertisements. Fifteen advertisements (18.1%) adhered to all FDA guidelines, 41 (49.4%) were non-adherent with at least one form of FDA-described bias, and 27 (32.5%) were possibly non-adherent due to incomplete information. Content important for safe prescribing was often incomplete; 57.8% of advertisements did not quantify serious risks, 48.2% lacked verifiable references and 28.9% failed to present adequate efficacy quantification. Study limitations included its focus on advertisements from a single month, the subjectivity of FDA guidelines themselves, and the necessary subjectivity of determinations of adherence. Conclusions Few physician-directed print pharmaceutical advertisements adhere to all FDA guidelines; over half fail to quantify serious risks. The FDA could better protect public health by creating new more objective advertisement guidelines requiring transparent presentation of basic safety and efficacy information. PMID:21858076

Adherence of pharmaceutical advertisements in medical journals to FDA guidelines and content for safe prescribing.

PubMed

Korenstein, Deborah; Keyhani, Salomeh; Mendelson, Ali; Ross, Joseph S

2011-01-01

Physician-directed pharmaceutical advertising is regulated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); adherence to current FDA guidelines is unknown. Our objective was to determine adherence rates of physician-directed print advertisements in biomedical journals to FDA guidelines and describe content important for safe prescribing. Cross-sectional analysis of November 2008 pharmaceutical advertisements within top U.S.-based biomedical journals publishing original research. We excluded advertisements for devices, over the counter medications, and disease awareness. We utilized FDA guideline items identifying unique forms of advertisement bias to categorize advertisements as adherent to FDA guidelines, possibly non-adherent to at least 1 item, or non-adherent to at least 1 item. We also evaluated advertisement content important for safe prescribing, including benefit quantification, risk information and verifiable references. All advertisements were evaluated by 2 or more investigators, with differences resolved by discussion. Twelve journals met inclusion criteria. Nine contained pharmaceutical advertisements, including 192 advertisements for 82 unique products; median 2 per product (range 1-14). Six "teaser" advertisements presented only drug names, leaving 83 full unique advertisements. Fifteen advertisements (18.1%) adhered to all FDA guidelines, 41 (49.4%) were non-adherent with at least one form of FDA-described bias, and 27 (32.5%) were possibly non-adherent due to incomplete information. Content important for safe prescribing was often incomplete; 57.8% of advertisements did not quantify serious risks, 48.2% lacked verifiable references and 28.9% failed to present adequate efficacy quantification. Study limitations included its focus on advertisements from a single month, the subjectivity of FDA guidelines themselves, and the necessary subjectivity of determinations of adherence. Few physician-directed print pharmaceutical advertisements adhere to all FDA guidelines; over half fail to quantify serious risks. The FDA could better protect public health by creating new more objective advertisement guidelines requiring transparent presentation of basic safety and efficacy information.

Adolescent judgment of sexual content on television: implications for future content analysis research.

PubMed

Manganello, Jennifer A; Henderson, Vani R; Jordan, Amy; Trentacoste, Nicole; Martin, Suzanne; Hennessy, Michael; Fishbein, Martin

2010-07-01

Many studies of sexual messages in media utilize content analysis methods. At times, this research assumes that researchers and trained coders using content analysis methods and the intended audience view and interpret media content similarly. This article compares adolescents' perceptions of the presence or absence of sexual content on television to those of researchers using three different coding schemes. Results from this formative research study suggest that participants and researchers are most likely to agree with content categories assessing manifest content, and that differences exist among adolescents who view sexual messages on television. Researchers using content analysis methods to examine sexual content in media and media effects on sexual behavior should consider identifying how audience characteristics may affect interpretation of content and account for audience perspectives in content analysis study protocols when appropriate for study goals.

Considering the Future of Pharmaceutical Promotions in Social Media Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

PubMed

Carpentier, Francesca Renee Dillman

2016-02-09

This commentary explores the implications of increased social media marketing by drug manufacturers, based on findings in Hyosun Kim's article of the major themes in recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters and notices of violation regarding online direct-to-consumer promotions of pharmaceuticals. Kim's rigorous analysis of FDA letters over a 10-year span highlights a relative abundance of regulatory action toward marketer-controlled websites and sponsored advertisements, compared to branded and unbranded social media messaging. However, social media marketing efforts are increasing, as is FDA attention to these efforts. This commentary explores recent developments and continuing challenges in the FDA's attempts to provide guidance and define pharmaceutical company accountability in marketer-controlled and -uncontrolled claims disseminated through social media. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Phase and amplitude analysis in time-frequency space--application to voluntary finger movement.

PubMed

Ginter, J; Blinowska, K J; Kamiński, M; Durka, P J

2001-09-30

Two methods operating in time-frequency space were applied to analysis of EEG activity accompanying voluntary finger movements. The first one, based on matching pursuit approach provided high-resolution distributions of power in time-frequency space. The phenomena of event related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) were investigated without the need of band-pass filtering. Time evolution of mu- and beta-components was observed in a detailed way. The second method was based on a multichannel autoregressive model (MVAR) adapted for investigation of short-time changes in EEG signal. The direction and spectral content of the EEG activity propagation was estimated by means of short-time directed transfer function (SDTF). The evidence of 'cross-talk' between different areas of motor and sensory cortex was found. The earlier known phenomena, connected with voluntary movements, were confirmed and a new evidence concerning focal ERD/surround ERS and beta activity post-movement synchronization was found.

The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study-Neurocognitive Questionnaire (CCSS-NCQ) Revised: Item Response Analysis and Concurrent Validity

PubMed Central

Kenzik, Kelly M.; Huang, I-Chan; Brinkman, Tara M.; Baughman, Brandon; Ness, Kirsten K.; Shenkman, Elizabeth A.; Hudson, Melissa M.; Robison, Leslie L.; Krull, Kevin R.

2014-01-01

Objective Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for neurocognitive impairment related to cancer diagnosis or treatment. This study refined and further validated the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Neurocognitive Questionnaire (CCSS-NCQ), a scale developed to screen for impairment in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Method Items related to task efficiency, memory, organization and emotional regulation domains were examined using item response theory (IRT). Data were collected from 833 adult survivors of childhood cancer in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study who completed self-report and direct neurocognitive testing. The revision process included: 1) content validity mapping of items to domains, 2) constructing a revised CCSS-NCQ, 3) selecting items within specific domains using IRT, and 4) evaluating concordance between the revised CCSS-NCQ and direct neurocognitive assessment. Results Using content and measurement properties, 32 items were retained (8 items in 4 domains). Items captured low to middle levels of neurocognitive concerns. The latent domain scores demonstrated poor convergent/divergent validity with the direct assessments. Adjusted effect sizes (Cohen's d) for agreement between self-reported memory and direct memory assessment were moderate for total recall (ES=0.66), long-term memory (ES=0.63), and short-term memory (ES=0.55). Effect sizes between self-rated task efficiency and direct assessment of attention were moderate for focused attention (ES=0.70) and attention span (ES=0.50), but small for sustained attention (ES=0.36). Cranial radiation therapy and female gender were associated with lower self-reported neurocognitive function. Conclusion The revised CCSS-NCQ demonstrates adequate measurement properties for assessing day-to-day neurocognitive concerns in childhood cancer survivors, and adds useful information to direct assessment. PMID:24933482

Readability analysis of online resources related to lung cancer.

PubMed

Weiss, Kathleen D; Vargas, Christina R; Ho, Olivia A; Chuang, Danielle J; Weiss, Jonathan; Lee, Bernard T

2016-11-01

Patients seeking health information commonly use the Internet as the first source for material. Studies show that well-informed patients have increased involvement, satisfaction, and healthcare outcomes. As one-third of Americans have only basic or below basic health literacy, the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association recommend patient-directed health resources be written at a sixth-grade reading level. This study evaluates the readability of commonly accessed online resources on lung cancer. A search for "lung cancer" was performed using Google and Bing, and the top 10 websites were identified. Location services were disabled, and sponsored sites were excluded. Relevant articles (n = 109) with patient-directed content available directly from the main sites were downloaded. Readability was assessed using 10 established methods and analyzed with articles grouped by parent website. The average reading grade level across all sites was 11.2, with a range from 8.8 (New Fog Count) to 12.2 (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook). The average Flesch Reading Ease score was 52, corresponding with fairly difficult to read text. The readability varied when compared by individual website, ranging in grade level from 9.2 to 15.2. Only 10 articles (9%) were written below a sixth-grade level and these tended to discuss simpler topics. Patient-directed online information about lung cancer exceeds the recommended sixth-grade reading level. Readability varies between individual websites, allowing physicians to direct patients according to level of health literacy. Modifications to existing materials can significantly improve readability while maintaining content for patients with low health literacy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Message strategies in direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: a content analysis using Taylor's six-segment message strategy wheel.

PubMed

Tsai, Wan-Hsiu Sunny; Lancaster, Alyse R

2012-01-01

This exploratory study applies Taylor's (1999) six-segment message strategy wheel to direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical television commercials to understand message strategies adopted by pharmaceutical advertisers to persuade consumers. A convenience sample of 96 DTC commercial campaigns was analyzed. The results suggest that most DTC drug ads used a combination approach, providing consumers with medical and drug information while simultaneously appealing to the viewer's ego-related needs and desires. In contrast to ration and ego strategies, other approaches including routine, acute need, and social are relatively uncommon while sensory was the least common message strategy. Findings thus recognized the educational value of DTC commercials.

Characterization of Sugar Contents and Sucrose Metabolizing Enzymes in Developing Leaves of Hevea brasiliensis

PubMed Central

Zhu, Jinheng; Qi, Jiyan; Fang, Yongjun; Xiao, Xiaohu; Li, Jiuhui; Lan, Jixian; Tang, Chaorong

2018-01-01

Sucrose-metabolizing enzymes in plant leaves have hitherto been investigated mainly in temperate plants, and rarely conducted in tandem with gene expression and sugar analysis. Here, we investigated the sugar content, gene expression, and the activity of sucrose-metabolizing enzymes in the leaves of Hevea brasiliensis, a tropical tree widely cultivated for natural rubber. Sucrose, fructose and glucose were the major sugars detected in Hevea leaves at four developmental stages (I to IV), with starch and quebrachitol as minor saccharides. Fructose and glucose contents increased until stage III, but decreased strongly at stage IV (mature leaves). On the other hand, sucrose increased continuously throughout leaf development. Activities of all sucrose-cleaving enzymes decreased markedly at maturation, consistent with transcript decline for most of their encoding genes. Activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) was low in spite of its high transcript levels at maturation. Hence, the high sucrose content in mature leaves was not due to increased sucrose-synthesizing activity, but more to the decline in sucrose cleavage. Gene expression and activities of sucrose-metabolizing enzymes in Hevea leaves showed striking differences compared with other plants. Unlike in most other species where vacuolar invertase predominates in sucrose cleavage in developing leaves, cytoplasmic invertase and sucrose synthase (cleavage direction) also featured prominently in Hevea. Whereas SPS is normally responsible for sucrose synthesis in plant leaves, sucrose synthase (synthesis direction) was comparable or higher than that of SPS in Hevea leaves. Mature Hevea leaves had an unusually high sucrose:starch ratio of about 11, the highest reported to date in plants. PMID:29449852

A cross-media content analysis of motivational themes in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising.

PubMed

Sumpradit, Nithima; Ascione, Frank J; Bagozzi, Richard P

2004-01-01

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs is a widely discussed issue in health care. However, little is known about the characteristics of the motivational themes used in this type of advertising. The aim of this study was to investigate the concurrent presentation of motivational themes in DTC print and television advertisements. The content analyses focused on advertisements of 2 targeted drug classes (cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme inhibitors and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) in magazines and on television. Targeted print advertisements (for celecoxib, rofecoxib, atorvastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin) from September to December 2001 and targeted television advertisements (for celecoxib, rofecoxib, and simvastatin) from November 2001 were investigated. The motivational themes were assessed using a theoretical framework based on self-regulatory focus theory and cultural orientation. Self-regulatory focus was examined in terms of goal orientation (promotion vs prevention) and emotional aspects, (e.g., cheerfulness, dejection, quiescence, agitation). The cultural orientation was examined in terms of individualism versus collectivism. The visual-verbal match was categorized as direct if the audio and visual information was semantically redundant, as partial if it was partially related, and as no match at all if it was different or conflicting. Twelve print advertisements in 10 magazines and 4 television advertisements on 4 television networks were examined; the interrater reliability scores from 3 independent, trained judges ranged from 0.93 to 0.99. The score was low (0.57) in the visual-verbal match measurement for television advertisements. Products in the same category appeared to be promoted using different self-regulatory foci. For example, celecoxib and atorvastatin advertisements tended to be promotion oriented, whereas pravastatin advertisements tended to be prevention oriented. Motivational themes were found throughout the print advertisements (e.g., pictures, headlines, main text). Only a few advertisements illustrated factual information about a product in a pictorial format. The cultural orientation of the advertisements was similar across brands, with individualistic appeals being common. On television, visual-verbal matches (either direct or partial matches) were generally found, except in the section where risk information was presented. In this content analysis, prescription drugs in the same class appeared to be promoted using different self-regulatory foci, but individualistic appeals were found more often than collectivistic appeals across brands.

Algorithm for detection of steganographic inserts type LSB-substitution on the basis of an analysis of the zero layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belim, S. V.; Vilkhovskiy, D. E.

2018-01-01

All articles must contain an abstract. The abstract text should be formatted using 10 point Times or Times New Roman and indented 25 mm from the left margin. Leave 10 mm space after the abstract before you begin the main text of your article, starting on the same page as the abstract. The abstract should give readers concise information about the content of the article and indicate the main results obtained and conclusions drawn. The abstract is not part of the text and should be complete in itself; no table numbers, figure numbers, references or displayed mathematical expressions should be included. It should be suitable for direct inclusion in abstracting services and should not normally exceed 200 words in a single paragraph. Since contemporary information-retrieval systems rely heavily on the content of titles and abstracts to identify relevant articles in literature searches, great care should be taken in constructing both. Keywords - search for LSB-inserts, analysis of steganography container, revealing of steganography inserts.

Familiarizing with toy food: preliminary research and future directions.

PubMed

Lynch, Meghan

2012-01-01

A qualitative content analysis of children and parents interacting with toy food in their homes in view of recommendations for developing healthful food preferences. YouTube videos (n = 101) of children and parents interacting in toy kitchen settings were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Toy food was categorized under 5 food groups, and interactions were compared to literature on developing healthful food preferences in children in real life. The most popular food group represented by the toys was Extras, followed by Fruits/Vegetables, Meats/Alternatives, Grains, and Milk/Dairy. Many parents were also found to encourage behaviors not conducive to healthful food preference development in children. Future research needs to determine whether familiarization with toy food influences children's real-life food preferences. Nutrition education programs for young children and parents could greatly benefit from future research on this approach. Exploring novel ways of developing children's food preferences is well warranted. Copyright © 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

G protein-coupled receptor internalization assays in the high-content screening format.

PubMed

Haasen, Dorothea; Schnapp, Andreas; Valler, Martin J; Heilker, Ralf

2006-01-01

High-content screening (HCS), a combination of fluorescence microscopic imaging and automated image analysis, has become a frequently applied tool to study test compound effects in cellular disease-modeling systems. This chapter describes the measurement of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) internalization in the HCS format using a high-throughput, confocal cellular imaging device. GPCRs are the most successful group of therapeutic targets on the pharmaceutical market. Accordingly, the search for compounds that interfere with GPCR function in a specific and selective way is a major focus of the pharmaceutical industry today. This chapter describes methods for the ligand-induced internalization of GPCRs labeled previously with either a fluorophore-conjugated ligand or an antibody directed against an N-terminal tag of the GPCR. Both labeling techniques produce robust assay formats. Complementary to other functional GPCR drug discovery assays, internalization assays enable a pharmacological analysis of test compounds. We conclude that GPCR internalization assays represent a valuable medium/high-throughput screening format to determine the cellular activity of GPCR ligands.

Hamline/3M Project: Liaison for Curricular Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rundquist, Andy

2002-03-01

This project was designed to catalyze curricular changes to better prepare students for the workplace. Industrial managers provided a list of 16 characteristics valued in the workplace: most were NOT related to science course content. The project formed 5 teams each including 3M professionals and students. Each team developed curricular changes in one of the 16 areas. Team goals were to improve skills in communication, data analysis, business/economics, team problem solving, and culture competency. Curricular changes realized include communication skill activities embodied in science courses and faculty communication teaching skill seminars, self learning tools in data analysis, statistics and model building, a new course developed with assistance from 3M personnel focussing on topics directly related to technological industries, high performance team problem solving training/coaching for faculty and workshops for students and faculty relative to importance of cultural competencies in the workplace, and a new course focusing on culture, team problem solving and conflict resolution in the technical workplace. Process for developing and content of curricular changes will be reported.

Evaluation of the spoken knowledge in low literacy in diabetes scale for use with Mexican Americans.

PubMed

Garcia, Alexandra A; Zuniga, Julie; Reynolds, Raquel; Cairampoma, Laura; Sumlin, Lisa

2015-05-01

This article evaluates the Spoken Knowledge in Low Literacy in Diabetes (SKILLD) questionnaire, a measure of essential knowledge for type 2 diabetes self-management, after it was modified for English- and Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans. We collected surveys (SKILLD, demographic, acculturation) and blood for A1C analysis from 72 community-recruited participants to analyze the SKILLD's internal consistency, interrater reliability, item analysis, and construct validity. Clinical experts evaluated content validity. The SKILLD demonstrated low internal consistency but high interrater reliability and content and construct validity. There were significant correlations in expected directions between SKILLD scores and acculturation, education, and A1C and significant differences in SKILLD scores between and within groups after an educational intervention and between high- and low-acculturated participants. The SKILLD generates useful information about Mexican Americans' diabetes knowledge. Lower SKILLD scores suggest less diabetes knowledge, lower health literacy, and participants' difficulties understanding items. Further modifications should improve use with low-acculturated Mexican Americans. © The Author(s) 2014.

Spectra of normal and nutrient-deficient maize leaves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Abbas, A. H.; Barr, R.; Hall, J. D.; Crane, F. L.; Baumgardner, M. F.

1973-01-01

Reflectance, transmittance and absorptance spectra of normal and six types of nutrient-deficient (N, P, K, S, Mg, and Ca) maize (Zea mays L.) leaves were analyzed at 30 selected wavelengths from 500 to 2600 nm. The analysis of variance showed significant differences in reflectance, transmittance and absorptance in the visible wavelengths among leaf numbers 3, 4, and 5, among the seven treatments, and among the interactions of leaf number and treatments. In the infrared wavelengths only treatments produced significant differences. The chlorophyll content of leaves was reduced in all nutrient-deficient treatments. Percent moisture was increased in S-, Mg-, and N-deficiencies. Polynomial regression analysis of leaf thickness and leaf moisture content showed that these two variables were significantly and directly related. Leaves from the P- and Ca-deficient plants absorbed less energy in the near infrared than the normal plants; S-, Mg-, K-, and N-deficient leaves absorbed more than the normal. Both S- and N-deficient leaves had higher temperatues than normal maize leaves.

Full-Scale Flight Research Testbeds: Adaptive and Intelligent Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pahle, Joe W.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the adaptive and intelligent control methods used for aircraft survival. The contents include: 1) Motivation for Adaptive Control; 2) Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control Project; 3) Full-scale Flight Assets in Use for IRAC; 4) NASA NF-15B Tail Number 837; 5) Gen II Direct Adaptive Control Architecture; 6) Limited Authority System; and 7) 837 Flight Experiments. A simulated destabilization failure analysis along with experience and lessons learned are also presented.

Equivalent circuit modeling of the dielectric properties of rubber wood at low frequency

Treesearch

Wan M. Daud; Kaida B. Khalid; Aziz H.A. Sidek

2000-01-01

Dielectric properties of rubber wood were studied at various moisture contents and grain directions at low frequencies from 10-2 to 105 Hz. Results showed that the moisture content of wood affected the dielectric properties considerably. Dielectric data at different anisotropic directions, i.e., longitudinal, radial, and...

A New Generation of Goals for Technology Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritz, John M.

2009-01-01

To develop meaningful instructional programs for technology education, goals need to be in place to direct the outcomes of curriculum development and teaching. Goals are program terminal outcomes that focus curriculum writers or teachers who structure content for learners. Goals provide direction so content can be delivered for long-term impact to…

Directing the public to evidence-based online content.

PubMed

Cooper, Crystale Purvis; Gelb, Cynthia A; Vaughn, Alexandra N; Smuland, Jenny; Hughes, Alexandra G; Hawkins, Nikki A

2015-04-01

To direct online users searching for gynecologic cancer information to accurate content, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 'Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer' campaign sponsored search engine advertisements in English and Spanish. From June 2012 to August 2013, advertisements appeared when US Google users entered search terms related to gynecologic cancer. Users who clicked on the advertisements were directed to relevant content on the CDC website. Compared with the 3 months before the initiative (March-May 2012), visits to the CDC web pages linked to the advertisements were 26 times higher after the initiative began (June-August 2012) (p<0.01), and 65 times higher when the search engine advertisements were supplemented with promotion on television and additional websites (September 2012-August 2013) (p<0.01). Search engine advertisements can direct users to evidence-based content at a highly teachable moment--when they are seeking relevant information. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Interface Psychology: Touchscreens Change Attribute Importance, Decision Criteria, and Behavior in Online Choice

PubMed Central

Gips, James

2015-01-01

Abstract As the rise of tablets and smartphones move the dominant interface for digital content from mouse or trackpad to direct touchscreen interaction, work is needed to explore the role of interfaces in shaping psychological reactions to online content. This research explores the role of direct-touch interfaces in product search and choice, and isolates the touch element from other form factor changes such as screen size. Results from an experimental study using a travel recommendation Web site show that a direct-touch interface (vs. a more traditional mouse interface) increases the number of alternatives searched, and biases evaluations toward tangible attributes such as décor and furniture over intangible attributes such as WiFi and employee demeanor. Direct-touch interfaces also elevate the importance of internal and subjective satisfaction metrics such as instinct over external and objective metrics such as reviews, which in turn increases anticipated satisfaction metrics. Findings suggest that interfaces can strongly affect how online content is explored, perceived, remembered, and acted on, and further work in interface psychology could be as fruitful as research exploring the content itself. PMID:26348814

Interface Psychology: Touchscreens Change Attribute Importance, Decision Criteria, and Behavior in Online Choice.

PubMed

Brasel, S Adam; Gips, James

2015-09-01

As the rise of tablets and smartphones move the dominant interface for digital content from mouse or trackpad to direct touchscreen interaction, work is needed to explore the role of interfaces in shaping psychological reactions to online content. This research explores the role of direct-touch interfaces in product search and choice, and isolates the touch element from other form factor changes such as screen size. Results from an experimental study using a travel recommendation Web site show that a direct-touch interface (vs. a more traditional mouse interface) increases the number of alternatives searched, and biases evaluations toward tangible attributes such as décor and furniture over intangible attributes such as WiFi and employee demeanor. Direct-touch interfaces also elevate the importance of internal and subjective satisfaction metrics such as instinct over external and objective metrics such as reviews, which in turn increases anticipated satisfaction metrics. Findings suggest that interfaces can strongly affect how online content is explored, perceived, remembered, and acted on, and further work in interface psychology could be as fruitful as research exploring the content itself.

Food waste impact on municipal solid waste angle of internal friction.

PubMed

Cho, Young Min; Ko, Jae Hac; Chi, Liqun; Townsend, Timothy G

2011-01-01

The impact of food waste content on the municipal solid waste (MSW) friction angle was studied. Using reconstituted fresh MSW specimens with different food waste content (0%, 40%, 58%, and 80%), 48 small-scale (100-mm-diameter) direct shear tests and 12 large-scale (430 mm × 430 mm) direct shear tests were performed. A stress-controlled large-scale direct shear test device allowing approximately 170-mm sample horizontal displacement was designed and used. At both testing scales, the mobilized internal friction angle of MSW decreased considerably as food waste content increased. As food waste content increased from 0% to 40% and from 40% to 80%, the mobilized internal friction angles (estimated using the mobilized peak (ultimate) shear strengths of the small-scale direct shear tests) decreased from 39° to 31° and from 31° to 7°, respectively, while those of large-scale tests decreased from 36° to 26° and from 26° to 15°, respectively. Most friction angle measurements produced in this study fell within the range of those previously reported for MSW. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of solidification parameters on mechanical properties of directionally solidified Al-Rich Al-Cu alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çadırlı, Emin

2013-05-01

Al(100-x)-Cux alloys (x=3 wt%, 6 wt%, 15 wt%, 24 wt% and 33 wt%) were prepared using metals of 99.99% high purity in vacuum atmosphere. These alloys were directionally solidified under steady-state conditions by using a Bridgman-type directional solidification furnace. Solidification parameters (G, V and ), microstructure parameters (λ1, λ2 and λE) and mechanical properties (HV, σ) of the Al-Cu alloys were measured. Microstructure parameters were expressed as functions of solidification parameters by using a linear regression analysis. The dependency of HV, σ on the cooling rate, microstructure parameters and composition were determined. According to experimental results, the microhardness and ultimate tensile strength of the solidified samples was increased by increasing the cooling rate and Cu content, but decreased with increasing microstructure parameters. The microscopic fracture surfaces of the different samples were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Fractographic analysis of the tensile fracture surfaces showed that the type of fracture significantly changed from ductile to brittle depending on the composition.

Smoking cessation apps for smartphones: content analysis with the self-determination theory.

PubMed

Choi, Jounghwa; Noh, Ghee-Young; Park, Dong-Jin

2014-02-12

Smartphones are increasingly receiving attention from public health scholars and practitioners as a means to assist individuals' health management. A number of smartphone apps for smoking cessation are also available; however, little effort has been made to evaluate the content and functions of these apps employing a theoretical framework. The present study aims to analyze and evaluate the contents of smoking cessation apps available in South Korea employing the self-determination theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework for analysis. This study analyzes the extent to which smoking cessation apps have features that satisfy the basic needs identified in the SDT, which stimulate autonomous motivation. The type of motivational goal content manifested in the apps and how the goal content was framed are also explored. By assessing the features of smoking cessation apps based on the SDT, this study aims to offer direction for improvement for these apps. Out of 309 apps identified from the iTunes store and Google Play (excluding 27 duplications), 175 apps were randomly drawn and analyzed. The coding scheme was drafted by the authors based on the SDT and gain/loss framing theory and was further finely tuned through the process of coder training and by establishing intercoder reliability. Once the intercoder reliability was established, the coders divided up the rest of the sample and coded them independently. The analysis revealed that most apps (94.3%, 165/175) had at least one feature that tapped at least 1 of the 3 basic needs. Only 18 of 175 apps (10.3%) addressed all 3 basic needs. For goal content, money (53.7%, 94/175) showed the highest frequency, followed by health (32.0%, 56/175), time (7.4%, 13/175), and appearance (1.1%, 2/175), suggesting that extrinsic goals are more dominantly presented in smoking cessation apps. For the framing of goal content, gain framing appeared more frequently (41.7%, 73/175). The results suggest that these smoking cessation apps may not sufficiently stimulate autonomous motivation; a small number of apps addressed all 3 basic needs suggested by the SDT (ie, autonomy, competence, and relatedness). The apps also tended to present extrinsic goal content (primarily in terms of money) over intrinsic ones (ie, health) by primarily adopting gain framing. Implications of these findings for public health practitioners and consumers are discussed.

Smoking Cessation Apps for Smartphones: Content Analysis With the Self-Determination Theory

PubMed Central

Noh, Ghee-Young; Park, Dong-Jin

2014-01-01

Background Smartphones are increasingly receiving attention from public health scholars and practitioners as a means to assist individuals’ health management. A number of smartphone apps for smoking cessation are also available; however, little effort has been made to evaluate the content and functions of these apps employing a theoretical framework. Objective The present study aims to analyze and evaluate the contents of smoking cessation apps available in South Korea employing the self-determination theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework for analysis. This study analyzes the extent to which smoking cessation apps have features that satisfy the basic needs identified in the SDT, which stimulate autonomous motivation. The type of motivational goal content manifested in the apps and how the goal content was framed are also explored. By assessing the features of smoking cessation apps based on the SDT, this study aims to offer direction for improvement for these apps. Methods Out of 309 apps identified from the iTunes store and Google Play (excluding 27 duplications), 175 apps were randomly drawn and analyzed. The coding scheme was drafted by the authors based on the SDT and gain/loss framing theory and was further finely tuned through the process of coder training and by establishing intercoder reliability. Once the intercoder reliability was established, the coders divided up the rest of the sample and coded them independently. Results The analysis revealed that most apps (94.3%, 165/175) had at least one feature that tapped at least 1 of the 3 basic needs. Only 18 of 175 apps (10.3%) addressed all 3 basic needs. For goal content, money (53.7%, 94/175) showed the highest frequency, followed by health (32.0%, 56/175), time (7.4%, 13/175), and appearance (1.1%, 2/175), suggesting that extrinsic goals are more dominantly presented in smoking cessation apps. For the framing of goal content, gain framing appeared more frequently (41.7%, 73/175). Conclusions The results suggest that these smoking cessation apps may not sufficiently stimulate autonomous motivation; a small number of apps addressed all 3 basic needs suggested by the SDT (ie, autonomy, competence, and relatedness). The apps also tended to present extrinsic goal content (primarily in terms of money) over intrinsic ones (ie, health) by primarily adopting gain framing. Implications of these findings for public health practitioners and consumers are discussed. PMID:24521881

Pre-Service Science Teachers in Xinjiang "Scientific Inquiry" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yufeng; Xiong, Jianwen

2012-01-01

Scientific inquiry is one of the science curriculum content, "Scientific inquiry" - Pedagogical Content Knowledge is the face of scientific inquiry and teachers - of course pedagogical content knowledge and scientific inquiry a teaching practice with more direct expertise. Pre-service teacher training phase of acquisition of knowledge is…

19 CFR 10.305 - Value content requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Value content requirement. 10.305 Section 10.305... Agreement § 10.305 Value content requirement. (a) Direct cost of processing or assembling—(1) Definition. For purposes of applying a specific rule of origin under the Agreement which requires a value content...

19 CFR 10.305 - Value content requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Value content requirement. 10.305 Section 10.305... Agreement § 10.305 Value content requirement. (a) Direct cost of processing or assembling—(1) Definition. For purposes of applying a specific rule of origin under the Agreement which requires a value content...

19 CFR 10.305 - Value content requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Value content requirement. 10.305 Section 10.305... Agreement § 10.305 Value content requirement. (a) Direct cost of processing or assembling—(1) Definition. For purposes of applying a specific rule of origin under the Agreement which requires a value content...

19 CFR 10.305 - Value content requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Value content requirement. 10.305 Section 10.305... Agreement § 10.305 Value content requirement. (a) Direct cost of processing or assembling—(1) Definition. For purposes of applying a specific rule of origin under the Agreement which requires a value content...

Self-Directed Learning to Improve Science Content Knowledge for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Garderen, Delinda; Hanuscin, Deborah; Thomas, Cathy Newman; Stormont, Melissa; Lee, Eun J.

2017-01-01

Students with disabilities often struggle in science and underperform in this important content area when compared to their typical peers. Unfortunately, many special educators have had little preparation to develop science content knowledge or skills in methods for teaching science. Despite their lack of content knowledge, special educators are…

A picture tells a thousand words: A content analysis of concussion-related images online.

PubMed

Ahmed, Osman H; Lee, Hopin; Struik, Laura L

2016-09-01

Recently image-sharing social media platforms have become a popular medium for sharing health-related images and associated information. However within the field of sports medicine, and more specifically sports related concussion, the content of images and meta-data shared through these popular platforms have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyse the content of concussion-related images and its accompanying meta-data on image-sharing social media platforms. We retrieved 300 images from Pinterest, Instagram and Flickr by using a standardised search strategy. All images were screened and duplicate images were removed. We excluded images if they were: non-static images; illustrations; animations; or screenshots. The content and characteristics of each image was evaluated using a customised coding scheme to determine major content themes, and images were referenced to the current international concussion management guidelines. From 300 potentially relevant images, 176 images were included for analysis; 70 from Pinterest, 63 from Flickr, and 43 from Instagram. Most images were of another person or a scene (64%), with the primary content depicting injured individuals (39%). The primary purposes of the images were to share a concussion-related incident (33%) and to dispense education (19%). For those images where it could be evaluated, the majority (91%) were found to reflect the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3) guidelines. The ability to rapidly disseminate rich information though photos, images, and infographics to a wide-reaching audience suggests that image-sharing social media platforms could be used as an effective communication tool for sports concussion. Public health strategies could direct educative content to targeted populations via the use of image-sharing platforms. Further research is required to understand how image-sharing platforms can be used to effectively relay evidence-based information to patients and sports medicine clinicians. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the nutrient content of preterm and term breast milk.

PubMed

Gidrewicz, Dominica A; Fenton, Tanis R

2014-08-30

Breast milk nutrient content varies with prematurity and postnatal age. Our aims were to conduct a meta-analysis of preterm and term breast milk nutrient content (energy, protein, lactose, oligosaccharides, fat, calcium, and phosphorus); and to assess the influence of gestational and postnatal age. Additionally we assessed for differences by laboratory methods for: energy (measured vs. calculated estimates) and protein (true protein measurement vs. the total nitrogen estimates). Systematic review results were summarized graphically to illustrate the changes in composition over time for term and preterm milk. Since breast milk fat content varies within feeds and diurnally, to obtain accurate estimates we limited the meta-analyses for fat and energy to 24-hour breast milk collections. Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria: 26 (843 mothers) preterm studies and 30 (2299 mothers) term studies of breast milk composition. Preterm milk was higher in true protein than term milk, with differences up to 35% (0.7 g/dL) in colostrum, however, after postnatal day 3, most of the differences in true protein between preterm and term milk were within 0.2 g/dL, and the week 10-12 estimates suggested that term milk may be the same as preterm milk by that age. Colostrum was higher than mature milk for protein, and lower than mature milk for energy, fat and lactose for both preterm and term milk. Breast milk composition was relatively stable between 2 and 12 weeks. With milk maturation, there was a narrowing of the protein variance. Energy estimates differed whether measured or calculated, from -9 to 13%; true protein measurement vs. the total nitrogen estimates differed by 1 to 37%. Although breast milk is highly variable between individuals, postnatal age and gestational stage (preterm versus term) were found to be important predictors of breast milk content. Energy content of breast milk calculated from the macronutrients provides poor estimates of measured energy, and protein estimated from the nitrogen over-estimates the protein milk content. When breast milk energy, macronutrient and mineral content cannot be directly measured the average values from these meta-analyses may provide useful estimates of mother's milk energy and nutrient content.

Relationships between airborne pollen grains, wind direction and land cover using GIS and circular statistics.

PubMed

Maya-Manzano, J M; Sadyś, M; Tormo-Molina, R; Fernández-Rodríguez, S; Oteros, J; Silva-Palacios, I; Gonzalo-Garijo, A

2017-04-15

Airborne bio-aerosol content (mainly pollen and spores) depends on the surrounding vegetation and weather conditions, particularly wind direction. In order to understand this issue, maps of the main land cover in influence areas of 10km in radius surrounding pollen traps were created. Atmospheric content of the most abundant 14 pollen types was analysed in relation to the predominant wind directions measured in three localities of SW of Iberian Peninsula, from March 2011 to March 2014. Three Hirst type traps were used for aerobiological monitoring. The surface area for each land cover category was calculated and wind direction analysis was approached by using circular statistics. This method could be helpful for estimating the potential risk of exposure to various pollen types. Thus, the main land cover was different for each monitoring location, being irrigated crops, pastures and hardwood forests the main categories among 11 types described. Comparison of the pollen content with the predominant winds and land cover shows that the atmospheric pollen concentration is related to some source areas identified in the inventory. The study found that some pollen types (e.g. Plantago, Fraxinus-Phillyrea, Alnus) come from local sources but other pollen types (e.g. Quercus) are mostly coming from longer distances. As main conclusions, airborne particle concentrations can be effectively split by addressing wind with circular statistics. By combining circular statistics and GIS method with aerobiological data, we have created a useful tool for understanding pollen origin. Some pollen loads can be explained by immediate surrounding landscape and observed wind patterns for most of the time. However, other factors like medium or long-distance transport or even pollen trap location within a city, may occasionally affect the pollen load recorded using an air sampler. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of FeCoNi nanoparticles by galvanostatic technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Budi, Setia, E-mail: setiabudi@unj.ac.id; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Jl. Pemuda No.10, Rawamangun, Jakarta 13220; Hafizah, Masayu Elita

Soft magnetic nanoparticles of FeCoNi have been becoming interesting objects for many researchers due to its potential application in electronic devices. One of the most promising methods for material preparation is the electrodeposition which capable of growing nanoparticles alloy directly onto the substrate. In this paper, we report our electrodeposition studies on nanoparticles synthesis using galvanostatic electrodeposition technique. Chemical composition of the synthesized FeCoNi was successfully controlled through the adjustment of the applied currents. It is revealed that the content of each element, obtained from quantitative analysis using atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), could be modified by the adjustment of currentmore » in which Fe and Co content decreased at larger applied currents, while Ni content increased. The nanoparticles of Co-rich FeCoNi and Ni-rich FeCoNi were obtained from sulphate electrolyte at the range of applied current investigated in this work. Broad diffracted peaks in the X-ray diffractograms indicated typical nanostructures of the solid solution of FeCoNi.« less

A rapid and effective approach for on-site assessment of total carotenoid content in wolfberry juice during processing.

PubMed

Zheng, Xiaodong; Zhu, Fengtao; Wu, Maoyu; Yan, Xinhuan; Meng, Xiaomeng; Song, Ye

2015-11-01

Carotenoid content analysis in wolfberry processed products has mainly focused on the determination of zeaxanthin or zeaxanthin dipalmitate, which cannot indicate the total carotenoid content (TCC) in wolfberries. We have exploited an effective approach for rapid extraction of carotenoid from wolfberry juice and determined TCC using UV-visible spectrophotometry. Several solvent mixtures, adsorption wavelengths of carotenoid extracts and extraction procedures were investigated. The optimal solvent mixture with broad spectrum polarity was hexane-ethanol-acetone (2:1:1) and optimal wavelength was 456 nm. There was no significant difference of TCC in wolfberry juice between direct extraction and saponification extraction. The developed method for assessment of TCC has been successfully employed in quality evaluation of wolfberry juice under different processing conditions. This measurement approach has inherent advantages (simplicity, rapidity, effectiveness) that make it appropriate for obtaining on-site information of TCC in wolfberry juice during processing. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

DNA Damage Protecting Activity and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Anthocyanins from Red Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Bran

PubMed Central

Devi, P. Suganya; Kumar, M. Saravana; Das, S. Mohan

2012-01-01

There is increasing interest in natural food colorants like carotenoids and anthocyanins with functional properties. Red sorghum bran is known as a rich source for anthocyanins. The anthocyanin contents extracted from red sorghum bran were evaluated by biochemical analysis. Among the three solvent system used, the acidified methanol extract showed a highest anthocyanin content (4.7 mg/g of sorghum bran) followed by methanol (1.95 mg/g) and acetone (1 mg/g). Similarly, the highest total flavonoids (143 mg/g) and total phenolic contents (0.93 mg/g) were obtained in acidified methanol extracts than methanol and acetone extracts. To study the health benefits of anthocyanin from red sorghum bran, the total antioxidant activity was evaluated by biochemical and molecular methods. The highest antioxidant activity was observed in acidified methanol extracts of anthocyanin in dose-dependent manner. The antioxidant activity of the red sorghum bran was directly related to the total anthocyanin found in red sorghum bran. PMID:22400119

Ethics Consultation in Pediatrics: Long-Term Experience from a Pediatric Oncology Center

PubMed Central

Johnson, Liza-Marie; Church, Christopher L.; Metzger, Monika; Baker, Justin N.

2015-01-01

There is little information about the content of ethics consultations (EC) in pediatrics. We sought to describe the reasons for consultation and ethical principles addressed during EC in pediatrics through retrospective review and directed content analysis of EC records (2000–2011) at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Patient-based EC were highly complex and often involved evaluation of parental decision making, particularly consideration of the risks and benefits of a proposed medical intervention, and the physician’s fiduciary responsibility to the patient. Non-patient consultations provided guidance in the development of institutional policies that would broadly affect patients and families. This is one of the few existing reviews of the content of pediatric EC and indicates the distribution of ethical issues and reasons for moral distress are different than with adults. Pediatric EC often facilitates complex decision-making among multiple stakeholders and further prospective research is needed on the role of ethics consultation in pediatrics. PMID:25970382

Nickel on the Swedish market. Follow-up after implementation of the Nickel Directive.

PubMed

Lidén, Carola; Norberg, Kristina

2005-01-01

The Nickel Directive aims at the prevention of sensitization and elicitation of nickel dermatitis. It limits nickel release from, and nickel content in, certain items. The Directive came into full force by July 2001. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency on the market of items that release nickel and of nickel content in piercing posts, 2 years after coming into force of the Directive. Of special interest was to study changes compared to the situation in 1999, when a baseline study had been carried out. Nickel release from 786 items covered by the Nickel Directive was tested with the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) test, and nickel content in 18 piercing posts was analysed. Nickel release was shown from 8% of items intended for direct and prolonged contact with the skin, and 17% of the piercing posts contained too much nickel, a decrease compared to 1999. There has been significant adaptation to the requirements of the Nickel Directive. The DMG test is useful for screening for nickel release and for monitoring the market. Provided there is further adaptation to the requirements, the risk of sensitization and elicitation of nickel dermatitis will be significantly reduced.

Operative reports: form and function.

PubMed

Stewart, Lygia; Hunter, John G; Wetter, Alberto; Chin, Brian; Way, Lawrence W

2010-09-01

Little is known about how closely operative reports reflect what was actually performed during an operation, nor has the construction of operative reports been adequately studied with the aims of clarifying the objectives of those reports and improving their efficacy. We hypothesized that if more attention is paid to the objectives of operative reports, their content will more predictably contain the most relevant information, which might channel thinking in beneficial directions during performance of the operation. Multivariate analysis of 250 laparoscopic cholecystectomy operative reports (125 uncomplicated and 125 with bile duct injury). Academic research. University (105 cases) and community (145 cases) hospitals. Variations in content and design of operative reports. Cognitive task analysis of laparoscopic cholecystectomy was conducted, and a model operative report was generated and compared with the actual operative reports. Descriptions of key elements in adequate dissection of the Calot triangle were present in 24.8% and 0.0% of operative reports from uncomplicated and bile duct injury cases, respectively. Thorough dissection of the Calot triangle, identification of the cystic duct-infundibulum junction, and lateral retraction of the infundibulum correlated with uncomplicated cases, while irregular cues (eg, perceived anatomic or other deviations) correlated with bile duct injury cases. Current practice generates operative reports that vary widely in content and too often omit important elements. This research suggests that the construction of operative reports should be constrained such that the reports routinely include the fundamental goals of the operation and what was performed to meet them. Cognitive task analysis is based on the ways the mind controls the performance of tasks; it is an excellent method for determining the extra content needed in operative reports. The resulting designs should also serve as mental guidelines to facilitate learning and to enhance the safety of the operation.

Development of new analytical methods for the determination of caffeine content in aqueous solution of green coffee beans.

PubMed

Weldegebreal, Blen; Redi-Abshiro, Mesfin; Chandravanshi, Bhagwan Singh

2017-12-05

This study was conducted to develop fast and cost effective methods for the determination of caffeine in green coffee beans. In the present work direct determination of caffeine in aqueous solution of green coffee bean was performed using FT-IR-ATR and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Caffeine was also directly determined in dimethylformamide solution using NIR spectroscopy with univariate calibration technique. The percentage of caffeine for the same sample of green coffee beans was determined using the three newly developed methods. The caffeine content of the green coffee beans was found to be 1.52 ± 0.09 (% w/w) using FT-IR-ATR, 1.50 ± 0.14 (% w/w) using NIR and 1.50 ± 0.05 (% w/w) using fluorescence spectroscopy. The means of the three methods were compared by applying one way analysis of variance and at p = 0.05 significance level the means were not significantly different. The percentage of caffeine in the same sample of green coffee bean was also determined by using the literature reported UV/Vis spectrophotometric method for comparison and found to be 1.40 ± 0.02 (% w/w). New simple, rapid and inexpensive methods were developed for direct determination of caffeine content in aqueous solution of green coffee beans using FT-IR-ATR and fluorescence spectrophotometries. NIR spectrophotometry can also be used as alternative choice of caffeine determination using reduced amount of organic solvent (dimethylformamide) and univariate calibration technique. These analytical methods may therefore, be recommended for the rapid, simple, safe and cost effective determination of caffeine in green coffee beans.

End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films: An opportunity for Engaging in Difficult Conversation.

PubMed

Tenzek, Kelly E; Nickels, Bonnie M

2017-01-01

This study expanded upon previous scholarship by examining end-of-life (EOL) depictions and messages of death within Disney and Pixar animated films. We argue Disney and Pixar depictions of EOL and death can provide critical opportunities for discussing death and dying processes with children and adults alike. A content analysis of 57 movies resulted in a total of 71 character deaths. These instances of death became the discourse used for analysis. The EOL discourse was coded based on five categories (character status, depiction of death, death status, emotional reaction, and causality). After quantitative analysis, the films were qualitatively analyzed. Four themes emerged from analysis, unrealistic moments, managing EOL, intentions to kill, and transformation and spiritual connection. Discussion of results, limitations, and directions for future research are included.

Determination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol content of cannabis seizures in Egypt.

PubMed

Souleman, Ahmed M A; Gaafar, Alaa El-Din M; Abdel-Salam, Omar M; ElShebiney, Shaimaa A

2017-03-01

To determine the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of cannabis seizures in Egypt. Unheated and heated extracts of cannabis seizures were prepared from the dried flowering tops and leaves (marijuana) or from the resin (hashish) and subjected to analysis using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The heated resin extract had the peak of THC in a relative ratio of 31.34%, while extracting the resin directly without heating contained only 18.34% of THC. On the other hand, marijuana showed minimum percentage of THC at 11.188% on heating and 9.55% without heating. These results indicate the high potency of the abused cannabis plant in the illicit Egyptian market. Copyright © 2017 Hainan Medical University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficiency analysis on platform over the top (OTT) to deploy content and applications (edutainment) in digital television on optical network link

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puche, William S.; Sierra, Javier E.; Moreno, Gustavo A.

2014-08-01

The convergence of new technologies in the digital world has made devices with internet connectivity such as televisions, smatphone, Tablet, Blu-ray, game consoles, among others, to increase more and more. Therefore the major research centers are in the task of improving the network performance to mitigate the bottle neck phenomenon regarding capacity and high transmission rates in information and data. The implementation of standard HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV), and technological platforms OTT (Over the Top), capable of distributing video, audio, TV, and other Internet services via devices connected directly to the cloud. Therefore a model to improve the transmission capacity required by content distribution networks (CDN) for online TV, with high-capacity optical networks is proposed.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, 1989-1998. A content analysis of conditions, targets, inducements, and appeals.

PubMed

Bell, R A; Kravitz, R L; Wilkes, M S

2000-04-01

We conducted a content analysis of consumer-targeted prescription drug advertisements to explore trends in prevalence, shifts in the medical conditions for which drugs are promoted, reliance on financial and nonmonetary inducements, and appeals used to attract public interest. We collected the drug advertisements appearing in 18 consumer magazines from 1989 through 1998. Two judges independently coded each advertisement and placed it in a category pertaining to the target audience, use of inducements, and product benefits (mean kappa=0.93). We employed descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and curve estimation procedures. A total of 320 distinct advertisements were identified, representing 101 brands and 14 medical conditions. New advertisement and brand introductions increased dramatically during this decade. Advertisements for drugs used for dermatologic, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and obstetric/gynecologic conditions were most common. Almost all of the advertisements were aimed at the potential user of the drug, not third-party intermediaries such as parents and spouses. Although most advertisements were gender-neutral, women were more likely to be exclusively targeted. One eighth of the advertisements offered a monetary incentive (eg, a rebate or money-back guarantee), and one third made an offer of additional information in printed or audio/video form. The most common appeals used were effectiveness, symptom control, innovativeness, and convenience. Consumer-directed prescription drug advertising has increased dramatically during the past decade. The pharmaceutical industry is turning to this type of advertising to generate interest in its products. Our data may be useful to physicians who want to stay abreast of the treatments that are being directly marketed to their patients.

The Dynamics of Embolism Refilling in Abscisic Acid (ABA)-Deficient Tomato Plants

PubMed Central

Secchi, Francesca; Perrone, Irene; Chitarra, Walter; Zwieniecka, Anna K.; Lovisolo, Claudio; Zwieniecki, Maciej A.

2013-01-01

Plants are in danger of embolism formation in xylem vessels when the balance between water transport capacity and transpirational demand is compromised. To maintain this delicate balance, plants must regulate the rate of transpiration and, if necessary, restore water transport in embolized vessels. Abscisic acid (ABA) is the dominant long-distance signal responsible for plant response to stress, and it is possible that it plays a role in the embolism/refilling cycle. To test this idea, a temporal analysis of embolism and refilling dynamics, transpiration rate and starch content was performed on ABA-deficient mutant tomato plants. ABA-deficient mutants were more vulnerable to embolism formation than wild-type plants, and application of exogenous ABA had no effect on vulnerability. However, mutant plants treated with exogenous ABA had lower stomatal conductance and reduced starch content in the xylem parenchyma cells. The lower starch content could have an indirect effect on the plant’s refilling activity. The results confirm that plants with high starch content (moderately stressed mutant plants) were more likely to recover from loss of water transport capacity than plants with low starch content (mutant plants with application of exogenous ABA) or plants experiencing severe water stress. This study demonstrates that ABA most likely does not play any direct role in embolism refilling, but through the modulation of carbohydrate content, it could influence the plant’s capacity for refilling. PMID:23263667

Local media monitoring in process evaluation. Experiences from the Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Programme.

PubMed

Andersson, Camilla Maria; Bjärås, Gunilla; Tillgren, Per; Ostenson, Claes-Göran

2007-01-01

We present a rationale and approach for longitudinal analyses of media coverage and content, and illustrate how media monitoring can be used in process evaluations. Within a community-based diabetes prevention project, the Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Program, we analyzed the frequency, prominence, and framing of physical activity in local newspapers of three intervention and two control municipalities. In total, 2,128 stories and advertisements related to physical activity were identified between the years 1997 and 2002. Although stories about physical activity were relatively few (n = 224), they were prominently located in all five local newspapers. Physical activity was framed rather similarly in the municipalities. Health aspects, however, were expressed to a greater extent in stories in two of the intervention municipalities. A limited portion (14%) of the articles could be linked directly to the program. It is not possible to assess to what extent the program has had a disseminating effect on the newspapers' health-related content in general, due to weaknesses of the process tracking system and limitations of the study design. Implications for the design is that an evaluative framework should be preplanned and include data collection about media relationships, media's interest in public health, media coverage prior to the program and coverage in other media for comparisons of general trends in the reporting. The material and the current database, however, provide a good basis for quantitative content analysis and qualitative discourse analysis to yield information on the type, frequency, and content of health reporting in local newspapers.

Gender differences in quality of life among long-term colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies.

PubMed

Grant, Marcia; McMullen, Carmit K; Altschuler, Andrea; Mohler, M Jane; Hornbrook, Mark C; Herrinton, Lisa J; Wendel, Christopher S; Baldwin, Carol M; Krouse, Robert S

2011-09-01

To describe how gender shapes the concerns and adaptations of long-term (i.e., more than five years) colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies. Qualitative study using content analysis of focus group content. Oregon, southwestern Washington, and northern California. Four female and four male focus groups (N = 33) selected from 282 quantitative survey participants with health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) scores in the highest or lowest quartile. Eight focus groups discussed the challenges of living with an ostomy. Content was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using directive and summative content analysis. HRQOL domains of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. All groups reported avoiding foods that cause gas or rapid transit and discussed how limiting the amount of food eaten controlled the output. All groups discussed physical activities, getting support from friends and family, and the importance of being resilient. Both genders identified challenges with sexuality and intimacy. Coping and adjustment difficulties mostly were discussed by women, with men only discussing these issues to a small extent. Difficulties with sleep primarily were identified by women with low HRQOL. Problems with body image and depression were discussed only by women with low HRQOL. Common issues included diet management, physical activity, social support, and sexuality. Although both genders identified challenges, women described more specific psychological and social issues than men. Application of these gender-based differences can inform educational interventions for colorectal cancer survivors with ostomies.

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG LONG-TERM COLORECTAL CANCER SURVIVORS WITH OSTOMIES

PubMed Central

Grant, Marcia; McMullen, Carmit K.; Altschuler, Andrea; Mohler, M. Jane; Hornbrook, Mark C.; Herrinton, Lisa J.; Wendel, Christopher S.; Baldwin, Carol M.; Krouse, Robert S.

2011-01-01

Objective To describe how gender shapes the concerns and adaptations of long-term (> 5 years) colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors with ostomies. Design Qualitative study using content analysis of focus group content. Setting Member of Kaiser Permanente, residing in either Oregon, Southwest Washington State, or Northern California. Sample Four female and four male focus groups selected from quantitative survey participants with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores in the highest or lowest quartile. Methods Eight focus groups, discussed challenges of living with an ostomy. Content was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using directive and summative content analysis. Main Research Variables HRQOL domains of physical, psychological, social and spiritual well being. Findings All groups reported avoiding foods that cause gas or rapid transit, and discussed how limiting the amount of food eaten controlled the output. All groups discussed physical activities, getting support from friends and family, and the importance of being resilient. Both genders identified challenges with sexuality/intimacy. Coping and adjustment difficulties were discussed by women with men only discussing these issues to a small extent. Difficulties with sleep were primarily identified by Low HRQOL women. Problems with body image and depression were discussed only by Low HRQOL women. Conclusions Common issues included diet management, physical activity, social support and sexuality. Women with low HRQOL discussed problems with depression, body image, and sleep. Implications for Nursing Application of these gender-based differences can inform educational interventions for CRC survivors with ostomies. PMID:21875846

Multispectral UV imaging for fast and non-destructive quality control of chemical and physical tablet attributes.

PubMed

Klukkert, Marten; Wu, Jian X; Rantanen, Jukka; Carstensen, Jens M; Rades, Thomas; Leopold, Claudia S

2016-07-30

Monitoring of tablet quality attributes in direct vicinity of the production process requires analytical techniques that allow fast, non-destructive, and accurate tablet characterization. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the applicability of multispectral UV imaging as a reliable, rapid technique for estimation of the tablet API content and tablet hardness, as well as determination of tablet intactness and the tablet surface density profile. One of the aims was to establish an image analysis approach based on multivariate image analysis and pattern recognition to evaluate the potential of UV imaging for automatized quality control of tablets with respect to their intactness and surface density profile. Various tablets of different composition and different quality regarding their API content, radial tensile strength, intactness, and surface density profile were prepared using an eccentric as well as a rotary tablet press at compression pressures from 20MPa up to 410MPa. It was found, that UV imaging can provide both, relevant information on chemical and physical tablet attributes. The tablet API content and radial tensile strength could be estimated by UV imaging combined with partial least squares analysis. Furthermore, an image analysis routine was developed and successfully applied to the UV images that provided qualitative information on physical tablet surface properties such as intactness and surface density profiles, as well as quantitative information on variations in the surface density. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that UV imaging combined with image analysis is an effective and non-destructive method to determine chemical and physical quality attributes of tablets and is a promising approach for (near) real-time monitoring of the tablet compaction process and formulation optimization purposes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Laboratory Investigation on Shear Strength Behavior of Sandy Soil: Effect of Glass Fiber and Clinker Residue Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouaricha, Leyla; Henni, Ahmed Djafar; Lancelot, Laurent

2017-12-01

A study was undertaken to investigate the shear strength parameters of treated sands reinforced with randomly distributed glass fibers by carrying out direct shear test after seven days curing periods. Firstly, we studied the fiber content and fiber length effect on the peak shear strength on samples. The second part gives a parametric analysis on the effect of glass fiber and clinker residue content on the shear strength parameters for two types of uniform Algerian sands having different particle sizes (Chlef sand and Rass sand) with an average relative density Dr = 50%. Finally, the test results show that the combination of glass fiber and clinker residue content can effectively improve the shear strength parameters of soil in comparison with unreinforced soil. For instance, there is a significant gain for the cohesion and friction angle of reinforced sand of Chlef. Compared to unreinforced sand, the cohesion for sand reinforced with different ratios of clinker residue increased by 4.36 to 43.08 kPa for Chlef sand and by 3.1 to 28.64 kPa for Rass sand. The feature friction angles increased from 38.73° to 43.01° (+4.28°), and after the treatment, clinker residue content of soil evaluated to 5% (WRC = 5%).

Effect of shading intensity on morphological and color traits, and chemical components of new tea (Camellia sinensis L.) shoots under direct covering cultivation.

PubMed

Sano, Tomohito; Horie, Hideki; Matsunaga, Akiko; Hirono, Yuhei

2018-05-02

Use of covering cultivation to shade tea (Camellia sinensis L.) trees to produce high-quality, high-priced green tea has recently increased in Japan. Knowledge of shading effects on morphological and color traits, and chemical components of new tea shoots is important for product quality and productivity. We assessed these traits of tea shoots and their relationships under covering cultivation of various radiation intensities. Leaf thickness, LMA (leaf mass per area), and leaf density of new tea leaves were smaller under covering culture than under open-field culture. SPAD values and chlorophyll contents were larger under covering culture than under open culture. The derived exponential equation for estimating chlorophyll contents from SPAD values was improved by considering leaf thickness. Covering culture decreased EC (epicatechin) and EGC (epigallocatechin) contents, and increased theanine and caffeine contents. Principal component analysis on shoot and leaf traits indicated that LMA, and chlorophyll, EC, and EGC contents were strongly associated with shading effects. Morphological and color traits, and chemical components of new tea shoots and leaves varied depending on radiation intensity, shoot growth, and cropping season. These findings are useful for covering cultivation with high quality and high productivity in tea gardens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Competitive growth, energy allocation, and host modification in the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus dirus: field data.

PubMed

Caddigan, Sara C; Pfenning, Alaina C; Sparkes, Timothy C

2017-01-01

The acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus dirus is a trophically transmitted parasite that modifies both the physiology and behavior of its intermediate host (isopod) prior to transmission to its definitive host (fish). Infected isopods often contain multiple A. dirus individuals and we examined the relationships between host sharing, body size, energy content, and host modification to determine if host sharing was costly and if these costs could influence the modification of host behavior (mating behavior). Using field-based measures of parasite energy content (glycogen, lipid) and parasite body size (volume), we showed that host sharing was costly in terms of energy content but not in terms of body size. Analysis of the predictors of host behavior revealed that energy content, and body size, were not predictors of host behavior. Of the variables examined, parasite intensity was the only predictor of host behavior. Hosts that contained more parasites were less likely to be modified (i.e., less likely to undergo mating suppression). We suggest that intraspecific competition influenced parasite energy content and that the costs associated with competition are likely to shape the strategy of growth and energy allocation adopted by the parasites. These costs did not appear to have a direct effect on the modification of host mating behavior.

Television advertising of foodstuffs potentially detrimental to oral health--a content analysis and comparison of children's and primetime broadcasts.

PubMed

Chestnutt, I G; Ashraf, F J

2002-06-01

The study aimed to examine the nature, content and duration of advertisements broadcast during children's television; determine the proportion of advertisements promoting food; identify the potential of the food advertised to be detrimental to oral health; and to compare the nature and content of advertisements aimed at children with those transmitted during evening 'primetime' television. Children's and primetime television, broadcast on a main independent terrestrial channel in South Wales were video recorded, 237 and 42 hours being analysed in total. Analysis of the recording resulted in a total of 3,236 commercials, of which 2,345 were broadcast during children's television and 891 in primetime. During children's TV, 62.5% of advertising time was devoted to foodstuffs, significantly greater (P< 0.001) than the 18.4% of time spent advertising foods during primetime. Of the time spent advertising foods, during children's television 73.4% was devoted to products deemed potentially detrimental to oral health (primarily high in sugar), compared to 18.6% similarly categorised during evening television. Commercials for products which have the potential to adversely affect oral health constitute a large proportion of advertising time during children's television. Current codes of the Independent Television Commission governing advertising directed at children should be reviewed.

Internet food marketing strategies aimed at children and adolescents: a content analysis of food and beverage brand web sites.

PubMed

Weber, Kristi; Story, Mary; Harnack, Lisa

2006-09-01

Americans are spending an increasing amount of time using "new media" like the Internet. There has been little research examining food and beverage Web sites' content and marketing practices, especially those that attract children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of food- and beverage-brand Web sites and the marketing techniques and advertising strategies present on these sites. The top five brands in eight food and beverage categories, 40 brands in total, were selected based on annual sales data from Brandweek magazine's annual "Superbrands" report. Data were collected using a standardized coding form. The results show a wide variety of Internet marketing techniques and advertising strategies targeting children and adolescents. "Advergaming" (games in which the advertised product is part of the game) was present on 63% of the Web sites. Half or more of the Web sites used cartoon characters (50%) or spokescharacters (55%), or had a specially designated children's area (58%) with a direct link from the homepage. With interactive media still in its developmental stage, there is a need to develop safeguards for children. Food and nutrition professionals need to advocate for responsible marketing techniques that will support the health of children.

A Content Analysis of Unique Selling Propositions of Tobacco Print Ads

PubMed Central

Shen, Megan Johnson; Banerjee, Smita C.; Greene, Kathryn; Carpenter, Amanda; Ostroff, Jamie S.

2017-01-01

Objectives The present study described the unique selling propositions (USPs) (propositions used to convince customers to use a particular brand/product by focusing on the unique benefit) of print tobacco ads. Methods A qualitative content analysis was conducted of print tobacco ads (N = 171) selected from August 2012-August 2013 for cigarettes, moist snuff, e-cigarettes, cigars, and snus to determine the content and themes of USPs for tobacco ads. Results Cigarette ad USP themes focused on portraying the product as attractive; moist snuff ads focused on portraying product as masculine; cigar ads focused on selling a “high end product;” and new and emerging tobacco products (e-cigarette, snus) focused on directly comparing these products to cigarettes. Conclusions Whereas traditional tobacco product ads used USPs focused on themes of enjoyment and pleasure (eg, attractive for cigarettes, “high end product” for cigars), new and emerging tobacco product ads offered the unique benefit (USP) of their product being a better and “safer” alternative to traditional tobacco products. Snuff’s USPs focused nearly exclusively on the masculinity of their products. Results of this study provide targets for potential tobacco regulatory actions that could be implemented to reduce demand for tobacco products by reducing their perceived unique benefits. PMID:28452697

Direct determination of fatty acids in fish tissues: quantifying top predator trophic connections.

PubMed

Parrish, Christopher C; Nichols, Peter D; Pethybridge, Heidi; Young, Jock W

2015-01-01

Fatty acids are a valuable tool in ecological studies because of the large number of unique structures synthesized. They provide versatile signatures that are being increasingly employed to delineate the transfer of dietary material through marine and terrestrial food webs. The standard procedure for determining fatty acids generally involves lipid extraction followed by methanolysis to produce methyl esters for analysis by gas chromatography. By directly transmethylating ~50 mg wet samples and adding an internal standard it was possible to greatly simplify the analytical methodology to enable rapid throughput of 20-40 fish tissue fatty acid analyses a day including instrumental analysis. This method was verified against the more traditional lipid methods using albacore tuna and great white shark muscle and liver samples, and it was shown to provide an estimate of sample dry mass, total lipid content, and a condition index. When large fatty acid data sets are generated in this way, multidimensional scaling, analysis of similarities, and similarity of percentages analysis can be used to define trophic connections among samples and to quantify them. These routines were used on albacore and skipjack tuna fatty acid data obtained by direct methylation coupled with literature values for krill. There were clear differences in fatty acid profiles among the species as well as spatial differences among albacore tuna sampled from different locations.

Child-directed and nutrition-focused marketing cues on food packaging: links to nutritional content.

PubMed

Lapierre, Matthew A; Brown, Autumn M; Houtzer, Hunter V; Thomas, Tyler J

2017-04-01

We tested whether the presence of both child-targeted and nutrition-focused (i.e. parent-targeted) marketing cues on food packaging was associated with the nutritional content of these products. We conducted a quantitative content analysis of 403 food packages chosen randomly from the supermarket's online portal along with all products (n 312) from the cereal aisle in a supermarket from the Southeastern USA. We examined main and interaction effects for cues on nutritional content (e.g. energy density, sugar, sodium, fibre). A regional supermarket chain in the Southeastern USA. Tests of main effects indicated that increased presence of nutritional cues was linked to more nutritious content (e.g. less sugar, less saturated fat, more fibre) while the increased presence of child-targeted cues was uniformly associated with less nutritious content (e.g. more sugar, less protein, less fibre). Among the interaction effects, results revealed that products with increased nutrition-focused and child-targeted cues were likely to contain significantly more sugar and less protein than other products. Products that seek to engage children with their packaging in the supermarket are significantly less nutritious than foods that do not, while product packages that suggest nutritional benefits have more nutritious content. More importantly, the study provides evidence that those products which try to engage both child and parent consumers are significantly less healthy in crucial ways (e.g. more sugar, less fibre) than products that do not.

Direct Estimate of Cocoa Powder Content in Cakes by Colorimetry and Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dóka, O.; Bicanic, D.; Kulcsár, R.

2014-12-01

Cocoa is a very important ingredient in the food industry and largely consumed worldwide. In this investigation, colorimetry and photoacoustic spectroscopy were used to directly assess the content of cocoa powder in cakes; both methods provided satisfactory results. The calibration curve was constructed using a series of home-made cakes containing varying amount of cocoa powder. Then, at a later stage, the same calibration curve was used to quantify the cocoa content of several commercially available cakes. For self-made cakes, the relationship between the PAS signal and the content of cocoa powder was linear while a quadratic dependence was obtained for the colorimetric index (brightness) and total color difference ().

The value of bedside shift reporting enhancing nurse surveillance, accountability, and patient safety.

PubMed

Jeffs, Lianne; Acott, Ashley; Simpson, Elisa; Campbell, Heather; Irwin, Terri; Lo, Joyce; Beswick, Susan; Cardoso, Roberta

2013-01-01

A study was undertaken to explore nurses' experiences and perceptions associated with implementation of bedside nurse-to-nurse shift handoff reporting. Interviews were conducted with nurses and analyzed using directed content analysis. Two themes emerged that illustrated the value of bedside shift reporting. These themes included clarifying information and intercepting errors and visualizing patients and prioritizing care. Nurse leaders can leverage study findings in their efforts to embed nurse-to-nurse bedside shift reporting in their respective organizations.

The transverse Poisson's ratio of composites.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foye, R. L.

1972-01-01

An expression is developed that makes possible the prediction of Poisson's ratio for unidirectional composites with reference to any pair of orthogonal axes that are normal to the direction of the reinforcing fibers. This prediction appears to be a reasonable one in that it follows the trends of the finite element analysis and the bounding estimates, and has the correct limiting value for zero fiber content. It can only be expected to apply to composites containing stiff, circular, isotropic fibers bonded to a soft matrix material.

SPARTAN high resolution solar studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruner, Marilyn E.

1993-01-01

This report summarizes the work performed on Contract NAS5-29739, a sub-orbital research program directed toward the study of the geometry of and physical conditions in matter found in the upper layers of the solar atmosphere. The report describes a new sounding rocket payload developed under the contract, presents a guide to the contents of semiannual reports submitted during the contract, discusses the results of the first flight of the payload and the progress on scientific analysis. A bibliography of papers and publications is included.

Error analysis of Dobson spectrophotometer measurements of the total ozone content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, A. C.; Thomas, R. W. L.

1975-01-01

A study of techniques for measuring atmospheric ozone is reported. This study represents the second phase of a program designed to improve techniques for the measurement of atmospheric ozone. This phase of the program studied the sensitivity of Dobson direct sun measurements and the ozone amounts inferred from those measurements to variation in the atmospheric temperature profile. The study used the plane - parallel Monte-Carlo model developed and tested under the initial phase of this program, and a series of standard model atmospheres.

Comparison of flavonoid compounds in the flavedo and juice of two pummelo cultivars (Citrus grandis L. Osbeck) from different cultivation regions in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Mingxia; Nan, Haijuan; Wang, Yanjie; Jiang, Xiaoying; Li, Zheng

2014-10-28

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different cultivation regions on the pattern and content of flavonoids in two pummelo cultivars (C. grandis L. Osbeck) in China. Results showed that similar patterns of flavonoids were observed in the flavedo or juice of each pummelo cultivar from these cultivation regions, whereas the individual flavonoid content showed unique characteristics. Naringin, the predominant flavanone glycoside, showed the highest content in both flavedo and juice of C. grandis "Guanximiyu" from the Pinghe of Fujian (FJ) cultivation region compared with the Dapu of Guangdong (GD) and Nanbu of Sichuan (SC) regions. However, its content in the flavedo of C. grandis "Shatianyu" from the Pingle of Guangxi (GX) was significantly lower than in the GD and SC regions. Vicenin-2 appeared to be the dominant flavone C-glycoside in the flavedo of both cultivars, and the lowest content was observed in the flavedo of C. grandis "Guanximiyu" from the SC region. However, C. grandis "Shatianyu" contained the highest content of vicenin-2 in the flavedo from SC region. Similarly, the predominant flavone O-glucoside, rhoifolin, showed the highest content in C. grandis "Guanximiyu" from the GD and FJ regions, whereas C. grandis "Shatianyu" in SC region showed the highest content of rhoifolin. Cluster analysis suggested that genotype played a primary role in determining the flavonoid profiles of pummelo cultivars, whereas regional differences significantly affected the flavonoid distribution of pummelo cultivars potentially via affecting the direction of flavonoid accumulation in pummelo.

Rapid analysis of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in hair using direct analysis in real time ambient ionization orbitrap mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Duvivier, Wilco F; van Beek, Teris A; Pennings, Ed J M; Nielen, Michel W F

2014-04-15

Forensic hair analysis methods are laborious, time-consuming and provide only a rough retrospective estimate of the time of drug intake. Recently, hair imaging methods using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) were reported, but these methods require the application of MALDI matrix and are performed under vacuum. Direct analysis of entire locks of hair without any sample pretreatment and with improved spatial resolution would thus address a need. Hair samples were attached to stainless steel mesh screens and scanned in the X-direction using direct analysis in real time (DART) ambient ionization orbitrap MS. The DART gas temperature and the accuracy of the probed hair zone were optimized using Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as a model compound. Since external contamination is a major issue in forensic hair analysis, sub-samples were measured before and after dichloromethane decontamination. The relative intensity of the THC signal in spiked blank hair versus that of quinine as the internal standard showed good reproducibility (26% RSD) and linearity of the method (R(2)  = 0.991). With the DART hair scan THC could be detected in hair samples from different chronic cannabis users. The presence of THC was confirmed by quantitative liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Zones with different THC content could be clearly distinguished, indicating that the method might be used for retrospective timeline assessments. Detection of THC in decontaminated drug user hair showed that the DART hair scan not only probes THC on the surface of hair, but penetrates deeply enough to measure incorporated THC. A new approach in forensic hair analysis has been developed by probing complete locks of hair using DART-MS. Longitudinal scanning enables detection of incorporated compounds and can be used as pre-screening for THC without sample preparation. The method could also be adjusted for the analysis of other drugs of abuse. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of metals in lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using a single-bore high-pressure pneumatic nebulizer.

PubMed

Mora, J; Todolí, J L; Sempere, F J; Canals, A; Hernandis, V

2000-12-01

The behaviour of a single-bore high-pressure pneumatic nebulizer (SBHPPN) as a tool for the analysis of lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was investigated. The effects of the sample oil content [from 10% to 100% (w/w) oil in 4-methylpentan-2-one, IBMK] and the carrier nature (IBMK and methanol) on the characteristics of the aerosols generated, on the analyte transport efficiency and on the analytical figures of merit in FAAS were studied. A pneumatic concentric nebulizer (PCN) was used for comparison. Increasing the oil content increases the viscosity of the sample. With the PCN this gives rise to coarser aerosols, making it impossible to nebulize samples with an oil content higher than 70% (w/w). Using the SBHPPN, the viscosity of the sample scarcely affects the characteristics of the primary aerosols. Hence, the SBHPPN is able, by using the appropriate carrier, to nebulize pure lubricating oils. Among the carriers tested, IBMK is the most advisable because it is fully miscible with all the oil samples. The SBHPPN provides higher sensitivities and lower limits of detection than the PCN. Compared with a method based on organic dilution, the use of the SBHPPN for the direct analysis of lubricating oils by FAAS makes it possible, in addition to increasing the analysis throughput, to detect elements at lower concentrations. Moreover, the SBHPPN provides similar results to those obtained using a previous acid digestion step.

Contextual Factors for Establishing Nursing Regulation in Iran: A Qualitative Content Analysis

PubMed Central

Nejatian, Ahmad; Joulaei, Hassan

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Professional regulation is one of the strategies of the governments which protect the public’s right. Nursing practice is not an exception; hence, it is regulated to protect the public against nursing services’ adverse effects. Although modern nursing in Iran started from 100 years ago, documents show that there was no regulation mechanism for nursing in Iran till 2016. Hence, this study was conducted to illuminate the contextual factors affecting the nursing regulation process in Iran. Methods: To explore the contextual elements of late establishment of nursing registration as an important part of nursing regulation, we applied directed qualitative content analysis. For this purpose, all the historical events and related materials including articles published in scientific journals, gray literature, statements, news articles, and interviews in the period of 2006-2016 were reviewed and analyzed by expert panel and categorized in predetermined groups. Results: Pooled analysis data showed four contributing elements that affected the emerging nursing regulation in Iran. These elements include 1) cultural determinants, 2) structural determinants, 3) situational determinants, and 4) international or exogenous determinants. Conclusion: Nursing regulation is an important health policy issue in Iran which needs to be facilitated by contextual factors. These factors are complicated and country-specific. Political willingness should be accompanied by nursing association willingness to establish and improve nursing regulation. Other researches are recommended to explore actors and process and content of nursing regulation policy in Iran. PMID:29607341

Identifying Indirect Benefits of Federal Health Care Emergency Preparedness Grant Funding to Coalitions: A Content Analysis.

PubMed

Priest, Chad; Stryckman, Benoit

2015-12-01

This study aimed to identify the indirect benefits of health care preparedness funding as perceived by current and former recipients of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response's Hospital Preparedness Program. This was a qualitative inductive content analysis of telephone interviews conducted with regional stakeholders from several health care coalitions to identify their perceptions of the indirect benefits of preparedness funding. Content analysis of interviewee responses resulted in 2 main categories of indirect benefits of federal health care preparedness funding: (1) dual-use technology and programs and (2) impact of relationships on day-to-day operations. Within the dual-use technology and programs category, 3 subcategories were identified: (1) information systems, (2) clinical technology, and (3) health care operations. Similarly, 3 subcategories relating to the indirect benefits in the impact of relationships on day-to-day operations category were identified: (1) cooperation, (2) information sharing, and (3) sense of community. This study identified indirect benefits of federal investment in hospital and health care preparedness in day-to-day operations. Major categories of these benefits included dual-use technology and programs and impact of relationships on day-to-day operations. Coalition members placed a high value on these benefits, even though they were not direct outcomes of grant programs. Further research is needed to quantify the economic value of these indirect benefits to more accurately measure the total return on investment from federal grant funding.

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Science.gov Websites

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Self- directed learning barriers in a virtual environment: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

KOHAN, NOUSHIN; SOLTANI ARABSHAHI, KAMRAN; MOJTAHEDZADEH, RITA; ABBASZADEH, ABBAS; RAKHSHANI, TAYEBEH; EMAMI, AMIRHOUSEIN

2017-01-01

Introduction: There is a growing trend in online education courses in higher education institutes. Previous studies have shown that high levels of self-direction are essential for successful online learning. The present study aims to investigate challenges of and barriers to self-directed virtual-learning among postgraduate students of medical sciences. Method: 23 postgraduate virtual students of medical sciences in Iran, collected through maximum variation purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews, served as the sample of this study. The collected data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis method. Results: Three themes and six sub-themes were identified as barriers to self-directed learning in virtual education, including cognitive barriers (information overload and lack of focus on learning or mind wondering), communication barriers (inadequate coping skills and inadequate writing skills) and educational environment barriers (heavy workload and role ambiguity). Conclusion: By the importance of self-direction in online education, the present study results can be used by virtual education planners in the review and design of courses, so as to adequately equip students, obviate barriers to self-directed virtual education, and ultimately train highly self-directed learners in online medical education. PMID:28761885

Analysis of selected chemical parameters in Piemontese wines.

PubMed

Stępień, Agnieszka E; Stawarczyk, Kinga; Bilek, Maciej; Kędziora, Katarzyna M

2015-01-01

Piemontese wines are well known and valued all over the world. The most popular of them are Barolo and Barbaresco wines. However, in Poland, they are still little known and only now are being gradually introduced to a wider range of consumers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of inorganic anions, minerals, sugars and glycerol of Piemontese wines from micro-region Langhe, classified as DOCG ("Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita", ie. controlled designation of origin guaranteed) and DOC ("Denominazione di Origine Controllata", ie. controlled designation of origin) products. Seven types of red wines and one type of white wine were tested. High Performance Ion Chromatography with conductometric detection (HPLC-CD) was used to measure the content of inorganic anions, ie. fluorides, chlorides, sulfates and phosphates. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) was used to measure the content of minerals, ie. magnesium, calcium, sodium, copper, potassium, zinc and iron, while High Performance Liquid Chromatography with charged aerosol detection (HPLC-CAD) was used to measure the content of glycerol and sugars, ie. fructose, glucose and sucrose. Our studies show that although Piemontese wines are characterized by a relatively low content of minerals in comparison with the wines from other regions, they contain a lot of ingredients that have beneficial effects for human health. Moreover, we observed that the studied wines contain particularly high concentration of inorganic ions--phosphates and fluorides. Furthermore, all tested red wines show far reaching similarities in their chemical properties, which is possibly a direct consequence of using in their production locally cultivated grape varieties. Analysis of the wines from the Piemont region, classified as DOCG, DOC, confirmed that these are dry wines of a high quality.

High content analysis of differentiation and cell death in human adipocytes.

PubMed

Doan-Xuan, Quang Minh; Sarvari, Anitta K; Fischer-Posovszky, Pamela; Wabitsch, Martin; Balajthy, Zoltan; Fesus, Laszlo; Bacso, Zsolt

2013-10-01

Understanding adipocyte biology and its homeostasis is in the focus of current obesity research. We aimed to introduce a high-content analysis procedure for directly visualizing and quantifying adipogenesis and adipoapoptosis by laser scanning cytometry (LSC) in a large population of cell. Slide-based image cytometry and image processing algorithms were used and optimized for high-throughput analysis of differentiating cells and apoptotic processes in cell culture at high confluence. Both preadipocytes and adipocytes were simultaneously scrutinized for lipid accumulation, texture properties, nuclear condensation, and DNA fragmentation. Adipocyte commitment was found after incubation in adipogenic medium for 3 days identified by lipid droplet formation and increased light absorption, while terminal differentiation of adipocytes occurred throughout day 9-14 with characteristic nuclear shrinkage, eccentric nuclei localization, chromatin condensation, and massive lipid deposition. Preadipocytes were shown to be more prone to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-induced apoptosis compared to mature adipocytes. Importantly, spontaneous DNA fragmentation was observed at early stage when adipocyte commitment occurs. This DNA damage was independent from either spontaneous or induced apoptosis and probably was part of the differentiation program. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Measuring the Interest of German Students in Agriculture: the Role of Knowledge, Nature Experience, Disgust, and Gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bickel, Malte; Strack, Micha; Bögeholz, Susanne

2015-06-01

Modern knowledge-based societies, especially their younger members, have largely lost their bonds to farming. However, learning about agriculture and its interrelations with environmental issues may be facilitated by students' individual interests in agriculture. To date, an adequate instrument to investigate agricultural interests has been lacking. Research has infrequently considered students' interest in agricultural content areas as well as influencing factors on students' agricultural interests. In this study, a factorial design of agricultural interests was developed combining five agricultural content areas and four components of individual interest. The instrument was validated with German fifth and sixth graders ( N = 1,085) using a variance decomposition confirmatory factor analysis model. The results demonstrated a second-order factor of general agricultural interest, with animal husbandry, arable farming, vegetable and fruit cropping, primary food processing, and agricultural engineering as discrete content areas of agricultural interest. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that prior knowledge, garden experience, and disgust sensitivity are predictors of general agricultural interest. In addition, gender influenced interest in four of the five agricultural content areas. Implications are directed at researchers, teachers, and environmental educators concerning how to trigger and develop pupils' agricultural interests.

Characterization of Korean solid recovered fuels (SRFs): an analysis and comparison of SRFs.

PubMed

Choi, Yeon-Seok; Han, Soyoung; Choi, Hang-Seok; Kim, Seock-Joon

2012-04-01

To date, Korea has used four species of solid recovered fuels (SRFs) which have been certified by the Environmental Ministry of Korea: refuse-derived fuel (RDF), refused plastic fuel (RPF), tyre-derived fuel (TDF), and wood chip fuel (WCF). These fuels have been used in many industrial boilers. In this study, seven regulatory properties associated with each of the four species: particle size, moisture and ash content, lower heating value (LHV), total chlorine, sulfur, and heavy metals content (Pb, As, Cd, Hg, Cr) were analysed. These properties are the main regulation criteria for the usage and transfer of SRFs in Korea. Different properties of each SRF were identified on the basis of data collected over the last 3 years in Korea, and the manufacturing process problem associated with the production of SRFs were considered. It was found that the high moisture content of SRFs (especially WCF) could directly lead to the low LHV of SRFs and that the poor screening and sorting of raw materials could cause defective SRF products with high ash or chlorine contents. The information obtained from this study could contribute to the manufacturing of SRF with good quality.

Schoolgirls and soccer moms: a content analysis of free "teen" and "MILF" online pornography.

PubMed

Vannier, Sarah A; Currie, Anna B; O'Sullivan, Lucia F

2014-01-01

Viewing free online pornographic videos has increasingly become a common behavior among young people, although little is known about the content of these videos. The current study analyzed the content of two popular female-age-based types of free, online pornography (teen and MILF) and examined nuances in the portrayal of gender and access to power in relation to the age of the female actor. A total of 100 videos were selected from 10 popular Web sites, and their content was coded using independent raters. Vaginal intercourse and fellatio were the most frequently depicted sexual acts. The use of sex toys, paraphilias, cuddling, and condom use were rare, as were depictions of coercion. Control of the pace and direction of sexual activity was typically shared by the male and female actors. Moreover, there were no gender differences in initiation of sexual activity, use of persuasion, portrayals of sexual experience, or in professional status. However, female actors in MILF videos were portrayed as more agentic and were more likely to initiate sexual activity, control the pace of sexual activity, and have a higher professional status. Implications regarding the role of pornography in generating or reinforcing sexual norms or scripts are discussed.

Estimation of the protein content of US imports of milk protein concentrates.

PubMed

Bailey, K W

2003-12-01

Recent declines in milk prices in the United States have sparked renewed concern that imports of milk protein concentrates (MPC) are increasingly entering the United States with very low tariff rates and is having an adverse impact on the US dairy industry. Milk protein concentrates are used in the United States in many different products, including the starter culture of cheese, or in nonstandard cheeses such as baker's cheese, ricotta, Feta and Hispanic cheese, processed cheese foods, and nutritional products. One of the difficult aspects of trying to assess the impact of MPC imports on the US dairy industry is to quantify the protein content of these imports. The protein content of MPC imports typically ranges from 40 to 88%. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology that can be used to estimate the protein content of MPC on a country by country basis. Such an estimate would not only provide information regarding the quantity of protein entering the United States, but would also provide a profile of low- and high-value MPC importers. This is critical for market analysis, since it is the lower valued MPC imports that more directly displaces US-produced skim milk powder.

Communication Strategies in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising (DTCA): Application of the Six Segment Message Strategy Wheel.

PubMed

Ju, Ilwoo; Park, Jin Seong

2015-01-01

This study addresses a void in the literature on direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising (DTCA) with a theory-based content analysis. The findings indicate that Taylor's communication strategy wheel provides insight into what and how pharmaceutical marketers communicate with consumers by means of DTCA. Major findings are summarized as follows: (a) In most DTC ads, informational and transformational message themes and creative approaches were simultaneously used, indicating a combination strategy; (b) DTCA message themes were associated with creative strategies in alignment with Taylor's framework; and (c) message themes and creative strategies varied across therapeutic categories and DTCA categories with different levels of ad spending. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Direct evidence of hybodont shark predation on Late Jurassic ammonites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vullo, Romain

2011-06-01

Sharks are known to have been ammonoid predators, as indicated by analysis of bite marks or coprolite contents. However, body fossil associations attesting to this predator-prey relationship have never been described so far. Here, I report a unique finding from the Late Jurassic of western France: a complete specimen of the Kimmeridgian ammonite Orthaspidoceras bearing one tooth of the hybodont shark Planohybodus. Some possible tooth puncture marks are also observed. This is the first direct evidence of such a trophic link between these two major Mesozoic groups, allowing an accurate identification of both organisms. Although Planohybodus displays a tearing-type dentition generally assumed to have been especially adapted for large unshelled prey, our discovery clearly shows that this shark was also able to attack robust ammonites such as aspidoceratids. The direct evidence presented here provides new insights into the Mesozoic marine ecosystem food webs.

Transmission beam characteristics of a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus).

PubMed

Smith, Adam B; Kloepper, Laura N; Yang, Wei-Cheng; Huang, Wan-Hsiu; Jen, I-Fan; Rideout, Brendan P; Nachtigall, Paul E

2016-01-01

The echolocation system of the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) remains poorly studied compared to other odontocete species. In this study, echolocation signals were recorded from a stationary Risso's dolphin with an array of 16 hydrophones and the two-dimensional beam shape was explored using frequency-dependent amplitude plots. Click source parameters were similar to those already described for this species. Centroid frequency of click signals increased with increasing sound pressure level, while the beamwidth decreased with increasing center frequency. Analysis revealed primarily single-lobed, and occasionally vertically dual-lobed, beam shapes. Overall beam directivity was found to be greater than that of the harbor porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, and a false killer whale. The relationship between frequency content, beam directivity, and head size for this Risso's dolphin deviated from the trend described for other species. These are the first reported measurements of echolocation beam shape and directivity in G. griseus.

Mapping organelle motion reveals a vesicular conveyor belt spatially replenishing secretory vesicles in stimulated chromaffin cells.

PubMed

Maucort, Guillaume; Kasula, Ravikiran; Papadopulos, Andreas; Nieminen, Timo A; Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Halina; Meunier, Frederic A

2014-01-01

How neurosecretory cells spatially adjust their secretory vesicle pools to replenish those that have fused and released their hormonal content is currently unknown. Here we designed a novel set of image analyses to map the probability of tracked organelles undergoing a specific type of movement (free, caged or directed). We then applied our analysis to time-lapse z-stack confocal imaging of secretory vesicles from bovine Chromaffin cells to map the global changes in vesicle motion and directionality occurring upon secretagogue stimulation. We report a defined region abutting the cortical actin network that actively transports secretory vesicles and is dissipated by actin and microtubule depolymerizing drugs. The directionality of this "conveyor belt" towards the cell surface is activated by stimulation. Actin and microtubule networks therefore cooperatively probe the microenvironment to transport secretory vesicles to the periphery, providing a mechanism whereby cells globally adjust their vesicle pools in response to secretagogue stimulation.

Children's Food and Beverage Promotion on Television to Parents.

PubMed

Emond, Jennifer A; Smith, Marietta E; Mathur, Suman J; Sargent, James D; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane

2015-12-01

Nutritionally poor foods are heavily advertised to children on television. Whether those same products are also advertised to parents on television has not been systematically examined. This study is a content analysis of advertisements for children's packaged foods and beverages aired over US network, cable, and syndicated television for 1 year (2012 to 2013). The target audience of each advertisement was defined as children or parents based on advertisement content, where parent-directed advertisements included emotional appeals related to family bonding and love. Advertisement characteristics and patterns of airtime were compared across target audience, and the proportion of total airtime devoted to advertisements targeting parents was computed. Fifty-one children's food or beverage products were advertised over the study year, 25 (49%) of which were advertised directly to parents. Parent-directed advertisements more often featured nutrition and health messaging and an active lifestyle than child-directed advertisements, whereas child-directed advertisements more frequently highlighted fun and product taste. Over all products, 42.4% of total airtime was devoted to advertisements that targeted parents. The products with the most amount of airtime over the study year were ready-to-eat cereals, sugar-sweetened beverages, and children's yogurt, and the proportion of total advertisement airtime for those products devoted to parents was 24.4%, 72.8%, and 25.8%, respectively. Television advertisements for children's packaged foods and beverages frequently targeted parents with emotional appeals and messaging related to nutrition and health. Findings are of concern if exposure to such advertisements among parents may shape their beliefs about the appropriateness of nutritionally questionable children's foods and beverages. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Children’s Food and Beverage Promotion on Television to Parents

PubMed Central

Smith, Marietta E.; Mathur, Suman J.; Sargent, James D.; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Nutritionally poor foods are heavily advertised to children on television. Whether those same products are also advertised to parents on television has not been systematically examined. METHODS: This study is a content analysis of advertisements for children’s packaged foods and beverages aired over US network, cable, and syndicated television for 1 year (2012 to 2013). The target audience of each advertisement was defined as children or parents based on advertisement content, where parent-directed advertisements included emotional appeals related to family bonding and love. Advertisement characteristics and patterns of airtime were compared across target audience, and the proportion of total airtime devoted to advertisements targeting parents was computed. RESULTS: Fifty-one children’s food or beverage products were advertised over the study year, 25 (49%) of which were advertised directly to parents. Parent-directed advertisements more often featured nutrition and health messaging and an active lifestyle than child-directed advertisements, whereas child-directed advertisements more frequently highlighted fun and product taste. Over all products, 42.4% of total airtime was devoted to advertisements that targeted parents. The products with the most amount of airtime over the study year were ready-to-eat cereals, sugar-sweetened beverages, and children’s yogurt, and the proportion of total advertisement airtime for those products devoted to parents was 24.4%, 72.8%, and 25.8%, respectively. DISCUSSION: Television advertisements for children’s packaged foods and beverages frequently targeted parents with emotional appeals and messaging related to nutrition and health. Findings are of concern if exposure to such advertisements among parents may shape their beliefs about the appropriateness of nutritionally questionable children’s foods and beverages. PMID:26553181

Social media use by community-based organizations conducting health promotion: a content analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Community-based organizations (CBOs) are critical channels for the delivery of health promotion programs. Much of their influence comes from the relationships they have with community members and other key stakeholders and they may be able to harness the power of social media tools to develop and maintain these relationships. There are limited data describing if and how CBOs are using social media. This study assesses the extent to which CBOs engaged in health promotion use popular social media channels, the types of content typically shared, and the extent to which the interactive aspects of social media tools are utilized. Methods We assessed the social media presence and patterns of usage of CBOs engaged in health promotion in Boston, Lawrence, and Worcester, Massachusetts. We coded content on three popular channels: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We used content analysis techniques to quantitatively summarize posts, tweets, and videos on these channels, respectively. For each organization, we coded all content put forth by the CBO on the three channels in a 30-day window. Two coders were trained and conducted the coding. Data were collected between November 2011 and January 2012. Results A total of 166 organizations were included in our census. We found that 42% of organizations used at least one of the channels of interest. Across the three channels, organization promotion was the most common theme for content (66% of posts, 63% of tweets, and 93% of videos included this content). Most organizations updated Facebook and Twitter content at rates close to recommended frequencies. We found limited interaction/engagement with audience members. Conclusions Much of the use of social media tools appeared to be uni-directional, a flow of information from the organization to the audience. By better leveraging opportunities for interaction and user engagement, these organizations can reap greater benefits from the non-trivial investment required to use social media well. Future research should assess links between use patterns and organizational characteristics, staff perspectives, and audience engagement. PMID:24313999

Quantification of Lignin and Its Structural Features in Plant Biomass Using 13C Lignin as Internal Standard for Pyrolysis-GC-SIM-MS.

PubMed

van Erven, Gijs; de Visser, Ries; Merkx, Donny W H; Strolenberg, Willem; de Gijsel, Peter; Gruppen, Harry; Kabel, Mirjam A

2017-10-17

Understanding the mechanisms underlying plant biomass recalcitrance at the molecular level can only be achieved by accurate analyses of both the content and structural features of the molecules involved. Current quantification of lignin is, however, majorly based on unspecific gravimetric analysis after sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Hence, our research aimed at specific lignin quantification with concurrent characterization of its structural features. Hereto, for the first time, a polymeric 13 C lignin was used as internal standard (IS) for lignin quantification via analytical pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection in selected ion monitoring mode (py-GC-SIM-MS). In addition, relative response factors (RRFs) for the various pyrolysis products obtained were determined and applied. First, 12 C and 13 C lignin were isolated from nonlabeled and uniformly 13 C labeled wheat straw, respectively, and characterized by heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and py-GC/MS. The two lignin isolates were found to have identical structures. Second, 13 C-IS based lignin quantification by py-GC-SIM-MS was validated in reconstituted biomass model systems with known contents of the 12 C lignin analogue and was shown to be extremely accurate (>99.9%, R 2 > 0.999) and precise (RSD < 1.5%). Third, 13 C-IS based lignin quantification was applied to four common poaceous biomass sources (wheat straw, barley straw, corn stover, and sugar cane bagasse), and lignin contents were in good agreement with the total gravimetrically determined lignin contents. Our robust method proves to be a promising alternative for the high-throughput quantification of lignin in milled biomass samples directly and simultaneously provides a direct insight into the structural features of lignin.

Quantification of Lignin and Its Structural Features in Plant Biomass Using 13C Lignin as Internal Standard for Pyrolysis-GC-SIM-MS

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms underlying plant biomass recalcitrance at the molecular level can only be achieved by accurate analyses of both the content and structural features of the molecules involved. Current quantification of lignin is, however, majorly based on unspecific gravimetric analysis after sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Hence, our research aimed at specific lignin quantification with concurrent characterization of its structural features. Hereto, for the first time, a polymeric 13C lignin was used as internal standard (IS) for lignin quantification via analytical pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection in selected ion monitoring mode (py-GC-SIM-MS). In addition, relative response factors (RRFs) for the various pyrolysis products obtained were determined and applied. First, 12C and 13C lignin were isolated from nonlabeled and uniformly 13C labeled wheat straw, respectively, and characterized by heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and py-GC/MS. The two lignin isolates were found to have identical structures. Second, 13C-IS based lignin quantification by py-GC-SIM-MS was validated in reconstituted biomass model systems with known contents of the 12C lignin analogue and was shown to be extremely accurate (>99.9%, R2 > 0.999) and precise (RSD < 1.5%). Third, 13C-IS based lignin quantification was applied to four common poaceous biomass sources (wheat straw, barley straw, corn stover, and sugar cane bagasse), and lignin contents were in good agreement with the total gravimetrically determined lignin contents. Our robust method proves to be a promising alternative for the high-throughput quantification of lignin in milled biomass samples directly and simultaneously provides a direct insight into the structural features of lignin. PMID:28926698

The role of play themes in non-directive play therapy.

PubMed

Ryan, Virginia; Edge, Andrew

2012-07-01

Describing the processes underlying play therapy is important for evidence based practice in child therapy. Employing play themes to describe children's play session contents is in widespread use by practitioners, but an adequate classification of these themes for non-directive play therapy practice has not yet been established. This article sets out to fill this gap by first describing how themes can be distinguished and distilled from the contents of play therapy contents. Second, a classification of main themes and sub-themes with exemplars to illustrate these concepts which is compatible with non-directive play therapy practice is set out. Finally a pilot project with experienced play therapists to test this classification in practice is suggested, along with the research questions that will need to be investigated in the shorter and longer terms.

Effects of Improved Content Knowledge on Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Student Performance in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iserbyt, Peter; Ward, Phillip; Li, Weidong

2017-01-01

Background: Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an interaction of several knowledge bases upon which the teacher makes decisions about what and how to teach. To date, there are no studies in physical education directly documenting relationships between specialized content knowledge (SCK) and PCK. Such relationships have not been empirically…

Making a Case and a Place for Effective Content Area Literacy Instruction in the Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Barbara

2005-01-01

The face of content area literacy instruction is changing. Once associated exclusively with middle and high school instruction, today educators are directing their attention to the importance of encouraging content area literacy instruction at even the earliest levels. This article recommends using an array of text types to link content learning…

40 CFR 79.33 - Motor vehicle diesel fuel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... data may be for such shorter period. (1) Hydrocarbon composition (aromatic content, olefin content, saturate content), with the methods of analysis identified; (2) Polynuclear organic material content, sulfur content, and trace element content, with the methods of analysis identified; (3) Distillation...

[Relativity among starch quantity, polysaccharides content and total alkaloid content of Dendrobium loddigesii].

PubMed

Zhu, Hua; Teng, Jianbei; Cai, Yi; Liang, Jie; Zhu, Yilin; Wei, Tao

2011-12-01

To find out the relativity among starch quantity, polysaccharides content and total alkaloid content of Dendrobium loddigesii. Microscopy-counting process was applied to starch quantity statistics, sulfuric acid-anthrone colorimetry was used to assay polysaccharides content and bromocresol green colorimetry was used to assay alkaloid content. Pearson product moment correlation analysis, Kendall's rank correlation analysis and Spearman's concordance coefficient analysis were applied to study their relativity. Extremely significant positive correlation was found between starch quantity and polysaccharides content, and significant negative correlation between alkaloid content and starch quantity was discovered, as well was between alkaloid content and polysaccharides content.

Determination of Aspartame and Caffeine in Carbonated Beverages Utilizing Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergen, H. Robert, III; Benson, Linda M.; Naylor, Stephen

2000-10-01

Mass spectrometry has undergone considerable changes in the past decade. The advent of "soft ionization" techniques such as electrospray ionization (ESI) affords the direct analysis of very polar molecules without need for the complex inefficient derivatization procedures often required in GC-MS. These ionization techniques make possible the direct mass spectral analysis of polar nonvolatile molecules such as DNA and proteins, which previously were difficult or impossible to analyze by MS. Compounds that readily take on a charge (acids and bases) lend themselves to ESI-MS analysis, whereas compounds that do not readily accept a charge (e.g. sugars) are often not seen or are seen only as inefficient adducts (e.g., M+Na+). To gain exposure to this state-of-the-art analytical procedure, high school students utilize ESI-MS in an analysis of aspartame and caffeine. They dilute a beverage sample and inject the diluted sample into the ESI-MS. The lab is procedurally simple and the results clearly demonstrate the potential and limitations of ESI-coupled mass spectrometry. Depending upon the instructional goals, the outlined procedures can be used to quantify the content of caffeine and aspartame in beverages or to understand the capabilities of electrospray ionization.

Authentication of animal fats using direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization-mass spectrometry and chemometric tools.

PubMed

Vaclavik, Lukas; Hrbek, Vojtech; Cajka, Tomas; Rohlik, Bo-Anne; Pipek, Petr; Hajslova, Jana

2011-06-08

A combination of direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) and chemometrics was used for animal fat (lard and beef tallow) authentication. This novel instrumentation was employed for rapid profiling of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and polar compounds present in fat samples and their mixtures. Additionally, fat isolated from pork, beef, and pork/beef admixtures was analyzed. Mass spectral records were processed by principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA). DART-TOFMS profiles of TAGs were found to be more suitable for the purpose of discrimination among the examined fat types as compared to profiles of polar compounds. The LDA model developed using TAG data enabled not only reliable classification of samples representing neat fats but also detection of admixed lard and tallow at adulteration levels of 5 and 10% (w/w), respectively. The presented approach was also successfully applied to minced meat prepared from pork and beef with comparable fat content. Using the DART-TOFMS TAG profiles of fat isolated from meat mixtures, detection of 10% pork added to beef and vice versa was possible.

[Determination of Cu in Shell of Preserved Egg by LIBS Coupled with PLS].

PubMed

Hu, Hui-qin; Xu, Xue-hong; Liu, Mu-hua; Tu, Jian-ping; Huang, Le; Huang, Lin; Yao, Ming-yin; Chen, Tian-bing; Yang, Ping

2015-12-01

In this work, the content of copper in the shell of preserved eggs were determined directly by Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and the characteristics lines of Cu was obtained. The samples of eggshell were pretreated by acid wet digestion, and the real content of Cu was obtained by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Due to the test precision and accuracy of LIBS was influenced by a serious of factors, for example, the complex matrix effect of sample, the enviro nment noise, the system noise of the instrument, the stability of laser energy and so on. And the conventional unvariate linear calibration curve between LIBS intensity and content of element of sample, such as by use of Schiebe G-Lomakin equation, can not meet the requirement of quantitative analysis. In account of that, a kind of multivariate calibration method is needed. In this work, the data of LIBS spectra were processed by partial least squares (PLS), the precision and accuracy of PLS model were compared by different smoothing treatment and five pretreatment methods. The result showed that the correlation coefficient and the accuracy of the PLS model were improved, and the root mean square error and the average relative error were reduced effectively by 11 point smoothing with Multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) pretreatment. The results of the study show that, heavy metal Cu in preserved egg shells can be direct detected accurately by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, and the next step batch tests will been conducted to find out the relationship of heavy metal Cu content in the preserved egg between the eggshell, egg white and egg yolk. And the goal of the contents of heavy metals in the egg white, egg yolk can be knew through determinate the eggshell by the LIBS can be achieved, to provide new method for rapid non-destructive testing technology for quality and satety of agricultural products.

Study of the effect of vintage, maturity degree, and irrigation on the amino acid and biogenic amine content of a white wine from the Verdejo variety.

PubMed

Ortega-Heras, Miriam; Pérez-Magariño, Silvia; Del-Villar-Garrachón, Vanesa; González-Huerta, Carlos; Moro Gonzalez, Luis Carlos; Guadarrama Rodríguez, Alberto; Villanueva Sanchez, Sonia; Gallo González, Rubén; Martín de la Helguera, Sara

2014-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of three factors directly related to the amino acid content of grapes and their interaction. These three factors were vintage, maturity degree and irrigation. The evolution of amino acid was also assessed during the winemaking along with the effect of maturity and irrigation on the biogenic amine formation. The grapes used for this study were of the Verdejo variety. The results indicated that there was a strong vintage effect on amino acid content in grapes, which seemed to be clearly related to climatic conditions. The effect of maturity on amino acid content depended on vintage, irrigation and the amino acid itself although it was observed that irrigation caused the increase of most amino acids present in the berry. Irrigation did not affect the evolution of nitrogen compounds during the alcoholic fermentation process but the maturity degree in some of the amino acids tested did so. No direct relationship could be established between irrigation or maturity degree and biogenic amines. However, it should be noted that the biogenic amine content was very low. Vintage has a strong effect on the amino acid content in grapes which appears to be related to weather conditions. No direct relationship has been found between irrigation or maturity degree and biogenic amines content. Furthermore, it is noted that biogenic amine content found in final wines was very low. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterization of Nanocrystalline Nickel-Cobalt Alloys Synthesized by Direct and Pulse Electrodeposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salehi, M.; Saidi, A.; Ahmadian, M.; Raeissi, K.

2014-01-01

Nanocrystalline Ni-Co alloys are electrodeposited by direct (DC) and pulse current (PC) in an electrolyte solution which consisted of nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate and boric acid. Electrodeposition parameters including current density, electrolyte pH and pulse times in a single electrolyte bath were changed. XRD pattern showed that the structure of the alloys depends on Co content and the synthesis parameter and changed from single phase structure (fcc) to dual phase structure (fcc + hcp). The Co content in the deposited alloys declined from 70 at.% to 50 at.% by increasing in direct current from 70 mA/cm2 to 115 mA/cm2 and also decreased from 75 at.% to 33 at.% with decrease in pH values from 4 to 2. By applying PC the Co content changed from 76 at.% to 41 at.%. Magnetic properties measurements showed the saturation magnetization (Ms) increased with increasing the Co content. There was no significant effect on coercivity values (Hc) with change in Co content and about 40 Oe was obtained for all samples. The grain size of deposited alloys obtained between 24-58 nm and 15-21 nm by applying DC and PC, respectively.

Observations and simulations of the seasonal evolution of snowpack cold content and its relation to snowmelt and the snowpack energy budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jennings, Keith S.; Kittel, Timothy G. F.; Molotch, Noah P.

2018-05-01

Cold content is a measure of a snowpack's energy deficit and is a linear function of snowpack mass and temperature. Positive energy fluxes into a snowpack must first satisfy the remaining energy deficit before snowmelt runoff begins, making cold content a key component of the snowpack energy budget. Nevertheless, uncertainty surrounds cold content development and its relationship to snowmelt, likely because of a lack of direct observations. This work clarifies the controls exerted by air temperature, precipitation, and negative energy fluxes on cold content development and quantifies the relationship between cold content and snowmelt timing and rate at daily to seasonal timescales. The analysis presented herein leverages a unique long-term snow pit record along with validated output from the SNOWPACK model forced with 23 water years (1991-2013) of quality controlled, infilled hourly meteorological data from an alpine and subalpine site in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The results indicated that precipitation exerted the primary control on cold content development at our two sites with snowfall responsible for 84.4 and 73.0 % of simulated daily gains in the alpine and subalpine, respectively. A negative surface energy balance - primarily driven by sublimation and longwave radiation emission from the snowpack - during days without snowfall provided a secondary pathway for cold content development, and was responsible for the remaining 15.6 and 27.0 % of cold content additions. Non-zero cold content values were associated with reduced snowmelt rates and delayed snowmelt onset at daily to sub-seasonal timescales, while peak cold content magnitude had no significant relationship to seasonal snowmelt timing. These results suggest that the information provided by cold content observations and/or simulations is most relevant to snowmelt processes at shorter timescales, and may help water resource managers to better predict melt onset and rate.

The influence of interfacial energies and gravitational levels on the directionally solidified structures in hypermonotectic alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andrews, J. B.; Curreri, P. A.; Sandlin, A. C.

1988-01-01

Various Cu-Pb-Al alloys were directionally solidified under 1-g conditions and alternating high-g/low-g conditions (achieved using NSAS's KC-135 aircraft) as a means of studying the influence of interfacial energies and gravitational levels on the resulting microstructures. Directional solidification of low Al content alloys was found to result in samples with coarser more irregular microstructures than in alloys with high Al contents under all the gravity conditions considered. Structures are correlated with interfacial energies, growth rates, and gravitational levels.

Simultaneous determination of mercury and organic carbon in sediment and soils using a direct mercury analyzer based on thermal decomposition-atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

PubMed

Chen, Jingjing; Chakravarty, Pragya; Davidson, Gregg R; Wren, Daniel G; Locke, Martin A; Zhou, Ying; Brown, Garry; Cizdziel, James V

2015-04-29

The purpose of this work was to study the feasibility of using a direct mercury analyzer (DMA) to simultaneously determine mercury (Hg) and organic matter content in sediment and soils. Organic carbon was estimated by re-weighing the sample boats post analysis to obtain loss-on-ignition (LOI) data. The DMA-LOI results were statistically similar (p<0.05) to the conventional muffle furnace approach. A regression equation was developed to convert DMA-LOI data to total organic carbon (TOC), which varied between 0.2% and 13.0%. Thus, mercury analyzers based on combustion can provide accurate estimates of organic carbon content in non-calcareous sediment and soils; however, weight gain from moisture (post-analysis), measurement uncertainty, and sample representativeness should all be taken into account. Sediment cores from seasonal wetland and open water areas from six oxbow lakes in the Mississippi River alluvial flood plain were analyzed. Wetland sediments generally had higher levels of Hg than open water areas owing to a greater fraction of fine particles and higher levels of organic matter. Annual loading of Hg in open water areas was estimated at 4.3, 13.4, 19.2, 20.7, 129, and 135 ng cm(-2) yr(-1) for Beasley, Roundaway, Hampton, Washington, Wolf and Sky Lakes, respectively. Generally, the interval with the highest Hg flux was dated to the 1960s and 1970s. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid determination of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Morus alba L. leaves by direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Xu, Bin; Zhang, Dong-Yang; Liu, Ze-Yu; Zhang, Ying; Liu, Li; Li, Long; Liu, Charles C; Wu, Guo-Hua

2015-10-10

A new method based on a Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) ionization source coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for rapid qualitative and quantitative analyses of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) in mulberry leaves. Two ions produced from DNJ, [M+H](+) (m/z 164) and [M-2H+H](+) (m/z 162), are observed using DART-MS in the positive ion mode. The peak areas of the two selected ions monitoring (SIM) signals of ([M+H](+) (m/z 164) and [M-2H+H](+) (m/z 162)) are integrated to determine the peak area for quantitative analyses. A reasonable linear regression equation is obtained in the range of 1.01 to 40.50 μg/mL, with a linear coefficient (R(2)) of 0.996. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of the method are 0.25 and 0.80 μg/mL, respectively. The range of recovery is shown to be 87.73-95.61%. The results derived from the developed DART-MS method are in good agreement with those from the conventional HPLC-FLD method. By contrast, DART-MS in SIM mode is a simple, rapid and high-throughput approach for the determination of the DNJ content in mulberry leaves. The present method is advantageous for the rapid screening of mulberry leaves containing high DNJ contents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-directed versus traditional classroom training for neonatal resuscitation.

PubMed

Weiner, Gary M; Menghini, Karin; Zaichkin, Jeanette; Caid, Ann E; Jacoby, Carrie J; Simon, Wendy M

2011-04-01

Neonatal Resuscitation Program instructors spend most of their classroom time giving lectures and demonstrating basic skills. We hypothesized that a self-directed education program could shift acquisition of these skills outside the classroom, shorten the duration of the class, and allow instructors to use their time to facilitate low-fidelity simulation and debriefing. Novice providers were randomly allocated to self-directed education or a traditional class. Self-directed participants received a textbook, instructional video, and portable equipment kit and attended a 90-minute simulation session with an instructor. The traditional class included 6 hours of lectures and instructor-directed skill stations. Outcome measures included resuscitation skill (megacode assessment score), content knowledge, participant satisfaction, and self-confidence. Forty-six subjects completed the study. There was no significant difference between the study groups in either the megacode assessment score (23.8 [traditional] vs 24.5 [self-directed]; P = .46) or fraction that passed the "megacode" (final skills assessment) (56% [traditional] vs 65% [self-directed]; P = .76). There were no significant differences in content knowledge, course satisfaction, or postcourse self-confidence. Content knowledge, years of experience, and self-confidence did not predict resuscitation skill. Self-directed education improves the educational efficiency of the neonatal resuscitation course by shifting the acquisition of cognitive and basic procedural skills outside of the classroom, which allows the instructor to add low-fidelity simulation and debriefing while significantly decreasing the duration of the course.

Comparing the quality of pro- and anti-vaccination online information: a content analysis of vaccination-related webpages.

PubMed

Sak, Gabriele; Diviani, Nicola; Allam, Ahmed; Schulz, Peter J

2016-01-15

The exponential increase in health-related online platforms has made the Internet one of the main sources of health information globally. The quality of health contents disseminated on the Internet has been a central focus for many researchers. To date, however, few comparative content analyses of pro- and anti-vaccination websites have been conducted, and none of them compared the quality of information. The main objective of this study was therefore to bring new evidence on this aspect by comparing the quality of pro- and anti-vaccination online sources. Based on past literature and health information quality evaluation initiatives, a 40-categories assessment tool (Online Vaccination Information Quality Codebook) was developed and used to code a sample of 1093 webpages retrieved via Google and two filtered versions of the same search engine. The categories investigated were grouped into four main quality dimensions: web-related design quality criteria (10 categories), health-specific design quality criteria (3 categories), health related content attributes (12 categories) and vaccination-specific content attributes (15 categories). Data analysis comprised frequency counts, cross tabulations, Pearson's chi-square, and other inferential indicators. The final sample included 514 webpages in favor of vaccination, 471 against, and 108 neutral. Generally, webpages holding a favorable view toward vaccination presented more quality indicators compared to both neutral and anti-vaccination pages. However, some notable exceptions to this rule were observed. In particular, no differences were found between pro- and anti-vaccination webpages as regards vaccination-specific content attributes. Our analyses showed that the overall quality of pro-vaccination webpages is superior to anti-vaccination online sources. The developed coding scheme was proven to be a helpful and reliable tool to judge the quality of vaccination-related webpages. Based on the results, we advance recommendations for online health information providers as well as directions for future research in this field.

Analysis of counting errors in the phase/Doppler particle analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oldenburg, John R.

1987-01-01

NASA is investigating the application of the Phase Doppler measurement technique to provide improved drop sizing and liquid water content measurements in icing research. The magnitude of counting errors were analyzed because these errors contribute to inaccurate liquid water content measurements. The Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer counting errors due to data transfer losses and coincidence losses were analyzed for data input rates from 10 samples/sec to 70,000 samples/sec. Coincidence losses were calculated by determining the Poisson probability of having more than one event occurring during the droplet signal time. The magnitude of the coincidence loss can be determined, and for less than a 15 percent loss, corrections can be made. The data transfer losses were estimated for representative data transfer rates. With direct memory access enabled, data transfer losses are less than 5 percent for input rates below 2000 samples/sec. With direct memory access disabled losses exceeded 20 percent at a rate of 50 samples/sec preventing accurate number density or mass flux measurements. The data transfer losses of a new signal processor were analyzed and found to be less than 1 percent for rates under 65,000 samples/sec.

Content Analysis of Food Advertising in Iranian Children's Television Programs.

PubMed

Amini, Maryam; Omidvar, Nasrin; Yeatman, Heather; Shariat-Jafari, Shadab; Eslami-Amirabadi, Maryam; Zahedirad, Malihe

2014-10-01

Advertisements can influence children's health related behaviors. Television advertisements are the main avenues directing commercials at children in Iran. This study aimed to explore the content of food advertisement during children's television programs in 2007-8 and to compare it with those reported in 2000. All advertisements broadcasted before, during, and after children's programs aired on two major Iran national television networks were videotaped for a period of 4 weeks during 2007-8. For each advertisement, type of product(s) and mode of presentation (s) were coded. A total of 229 television advertisements were broadcasted. Food commercials were the most frequent group (31%) across the two channels. Among the food products advertised, calorie dense foods, including chocolate, soft drinks, extruded cereals, ice cream, cookies and candies were the most frequent. The appeal mainly used in television food advertisements was "stimulation of hunger/thirst" (38.5%). The advertisements were mostly presented as animations (54%) and the messages used were mainly directed to good taste. Although the total number of food advertisements during children's television programs has decreased but the consumption of high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods continues to be promoted. Policies to address the issue should be scrutinized.

Spatial distribution of environmental risk associated to a uranium abandoned mine (Central Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antunes, I. M.; Ribeiro, A. F.

2012-04-01

The abandoned uranium mine of Canto do Lagar is located at Arcozelo da Serra, central Portugal. The mine was exploited in an open pit and produced about 12430Kg of uranium oxide (U3O8), between 1987 and 1988. The dominant geological unit is the porphyritic coarse-grained two-mica granite, with biotite>muscovite. The uranium deposit consists of two gaps crushing, parallel to the coarse-grained porphyritic granite, with average direction N30°E, silicified, sericitized and reddish jasperized, with a width of approximately 10 meters. These gaps are accompanied by two thin veins of white quartz, 70°-80° WNW, ferruginous and jasperized with chalcedony, red jasper and opal. These veins are about 6 meters away from each other. They contain secondary U-phosphates phases such as autunite and torbernite. Rejected materials (1000000ton) were deposited on two dumps and a lake was formed in the open pit. To assess the environmental risk of the abandoned uranium mine of Canto do Lagar, were collected and analysed 70 samples on stream sediments, soils and mine tailings materials. The relation between samples composition were tested using the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) (multivariate analysis) and spatial distribution using Kriging Indicator. The spatial distribution of stream sediments shows that the probability of expression for principal component 1 (explaining Y, Zr, Nb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Hf, Th and U contents), decreases along SE-NW direction. This component is explained by the samples located inside mine influence. The probability of expression for principal component 2 (explaining Be, Na, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cs, Ba, Tl and Bi contents), increases to middle stream line. This component is explained by the samples located outside mine influence. The spatial distribution of soils, shows that the probability of expression for principal component 1 (explaining Mg, P, Ca, Ge, Sr, Y, Zr, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, W, Th and U contents) decreases along SE direction and increases along NE and SW directions. The probability of expression for principal component 2 (explaining pH, K, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr and Pb contents), decreases from central points (inside mine influence) to peripheral points (outside mine influence) and gradually increases along N and SW directions. The spatial distribution of tailing materials did not allowed a consistent spatial distribution. In general, the stream sediments are classified as unpolluted and not polluted or moderately polluted, according to geoaccumulation Müller index with exception of local samples, located inside mine influence. The soils cannot be used for public, private or residential uses according to the Canadian soil legislation. However, almost samples can be used for commercial or industrial occupation. According to the target values and intervention values for soils remediation, these soils need intervention. Tailing materials samples are much polluted in thorium (Th) and uranium (U) and they cannot be used for public, private or residential uses.

Comparison of Minimally and More Invasive Methods of Determining Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation.

PubMed

Smit, Marli; Levin, Andrew I; Coetzee, Johan F

2016-04-01

To investigate the accuracy of a minimally invasive, 2-step, lookup method for determining mixed venous oxygen saturation compared with conventional techniques. Single-center, prospective, nonrandomized, pilot study. Tertiary care hospital, university setting. Thirteen elective cardiac and vascular surgery patients. All participants received intra-arterial and pulmonary artery catheters. Minimally invasive oxygen consumption and cardiac output were measured using a metabolic module and lithium-calibrated arterial waveform analysis (LiDCO; LiDCO, London), respectively. For the minimally invasive method, Step 1 involved these minimally invasive measurements, and arterial oxygen content was entered into the Fick equation to calculate mixed venous oxygen content. Step 2 used an oxyhemoglobin curve spreadsheet to look up mixed venous oxygen saturation from the calculated mixed venous oxygen content. The conventional "invasive" technique used pulmonary artery intermittent thermodilution cardiac output, direct sampling of mixed venous and arterial blood, and the "reverse-Fick" method of calculating oxygen consumption. LiDCO overestimated thermodilution cardiac output by 26%. Pulmonary artery catheter-derived oxygen consumption underestimated metabolic module measurements by 27%. Mixed venous oxygen saturation differed between techniques; the calculated values underestimated the direct measurements by between 12% to 26.3%, this difference being statistically significant. The magnitude of the differences between the minimally invasive and invasive techniques was too great for the former to act as a surrogate of the latter and could adversely affect clinical decision making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bayesian reconstruction of gravitational wave bursts using chirplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millhouse, Margaret; Cornish, Neil J.; Littenberg, Tyson

2018-05-01

The LIGO-Virgo Collaboration uses a variety of techniques to detect and characterize gravitational waves. One approach is to use templates—models for the signals derived from Einstein's equations. Another approach is to extract the signals directly from the coherent response of the detectors in the LIGO-Virgo network. Both approaches played an important role in the first gravitational wave detections. Here we extend the BayesWave analysis algorithm, which reconstructs gravitational wave signals using a collection of continuous wavelets, to use a generalized wavelet family, known as chirplets, that have time-evolving frequency content. Since generic gravitational wave signals have frequency content that evolves in time, a collection of chirplets provides a more compact representation of the signal, resulting in more accurate waveform reconstructions, especially for low signal-to-noise events, and events that occupy a large time-frequency volume.

Proximate composition and caloric content of eight Lake Michigan fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rottiers, Donald V.; Tucker, Robert M.

1982-01-01

We measured the proximate composition (percentage lipid, water, fat-free dry material, ash) and caloric content of eight species of Lake Michigan fish: lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), bloater (Coregonus hoyi), alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). Except for alewives, proximate composition and caloric content did not differ significantly between males and females. And, for coho salmon, there was no significant difference in composition between fish collected in different years. Lipid and caloric content of lake trout increased directly with age. In all species examined, lipids and caloric contents were significantly lower in small, presumably immature, fish than in larger, older fish. Lipid content of lake trout, lake whitefish, and bloaters (range of means, 16-22%) was nearly 3 times higher than that of coho salmon, sculpins, rainbow smelt, and alewives (range of means, 5.2-7.0%). The mean caloric content ranged from 6.9 to 7.1 kcal/g for species high in lipids and from 5.8 to 6.3 kcal/g for species low in lipids. Although the caloric content of all species varied directly with lipid content and inversely with water content, an increase in lipid content did not always coincide with a proportional increase in caloric content when other components of fish composition were essentially unchanged. This observation suggests that the energy content of fish estimated from the proximate composition by using universal conversion factors may not necessarily be accurate.

A System for the Semantic Multimodal Analysis of News Audio-Visual Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezaris, Vasileios; Gidaros, Spyros; Papadopoulos, GeorgiosTh; Kasper, Walter; Steffen, Jörg; Ordelman, Roeland; Huijbregts, Marijn; de Jong, Franciska; Kompatsiaris, Ioannis; Strintzis, MichaelG

2010-12-01

News-related content is nowadays among the most popular types of content for users in everyday applications. Although the generation and distribution of news content has become commonplace, due to the availability of inexpensive media capturing devices and the development of media sharing services targeting both professional and user-generated news content, the automatic analysis and annotation that is required for supporting intelligent search and delivery of this content remains an open issue. In this paper, a complete architecture for knowledge-assisted multimodal analysis of news-related multimedia content is presented, along with its constituent components. The proposed analysis architecture employs state-of-the-art methods for the analysis of each individual modality (visual, audio, text) separately and proposes a novel fusion technique based on the particular characteristics of news-related content for the combination of the individual modality analysis results. Experimental results on news broadcast video illustrate the usefulness of the proposed techniques in the automatic generation of semantic annotations.

Hierarchical macro-mesoporous structures in the system TiO{sub 2}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using Tween-20 as a directing agent

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garcia-Benjume, M.L.; Espitia-Cabrera, M.I.; Contreras-Garcia, M.E., E-mail: eucontre@zeus.umich.mx

2009-12-15

Macro-mesoporous powders of titania, alumina, and mixed titania-20%alumina systems were obtained by hydrothermal synthesis employing surfactant Tween-20 as structural directing agent in order to promote the textural properties of titania. The effect of the alumina in the titania phase and on textural properties was analyzed. The obtained powders presented a macroporous channel structure that was characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption analysis, pore size distribution, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that alumina content retarded the anatase phase crystallization and increased the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface area from 136 to 210 m{supmore » 2}/g. The powders calcined at 400 deg. C are thermally stable and possess an interconnected macro-mesoporous hierarchical structure; the results indicate that this synthesis can be employed to prepare mixed titania-alumina with good textural properties.« less

A qualitative analysis of an advanced practice nurse-directed transitional care model intervention.

PubMed

Bradway, Christine; Trotta, Rebecca; Bixby, M Brian; McPartland, Ellen; Wollman, M Catherine; Kapustka, Heidi; McCauley, Kathleen; Naylor, Mary D

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe barriers and facilitators to implementing a transitional care intervention for cognitively impaired older adults and their caregivers lead by advanced practice nurses (APNs). APNs implemented an evidence-based protocol to optimize transitions from hospital to home. An exploratory, qualitative directed content analysis examined 15 narrative case summaries written by APNs and fieldnotes from biweekly case conferences. Three central themes emerged: patients and caregivers having the necessary information and knowledge, care coordination, and the caregiver experience. An additional category was also identified, APNs going above and beyond. APNs implemented individualized approaches and provided care that exceeds the type of care typically staffed and reimbursed in the American health care system by applying a Transitional Care Model, advanced clinical judgment, and doing whatever was necessary to prevent negative outcomes. Reimbursement reform as well as more formalized support systems and resources are necessary for APNs to consistently provide such care to patients and their caregivers during this vulnerable time of transition.

Laboratory microwave measurement of the moisture content in seed cotton and ginned cotton fiber

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The timely and accurate measurement of cotton fiber moisture content is important, but the measurement is often performed by laborious, time-consuming laboratory oven drying methods. Microwave technology for measuring fiber moisture content directly (not for drying only) offers potential advantages...

Multi-criteria Analysis of Air Pollution with SO(2) and PM(10) in Urban Area Around the Copper Smelter in Bor, Serbia.

PubMed

Nikolić, Djordje; Milošević, Novica; Mihajlović, Ivan; Zivković, Zivan; Tasić, Viša; Kovačević, Renata; Petrović, Nevenka

2010-02-01

This work presents the results of 4 years long monitoring of concentrations of SO(2) gas and PM(10) in the urban area around the copper smelter in Bor. The contents of heavy metals Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, and As in PM(10) were determined and obtained values were compared to the limit values provided in EU Directives. Manifold excess concentrations of all the components in the atmosphere of the urban area of the townsite Bor were registered. Through application of a multi-criteria analysis by using PROMETHEE/GAIA method, the zones were ranked according to the level of pollution.

ARCADO - Adding random case analysis to direct observation in workplace-based formative assessment of general practice registrars.

PubMed

Ingham, Gerard; Fry, Jennifer; Morgan, Simon; Ward, Bernadette

2015-12-10

Workplace-based formative assessments using consultation observation are currently conducted during the Australian general practice training program. Assessment reliability is improved by using multiple assessment methods. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of general practice medical educator assessors and registrars (trainees) when adding random case analysis to direct observation (ARCADO) during formative workplace-based assessments. A sample of general practice medical educators and matched registrars were recruited. Following the ARCADO workplace assessment, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. The data was analysed thematically. Ten registrars and eight medical educators participated. Four major themes emerged - formative versus summative assessment; strengths (acceptability, flexibility, time efficiency, complementarity and authenticity); weaknesses (reduced observation and integrity risks); and contextual factors (variation in assessment content, assessment timing, registrar-medical educator relationship, medical educator's approach and registrar ability). ARCADO is a well-accepted workplace-based formative assessment perceived by registrars and assessors to be valid and flexible. The use of ARCADO enabled complementary insights that would not have been achieved with direct observation alone. Whilst there are some contextual factors to be considered in its implementation, ARCADO appears to have utility as formative assessment and, subject to further evaluation, high-stakes assessment.

Trend analysis of the wave storminess: the wave direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casas Prat, M.; Sierra, J. P.; Mösso, C.; Sánchez-Arcilla, A.

2009-09-01

Climate change has an important role in the current scientific research because of its possible future negative consequences. Concerning the climate change in the coastal engineering field, the apparent sea level rise is one of the key parameters as well as the wave height and the wave direction temporal variations. According to the IPCC (2007), during the last century the sea level has been increasing with a mean rate of 1.7 ± 0.5 mm/yr. However, at local/regional scale the tendency significantly differs from the global trend since the local pressure and wind field variations become more relevant. This appears to be particularly significant in semi-enclosed areas in the Mediterranean Sea (Cushman-Roisin et al., 2001). Even though the existing unsolved questions related to the sea level rise, the uncertainty concerning the wave height is even larger, in which stormy conditions are especially important because they are closely related to processes such as coastal erosion, flooding, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to identify possible existing tendencies of storm related parameters. In many studies, only the maximum wave height and storm duration are analysed, remaining the wave direction in a second term. Note that a possible rotation of the mean wave direction may involve severe consequences since most beach and harbour defence structures have been designed assuming a constant predominant wave incidence. Liste et al. (2004) illustrated this fact with an example in which a rotation of only 2 degrees of the mean energy flux vector could produce a beach retreat of 20 m. Another possible consequence would be a decrease of the harbour operability: increased frequency of storms in the same direction as the harbour entrance orientation would influence the navigability. The present study, which focuses in the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea), aims to improve the present knowledge of the wave storminess variations at regional scale, specially focusing on the wave directionality. It is based on 44 year hindcast model data (1958-2001) of the HIPOCAS project, enabling to work with a longer time series compared to the existing measured ones. 41 nodes of this database are used, containing 3 hourly simulated data of significant wave height and wave direction, among other parameters. For storm definition, the Peak Over Threshold (POT) method is used with some additional duration requirements in order to analyse statistically independent events (Mendoza & Jiménez, 2006). Including both wave height and storm duration, the wave storminess is characterised by the energy content (Mendoza & Jiménez, 2004), being in turn log-transformed because of its positive scale. Separately, the wave directionality itself is analysed in terms of different sectors and approaching their probability of occurrence by counting events and using Bayesian inference (Agresti, 2002). Therefore, the original data is transformed into compositional data and, before performing the trend analysis, the isometric logratio (ilr) transformation (Egozcue et al., 2003) is done. In general, the trend analysis methodology consists in two steps: 1) trend detection and 2) trend quantification. For 1) the Mann Kendall test is used in order to identify the nodes with significant trend. For these selected nodes, the trend quantification is done, comparing two methods: 1) a simple linear regression analysis complemented with the bootstrap technique and 2) a Bayesian analysis, assuming normally distributed data with linearly increasing mean. Preliminary results show no significant trend for both annual mean and maximum energy content except for some nodes located to the Northern Catalan coast. Regarding the wave direction (but not only considering stormy conditions) there is a tendency of North direction to decrease whereas South and Southeast direction seems to increase.

Nanomanipulation-coupled nanospray mass spectrometry as an approach for single cell analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phelps, Mandy; Hamilton, Jason; Verbeck, Guido F.

2014-12-01

Electrospray mass spectrometry is now a widely used technique for observing cell content of various biological tissues. However, electrospray techniques (liquid chromatography and direct infusion) often involve lysing a group of cells and extracting the biomolecules of interest, rather than a sensitive, individual cell method to observe local chemistry. Presented here is an approach of combining a nanomanipulator workstation with nanospray mass spectrometry, which allows for extraction of a single cell, followed by rapid mass analysis that can provide a detailed metabolic profile. Triacylglycerol content was profiled with this tool coupled to mass spectrometry to investigate heterogeneity between healthy and tumorous tissues as well as lipid droplet containing adipocytes in vitro as proof of concept. This selective approach provides cellular resolution and complements existing bioanalytical techniques with minimal invasion to samples. In addition, the coupling of nanomanipulation and mass spectrometry holds the potential to be used in a great number of applications for individual organelles, diseased tissues, and in vitro cell cultures for observing heterogeneity even amongst cells and organelles of the same tissue.

What do medical residents learn on a rural Japanese island?

PubMed Central

Ohta, Ryuichi; Son, Daisuke

2018-01-01

Objective: Community-based medical education (CBME) serves as a complement to university medical education, and it is practiced in several urban undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums. However, there are few reports on CBME learning content in rural Japanese settings. Materials and Methods: This research aimed to clarify learning content through semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of second-year residents who studied on a remote, rural island located 400 km from the mainland of Okinawa, Japan. Analysis was based on Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT). Results: Fifteen concepts were extracted, and four categories were generated: a strong connection among the islanders, the necessary abilities for rural physicians, islander-centered care, and the differences between rural and hospital medicine. In contrast to hospital medicine, various kinds of learning occurred in deep relationships with the islanders. Conclusion: Through CBME on a remote island, the residents learned not only about medical aspects, but also the importance of community health through the social and cultural aspects, whole-person medical care in a remote location, and the importance of reflection in their self-directed learning. PMID:29875892

"What if you already know everything about sex?" Content analysis of questions from early adolescents in a middle school sex education program.

PubMed

Charmaraman, Linda; Lee, Alice J; Erkut, Sumru

2012-05-01

To assess sixth graders' knowledge and curiosity about sex-related topics that can guide the development of sexual health education and healthcare delivery. Sixth graders (n = 795) in eight ethnically diverse schools participating in an evaluation of a sex education curriculum submitted 859 anonymous questions that were content analyzed. The χ(2) analysis examined whether the themes varied by coed/single-sex environments or by school-level sexual risk. Sexual activity, female anatomy, reproduction, and puberty were the most frequently mentioned topics, whereas, questions on STIs, sexual violence, and drug/alcohol use were fewer. Questions that avoided sexual topics came from lower sexual-risk schools; students at higher-risk schools asked about sexual initiation, contraception, vaginal and anal sex, general health, and pain during sex. Single-sex classrooms elicited more direct and explicit questions about sex. The results are relevant to educators and healthcare providers who ask and answer questions from early adolescents regarding sexual health. Copyright © 2012 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hamline/3M Corp. Project: Liason for Curricular Change*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artz, Jerry L.

2002-04-01

This project was designed to catalyze curricular changes to better prepare students for the workplace. Industrial managers provided a list of 16 characteristics valued in the workplace; most were NOT related to science course content. The project formed 5 teams each including 3M professionals and students. Each team developed curricular changes in one of the 16 areas. Team goals were to improve skills in communication, data analysis, business/economics, team problem solving, and cultural competency. Curricular changes realized include communication skill activities embodied in science courses and faculty communication teaching skill seminars; self learning tools in data analysis, statistics and model building; a new course developed with assistance from 3M personnel focusing on topics directly related to technological industries; high performance team problem solving training/coaching for faculty; workshops for students and faculty relative to importance of cultural competencies in the workplace; and a new course focusing on culture, team problem solving and conflict resolution in the technical workplace. Process for developing and content of curricular changes will be reported. *Thanks to: NSF GOALI CHE-99010782

Precision of dehydroascorbic acid quantitation with the use of the subtraction method--validation of HPLC-DAD method for determination of total vitamin C in food.

PubMed

Mazurek, Artur; Jamroz, Jerzy

2015-04-15

In food analysis, a method for determination of vitamin C should enable measuring of total content of ascorbic acid (AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) because both chemical forms exhibit biological activity. The aim of the work was to confirm applicability of HPLC-DAD method for analysis of total content of vitamin C (TC) and ascorbic acid in various types of food by determination of validation parameters such as: selectivity, precision, accuracy, linearity and limits of detection and quantitation. The results showed that the method applied for determination of TC and AA was selective, linear and precise. Precision of DHAA determination by the subtraction method was also evaluated. It was revealed that the results of DHAA determination obtained by the subtraction method were not precise which resulted directly from the assumption of this method and the principles of uncertainty propagation. The proposed chromatographic method should be recommended for routine determinations of total vitamin C in various food. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of hydrodynamic conditions on the phenotype of Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms.

PubMed

Simões, Manuel; Pereira, Maria O; Sillankorva, Sanna; Azeredo, Joana; Vieira, Maria J

2007-01-01

This study investigated the phenotypic characteristics of monoculture P. fluorescens biofilms grown under turbulent and laminar flow, using flow cells reactors with stainless steel substrata. The cellular physiology and the overall biofilm activity, structure and composition were characterized, and compared, within hydrodynamically distinct conditions. The results indicate that turbulent flow-generated biofilm cells were significantly less extensive, with decreased metabolic activity and a lower protein and polysaccharides composition per cell than those from laminar flow-generated biofilms. The effect of flow regime did not cause significantly different outer membrane protein expression. From the analysis of biofilm activity, structure and composition, turbulent flow-generated biofilms were metabolically more active, had twice more mass per cm(2), and higher cellular density and protein content (mainly cellular) than laminar flow-generated biofilms. Conversely, laminar flow-generated biofilms presented higher total and matrix polysaccharide contents. Direct visualisation and scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that these different flows generate structurally different biofilms, corroborating the quantitative results. The combination of applied methods provided useful information regarding a broad spectrum of biofilm parameters, which can contribute to control and model biofilm processes.

Airborne environmental endotoxin: a cross-validation of sampling and analysis techniques.

PubMed Central

Walters, M; Milton, D; Larsson, L; Ford, T

1994-01-01

A standard method for measurement of airborne environmental endotoxin was developed and field tested in a fiberglass insulation-manufacturing facility. This method involved sampling with a capillary-pore membrane filter, extraction in buffer using a sonication bath, and analysis by the kinetic-Limulus assay with resistant-parallel-line estimation (KLARE). Cross-validation of the extraction and assay method was performed by comparison with methanolysis of samples followed by 3-hydroxy fatty acid (3-OHFA) analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Direct methanolysis of filter samples and methanolysis of buffer extracts of the filters yielded similar 3-OHFA content (P = 0.72); the average difference was 2.1%. Analysis of buffer extracts for endotoxin content by the KLARE method and by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for 3-OHFA content produced similar results (P = 0.23); the average difference was 0.88%. The source of endotoxin was gram-negative bacteria growing in recycled washwater used to clean the insulation-manufacturing equipment. The endotoxin and bacteria become airborne during spray cleaning operations. The types of 3-OHFAs in bacteria cultured from the washwater, present in the washwater and in the air, were similar. Virtually all of the bacteria cultured from air and water were gram negative composed mostly of two species, Deleya aesta and Acinetobacter johnsonii. Airborne countable bacteria correlated well with endotoxin (r2 = 0.64). Replicate sampling showed that results with the standard sampling, extraction, and Limulus assay by the KLARE method were highly reproducible (95% confidence interval for endotoxin measurement +/- 0.28 log10). These results demonstrate the accuracy, precision, and sensitivity of the standard procedure proposed for airborne environmental endotoxin. PMID:8161191

Analysis of quantitative trait loci affecting chlorophyll content of rice leaves in a double haploid population and two backcross populations.

PubMed

Jiang, Gonghao; Zeng, Jing; He, Yuqing

2014-02-25

Chlorophyll content, one of the most important physiological parameters related to plant photosynthesis, is usually used to predict yield potential. To map the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying the chlorophyll content of rice leaves, a double haploid (DH) population was developed from an indica/japonica (Zhenshan 97/Wuyujing 2) crossing and two backcross populations were established subsequently by backcrossing DH lines with each of their parents. The contents of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were determined by using a spectrophotometer to directly measure the leaf chlorophyll extracts. To determine the leaf chlorophyll retention along with maturation, all measurements were performed on the day of heading and were repeated 30 days later. A total of 60 QTLs were resolved for all the traits using these three populations. These QTLs were distributed on 10 rice chromosomes, except chromosomes 5 and 10; the closer the traits, the more clustering of the QTLs residing on common rice chromosomal regions. In general, the majority of QTLs that specify chlorophyll a content also play a role in determining chlorophyll b content. Strangely, chlorophyll content in this study was found mostly to be lacking or to have a negative correlation with yield. In both backcross F1 populations, overdominant (or underdominant) loci were more important than complete or partially dominant loci for main-effect QTLs and epistatic QTLs, thereby supporting previous findings that overdominant effects are the primary genetic basis for depression in inbreeding and heterosis in rice. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Warnings as a directive front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme: comparison with the Guideline Daily Amount and traffic-light systems.

PubMed

Arrúa, Alejandra; Machín, Leandro; Curutchet, María Rosa; Martínez, Joseline; Antúnez, Lucía; Alcaire, Florencia; Giménez, Ana; Ares, Gastón

2017-09-01

Warnings have recently been proposed as a new type of directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme to flag products with high content of key nutrients. In the present work, this system was compared with the two most common FOP nutrition labelling schemes (Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) and traffic-light system) in terms of goal-directed attention, influence on perceived healthfulness and ability to differentiate between products. Design/Setting/Subjects Goal-directed attention to FOP labels was evaluated using a visual search task in which participants were presented with labels on a computer screen and were asked to indicate whether labels with high sodium content were present or absent. A survey with 387 participants was also carried out, in which the influence of FOP labels on perceived healthfulness and ability to identify the healthful alternative were evaluated. Warnings improved consumers' ability to correctly identify a product with high content of a key nutrient within a set of labels compared with GDA and received the highest goal-directed attention. In addition, products with high energy, saturated fat, sugar and/or sodium content that featured warnings on the label were perceived as less healthful than those featuring the GDA or traffic-light system. Warnings and the traffic-light system performed equally well in the identification of the most healthful product. Results from the present work suggest that warnings have potential as directive FOP nutrition labels to improve consumer ability to identify unhealthful products and highlight advantages compared with the traffic-light system.

International nanotechnology development in 2003: Country, institution, and technology field analysis based on USPTO patent database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zan; Chen, Hsinchun; Chen, Zhi-kai; Roco, Mihail C.

2004-08-01

Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) have seen rapid growth and expansion in new areas in recent years. This paper provides an international patent analysis using the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) data searched by keywords of the entire text: title, abstract, claims, and specifications. A fraction of these patents fully satisfy the National Nanotechnology Initiative definition of nanotechnology (which requires exploiting specific phenomena and direct manipulation at the nanoscale), while others only make use of NSE tools and methods of investigation. In previous work we proposed an integrated patent analysis and visualization framework of patent content mapping for the NSE field and of knowledge flow pattern identification until 2002. In this paper, the results are updated for 2003, and the new trends are presented.

Gold-coated polydimethylsiloxane microwells for high-throughput electrochemiluminescence analysis of intracellular glucose at single cells.

PubMed

Xia, Juan; Zhou, Junyu; Zhang, Ronggui; Jiang, Dechen; Jiang, Depeng

2018-06-04

In this communication, a gold-coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chip with cell-sized microwells was prepared through a stamping and spraying process that was applied directly for high-throughput electrochemiluminescence (ECL) analysis of intracellular glucose at single cells. As compared with the previous multiple-step fabrication of photoresist-based microwells on the electrode, the preparation process is simple and offers fresh electrode surface for higher luminescence intensity. More luminescence intensity was recorded from cell-retained microwells than that at the planar region among the microwells that was correlated with the content of intracellular glucose. The successful monitoring of intracellular glucose at single cells using this PDMS chip will provide an alternative strategy for high-throughput single-cell analysis. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Peer discussions in lecture-based tutorials in introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leinonen, Risto; Asikainen, Mervi A.; Hirvonen, Pekka E.

2017-06-01

This study analyzes the types of peer discussion that occur during lecture-based tutorial sessions. It focuses in particular on whether discussions of this kind have certain characteristics that might indicate success in the post-testing phase. The data were collected during an introductory physics course. The main data set was gathered with the aid of audio recordings. Data-driven content analysis was applied in the analysis to facilitate the placement of students' discussions in particular categories related to different types of discussions. Four major discussion types were found: discussions related to the content knowledge, metalevel discussions including metaconceptual and metacognitive elements, discussions related to practical issues, and creating a base for discussion, seen here in the order of their prevalence. These categories were found to possess individual substructures that involved, for example, asking and answering questions, participating in a dialogue, or disagreeing with a peer. Analyzing the substructures of the categories revealed that there were evident differences between the groups, some of them related to the group size. With regard to the characteristics of discussions considered to be connected to a better learning outcome, it was observed that a great number of lines uttered related to the physics content or metalevel discussions seemed to have a direct bearing on success in the post test at the group level. For individual students, answering content-related questions posed by their peers might also indicate success in the post test. We would encourage researchers to continue this type of research in order to discover the essential characteristics of students' discussions that facilitate learning.

YouTube as a source of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient education: a social media content analysis.

PubMed

Stellefson, Michael; Chaney, Beth; Ochipa, Kathleen; Chaney, Don; Haider, Zeerak; Hanik, Bruce; Chavarria, Enmanuel; Bernhardt, Jay M

2014-05-01

The aim of the present study is to conduct a social media content analysis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient education videos on YouTube. A systematic search protocol was used to locate 223 videos. Two independent coders evaluated each video to determine topics covered, media source(s) of posted videos, information quality as measured by HONcode guidelines for posting trustworthy health information on the Internet, and viewer exposure/engagement metrics. Over half the videos (n = 113, 50.7%) included information on medication management, with far fewer videos on smoking cessation (n = 40, 17.9%). Most videos were posted by a health agency or organization (n = 128, 57.4%), and the majority of videos were rated as high quality (n = 154, 69.1%). HONcode adherence differed by media source (Fisher's exact test = 20.52, p = 0.01), however with user-generated content receiving the lowest quality scores. Overall level of user engagement as measured by number of "likes," "favorites," "dislikes," and user comments was low (median range = 0-3, interquartile range = 0-16) across all sources of media. Study findings suggest that COPD education via YouTube has the potential to reach and inform patients; however, existing video content and quality varies significantly. Future interventions should help direct individuals with COPD to engage with high-quality patient education videos on YouTube that are posted by reputable health organizations and qualified medical professionals. Patients should be educated to avoid and/or critically view low-quality videos posted by individual YouTube users who are not health professionals.

Path analyses of the influence of substrate composition on nematode numbers and on decomposition of stranded seaweed at an Antarctic coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkemade, R.; Van Rijswijk, P.

Large amounts of seaweed are deposited along the coast of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. The stranded seaweed partly decomposes on the beach and supports populations of meiofauna species, mostly nematodes. The factors determining the number of nematodes found in the seaweed packages were studied. Seaweed/sediment samples were collected from different locations, along the coast near Arctowski station, covering gradients of salinity, elevation and proximity of Penguin rookeries. On the same locations decomposition rate was determined by means of permeable containers with seaweed material. Models, including the relations between location, seaweed and sediment characteristics, number of nematodes and decomposition rates, were postulated and verified using path analysis. The most plausible and significant models are presented. The number of nematodes was directly correlated with the height of the location, the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and the salinity of the sample. Nematode numbers were apparently indirectly dependent on sediment composition and water content. We hypothesize that the different influences of melt water and tidal water, which affect both salinity and water content of the deposits, are important phenomena underlying these results. Analysis of the relation between decomposition rate and abiotic, location-related characteristics showed that decomposition rate was dependent on the water content of the stranded seaweed and sediment composition. Decomposition rates were high on locations where water content of the deposits was high. There the running water from melt water run-off or from the surf probably increased weight losses of seaweed.

YouTube as a source of COPD patient education: A social media content analysis

PubMed Central

Stellefson, Michael; Chaney, Beth; Ochipa, Kathleen; Chaney, Don; Haider, Zeerak; Hanik, Bruce; Chavarria, Enmanuel; Bernhardt, Jay M.

2014-01-01

Objective Conduct a social media content analysis of COPD patient education videos on YouTube. Methods A systematic search protocol was used to locate 223 videos. Two independent coders evaluated each video to determine topics covered, media source(s) of posted videos, information quality as measured by HONcode guidelines for posting trustworthy health information on the Internet, and viewer exposure/engagement metrics. Results Over half the videos (n=113, 50.7%) included information on medication management, with far fewer videos on smoking cessation (n=40, 17.9%). Most videos were posted by a health agency or organization (n=128, 57.4%), and the majority of videos were rated as high quality (n=154, 69.1%). HONcode adherence differed by media source (Fisher’s Exact Test=20.52, p=.01), with user-generated content (UGC) receiving the lowest quality scores. Overall level of user engagement as measured by number of “likes,” “favorites,” “dislikes,” and user comments was low (mdn range = 0–3, interquartile (IQR) range = 0–16) across all sources of media. Conclusion Study findings suggest that COPD education via YouTube has the potential to reach and inform patients, however, existing video content and quality varies significantly. Future interventions should help direct individuals with COPD to increase their engagement with high-quality patient education videos on YouTube that are posted by reputable health organizations and qualified medical professionals. Patients should be educated to avoid and/or critically view low-quality videos posted by individual YouTube users who are not health professionals. PMID:24659212

What are cancer centers advertising to the public?: a content analysis.

PubMed

Vater, Laura B; Donohue, Julie M; Arnold, Robert; White, Douglas B; Chu, Edward; Schenker, Yael

2014-06-17

Although critics have expressed concerns about cancer center advertising, analyses of the content of these advertisements are lacking. To characterize the informational and emotional content of direct-to-consumer cancer center advertisements. Content analysis. Top U.S. consumer magazines (n = 269) and television networks (n = 44) in 2012. Types of clinical services promoted; information provided about clinical services, including risks, benefits, costs, and insurance availability; use of emotional advertising appeals; and use of patient testimonials were assessed. Two investigators independently coded advertisements using ATLAS.ti, and κ values ranged from 0.77 to 1.00. A total of 102 cancer centers placed 409 unique clinical advertisements in top media markets in 2012. Advertisements promoted treatments (88%) more often than screening (18%) or supportive services (13%). Benefits of advertised therapies were described more often than risks (27% vs. 2%) but were rarely quantified (2%). Few advertisements mentioned coverage or costs (5%), and none mentioned specific insurance plans. Emotional appeals were frequent (85%), evoking hope for survival (61%), describing cancer treatment as a fight or battle (41%), and inducing fear (30%). Nearly one half of advertisements included patient testimonials, which were usually focused on survival, rarely included disclaimers (15%), and never described the results that a typical patient may expect. Internet advertisements were not included. Clinical advertisements by cancer centers frequently promote cancer therapy with emotional appeals that evoke hope and fear while rarely providing information about risks, benefits, costs, or insurance availability. Further work is needed to understand how these advertisements influence patient understanding and expectations of benefit from cancer treatments. National Institutes of Health.

Pistil Starch Reserves at Anthesis Correlate with Final Flower Fate in Avocado (Persea americana)

PubMed Central

Alcaraz, María Librada; Hormaza, José Ignacio; Rodrigo, Javier

2013-01-01

A common observation in different plant species is a massive abscission of flowers and fruitlets even after adequate pollination, but little is known as to the reason for this drop. Previous research has shown the importance of nutritive reserves accumulated in the flower on fertilization success and initial fruit development but direct evidence has been elusive. Avocado (Persea americana) is an extreme case of a species with a very low fruit to flower ratio. In this work, the implications of starch content in the avocado flower on the subsequent fruit set are explored. Firstly, starch content in individual ovaries was analysed from two populations of flowers with a different fruit set capacity showing that the flowers from the population that resulted in a higher percentage of fruit set contained significantly more starch. Secondly, in a different set of flowers, the style of each flower was excised one day after pollination, once the pollen tubes had reached the base of the style, and individually fixed for starch content analysis under the microscope once the fate of its corresponding ovary (that remained in the tree) was known. A high variability in starch content in the style was found among flowers, with some flowers having starch content up to 1,000 times higher than others, and the flowers that successfully developed into fruits presented significantly higher starch content in the style at anthesis than those that abscised. The relationship between starch content in the ovary and the capacity of set of the flower together with the correlation found between the starch content in the style and the fate of the ovary support the hypothesis that the carbohydrate reserves accumulated in the flower at anthesis are related to subsequent abscission or retention of the developing fruit. PMID:24167627

Pistil starch reserves at anthesis correlate with final flower fate in avocado (Persea americana).

PubMed

Alcaraz, María Librada; Hormaza, José Ignacio; Rodrigo, Javier

2013-01-01

A common observation in different plant species is a massive abscission of flowers and fruitlets even after adequate pollination, but little is known as to the reason for this drop. Previous research has shown the importance of nutritive reserves accumulated in the flower on fertilization success and initial fruit development but direct evidence has been elusive. Avocado (Persea americana) is an extreme case of a species with a very low fruit to flower ratio. In this work, the implications of starch content in the avocado flower on the subsequent fruit set are explored. Firstly, starch content in individual ovaries was analysed from two populations of flowers with a different fruit set capacity showing that the flowers from the population that resulted in a higher percentage of fruit set contained significantly more starch. Secondly, in a different set of flowers, the style of each flower was excised one day after pollination, once the pollen tubes had reached the base of the style, and individually fixed for starch content analysis under the microscope once the fate of its corresponding ovary (that remained in the tree) was known. A high variability in starch content in the style was found among flowers, with some flowers having starch content up to 1,000 times higher than others, and the flowers that successfully developed into fruits presented significantly higher starch content in the style at anthesis than those that abscised. The relationship between starch content in the ovary and the capacity of set of the flower together with the correlation found between the starch content in the style and the fate of the ovary support the hypothesis that the carbohydrate reserves accumulated in the flower at anthesis are related to subsequent abscission or retention of the developing fruit.

Detailed dimethylacetal and fatty acid composition of rumen content from lambs fed lucerne or concentrate supplemented with soybean oil.

PubMed

Alves, Susana P; Santos-Silva, José; Cabrita, Ana R J; Fonseca, António J M; Bessa, Rui J B

2013-01-01

Lipid metabolism in the rumen is responsible for the complex fatty acid profile of rumen outflow compared with the dietary fatty acid composition, contributing to the lipid profile of ruminant products. A method for the detailed dimethylacetal and fatty acid analysis of rumen contents was developed and applied to rumen content collected from lambs fed lucerne or concentrate based diets supplemented with soybean oil. The methodological approach developed consisted on a basic/acid direct transesterification followed by thin-layer chromatography to isolate fatty acid methyl esters from dimethylacetal, oxo- fatty acid and fatty acid dimethylesters. The dimethylacetal composition was quite similar to the fatty acid composition, presenting even-, odd- and branched-chain structures. Total and individual odd- and branched-chain dimethylacetals were mostly affected by basal diet. The presence of 18:1 dimethylacetals indicates that biohydrogenation intermediates might be incorporated in structural microbial lipids. Moreover, medium-chain fatty acid dimethylesters were identified for the first time in the rumen content despite their concentration being relatively low. The fatty acids containing 18 carbon-chain lengths comprise the majority of the fatty acids present in the rumen content, most of them being biohydrogenation intermediates of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3. Additionally, three oxo- fatty acids were identified in rumen samples, and 16-O-18:0 might be produced during biohydrogenation of the 18:3n-3.

Palliative care content on cancer center websites.

PubMed

Vater, Laura B; Rebesco, Gina; Schenker, Yael; Torke, Alexia M; Gramelspacher, Gregory

2018-03-01

Professional guidelines recommend that palliative care begin early in advanced cancer management, yet integration of palliative and cancer care remains suboptimal. Cancer centers may miss opportunities to provide palliative care information online. In this study, we described the palliative care content on cancer center websites. We conducted a systematic content analysis of 62 National Cancer Institute- (NCI) designated cancer center websites. We assessed the content of center homepages and analyzed search results using the terms palliative care, supportive care, and hospice. For palliative and supportive care webpages, we assessed services offered and language used to describe care. Two researchers analyzed all websites using a standardized coding manual. Kappa values ranged from 0.78 to 1. NCI-designated cancer center homepages presented information about cancer-directed therapy (61%) more frequently than palliative care (5%). Ten percent of cancer centers had no webpage with palliative care information for patients. Among centers with information for patients, the majority (96%) defined palliative or supportive care, but 30% did not discuss delivery of palliative care alongside curative treatment, and 14% did not mention provision of care early in the disease process. Cancer center homepages rarely mention palliative care services. While the majority of centers have webpages with palliative care content, they sometimes omit information about early use of care. Improving accessibility of palliative care information and increasing emphasis on early provision of services may improve integration of palliative and cancer care.

Ash content: its effect on combustion of corn plants

Treesearch

A. Broido; M. A. Nelson

1964-01-01

Two corn plant samples, one cut in the fall while green, the other after weathering over the winter, exhibited strikingly different combustion properties. The increased susceptibility to flaming combustion of the spring-harvested sample is attributable to its decreased ash content, and not directly to its moisture content.

Methods for sequencing GC-rich and CCT repeat DNA templates

DOEpatents

Robinson, Donna L.

2007-02-20

The present invention is directed to a PCR-based method of cycle sequencing DNA and other polynucleotide sequences having high CG content and regions of high GC content, and includes for example DNA strands with a high Cytosine and/or Guanosine content and repeated motifs such as CCT repeats.

Analysis of base and codon usage by rubella virus.

PubMed

Zhou, Yumei; Chen, Xianfeng; Ushijima, Hiroshi; Frey, Teryl K

2012-05-01

Rubella virus (RUBV), a small, plus-strand RNA virus that is an important human pathogen, has the unique feature that the GC content of its genome (70%) is the highest (by 20%) among RNA viruses. To determine the effect of this GC content on genomic evolution, base and codon usage were analyzed across viruses from eight diverse genotypes of RUBV. Despite differences in frequency of codon use, the favored codons in the RUBV genome matched those in the human genome for 18 of the 20 amino acids, indicating adaptation to the host. Although usage patterns were conserved in corresponding genes in the diverse genotypes, within-genome comparison revealed that both base and codon usages varied regionally, particularly in the hypervariable region (HVR) of the P150 replicase gene. While directional mutation pressure was predominant in determining base and codon usage within most of the genome (with the strongest tendency being towards C's at third codon positions), natural selection was predominant in the HVR region. The GC content of this region was the highest in the genome (>80%), and it was not clear if selection at the nucleotide level accompanied selection at the amino acid level. Dinucleotide frequency analysis of the RUBV genome revealed that TpA usage was lower than expected, similar to mammalian genes; however, CpG usage was not suppressed, and TpG usage was not enhanced, as is the case in mammalian genes.

Conflict Detection Performance Analysis for Function Allocation Using Time-Shifted Recorded Traffic Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guerreiro, Nelson M.; Butler, Ricky W.; Maddalon, Jeffrey M.; Hagen, George E.; Lewis, Timothy A.

2015-01-01

The performance of the conflict detection function in a separation assurance system is dependent on the content and quality of the data available to perform that function. Specifically, data quality and data content available to the conflict detection function have a direct impact on the accuracy of the prediction of an aircraft's future state or trajectory, which, in turn, impacts the ability to successfully anticipate potential losses of separation (detect future conflicts). Consequently, other separation assurance functions that rely on the conflict detection function - namely, conflict resolution - are prone to negative performance impacts. The many possible allocations and implementations of the conflict detection function between centralized and distributed systems drive the need to understand the key relationships that impact conflict detection performance, with respect to differences in data available. This paper presents the preliminary results of an analysis technique developed to investigate the impacts of data quality and data content on conflict detection performance. Flight track data recorded from a day of the National Airspace System is time-shifted to create conflicts not present in the un-shifted data. A methodology is used to smooth and filter the recorded data to eliminate sensor fusion noise, data drop-outs and other anomalies in the data. The metrics used to characterize conflict detection performance are presented and a set of preliminary results is discussed.

Uncertainty quantification for nuclear density functional theory and information content of new measurements.

PubMed

McDonnell, J D; Schunck, N; Higdon, D; Sarich, J; Wild, S M; Nazarewicz, W

2015-03-27

Statistical tools of uncertainty quantification can be used to assess the information content of measured observables with respect to present-day theoretical models, to estimate model errors and thereby improve predictive capability, to extrapolate beyond the regions reached by experiment, and to provide meaningful input to applications and planned measurements. To showcase new opportunities offered by such tools, we make a rigorous analysis of theoretical statistical uncertainties in nuclear density functional theory using Bayesian inference methods. By considering the recent mass measurements from the Canadian Penning Trap at Argonne National Laboratory, we demonstrate how the Bayesian analysis and a direct least-squares optimization, combined with high-performance computing, can be used to assess the information content of the new data with respect to a model based on the Skyrme energy density functional approach. Employing the posterior probability distribution computed with a Gaussian process emulator, we apply the Bayesian framework to propagate theoretical statistical uncertainties in predictions of nuclear masses, two-neutron dripline, and fission barriers. Overall, we find that the new mass measurements do not impose a constraint that is strong enough to lead to significant changes in the model parameters. The example discussed in this study sets the stage for quantifying and maximizing the impact of new measurements with respect to current modeling and guiding future experimental efforts, thus enhancing the experiment-theory cycle in the scientific method.

On the analysis of time-of-flight spin-echo modulated dark-field imaging data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sales, Morten; Plomp, Jeroen; Bouwman, Wim G.; Tremsin, Anton S.; Habicht, Klaus; Strobl, Markus

2017-06-01

Spin-Echo Modulated Small Angle Neutron Scattering with spatial resolution, i.e. quantitative Spin-Echo Dark Field Imaging, is an emerging technique coupling neutron imaging with spatially resolved quantitative small angle scattering information. However, the currently achieved relatively large modulation periods of the order of millimeters are superimposed to the images of the samples. So far this required an independent reduction and analyses of the image and scattering information encoded in the measured data and is involving extensive curve fitting routines. Apart from requiring a priori decisions potentially limiting the information content that is extractable also a straightforward judgment of the data quality and information content is hindered. In contrast we propose a significantly simplified routine directly applied to the measured data, which does not only allow an immediate first assessment of data quality and delaying decisions on potentially information content limiting further reduction steps to a later and better informed state, but also, as results suggest, generally better analyses. In addition the method enables to drop the spatial resolution detector requirement for non-spatially resolved Spin-Echo Modulated Small Angle Neutron Scattering.

Trend of Narratives in the Age of Misinformation.

PubMed

Bessi, Alessandro; Zollo, Fabiana; Del Vicario, Michela; Scala, Antonio; Caldarelli, Guido; Quattrociocchi, Walter

2015-01-01

Social media enabled a direct path from producer to consumer of contents changing the way users get informed, debate, and shape their worldviews. Such a disintermediation might weaken consensus on social relevant issues in favor of rumors, mistrust, or conspiracy thinking-e.g., chem-trails inducing global warming, the link between vaccines and autism, or the New World Order conspiracy. Previous studies pointed out that consumers of conspiracy-like content are likely to aggregate in homophile clusters-i.e., echo-chambers. Along this path we study, by means of a thorough quantitative analysis, how different topics are consumed inside the conspiracy echo-chamber in the Italian Facebook. Through a semi-automatic topic extraction strategy, we show that the most consumed contents semantically refer to four specific categories: environment, diet, health, and geopolitics. We find similar consumption patterns by comparing users activity (likes and comments) on posts belonging to these different semantic categories. Finally, we model users mobility across the distinct topics finding that the more a user is active, the more he is likely to span on all categories. Once inside a conspiracy narrative users tend to embrace the overall corpus.

Diffractive hard photoproduction at HERA and evidence for the gluon content of the pomeron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derrick, M.; Krakauer, D.; Magill, S.; Mikunas, D.; Musgrave, B.; Repond, J.; Stanek, R.; Talaga, R. L.; Zhang, H.; Ayad, R.; Bari, G.; Basile, M.; Bellagamba, L.; Boscherini, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, P.; Cara Romeo, G.; Castellini, G.; Chiarini, M.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Contin, A.; Corradi, M.; Gialas, I.; Giusti, P.; Iacobucci, G.; Laurenti, G.; Levi, G.; Margotti, A.; Massam, T.; Nania, R.; Nemoz, C.; Palmonari, F.; Polini, A.; Sartorelli, G.; Timellini, R.; Zamora Garcia, Y.; Zichichi, A.; Bargende, A.; Crittenden, J.; Desch, K.; Diekmann, B.; Doeker, T.; Eckert, M.; Feld, L.; Frey, A.; Geerts, M.; Grothe, M.; Hartmann, H.; Heinloth, K.; Hilger, E.; Jakob, H.-P.; Katz, U. F.; Mari, S. M.; Mengel, S.; Mollen, J.; Paul, E.; Pfeiffer, M.; Rembser, Ch; Schramm, D.; Stamm, J.; Wedemeyer, R.; Campbell-Robson, S.; Cassidy, A.; Dyce, N.; Foster, B.; George, S.; Gilmore, R.; Heath, G. P.; Heath, H. F.; Llewellyn, T. J.; Morgado, C. J. S.; Norman, D. J. P.; O'Mara, J. A.; Tapper, R. J.; Wilson, S. S.; Yoshida, R.; Rau, R. R.; Arneodo, M.; Capua, M.; Garfagnini, A.; Iannotti, L.; Schioppa, M.; Susinno, G.; Bernstein, A.; Caldwell, A.; Cartiglia, N.; Parsons, J. A.; Ritz, S.; Sciulli, F.; Straub, P. B.; Wai, L.; Yang, S.; Zhu, Q.; Borzemski, P.; Chwastowski, J.; Eskreys, A.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Zachara, M.; Zawiejski, L.; Adamczyk, L.; Bednarek, B.; Jeleń, K.; Kisielewska, D.; Kowalski, T.; Rulikowska-Zarȩbska, E.; Suszycki, L.; Zajaç, J.; Kotański, A.; Przybycień, M.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Behrens, U.; Beier, H.; Bienlein, J. K.; Coldewey, C.; Deppe, O.; Desler, K.; Drews, G.; Flasiński, M.; Gilkinson, D. J.; Glasman, C.; Göttlicher, P.; Große-Knetter, J.; Gutjahr, B.; Haas, T.; Hain, W.; Hasell, D.; Heßling, H.; Iga, Y.; Johnson, K.; Joos, P.; Kasemann, M.; Klanner, R.; Koch, W.; Köpke, L.; Kötz, U.; Kowalski, H.; Labs, J.; Ladage, A.; Löhr, B.; Löwe, M.; Lüke, D.; Mainusch, J.; Mańczak, O.; Monteiro, T.; Ng, J. S. T.; Nickel, S.; Notz, D.; Ohrenberg, K.; Roco, M.; Rohde, M.; Roldán, J.; Schneekloth, U.; Schulz, W.; Selonke, F.; Stiliaris, E.; Surrow, B.; Voß, T.; Westphal, D.; Wolf, G.; Youngman, C.; Zeuner, W.; Zhou, J. F.; Grabosch, H. J.; Kharchilava, A.; Leich, A.; Mattingly, M. C. K.; Meyer, A.; Schlenstedt, S.; Wulff, N.; Barbagli, G.; Pelfer, P.; Anzivino, G.; Maccarrone, G.; De Pasquale, S.; Votano, L.; Bamberger, A.; Eisenhardt, S.; Freidhof, A.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Schroeder, J.; Trefzger, T.; Brook, N. H.; Bussey, P. J.; Doyle, A. T.; Fleck, J. I.; Saxon, D. H.; Utley, M. L.; Wilson, A. S.; Dannemann, A.; Holm, U.; Horstmann, D.; Neumann, T.; Sinkus, R.; Wick, K.; Badura, E.; Burow, B. D.; Hagge, L.; Lohrmann, E.; Milewski, J.; Nakahata, M.; Pavel, N.; Poelz, G.; Schott, W.; Zetsche, F.; Bacon, T. C.; Bruemmer, N.; Butterworth, I.; Gallo, E.; Harris, V. L.; Hung, B. Y. H.; Long, K. R.; Miller, D. B.; Morawitz, P. P. O.; Prinias, A.; Sedgbeer, J. K.; Whitfield, A. F.; Mallik, U.; McCliment, E.; Wang, M. Z.; Wang, S. M.; Wu, J. T.; Cloth, P.; Filges, D.; An, S. H.; Hong, S. M.; Nam, S. W.; Park, S. K.; Suh, M. H.; Yon, S. H.; Imlay, R.; Kartik, S.; Kim, H.-J.; McNeil, R. R.; Metcalf, W.; Nadendla, V. K.; Barreiro, F.; Cases, G.; Fernandez, J. P.; Graciani, R.; Hernández, J. M.; Hervás, L.; Labarga, L.; Martinez, M.; del Peso, J.; Puga, J.; Terron, J.; de Trocóniz, J. F.; Smith, G. R.; Corriveau, F.; Hanna, D. S.; Hartmann, J.; Hung, L. W.; Lim, J. N.; Matthews, C. G.; Patel, P. M.; Sinclair, L. E.; Stairs, D. G.; St. Laurent, M.; Ullmann, R.; Zacek, G.; Bashkirov, V.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Stifutkin, A.; Bashindzhagyan, G. L.; Ermolov, P. F.; Gladilin, L. K.; Golubkov, Yu. A.; Kobrin, V. D.; Korzhavina, I. A.; Kuzmin, V. A.; Lukina, O. Yu; Proskuryakov, A. S.; Savin, A. A.; Shcheglova, L. M.; Solomin, A. N.; Zotov, N. P.; Botje, M.; Chlebana, F.; Dake, A.; Engelen, J.; de Kamps, M.; Kooijman, P.; Kruse, A.; Tiecke, H.; Verkerke, W.; Vreeswijk, M.; Wiggers, L.; de Wolf, E.; van Woudenberg, R.; Acosta, D.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Honscheid, K.; Li, C.; Ling, T. Y.; McLean, K. W.; Murray, W. N.; Park, I. H.; Romanowski, T. A.; Seidlein, R.; Bailey, D. S.; Byrne, A.; Cashmore, R. J.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Devenish, R. C. E.; Harnew, N.; Lancaster, M.; Lindemann, L.; McFall, J. D.; Nath, C.; Noyes, V. A.; Quadt, A.; Tickner, J. R.; Uijterwaal, H.; Walczak, R.; Waters, D. S.; Wilson, F. F.; Yip, T.; Abbiendi, G.; Bertolin, A.; Brugnera, R.; Carlin, R.; Dal Corso, F.; De Giorgi, M.; Dosselli, U.; Limentani, S.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Stanco, L.; Stroili, R.; Voci, C.; Bulmahn, J.; Butterworth, J. M.; Feild, R. G.; Oh, B. Y.; Whitmore, J. J.; D'Agostini, G.; Marini, G.; Nigro, A.; Tassi, E.; Hart, J. C.; McCubbin, N. A.; Prytz, K.; Shah, T. P.; Short, T. L.; Barberis, E.; Dubbs, T.; Heusch, C.; Van Hook, M.; Lockman, W.; Rahn, J. T.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Seiden, A.; Williams, D. C.; Biltzinger, J.; Seifert, R. J.; Schwarzer, O.; Walenta, A. H.; Zech, G.; Abramowicz, H.; Briskin, G.; Dagan, S.; Levy, A.; Hasegawa, T.; Hazumi, M.; Ishii, T.; Kuze, M.; Mine, S.; Nagasawa, Y.; Nakao, M.; Suzuki, I.; Tokushuku, K.; Yamada, S.; Yamazaki, Y.; Chiba, M.; Hamatsu, R.; Hirose, T.; Homma, K.; Kitamura, S.; Nakamitsu, Y.; Yamauchi, K.; Cirio, R.; Costa, M.; Ferrero, M. I.; Lamberti, L.; Maselli, S.; Peroni, C.; Sacchi, R.; Solano, A.; Staiano, A.; Dardo, M.; Bailey, D. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Benard, F.; Brkic, M.; Crombie, M. B.; Gingrich, D. M.; Hartner, G. F.; Joo, K. K.; Levman, G. M.; Martin, J. F.; Orr, R. S.; Polenz, S.; Sampson, C. R.; Teuscher, R. J.; Catterall, C. D.; Jones, T. W.; Kaziewicz, P. B.; Lane, J. B.; Saunders, R. L.; Shulman, J.; Blankenship, K.; Lu, B.; Mo, L. W.; Bogusz, W.; Charchuła, K.; Ciborowski, J.; Gajewski, J.; Grzelak, G.; Kasprazak, M.; Krzyżanowski, M.; Muchorowski, K.; Nowak, R. J.; Pawlak, J. M.; Tymieniecka, T.; Wróblewski, A. K.; Zakrzewski, J. A.; Żarnecki, A. F.; Adamus, M.; Eisenberg, Y.; Karshon, U.; Revel, D.; Zer-Zion, D.; Ali, I.; Badgett, W. F.; Behrens, B.; Dasu, S.; Fordham, C.; Foudas, C.; Goussiou, A.; Loveless, R. J.; Reeder, D. D.; Silverstein, S.; Smith, W. H.; Vaiciulis, A.; Wodarczyk, M.; Tsurugai, T.; Bhadra, S.; Cardy, M. L.; Fagerstroem, C.-P.; Frisken, W. R.; Furutani, K. M.; Khakzad, M.; Schmidke, W. B.; ZEUS Collaboration

1995-02-01

Inclusive jet cross sections for events with a large rapidity gap with respect to the proton direction from the reaction ep → jet + X with quasi-real photons have been measured with the ZEUS detector. The cross sections refer to jets with transverse energies ETjet > 8 GeV. The data show the characteristics of a diffractive process mediated by pomeron exchange. Assuming that the events are due to the exchange of a pomeron with partonic structure, the quark and gluon content of the pomeron is probed at a scale ˜ ( ETjet) 2. A comparison of the measurements with model predictions based on QCD plus Regge phenomenology requires a contribution of partons with a hard momentum density in the pomeron. A combined analysis of the jet cross sections and recent ZEUS measurements of the diffractive structure function in deep inelastic scattering gives the first experimental evidence for the gluon content of the pomeron in diffractive hard scattering processes. The data indicate that between 30% and 80% of the momentum of the pomeron carried by partons is due to hard gluons.

Dynamics of shearing force and its correlations with chemical compositions and in vitro dry matter digestibility of stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis) stem.

PubMed

Zi, Xuejuan; Li, Mao; Zhou, Hanlin; Tang, Jun; Cai, Yimin

2017-12-01

The study explored the dynamics of shearing force and its correlation with chemical compositions and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of stylo. The shearing force, diameter, linear density, chemical composition, and IVDMD of different height stylo stem were investigated. Linear regression analysis was done to determine the relationships between the shearing force and cut height, diameter, chemical composition, or IVDMD. The results showed that shearing force of stylo stem increased with plant height increasing and the crude protein (CP) content and IVDMD decreased but fiber content increased over time, resulting in decreased forage value. In addition, tall stem had greater shearing force than short stem. Moreover, shearing force is positively correlated with stem diameter, linear density and fiber fraction, but negatively correlated with CP content and IVDMD. Overall, shearing force is an indicator more direct, easier and faster to measure than chemical composition and digestibility for evaluation of forage nutritive value related to animal performance. Therefore, it can be used to evaluate the nutritive value of stylo.

The habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities—Beyond traditional nursing practices and principles?

PubMed Central

Olli, Johanna; Vehkakoski, Tanja

2014-01-01

Research-based descriptions of the contents of the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities are lacking. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities in a Finnish children's neurological ward. In addition, the purpose was to outline the principles that directed the nursing functions (which consisted of various nursing interventions). The data collection included observation, a retrospective think-aloud method with video-taped nursing situations, the nursing records, and an open-ended questionnaire. The data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis of the manifest and latent content. The findings show that habilitation nursing in a children's neurological ward consists of assessing the child's skills, supporting the child's development, and collaborating with the child's immediate adults. When implementing those functions with nursing interventions, the nurses demonstrated four principles: client-originated and professional-originated principles, and individual-centred and community-centred principles. Becoming conscious of these principles and the theoretical frameworks behind them enables the development of a nursing science–based model for habilitation nursing. PMID:24656260

Reduction of methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress tolerance in antisense transgenic tobacco seedlings through restricted expression of StAPX.

PubMed

Sun, Wei-Hong; Wang, Yong; He, Hua-Gang; Li, Xue; Song, Wan; Du, Bin; Meng, Qing-Wei

2013-07-01

Ascorbate peroxidases are directly involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging by reducing hydrogen peroxide to water. The tomato thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase gene (StAPX) was introduced into tobacco. RNA gel blot analysis confirmed that StAPX in tomato leaves was induced by methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress. The sense transgenic seedlings exhibited higher tAPX activity than that of the wild type (WT) plants under oxidative stress conditions, while the antisense seedlings exhibited lower tAPX activity. Lower APX activities of antisense transgenic seedlings caused higher malondialdehyde contents and relative electrical conductivity. The sense transgenic seedlings with higher tAPX activity maintained higher chlorophyll content and showed the importance of tAPX in maintaining the optimal chloroplast development under methylviologen stress conditions, whereas the antisense lines maintained lower chlorophyll content than WT seedlings. Results indicated that the over-expression of StAPX enhanced tolerance to methylviologen-mediated oxidative stress in sense transgenic tobacco early seedlings, whereas the suppression of StAPX in antisense transgenic seedlings showed high sensitivity to oxidative stress.

Rhyme as reason in commercial and social advertising.

PubMed

Filkuková, Petra; Klempe, Sven Hroar

2013-10-01

This study investigated the rhyme-as-reason effect on new artificially created advertising slogans. Rhymes and non-rhymes were in Experiment 1 and 2 compared in a between-subjects design and in Experiment 3 in a within-subjects design. The quality of the form and content of the slogans was always evaluated by separate groups. In Experiment 1, we found a strong preference for rhyming slogans as opposed to their non-rhyming counterparts. Rhymes were rated as more likeable, more original, easier to remember, more suitable for campaigns, more persuasive and more trustworthy. In Experiment 2, social advertising messages were evaluated favorably in both rhyming and non-rhyming versions. However, when participants directly compared rhymes and non-rhymes on the same scale (Experiment 3), the difference between commercial and social advertising disappeared and for all slogans rhymes were clearly preferred to non-rhymes in terms of both form and content. A detailed analysis revealed that the rhymes scoring high on formal aspects were also favored in the questionnaire investigating content aspects. © 2013 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Seeing biomass recalcitrance through fluorescence.

PubMed

Auxenfans, Thomas; Terryn, Christine; Paës, Gabriel

2017-08-18

Lignocellulosic biomass is the only renewable carbon resource available in sufficient amount on Earth to go beyond the fossil-based carbon economy. Its transformation requires controlled breakdown of polymers into a set of molecules to make fuels, chemicals and materials. But biomass is a network of various inter-connected polymers which are very difficult to deconstruct optimally. In particular, saccharification potential of lignocellulosic biomass depends on several complex chemical and physical factors. For the first time, an easily measurable fluorescence properties of steam-exploded biomass samples from miscanthus, poplar and wheat straw was shown to be directly correlated to their saccharification potential. Fluorescence can thus be advantageously used as a predictive method of biomass saccharification. The loss in fluorescence occurring after the steam explosion pretreatment and increasing with pretreatment severity does not originate from the loss in lignin content, but rather from a decrease of the lignin β-aryl-ether linkage content. Fluorescence lifetime analysis demonstrates that monolignols making lignin become highly conjugated after steam explosion pretreatment. These results reveal that lignin chemical composition is a more important feature to consider than its content to understand and to predict biomass saccharification.

AC Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Borotellurite Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taha, T. A.; Azab, A. A.

2016-10-01

Borotellurite glasses with formula 60B2O3-10ZnO-(30 - x)NaF- xTeO2 ( x = 0 mol.%, 5 mol.%, 10 mol.%, and 15 mol.%) have been synthesized by thermal melting. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the glasses were amorphous. The glass density ( ρ) was determined by the Archimedes method at room temperature. The density ( ρ) and molar volume ( V m) were found to increase with increasing TeO2 content. The direct-current (DC) conductivity was measured in the temperature range from 473 K to 623 K, in which the electrical activation energy of ionic conduction increased from 0.27 eV to 0.48 eV with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%. The dielectric parameters and alternating-current (AC) conductivity ( σ ac) were investigated in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz and temperature range from 300 K to 633 K. The AC conductivity and dielectric constant decreased with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%.

From primary care to public health: using Problem-based Learning and the ecological model to teach public health to first year medical students.

PubMed

Hoover, Cora R; Wong, Candice C; Azzam, Amin

2012-06-01

We investigated whether a public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case presented to first-year medical students conveyed 12 "Population Health Competencies for Medical Students," as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers. A public health-oriented Problem-Based Learning case guided by the ecological model paradigm was developed and implemented among two groups of 8 students at the University of California, Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, in the Fall of 2010. Using directed content analysis, student-generated written reports were coded for the presence of the 12 population health content areas. Students generated a total of 29 reports, of which 20 (69%) contained information relevant to at least one of the 12 population health competencies. Each of the 12 content areas was addressed by at least one report. As physicians-in-training prepare to confront the challenges of integrating prevention and population health with clinical practice, Problem-Based Learning is a promising tool to enhance medical students' engagement with public health.

The habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities--beyond traditional nursing practices and principles?

PubMed

Olli, Johanna; Vehkakoski, Tanja; Salanterä, Sanna

2014-01-01

Research-based descriptions of the contents of the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities are lacking. The objective of this qualitative study was to describe the habilitation nursing of children with developmental disabilities in a Finnish children's neurological ward. In addition, the purpose was to outline the principles that directed the nursing functions (which consisted of various nursing interventions). The data collection included observation, a retrospective think-aloud method with video-taped nursing situations, the nursing records, and an open-ended questionnaire. The data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis of the manifest and latent content. The findings show that habilitation nursing in a children's neurological ward consists of assessing the child's skills, supporting the child's development, and collaborating with the child's immediate adults. When implementing those functions with nursing interventions, the nurses demonstrated four principles: client-originated and professional-originated principles, and individual-centred and community-centred principles. Becoming conscious of these principles and the theoretical frameworks behind them enables the development of a nursing science-based model for habilitation nursing.

Discovering Science from an Armchair: Popular Science in British Magazines of the Interwar Years.

PubMed

Bowler, Peter J

2016-01-01

Analysing the contents of magazines published with the stated intention of conveying information about science and technology to the public provides a mechanism for evaluation what counted as 'popular science'. This article presents numerical surveys of the contents of three magazines published in inter-war Britain (Discovery, Conquest and Armchair Science) and offers an evaluation of the results. The problem of defining relevant topic-categories is addressed, both direct and indirect strategies being employed to ensure that the topics correspond to what the editors and publishers took to be the principal areas of science and technology of interest to their readers. Analysis of the results of the surveys reveals different editorial policies depending on the backgrounds of the publishers and their anticipated readerships. The strong focus of the two most populist magazines on applied science and 'hobbyist' topics such as natural history, radio and motoring is noted and contrasted with the very limited coverage of theoretical science. In conclusion, a survey of changes in the contents over the periods of publication is used to identify trends in the coverage of science during this period.

Development and Validation of Quantitative (1)H NMR Spectroscopy for the Determination of Total Phytosterols in the Marine Seaweed Sargassum.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiu-Li; Wang, Cong; Chen, Zhen; Zhang, Pei-Yu; Liu, Hong-Bing

2016-08-10

Knowledge of phytosterol (PS) contents in marine algae is currently lacking compared to those in terrestrial plants. The present studies developed a quantitative (1)H NMR method for the determination of the total PSs in Sargassum. The characteristic proton signal H-3α in PSs was used for quantification, and 2,3,4,5-tetrachloro-nitrobenzene was used as an internal standard. Seaweed samples could be recorded directly after total lipid extraction and saponification. The results showed that the PS contents in Sargassum fusiforme (788.89-2878.67 mg/kg) were significantly higher than those in Sargassum pallidum (585.33-1596.00 mg/kg). The variable contents in both species suggested that fixed raw materials are very important for future research and development. Orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis was carried out in the spectral region of δ 3.00-6.50 in the (1)H NMR spectrum. S. fusiforme and S. pallidum could be separated well, and the key sterol marker was fucosterol.

PCR Testing of IVC Filter Tops as a Method for Detecting Murine Pinworms and Fur Mites.

PubMed

Gerwin, Philip M; Ricart Arbona, Rodolfo J; Riedel, Elyn R; Henderson, Kenneth S; Lipman, Neil S

2017-11-01

We evaluated PCR testing of filter tops from cages maintained on an IVC system through which exhaust air is filtered at the cage level as a method for detecting parasite-infected and -infested cages. Cages containing 4 naïve Swiss Webster mice received 360 mL of uncontaminated aspen chip or α-cellulose bedding (n = 18 cages each) and 60 mL of the same type of bedding weekly from each of the following 4 groups of cages housing mice infected or infested with Syphacia obvelata (SO), Aspiculuris tetraptera (AT), Myocoptes musculinus (MC), or Myobia musculi (MB) and Radfordia affinis (RA; 240 mL bedding total). Detection rates were compared at 30, 60, and 90 d after initiating bedding exposure, by using PCR analysis of filter tops (media extract and swabs) and testing of mouse samples (fur swab [direct] PCR testing, fecal flotation, anal tape test, direct examination of intestinal contents, and skin scrape). PCR testing of filter media extract detected 100% of all parasites at 30 d (both bedding types) except for AT (α-cellulose bedding, 67% detection rate); identified more cages with fur mites (MB and MC) than direct PCR when cellulose bedding was used; and was better at detecting parasites than all nonmolecular methods evaluated. PCR analysis of filter media extract was superior to swab and direct PCR for all parasites cumulatively for each bedding type. Direct PCR more effectively detected MC and all parasites combined for aspen chip compared with cellulose bedding. PCR analysis of filter media extract for IVC systems in which exhaust air is filtered at the cage level was shown to be a highly effective environmental testing method.

PCR Testing of IVC Filter Tops as a Method for Detecting Murine Pinworms and Fur Mites

PubMed Central

Gerwin, Philip M; Arbona, Rodolfo J Ricart; Riedel, Elyn R; Henderson, Kenneth S; Lipman, Neil S

2017-01-01

We evaluated PCR testing of filter tops from cages maintained on an IVC system through which exhaust air is filtered at the cage level as a method for detecting parasite- infected and -infested cages. Cages containing 4 naïve Swiss Webster mice received 360 mL of uncontaminated aspen chip or α-cellulose bedding (n = 18 cages each) and 60 mL of the same type of bedding weekly from each of the following 4 groups of cages housing mice infected or infested with Syphacia obvelata (SO), Aspiculuris tetraptera (AT), Myocoptes musculinus (MC), or Myobia musculi (MB) and Radfordia affinis (RA; 240 mL bedding total). Detection rates were compared at 30, 60, and 90 d after initiating bedding exposure, by using PCR analysis of filter tops (media extract and swabs) and testing of mouse samples (fur swab [direct] PCR testing, fecal flotation, anal tape test, direct examination of intestinal contents, and skin scrape). PCR testing of filter media extract detected 100% of all parasites at 30 d (both bedding types) except for AT (α-cellulose bedding, 67% detection rate); identified more cages with fur mites (MB and MC) than direct PCR when cellulose bedding was used; and was better at detecting parasites than all nonmolecular methods evaluated. PCR analysis of filter media extract was superior to swab and direct PCR for all parasites cumulatively for each bedding type. Direct PCR more effectively detected MC and all parasites combined for aspen chip compared with cellulose bedding. PCR analysis of filter media extract for IVC systems in which exhaust air is filtered at the cage level was shown to be a highly effective environmental testing method. PMID:29256370

Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness.

PubMed

Graneheim, U H; Lundman, B

2004-02-01

Qualitative content analysis as described in published literature shows conflicting opinions and unsolved issues regarding meaning and use of concepts, procedures and interpretation. This paper provides an overview of important concepts (manifest and latent content, unit of analysis, meaning unit, condensation, abstraction, content area, code, category and theme) related to qualitative content analysis; illustrates the use of concepts related to the research procedure; and proposes measures to achieve trustworthiness (credibility, dependability and transferability) throughout the steps of the research procedure. Interpretation in qualitative content analysis is discussed in light of Watzlawick et al.'s [Pragmatics of Human Communication. A Study of Interactional Patterns, Pathologies and Paradoxes. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, London] theory of communication.