Analysis of superimposed ultrasonic guided waves in long bones by the joint approximate diagonalization of eigen-matrices algorithm.

PubMed

Song, Xiaojun; Ta, Dean; Wang, Weiqi

2011-10-01

The parameters of ultrasonic guided waves (GWs) are very sensitive to mechanical and structural changes in long cortical bones. However, it is a challenge to obtain the group velocity and other parameters of GWs because of the presence of mixed multiple modes. This paper proposes a blind identification algorithm using the joint approximate diagonalization of eigen-matrices (JADE) and applies it to the separation of superimposed GWs in long bones. For the simulation case, the velocity of the single mode was calculated after separation. A strong agreement was obtained between the estimated velocity and the theoretical expectation. For the experiments in bovine long bones, by using the calculated velocity and a theoretical model, the cortical thickness (CTh) was obtained. For comparison with the JADE approach, an adaptive Gaussian chirplet time-frequency (ACGTF) method was also used to estimate the CTh. The results showed that the mean error of the CTh acquired by the JADE approach was 4.3%, which was smaller than that of the ACGTF method (13.6%). This suggested that the JADE algorithm may be used to separate the superimposed GWs and that the JADE algorithm could potentially be used to evaluate long bones. Copyright © 2011 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An On-the-Fly Surface-Hopping Program JADE for Nonadiabatic Molecular Dynamics of Polyatomic Systems: Implementation and Applications.

PubMed

Du, Likai; Lan, Zhenggang

2015-04-14

Nonadiabatic dynamics simulations have rapidly become an indispensable tool for understanding ultrafast photochemical processes in complex systems. Here, we present our recently developed on-the-fly nonadiabatic dynamics package, JADE, which allows researchers to perform nonadiabatic excited-state dynamics simulations of polyatomic systems at an all-atomic level. The nonadiabatic dynamics is based on Tully's surface-hopping approach. Currently, several electronic structure methods (CIS, TDHF, TDDFT(RPA/TDA), and ADC(2)) are supported, especially TDDFT, aiming at performing nonadiabatic dynamics on medium- to large-sized molecules. The JADE package has been interfaced with several quantum chemistry codes, including Turbomole, Gaussian, and Gamess (US). To consider environmental effects, the Langevin dynamics was introduced as an easy-to-use scheme into the standard surface-hopping dynamics. The JADE package is mainly written in Fortran for greater numerical performance and Python for flexible interface construction, with the intent of providing open-source, easy-to-use, well-modularized, and intuitive software in the field of simulations of photochemical and photophysical processes. To illustrate the possible applications of the JADE package, we present a few applications of excited-state dynamics for various polyatomic systems, such as the methaniminium cation, fullerene (C20), p-dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) and its primary amino derivative aminobenzonitrile (ABN), and 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinoline (10-HBQ).

Distributed Planning in a Mixed-Initiative Environment: Collaborative Technologies for Network Centric Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

Agents in the DEEP architecture extend and use the Java Agent Development (JADE) framework. DEEP requires a distributed multi-agent system and a...framework to help simplify the implementation of this system. JADE was chosen because it is fully implemented in Java , and supports these requirements

76 FR 52378 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-22

... Determinations: ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections From the National Museum of History, Taiwan..., which is ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of History, Taiwan... objects is at the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX, from on or about October 1, 2011, until on...

76 FR 45646 - Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: “5,000 Years of Chinese...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 7540] Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections From the National Museum of Taiwan and the... ``5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of Taiwan and the Arthur M...

Cold blobs of protons in Jupiter's outer magnetosphere as observed by Juno's JADE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, R. J.; Bagenal, F.; Valek, P. W.; Allegrini, F.; Angold, N. G.; Chae, K.; Ebert, R. W.; Kim, T. K. H.; Loeffler, C.; Louarn, P.; McComas, D. J.; Pollock, C. J.; Ranquist, D. A.; Reno, C.; Szalay, J. R.; Thomsen, M. F.; Weidner, S.; Bolton, S. J.; Levin, S.

2017-12-01

Juno's 53-day polar orbits cut through the equatorial plane when inbound to perijove. The JADE instrument has been observing thermal ions (0.01-50 keV/q) and electrons (0.1-100 keV/q) in these regions since Orbit 05. Even at distances greater than 70 RJ, magnetodisk crossings are clear with high count rates measured before returning to rarified plasma conditions outside the disk. However JADE's detectors observes regions of slightly greater ion counts that last for about an hour. The ion counts are too low to analyze at the typical 30s or 60s low rate instrument cadence, but by summing to 10-minute resolution the features become analyzable. We find these regions are populated with protons with higher density than those typically observed outside the magnetodisk, and that they are colder than the ambient plasma. Reanalysis of Voyager data (DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024053) also showed cold dense blobs of plasma in the inner to middle magnetosphere, however these were of heavier ion species, short lived (several minutes) and within 40 RJ of Jupiter. This presentation will investigate the JADE identified cold blobs observed to date and compare with those observed with Voyager.

Magical hair as dirt: Ecstatic bodies and postcolonial reform in South India.

PubMed

Ramberg, Lucinda

2009-12-01

This paper offers an ethnography of the medicalization of matted locks of hair (jade) worn by female ecstatics in a South Indian devi (goddess) cult. These jade are taken by devotees of the devi Yellamma to be a manifestation of her presence in the bodies of women who enter possession states and give oracles. At her temples across the central Deccan Plateau, Yellamma women can be seen wearing heavy locks of matted hair anointed with turmeric, the color and healing properties of which are identified with this devi. Under a recent government-sponsored campaign, reformers cut jade and hand out packets of shampoo as a means of reforming the extended and illicit sexuality of these women. Associations between sexuality and hair practices have long preoccupied anthropologists interested in the relationship between the body and culture. In this paper, I draw on this literature and more than 2 years of field research to consider the encounter between biomedical and Shakta epistemologies of the body dramatized in these jade cutting campaigns. This effort to remake the body as a fit site and sign of modernity elaborates the postcolonial politics of sexuality, gender and religiosity in India.

Histological evidence supporting a role for the striatal neurokinin-1 receptor in methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in the mouse brain

PubMed Central

Yu, Jing; Wang, Jing; Cadet, Jean Lud; Angulo, Jesus A.

2010-01-01

Several studies have documented the effect of methamphetamine (METH) on the toxicity of the dopamine (DA) terminals of the striatum but only a few studies have assessed the damaging effects of METH on striatal neurons postsynaptic to the nigrostriatal DA terminals. In the present study, we employed histological methods to study the effect of METH on DA terminals and striatal neurons. We also assessed the role of the striatal neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor on pre- and post-synaptic METH-induced damage. Male mice were treated with METH (10 mg/kg) four times at 2-h intervals and were sacrificed 3 days after the treatment. A number of animals received the non-peptide NK-1 receptor antagonist WIN-51,708 (10 mg/kg) 30 min before the first and fourth injections of METH. Immunocytochemical staining for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) showed significant deficits throughout all aspects of the caudate-putamen in animals exposed to METH. Pretreatment with WIN-51,708 prevented the METH-induced loss of TH immunostaining. Sections from a separate set of mice were stained with Fluoro-Jade B (FJB), a fluorochrome that binds specifically to degenerating fibers and cell bodies of neurons. Treatment with METH shows Fluoro-Jade B positive cell bodies in the striatum and pretreatment with WIN-51,708 abolished Fluoro-Jade B staining. Moreover, double labeling with Fluoro-Jade B and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) shows reactive astrocytosis in the area adjacent to the Fluoro-Jade B-positive cells but no Fluoro-Jade B staining of the astrocytes. This observation suggests that the degenerating cells must be striatal neurons and not astrocytes. The data demonstrate that METH induces pre- and post-synaptic damage in the striatum and the damage can be prevented with pharmacological blockade of the NK-1 receptor. These findings represent a new direction in the study of the mechanism of toxicity to METH and could be useful in the treatment of some neurological disorders. PMID:15064143

Evaluation of Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Exposed In Vitro to Neonicotinoid Insecticides News

PubMed Central

Calderón-Segura, María Elena; Gómez-Arroyo, Sandra; Villalobos-Pietrini, Rafael; Martínez-Valenzuela, Carmen; Carbajal-López, Yolanda; Calderón-Ezquerro, María del Carmen; Cortés-Eslava, Josefina; García-Martínez, Rocío; Flores-Ramírez, Diana; Rodríguez-Romero, María Isabel; Méndez-Pérez, Patricia; Bañuelos-Ruíz, Enrique

2012-01-01

Calypso (thiacloprid), Poncho (clothianidin), Gaucho (imidacloprid), and Jade (imidacloprid) are commercial neonicotinoid insecticides, a new class of agrochemicals in México. However, genotoxic and cytotoxic studies have not been performed. In the present study, human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were exposed in vitro to different concentrations of the four insecticides. The genotoxic and cytotoxic effects were evaluated using the alkaline comet and trypan blue dye exclusion assays. DNA damage was evaluated using two genotoxicity parameters: tail length and comet frequency. Exposure to 9.5 × 10−6 to 5.7 × 10−5 M Jade; 2.8 × 10−4 to 1.7 × 10−3 M Gaucho; 0.6 × 10−1 to 1.4 × 10−1 M Calypso; 1.2 × 10−1 to 9.5 × 10−1 M Poncho for 2 h induced a significant increase DNA damage with a concentration-dependent relationship. Jade was the most genotoxic of the four insecticides studied. Cytotoxicity was observed in cells exposed to 18 × 10−3 M Jade, 2.0 × 10−3 M Gaucho, 2.0 × 10−1 M Calypso, 1.07 M Poncho, and cell death occurred at 30 × 10−3 M Jade, 3.3 × 10−3 M Gaucho, 2.8 × 10−1 M Calypso, and 1.42 M Poncho. This study provides the first report of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects in PBL following in vitro exposure to commercial neonicotinoid insecticides. PMID:22545045

Coverage of Jade Goody's cervical cancer in UK newspapers: a missed opportunity for health promotion?

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background It has been claimed that publicity surrounding popular celebrity Jade Goody's experience of cervical cancer will raise awareness about the disease. This study examines the content of newspaper articles covering her illness to consider whether 'mobilising information' which could encourage women to adopt risk-reducing and health promoting behaviours has been included. Methods Content analysis of 15 national newspapers published between August 2008 and April 2009 Findings In the extensive coverage of Goody's illness (527 articles in the 7 months of study) few newspaper articles included information that might make women more aware of the signs and symptoms or risk factors for the disease, or discussed the role of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the recently introduced HPV vaccination programme to reduce the future incidence of cervical cancer. For example, less than 5% of articles mentioned well-known risk-factors for cervical cancer and less than 8% gave any information about HPV. The 'human interest' aspects of Goody's illness (her treatment, the spread of her disease in later months, her wedding, and her preparations for her children's future) were more extensively covered. Conclusions Newspaper coverage of Goody's illness has tended not to include factual or educational information that could mobilise or inform women, or help them to recognise early symptoms. However, the focus on personal tragedy may encourage women to be receptive to HPV vaccination or screening if her story acts as a reminder that cervical cancer can be a devastating and fatal disease in the longer term. PMID:20576115

[Identification of B jade by Raman spectroscopy].

PubMed

Zu, En-dong; Chen, Da-peng; Zhang, Peng-xiang

2003-02-01

Raman spectroscopy has been found to be a useful tool for identification of bleached and polymer-impregnated jadeites (so-called B jade). The major advantage of this system over classical methods of gem testing is the non-destructive identification of inclusions in gemstones and the determination of organic fracture filling in jade. Fissures in jadeites have been filled with oils and various resins to enhance their clarity, such as paraffin wax, paraffin oil, AB glue and epoxy resins. They show different peaks depending on their chemical composition. The characteristic spectrum ranges from 1,200-1,700 cm-1 to 2,800-3,100 cm-1. The spectra of resins show that they all have four strongest peaks related with phenyl: two C-C stretching modes at 1,116 and 1,609 cm-1, respectively, one C-H stretching mode at 3,069 cm-1, and a in-plane C-H bending mode at 1,189 cm-1. In addition, other two -CH2, -CH3 stretching modes at 2,906 and 2,869 cm-1, respectively, are very similar to paraffin. Therefore, the peaks at 1,116, 1,609, 1,189 and 3,069 cm-1 are important in distinguishing resin from paraffin, and we can identify B jade depending on them.

Further Automate Planned Cluster Maintenance to Minimize System Downtime during Maintenance Windows

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

Springmeyer, R.

This report documents the integration and testing of the automated update process of compute clusters in LC to minimize impact to user productivity. Description: A set of scripts will be written and deployed to further standardize cluster maintenance activities and minimize downtime during planned maintenance windows. Completion Criteria: When the scripts have been deployed and used during planned maintenance windows and a timing comparison is completed between the existing process and the new more automated process, this milestone is complete. This milestone was completed on Aug 23, 2016 on the new CTS1 cluster called Jade when a request to upgrademore » the version of TOSS 3 was initiated while SWL jobs and normal user jobs were running. Jobs that were running when the update to the system began continued to run to completion. New jobs on the cluster started on the new release of TOSS 3. No system administrator action was required. Current update procedures in TOSS 2 begin by killing all users jobs. Then all diskfull nodes are updated, which can take a few hours. Only after the updates are applied are all nodes are rebooted, and then finally put back into service. A system administrator is required for all steps. In terms of human time spent during a cluster OS update, the TOSS 3 automated procedure on Jade took 0 FTE hours. Doing the same update without the Toss Update Tool would have required 4 FTE hours.« less

Latitudinal distribution of the Jovian plasma sheet ions observed by Juno JADE-I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, T. K. H.; Valek, P. W.; McComas, D. J.; Allegrini, F.; Bagenal, F.; Bolton, S. J.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Ebert, R. W.; Levin, S.; Louarn, P.; Pollock, C. J.; Ranquist, D. A.; Szalay, J.; Thomsen, M. F.; Wilson, R. J.

2017-12-01

The Jovian plasma sheet is a region where the centrifugal force dominates the heavy ion plasma. Properties of the plasma sheet ions near the equatorial plane have been studied with in-situ measurements from the Pioneer, Voyager, and Galileo spacecraft. However, the ion properties for the off-equator regions are not well known due to the limited measurements. Juno is the first polar orbiting spacecraft that can investigate the high latitude region of the Jovian magnetosphere. With Juno's unique trajectory, we will investigate the latitudinal distribution of the Jovian plasma sheet ions using measurements from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment Ion sensor (JADE-I). JADE-I measures an ion's energy-per-charge (E/Q) from 0.01 keV/q to 46.2 keV/q with an electrostatic analyzer (ESA) and a mass-per-charge (M/Q) up to 64 amu/q with a carbon-foil-based time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. We have shown that the ambiguity between and (both have M/Q of 16) can be resolved in JADE-I using a semi-empirical simulation tool based on carbon foil effects (i.e., charge state modification, angular scattering, and energy loss) from incident ions passing through the TOF mass spectrometer. Based on the simulation results, we have developed an Ion Composition Analysis Tool (ICAT) that determines ion composition at each energy step of JADE-I (total of 64 steps). The velocity distribution for each ion species can be obtained from the ion composition as a function of each energy step. Since there is an ambipolar electric field due to mobile electrons and equatorially confined heavy ions, we expect to see acceleration along the field line. This study will show the species separated velocity distribution at various latitudes to investigate how the plasma sheet ions evolve along the field line.

Fluoro-Jade and TUNEL staining as useful tools to identify ischemic brain damage following moderate extradural compression of sensorimotor cortex.

PubMed

Kundrotiene, Jurgita; Wägner, Anna; Liljequist, Sture

2004-01-01

Cerebral ischemia was produced by moderate compression for 30 min of a specific brain area in the sensorimotor cortex of Sprague-Dawley rats. On day 1, that is 24 h after the transient sensorimotor compression, ischemia-exposed animals displayed a marked focal neurological deficit documented as impaired beam walking performance. This functional disturbance was mainly due to contralateral fore- and hind-limb paresis. As assessed by daily beam walking tests it was shown that there was a spontaneous recovery of motor functions over a period of five to seven days after the ischemic event. Using histopathological analysis (Nissl staining) we have previously reported that the present experimental paradigm does not produce pannecrosis (tissue cavitation) despite the highly reproducible focal neurological deficit. We now show how staining with fluorescent markers for neuronal death, that is Fluoro-Jade and TUNEL, respectively, identifies regional patterns of selective neuronal death. These observations add further support to the working hypothesis that the brain damage caused by cortical compression-induced ischemia consists of scattered, degenerating neurons in specific brain regions. Postsurgical administration of the AMPA receptor specific antagonist, LY326325 (30 mg/kg; i.p., 70 min after compression), not only improved beam walking performance on day 1 to 3, respectively but also significantly reduced the number of Fluoro-Jade stained neurons on day 5. These results suggest that enhanced AMPA/glutamate receptor activity is at least partially responsible for the ischemia-produced brain damage detected by the fluorescent marker Fluoro-Jade.

Fetal ECG extraction using independent component analysis by Jade approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giraldo-Guzmán, Jader; Contreras-Ortiz, Sonia H.; Lasprilla, Gloria Isabel Bautista; Kotas, Marian

2017-11-01

Fetal ECG monitoring is a useful method to assess the fetus health and detect abnormal conditions. In this paper we propose an approach to extract fetal ECG from abdomen and chest signals using independent component analysis based on the joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices approach. The JADE approach avoids redundancy, what reduces matrix dimension and computational costs. Signals were filtered with a high pass filter to eliminate low frequency noise. Several levels of decomposition were tested until the fetal ECG was recognized in one of the separated sources output. The proposed method shows fast and good performance.

The Holocene palaeogeography and relative sea level for two tidal basins of the German North Sea coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bungenstock, Friederike; Wartenberg, Wolfram; Mauz, Barbara; Freund, Holger; Frechen, Manfred; Weerts, Henk J. T.; Berner, Heinrich

2014-05-01

The response of coasts to global sea-level rise is highly variable. Knowledge of driving coastal parameters alongside the regional sea-level history is therefore indispensable when the response to global sea-level rise is to be assessed. Here, we study the Holocene relative sea-level of the south coast of the North Sea which is controlled by a number of very local parameters, as well as by regional glacio-isostatic adjustments. It is therefore crucial to restrict the data acquisition and evaluation to small coastal sections, ideally to single tidal basins, to minimize the sources of uncertainties (Bungenstock & Weerts 2010, 2012). We present data from two tidal basins, Langeoog and Jade Bay. For Langeoog a database derived from 600 cores, 68 km of Boomer seismic data, 33 radiocarbon ages and 8 OSL dates is available. (Bungenstock & Schäfer 2009, Mauz & Bungenstock 2007). For the Jade bay, the database comprises sedimentary markers, pollen and macro remains derived from 68 cores. The sedentary chronology is based on 54 radiocarbon ages and pollen constraints (Wartenberg & Freund 2011, Wartenberg et al. 2013). For both tidal basins the sedimentological record was interpreted in terms of the local paleogeographical development since about 7000 cal BP and its influence on the local relative sea-level curve. While the trend of the relative sea level is similar for both tidal basins, it shows a different altitude. The timing of the main marine transgression within the Langeoog area takes place ~3000 cal. BP whereas the sedimentological record of the Jade Bay shows two prominent transgressions, one for ~5000 cal. BP and one for ~3000 cal. BP. The Langeoog palaeo-environment is continuously characterised by marine influence. Within the Jade Bay two different palaeo-environments could be identified, documenting that from the West to the centre the landscape development in the Jade Bay was drainage driven feeding the associated fen peat with minerogenic water but being autonomous from isochronic relative sea-level. This all shows the importance to understand the differences of local landscape and depositional developments for a reliable interpretation of sea-level data. References Bungenstock, F. & Schäfer, A. (2009): The Holocene relative sea-level curve for the tidal basin of the barrier island Langeoog, German Bight, Southern North Sea. - Global and Planetary Change 66: 34-51. Bungenstock, F. & Weerts, H.J.T. (2011): The high-resolution Holocene sea-level curve for Nothwest Germany: global signals, local effects or data-artefacts? - International Journal of Earth Sciences 99: 1687-1706. Bungenstock, F. & Weerts, H.J.T. (2012): Holocene relative sea-level curves for the German North Sea coast. International Journal of Earth Sciences. ? - International Journal of Earth Sciences 101:1083-1099. Mauz, B. & Bungenstock, F. (2007):. How to reconstruct trends of late Holocene relative sea level: A new approach using tidal flat clastic sediments and optical dating. Marine Geology 237: 225-237. Wartenberg, W. & Freund, H. (2011): Late Pleistocene and Holocene sedimentary record within the Jade Bay, Lower Saxony, Northwest Germany - New aspects for the palaeoecological record. - Quaternary International:1-11. Wartenberg, W., Vött, A., Freund, H. Hadler, H., Frechen, M., Willershäuser, T., Schnaidt, S., Fischer, P. & Obrocki, L. (2013): Evidence of isochronic transgressive surfaces within the Jade Bay tidal flfl at area, southern German North Sea coast - Holocene event horizons of regional interest. - Zeitschrift für Geomorphologi, Supplementary Issue. DOI: 10.1127/0372-8854/2013/S-00150

The JWST Extragalactic Mock Catalog: Modeling Galaxy Populations from the UV through the Near-IR over 13 Billion Years of Cosmic History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Christina C.; Curtis-Lake, Emma; Hainline, Kevin N.; Chevallard, Jacopo; Robertson, Brant E.; Charlot, Stephane; Endsley, Ryan; Stark, Daniel P.; Willmer, Christopher N. A.; Alberts, Stacey; Amorin, Ricardo; Arribas, Santiago; Baum, Stefi; Bunker, Andrew; Carniani, Stefano; Crandall, Sara; Egami, Eiichi; Eisenstein, Daniel J.; Ferruit, Pierre; Husemann, Bernd; Maseda, Michael V.; Maiolino, Roberto; Rawle, Timothy D.; Rieke, Marcia; Smit, Renske; Tacchella, Sandro; Willott, Chris J.

2018-06-01

We present an original phenomenological model to describe the evolution of galaxy number counts, morphologies, and spectral energy distributions across a wide range of redshifts (0.2< z< 15) and stellar masses [{log}(M/{M}ȯ )≥slant 6]. Our model follows observed mass and luminosity functions of both star-forming and quiescent galaxies, and reproduces the redshift evolution of colors, sizes, star formation, and chemical properties of the observed galaxy population. Unlike other existing approaches, our model includes a self-consistent treatment of stellar and photoionized gas emission and dust attenuation based on the BEAGLE tool. The mock galaxy catalogs generated with our new model can be used to simulate and optimize extragalactic surveys with future facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and to enable critical assessments of analysis procedures, interpretation tools, and measurement systematics for both photometric and spectroscopic data. As a first application of this work, we make predictions for the upcoming JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), a joint program of the JWST/NIRCam and NIRSpec Guaranteed Time Observations teams. We show that JADES will detect, with NIRCam imaging, 1000s of galaxies at z ≳ 6, and 10s at z ≳ 10 at {m}{AB}≲ 30 (5σ) within the 236 arcmin2 of the survey. The JADES data will enable accurate constraints on the evolution of the UV luminosity function at z > 8, and resolve the current debate about the rate of evolution of galaxies at z ≳ 8. Ready-to-use mock catalogs and software to generate new realizations are publicly available as the JAdes extraGalactic Ultradeep Artificial Realizations (JAGUAR) package.

Extraction and Production of Omega-3 from UniMAP Puyu (Jade Perch) and Mackarel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nur Izzati, I.; Zainab, H.; Nornadhiratulhusna, M.; Chee Hann, Y.; Khairunissa Syairah, A. S.; Amira Farzana, S.

2018-03-01

Extraction techniques to extract fish oil from various types of fish are numerous but not widely accepted because of the use of chemicals that may be harmful to health. In this study, fish oil is extracted using a technique of Microwave-Assisted Extraction, which uses only water. The optimum conditions required for the production of fish oil for extraction is carried out by examining three parameters such as microwave power (300-700W), extraction time (10-30 min) and amount of water used (70-190ml). Optimum conditions were determined after using design of experiments (DOE). The optimum condition obtained was 300 W for microwave power, 10 minutes extraction time and 190 milliliter amounts of water used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the functional groups of fish oil. Two types of fish such as Jade Perch or UniMAP Puyu and Indian Mackerel were used. A standard omega-3 oil sample (Blackmores) purchased from pharmacy was also determined to confirm the presence of omega-3 oil in these fishes. Similar compounds were present in Jade Perch and Indian Mackerel as compared to the standard. Therefore, there were presence of omega-3 fish oil in the two types of fish. From this study, omega-3 in UniMAP Puyu fish was higher compared to Indian Mackerel fish. However, based on the FTIR analysis, besides the presence of omega-3, the two fishes also contain other functional groups such as alkanes, alkenes, aldehyde, ketones and many others. The yield of fish oil for the Jade Perch was low compared to Indian Mackerel which was 9% while Indian Mackerel was 10 %.

Perceived access to fruits and vegetables associated with increased consumption.

PubMed

Caldwell, Erin M; Miller Kobayashi, M; DuBow, W M; Wytinck, S M

2009-10-01

To examine the association between fruit and vegetable access in the community and change in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants in community-based health promotion programmes. Fruit and vegetable consumption and perceived access to fresh fruit and vegetables were measured by self-administered questionnaires at programme start, end and 1-year follow-up. Community produce availability was determined by grocery store assessments measuring the display space devoted to fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as price, variety and freshness. A total of nine communities were studied; 130 participants completed the fruit and vegetable portions of the questionnaires and could be linked to grocery store assessments. Participants made modest but significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to end: the average increase was 2.88 (95% CI 1.52, 4.25) servings weekly; the average increase from start to follow-up was 2.52 (95% CI 1.09, 3.95) servings weekly. Greater perceived access to fruits and vegetables was significantly associated with higher increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to programme end. Greater availability of produce was associated with greater increases in fruit and vegetable servings from programme start to programme end as measured by store assessments. Environmental factors, such as access to fruits and vegetables, can modify the effects of community interventions. Interventions with the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption should consider focusing on increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in target communities. Similarly, researchers may want to study access as an intervention, not just a contextual variable.

Strengthening Families in Head Start: The Impact of a Parent Education Programme on the Emotional Well-Being of Latino Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duch, Helena; Rodriguez, Carmen

2011-01-01

This study explores the impact of a Head Start add-on programme, a matrix of services for parents which provides educational and vocational supports, on maternal depression and children's behaviour in Latino families. We hypothesise that after having completed training, parents who participated in the add-on programme would have lower levels of…

Starting Circuit For Erasable Programmable Logic Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, Steven W.

1990-01-01

Voltage regulator bypassed to supply starting current. Starting or "pullup" circuit supplies large inrush of current required by erasable programmable logic device (EPLD) while being turned on. Operates only during such intervals of high demand for current and has little effect any other time. Performs needed bypass, acting as current-dependent shunt connecting battery or other source of power more nearly directly to EPLD. Input capacitor of regulator removed when starting circuit installed, reducing probability of damage to transistor in event of short circuit in or across load.

Cultural Capital Theory: A Study of Children Enrolled in Rural and Urban Head Start Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bojczyk, Kathryn E.; Rogers-Haverback, Heather; Pae, Hye; Davis, Anna E.; Mason, Rihana S.

2015-01-01

Children from different backgrounds have disparate access to cultural capital, which may influence their academic success. The purpose of this study was to examine the links between family background, home literacy experiences, and emergent literacy skills among preschoolers enrolled in Head Start programmes. The background characteristics studied…

Evaluation of the Start Programme: Case-Study Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLeod, Shona; Sharp, Caroline; Weaving, Harriet; Smith, Robert; Wheater, Rebecca

2014-01-01

This report presents five case studies of long-term partnerships (over three years) between arts organisations and schools. The Start programme enables arts venues and schools to work together to offer disadvantaged young people opportunities to engage in creative activities that inspire them and enhance their experience of the arts. It is…

The World Starts With Me: using intervention mapping for the systematic adaptation and transfer of school-based sexuality education from Uganda to Indonesia.

PubMed

Leerlooijer, Joanne N; Ruiter, Robert A C; Reinders, Jo; Darwisyah, Wati; Kok, Gerjo; Bartholomew, L Kay

2011-06-01

Evidence-based health promotion programmes, including HIV/AIDS prevention and sexuality education programmes, are often transferred to other cultures, priority groups and implementation settings. Challenges in this process include the identification of retaining core elements that relate to the programme's effectiveness while making changes that enhances acceptance in the new context and for the new priority group. This paper describes the use of a systematic approach to programme adaptation using a case study as an example. Intervention Mapping, a protocol for the development of evidence-based behaviour change interventions, was used to adapt the comprehensive school-based sexuality education programme 'The World Starts With Me'. The programme was developed for a priority population in Uganda and adapted to a programme for Indonesian secondary school students. The approach helped to systematically address the complexity and challenges of programme adaptation and to find a balance between preservation of essential programme elements (i.e. logic models) that may be crucial to the programme's effectiveness, including key objectives and theoretical behaviour change methods, and the adaptation of the programme to be acceptable to the new priority group and the programme implementers.

Dragon 2 Programme Achievements and Cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desnos, Yves-Louis; Li, Zengyuan; Zmuda, Andy; Gao, Zhihai

2013-01-01

The cooperation between ESA and National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC) / Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) in the development of Earth Observation (EO) applications started 17 years ago. In 2004, a new phase in cooperation began with the start of the Dragon Programme which focused on science and application using ESA ERS and Envisat satellite data. The programme was completed in 2008. Following on, the cooperation took on greater momentum with the start of a four-year EO science and exploitation programme called “Dragon 2”. The programme formally closed in June at the 2012 Beijing Symposium. The programme brought together joint Sino-European teams to investigate land, ocean and atmospheric applications in P.R. China using EO data from ESA, Third Party Mission (TPM) and Chinese satellites. The teams were led by principal EO scientists. Young European and Chinese scientists were also engaged on the projects. Advanced training courses in land, ocean and atmospheric applications were held in each year of the programme in China. Altogether, two courses on land, one course on atmospheric applications and one course on oceanographic applications were held. Here-in provided is an overview of the achievements, cooperation, reporting and training activities at the completion of the programme. The Sino-European teams have delivered world-class scientific results across a wide range of disciplines. The programme provided a platform for the joint exploitation of ESA, TPM and Chinese EO data from optical, thermal and microwave sensors for geo-science application and development in China.

Amphibole ceramics: conceptual development and preliminary experiments

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

Lauf, R.J.

1985-08-01

Certain natural silicate minerals, commonly called jade, are well known for their resistance to brittle fracture. One type of jade, nephrite, is a compacted form of the amphibole mineral series tremolite-actinolite. Nephrite is tough because the naturally acicular crystal habit of these amphibole minerals produces an interwoven fibrous microstructure that impedes crack propagation. Object of this work was to duplicate the fibrous microstructure of nephrite by pulverizing natural tremolite or actinolite and then compacting it by hot pressing to form a dense body. Two other materials were also investigated, namely, clinochrysotile (serpentine asbestos) and synthetic fluor-tremolite. For each material, themore » milling characteristics and densification were studied. The resulting microstructures were characterized, and fracture toughness was measured for a limited number of samples. The most ''fibrous'' microstructure was obtained by hot pressing clinochrysotile 15 min a 1000/sup 0/C. Actinolite, hot pressed 15 min at 1100/sup 0/C, had a critical fracture toughness K/sub IC/ = 4.5 MPa m/sup 1/2/, which compares favorably with the toughness of nephrite jade (K/sub IC/ = 3.6). Decomposition of tremolite and actinolite to more stable phases occurred to some degree during hot pressing. Results suggest that hot isostatic pressing at high water vapor pressure should yield a dense product without causing amphibole decomposition. 28 figs., 7 tabs.« less

Assessing the impact of a targeted plyometric training on changes in selected kinematic parameters of the swimming start.

PubMed

Rejman, Marek; Bilewski, Marek; Szczepan, Stefan; Klarowicz, Andrzej; Rudnik, Daria; Maćkała, Krzysztof

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyse changes taking place within selected kinematic parameters of the swimming start, after completing a six-week plyometric training, assuming that the take-off power training improves its effectiveness. The experiment included nine male swimmers. In the pre-test the swimmers performed three starts focusing on the best performance. Next, a plyometric training programme, adapted from sprint running, was introduced in order to increase a power of the lower extremities. The programme entailed 75 minute sessions conducted twice a week. Afterwards, a post-test was performed, analogous to the pre-test. Spatio-temporal structure data of the swimming start were gathered from video recordings of the swimmer above and under water. Impulses triggered by the plyometric training contributed to a shorter start time (the main measure of start effectiveness) and glide time as well as increasing average take-off, flight and glide velocities including take-off, entry and glide instantaneous velocities. The glide angle decreased. The changes in selected parameters of the swimming start and its confirmed diagnostic values, showed the areas to be susceptible to plyometric training and suggested that applied plyometric training programme aimed at increasing take-off power enhances the effectiveness of the swimming start.

Implementation of the World Starts with Me, a Comprehensive Rights-Based Sex Education Programme in Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rijsdijk, Liesbeth E.; Bos, Arjan E. R.; Lie, Rico; Leerlooijer, Joanne N.; Eiling, Ellen; Atema, Vera; Gebhardt, Winifred A.; Ruiter, Robert A. C.

2014-01-01

This article presents a process evaluation of the implementation of the sex education programme the World Starts With Me (WSWM) for secondary school students in Uganda. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine factors associated with dose delivered (number of lessons implemented) and fidelity of implementation (implementation…

15 CFR 922.133 - Permit procedures and criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... research designed to further understanding of Sanctuary resources and qualities; (2) Will further the... for applications proposing to collect loose pieces of jade for research or educational purposes. (e...

Progress and Achievements At the Mid Term Stage of the Dragon 2 Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desnos, Yves-Louis; Li, Zhengyuan; Zmuda, Andy; Gao, Zhihai

2010-10-01

The cooperation between ESA and National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC) / Ministry Of Science and Technology of China (MOST) in the development of Earth Observation (EO) applications started 15 years ago. In 2004, a new phase in cooperation began with the start of the Dragon Programme which focused on science and application using ESA satellite data. The programme was completed in 2008. Following on, the cooperation took on greater momentum with the start of a four-year EO science and exploitation programme called 'Dragon 2'. This programme brings together joint Sino-European teams to investigate land, ocean and atmospheric applications in P.R. China using data from ESA, Third Party Mission and Chinese Earth Observation satellites. The teams are led by leading EO scientists and young scientists are also engaged on the projects. Advanced training in land, ocean and atmospheric applications is a feature of the programme and after 2 years, two courses on land and one course on atmospheric applications have been successfully held in 2008, 2009 and 2010 in China. Here-in provided is an overview of the results, reporting and training activities at the mid term stage of the programme. The Sino-European teams continue to deliver world-class scientific results across a wide range of disciplines. The programme provides a platform for the joint exploitation of ESA, TPM and Chinese EO data from optical, infrared, thermal and microwave sensors for science and application development.

Variation in community intervention programmes and consequences for children and families: the example of Sure Start Local Programmes.

PubMed

Melhuish, Edward; Belsky, Jay; Anning, Angela; Ball, Mog; Barnes, Jacqueline; Romaniuk, Helena; Leyland, Alastair

2007-06-01

An area-based initiative, Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs), was established by the UK government to reduce social exclusion through improving the well-being of children aged 0-3 years and their families in disadvantaged communities; a true community intervention in that all children under four and their families in specified areas served as targets of universal services. A national evaluation examined the links between variation in programme implementation and effectiveness. Data gathered from multiple sources produced measures of implementation in terms of proficiency, services and staffing. Measures of programme impact on child/parenting outcomes derived from multilevel models, controlling for child, family and area characteristics, were identified to demonstrate programme effectiveness. Some modest linkage between programme implementation (e.g., proficiency, empowerment of parents and staff, identification of users) and effectiveness for child and parenting outcomes. Overall proficiency and specific aspects of implementation may influence effectiveness, which should guide the design of other child, family and community services.

Neuroprotective effect of oxaloacetate in a focal brain ischemic model in the rat.

PubMed

Knapp, L; Gellért, L; Kocsis, K; Kis, Z; Farkas, T; Vécsei, L; Toldi, J

2015-01-01

During an ischemic event, the well-regulated glutamate (Glu) homeostasis is disturbed, which gives rise to extremely high levels of this excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain tissues. It was earlier reported that the administration of oxaloacetate (OxAc) as a Glu scavenger reduces the Glu level in the brain by enhancing the brain-to-blood Glu efflux. Here, we studied the neuroprotective effect of OxAc administration in a new focal ischemic model in rats. Occlusion of the middle cerebral artery resulted in immediate reduction of the somatosensory-evoked responses (SERs), and the amplitudes remained at the reduced level throughout the whole ischemic period. On reperfusion, the SERs started to increase, but never reached the control level. OxAc proved to be protective, since the amplitudes started to recover even during the ischemia, and finally fully regained the control level. The findings of the histological measurements were in accordance with the electrophysiological data. After Fluoro Jade C staining, significantly fewer labeled cells were detected in the OxAc-treated group relative to the control. These results provide new evidence of the neuroprotective effect of OxAc against ischemic injury, which strengthens the likelihood of its future applicability as a novel neuroprotective agent for the treatment of ischemic stroke patients.

Publications - SR 51 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

& Geophysical Surveys Comments: Your help is crucial in the compilation of future Alaska Minerals Resources; Fluorine; Geophysics; Germanium; Gold; Heap Leach; Iron; Jade; Lead; Lode; Mercury; Minerals

Ancient jades map 3,000 years of prehistoric exchange in Southeast Asia

PubMed Central

Hung, Hsiao-Chun; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Bellwood, Peter; Nguyen, Kim Dung; Bellina, Bérénice; Silapanth, Praon; Dizon, Eusebio; Santiago, Rey; Datan, Ipoi; Manton, Jonathan H.

2007-01-01

We have used electron probe microanalysis to examine Southeast Asian nephrite (jade) artifacts, many archeologically excavated, dating from 3000 B.C. through the first millennium A.D. The research has revealed the existence of one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world. Green nephrite from a source in eastern Taiwan was used to make two very specific forms of ear pendant that were distributed, between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D., through the Philippines, East Malaysia, southern Vietnam, and peninsular Thailand, forming a 3,000-km-diameter halo around the southern and eastern coastlines of the South China Sea. Other Taiwan nephrite artifacts, especially beads and bracelets, were distributed earlier during Neolithic times throughout Taiwan and from Taiwan into the Philippines. PMID:18048347

Studies of the 4-JET Rate and of Moments of Event Shape Observables Using Jade Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluth, S.

2005-04-01

Data from e+e- annihilation into hadrons collected by the JADE experiment at centre-of-mass energies between 14 and 44 GeV were used to study the 4-jet rate using the Durham algorithm as well as the first five moments of event shape observables. The data were compared with NLO QCD predictions, augmented by resummed NLLA calculations for the 4-jet rate, in order to extract values of the strong coupling constant αS. The preliminary results are αS(MZ0) = 0.1169 ± 0.0026 (4-jet rate) and αS(MZ0) = 0.1286 ± 0.0072 (moments) consistent with the world average value. For some of the higher moments systematic deficiencies of the QCD predictions are observed.

Ancient jades map 3,000 years of prehistoric exchange in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Hung, Hsiao-Chun; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Bellwood, Peter; Nguyen, Kim Dung; Bellina, Bérénice; Silapanth, Praon; Dizon, Eusebio; Santiago, Rey; Datan, Ipoi; Manton, Jonathan H

2007-12-11

We have used electron probe microanalysis to examine Southeast Asian nephrite (jade) artifacts, many archeologically excavated, dating from 3000 B.C. through the first millennium A.D. The research has revealed the existence of one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world. Green nephrite from a source in eastern Taiwan was used to make two very specific forms of ear pendant that were distributed, between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D., through the Philippines, East Malaysia, southern Vietnam, and peninsular Thailand, forming a 3,000-km-diameter halo around the southern and eastern coastlines of the South China Sea. Other Taiwan nephrite artifacts, especially beads and bracelets, were distributed earlier during Neolithic times throughout Taiwan and from Taiwan into the Philippines.

Forced swimming stress does not affect monoamine levels and neurodegeneration in rats.

PubMed

Abbas, Ghulam; Naqvi, Sabira; Mehmood, Shahab; Kabir, Nurul; Dar, Ahsana

2011-10-01

The current study was aimed to investigate the correlations between immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST, a behavioral indicator of stress level) and hippocampal monoamine levels (markers of depression), plasma adrenalin level (a peripheral marker of stress) as well as fluoro-jade C staining (a marker of neurodegeneration). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to acute, sub-chronic (7 d) or chronic (14 d) FSTs and immobility time was recorded. Levels of noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine in the hippocampus, and adrenalin level in the plasma were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Brain sections from rats after chronic forced swimming or rotenone treatment (3 mg/kg subcutaneously for 4 d) were stained with fluoro-jade C. The rats subjected to swimming stress (acute, sub-chronic and chronic) showed long immobility times [(214 +/- 5), (220 +/- 4) and (231 +/- 7) s, respectively], indicating that the animals were under stress. However, the rats did not exhibit significant declines in hippocampal monoamine levels, and the plasma adrenalin level was not significantly increased compared to that in unstressed rats. The rats that underwent chronic swimming stress did not manifest fluoro-jade C staining in brain sections, while degenerating neurons were evident after rotenone treatment. The immobility time in the FST does not correlate with markers of depression (monoamine levels) and internal stress (adrenalin levels and neurodegeneration), hence this parameter may not be a true indicator of stress level.

The Impact of a Postgraduate Learning Experience on the Confidence of General Dental Practitioners.

PubMed

Fine, Peter; Louca, Chris; Leung, Albert

2017-04-26

This study aimed to explore the relationship between participating in a learning experience and the ensuing changes in confidence. A self-selected group of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) entered a five-year, part-time postgraduate master's training programme in restorative dentistry. Confidence in communication with patients and technical skills were measured at the start of the programme by questionnaire and at the conclusion of the programme by questionnaire and personal interview. A total of 72 clinicians started the programme; 27% ( n = 20) completed the master's degree. Assessment of confidence revealed a spread from 4/10 to 10/10 for communication with patients and clinical skills in restorative dentistry before the programme started. A total of 15% ( n = 11) volunteered for interview. Analysis of qualitative data revealed (i) a perceived increase in confidence from all clinicians; (ii) a perceived greater ability to treat patients; (iii) an increase in treatment options being offered to patients; (iv) a perceived increase in treatment uptake by patients; and (v) greater job opportunities. The study showed a positive relationship between the learning experience and the perceived increase in confidence of clinicians. The increase in confidence manifested itself in better communication and clinical skills.

The Impact of a Postgraduate Learning Experience on the Confidence of General Dental Practitioners

PubMed Central

Fine, Peter; Louca, Chris; Leung, Albert

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the relationship between participating in a learning experience and the ensuing changes in confidence. A self-selected group of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) entered a five-year, part-time postgraduate master’s training programme in restorative dentistry. Confidence in communication with patients and technical skills were measured at the start of the programme by questionnaire and at the conclusion of the programme by questionnaire and personal interview. A total of 72 clinicians started the programme; 27% (n = 20) completed the master’s degree. Assessment of confidence revealed a spread from 4/10 to 10/10 for communication with patients and clinical skills in restorative dentistry before the programme started. A total of 15% (n = 11) volunteered for interview. Analysis of qualitative data revealed (i) a perceived increase in confidence from all clinicians; (ii) a perceived greater ability to treat patients; (iii) an increase in treatment options being offered to patients; (iv) a perceived increase in treatment uptake by patients; and (v) greater job opportunities. The study showed a positive relationship between the learning experience and the perceived increase in confidence of clinicians. The increase in confidence manifested itself in better communication and clinical skills. PMID:29563422

Revealing the Effects of Cognitive Education Programmes through Dynamic Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tzuriel, David

2011-01-01

The major objective of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of dynamic assessment (DA) in revealing outcomes of cognitive education programmes. Three programmes based on "mediated learning experience" theory are reviewed: "Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment", "Bright Start", and "Peer Mediation with…

Evaluating the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-Up Programme, 1994?1999: Reflections and Policy Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutsoukos, Stratis; Shutt, John; Sutherland, John

2005-01-01

The authors were the principals in the evaluation of the Prince's Trust's Young People's Business Start-up Programme, 1994?1999, as it operated nationally in the UK and in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. In this paper they report the methodologies used in the evaluation and the key findings. They then use their reflections on both…

An Exploration of Student Teachers' Perspectives at the Start of a Post-Graduate Master's Programme on Inclusive and Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamenopoulou, Leda; Buli-Holmberg, Jorun; Siska, Jan

2016-01-01

In this article we explore the perspectives of a group of teaching professionals starting a post-graduate master's programme on inclusive and special education. Set in the current context of growing interest over the preparation of teachers for inclusive education worldwide, this exploration is part of research that looks more broadly at the…

A realist review to explore how low-income pregnant women use food vouchers from the UK's Healthy Start programme.

PubMed

Ohly, Heather; Crossland, Nicola; Dykes, Fiona; Lowe, Nicola; Hall-Moran, Victoria

2017-04-21

To explore how low-income pregnant women use Healthy Start food vouchers, the potential impacts of the programme, and which women might experience these impacts and why. A realist review. Primary or empirical studies (of any design) were included if they contributed relevant evidence or insights about how low-income women use food vouchers from the Healthy Start (UK) or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programmes. The assessment of 'relevance' was deliberately broad to ensure that reviewers remained open to new ideas from a variety of sources of evidence. A combination of evidence synthesis and realist analysis techniques was used to modify, refine and substantiate programme theories, which were constructed as explanatory 'context-mechanism-outcome'-configurations. 38 primary studies were included in this review: four studies on Healthy Start and 34 studies on WIC. Two main outcome strands were identified: dietary improvements (intended) and financial assistance (unintended). Three evidence-informed programme theories were proposed to explain how aspects of context (and mechanisms) may generate these outcomes: the 'relative value' of healthy eating (prioritisation of resources); retailer discretion (pressure to 'bend the rules'); the influence of other family members (disempowerment). This realist review suggests that some low-income pregnant women may use Healthy Start vouchers to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables and plain cow's milk, whereas others may use them to reduce food expenditure and save money for other things. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Can food vouchers improve nutrition and reduce health inequalities in low-income mothers and young children: a multi-method evaluation of the experiences of beneficiaries and practitioners of the Healthy Start programme in England.

PubMed

McFadden, Alison; Green, Josephine M; Williams, Victoria; McLeish, Jenny; McCormick, Felicia; Fox-Rushby, Julia; Renfrew, Mary J

2014-02-11

Good nutrition is important during pregnancy, breastfeeding and early life to optimise the health of women and children. It is difficult for low-income families to prioritise spending on healthy food. Healthy Start is a targeted United Kingdom (UK) food subsidy programme that gives vouchers for fruit, vegetables, milk, and vitamins to low-income families. This paper reports an evaluation of Healthy Start from the perspectives of women and health practitioners. The multi-method study conducted in England in 2011/2012 included focus group discussions with 49 health practitioners, an online consultation with 620 health and social care practitioners, service managers, commissioners, and user and advocacy groups, and qualitative participatory workshops with 85 low-income women. Additional focus group discussions and telephone interviews included the views of 25 women who did not speak English and three women from Traveller communities. Women reported that Healthy Start vouchers increased the quantity and range of fruit and vegetables they used and improved the quality of family diets, and established good habits for the future. Barriers to registration included complex eligibility criteria, inappropriate targeting of information about the programme by health practitioners and a general low level of awareness among families. Access to the programme was particularly challenging for women who did not speak English, had low literacy levels, were in low paid work or had fluctuating incomes. The potential impact was undermined by the rising price of food relative to voucher value. Access to registered retailers was problematic in rural areas, and there was low registration among smaller shops and market stalls, especially those serving culturally diverse communities. Our evaluation of the Healthy Start programme in England suggests that a food subsidy programme can provide an important nutritional safety net and potentially improve nutrition for pregnant women and young children living on low incomes. Factors that could compromise this impact include erosion of voucher value relative to the rising cost of food, lack of access to registered retailers and barriers to registering for the programme. Addressing these issues could inform the design and implementation of food subsidy programmes in high income countries.

Can food vouchers improve nutrition and reduce health inequalities in low-income mothers and young children: a multi-method evaluation of the experiences of beneficiaries and practitioners of the Healthy Start programme in England

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Good nutrition is important during pregnancy, breastfeeding and early life to optimise the health of women and children. It is difficult for low-income families to prioritise spending on healthy food. Healthy Start is a targeted United Kingdom (UK) food subsidy programme that gives vouchers for fruit, vegetables, milk, and vitamins to low-income families. This paper reports an evaluation of Healthy Start from the perspectives of women and health practitioners. Methods The multi-method study conducted in England in 2011/2012 included focus group discussions with 49 health practitioners, an online consultation with 620 health and social care practitioners, service managers, commissioners, and user and advocacy groups, and qualitative participatory workshops with 85 low-income women. Additional focus group discussions and telephone interviews included the views of 25 women who did not speak English and three women from Traveller communities. Results Women reported that Healthy Start vouchers increased the quantity and range of fruit and vegetables they used and improved the quality of family diets, and established good habits for the future. Barriers to registration included complex eligibility criteria, inappropriate targeting of information about the programme by health practitioners and a general low level of awareness among families. Access to the programme was particularly challenging for women who did not speak English, had low literacy levels, were in low paid work or had fluctuating incomes. The potential impact was undermined by the rising price of food relative to voucher value. Access to registered retailers was problematic in rural areas, and there was low registration among smaller shops and market stalls, especially those serving culturally diverse communities. Conclusions Our evaluation of the Healthy Start programme in England suggests that a food subsidy programme can provide an important nutritional safety net and potentially improve nutrition for pregnant women and young children living on low incomes. Factors that could compromise this impact include erosion of voucher value relative to the rising cost of food, lack of access to registered retailers and barriers to registering for the programme. Addressing these issues could inform the design and implementation of food subsidy programmes in high income countries. PMID:24517737

EBCOG Hospital Recognition: where do we stand?

PubMed Central

Wladimiroff, J.; Hornnes, P.

2010-01-01

Hospital Recognition for general Ob/Gyn training programmes was started by EBCOG (European Board & College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology) in 1996 and for subspecialty Ob/Gyn training programmes in 2005, the latter jointly with the four European scientific organisations representing the subspecialties. So far, 85 Audits/Visits have been conducted by EBCOG for general Ob/Gyn training and a good start has been made for subspecialty training, in particular Gynaecological Oncology. EBCOG Visits are conducted by two EBCOG representatives and one trainee appointed by ENTOG (European Network for Trainees in Obstetrics & Gynaecology) for general Ob/Gyn training programmes and by two subspecialty specialists and an EBCOG representative for subspecialty programmes. Each Visit lasts one day. Accredition is granted by the EBCOG Executive Board depending on the Visiting report. Ultimately, EBCOG would like to see the introduction of an auditing and accreditation system for general and subspecialty Ob/Gyn training programmes in each country in Europe PMID:25206968

A structured blood conservation programme reduces transfusions and costs in cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Ternström, Lisa; Hyllner, Monica; Backlund, Erika; Schersten, Henrik; Jeppsson, Anders

2014-11-01

Transfusions of blood products can be lifesaving, but they are also associated with considerable risks and adverse effects, including immune response and infections. In cardiac surgery, transfusions have also been associated with increased mortality. We prospectively studied the effects of a structured programme to reduce transfusions and transfusion-associated costs in cardiac surgery. The programme included: (i) education of all staff about the risks and benefits of blood transfusions; (ii) revised guidelines for transfusions; and (iii) a transfusion log where indication for transfusion, status of the patient and prescribing physician were registered. Transfusion prevalence, complications and costs for blood products were registered for all acute and elective cardiac operations during a 12-month period before (n = 1128) and after (n = 1034) the programme was started. The two time periods were compared. In addition, the prevalence of transfusions was registered for 2 more years after the programme was initiated. The first year after the programme was initiated the proportion of patients transfused with red blood cell concentrate decreased by 21.8% (from 58.2 to 45.5%, P <0.001), plasma by 37.4% (from 30.8 to 19.3%, P <0.001) and platelets by 21.0% (from 20.5 to 16.2%, P = 0.010). Reoperations for bleeding (5.8 vs 5.0%), early complication rate and 30-day mortality (2.5 vs 2.6%) were not significantly different before and after the start date. Based on the 2009 institutional prices for red blood cell concentrate (102 €/unit), plasma (35 €/unit) and platelets (290 €/unit), the savings on blood products were €161,623 during the first 12 months after the programme was launched. The proportion of patients transfused with any blood product was 60.9% before the programme was started and 48.3, 54.0 and 50.7% 1-3 years after its start (all P <0.001), respectively. A structured blood conservation programme reduces transfusions and costs for blood products in cardiac surgery, without any signs of compromised medical safety. The effects of introducing such a programme are maintained over at least 3 years. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Mesoamerican jade

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

Bishop, R.L.; Sayre, E.V.; van Zelst, L.

1983-11-23

Jadeite occurring in the Motague River Valley of Guatemala has been characterized by neutron activation analysis and forms two district, phase-related groups. Comparison of the compositional profiles of Mayan jadeite artifacts reveals many specimens having profiles matching those of the Montagua source. Of particular interest are the large number of jadeite artifacts which show internal similarity yet have compositional patterns which are significantly different from the Montagua samples and Montagua-related artifacts. A few of the analyzed Costa Rican artifacts show patterns similar to those of the Motagua yet the vast majority fall within one of the two Costa Rican compositionalmore » groups. When considering the non-Motagua related Mayan artifacts, the analytical approach appears to be sufficiently sensitive so as to distinguish differences between the Chrome-green and Chichen-green material. Even two Honduran site specific groups of albite - cultural jade - form distinct groups.« less

Fault-tolerant Control of a Cyber-physical System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roxana, Rusu-Both; Eva-Henrietta, Dulf

2017-10-01

Cyber-physical systems represent a new emerging field in automatic control. The fault system is a key component, because modern, large scale processes must meet high standards of performance, reliability and safety. Fault propagation in large scale chemical processes can lead to loss of production, energy, raw materials and even environmental hazard. The present paper develops a multi-agent fault-tolerant control architecture using robust fractional order controllers for a (13C) cryogenic separation column cascade. The JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment Framework) platform was used to implement the multi-agent fault tolerant control system while the operational model of the process was implemented in Matlab/SIMULINK environment. MACSimJX (Multiagent Control Using Simulink with Jade Extension) toolbox was used to link the control system and the process model. In order to verify the performance and to prove the feasibility of the proposed control architecture several fault simulation scenarios were performed.

Tidal cycles of total particulate mercury in the Jade Bay, lower Saxonian Wadden Sea, southern North Sea.

PubMed

Jin, Huafang; Liebezeit, Gerd

2013-01-01

In this study, we evaluate the nature of the relationship between particulate matter and total mercury concentrations. For this purpose, we estimate both of the two values in water column over 12-h tidal cycles of the Jade Bay, southern North Sea. Total particulate mercury in 250 mL water samples was determined by oxygen combustion-gold amalgamation. Mercury contents varied from 63 to 259 ng/g suspended particulate matter (SPM) or 3.5-52.8 ng/L in surface waters. Total particulate mercury content (THg(p)) was positively correlated with (SPM), indicating that mercury in tidal waters is mostly associated with (SPM), and that tidal variations of total particulate mercury are mainly due to changes in (SPM) content throughout the tidal cycle. Maximum values for THg(p) were observed during mid-flood and mid-ebb, while the lowest values were determined at low tide and high tide. These data suggest that there are no mercury point sources in the Jade Bay. Moreover, the THg(p) content at low tide and high tide were significantly lower than the values recorded in the bottom sediment of the sampling site (>200 ng/g DW), while THg(p) content during the mid-flood and mid-ebb were comparable to the THg content in the surface bottom sediments. Therefore, changes in THg(p) content in the water column due to tidal forcing may have resulted from re-suspension of underlying surface sediments with relatively high mercury content.

High Intracranial Pressure Induced Injury in the Healthy Rat Brain.

PubMed

Dai, Xingping; Bragina, Olga; Zhang, Tongsheng; Yang, Yirong; Rao, Gutti R; Bragin, Denis E; Statom, Gloria; Nemoto, Edwin M

2016-08-01

We recently showed that increased intracranial pressure to 50 mm Hg in the healthy rat brain results in microvascular shunt flow characterized by tissue hypoxia, edema, and increased blood-brain barrier permeability. We now determined whether increased intracranial pressure results in neuronal injury by Fluoro-Jade stain and whether changes in cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen suggest nonnutritive microvascular shunt flow. Intracranial pressure was elevated by a reservoir of artificial cerebrospinal fluid connected to the cisterna magna. Arterial blood gases, cerebral arterial-venous oxygen content difference, and cerebral blood flow by MRI were measured. Fluoro-Jade stain neurons were counted in histologic sections of the right and left dorsal and lateral cortices and hippocampus. University laboratory. Male Sprague Dawley rats. Arterial pressure support if needed by IV dopamine infusion and base deficit corrected by sodium bicarbonate. Fluoro-Jade stain neurons increased 2.5- and 5.5-fold at intracranial pressures of 30 and 50 mm Hg and cerebral perfusion pressures of 57 ± 4 (mean ± SEM) and 47 ± 6 mm Hg, respectively (p < 0.001) (highest in the right and left cortices). Voxel frequency histograms of cerebral blood flow showed a pattern consistent with microvascular shunt flow by dispersion to higher cerebral blood flow at high intracranial pressure and decreased cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen. High intracranial pressure likely caused neuronal injury because of a transition from normal capillary flow to nonnutritive microvascular shunt flow resulting in tissue hypoxia and edema, and it is manifest by a reduction in the cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen.

Starting Strong: Feasibility of an Indicated Prevention Programme during the Transition to Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenhower, Abbey; Baker, Bruce L.; Taylor, Heather

2016-01-01

School-based mental health services are a promising context for evidence-based interventions to promote early socio-emotional development, yet implementation presents significant challenges. This paper describes the rationale, content and format of a school-based intervention, Starting Strong in Kindergarten (Starting Strong). Starting Strong is a…

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2012-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2011 was $10.6 million, a 6-percent increase from 2010. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2013-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2012 was $11.1 million, a slight increase from 2011. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2011-01-01

The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2010 was $8.5 million, a slight increase from 2009. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials.

Under the Jade Vault Lei Feng Salutes Mark Twain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krysl, Marilyn

1984-01-01

The experiences of a teacher who lectured undergraduates in the People's Republic of China on the American short story and taught a refresher course for Chinese teachers of English at the Tianjin Foreign Language Institute are presented. (Author/MLW)

Dimethyl fumarate attenuates intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced spatial memory impairment and hippocampal neurodegeneration in rats.

PubMed

Majkutewicz, Irena; Kurowska, Ewelina; Podlacha, Magdalena; Myślińska, Dorota; Grembecka, Beata; Ruciński, Jan; Plucińska, Karolina; Jerzemowska, Grażyna; Wrona, Danuta

2016-07-15

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) is a widely-accepted animal model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). The present study evaluated the ability of dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, to prevent spatial memory impairments and hippocampal neurodegeneration mediated by ICV injection of STZ in 4-month-old rats. Rodent chow containing DMF (0.4%) or standard rodent chow was made available on day 0. Rat body weight and food intake were measured daily for whole the experiment (21days). STZ or vehicle (SHAM) ICV injections were performed on days 2 and 4. Spatial reference and working memory were evaluated using the Morris water maze on days 14-21. Cells containing Fluoro-Jade B (neurodegeneration marker), IL-6, IL-10 were quantified in the hippocampus and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the basal forebrain. The disruption of spatial memory and a high density of hippocampal CA1-3 cells labeled with Fluoro-Jade B or containing IL-6 or IL-10 were observed in the STZ group but not in the STZ+DMF group, as compared to the SHAM or SHAM+DMF groups. STZ vs. STZ+DMF differences were found: worse reference memory acquisition, fewer ChAT-positive neurons in the medial septum (Ch1), more Fluoro-Jade-positive CA1 hippocampal cells in STZ rats. DMF therapy in a rodent model of sAD prevented the disruption of spatial reference and working memory, loss of Ch1 cholinergic cells and hippocampal neurodegeneration as well as the induction of IL-6 and IL-10 in CA1. These beneficial cognitive and molecular effects validate the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties of DMF in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thallium dynamics in the southern North Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böning, Philipp; Schnetger, Bernhard; Beck, Melanie; Brumsack, Hans-Jürgen

2018-04-01

In open ocean waters thallium (Tl) belongs to the group of conservative elements, even though deviations from this trend have been observed in NW German coastal waters. Here, we report on tidal, seasonal and spatial dynamics of Tl along with Mo and Mn in the water column of a backbarrier tidal flat close to the island of Spiekeroog, the Jade system (Inner Jade and Jade Bay) and the adjacent offshore region. Dissolved thallium (Tldiss) displays strong tidal and seasonal variations (∼25-60 pM) unrelated to salinity. In all study areas, Tldiss clearly deviates from conservative behavior. In general, Tldiss is low during low tide (with a loss of up to 50%) and inversely related to Mndiss, except in summer. The tidal Tl variations as well as the loss of Tl in the water column may be due to Tl removal from pore waters in reducing sediments and drainage of Tl-free but Mn-rich pore waters into the water column during low tide. The negative Tl anomaly can be traced offshore for more than 40 km to the island of Helgoland. The redox chemistry of Tl is not well studied, and Tl removal from pore waters was previously suggested to only occur under anoxic/sulfidic conditions. By contrast, our preliminary pore water results suggest that Tl could be removed already under slightly reducing (suboxic) conditions, likely along with microbially induced Mn reduction in the sediments. Therefore, this study supports the biological involvement in the aqueous cycling of Tl. We propose the use of Tldiss next to Mndiss as valuable indicator of suboxic or anoxic pore water discharge to the coastal realm.

jade: An End-To-End Data Transfer and Catalog Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, P.

2017-10-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometer neutrino telescope located at the Geographic South Pole. IceCube collects 1 TB of data every day. An online filtering farm processes this data in real time and selects 10% to be sent via satellite to the main data center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. IceCube has two year-round on-site operators. New operators are hired every year, due to the hard conditions of wintering at the South Pole. These operators are tasked with the daily operations of running a complex detector in serious isolation conditions. One of the systems they operate is the data archiving and transfer system. Due to these challenging operational conditions, the data archive and transfer system must above all be simple and robust. It must also share the limited resource of satellite bandwidth, and collect and preserve useful metadata. The original data archive and transfer software for IceCube was written in 2005. After running in production for several years, the decision was taken to fully rewrite it, in order to address a number of structural drawbacks. The new data archive and transfer software (JADE2) has been in production for several months providing improved performance and resiliency. One of the main goals for JADE2 is to provide a unified system that handles the IceCube data end-to-end: from collection at the South Pole, all the way to long-term archive and preservation in dedicated repositories at the North. In this contribution, we describe our experiences and lessons learned from developing and operating the data archive and transfer software for a particle physics experiment in extreme operational conditions like IceCube.

Gender, diabetes education, and psychosocial factors are associated with persistent poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program.

PubMed

Yin, Junmei; Yeung, Roseanne; Luk, Andrea; Tutino, Greg; Zhang, Yuying; Kong, Alice; Chung, Harriet; Wong, Rebecca; Ozaki, Risa; Ma, Ronald; Tsang, Chiu-Chi; Tong, Peter; So, Wingyee; Chan, Juliana

2016-01-01

Factors associated with persistent poor glycemic control were explored in patients with type 2 diabetes under the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program. Chinese adults enrolled in JADE with HbA1c ≥8% at initial comprehensive assessment (CA1) and repeat assessment were analyzed. The improved group was defined as those with a ≥1% absolute reduction in HbA1c, and the unimproved group was those with <1% reduction at the repeat CA (CA2). Of 4458 enrolled patients with HbA1c ≥8% at baseline, 1450 underwent repeat CA. After a median interval of 1.7 years (interquartile range[IQR] 1.1-2.2) between CA1 and CA2, the unimproved group (n = 677) had a mean 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.3%, 0.5%) increase in HbA1c compared with a mean 2.8% reduction (95% CI -2.9, -2.6%) in the improved group (n = 773). The unimproved group had a female preponderance with lower education level, and was more likely to be insulin treated. Patients in the improved group received more diabetes education between CAs with improved self-care behaviors, whereas the unimproved group had worsening of health-related quality of life at CA2. Apart from female gender, long disease duration, low educational level, obesity, retinopathy, history of hypoglycemia, and insulin use, lack of education from diabetes nurses between CAs had the strongest association for persistent poor glycemic control. These results highlight the multidimensional nature of glycemic control, and the importance of diabetes education and optimizing diabetes care by considering psychosocial factors. © 2015 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Improving quality of care for depression: the German Action Programme for the implementation of evidence-based guidelines.

PubMed

Härter, Martin; Bermejo, Isaac; Ollenschläger, Günter; Schneider, Frank; Gaebel, Wolfgang; Hegerl, Ulrich; Niebling, Wilhelm; Berger, Mathias

2006-04-01

Depressive disorders are of great medical and political significance. The potential inherent in achieving better guideline orientation and a better collaboration between different types of care is clear. Throughout the 1990s, educational initiatives were started for implementing guidelines. Evidence-based guidelines on depression have been formulated in many countries. This article presents an action programme for structural, educational, and research-related measures to implement evidence-based care of depressive disorders in the German health system. The starting points of the programme are the 'Guidelines Critical Appraisal Reports' of the 'Guideline Clearing House' and measures from the 'Competence Network on Depression and Suicidality' (CNDS) funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The article gives an overview of the steps achieved as recommended by the Guidelines Critical Appraisal Reports and the ongoing transfer process into the German health care system. The action programme shows that comprehensive interventions to develop and introduce evidence-based guidelines for depression can achieve benefits in the care of depression, e.g. in recognition, management, and clinical outcome. It was possible to implement the German Action Programme in selected care settings, and initial evaluation results suggest some improvements. The action programme provides preliminary work, materials, and results for developing a future 'Disease Management Programme' (DMP) for depression.

Publications - SR 56 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

Publications - SR 54 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

Publications - SR 55 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Minerals; Iron; Jade; Jurassic; Kanayut Conglomerate; Kayak Shale; Kuskokwim Group; Lead; Limestone; Lode ; Nickel; Nikolai Greenstone; Noatak Sandstone; Nome Group; Nuggets; Orca Group; Ordovician; Ores ; Paleozoic; Palladium; Pennsylvanian; Placer; Platinum; Platinum Group Elements; Plutonic; Plutonic Hosted

Solar Wind Properties During Juno's Approach to Jupiter: Data Analysis and Resulting Plasma Properties Utilizing a 1-D Forward Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, R. J.; Bagenal, Fran; Valek, Philip W.; McComas, D. J.; Allegrini, Frederic; Ebert, Robert W.; Kim, Thomas K.; Kurth, W. S.; Szalay, Jamey R.; Thomsen, Michelle F.

2018-04-01

The Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment ion sensor (JADE-I) on board the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Juno mission measured solar wind ions for ≈40 days prior to the spacecraft's arrival at Jupiter, simultaneous with numerous telescope observations of the Jovian aurora. JADE-I is a thermal plasma time-of-flight instrument designed to measure Jovian auroral and magnetospheric ions. This study provides a solar wind parameter data set for the approach phase that may be used in coordinated studies with remote measurements of the Jovian aurora, to compare with models that propagate solar wind conditions from Earth and to apply to Jovian bow shock or magnetopause models. While multiple bow shock crossings were predicted during Juno's approach, there was only one observed suggesting a compressed magnetosphere that was shrinking as Juno approached. However, the calculated ram pressure at the bow shock was near the median value of those 40 days, rather than being in an upper percentile.

The Role of Cultural Artefacts in Play as Tools to Mediate Learning in an Intercultural Preschool Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hennig, Kelly; Kirova, Anna

2012-01-01

Starting with the research question "What is the role of play as a means of genuine inclusion of home language and cultural traditions in an intercultural early learning programme?", the article focuses on the role of cultural artefacts in a programme in which the majority of the children were refugees from Africa. The sociocultural…

Quality of care in patients with diabetic kidney disease in Asia: The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Registry.

PubMed

Luk, A O; Li, X; Zhang, Y; Guo, X; Jia, W; Li, W; Weng, J; Yang, W; Chan, W B; Ozaki, R; Tsang, C C; Mukhopadhyay, M; Ojha, A K; Hong, E G; Yoon, K H; Sobrepena, L; Toledo, R M; Duran, M; Sheu, W; Q Do, T; Nguyen, T K; Ma, R C; Kong, A P; Chow, C C; Tong, P C; So, W Y; Chan, J C

2016-09-01

Diabetic kidney disease independently predicts cardiovascular disease and premature death. We examined the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD, defined as an estimated GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) ) and quality of care in a cross-sectional survey of adults (age ≥ 18 years) with Type 2 diabetes across Asia. The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation programme is a disease-management programme implemented using an electronic portal that systematically captures clinical characteristics of all patients enrolled. Between July 2007 and December 2012, data on 28 110 consecutively enrolled patients (China: 3415, Hong Kong: 15 196, India: 3714, Korea: 1651, Philippines: 3364, Vietnam: 692, Taiwan: 78) were analysed. In this survey, 15.9% of patients had CKD, 25.0% had microalbuminuria and 12.5% had macroalbuminuria. Patients with CKD were less likely to achieve HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) (36.0% vs. 42.3%) and blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg (20.8% vs. 35.3%), and were more likely to have retinopathy (26.2% vs. 8.7%), sensory neuropathy (29.0% vs. 7.7%), cardiovascular disease (26.6% vs. 8.7%) and self-reported hypoglycaemia (18.9% vs. 8.2%). Despite high frequencies of albuminuria (74.8%) and dyslipidaemia (93.0%) among CKD patients, only 49.0% were using renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and 53.6% were on statins. On logistic regression, old age, male gender, tobacco use, long disease duration, high HbA1c , blood pressure and BMI, and low LDL cholesterol were independently associated with CKD (all P < 0.05). The poor control of risk factors, suboptimal use of organ-protective drugs and high frequencies of hypoglycaemia highlight major treatment gaps in patients with diabetic kidney disease in Asia. © 2015 Diabetes UK.

Sustainability of recurrent expenditure on public social welfare programmes: expenditure analysis of the free maternal care programme of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme.

PubMed

Ankrah Odame, Emmanuel; Akweongo, Patricia; Yankah, Ben; Asenso-Boadi, Francis; Agyepong, Irene

2014-05-01

Sustainability of public social welfare programmes has long been of concern in development circles. An important aspect of sustainability is the ability to sustain the recurrent financial costs of programmes. A free maternal care programme (FMCP) was launched under the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2008 with a start-up grant from the British Government. This article examines claims expenditure under the programme and the implications for the financial sustainability of the programme, and the lessons for donor and public financing of social welfare programmes. Records of reimbursement claims for services and medicines by women benefitting from the policy in participating facilities in one sub-metropolis in Ghana were analysed to gain an understanding of the expenditure on this programme at facility level. National level financial inflow and outflow (expenditure) data of the NHIS, related to implementation of this policy for 2008 and 2009, were reviewed to put the facility-based data in the national perspective. A total of US$936 450.94 was spent in 2009 by the scheme on FMCP in the sub-metropolis. The NHIS expenditure on the programme for the entire country in 2009 was US$49.25 million, exceeding the British grant of US$10.00 million given for that year. Subsequently, the programme has been entirely financed by the National Health Insurance Fund. The rapidly increasing, recurrent demands on this fund from the maternal delivery exemption programme-without a commensurate growth on the amounts generated annually-is an increasing threat to the sustainability of the fund. Provision of donor start-up funding for programmes with high recurrent expenditures, under the expectation that government will take over and sustain the programme, must be accompanied by clear long-term analysis and planning as to how government will sustain the programme.

Can methadone maintenance for heroin-dependent patients retained in general practice reduce criminal conviction rates and time spent in prison?

PubMed Central

Keen, J; Rowse, G; Mathers, N; Campbell, M; Seivewright, N

2000-01-01

A retrospective analysis was made of the criminal records of 57 patients successfully retained in methadone maintenance at two general practices in Sheffield. Their criminal conviction rates and time spent in prison per year were compared for the periods before and after the start of their methadone programme. Overall, patients retained on methadone programmes in the general practices studied had significantly fewer convictions and cautions, and spent significantly less time in prison than they had before the start of treatment. PMID:10695069

Re-Engineering Motherhood? Sure Start in the Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hey, Valerie; Bradford, Simon

2006-01-01

This article draws on data collected through two focus groups and eight telephone interviews undertaken as part of an evaluation of a local Sure Start programme. Located in the context of New Labour's valorisation of parenting, and specifically mothering, the article explores the impact of Sure Start policy on discourses of motherhood in this…

Routes into Teaching: Does Variety Aid Recruitment or Merely Cause Confusion? A Study of Three Different Programmes for Teacher Training in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Gillian

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the recent rise in teacher recruitment problems in England and examines possible causes. These are varied, but a main cause appears to be the increased variety of programmes on offer, which, it appears, is confusing applicants. Three different programme's trainees were asked to complete questionnaires at the start of their…

The Early-Career Development of Science Teachers from Initial Training Onwards: The Advantages of a Multifaceted Five-Year Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Julian; Howarth, Sue; King, Chris; Perry, John; Tas, Maarten; Twidle, John; Warhurst, Adrian; Garrett, Caro

2014-01-01

If a programme were to be devised for the early-career development of science teachers, what might such a programme look like? This was the focus of a meeting of science educators interested in developing such a structure, from the start of initial teacher training onwards. The contributions, modified and written up here, include a suggested…

Programmable Logic Application Notes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katz, Richard

2000-01-01

This column will be provided each quarter as a source for reliability, radiation results, NASA capabilities, and other information on programmable logic devices and related applications. This quarter will start a series of notes concentrating on analysis techniques with this issues section discussing worst-case analysis requirements.

The fully integrated biomedical engineering programme at Eindhoven University of Technology.

PubMed

Slaaf, D W; van Genderen, M H P

2009-05-01

The development of a fully integrated biomedical engineering programme (life sciences included from the start) is described. Details are provided about background, implementation, and didactic concept: design centred learning combined with courses. The curriculum has developed into a bachelor-master's programme with two different master's degrees: Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and Master's Degree in Medical Engineering. Recently, the programme has adopted semester programming, has included a major and minor in the bachelor's degree phase, and a true bachelor's degree final project. Details about the programme and data about where graduates find jobs are provided in this paper.

Rotorcraft Airloads Measurements - Extraordinary Costs, Extraordinary Benefits

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

obtained in the 1980s by the PETRA collider in a high-energy physics lab near Hamburg, Germany. The project, called JADE, was an international...and R. M. Martin . 1990. Aerodynamic and Acoustic Test of a United Technologies Scale Model Rotor at DNW. Amer. Hel. Soc. 46th Annual Forum, Wash

Why Study Classical Languages?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberman, Samuel

This speech emphasizes the significance of living literatures and living cultures which owe a direct debt to the Romans and the Greeks from whom they can trace their origins. After commenting on typical rejoinders to the question "Why study classical languages?" and poking fun at those who advance jaded, esoteric responses, the author dispels the…

78 FR 78515 - Removal of JADE Act Tags

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-26

... pursuant to IEEPA: 1. GOLDEN AARON PTE. LTD. 2. MAX MYANMAR GROUP OF COMPANIES 3. DAGON INTERNATIONAL... AVENIR EXECUTIVE SERVICED APARTMENT 9. MAX (MYANMAR) CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD. 10. MAX MYANMAR GEMS AND JEWELLERY CO. LTD. 11. MAX MYANMAR MANUFACTURING CO. LTD. 12. MAX MYANMAR SERVICES CO. LTD. 13. MAX MYANMAR...

Bush Blitz Teachlive 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teaching Science, 2016

2016-01-01

This article reports on an event that took place in February 2016, where five teachers (Jade Tinney, Louise Hoey, Mary-Anne Kefaloukos, Nicole Sadler, and Bruce Mills) from across Australia headed off into the chilly wilderness of South Bruny National Park, on Bruny Island, Tasmania, to participate in the "Bush Blitz TeachLive 2016"…

77 FR 16552 - Agency Information Collection Activities: JADE Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-21

... submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for... additional 30 days for public comments. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10. DATES... and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the OMB Desk...

77 FR 1947 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Jade Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-12

... technology; and (e) the annual costs burden to respondents or record keepers from the collection of... CBP Form 7501, Entry Summary, which serves as the importer's certification. In addition, at the time... Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 20. Estimated Total Annual Responses: 443,940. Estimated Time...

Adult Education and Indigenous People: Addressing Gender in Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Nitya; Robinson-Pant, Anna

2006-01-01

Adult education programmes developed for or by indigenous communities rarely seem to have addressed gender inequalities. Yet, compared to mainstream adult educational interventions promoting instrumental approaches to "functional literacy", such programmes often appear highly politicised, starting from a standpoint of promoting…

The E-ELT program status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamai, Roberto; Cirasuolo, Michele; González, Juan Carlos; Koehler, Bertrand; Tuti, Mauro

2016-07-01

ESO is now fully engaged in building the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), a 40-m class optical nearinfrared telescope to be installed on top of Cerro Armazones, Chile and become operational around 2025. The Programme was formally approved by ESO Council back in 2012. However the required funding level for starting construction was actually reached in 2014, leading to a Green Light to start large construction contracts in December of that year. Since then, the programme has entered a very busy phase leading to the signature of the first major industrial contracts as well as the agreements with scientific institutes in ESO Member States to design and built the first suite of science instruments. This paper summarizes the current status of the E-ELT Programme and presents some aspects related to scientific objectives, managerial organization, programmatic aspects and system engineering approach. It also outlines the procurement strategies put in place to achieve the goal of the Programme: building the 'world's biggest eye on the sky' within the next decade.

Implementing an organised cervical screening programme in the Republic of Moldova-Stakeholder identification and engagement.

PubMed

Davies, Philip; Valuta, Diana; Cojohari, Natalia; Sancho-Garnier, Helene

2017-10-01

Successfully implementing cervical screening programmes requires them to be adapted to the local context and have broad stakeholder support. This can be achieved by actively engaging local stakeholders in planning as well as implementing the programmes. The Moldovan government started implementing an organised cervical screening programme in 2010 with the first step being stakeholder identification and engagement. This process started by contacting easily identified stakeholders with each asked to recommend others and the process continued until no new ones were identified. Stakeholders were then involved in a series of individual and group meetings over a 2-year period to build confidence and encourage progressively greater engagement. In total, 87 individuals from 46 organisations were identified. Over the 2-year process, the individual and group meetings facilitated a change in stakeholder attitudes from disinterest, to acceptance and finally to active cooperation in designing the screening programme and preparing an implementation plan that were both well adapted to the Moldovan context. Developing the broad support needed to implement cervical screening programmes required ongoing interaction with stakeholders over an extended period. This interaction allowed stakeholder concerns to be identified and addressed, progress to be demonstrated, and stakeholders to be educated about organised screening programmes so they had the knowledge to progressively take greater responsibility and ownership. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The quality of on-line communication in a national learning programme for newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

PubMed

Lauder, W; Roxburgh, M; Atkinson, John; Banks, Pauline; Kane, Helen

2011-05-01

Asynchronous communication has become the dominant mode of on-line instruction and has been incorporated into Flying Start NHS, an on-line programme for newly qualified NMAHPs in the transition phase from student to registered practitioner. On-line programmes have a number of objectives including the delivery of educational materials and the development of on-line communities. This study sought to provide a direct and objective understanding of the quality of the on-line community within Flying Start NHS and give an indication of areas of strength and weakness. The study used mixed methods including a Gricean analysis of on-line communication focusing on quantity, quality, relevance, and manner, and a thematic analysis of communication content. There was little evidence that students engaged in the type of interactive communication essential for creating on-line learning communities. The majority of postings related to progression through Flying Start. The small number of communications which did begin to engage with the learning materials were limited with little evidence of the development of critical debate. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that the period of transition continues to be stressful with Flying Start NHS being undertaken concurrently with local CPD being seen as duplication of effort. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The professional quality criteria of Italian breast screening radiologists: results from a national survey comparing the programmes started in 2000-2012 versus the ones started in 1990-1999.

PubMed

Morrone, Doralba; Giordano, Livia; Artuso, Franca; Bernardi, Daniela; Fedato, Chiara; Frigerio, Alfonso; Giorgi, Daniela; Naldoni, Carlo; Saguatti, Gianni; Severi, Daniela; Taffurelli, Mario; Terribile, Daniela; Ventura, Leonardo; Bucchi, Lauro

2017-01-01

In Italy, due to increasing healthcare budget and staff shortages, the recently created regional mammography screening programmes were established under worse radiology practice quality criteria than the previously created programmes. Using available data from a national questionnaire survey conducted at the end of 2013 and involving 222 responder radiologists, we compared the main professional quality standards of radiologists working in the screening programmes established during the period 2000-2012 with those working in the screening programmes created from 1990 to 1999. The former reported more years of clinical experience in breast imaging and a greater clinical mammogram reading volume than the latter. Conversely, they dedicated less working time to breast imaging, were less likely to participate in the diagnostic assessment of screen-detected lesions, to work in large-staffed screening centres, and to have a screening and a total mammogram reading volume (SMRV and TMRV) ≥ 5000 per year. The level of most professional quality criteria of Italian mammography screening radiologists has decreased over time. As SMRV and TMRV are important predictors of diagnostic accuracy, we can expect a lower interpretation performance of radiologists working in the recently created screening programmes.

Start-Up Entrepreneurs and University Students in a Co-Learning Mode: Learning Effects of a Collaborative Entrepreneurial Coaching Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saukkonen, Juha; Nukari, Jussi; Ballard, Sharon; Levie, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Start-up companies have been recognized as key drivers of wealth and job creation. Many students now in universities will therefore find their future employment in start-up companies, or will found them. Success in the start-up environment requires a specific set of skills. There is a growing supply of university education for new venture creation…

[Relevance of medical rehabilitation in disease management programmes].

PubMed

Lüngen, M; Lauterbach, K W

2003-10-01

Disease management programmes will increasingly be introduced in Germany due to the new risk adjustment scheme. The first disease management programmes started in 2003 for breast cancer and diabetes mellitus type II. German rehabilitation will have to face several challenges. Disease management programmes are strongly based on the notion of Evidence so that proof of the efficacy of a care giving task should be present. Verification of the evidence of the specifically German rehabilitation treatments must therefore be given. However, integration of rehabilitation in disease management programmes could lead to changes in the alignment of German rehabilitation. The essence of German rehabilitation, notably its holistic approach, could get lost with integration in disease management programmes.

Getting Started: An Integrated Curriculum Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashton, Colleen

1998-01-01

Describes the planning and integration of the Earthkeepers Programme into the curriculum at Orchard Park Secondary School, Ontario. Benefits included student development of community skills and relationships with the natural world, as well as leadership and responsibility through cross-age teaching of elementary students by high school seniors.…

Mortality and morbidity among HIV type-1-infected patients during the first 5 years of a multicountry HIV workplace programme in Africa.

PubMed

Van der Borght, Stefaan F; Clevenbergh, Philippe; Rijckborst, Henk; Nsalou, Paul; Onyia, Ngozi; Lange, Joep M; de Wit, Tobias F Rinke; Van der Loeff, Maarten F Schim

2009-01-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an HIV workplace programme in sub-Saharan Africa. The international brewing company, Heineken, introduced an HIV workplace programme in its African subsidiaries in 2001. Beneficiaries from 16 sites in 5 countries were eligible. HIV type-1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals were assessed clinically and immunologically, and started highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) if they had AIDS or had a CD4+ T-cell count <300 cells/microl. In this cohort, study patients were followed-up for vital status, new AIDS events, CD4+ T-cell count and haemoglobin. Over the first 5 years of the programme, 431 adults were found to be HIV-1-infected. The mortality rate among those not yet taking HAART was 2.6 per 100 person-years of observation (pyo). By October 2006, 249 patients had started HAART at a median CD4+ T-cell count of 170 cells/microl; 59 (23.7%) patients were in CDC stage C. Among patients on HAART, 25 died and 7 were lost to follow-up. The mortality rate was 3.7 per 100 pyo overall, 14 per 100 pyo in the first 16 weeks and 2.5 per 100 pyo thereafter (P < 0.0001). At 4 years after start of treatment, 89% of patients were known to be alive. The CD4+ T-cell count increased by a median of 153 and 238 cells/microl after 1 and 4 years of HAART, respectively. In this HIV workplace programme in sub-Saharan Africa, long-term high survival was achieved.

A measurement of multi-jet rates in deep-inelastic scattering at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abt, I.; Ahmed, T.; Andreev, V.; Andrieu, B.; Appuhn, R.-D.; Arpagaus, M.; Babaev, A.; Bärwolff, H.; Bán, J.; Baranov, P.; Barrelet, E.; Bartel, W.; Bassler, U.; Beck, H. P.; Behrend, H.-J.; Belousov, A.; Berger, Ch.; Bergstein, H.; Bernardi, G.; Bernet, R.; Bertrand-Coremans, G.; Besançon, M.; Biddulph, P.; Binder, E.; Bischoff, A.; Bizot, J. C.; Blobel, V.; Borras, K.; Bosetti, P. C.; Boudry, V.; Bourdarios, C.; Brasse, F.; Braun, U.; Braunschweig, W.; Brisson, V.; Bruncko, D.; Büngener, L.; Bürger, J.; Büsser, F. W.; Buniatian, A.; Burke, S.; Buschhorn, G.; Campbell, A. J.; Carli, T.; Charles, F.; Clarke, D.; Clegg, A. B.; Colombo, M.; Coughlan, J. A.; Courau, A.; Coutures, Ch.; Cozzika, G.; Criegee, L.; Cvach, J.; Dagoret, S.; Dainton, J. B.; Danilov, M.; Dann, A. W. E.; Dau, W. D.; David, M.; Deffur, E.; Delcourt, B.; Del Buono, L.; Devel, M.; de Roeck, A.; Dingus, P.; Dollfus, C.; Dowell, J. D.; Dreis, H. B.; Drescher, A.; Duboc, J.; Düllmann, D.; Dünger, O.; Duhm, H.; Ebbinghaus, R.; Eberle, M.; Ebert, J.; Ebert, T. R.; Eckerlin, G.; Efremenko, V.; Egli, S.; Eichenberger, S.; Eichler, R.; Eisele, F.; Eisenhandler, E.; Ellis, N. N.; Ellison, R. J.; Elsen, E.; Erdmann, M.; Evrard, E.; Favart, L.; Fedotov, A.; Feeken, D.; Felst, R.; Feltesse, J.; Fensome, I. F.; Ferencei, J.; Ferrarotto, F.; Flamm, K.; Flauger, W.; Fleischer, M.; Flieser, M.; Flügge, G.; Fomenko, A.; Fominykh, B.; Forbush, M.; Formánek, J.; Foster, J. M.; Franke, G.; Fretwurst, E.; Fuhrmann, P.; Gabathuler, E.; Gamerdinger, K.; Garvey, J.; Gayler, J.; Gellrich, A.; Gennis, M.; Genzel, H.; Gerhards, R.; Godfrey, L.; Goerlach, U.; Goerlich, L.; Gogitidze, N.; Goldberg, M.; Goodall, A. M.; Gorelov, I.; Goritchev, P.; Grab, C.; Grässler, H.; Grässler, R.; Greenshaw, T.; Greif, H.; Grindhammer, G.; Gruber, C.; Haack, J.; Haidt, D.; Hajduk, L.; Hamon, O.; Handschuh, D.; Hanlon, E. M.; Hapke, M.; Harjes, J.; Haydar, R.; Haynes, W. J.; Heatherington, J.; Hedberg, V.; Heinzelmann, G.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Henschel, H.; Herma, R.; Herynek, I.; Hildesheim, W.; Hill, P.; Hilton, C. D.; Hladký, J.; Hoeger, K. C.; Huet, Ph.; Hufnagel, H.; Huot, N.; Ibbotson, M.; Itterbeck, H.; Jabiol, M.-A.; Jacholkowska, A.; Jacobsson, C.; Jaffre, M.; Jansen, T.; Jönsson, L.; Johannsen, K.; Johnson, D. P.; Johnson, L.; Jung, H.; Kalmus, P. I. P.; Kasarian, S.; Kaschowitz, R.; Kasselmann, P.; Kathage, U.; Kaufmann, H. H.; Kenyon, I. R.; Kermiche, S.; Keuker, C.; Kiesling, C.; Klein, M.; Kleinwort, C.; Knies, G.; Ko, W.; Köhler, T.; Kolanoski, H.; Kole, F.; Kolya, S. D.; Korbel, V.; Korn, M.; Kostka, P.; Kotelnikov, S. K.; Krasny, M. W.; Krehbiel, H.; Krücker, D.; Krüger, U.; Kubenka, J. P.; Küster, H.; Kuhlen, M.; Kurča, T.; Kurzhöfer, J.; Kuznik, B.; Lacour, D.; Lamarche, F.; Lander, R.; Landon, M. P. J.; Lange, W.; Langkau, R.; Lanius, P.; Laporte, J. F.; Lebedev, A.; Leuschner, A.; Leverenz, C.; Levonian, S.; Lewin, D.; Ley, Ch.; Lindner, A.; Lindström, G.; Linsel, F.; Lipinski, J.; Loch, P.; Lohmander, H.; Lopez, G. C.; Lüers, D.; Magnussen, N.; Malinovski, E.; Mani, S.; Marage, P.; Marks, J.; Marshall, R.; Martens, J.; Martin, R.; Martyn, H.-U.; Martyniak, J.; Masson, S.; Mavroidis, A.; Maxfield, S. J.; McMahon, S. J.; Mehta, A.; Meier, K.; Mercer, D.; Merz, T.; Meyer, C. A.; Meyer, H.; Meyer, J.; Mikocki, S.; Milone, V.; Monnier, E.; Moreau, F.; Moreels, J.; Morris, J. V.; Müller, K.; Murín, P.; Murray, S. A.; Nagovizin, V.; Naroska, B.; Naumann, Th.; Newman, P. R.; Newton, D.; Neyret, D.; Nguyen, H. K.; Niebergall, F.; Niebuhr, C.; Nisius, R.; Nowak, G.; Noyes, G. W.; Nyberg, M.; Oberlack, H.; Obrock, U.; Olsson, J. E.; Orenstein, S.; Ould-Saada, F.; Pascaud, C.; Patel, G. D.; Peppel, E.; Peters, S.; Phillips, H. T.; Phillips, J. P.; Pichler, Ch.; Pilgram, W.; Pitzl, D.; Prell, S.; Prosi, R.; Rädel, G.; Raupach, F.; Rauschnabel, K.; Reimer, P.; Reinshagen, S.; Ribarics, P.; Riech, V.; Riedlberger, J.; Riess, S.; Rietz, M.; Robertson, S. M.; Robmann, P.; Roosen, R.; Rostovtsev, A.; Royon, C.; Rudowicz, M.; Ruffer, M.; Rusakov, S.; Rybicki, K.; Sahlmann, N.; Sanchez, E.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Savitsky, M.; Schacht, P.; Schleper, P.; von Schlippe, W.; Schmidt, C.; Schmidt, D.; Schmitz, W.; Schöning, A.; Schröder, V.; Schulz, M.; Schwab, B.; Schwind, A.; Scobel, W.; Seehausen, U.; Sell, R.; Semenov, A.; Shekelyan, V.; Sheviakov, I.; Shooshtari, H.; Shtarkov, L. N.; Siegmon, G.; Siewert, U.; Sirois, Y.; Skillicorn, I. O.; Smirnov, P.; Smith, J. R.; Smolik, L.; Soloviev, Y.; Spitzer, H.; Staroba, P.; Steenbock, M.; Steffen, P.; Steinberg, R.; Stella, B.; Stephens, K.; Stier, J.; Stösslein, U.; Strachota, J.; Straumann, U.; Struczinski, W.; Sutton, J. P.; Taylor, R. E.; Tchernyshov, V.; Thiebaux, C.; Thompson, G.; Tichomirov, I.; Truöl, P.; Turnau, J.; Tutas, J.; Urban, L.; Usik, A.; Valkar, S.; Valkarova, A.; Vallée, C.; van Esch, P.; Vartapetian, A.; Vazdik, Y.; Vecko, M.; Verrecchia, P.; Vick, R.; Villet, G.; Vogel, E.; Wacker, K.; Walker, I. W.; Walther, A.; Weber, G.; Wegener, D.; Wegner, A.; Wellisch, H. P.; West, L. R.; Willard, S.; Winde, M.; Winter, G.-G.; Wolff, Th.; Womersley, L. A.; Wright, A. E.; Wulff, N.; Yiou, T. P.; Žáček, J.; Závada, P.; Zeitnitz, C.; Ziaeepour, H.; Zimmer, M.; Zimmermann, W.; Zomer, F.

1994-03-01

Multi-jet production is observed in deep-inelastic electron proton scattering with the H1 detector at HERA. Jet rates for momentum transfers squared up to 500 GeV2 are determined using the JADE jet clustering algorithm. They are found to be in agreement with predictions from QCD based models.

Virtual Mirrors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenslade, Thomas B., Jr.

2010-01-01

The multiple-reflection photograph in Fig. 1 was taken in an elevator on board the cruise ship Norwegian Jade in March 2008. Three of the four walls of the elevator were mirrored, allowing me to see the combination of two standard arrangements of plane mirrors: two mirrors set at 90 degrees to each other and two parallel mirrors. Optical phenomena…

De-Schooling Art and Design: Illich Redux

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Tom

2012-01-01

Using Ivan Illich's seminal works, "Deschooling Society" and "Tools for Conviviality" as touchstones, this paper returns to further pursue the thrust of my article in "iJADE" 25.3 (2006), "Domain poisoning: the redundancy of current models of assessment through art," and might be considered as a more radical addendum. The central strand of…

Litigating Grades: A Cautionary Tale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Lionel S.

2005-01-01

This account of an academic lawsuit qualifies as a horror story. A mediocre minority student abuses civil rights and ADA protections to win a massive monetary award against his school on the flimsiest of evidence. Jaded lawyers for the state university represent powerless faculty defendants in court, torpidly allowing the jury to throw 50 years of…

From big data analysis in the cloud to robotic pot drumming: tales from the Met Office Informatics Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Niall; Tomlinson, Jacob; Prudden, Rachel; Hilson, Alex; Arribas, Alberto

2017-04-01

The Met Office Informatics Lab is a small multidisciplinary team which sits between science, technology and design. Our mission is simply "to make Met Office data useful" - a deliberately broad objective. Our prototypes often trial cutting edge technologies, and so far have included projects such as virtual reality data visualisation in the web browser, bots and natural language interfaces, and artificially intelligent weather warnings. In this talk we focus on our latest project, Jade, a big data analysis platform in the cloud. It is a powerful, flexible and simple to use implementation which makes extensive use of technologies such as Jupyter, Dask, containerisation, Infrastructure as Code, and auto-scaling. Crucially, Jade is flexible enough to be used for a diverse set of applications: it can present weather forecast information to meteorologists and allow climate scientists to analyse big data sets, but it is also effective for analysing non-geospatial data. As well as making data useful, the Informatics Lab also trials new working practises. In this presentation, we will talk about our experience of making a group like the Lab successful.

[A brief textual research on circulated versions of Dan tai yu an (Jade Case Records of Red Stage].

PubMed

Xu, Gao; Zhu, Jianping

2014-03-01

Dan tai yu an (Jade Case Records of Red Stage) was compiled by a doctor of the Ming Dynasty Sun Wenyin, including 6 volumes. This book involves Chinese internal medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, external medicine, and Department of the sense organs (ENT) classified into 73 categories, each of which contains 80 kinds of disease. The total number of disease was 157. Each kind of disease is discussed under the order of etiology, syndrome, pulse condition and treatment. The range of traditional Chinese prescriptions in this book is rather extensive with its indications, administrations and modification of main prescriptions given concretely. Both internal and external treatment are included, and the individual drug and proved recipe are practical and effective, which is a significant reference to clinical practice. There are many versions of this book extant. According to our investigation and research, we replenished some information to the"General Catalogue of TCM Ancient Books", and at the same time, correct some mistakes, providing the basis for further collation and publishing.

Understanding the Origin of Jupiter's Diffuse Aurora Using Juno's First Perijove Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Thorne, R. M.; Ma, Q.; Zhang, X.-J.; Gladstone, G. R.; Hue, V.; Valek, P. W.; Allegrini, F.; Mauk, B. H.; Clark, G.; Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Bolton, S. J.

2017-10-01

Juno observed the low-altitude polar region during perijove 1 on 27 August 2016 for the first time. Auroral intensity and false-color maps from the Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instrument show extensive diffuse aurora observed equatorward of the main auroral oval. Juno passed over the diffuse auroral region near the System III longitude of 120°-150° (90°-120°) in the northern (southern) hemisphere. In the region where these diffuse auroral emissions were observed, the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) and Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instruments measured nearly full loss cone distributions for the downward going electrons over energies of 0.1-700 keV but very few upward going electrons. The false-color maps from UVS indicate more energetic electron precipitation at lower latitudes than less energetic electron precipitation, consistent with observations of precipitating electrons measured by JEDI and JADE. The comparison between particle and aurora measurements provides first direct evidence that these precipitating energetic electrons are mainly responsible for the diffuse auroral emissions at Jupiter.

The efficacy of early language intervention in mainstream school settings: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fricke, Silke; Burgoyne, Kelly; Bowyer-Crane, Claudine; Kyriacou, Maria; Zosimidou, Alexandra; Maxwell, Liam; Lervåg, Arne; Snowling, Margaret J; Hulme, Charles

2017-10-01

Oral language skills are a critical foundation for literacy and more generally for educational success. The current study shows that oral language skills can be improved by providing suitable additional help to children with language difficulties in the early stages of formal education. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 394 children in England, comparing a 30-week oral language intervention programme starting in nursery (N = 132) with a 20-week version of the same programme starting in Reception (N = 133). The intervention groups were compared to an untreated waiting control group (N = 129). The programmes were delivered by trained teaching assistants (TAs) working in the children's schools/nurseries. All testers were blind to group allocation. Both the 20- and 30-week programmes produced improvements on primary outcome measures of oral language skill compared to the untreated control group. Effect sizes were small to moderate (20-week programme: d = .21; 30-week programme: d = .30) immediately following the intervention and were maintained at follow-up 6 months later. The difference in improvement between the 20-week and 30-week programmes was not statistically significant. Neither programme produced statistically significant improvements in children's early word reading or reading comprehension skills (secondary outcome measures). This study provides further evidence that oral language interventions can be delivered successfully by trained TAs to children with oral language difficulties in nursery and Reception classes. The methods evaluated have potentially important policy implications for early education. © 2017 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Ten best resources on conditional cash transfers.

PubMed

Marshall, Caroline; Hill, Peter S

2015-07-01

The world's economy is in a fragile state. Although cautiously recovering from a global recession, unemployment rates and poverty levels remain high. At the same time, food and fuel crises have resulted in skyrocketing commodity costs, straining household budgets even further than before. In the wake of these financial pressure points, there has been increased focus on social safety net programmes. More recently, Brazil's 'Bolsa Familia' conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme has celebrated its tenth-year anniversary, renewing focus on this particular aspect of social transfer programmes. This essay examines one particular aspect of these social safety net programmes: CCTs. CCT programmes are useful social programmes that have had demonstrable effects on many different populations. However, they are not a 'magic bullet' against poverty, and their image has suffered from unreasonable expectations of their impacts. This 10 best list is an ideal starting point from which a potential user can begin to understand CCTs. There remain significant gaps in the literature behind CCTs, with a particular need for much more research on emerging areas such as impacts on gender, long-term school and health outcomes, methods for increasing efficiency and adapting conditionalities within cultural contexts, among others. However, this list can function as a starting point from which the reader can gain an understanding and appreciation for what we believe to be one of the most innovative social programmes for addressing poverty worldwide. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2014; all rights reserved.

Early prenatal food supplementation ameliorates the negative association of maternal stress with birth size in a randomised trial.

PubMed

Frith, Amy L; Naved, Ruchira T; Persson, Lars Ake; Frongillo, Edward A

2015-10-01

Low birthweight increases the risk of infant mortality, morbidity and poor development. Maternal nutrition and stress influence birth size, but their combined effect is not known. We hypothesised that an early-invitation time to start a prenatal food supplementation programme could reduce the negative influence of prenatal maternal stress on birth size, and that effect would differ by infant sex. A cohort of 1041 pregnant women, who had delivered an infant, June 2003-March 2004, was sampled from among 3267 in the randomised controlled trial, Maternal Infant Nutritional Interventions Matlab, conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh. At 8 weeks gestation, women were randomly assigned an invitation to start food supplements (2.5 MJ d(-1) ; 6 days a week) either early (∼9 weeks gestation; early-invitation group) or at usual start time for the governmental programme (∼20 weeks gestation; usual-invitation group). Morning concentration of cortisol was measured from one saliva sample/woman at 28-32 weeks gestation to assess stress. Birth-size measurements for 90% of infants were collected within 4 days of birth. In a general linear model, there was an interaction between invitation time to start the food supplementation programme and cortisol with birthweight, length and head circumference of male infants, but not female infants. Among the usual-invitation group only, male infants whose mothers had higher prenatal cortisol weighed less than those whose mothers had lower prenatal cortisol. Prenatal food supplementation programmes that begin first trimester may support greater birth size of male infants despite high maternal stress where low birthweight is a public health concern. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Altitudinal patterns of plant diversity on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, southwestern China.

PubMed

Xu, Xiang; Zhang, Huayong; Tian, Wang; Zeng, Xiaoqiang; Huang, Hai

2016-01-01

Understanding altitudinal patterns of biological diversity and their underlying mechanisms is critically important for biodiversity conservation in mountainous regions. The contribution of area to plant diversity patterns is widely acknowledged and may mask the effects of other determinant factors. In this context, it is important to examine altitudinal patterns of corrected taxon richness by eliminating the area effect. Here we adopt two methods to correct observed taxon richness: a power-law relationship between richness and area, hereafter "method 1"; and richness counted in equal-area altitudinal bands, hereafter "method 2". We compare these two methods on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which is the nearest large-scale altitudinal gradient to the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere. We find that seed plant species richness, genus richness, family richness, and species richness of trees, shrubs, herbs and Groups I-III (species with elevational range size <150, between 150 and 500, and >500 m, respectively) display distinct hump-shaped patterns along the equal-elevation altitudinal gradient. The corrected taxon richness based on method 2 (TRcor2) also shows hump-shaped patterns for all plant groups, while the one based on method 1 (TRcor1) does not. As for the abiotic factors influencing the patterns, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and mid-domain effect explain a larger part of the variation in TRcor2 than in TRcor1. In conclusion, for biodiversity patterns on the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, method 2 preserves the significant influences of abiotic factors to the greatest degree while eliminating the area effect. Our results thus reveal that although the classical method 1 has earned more attention and approval in previous research, method 2 can perform better under certain circumstances. We not only confirm the essential contribution of method 1 in community ecology, but also highlight the significant role of method 2 in eliminating the area effect, and call for more application of method 2 in further macroecological studies.

COX-2 regulation and TUNEL-positive cell death differ between genders in the secondary inflammatory response following experimental penetrating focal brain injury in rats.

PubMed

Günther, Mattias; Plantman, Stefan; Davidsson, Johan; Angéria, Maria; Mathiesen, Tiit; Risling, Mårten

2015-04-01

Traumatic brain injury is followed by secondary neuronal degeneration, largely dependent on an inflammatory response. This response is probably gender specific, since females are better protected than males in experimental models. The reasons are not fully known. We examined aspects of the inflammatory response following experimental TBI in male and female rats to explore possible gender differences at 24 h and 72 h after trauma, times of peak histological inflammation and neuronal degeneration. A penetrating brain injury model was used to produce penetrating focal TBI in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 males and 5 females for each time point. After 24 and 72 h the brains were removed and subjected to in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analyses for COX-2, iNOS, osteopontin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, 3-nitrotyrosine, TUNEL and Fluoro-Jade. COX-2 mRNA and protein levels were increased in the perilesional area compared to the uninjured contralateral side and significantly higher in males at 24 h and 72 h (p < 0.05). iNOS mRNA was significantly increased in females at 24 h (p < 0.05) although protein was not. TUNEL was increased in male rats after 24 h (p < 0.05). Glial fibrillary acidic protein, osteopontin, 3-nitrotyrosine and Fluoro-Jade stained degenerating neurons were increased in the perilesional area, showing no difference between genders. COX-2 regulation differed between genders after TBI. The increased COX-2 expression in male rats correlated with increased apoptotic cell death detected by increased TUNEL staining at 24 h, but not with neuronal necrosis measured by Flouro-Jade. Astrogliosis and microgliosis did not differ, confirming a comparable level of trauma. The gender-specific trait of the secondary inflammatory response may be connected to prostaglandin regulation, which may partially explain gender variances in outcome after TBI.

Delivery of integrated diabetes care using logistics and information technology--the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program.

PubMed

Chan, Juliana C N; Ozaki, Risa; Luk, Andrea; Kong, Alice P S; Ma, Ronald C W; Chow, Francis C C; Wong, Patrick; Wong, Rebecca; Chung, Harriet; Chiu, Cherry; Wolthers, Troels; Tong, Peter C Y; Ko, Gary T C; So, Wing-Yee; Lyubomirsky, Greg

2014-12-01

Diabetes is a global epidemic, and many affected individuals are undiagnosed, untreated, or uncontrolled. The silent and multi-system nature of diabetes and its complications, with complex care protocols, are often associated with omission of periodic assessments, clinical inertia, poor treatment compliance, and care fragmentation. These barriers at the system, patient, and care-provider levels have resulted in poor control of risk factors and under-usage of potentially life-saving medications such as statins and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors. However, in the clinical trial setting, use of nurses and protocol with frequent contact and regular monitoring have resulted in marked differences in event rates compared to epidemiological data collected in the real-world setting. The phenotypic heterogeneity and cognitive-psychological-behavioral needs of people with diabetes call for regular risk stratification to personalize care. Quality improvement initiatives targeted at patient education, task delegation, case management, and self-care promotion had the largest effect size in improving cardio-metabolic risk factors. The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) program is an innovative care prototype that advocates a change in clinic setting and workflow, coordinated by a doctor-nurse team and augmented by a web-based portal, which incorporates care protocols and a validated risk engine to provide decision support and regular feedback. By using logistics and information technology, supported by a network of health-care professionals to provide integrated, holistic, and evidence-based care, the JADE Program aims to establish a high-quality regional diabetes database to reflect the status of diabetes care in real-world practice, confirm efficacy data, and identify unmet needs. Through collaborative efforts, we shall evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of this "high tech, soft touch" model to make diabetes and chronic disease care more accessible, affordable, and sustainable. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Archaeological jade mystery solved using a 119-year-old rock collection specimen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, G. E.; Davies, H. L.; Summerhayes, G. R.; Matisoo-Smith, E.

2012-12-01

In a recent publication (Harlow et al. 2012), a ~3200-year old small stone artefact from an archaeological excavation on Emirau Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea was described and determined to be a piece of jadeite jade (jadeitite). True jadeitite from any part of New Guinea was not previously known, either in an archaeological or geological context, so this object was of considerable interest with respect to its geological source and what that would mean about trade between this source and Emirau Island. Fortuitously, the artefact, presumably a wood-carving gouge, is very unusual with respect to both pyroxene composition and minor mineral constituents. Pyroxene compositions lie essentially along the jadeite-aegirine join: Jd94Ae6 to Jd63Ae36, and without any coexisting omphacite. This contrasts with Jd-Di or Jd-Aug compositional trends commonly observed in jadeitites worldwide. Paragonite and albite occur in veins and cavities with minor titanite, epidote-allanite, and zircon, an assemblage seen in a few jadeitites. Surprisingly, some titanite contains up to 6 wt% Nb2O5 with only trace Ta and a single grain of a Y-Nb phase (interpreted as fergusonite) is present; these are unique for jadeitite. In a historical tribute to C.E.A. Wichmann, a German geologist who taught at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, a previously unpublished description of chlormelanite from the Torare River in extreme northeast Papua, Indonesia was given. The bulk composition essentially matches the pyroxene composition of the jade, so this sample was hypothesized as coming from the source. We were able to arrange a loan from the petrology collection at Utrecht University of the specimen acquired by Wichmann in 1893. In addition we borrowed stone axes from the Natural History Museum - Naturalis in Leiden obtained from natives near what is now Jayapura in eastern-most Papua. Petrography and microprobe analysis of sections of these samples clearly show that (1) Wichmann's 1893 Torare River "chloromelanite" is an extremely close match texturally and mineralogically with the jadeitite jade gouge, including Nb-rich titanite—thus a match, but that (2) the axes are omphacitites that have a geologically similar origin (high pressure/low-temperature subduction channel) but do not share the jadeite+aegerine-rich pyroxene or Nb-Y rich accessory phases. This research clearly shows that natural history collections are important archives that contain samples of potentially important value for science and cultural research. Moreover, research like this that connects geology, archaeology, history and preserved collections can yield a story that makes science and collections tangible and interesting to a popular audience. References: Harlow et al. 2012, Eur. J. Mineral. 24, 391-399.

Ergonomic development work: co-education as a support for user participation at a car assembly plant. A case study.

PubMed

Garmer, K; Dahlman, S; Sperling, L

1995-12-01

This study deals with the design, trials and evaluation of a co-education programme at the Volvo Uddevalla plant in Sweden. Involving operators, manufacturing engineers and managers, the programme served as a support for the creation of a participatory ergonomics process, intended for continuous use at the plant. It consisted of a basic ergonomics knowledge package, and a dialogue model defining the roles and relations of actors involved. As a practical part of the programme, trial development projects were also carried out by the participants. The main and long term objective of the project was to start the participants cooperating in a continuous change and development process on the shop-floor. The outcome of the co-education programme was evaluated immediately after the first two regular courses, and, as a longterm follow-up, after seven subsequent courses shortly after the closing of the Uddevalla plant. The co-education programme was shown to be successful. Later on, the expertize of both operators and manufacturing engineers became obvious to everyone at the plant, and the cooperation between operators and manufacturing engineers increased steadily. The main conclusion drawn was that the co-education programme is a good starting point for a process of participation and industrial change work. However, in order to get a permanent impact, the whole organization must nurse and nourish the further development, and implementation of the process.

Examining the pathways for young people with drug and alcohol dependence: a mixed-method design to examine the role of a treatment programme

PubMed Central

Nathan, Sally; Rawstorne, Patrick; Hayen, Andrew; Bryant, Joanne; Baldry, Eileen; Ferry, Mark; Williams, Megan; Shanahan, Marian; Jayasinha, Ranmalie

2016-01-01

Introduction Young people with drug and alcohol problems are likely to have poorer health and other psychosocial outcomes than other young people. Residential treatment programmes have been shown to lead to improved health and related outcomes for young people in the short term. There is very little robust research showing longer term outcomes or benefits of such programmes. This paper describes an innovative protocol to examine the longer term outcomes and experiences of young people referred to a residential life management and treatment programme in Australia designed to address alcohol and drug issues in a holistic manner. Methods and analysis This is a mixed-methods study that will retrospectively and prospectively examine young people's pathways into and out of a residential life management programme. The study involves 3 components: (1) retrospective data linkage of programme data to health and criminal justice administrative data sets, (2) prospective cohort (using existing programme baseline data and a follow-up survey) and (3) qualitative in-depth interviews with a subsample of the prospective cohort. The study will compare findings among young people who are referred and (a) stay 30 days or more in the programme (including those who go on to continuing care and those who do not); (b) start, but stay fewer than 30 days in the programme; (c) are assessed, but do not start the programme. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been sought from several ethics committees including a university ethics committee, state health departments and an Aboriginal-specific ethics committee. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at research conferences, disseminated via a report for the general public and through Facebook communications. The study will inform the field more broadly about the value of different methods in evaluating programmes and examining the pathways and trajectories of vulnerable young people. PMID:27225650

Brokering to Support Participation of Disadvantaged Families in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Linda; Meagher-Lundberg, Patricia

2017-01-01

This paper discusses findings from an evaluation of the New Zealand Ministry of Education's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Participation Programme that targeted local areas where there are high numbers of children starting school who have not participated in ECE. The aim of the programme is to increase participation of these low-income…

Enhancing Mathematics by Online Assessments: Two Cases of Remedial Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brouwer, Natasa; Ekimova, Lilia; Jasinska, Magdalena; van Gastel, Leendert; Virgailaite-Meckauskaite, Egle

2009-01-01

There is growing concern in Europe that some students are not well-equipped to start a Bachelor's or Master's programme, especially when the programme has a strong mathematical focus. In particular, attention is drawn to problems with mathematics in the transition from secondary to higher education. Higher education expects a certain level of…

Integrating Computer-Assisted Translation Tools into Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernández-Parra, María

2016-01-01

Although Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools play an important role in the curriculum in many university translator training programmes, they are seldom used in the context of learning a language, as a good command of a language is needed before starting to translate. Since many institutions often have translator-training programmes as well…

An Evaluation of Fresh Start as a Catch-Up Intervention: A Trial Conducted by Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorard, Stephen; Siddiqui, Nadia; See, Beng Huat

2016-01-01

This paper describes a randomised controlled trial conducted with 10 secondary schools in England to evaluate the impact and feasibility of Fresh Start as an intervention to help new entrants with low prior literacy. Fresh Start is a synthetic phonics programme for small groups of pupils, here implemented three times per week over 22 weeks. The…

Structured Doctoral Education in Hannover - Joint Programme IMPRS-GW and geo-Q RTG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawazoe, Fumiko; Bruns, Sandra

2018-02-01

Two structured doctoral programmes that we have in Hannover, the IMPRS on Gravitational Wave Astronomy and SFB on relativistic geodesy and gravimetry with quantum sensors geo-Q, have not only become major resources for education in each field but have also started to provide substantial synergy to members of both programmes. Our strong crossdisciplinary approach to create a joint programme has received excellent feedback not only from researchers inside the programme but also from various external committee. Building on experience that we have acquired over the last decade, we propose to set up a common doctoral programme within the international gravitational wave astronomy and physics. We envisage that with a common doctoral programme we will create a strong team of young researchers who will carry on building a strong network of third generation gravitational wave detectors and observatories.

An assessment of oral health promotion programmes in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Passalacqua, A; Reeves, A O; Newton, T; Hughes, R; Dunne, S; Donaldson, N; Wilson, N

2012-02-01

Improving oral health and reducing tooth decay is a key area for action, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the unique advantage schools have in promoting oral health. We summarise current oral health promotion strategies in the United Kingdom and estimate the spread of their use as well as their impact on oral health and influence on the oral health-related knowledge and behaviour in a patient population. A structured overview of published papers, government publications, official government websites and policy reports. A cross-sectional study of patients referred for a tooth extraction in one dental surgery in south-east London. Statistical methods consisted of logistic and ordinal regressions to model the likelihood of exposure to oral health promotion and of obtaining higher levels of knowledge of oral health issues, respectively. Linear regression was used to model the level of oral health and knowledge of oral health issues. We found three main promotion programmes, namely, National Healthy Schools (NHS), Sure Start and Brushing for life plus a small number of local initiatives. Sure Start targets disadvantaged areas, but is limited. In our observational study, 34% of the patients reported exposure to a settings-based oral health education programme: Sure Start (5%), NHS (7%) and other (22%). This exposure was not influenced by age or gender, but an association with education was detected. Although oral health promotion was not found to influence the actual knowledge of oral health issues, it was found to influence some oral health-related attitudes and perceptions. Participation in an oral health promotion programme was found to be significantly associated with the patients' education, their belief that they can prevent oral disease and the subjective perception of their own oral health. The WHO principles need to be embedded across all schools to achieve a true national oral health promotion programme for the United Kingdom. The National Healthy Schools programme provides the perfect platform. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

The Overselling of Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leef, George C.

2006-01-01

There is not enough substance behind a degree to warrant the ubiquitous belief that a stint in higher education is a "sine qua non" for success in America. While college diplomas may translate into higher-paying jobs for some, high school signifies little in the way of education these days, so jaded employers' estimates of the real value of…

Insurgent Uprising: An Unconventional Warfare Wargame

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services , Directorate for Information Operations...Command (USSOCOM) trains , equips, and restructures to meet future UW requirements, a classroom-based practical exercise educational tool may prove critical...preparation of UW exercises in all training environments including the qualification courses, JADE HELM, and the Combined Training Center (CTC) rotations

Jaded Optimism and Other Critical Elements for 21st Century Educational Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Theoharis, George

2010-01-01

The job of school leaders is becoming increasing complex within a context of greater pressure and demands. Thus, effective schools in a democratic society require a great deal from educational leadership. With a focus on creating and maintaining schools that foster equitable and excellent education for each and every child, The author discusses…

Evaluating a School-Based Day Treatment Program for Students with Challenging Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickman, Antoine Lewis

2014-01-01

Jade County Public Schools has provided school-based therapeutic day treatment in its public schools for more than 10 years. This program was adopted by the school system to provide an intervention in the school and classroom to address the challenging behaviors of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Currently, three human services…

In vitro cavity and crown preparations and direct restorations: A comparison of performance at the start and end of the FD programme.

PubMed

Burke, F J T; Ravaghi, V; Mackenzie, L; Priest, N; Falcon, H C

2017-04-21

Aim To assess the performance and thereby the progress of the FDs when they carried out a number of simulated clinical exercises at the start and at the end of their FD year.Methods A standardised simulated clinical restorative dentistry training exercise was carried out by a group of 61 recently qualified dental graduates undertaking a 12 months' duration foundation training programme in England, at both the start and end of the programme. Participants completed a Class II cavity preparation and amalgam restoration, a Class IV composite resin restoration and two preparations for a porcelain-metal full crown. The completed preparations and restorations were independently assessed by an experienced consultant in restorative dentistry, using a scoring system based on previously validated criteria. The data were subjected to statistical analysis.Results There was wide variation in individual performance. Overall, there was a small but not statistically significant improvement in performance by the end of the programme. A statistically significant improvement was observed for the amalgam preparation and restoration, and, overall, for one of the five geographical sub-groups in the study. Possible reasons for the variable performance and improvement are discussed.Conclusions There was variability in the performance of the FDs. The operative performance of FDs at the commencement and end of their FD year indicated an overall moderately improved performance over the year and a statistically significant improvement in their performance with regard to amalgam restoration.

New Start: Pre-Enrollment Programme for Mature Age Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, A. A.

1979-01-01

Describes the "New Start" preenrollment program in Auckland (New Zealand) University for mature-age students to prepare them for the requirements of university study and show them how to cope with degree work. Discusses factors to explain the success of mature-age students, in particular the "New Starters." (MF)

Home-Start between Childhood and Maturity: A Programme Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terpstra, Linda; van Dijke, Anke

A crucial question for evaluating nationally or internationally implemented programs is whether local adaptations detract from program quality and effectiveness. An evaluation examined the program successes and challenges encountered in the first 5 years of Home-Start in the Netherlands, a home-based family support program for families with young…

Designing Effective Programmes for Encouraging the Business Start-up Process: Lessons from UK Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibb, Allan A.

1987-01-01

Outlines programs in the United Kingdom (UK) designed to encourage the starting of small businesses. Successful programs help entrepreneurs obtain financial support, get business training, and develop a business plan. Recommends emphasis on personal competency and motivation training as well as shorter courses. (CH)

Evaluation of an occupational health intervention programme on whole‐body vibration in forklift truck drivers: a controlled trial

PubMed Central

Hulshof, C T J; Verbeek, J H A M; Braam, I T J; Bovenzi, M; van Dijk, F J H

2006-01-01

Objectives To evaluate process and outcome of a multifaceted occupational health intervention programme on whole‐body vibration (WBV) in forklift truck drivers. Methods An experimental pretest/post‐test control group study design. The authors trained occupational health services (OHS) in the experimental group in the use of the programme. OHS in the control group were asked to deliver care as usual. In total, 15 OHS, 32 OHS professionals, 26 companies, and 260 forklift drivers were involved. Post‐test measurements were carried out one year after the start of the programme. Results Baseline data before the start of the programme showed no difference between experimental and control group. Results of the outcome evaluation indicate a slight, although not statistically significant, reduction of WBV exposure in the experimental group (p = 0.06). Process evaluation revealed a positive influence on company policy toward WBV, attitude and intended behaviour of forklift drivers, and a trend towards an increase in knowledge of OHS professionals and company managers. The number of observed control measures with a major impact (levelling of surface and reduction of speed) was rather low. In those cases where control measures had been taken, there was a significant reduction in WBV exposure. This limited effect of the programme might be caused by the short period of follow up and the dropout of participants. The feasibility and the usefulness of the programme within the OHS setting were rated good by the participants. Conclusions This programme to decrease WBV exposure was partially effective. Significant effects on intermediate objectives were observed. More research on the effectiveness of intervention in the field of WBV is needed. PMID:16551762

Evaluation of health benefits and harms of the breast cancer screening programme in the Basque Country using discrete event simulation.

PubMed

Arrospide, Arantzazu; Rue, Montserrat; van Ravesteyn, Nicolien T; Comas, Merce; Larrañaga, Nerea; Sarriugarte, Garbiñe; Mar, Javier

2015-10-12

Since the breast cancer screening programme in the Basque Country (BCSPBC) was started in 1996, more than 400,000 women aged 50 to 69 years have been invited to participate. Based on epidemiological observations and simulation techniques it is possible to extend observed short term data into anticipated long term results. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the programme through 2011 by quantifying the outcomes in breast cancer mortality, life-years gained, false positive results, and overdiagnosis. A discrete event simulation model was constructed to reproduce the natural history of breast cancer (disease-free, pre-clinical, symptomatic, and disease-specific death) and the actual observed characteristics of the screening programme during the evaluated period in the Basque women population. Goodness-of-fit statistics were applied for model validation. The screening effects were measured as differences in benefits and harms between the screened and unscreened populations. Breast cancer mortality reduction and life-years gained were considered as screening benefits, whereas, overdiagnosis and false positive results were assessed as harms. Results for a single cohort were also obtained. The screening programme yielded a 16 % reduction in breast cancer mortality and a 10 % increase in the incidence of breast cancer through 2011. Almost 2 % of all the women in the programme had a false positive result during the evaluation period. When a single cohort was analysed, the number of deaths decreased by 13 %, and 4 % of screen-detected cancers were overdiagnosed. Each woman with BC detected by the screening programme gained 2.5 life years due to early detection corrected by lead time. Fifteen years after the screening programme started, this study supports an important decrease in breast cancer mortality due to the screening programme, with reasonable risk of overdiagnosis and false positive results, and sustains the continuation of the breast cancer screening programme in the Basque population.

Barriers to starting ART and how they can be overcome: individual and operational factors associated with early and late start of treatment.

PubMed

Parkes-Ratanshi, Rosalind; Bufumbo, Leonard; Nyanzi-Wakholi, Barbara; Levin, Jonathan; Grosskurth, Heiner; Lalloo, David G; Kamali, Anatoli

2010-11-01

Despite expanding access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Sub-Saharan Africa, there are few data on patients' perceptions about starting ART to explore issues affecting decisions to start ART in eligible individuals during the ART roll out. We studied patterns of ART uptake for 957 participants in a trial of cryptococcal disease prevention and performed a qualitative cross-sectional study about issues affecting decisions to start ART in this cohort. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 48 participants who started ART after variable time on the trial. Time to starting ART from trial enrolment decreased during the ART roll out (Median 83 days to 68 days). Multiple factors causing delay to ART were reported; awaiting home visit by service provider (P=0.025), domestic issues (P=0.028), moving from area (P≤0.001) and fear of side effects (P=0.013) were statistically significant. In the IDIs, fear of side effects was the strongest factor for delay and observation of health improvement in others on ART was the strongest inducement to start. Information from patients already taking ART was the most valued source of information. This study provided novel information about factors encouraging people to start ART early; positive beliefs about ART were the most important. Whilst side effects of ART must not be downplayed, programmes should provide information in a balanced way to prevent unnecessary fear of starting ART. Those already receiving ART were found to be good advocates and should be utilised by ART programmes to educate others. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Speech and language therapy in Sure Start Local Programmes: a survey-based analysis of practice and innovation.

PubMed

Fuller, Alison

2010-01-01

Sure Start has been a flagship policy for the UK Labour Government since 1998. Its aim was to improve the life chances of children under five years of age who live in areas of socio-economic disadvantage by means of multi-agency, multidisciplinary Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs). Speech and language therapists have played a key part in many SSLPs, and have had the opportunity to extend their roles. Despite the scrutiny paid to Sure Start, there has been no comprehensive analysis of speech and language therapists' contribution to date. Studies have focused on individual programmes or small samples: there has been no attempt to collate the full range of practice. As Sure Start evolved and Children's Centres emerged, it became vital to learn from the Sure Start experience and inform the mainstreaming of practice, before the window of opportunity closed. The survey aims were, firstly, to identify the range of practice amongst speech and language therapists working in SSLPs, highlighting new practice, and, secondly, to categorize the practices according to the tiered model of UK health and social services of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT 2006). An online mixed-method, semi-structured survey was designed to elicit primarily quantitative and categorical data. A total of 501 Sure Start Local Programmes were invited to take part. A total of 128 speech and language therapists responded, giving a response rate of 26%. A descriptive analysis of the response data was undertaken. A total of 103 respondents (80%) reported maintaining a clinical role as well as extending their roles to include preventative services. Of those 103 respondents, 69% were able to see referred children at a younger average age and 80% saw them more quickly than before Sure Start. A wide variety of preventative practice was identified. A widening of access to speech and language therapist was reported in terms of venues used and hours offered. Respondents reported on their use of evaluation or outcome measures, which was at a higher rate for new practice than for established practice. A total of 121 respondents (95%) reported at least one example of new practice; 103 (80%) reported at least one use of evaluation or outcome measures. The tiered model of UK health and social services provided an effective way of categorizing practice. A categorized record of Sure Start speech and language therapist is presented that may contribute to establishing a broad curriculum of practice for speech and language therapist in the early years. The effectiveness of the practices is not investigated: suggestions are made for further research to develop the evidence base. 2010 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Changes and Challenges in Music Education: Reflections on a Norwegian Arts-in-Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christophersen, Catharina

2015-01-01

With a recent research study on a Norwegian arts-in-education programme "The Cultural Rucksack" as its starting point, this article addresses policy changes in the fields of culture and education and possible implications these could have on music education in schools. Familiar debates on the quality of education and the political…

After the RCT: who comes to a family-based intervention for childhood overweight or obesity when it is implemented at scale in the community?

PubMed Central

Fagg, James; Cole, Tim J; Cummins, Steven; Goldstein, Harvey; Morris, Stephen; Radley, Duncan; Sacher, Paul; Law, Catherine

2015-01-01

Background When implemented at scale, the impact on health and health inequalities of public health interventions depends on who receives them in addition to intervention effectiveness. Methods The MEND 7–13 (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it!) programme is a family-based weight management intervention for childhood overweight and obesity implemented at scale in the community. We compare the characteristics of children referred to the MEND programme (N=18 289 referred to 1940 programmes) with those of the population eligible for the intervention, and assess what predicts completion of the intervention. Results Compared to the MEND-eligible population, proportionally more children who started MEND were: obese rather than overweight excluding obese; girls; Asian; from families with a lone parent; living in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances; and living in urban rather than rural or suburban areas. Having started the programme, children were relatively less likely to complete it if they: reported ‘abnormal’ compared to ‘normal’ levels of psychological distress; were boys; were from lone parent families; lived in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances; and had participated in a relatively large MEND programme group; or where managers had run more programmes. Conclusions The provision and/or uptake of MEND did not appear to compromise and, if anything, promoted participation of those from disadvantaged circumstances and ethnic minority groups. However, this tendency was diminished because programme completion was less likely for those living in less favourable socioeconomic circumstances. Further research should explore how completion rates of this intervention could be improved for particular groups. PMID:25294895

Operational research in malawi: making a difference with cotrimoxazole preventive therapy in patients with tuberculosis and HIV

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In Malawi, high case fatality rates in patients with tuberculosis, who were also co-infected with HIV, and high early death rates in people living with HIV during the initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) adversely impacted on treatment outcomes for the national tuberculosis and ART programmes respectively. This article i) discusses the operational research that was conducted in the country on cotrimoxazole preventive therapy, ii) outlines the steps that were taken to translate these findings into national policy and practice, iii) shows how the implementation of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy for both TB patients and HIV-infected patients starting ART was associated with reduced death rates, and iv) highlights lessons that can be learnt for other settings and interventions. Discussion District and facility-based operational research was undertaken between 1999 and 2005 to assess the effectiveness of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy in reducing death rates in TB patients and subsequently in patients starting ART under routine programme conditions. Studies demonstrated significant reductions in case fatality in HIV-infected TB patients receiving cotrimoxazole and in HIV-infected patients about to start ART. Following the completion of research, the findings were rapidly disseminated nationally at stakeholder meetings convened by the Ministry of Health and internationally through conferences and peer-reviewed scientific publications. The Ministry of Health made policy changes based on the available evidence, following which there was countrywide distribution of the updated policy and guidelines. Policy was rapidly moved to practice with the development of monitoring tools, drug procurement and training packages. National programme performance improved which showed a significant decrease in case fatality rates in TB patients as well as a reduction in early death in people with HIV starting ART. Summary Key lessons for moving this research endeavour through to policy and practice were the importance of placing operational research within the programme, defining relevant questions, obtaining "buy-in" from national programme staff at the beginning of projects and having key actors or "policy entrepreneurs" to push forward the policy-making process. Ultimately, any change in policy and practice has to benefit patients, and the ultimate judge of success is whether treatment outcomes improve or not. PMID:21794154

GPs' role security and therapeutic commitment in managing alcohol problems: a randomised controlled trial of a tailored improvement programme.

PubMed

Keurhorst, Myrna; van Beurden, Ivonne; Anderson, Peter; Heinen, Maud; Akkermans, Reinier; Wensing, Michel; Laurant, Miranda

2014-04-17

General practitioners with more positive role security and therapeutic commitment towards patients with hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption are more involved and manage more alcohol-related problems than others. In this study we evaluated the effects of our tailored multi-faceted improvement implementation programme on GPs' role security and therapeutic commitment and, in addition, which professional related factors influenced the impact of the implementation programme. In a cluster randomised controlled trial, 124 GPs from 82 Dutch general practices were randomised to either the intervention or control group. The tailored, multi-faceted programme included combined physician, organisation, and patient directed alcohol-specific implementation strategies to increase role security and therapeutic commitment in GPs. The control group was mailed the national guideline and patients received feedback letters. Questionnaires were completed before and 12 months after start of the programme. We performed linear multilevel regression analysis to evaluate effects of the implementation programme. Participating GPs were predominantly male (63%) and had received very low levels of alcohol related education before start of the study (0.4 h). The programme increased therapeutic commitment (p = 0.005; 95%-CI 0.13 - 0.73) but not role security (p = 0.58; 95%-CI -0.31 - 0.54). How important GPs thought it was to improve their care for problematic alcohol consumption, and the GPs' reported proportion of patients asked about alcohol consumption at baseline, contributed to the effect of the programme on therapeutic commitment. A tailored, multi-faceted programme aimed at improving GP management of patients with hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption improved GPs' therapeutic commitment towards patients with alcohol-related problems, but failed to improve GPs' role security. How important GPs thought it was to improve their care for problematic alcohol consumption, and the GPs' reported proportion of patients asked about alcohol consumption at baseline, both increased the impact of the programme on therapeutic commitment. It might be worthwhile to monitor proceeding of role security and therapeutic commitment throughout the year after the implementation programme, to see whether the programme is effective on short term but faded out on the longer term. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00298220.

Implementing a Cancer Fast-track Programme between primary and specialised care in Catalonia (Spain): a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

Prades, J; Espinàs, J A; Font, R; Argimon, J M; Borràs, J M

2011-01-01

Background: The Cancer Fast-track Programme's aim was to reduce the time that elapsed between well-founded suspicion of breast, colorectal and lung cancer and the start of initial treatment in Catalonia (Spain). We sought to analyse its implementation and overall effectiveness. Methods: A quantitative analysis of the programme was performed using data generated by the hospitals on the basis of seven fast-track monitoring indicators for the period 2006–2009. In addition, we conducted a qualitative study, based on 83 semistructured interviews with primary and specialised health professionals and health administrators, to obtain their perception of the programme's implementation. Results: About half of all new patients with breast, lung or colorectal cancer were diagnosed via the fast track, though the cancer detection rate declined across the period. Mean time from detection of suspected cancer in primary care to start of initial treatment was 32 days for breast, 30 for colorectal and 37 for lung cancer (2009). Professionals associated with the implementation of the programme showed that general practitioners faced with suspicion of cancer had changed their conduct with the aim of preventing lags. Furthermore, hospitals were found to have pursued three specific implementation strategies (top-down, consensus-based and participatory), which made for the cohesion and sustainability of the circuits. Conclusion: The programme has contributed to speeding up diagnostic assessment and treatment of patients with suspicion of cancer, and to clarifying the patient pathway between primary and specialised care. PMID:21829194

The effectiveness of a preconditioning programme on preventing running-related injuries in novice runners: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Bredeweg, Steef W; Zijlstra, Sjouke; Bessem, Bram; Buist, Ida

2012-09-01

There is no consensus on the aetiology and prevention of running-related injuries in runners. Preconditioning studies among different athlete populations show positive effects on the incidence of sports injuries. A 4-week preconditioning programme in novice runners will reduce the incidence of running-related injuries. Randomised controlled clinical trial; level of evidence, 1. Novice runners (N=432) prepared for a four-mile recreational running event. Participants were allocated to the 4-week preconditioning (PRECON) group (N=211) or the control group (N=221). The PRECON group started a 4-week training programme, prior to the running programme, with walking and hopping exercises. After the 4-week period both groups started a 9-week running programme. In both groups information was registered on running exposure and running-related injuries (RRIs) using an internet-based running log. Primary outcome measure was RRIs per 100 runners. An RRI was defined as any musculoskeletal complaint of the lower extremity or lower back causing restriction of running for at least a week. The incidence of RRIs was 15.2% in the PRECON group and 16.8% in the control group. The difference in RRIs between the groups was not significant (χ(2)=0.161, df=1, p=0.69). This prospective study demonstrated that a 4-week PRECON programme with walking and hopping exercises had no influence on the incidence of RRIs in novice runners.

[The forgotten capitulation of evidence-based medicine].

PubMed

Schoemaker, Casper G; Smulders, Yvo M

2015-01-01

In 1992, the Canadian physician Gordon Guyatt wrote an article that is generally regarded as the starting point of evidence-based medicine (EBM). He described the ideas behind the McMaster residency programme for 'evidence-based practitioners', founded by David Sackett. Eight years later, in 2000, Guyatt concluded that this programme was too ambitious. In a new publication he described most doctors as 'evidence-users'. This editorial marks the transition from an individual to a collective form of EBM, emphasizing the use of evidence-based guidelines. The starting point of this collective form of EBM is not the well-known 1992 paper, but the forgotten editorial in 2000, which was described by Guyatt's colleagues as the capitulation of EBM.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2006-01-01

During 2005, the estimated value of natural gemstones produced from US deposits was $13.9 million. Production included agates, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, and torquoise among others. For the year, the US gemstone trade with all countries and territories exceeded $26 billion. There are indication that there may be continued growth in the US diamond and jewelry markets in 2006.

Astronomical Alignments in a Neolithic Chinese Site?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, S.; Stencel, R. E.

1997-12-01

In the Manchurian province of Liaoning, near 41N19' and 119E30', exist ruins of a middle Neolithic society (2500 to 4000 BC) known as the Hongshan culture. This location, called Niuheliang, is comprised of 16 locations with monumental structures scattered over 80 square kilometers of hills. Most are stone burial structures that contain jade artifacts implying wealth and power. One structure is unique in being unusually shaped and containing oversized effigies of goddess figures. This structure also has a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. The presence of decorated pottery, jade and worked copper suggests the Hongshan people were sophisticated artisans and engaged in long-distance trading. During 1997, we've conducted a course at Denver as part of our Core Curriculum program for upper division students, that has examined the astronomical and cultural aspects of the Niuheliang site, to attempt to determine whether these contemporaries of the builders of Stonehenge may have included astronomical alignments into their constructions. The preliminary result of our studies suggests that certain monuments have potential for lunar standstill observation from the "goddess temple". For updates on these results, please see our website: www.du.edu/ rstencel/core2103.html.

Jade: using on-demand cloud analysis to give scientists back their flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, N.; Tomlinson, J.; Hilson, A. J.; Arribas, A.; Powell, T.

2017-12-01

The UK's Met Office generates 400 TB weather and climate data every day by running physical models on its Top 20 supercomputer. As data volumes explode, there is a danger that analysis workflows become dominated by watching progress bars, and not thinking about science. We have been researching how we can use distributed computing to allow analysts to process these large volumes of high velocity data in a way that's easy, effective and cheap.Our prototype analysis stack, Jade, tries to encapsulate this. Functionality includes: An under-the-hood Dask engine which parallelises and distributes computations, without the need to retrain analysts Hybrid compute clusters (AWS, Alibaba, and local compute) comprising many thousands of cores Clusters which autoscale up/down in response to calculation load using Kubernetes, and balances the cluster across providers based on the current price of compute Lazy data access from cloud storage via containerised OpenDAP This technology stack allows us to perform calculations many orders of magnitude faster than is possible on local workstations. It is also possible to outperform dedicated local compute clusters, as cloud compute can, in principle, scale to much larger scales. The use of ephemeral compute resources also makes this implementation cost efficient.

Media coverage and public reaction to a celebrity cancer diagnosis.

PubMed

Metcalfe, D; Price, C; Powell, J

2011-03-01

Celebrity diagnoses can have important effects on public behaviour. UK television celebrity Jade Goody died from cervical cancer in 2009. We investigated the impact of her illness on media coverage of cervical cancer prevention, health information seeking behaviour and cervical screening coverage. National UK newspaper articles containing the words 'Jade Goody' and 'cancer' were examined for public health messages. Google Insights for Search was used to quantify Internet searches as a measure of public health information seeking. Cervical screening coverage data were examined for temporal associations with this story. Of 1203 articles, 116 (9.6%) included a clear public health message. The majority highlighted screening (8.2%). Fewer articles provided advice about vaccination (3.0%), number of sexual partners (1.4%), smoking (0.6%) and condom use (0.4%). Key events were associated with increased Internet searches for 'cervical cancer' and 'smear test', although only weakly with searches for 'HPV'. Cervical screening coverage increased during this period. Increased public interest in disease prevention can follow a celebrity diagnosis. Although media coverage sometimes included public health information, articles typically focused on secondary instead of primary prevention. There is further potential to maximize the public health benefit of future celebrity diagnoses.

IAEA international studies on irradiation embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels

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

Brumovsky, M.; Steele, L.E.

1997-02-01

In last 25 years, three phases a Co-operative Research Programme on Irradiation Embrittlement of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels has been organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This programme started with eight countries in 1971 and finally 16 countries took part in phase III of the Programme in 1983. Several main efforts were put into preparation of the programme, but the principal task was concentrated on an international comparison of radiation damage characterization by different laboratories for steels of {open_quotes}old{close_quotes} (with high impurity contents) and {open_quotes}advanced{close_quotes} (with low impurity contents) types as well as on development of small scale fracturemore » mechanics procedures applicable to reactor pressure vessel surveillance programmes. This year, a new programme has been opened, concentrated mostly on small scale fracture mechanics testing.« less

"I Am Much More than Just a Mum". Social Capital, Empowerment and Sure Start

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, Carl; Ackerley, Clare L.

2006-01-01

An earlier article published in this journal sought to recover the views of professionals concerned with the delivery and implementation of a "Third Way" multiagency programme tackling the social exclusion of young children and their families known as Sure Start. The tentative findings suggested a "bottom-up" partnership…

Beta: An Experiment in Funded Undergraduate Start-Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Paul; Forbes-Simpson, Kellie; Maas, Gideon; Newbery, Robert

2015-01-01

This paper reports on an evaluation of a funded undergraduate project designed to enable student business start-up. The programme, entitled "Beta", provides undergraduate students with £1,500 of seed-corn funding. The key objective of the project is for the participants to exit it with a viable and legal business entity through which…

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intervention in Families with Children with Behavioural Problems within the Context of a Sure Start Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Eleanor A.; Dillenburger, Karola

2004-01-01

Sure Start is a Government project that aims to prevent social exclusion by targeting children between 0 and 4 years of age living in areas of social and economic deprivation. This study examined whether a Tier 2 Behaviour Support Service within a local Sure Start project was able to bring about improvements in children's behaviour and the levels…

Physical Activity on Medical Prescription: A Qualitative Study of Factors Influencing Take-Up and Adherence in Chronically Ill Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasparini, William; Knobé, Sandrine; Didierjean, Romaine

2015-01-01

Objective: This study sought to determine the effects of an innovative public health programme offering physical and sports activities on medical prescription to chronically ill patients. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with programme participants at two time points: at the start of their activity (n?=?33) and 3?months after the…

Attention Development in 10-Month-Old Infants Selected by the WILSTAAR Screen for Pre-Language Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. James-Roberts, Ian; Alston, Enid

2006-01-01

Background: WILSTAAR comprises a programme for identifying and treating 8-10-month-old infants who are at risk of language and cognitive difficulties. It has been adopted by health trusts, and included in Sure Start intervention schemes, throughout the UK. This study addresses one of the main queries raised by critics of the programme, by…

Drawing AIDS:Tanzanian Teachers Picture the Pandemic: Implications for Re-Curriculation of Teacher Education Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Lesley; de Lange, Naydene; Mkumbo, Kitila

2013-01-01

In this article, we explain how we engaged teachers in creating their own representations of HIV and AIDS in Tanzania as a starting point for re-curriculation of the undergraduate teacher education programme. We employed a qualitative design, using visual methodologies, to encourage 29 in-service teachers to draw their perceptions about HIV and…

Pre-Service Teachers' Belief Change and Practical Knowledge Development during the Course of Practicum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debreli, Emre

2016-01-01

This study deals with the nature of change processes that pre-service teachers undergo throughout their training in an English Language Teaching programme. It also explores the types of beliefs about learning and teaching that pre-service teachers held before starting the practical phase of the programme and whether and how the practical phase…

Health consequences of Chernobyl and other radiation accidents. Report on the European Union Cluster Contractors' workshop (San Miniato, Italy, 17-22 June 1997).

PubMed

Karaoglou, A; Chadwick, K H

1998-04-01

The Radiation Protection Research Unit of the European Commission has been supporting collaborative research projects on the radiological consequences of the Chernobyl accident since 1991. However, in the Fourth Framework Programme of the Commission which started in 1996, the collaboration with scientists in the former Soviet Union has been placed on a different footing, and the programme has been expanded to include other regions, especially in Russia and Kazakhstan, where previous nuclear incidents have led to the exposure of workers and the local populations and to widespread radioactive contamination. There are 15 projects on health-related studies in the newly started programme, and in order to improve the collaboration between the different scientists working in these projects a Cluster Contractors' Meeting was organised in San Miniato, Italy, in June 1997 with the participation of some 50 scientists from the European Union (EU) and the Newly Independent States (NIS). This report summarizes the different topics, including molecular biology and treatment of childhood thyroid cancer, various epidemiological studies and dose reconstruction, which were discussed at the meeting and which form the major projects in the new collaborative programme.

Examining the pathways for young people with drug and alcohol dependence: a mixed-method design to examine the role of a treatment programme.

PubMed

Nathan, Sally; Rawstorne, Patrick; Hayen, Andrew; Bryant, Joanne; Baldry, Eileen; Ferry, Mark; Williams, Megan; Shanahan, Marian; Jayasinha, Ranmalie

2016-05-25

Young people with drug and alcohol problems are likely to have poorer health and other psychosocial outcomes than other young people. Residential treatment programmes have been shown to lead to improved health and related outcomes for young people in the short term. There is very little robust research showing longer term outcomes or benefits of such programmes. This paper describes an innovative protocol to examine the longer term outcomes and experiences of young people referred to a residential life management and treatment programme in Australia designed to address alcohol and drug issues in a holistic manner. This is a mixed-methods study that will retrospectively and prospectively examine young people's pathways into and out of a residential life management programme. The study involves 3 components: (1) retrospective data linkage of programme data to health and criminal justice administrative data sets, (2) prospective cohort (using existing programme baseline data and a follow-up survey) and (3) qualitative in-depth interviews with a subsample of the prospective cohort. The study will compare findings among young people who are referred and (a) stay 30 days or more in the programme (including those who go on to continuing care and those who do not); (b) start, but stay fewer than 30 days in the programme; (c) are assessed, but do not start the programme. Ethics approval has been sought from several ethics committees including a university ethics committee, state health departments and an Aboriginal-specific ethics committee. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at research conferences, disseminated via a report for the general public and through Facebook communications. The study will inform the field more broadly about the value of different methods in evaluating programmes and examining the pathways and trajectories of vulnerable young people. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

The European quantum technologies flagship programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedel, Max F.; Binosi, Daniele; Thew, Rob; Calarco, Tommaso

2017-09-01

Quantum technologies, such as quantum communication, computation, simulation as well as sensors and metrology, address and manipulate individual quantum states and make use of superposition and entanglement. Both companies and governments have realised the high disruptive potential of this technology. Consequently, the European Commission has announced an ambitious flagship programme to start in 2018. Here, we sum up the history leading to the quantum technologies flagship programme and outline its envisioned goals and structure. We also give an overview of the strategic research agenda for quantum communication, which the flagship will pursue during its 10-year runtime.

IWRM: What should we teach? A report on curriculum development at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonker, Lewis

In South Africa, the national government has taken deliberate steps to ensure that tertiary education programmes help to meet societal and economic needs. This article reports on the process of developing a programme in Integrated Water Resources Management at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) that speaks directly to current government policy. It describes two different approaches to curriculum development an eclectic approach that takes as its starting point courses already on offer, and a framework development approach that takes as its starting point identification of particular needs and deliberately builds a curriculum around these needs. The article illustrates how seemingly unrelated policy processes in education and water management could impact on curriculum development. The article suggests that, while curriculum development is a first key step, challenges remain in fine-tuning the IWRM M.Sc. programme so that graduates are equipped with skills that may contribute to equitable and sustainable development in the evolving context of 21st century South Africa.

Renewal of a Small Town in Poland Based on Example of Ustka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poczobut, Joanna

2017-10-01

Ustka is a historical seaside town, port and health resort, a town of many possibilities. In this tourist town the old urban arrangement and many historic objects are preserved. Despite such potential, the town struggles with various problems, as do many small towns in the north of Poland. In 2003 works on a revitalization programme began (it has been implemented since 2005). The next stage was a programme which started in 2011. At present Ustka prepares for the next revitalization plan-a “District Revitalization Programme for 2016 - 2022”. The article describes: the situation at different stages of town development related to previously carried out revitalization programmes and the prospects for its further prosperity.

Connecting Entrepreneurial and Action Learning in Student-Initiated New Business Ventures: The Case of SPEED

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, David

2009-01-01

The Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) project ran in 12 higher education institutes in the UK between 2006 and 2008, providing an innovative, action learning-based route that enabled students to start new business ventures as self-started work experience, and has influenced successor programmes. The paper addresses three…

R-189 (C-620) air compressor control logic software documentation. Revision 1

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

Walter, K.E.

1995-06-08

This relates to FFTF plant air compressors. Purpose of this document is to provide an updated Computer Software Description for the software to be used on R-189 (C-620-C) air compressor programmable controllers. Logic software design changes were required to allow automatic starting of a compressor that had not been previously started.

Disadvantaged but Different: Variation among Deprived Communities in Relation to Child and Family Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Jacqueline; Belsky, Jay; Broomfield, Kate A.; Dave, Sapna; Frost, Martin; Melhuish, Edward

2005-01-01

Background: Disadvantaged communities are increasingly the target for interventions. Sure Start was launched in England in 1999 to tackle child poverty and improve child and family services, with Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) targeted at relatively small areas of marked deprivation. However, they are located in a range of different types of…

Effective Interventions to Strengthen Early Language and Literacy Skills in Low-Income Countries: Comparison of a Family-Focused Approach and a Pre-Primary Programme in Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borisova, Ivelina; Pisani, Lauren; Dowd, Amy Jo; Lin, Hsiao-Chen

2017-01-01

Globally, governments as well as international and donor organizations are increasingly emphasizing the need for investment in effective early childhood programmes that can provide an equitable start for all children. Research is scant, however, on the effectiveness of different interventions supporting early language as well as broader school…

77 FR 67725 - Delegation by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-13

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Delegation of Authority No. 346] Delegation by the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Authority To Waive the Visa Ban Under the JADE... Affairs, to the extent authorized by law, the authority under Section 5(a)(2) to waive the visa bans...

Effect of a comprehensive programme to provide universal access to care for sputum-smear-positive multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China: a before-and-after study.

PubMed

Li, Renzhong; Ruan, Yunzhou; Sun, Qiang; Wang, Xiexiu; Chen, Mingting; Zhang, Hui; Zhao, Yanlin; Zhao, Jin; Chen, Cheng; Xu, Caihong; Su, Wei; Pang, Yu; Cheng, Jun; Chi, Junying; Wang, Qian; Fu, Yunting; Huan, Shitong; Wang, Lixia; Wang, Yu; Chin, Daniel P

2015-04-01

China has a quarter of all patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) worldwide, but less than 5% are in quality treatment programmes. In a before-and-after study we aimed to assess the effect of a comprehensive programme to provide universal access to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for MDRTB in four Chinese cities (population 18 million). We designated city-level hospitals in each city to diagnose and treat MDRTB. All patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in Center for Disease Control (CDC) clinics and hospitals were tested for MDRTB with molecular and conventional drug susceptibility tests. Patients were treated with a 24 month treatment package for MDRTB based on WHO guidelines. Outpatients were referred to the CDC for directly observed therapy. We capped total treatment package cost at US$4644. Insurance reimbursement and project subsidies limited patients' expenses to 10% of charges for services within the package. We compared data from a 12 month programme period (2011) to those from a retrospective survey of all patients with MDRTB diagnosed in the same cities during a baseline period (2006-09). 243 patients were diagnosed with MDRTB or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis during the 12 month programme period compared with 92 patients (equivalent to 24 per year) during the baseline period. 172 (71%) of 243 individuals were enrolled in the programme. Time from specimen collection for resistance testing to treatment initiation decreased by 90% (from median 139 days [IQR 69-207] to 14 days [10-21]), the proportion of patients who started on appropriate drug regimen increased 2·7 times (from nine [35%] of 26 patients treated to 166 [97%] of 172), and follow-up by the CDC after initial hospitalisation increased 24 times (from one [4%] of 23 patients to 163 [99%] of 164 patients). 6 months after starting treatment, the proportion of patients remaining on treatment increased ten times (from two [8%] of 26 patients to 137 [80%] of 172), and 116 (67%) of 172 patients in the programme period had negative cultures or clinical-radiographic improvement. Patients' expenses for hospital admission after MDRTB diagnosis decreased by 78% (from $796 to $174), reducing the ratio of patients' expenses to annual household income from 17·6% to 3·5% (p<0·0001 for all comparisons between baseline and programme periods). However, 36 (15%) patients did not start or had to discontinue treatment in the programme period because of financial difficulties. This comprehensive programme substantially increased access to diagnosis, quality treatment, and affordable treatment for MDRTB. The programme could help China to achieve universal access to MDRTB care but greater financial risk protection for patients is needed. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2015 Li et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY-NC-ND. Published by .. All rights reserved.

Helping doctors in training to STEP-UP: A leadership and quality improvement programme in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

PubMed

Donaghy, Grainne; McKeever, Kris; Flanagan, Catherine; O'Kane, Donal; McQuillan, Bernie; Cash, Johnny; Jack, Cathy; Lundy, Claire

2018-05-01

Medical engagement in healthcare organisations can improve service development and patient experience. Doctors in training have limited opportunities to engage in service improvement work and develop leadership skills. We describe the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme (STEP) , a programme developed to introduce concepts of medical leadership and quality improvement skills in the Belfast Trust. STEP started in 2013 and over 140 trainees have now participated in the programme. Over 42 quality improvement projects have been completed with the support of the programme. Evaluation of STEP has demonstrated an improvement across all domains explored throughout the duration of the programme, with benefits for the individual trainee and the wider organisation. We describe the programme in detail. The STEP curriculum can easily be adapted to meet the needs of NHS trainees, allowing them to understand the objectives and strategy of their employers and improve their ability to plan and deliver safe, effective, patient-centred care.

Effect of vaccination programmes on mortality burden among children and young adults in the Netherlands during the 20th century: a historical analysis.

PubMed

van Wijhe, Maarten; McDonald, Scott A; de Melker, Hester E; Postma, Maarten J; Wallinga, Jacco

2016-05-01

In the 20th century, childhood mortality decreased rapidly, and vaccination programmes are frequently suggested as a contributing factor. However, quantification of this contribution is subject to debate or absent. We present historical data from the Netherlands that allow us to quantify the reduction in childhood mortality burden for vaccine-preventable diseases in this period as a function of vaccination coverage. We retrieved cause-specific and age-specific historical mortality data from Statistics Netherlands from 1903 to 2012 (for Dutch birth cohorts born from 1903 to 1992), and data for vaccination coverage since the start of vaccination programmes from the Dutch Health Care Inspectorate and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. We also obtained birth and migration data from Statistics Netherlands. We used a restricted mean life-time method to estimate cause-specific mortality burden among children and young adults for each birth cohort as the years of life lost up to age 20 years, excluding migration as a variable because this did not affect the results. To correct for long-term trends, we calculated the cause-specific contribution to the total childhood mortality burden. In the prevaccination era, the contribution to mortality burden was fairly constant for diphtheria (1·4%), pertussis (3·8%), and tetanus (0·1%). Around the start of mass vaccinations, these contributions to the mortality burden decreased rapidly to near zero. We noted similar patterns for poliomyelitis, mumps, and rubella. The number of deaths due to measles around the start of vaccination in the Netherlands were too few to detect an accelerated rate of decrease after mass vaccinations were started. We estimate that mass vaccination programmes averted 148 000 years of life lost up to age 20 years (95% prediction interval 110 000-201 000) among children born before 1992. This corresponds to about 9000 deaths averted (6000-12 000). Our historical time series analysis of mortality and vaccination coverage shows a strong association between increasing vaccination coverage and diminishing contribution of vaccine-preventable diseases to overall mortality. This analysis provides further evidence that mass vaccination programmes contributed to lowering childhood mortality burden. Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of dose calibrators quality control programme in Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furnari, J. C.; de Cabrejas, M. L.; del C. Rotta, M.; Iglicki, F. A.; Milá, M. I.; Magnavacca, C.; Dima, J. C.; Rodríguez Pasqués, R. H.

1992-02-01

The national Quality Control (QC) programme for radionuclide calibrators started 12 years ago. Accuracy and the implementation of a QC programme were evaluated over all these years at 95 nuclear medicine laboratories where dose calibrators were in use. During all that time, the Metrology Group of CNEA has distributed 137Cs sealed sources to check stability and has been performing periodic "checking rounds" and postal surveys using unknown samples (external quality control). An account of the results of both methods is presented. At present, more of 65% of the dose calibrators measure activities with an error less than 10%.

Getting Started: Preparation for the Teaching Programme. Additional Literacy Support. The National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

This Getting Started guide contains material presented at a two-day Additional Literacy Support (ALS) training course in the summer of 1999. ALS is designed to help pupils in Key Stage 2 who have already fallen behind in literacy, but who would not otherwise receive any additional support in this area. Each module includes a practical, high…

Learning from Sure Start: Working with Young Children and Their Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberger, Jo, Ed.; Pickstone, Caroline, Ed.; Hannon, Peter, Ed.

2005-01-01

The book comes out of a University research project that has worked closely with one local programme over five years from its beginning. Sure Start is a national government initiative that targets families with children aged up to the age of four in areas of social and economic disadvantage, to promote development so children are ready to thrive…

Incredible Years Parent Training Support for Nursery Staff Working within a Disadvantaged Flying Start Area in Wales: A Feasibility Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bywater, Tracey Jane; Hutchings, Judith Mary; Gridley, Nicole; Jones, Karen

2011-01-01

Parenting programmes are effective interventions for preventing and treating conduct problems in young children. Up to 20% of children in disadvantaged areas have conduct disorder. Recent government initiatives such as targeting early years services to designated disadvantaged Flying Start areas in Wales have resulted in increased nursery-care…

The Effect of a Pre-University Mathematics Bridging Course on Adult Learners' Self-Efficacy and Retention Rates in STEM Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Patrick; O'Keeffe, Lisa

2016-01-01

In August 2008, the Mathematics Learning Centre at the University of Limerick initiated a mathematics bridging course, entitled "Head Start Maths", to provide mathematics revision for adult learners about to embark on science or technology degree programmes. The aim of Head Start Maths was to revise mathematics fundamentals before the…

Introducing the productive operating theatre programme in urology theatre suites.

PubMed

Ahmed, Kamran; Khan, Nuzhath; Anderson, Deirdre; Watkiss, Jonathan; Challacombe, Ben; Khan, Mohammed Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Cahill, Declan

2013-01-01

The Productive Operating Theatre (TPOT) is a theatre improvement programme designed by the UK National Health Service. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of TPOT in urology operating theatres and identify obstacles to running an ideal operating list. TPOT was introduced in two urology operating theatres in September 2010. A multidisciplinary team identified and audited obstacles to the running of an ideal operating list. A brief/debrief system was introduced and patient satisfaction was recorded via a structured questionnaire. The primary outcome measure was the effect of TPOT on start and overrun times. Start times: 39-41% increase in operating lists starting on time from September 2010 to June 2011, involving 1,365 cases. Overrun times: Declined by 832 min between March 2010 and March 2011. The cost of monthly overrun decreased from September 2010 to June 2011 by GBP 510-3,030. Patient experience: A high degree of satisfaction regarding level of care (77%), staff hygiene (71%) and information provided (72%), while negative comments regarding staff shortages and environment/facilities were recorded. TPOT has helped identify key obstacles and shown improvements in efficiency measures such as start/overrun times. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Influence of Career Information on Choice of Degree Programme among Regular and Self-Sponsored Students in Public Universities, Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gacohi, Jane Njeri; Sindabi, Aggrey M.; Chepchieng, Micah C.

2017-01-01

Choosing a degree programme to study in the university is a critical career task that is a major turning point in a student's life which not only is a start to workplace readiness, but also establishes the student in a career path that opens as well as closes life opportunities. Failure to achieve this task may cause dissatisfaction within the…

Use of Simulation in Nursing Education: Initial Experiences on a European Union Lifelong Learning Programme--Leonardo Da Vinci Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terzioglu, Fusun; Tuna, Zahide; Duygulu, Sergul; Boztepe, Handan; Kapucu, Sevgisun; Ozdemir, Leyla; Akdemir, Nuran; Kocoglu, Deniz; Alinier, Guillaume; Festini, Filippo

2013-01-01

Aim: The aim of this paper is to share the initial experiences on a European Union (EU) Lifelong Learning Programme Leonardo Da Vinci Transfer of Innovation Project related to the use of simulation-based learning with nursing students from Turkey. The project started at the end of the 2010 involving 7 partners from 3 different countries including…

The future of postgraduate training.

PubMed

Walsh, Kieran

2014-01-01

Improvements to postgraduate training have included newly designed postgraduate curricula, new forms of delivery of learning, more valid and reliable assessments, and more rigorous evaluation of training programmes. All these changes have been necessary and have now started to settle in. Now therefore is an appropriate time to look to the future of postgraduate training. Predicting the future is difficult in any course of life-however an examination of recent trends is often a good place to start. In this regard the recent trend to start to produce more doctors and healthcare professionals of the type that the population needs is likely to continue for some time to come. Medical education will also need to be more flexible in the future. The more flexible that training programmes are, the more likely that we will have experts that are sufficiently flexible to meet a range of different challenges throughout the rest of their careers. Medical education will also become more seamless in the future (at present there are probably too many major milestones and transitions in medical education). In the future educators will make much more use of technology enhanced learning, e-learning and simulation in postgraduate medical education. There will also be more pressure on postgraduate training programmes to offer value for money and to be able to demonstrate such value for money. Postgraduate medical education of the future will also be a more personalised and adaptive experience. It will be far more based on learners' individual needs and will be more responsive to those needs. Lastly postgraduate education will be much more closely supervised than it has been in the past. A common theme running through these changes will be patient centredness. This will mean safer training programmes that produce the type of doctors that patients and populations need.

Minimum detectable dose as a measure of bioassay programme capability.

PubMed

Carbaugh, E H

2003-01-01

This paper suggests that minimum detectable dose (MDD) be used to describe the capability of bioassay programmes for which intakes are expected to be rare. This allows expression of the capability in units that correspond directly to primary dose limits. The concept uses the well established analytical statistic minimum detectable amount (MDA) as the starting point, and assumes MDA detection at a prescribed time post-intake. The resulting dose can then be used as an indication of the adequacy or capability of the programme for demonstrating compliance with the performance criteria. MDDs can be readily tabulated or plotted to demonstrate the effectiveness of different types of monitoring programmes. The inclusion of cost factors for bioassay measurements can allow optimisation.

Benchmark Intelligent Agent Systems for Distributed Battle Tracking

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-20

services in the military and other domains, each entity in the benchmark system exposes a standard set of Web services. Jess ( Java Expert Shell...System) is a rule engine for the Java platform and is an interpreter for the Jess rule language. It is used here to implement policies that maintain...battle tracking system (DBTS), maintaining distributed situation awareness. The Java Agent DEvelopment (JADE) framework is a software framework

About the cumulants of periodic signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrau, Axel; El Badaoui, Mohammed

2018-01-01

This note studies cumulants of time series. These functions originating from the probability theory being commonly used as features of deterministic signals, their classical properties are examined in this modified framework. We show additivity of cumulants, ensured in the case of independent random variables, requires here a different hypothesis. Practical applications are proposed, in particular an analysis of the failure of the JADE algorithm to separate some specific periodic signals.

Observation sand Results Gained from the Jade Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-04

project different dependency-based Center, 5095 Mawson Lakes (Adelaide) SA, Australia, email: models have been created that vary in their levels of...test eris Columna# T indenotesth n erfofmtests the Java programming language. Currently, exception han- of the respective test series. dling and...meets sentation in the debugging of software to reduce the problem error diagnosis in logic programs. In Proceedings 1 3 t h of structural faults in

Out with the New, In with the Old | Poster

Cancer.gov

On any given day, you can find a variety of bargains on items forgotten by some but coveted by others at the Thrift Shop at Fort Detrick. For instance, near the back of the modest shop is a complete hand-painted set of bowls, plates, and mugs, along with lightly worn military and civilian clothing. Closer to the front are diverse and engaging antique books; jade, glass, and

Brain Vulnerability to Repeated Blast Overpressure and Polytrauma

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-28

devoid of any obvious cell loss or injury when assessed using either Nissl or Fluoro Jade stains , they consistently showed widespread fiber degeneration...injured brain after thionine (l) or silver (r) staining . experimental parameters (e.g. driver volume, tube position, Mylar membrane thickness, and type...5. Thionine- (top) and silver- (bottom) stained brain sections following exposure to 126 kPa airblast at the mouth of the tube. From Long et al

Performance comparison of independent component analysis algorithms for fetal cardiac signal reconstruction: a study on synthetic fMCG data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantini, D.; Hild, K. E., II; Alleva, G.; Comani, S.

2006-02-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms have been successfully used for signal extraction tasks in the field of biomedical signal processing. We studied the performances of six algorithms (FastICA, CubICA, JADE, Infomax, TDSEP and MRMI-SIG) for fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG). Synthetic datasets were used to check the quality of the separated components against the original traces. Real fMCG recordings were simulated with linear combinations of typical fMCG source signals: maternal and fetal cardiac activity, ambient noise, maternal respiration, sensor spikes and thermal noise. Clusters of different dimensions (19, 36 and 55 sensors) were prepared to represent different MCG systems. Two types of signal-to-interference ratios (SIR) were measured. The first involves averaging over all estimated components and the second is based solely on the fetal trace. The computation time to reach a minimum of 20 dB SIR was measured for all six algorithms. No significant dependency on gestational age or cluster dimension was observed. Infomax performed poorly when a sub-Gaussian source was included; TDSEP and MRMI-SIG were sensitive to additive noise, whereas FastICA, CubICA and JADE showed the best performances. Of all six methods considered, FastICA had the best overall performance in terms of both separation quality and computation times.

A Study on the Operation Mechanism of Ongnu, the Astronomical Clock in Sejong Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang Hyuk; Lee, Yong Sam; Lee, Min Soo

2011-03-01

Ongnu (Jade Clepsydra; also called Heumgyeonggaknu) is a water clock was made by Jang Yeong-sil in 1438. It is not only an automatic water clock that makes the sound at every hour on the hour by striking bell, drum and gong, but also an astronomical clock that shows the sun's movement over time. Ongnu's power mechanism used is a water-hammering method applied to automatic time-signal device. The appearance of Ongnu is modeled by Gasan (pasted-paper imitation mountain) and Binpungdo (landscape of farming work scene) is drawn at the foot of the mountain. The structure of Ongnu is divided into the top of the mountain, the foot of the mountain and the flatland. There located are sunmovement device, Ongnyeo (jade female immortal; I) and Four gods (shaped of animal-like immortals) at the top of the mountain, Sasin (jack hour) and Musa (warrior) at the foot of the mountain, and Twelve gods, Ongnyeo (II) and Gwanin on the flatland. In this study, we clearly and systematically understood the time-announcing mechanism of each puppet.Also, we showed the working mechanism of the sun-movement device. Finally, we completely established the 3D model of Ongnu based on this study.

Making death 'good': instructional tales for dying in newspaper accounts of Jade Goody's death.

PubMed

Frith, Hannah; Raisborough, Jayne; Klein, Orly

2013-03-01

Facilitating a 'good' death is a central goal for hospices and palliative care organisations. The key features of such a death include an acceptance of death, an open awareness of and communication about death, the settling of practical and interpersonal business, the reduction of suffering and pain, and the enhancement of autonomy, choice and control. Yet deaths are inherently neither good nor bad; they require cultural labour to be 'made over' as good. Drawing on media accounts of the controversial death of UK reality television star Jade Goody, and building on existing analyses of her death, we examine how cultural discourses actively work to construct deaths as good or bad and to position the dying and those witnessing their death as morally accountable. By constructing Goody as bravely breaking social taboos by openly acknowledging death, by contextualising her dying as occurring at the end of a life well lived and by emphasising biographical continuity and agency, newspaper accounts serve to position themselves as educative rather than exploitative, and readers as information-seekers rather than ghoulishly voyeuristic. We argue that popular culture offers moral instruction in dying well which resonates with the messages from palliative care. © 2012 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Effects of a 1 year development programme for recently graduated veterinary professionals on personal and job resources: a combined quantitative and qualitative approach.

PubMed

Mastenbroek, N J J M; van Beukelen, P; Demerouti, E; Scherpbier, A J J A; Jaarsma, A D C

2015-12-30

The early years in professional practice are for many veterinary and medical professionals a period of great challenges and consequently increased stress levels. Personal resources appear to have a positive impact on the course of this transition period. Personal resources are defined as developable systems of positive beliefs about one's self and the world that are generally linked to resilience. They are negatively related to burnout and positively and reciprocally to job resources, work engagement and job performance. With the aim of enhancing personal resources of recently graduated veterinarians, a 1 year multi-modular resources development programme was designed. This study was conducted to analyse: 1. if and how the development programme affected participants' personal resources, and 2. if and how personal resources affected participants' work characteristics and work engagement. Quantitative study: Twenty-five participants and ten non-participants completed an online survey covering personal resources, job resources and work engagement at the start and finish of the programme. Results showed a significant increase of personal resources in participants for self-reported ratings of proactive behaviour (Effect Size=-0.4), self-efficacy (Effect Size=-0.6) and reflective behaviour (Effect Size=-0.6). Results of the control group were not significant, although some moderate effect sizes were found. Qualitative study: Additionally 16 semi-structured interviews with participants of the programme were taken 6 months after finishing the programme. Analysis of the interviews revealed that participants also developed other important personal resources namely self-acceptance, self-esteem, awareness of own influence and responsibility. The reflection process, which took place in the course of the programme, seemed to be a necessary step for the development of the other personal resources. According to participants of the resources development programme, the increase in personal resources also gave rise to an increase in job resources. The multi-modular resources development programme seems to support development of participants' personal resources. Because personal resources are beneficial in improving well-being irrespective of where an individual starts working, it is important to give them explicit attention in educational settings.

Supporting Policy In health with Research: an Intervention Trial (SPIRIT)—protocol for a stepped wedge trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Governments in different countries have committed to better use of evidence from research in policy. Although many programmes are directed at assisting agencies to better use research, there have been few tests of the effectiveness of such programmes. This paper describes the protocol for SPIRIT (Supporting Policy In health with Research: an Intervention Trial), a trial designed to test the effectiveness of a multifaceted programme to build organisational capacity for the use of research evidence in policy and programme development. The primary aim is to determine whether SPIRIT results in an increase in the extent to which research and research expertise is sought, appraised, generated and used in the development of specific policy products produced by health policy agencies. Methods and analysis A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial involving six health policy agencies located in Sydney, Australia. Policy agencies are the unit of randomisation and intervention. Agencies were randomly allocated to one of three start dates (steps) to receive the 1-year intervention programme, underpinned by an action framework. The SPIRIT intervention is tailored to suit the interests and needs of each agency and includes audit, feedback and goal setting; a leadership programme; staff training; the opportunity to test systems to assist in the use of research in policies; and exchange with researchers. Outcome measures will be collected at each agency every 6 months for 30 months (starting at the beginning of step 1). Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was granted by the University of Western Sydney Human Research and Ethics Committee HREC Approval H8855. The findings of this study will be disseminated broadly through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences and used to inform future strategies. PMID:24989620

Sex worker activism, feminist discourse and HIV in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Sultana, Habiba

2015-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between sex worker activism and HIV-related discourse in Bangladesh, relating recent developments in activism to the influence of feminist thought. Following their eviction in 1991 from brothels from red light areas, Bangladeshi sex workers started a social movement, at just about the same time that programmes started to work with sex workers to reduce the transmission of HIV. This paper argues that both sex worker activism and HIV-prevention initiatives find impetus in feminist pro-sex-work perspectives, which place emphasis on individual and collective agency. However, by participating in these programmes, sex workers failed to contest the imagery of themselves as ‘vectors’ of HIV. In this way, they were unwittingly complicit in reproducing their identity as ‘polluting others’. Moreover, by focusing on individual behaviour and the agency of sex workers, HIV programmes ignored the fact that the ‘choices’ made by sex workers are influenced by a wide range of structural and discursive factors, including gender norms and notions of bodily purity, which in turn have implications for the construction of HIV-related risk. PMID:25588539

Sex worker activism, feminist discourse and HIV in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Sultana, Habiba

2015-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between sex worker activism and HIV-related discourse in Bangladesh, relating recent developments in activism to the influence of feminist thought. Following their eviction in 1991 from brothels from red light areas, Bangladeshi sex workers started a social movement, at just about the same time that programmes started to work with sex workers to reduce the transmission of HIV. This paper argues that both sex worker activism and HIV-prevention initiatives find impetus in feminist pro-sex-work perspectives, which place emphasis on individual and collective agency. However, by participating in these programmes, sex workers failed to contest the imagery of themselves as 'vectors' of HIV. In this way, they were unwittingly complicit in reproducing their identity as 'polluting others'. Moreover, by focusing on individual behaviour and the agency of sex workers, HIV programmes ignored the fact that the 'choices' made by sex workers are influenced by a wide range of structural and discursive factors, including gender norms and notions of bodily purity, which in turn have implications for the construction of HIV-related risk.

Programmable Direct-Memory-Access Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendry, David F.

1990-01-01

Proposed programmable direct-memory-access controller (DMAC) operates with computer systems of 32000 series, which have 32-bit data buses and use addresses of 24 (or potentially 32) bits. Controller functions with or without help of central processing unit (CPU) and starts itself. Includes such advanced features as ability to compare two blocks of memory for equality and to search block of memory for specific value. Made as single very-large-scale integrated-circuit chip.

The Predictive Value of Cognitive Impairments Measured at the Start of Clinical Rehabilitation for Health Status 1 Year and 3 Years Poststroke

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verhoeven, Clara L.; Schepers, Vera P.; Post, Marcel W.; van Heugten, Caroline M.

2011-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the value of screening for cognitive functions at the start of an inpatient rehabilitation programme to predict the health status 1 and 3 years poststroke. In this longitudinal cohort study of stroke patients in inpatient rehabilitation data of 134 participants were analysed. Cognitive and clinical…

The European space exploration programme: current status of ESA's plans for Moon and Mars exploration.

PubMed

Messina, Piero; Vennemann, Dietrich

2005-01-01

After a large consultation with the scientific and industrial communities in Europe, the Aurora Space Exploration Programme was unanimously approved at the European Space Agency (ESA) Council at ministerial level in Edinburgh in 2001. This marked the start of the programme's preparation phase that was due to finish by the end of 2004. Aurora features technology development robotic and crewed rehearsal missions aimed at preparing a human mission to Mars by 2033. Due to the evolving context, both international and European, ESA has undertaken a review of the goals and approach of its exploration programme. While maintaining the main robotic missions that had been conceived during Aurora, the European Space Exploration Programme that is currently being proposed to the Aurora participating states and other ESA Member States has a reviewed approach and will feature a greater synergy with other ESA programmes. The paper will present the process that led to the revision of ESA's plans in the field of exploration and will give the current status of the programme. c2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Impact of five years of rotavirus vaccination in Finland - And the associated cost savings in secondary healthcare.

PubMed

Leino, Tuija; Baum, Ulrike; Scott, Peter; Ollgren, Jukka; Salo, Heini

2017-10-09

This study aimed to estimate the impact of the national rotavirus (RV) vaccination programme, starting 2009, on the total hospital-treated acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and severe RV disease burden in Finland during the first five years of the programme. This study also evaluated the costs saved in secondary healthcare by the RV vaccination programme. The RV related outcome definitions were based on ICD10 diagnostic codes recorded in the Care Register for Health Care. Incidences of hospitalised and hospital outpatient cases of AGE (A00-A09, R11) and RVGE (A08.0) were compared prior (1999-2005) and after (2010-2014) the start of the programme among children less than five years of age. The reduction in disease burden in 2014, when all children under five years of age have been eligible for RV vaccination, was 92.9% (95%CI: 91.0%-94.5%) in hospitalised RVGE and 68.5% (66.6%-70.3%) in the total hospitalised AGE among children less than five years of age. For the corresponding hospital outpatient cases, there was a reduction of 91.4% (82.4%-96.6%) in the RVGE incidence, but an increase of 6.3% (2.7%-9.9%) in the AGE incidence. The RV vaccination programme prevented 2206 secondary healthcare AGE cases costing €4.5 million annually. As the RV immunisation costs were €2.3 million, the total net savings just in secondary healthcare costs were €2.2 million, i.e. €33 per vaccinated child. The RV vaccination programme clearly controlled the severe, hospital-treated forms of RVGE. The total disease burden is a more valuable end point than mere specifically diagnosed cases as laboratory confirmation practises usually change after vaccine introduction. The RV vaccination programme annually pays for itself at least two times over. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

"Mayan Eyes Have Seen the Glory..." or "Please Don't Squeeze the Shaman!" An Interdisciplinary, Integrated, Thematic Study "Chaac" Full of Culture and "Jaded" History of the Mayan Civilization. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, 2000 (Mexico/Guatemala).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radkey, Tom

This curriculum unit, intended for students in grade 6, covers the Mayas, Mayan history, and ancient civilizations. The unit was developed using Roger Taylor's collaborative team model "Connecting the Curriculum: Using an Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Thematic Approach." The unit addresses multiple intelligences, brain research,…

Neuronal Death Following Soman Intoxication: Necrosis or Apoptosis?

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-01

post-treated with atropine methyl nitrate (AMN) (2.0 mg/kg, IM). HI-6 and AMN were used to decrease the mortality of soman-exposed animals (Shih et...and lithium- pilocarpine (Voutsinos-Porche et al., 2004; Kubova et al., 2002). Our results showed a strong association between the duration of...Fluoro-Jade labelling in the rat hippocampus following pilocarpine -induced status epilepticus. Neuroscience. 97:59-68. Posmantur RM, Kampfl A, Taft WC

Gaining Control of Iraq’s Shadow Economy

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

branches of the Silk Road. For about two thousand years, silk, cotton, wool , glass, jade, lapis lazuli, metals, salt, spices, tea, herbal medicines...facilitated the process of smuggling, while the tribes provided access to their kin in Syria and Jordan. Once sanctions were in full swing, the...pipelines and water mains as well any individuals who participated in the reconstruction process .76 As 74James A Baker III and Lee H Hamilton, The Iraq

Feasibility and indicative results from a 12-month low-energy liquid diet treatment and maintenance programme for severe obesity

PubMed Central

Lean, Michael; Brosnahan, Naomi; McLoone, Philip; McCombie, Louise; Higgs, Anna Bell; Ross, Hazel; Mackenzie, Mhairi; Grieve, Eleanor; Finer, Nick; Reckless, John; Haslam, David; Sloan, Billy; Morrison, David

2013-01-01

Background There is no established primary care solution for the rapidly increasing numbers of severely obese people with body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2. Aim This programme aimed to generate weight losses of ≥15 kg at 12 months, within routine primary care. Design and setting Feasibility study in primary care. Method Patients with a BMI ≥40 kg/m2 commenced a micronutrient-replete 810–833 kcal/day low-energy liquid diet (LELD), delivered in primary care, for a planned 12 weeks or 20 kg weight loss (whichever was the sooner), with structured food reintroduction and then weight-loss maintenance, with optional orlistat to 12 months. Result Of 91 patients (74 females) entering the programme (baseline: weight 131 kg, BMI 48 kg/m2, age 46 years), 58/91(64%) completed the LELD stage, with a mean duration of 14.4 weeks (standard deviation [SD] = 6.0 weeks), and a mean weight loss of 16.9 kg (SD = 6.0 kg). Four patients commenced weight-loss maintenance omitting the food-reintroduction stage. Of the remaining 54, 37(68%) started and completed food reintroduction over a mean duration of 9.3 weeks (SD = 5.7 weeks), with a further mean weight loss of 2.1 kg (SD = 3.7 kg), before starting a long-term low-fat-diet weight-loss maintenance plan. A total of 44/91 (48%) received orlistat at some stage. At 12 months, weight was recorded for 68/91 (75%) patients, with a mean loss of 12.4 kg (SD = 11.4 kg). Of these, 30 (33% of all 91 patients starting the programme) had a documented maintained weight loss of ≥15 kg at 12 months, six (7%) had a 10–15 kg loss, and 11 (12%) had a 5–10 kg loss. The indicative cost of providing this entire programme for wider implementation would be £861 per patient entered, or £2611 per documented 15 kg loss achieved. Conclusion A care package within routine primary care for severe obesity, including LELD, food reintroduction, and weight-loss maintenance, was well accepted and achieved a 12-month-maintained weight loss of ≥15 kg for one-third of all patients entering the programme. PMID:23561690

Feasibility and indicative results from a 12-month low-energy liquid diet treatment and maintenance programme for severe obesity.

PubMed

Lean, Michael; Brosnahan, Naomi; McLoone, Philip; McCombie, Louise; Higgs, Anna Bell; Ross, Hazel; Mackenzie, Mhairi; Grieve, Eleanor; Finer, Nick; Reckless, John; Haslam, David; Sloan, Billy; Morrison, David

2013-02-01

There is no established primary care solution for the rapidly increasing numbers of severely obese people with body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m(2). This programme aimed to generate weight losses of ≥15 kg at 12 months, within routine primary care. Feasibility study in primary care. Patients with a BMI ≥40 kg/m(2) commenced a micronutrient-replete 810-833 kcal/day low-energy liquid diet (LELD), delivered in primary care, for a planned 12 weeks or 20 kg weight loss (whichever was the sooner), with structured food reintroduction and then weight-loss maintenance, with optional orlistat to 12 months. Of 91 patients (74 females) entering the programme (baseline: weight 131 kg, BMI 48 kg/m(2), age 46 years), 58/91(64%) completed the LELD stage, with a mean duration of 14.4 weeks (standard deviation [SD] = 6.0 weeks), and a mean weight loss of 16.9 kg (SD = 6.0 kg). Four patients commenced weight-loss maintenance omitting the food-reintroduction stage. Of the remaining 54, 37(68%) started and completed food reintroduction over a mean duration of 9.3 weeks (SD = 5.7 weeks), with a further mean weight loss of 2.1 kg (SD = 3.7 kg), before starting a long-term low-fat-diet weight-loss maintenance plan. A total of 44/91 (48%) received orlistat at some stage. At 12 months, weight was recorded for 68/91 (75%) patients, with a mean loss of 12.4 kg (SD = 11.4 kg). Of these, 30 (33% of all 91 patients starting the programme) had a documented maintained weight loss of ≥15 kg at 12 months, six (7%) had a 10-15 kg loss, and 11 (12%) had a 5-10 kg loss. The indicative cost of providing this entire programme for wider implementation would be £861 per patient entered, or £2611 per documented 15 kg loss achieved. A care package within routine primary care for severe obesity, including LELD, food reintroduction, and weight-loss maintenance, was well accepted and achieved a 12-month-maintained weight loss of ≥15 kg for one-third of all patients entering the programme.

National and regional asthma programmes in Europe.

PubMed

Selroos, Olof; Kupczyk, Maciej; Kuna, Piotr; Łacwik, Piotr; Bousquet, Jean; Brennan, David; Palkonen, Susanna; Contreras, Javier; FitzGerald, Mark; Hedlin, Gunilla; Johnston, Sebastian L; Louis, Renaud; Metcalf, Leanne; Walker, Samantha; Moreno-Galdó, Antonio; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G; Rosado-Pinto, José; Powell, Pippa; Haahtela, Tari

2015-09-01

This review presents seven national asthma programmes to support the European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership in developing strategies to reduce asthma mortality and morbidity across Europe. From published data it appears that in order to influence asthma care, national/regional asthma programmes are more effective than conventional treatment guidelines. An asthma programme should start with the universal commitments of stakeholders at all levels and the programme has to be endorsed by political and governmental bodies. When the national problems have been identified, the goals of the programme have to be clearly defined with measures to evaluate progress. An action plan has to be developed, including defined re-allocation of patients and existing resources, if necessary, between primary care and specialised healthcare units or hospital centres. Patients should be involved in guided self-management education and structured follow-up in relation to disease severity. The three evaluated programmes show that, thanks to rigorous efforts, it is possible to improve patients' quality of life and reduce hospitalisation, asthma mortality, sick leave and disability pensions. The direct and indirect costs, both for the individual patient and for society, can be significantly reduced. The results can form the basis for development of further programme activities in Europe. Copyright ©ERS 2015.

Using online adverts to increase the uptake of cervical screening amongst “real Eastenders”: an opportunistic controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cervical screening uptake has increased as a result of occurrences of cervical cancer in TV ‘soap operas’ and in real life celebrities such as Jade Goody. Media analysis at the time of Jade Goody’s death suggested the NHS did not take sufficient advantage of this opportunity to improve cervical screening rates. Google AdWords has been used to recruit and raise awareness of health but we were not aware of its use to supplement media events. Methods This was an opportunistic service evaluation to accompany a cervical cancer storyline in Eastenders (a TV ‘soap opera’). We ran an AdWords campaign based on keywords such as ‘Eastenders’, and ‘cervical cancer’ in a one mile radius in East London, linked to one webpage giving details of 10 practices and other links on cervical cancer. We recorded costs of adverts and setting up the webpage. We used routine statistics from Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney, and Newham Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of the number of smears, eligible populations, and coverage by practice by month from September 2010 to January 2012 to compare the ten intervention practices with controls. Results Eight people per day in the target area viewed the project webpage. The cost of setting up the website and running Google AdWords was £1320 or £1.88 per person viewing the webpage. Unlike Jade Goody’s death, there was no major impact from the Eastenders’ storyline on Google searches for cervical cancer. There was considerable monthly variation in the number of smear tests in the 3 PCTs. The AdWords campaign may have had some effect on smear rates but this showed, at best, a marginal statistical difference. Assuming a ‘real’ effect, the intervention may have resulted in 110 ‘extra’ women being screened but there was no change in coverage. Conclusions Although the Eastenders storyline seemed to have no effect on interest in cervical cancer or screening, the AdWords campaign may have had some effect. Given the small scale exploratory nature of the study this was not statistically significant but the relatively modest cost of advertising suggests a larger study may be worthwhile. An outline of a possible study is described. PMID:23531167

Using online adverts to increase the uptake of cervical screening amongst "real Eastenders": an opportunistic controlled trial.

PubMed

Jones, Ray B; Soler-Lopez, Mar; Zahra, Daniel; Shankleman, Judith; Trenchard-Mabere, Esther

2013-03-26

Cervical screening uptake has increased as a result of occurrences of cervical cancer in TV 'soap operas' and in real life celebrities such as Jade Goody. Media analysis at the time of Jade Goody's death suggested the NHS did not take sufficient advantage of this opportunity to improve cervical screening rates. Google AdWords has been used to recruit and raise awareness of health but we were not aware of its use to supplement media events. This was an opportunistic service evaluation to accompany a cervical cancer storyline in Eastenders (a TV 'soap opera'). We ran an AdWords campaign based on keywords such as 'Eastenders', and 'cervical cancer' in a one mile radius in East London, linked to one webpage giving details of 10 practices and other links on cervical cancer. We recorded costs of adverts and setting up the webpage. We used routine statistics from Tower Hamlets, City and Hackney, and Newham Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of the number of smears, eligible populations, and coverage by practice by month from September 2010 to January 2012 to compare the ten intervention practices with controls. Eight people per day in the target area viewed the project webpage. The cost of setting up the website and running Google AdWords was £1320 or £1.88 per person viewing the webpage. Unlike Jade Goody's death, there was no major impact from the Eastenders' storyline on Google searches for cervical cancer. There was considerable monthly variation in the number of smear tests in the 3 PCTs. The AdWords campaign may have had some effect on smear rates but this showed, at best, a marginal statistical difference. Assuming a 'real' effect, the intervention may have resulted in 110 'extra' women being screened but there was no change in coverage. Although the Eastenders storyline seemed to have no effect on interest in cervical cancer or screening, the AdWords campaign may have had some effect. Given the small scale exploratory nature of the study this was not statistically significant but the relatively modest cost of advertising suggests a larger study may be worthwhile. An outline of a possible study is described.

Programmable hydrogels.

PubMed

Wang, Yong

2018-03-05

Programmable hydrogels are defined as hydrogels that are able to change their properties and functions periodically, reversibly and/or sequentially on demand. They are different from those responsive hydrogels whose changes are passive or cannot be stopped or reversed once started and vice versa. The purpose of this review is to summarize major progress in developing programmable hydrogels from the viewpoints of principles, functions and biomedical applications. The principles are first introduced in three categories including biological, chemical and physical stimulation. With the stimulation, programmable hydrogels can undergo functional changes in dimension, mechanical support, cell attachment and molecular sequestration, which are introduced in the middle of this review. The last section is focused on the introduction and discussion of four biomedical applications including mechanistic studies in mechanobiology, tissue engineering, cell separation and protein delivery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introducing a quality improvement programme to primary healthcare teams

PubMed Central

Hearnshaw, H.; Reddish, S.; Carlyle, D.; Baker, R.; Robertson, N.

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a programme in which quality improvement was facilitated, based on principles of total quality management, in primary healthcare teams, and to determine its feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and the duration of its effect. METHOD: Primary healthcare teams in Leicestershire (n = 147) were invited to take part in the facilitated programme. The programme comprised seven team meetings, led by a researcher, plus up to two facilitated meetings of quality improvement subgroups, appointed by each team to consider specific quality issues. OUTCOME MEASURES: To assess the effect and feasibility of the programme on improving the quality of care provided, the individual quality improvement projects undertaken by the teams were documented and opportunities for improvement were noted at each session by the facilitator. The programme's acceptability was assessed with questionnaires issued in the final session to each participant. To assess the long term impact on teams, interviews with team members were conducted 3 years after the programme ended. RESULTS: 10 of the 27 teams that initially expressed interest in the programme agreed to take part, and six started the programme. Of these, five completed their quality improvement projects and used several different quality tools, and three completed all seven sessions of the programme. The programme was assessed as appropriate and acceptable by the participants. Three years later, the changes made during the programme were still in place in three of the six teams. Four teams had decided to undertake the local quality monitoring programme, resourced and supported by the Health Authority. CONCLUSIONS: The facilitated programme was feasible, acceptable, and effective for a few primary healthcare teams. The outcomes of the programme can be sustained. Research is needed on the characteristics of teams likely to be successful in the introduction and maintenance of quality improvement programmes. PMID:10339022

A time series analysis of the rabies control programme in Chile.

PubMed Central

Ernst, S. N.; Fabrega, F.

1989-01-01

The classical time series decomposition method was used to compare the temporal pattern of rabies in Chile before and after the implementation of the control programme. In the years 1950-60, a period without control measures, rabies showed an increasing trend, a seasonal excess of cases in November and December and a cyclic behaviour with outbreaks occurring every 5 years. During 1961-1970 and 1971-86, a 26-year period that includes two different phases of the rabies programme which started in 1961, there was a general decline in the incidence of rabies. The seasonality disappeared when the disease reached a low frequency level and the cyclical component was not evident. PMID:2606167

The Night Sky, The Forgotten Nature: Uncovering the Impact of One Television Programme on Astronomy Communication in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazemi, P.

2017-09-01

In 2001, two brothers known as the Saffarianpour brothers started a television programme on Iranian state television called Aseman-e-shab (The Night Sky). The programme, which explores astronomy and space science, became one of the longest-running television shows in the history of Iranian television and played a major role in the public communication of science and astronomy. It inspired many of the next generation of Iranian scientists and astronomers and played a key role in the advancement of science journalism and science communication in Iranian media. This article outlines a brief history of the show and its producer and describes the role they played in Iranian society.

Elasto-Capillary Folding Using Stop-Programmable Hinges Fabricated by 3D Micro-Machining

PubMed Central

Legrain, Antoine; Berenschot, Erwin J. W.; Tas, Niels R.; Abelmann, Leon

2015-01-01

We show elasto-capillary folding of silicon nitride objects with accurate folding angles between flaps of (70.6 ± 0.1)° and demonstrate the feasibility of such accurate micro-assembly with a final folding angle of 90°. The folding angle is defined by stop-programmable hinges that are fabricated starting from silicon molds employing accurate three-dimensional corner lithography. This nano-patterning method exploits the conformal deposition and the subsequent timed isotropic etching of a thin film in a 3D shaped silicon template. The technique leaves a residue of the thin film in sharp concave corners which can be used as an inversion mask in subsequent steps. Hinges designed to stop the folding at 70.6° were fabricated batchwise by machining the V-grooves obtained by KOH etching in (110) silicon wafers; 90° stop-programmable hinges were obtained starting from silicon molds obtained by dry etching on (100) wafers. The presented technique has potential to achieve any folding angle and opens a new route towards creating structures with increased complexity, which will ultimately lead to a novel method for device fabrication. PMID:25992886

Teaching and learning about chronic conditions management for undergraduate medical students: utilizing the patient-as-teacher approach.

PubMed

McKinlay, E; McBain, L; Gray, B

2009-09-01

This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact on medical student learning of a revised chronic conditions teaching programme based on the chronic care model utilizing patients-as-teachers. A qualitative questionnaire was completed by students at the start of a primary healthcare rotation to determine existing impressions/understandings about chronic conditions. Following the revised teaching programme, a reflective essay about a home-visit to a person with chronic conditions was completed by students at the end of the rotation. Analysis of the questionnaire at the start of the rotation showed students have some knowledge of the differences between acute and chronic care, have rather negative impressions of what it means to have chronic conditions and know little of overall patient management including the work of an interdisciplinary team. Analysis of the reflective essays completed by students at the end of the rotation showed an increased understanding of chronic conditions, what it means to have a chronic condition and who supports management. A structured chronic conditions teaching programme including patient-as-teacher is an effective way of building knowledge and changing students' impressions of what it means to have a chronic condition.

European Conference: "Training for Start-Ups: Existing Programmes and Policies in the Twelve Member States of the EC" (Madrid, Spain, October 24-25, 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melis, Africa

This document provides a summary of the proceedings of a conference on business start-ups and creation in the 12 member states of the European Community (EC). Section I discusses the current relevance of the issue. Major topics are the explosion of interest in business creation as a means of creating more stable employment and political concern…

Can health indicators and psychosocial characteristics predict attrition in youths with overweight and obesity seeking ambulatory treatment? Data from a retrospective longitudinal study in a paediatric clinic in Luxembourg.

PubMed

Pit-Ten Cate, Ineke M; Samouda, Hanen; Schierloh, Ulrike; Jacobs, Julien; Vervier, Jean Francois; Stranges, Saverio; Lair, Marie Lise; Beaufort, Carine de

2017-09-03

The current study aimed to identify factors that could predict attrition in youths starting ambulatory treatment to control or lose weight. Retrospective longitudinal study. Paediatric clinic: ambulatory treatment programme. A youth sample (n=191; 89 boys; aged 7-17 years) completed measures of demographic characteristics, and health and psychosocial traits before starting an ambulatory weight management programme. Anthropometric and biological markers related to obesity were also obtained. Tests of mean differences and regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between these variables and attrition after 1 year. The χ 2 and t test results showed both psychosocial and health indicators differentiated between participants who continued attending the treatment programme and those who dropped out. More specifically, youths that dropped out of treatment were significantly older, had higher body mass index z scores, higher levels of insulin, triglycerides and HOMA-IR, reported poorer health, had more conduct problems and were more dissatisfied with themselves and their bodies before starting treatment. Results of regression analyses revealed that weight status (anthropometric and biological markers), age and body dissatisfaction predicted attrition (overall prediction success 73%; prediction success for continued attendance 90/91%; prediction success for dropouts 42/44%). Attrition, but especially the continued attendance in treatment, can be successfully predicted by age, weight status and body dissatisfaction. For patients who present with one or more risk factors, careful consideration is needed to decide which (combination of) inpatient or outpatient programme may facilitate prolonged engagement of the patient and hence may be most effective in establishing weight loss. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Effects of the Anger Coping Programme based on cognitive behavioural techniques on adolescents' anger, aggression and psychological symptoms.

PubMed

Avci, Dilek; Kelleci, Meral

2016-04-01

This study aimed to determine the effects of an Anger Coping Programme based on cognitive behavioural techniques on adolescents' anger, aggression and psychological symptoms. In this randomized controlled experimental study, 385 ninth-year high school students in Turkey were administered the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, the Aggression Scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory in 2011-2012. Of the 385 students, 62 who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups by gender and the scores they obtained from the scales. The students in the experimental group met 1 day a week for 1.5 h, and the study lasted 10 weeks. The scales were administered three times: before the programme was started, immediately after the programme was completed and 6 weeks later. The Anger Coping Programme was effective at reducing students' anger and aggression levels, and a range of psychological symptoms except for somatization. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Parent-delivered compensatory education for children at risk of educational failure: Improving the academic and self-regulatory skills of a Sure Start preschool sample.

PubMed

Ford, Ruth M; McDougall, Sine J P; Evans, Daphne

2009-11-01

Thirty preschoolers from low-income families participated in a 12-month intervention programme, funded by Sure Start, which engaged them in scaffolded educational activities delivered at home by their mothers. Immediately following the programme, the intervention group outperformed matched controls in tests of academic knowledge, receptive vocabulary, and inhibitory control, but not short-term memory or theory of mind. Teachers' ratings of children's capabilities upon school entry favoured the intervention group, especially in terms of listening, responding, writing, mathematics, and personal/social skills. Superior inhibitory control, short-term memory, and numerical skills were associated with higher ratings whereas theory of mind made a unique, negative contribution to responding. We discuss the implications of these findings for efforts to nurture the development of cognitive self-regulation and school readiness during early childhood.

Physical therapy as a profession and its educational development in Pakistan.

PubMed

Memon, Aamir Raoof; Sahibzada, Nasir Mansoor; Azim, Muhammad Ehab; Siddiqui, Furqan Ahmed

2016-11-01

Physical therapists work in different medical and related settings and serve to maintain and restore functional capability. Pakistan has a disability rate of 2.65% with a total of around 5.035 million disabled people. Physical therapy as a profession started in 1956 at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre with a 2-year diploma, later on 4 years bachelors programme was also started. In 2008, doctor of physical therapy programme was initiated. The representative body "Pakistan Physical Therapy Association" was also established in 2008 which then joined the World Confederation for Physical Therapy in 2011. There is plenty of work being done in the field and it has seen a rapid growth in the past decade compared to the last 50 years. Currently, there are 69 institutions in Pakistan offering various physical therapy courses. The profession currently requires an autonomous regulatory body to control its educational curriculum and development as well as safeguard its interests.

Antibiotics Smart Use: a workable model for promoting the rational use of medicines in Thailand.

PubMed

Sumpradit, Nithima; Chongtrakul, Pisonthi; Anuwong, Kunyada; Pumtong, Somying; Kongsomboon, Kedsenee; Butdeemee, Parichart; Khonglormyati, Jurairat; Chomyong, Santi; Tongyoung, Parnuchote; Losiriwat, Suraphol; Seesuk, Piyanooch; Suwanwaree, Pongthep; Tangcharoensathien, Viroj

2012-12-01

The Antibiotics Smart Use (ASU) programme was introduced in Thailand as a model to promote the rational use of medicines, starting with antibiotics. The programme's first phase consisted of assessing interventions intended to change prescribing practices; the second phase examined the feasibility of programme scale-up. Currently the programme is in its third phase, which centres on sustainability. This paper describes the concept behind ASU, the programme's functional modalities, the development of its conceptual framework and the implementation of its first and second phases. To change antibiotic prescription practices, multifaceted interventions at the individual and organizational levels were implemented; to maintain behaviour change and scale up the programme, interventions at the network and policy levels were used. The National Health Security Office has adopted ASU as a pay-for-performance criterion, a major achievement that has led to the programme's expansion nationwide. Despite limited resources, programme scale-up and sustainability have been facilitated by the promotion of local ownership and mutual recognition, which have generated pride and commitment. ASU is clearly a workable entry point for efforts to rationalize the use of medicines in Thailand. Its long-term sustainability will require continued local commitment and political support, effective auditing and integration of ASU into routine systems with appropriate financial incentives.

Effects of a museum-based social prescription intervention on quantitative measures of psychological wellbeing in older adults.

PubMed

Thomson, Linda J; Lockyer, Bridget; Camic, Paul M; Chatterjee, Helen J

2018-01-01

To assess psychological wellbeing in a novel social prescription intervention for older adults called Museums on Prescription and to explore the extent of change over time in six self-rated emotions ('absorbed', 'active', 'cheerful', 'encouraged', 'enlightened' and 'inspired'). Participants ( n = 115) aged 65-94 years were referred to museum-based programmes comprising 10 weekly sessions, by healthcare and third sector organisations using inclusion criteria (e.g. socially isolated, able to give informed consent, not in employment, not regularly attending social or cultural activities) and exclusion criteria (e.g. unable to travel to the museum, unable to function in a group situation, unlikely to be able to attend all sessions, unable to take part in interviews and complete questionnaires). In a within-participants' design, the Museum Wellbeing Measure for Older Adults (MWM-OA) was administered pre-post session at start-, mid- and end-programme. A total of 12 programmes, facilitated by museum staff and volunteers, were conducted in seven museums in central London and across Kent. In addition to the quantitative measures, participants, carers where present, museum staff and researchers kept weekly diaries following guideline questions and took part in end-programme in-depth interviews. Multivariate analyses of variance showed significant participant improvements in all six MWM-OA emotions, pre-post session at start-, mid- and end-programme. Two emotions, 'absorbed' and 'enlightened', increased pre-post session disproportionately to the others; 'cheerful' attained the highest pre-post session scores whereas 'active' was consistently lowest. Museums can be instrumental in offering museum-based programmes for older adults to improve psychological wellbeing over time. Participants in the study experienced a sense of privilege, valued the opportunity to liaise with curators, visit parts of the museum closed to the public and handle objects normally behind glass. Participants appreciated opportunities afforded by creative and co-productive activities to acquire learning and skills, and get to know new people in a different context.

Sensory stimulation programme to improve recovery in comatose patients.

PubMed

Oh, Hyunsoo; Seo, Whasook

2003-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether positive changes in consciousness level after applying a sensory stimulation programme exceed natural recovery. A single experimental group interrupted time series design was used. Subjects were brain-injured patients who were hospitalized at a university hospital in South Korea. The sensory stimulation programme was composed of auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile and physical stimulation. Levels of consciousness were evaluated using the Glasgow Coma Scale. The intervention was carried out twice, first for 4 weeks, then a recession period was allowed for 4 weeks, and immediately after this the second intervention was implemented for 4 weeks. Results showed significant alterations in consciousness levels 2 weeks after starting intervention 1. This effect increased gradually and was maintained for 3-4 weeks. However, consciousness levels began to decrease 2 weeks after terminating intervention 1 and this decrement continued until starting intervention 2. The pattern of improvement of intervention 1 could be represented as a gradual onset and temporary duration model. At the beginning of intervention 2, consciousness levels were maintained at a low level. However, they began to increase again after 2 weeks and this increment continued even after terminating intervention 2. Therefore, the effect of intervention 2 could be represented as a gradual onset and permanent duration model. These results suggest that an intervention programme should be applied for more than 1 month to achieve a permanent effect on consciousness levels and that at least 2 weeks are required for any significant effect.

Maintenance of tobacco cessation programmes in public hospitals in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Ballbè, Montse; Martínez, Cristina; Saltó, Esteve; Cabezas, Carmen; Riccobene, Anna; Valverde, Araceli; Gual, Antoni; Fernández, Esteve

2015-03-01

The provision of smoking cessation interventions in hospitals has been strongly recommended. The aim of this study is to determine the maintenance of smoking cessation programmes for inpatients and hospital workers in hospitals of Catalonia (Spain) seven years after the implementation of a Tobacco Cessation Programme. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in all hospitals that offer public service in Catalonia, Spain (n=73). An online questionnaire was sent to all coordinators of the smoke-free hospital project or managers of each hospital. The survey included questions about the type of hospital, type of programmes implemented and availability and source of smoking cessation drugs. Responses to the questionnaire were submitted by 58 hospitals (79.5%). 74% and 93.1% of the hospitals had smoking cessation programmes for inpatients and workers, respectively. Most of the hospitals maintained the programmes and started routinely buying smoking cessation drugs after a period of receiving them free-of-charge. However, 17.2% of the hospitals refused to buy these drugs and 24% never had these drugs available. Through a supportive Tobacco Cessation Programme, most hospitals have smoking cessation programmes for both patients and workers. Most of them have incorporated smoking cessation drugs as a regular resource in their services' portfolio. The lack of these resources may jeopardise the maintenance of well-established programmes in hospitals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple-Valued Programmable Logic Array Minimization by Simulated Annealing

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-02-10

time is controllable, allowing one to tradeoff time for minimalit ’. It has been incorporated in the HAMLET PLA minimization tool. AcOSSIOn P? DTTC TAB C...specified along the horizontal axis. Each slice represents one temperature. The slice in the very front represents the highest and starting ...rectangle with a pair of adjacent 2’s in between. This func- tion can yield five product terms by a sequence of reshape moves starting from four

Mineral resource of the month: gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, Donald W.

2008-01-01

Humans have been intrigued by gemstones since prehistoric times. Gemstones have been valued as treasured objects throughout history by all societies in all parts of the world. The first stones known to have been used for making jewelry include amber, amethyst, coral, diamond, emerald, garnet, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, pearl, rock crystal, ruby, serpentine and turquoise. These stones served as status symbols for the wealthy. Today, arguably, gems are worn more for pleasure and in appreciation of their beauty than to demonstrate wealth.

Operations Praetorian, Phalanx, Fusileer, and Grenadier, Events HURON LANDING/DIAMOND ACE, MINI JADE, TOMME/MIDNIGHT ZEPHYR, MIDAS MYTH/MILAGRO and MISTY RAIN

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-01

General requirements and standards governing safety were based on the FCTC "Safety and Health Compliance Guide for Underground and Nuclear Effects Tests...Defense (DOD)-sponsored underground nuclear tests were conducted from 23 September 1982 through 6 April 1985 to study weapons effects . All six were...weapons- related or effects purposes, and 33 were safety experiments. An additional 24 nuclear experiments were conducted from December 1954 to February

Ten years of stroke programmes in Poland: where did we start? Where did we get to?

PubMed

Członkowska, Anna; Niewada, Maciej; Sarzyñska-Długosz, Iwona; Kobayashi, Adam; Skowroñska, Marta

2010-10-01

Risk factors and a high stroke mortality rate are a heavy stroke burden on Central and Eastern European countries. The 1995 Helsingborg Declaration outlined the aim of the coming decade was to improve patient care. In Poland it led to the foundation of the National Stroke Prevention and Treatment Programme, (1998-2008) which later became part of the National Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment Programme. • Improve acute and postacute management • Implement innovative therapies • Develop poststroke rehabilitation, and • Monitor epidemiology. Establishing and equipping stroke units has raised their number from three to 111. Thrombolysis for stroke and carotid angioplasty and stenting procedures were supported and supervised. The needs in poststroke rehabilitation were assessed and services have improved due to the support of the programme. Continuous monitoring of patient care proved that the mortality and disability rates have decreased and the quality of treatment has improved.

Preliminary Analysis of the Social and Scientific Impact of the UAEM-ININ M.Sc. and D.Sc. Graduate Programme in Medical Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsoura, Eleni; Isaac-Olive, Keila; Torres-Garcia, Eugenio; Camacho-Lopez, Miguel Angel; Hardy-Perez, Alberto

2010-12-01

Sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1994, the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) started in Mexico a teaching and training programme (Diplomado) in Radiotherapy Medical Physics. Based on this experience, the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) and the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) launched two years later, the first Graduate Programme in Science (M.Sc. and D.Sc.), specialised in Medical Physics in Mexico. A preliminary analysis of the social and scientific impact of the UAEM-ININ Programme is presented in this work based on the achievements attained, regarding the number of graduated Medical Physicists, their geographic and academic origin, their current professional activities and the number of scientific publications produced as a result of the thesis, as well as their citations.

Coverage of Community-Based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition Programmes in Twenty-One Countries, 2012-2013

PubMed Central

Rogers, Eleanor; Myatt, Mark; Woodhead, Sophie; Guerrero, Saul; Alvarez, Jose Luis

2015-01-01

Objective This paper reviews coverage data from programmes treating severe acute malnutrition (SAM) collected between July 2012 and June 2013. Design This is a descriptive study of coverage levels and barriers to coverage collected by coverage assessments of community-based SAM treatment programmes in 21 countries that were supported by the Coverage Monitoring Network. Data from 44 coverage assessments are reviewed. Setting These assessments analyse malnourished populations from 6 to 59 months old to understand the accessibility and coverage of services for treatment of acute malnutrition. The majority of assessments are from sub-Saharan Africa. Results Most of the programmes (33 of 44) failed to meet context-specific internationally agreed minimum standards for coverage. The mean level of estimated coverage achieved by the programmes in this analysis was 38.3%. The most frequently reported barriers to access were lack of awareness of malnutrition, lack of awareness of the programme, high opportunity costs, inter-programme interface problems, and previous rejection. Conclusions This study shows that coverage of CMAM is lower than previous analyses of early CTC programmes; therefore reducing programme impact. Barriers to access need to be addressed in order to start improving coverage by paying greater attention to certain activities such as community sensitisation. As barriers are interconnected focusing on specific activities, such as decentralising services to satellite sites, is likely to increase significantly utilisation of nutrition services. Programmes need to ensure that barriers are continuously monitored to ensure timely removal and increased coverage. PMID:26042827

Bringing cancer care to the poor: experiences from Rwanda.

PubMed

Shulman, Lawrence N; Mpunga, Tharcisse; Tapela, Neo; Wagner, Claire M; Fadelu, Temidayo; Binagwaho, Agnes

2014-12-01

The knowledge and tools to cure many cancer patients exist in developed countries but are unavailable to many who live in the developing world, resulting in unnecessary loss of life. Bringing cancer care to the poor, particularly to low-income countries, is a great challenge, but it is one that we believe can be met through partnerships, careful planning and a set of guiding principles. Alongside vaccinations, screening and other cancer-prevention efforts, treatment must be a central component of any cancer programme from the start. It is also critical that these programmes include implementation research to determine programmatic efficacy, where gaps in care still exist and where improvements can be made. This article discusses these issues using the example of Rwanda's expanding national cancer programme.

A basic technology-aided programme for leisure and communication of persons with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: performance and social rating.

PubMed

Lancioni, Giulio E; Singh, Nirbhay N; O'Reilly, Mark F; Sigafoos, Jeff; D'Amico, Fiora; Ferlisi, Gabriele; Zullo, Valeria; Denitto, Floriana; Lauta, Enrico; Abbinante, Crescenza; Pesce, Caterina V

2017-02-01

This study assessed (a) the impact of a technology-aided programme on the leisure and communication engagement of persons with advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and (b) the opinion of rehabilitation and care personnel regarding the programme. The programme's impact was assessed with four participants who were allowed to activate leisure and communication options through basic responses (e.g. knee, finger or lip movements) and microswitches. Forty-two care and health professionals rated the programme after watching video clips of persons with ALS (three of the four involved in this study and three involved in previous studies) during and outside of the programme. The programme was effective with all participants. Their mean percentages of session time with independently initiated leisure and communication engagements were zero during baseline and increased to between nearly 70 and 80 during the intervention. The care and health professionals rated the technology-aided programme as beneficial for the participants' positive engagement and social image, fairly practical for daily contexts and interesting from a personal standpoint. The programme might be viewed as a viable resource for persons with advanced ALS. Implications for Rehabilitation A programme characterised by versatility, simplicity and relatively low cost could be considered practically relevant for persons with ALS and their contexts. A programme that is effective in fostering participants' independent leisure and communication engagement and is positively rated by care and rehabilitation personnel is more likely to be accepted and used with consistency. Any programme directed at persons affected by ALS needs to be adapted to the persons' progressive deterioration, starting from the response and microswitch used for accessing the programme's options.

Programmable DNA switches and their applications.

PubMed

Harroun, Scott G; Prévost-Tremblay, Carl; Lauzon, Dominic; Desrosiers, Arnaud; Wang, Xiaomeng; Pedro, Liliana; Vallée-Bélisle, Alexis

2018-03-08

DNA switches are ideally suited for numerous nanotechnological applications, and increasing efforts are being directed toward their engineering. In this review, we discuss how to engineer these switches starting from the selection of a specific DNA-based recognition element, to its adaptation and optimisation into a switch, with applications ranging from sensing to drug delivery, smart materials, molecular transporters, logic gates and others. We provide many examples showcasing their high programmability and recent advances towards their real life applications. We conclude with a short perspective on this exciting emerging field.

[Participant structure and economic benefit of prevention bonus programmes in company health insurance funds].

PubMed

Friedrichs, M; Friedel, H; Bödeker, W

2009-10-01

This study investigates differences in sex, age, and educational level between participants and non-participants of prevention bonus programmes. The differences in the utilisation of drugs, hospital care, and sickness absence before the start of the programmes between these groups are also shown. Finally the economic benefit of the health insurance funds attributed to these programmes is estimated. Data from some 5.2 million insured subjects of 74 company health insurance funds in Germany were linked to information on enrollment into a prevention bonus programme anonymously. In a descriptive analysis the differences in the sociodemographic patterns between both groups are shown as well as the differences in costs to the health insurances in the three sectors mentioned above. The benefit to the health insurance funds is estimated by means of an analysis of covariance. Prevention bonus programmes yields an annual benefit of at least 129 euro per participant. Men aged 40 and older and women aged 30 and older are more likely to opt into such a programme. The same is true for persons with a higher educational level. There are only few differences in health-care utilisation between the participants and non-participants of the programmes before enrollment. Only 1.4% of all insured persons participated in the programmes. There is at least a short-term gain to both involved parties: the insured and the health insurance funds. The programmes are not dominated by deadweight effects. Long-term effects and effectiveness of prevention bonus programmes still have to be investigated. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.

'I was in control of it from the start': A qualitative study of men's experiences of positive adjustment following a heart attack.

PubMed

Smith, Fran; Banwell, Elizabeth; Rakhit, Roby

2017-09-01

A qualitative design was used to explore the experience of positive adjustment following a heart attack. Ten men attending a cardiac rehabilitation programme completed in-depth semi-structured interviews. An overarching theme: 'I was in control of it from the start' emerged with six subthemes, relating to intrapersonal and interpersonal factors and processes. The subthemes reflected the importance of identifying controllable versus non-controllable factors and employing adaptive coping strategies.

The influence of gate start position on physical performance and anxiety perception in expert BMX athletes.

PubMed

Di Rienzo, Franck; Martinent, Guillaume; Levêque, Lucie; MacIntyre, Tadhg; Collet, Christian; Guillot, Aymeric

2018-02-01

The critical importance of the start phase in bicycle motocross (BMX) racing is increasingly acknowledged. Past experiments underlined that the internal lane of the starting gate provides a strong positional advantage. However, how lane position affects start performance and cognitive and somatic state anxiety remains unexplored. We examined the start performance and anxiety responses of youth national-level BMX riders in both experimental and ecological contexts. We used contextualization motor imagery routines to evaluate start performance and state anxiety from the internal and external lanes. Cycle ergometer measures revealed a better start performance from the external lane, but we did not record any lane effect on actual gate start times. Both somatic and cognitive anxiety scores were higher before racing from the internal compared to the external lane. Finally, state anxiety (i.e., somatic anxiety, worry and concentration disruptions) negatively predicted the start performance. Present findings provide original insights on psychological factors involved in BMX start performance, and might contribute to fruitful coping interventions and training programmes in sports overlapping the framework of "handicap races" taking the specific form of positional advantages/disadvantages at the start (e.g., ski/snowboard cross, athletics, swimming, motorsports, etc.).

Translating the family medicine vision into educational programmes in Singapore.

PubMed

Wong, Teck Yee; Cheong, Seng Kwing; Koh, Gerald Ch; Goh, Lee Gan

2008-05-01

The core of the Family Medicine (FM) vision is patient-centred care, requiring specific education and vocational training. We traced how FM education started and what have been achieved. FM training began in 1971 with the formation of the College of General Practitioners Singapore. Previously, training consisted of self-directed learning, lunchtime talks and examination preparation courses run by hospital specialists. Formal FM vocational training programmes in the United Kingdom and Australia provided the model for a 3-year programme in 1988. The tripartite relationship between the local university, College of Family Physicians and Ministry of Health, together with a structured training programme, contributed to its success. To date, more than 240 Family Physicians in Singapore have been awarded the Masters in Medicine (FM) degree. The Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine programme (GDFM) was introduced in 2000 for Family Physicians who wished to practice at an enhanced level. This programme has trained 194 doctors since then. Behind the scenes, the following were important developments: counterculture with a difference, tripartite stake-holding, training the trainers and learning from others. For the FM undergraduate programme, our aim is to develop the knowledge base, core values and roles of the Family Physician. Sustaining the value of Family Medicine as a career choice is the enduring vision.

An obstetrics and gynaecology graduate residency programme in Venezuela.

PubMed Central

Faneite, P.

1998-01-01

We present our experience on the design and development of a gynaecology and obstetrics graduate residency programme, developed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Dr Adolfo Prince Lara Hospital, Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, in which medical specialists and residents participate synergistically. From January to September 1993, curricular activities were planned and students selected. The programme started in October 1993, with six residents for a three-year programme. Courses were given by medical specialists from the Department. In addition to a Programme Coordinator, there is also a Residents' Coordinator, appointed for a two-month term of office; specific functions were assigned for residents occupying this position. All the programmed activities for three years were accomplished, including lectures and rotations, with an important record of surgical interventions. In our grade system, residents got an average of 18 over a maximum of 20 points. Residents also participated as speakers in workshops, special courses and national medicinal meetings, in which they presented a total of nine papers. Activities were evaluated bimonthly in meetings with students and each semester by the Graduate Committee. The first class graduated in September 1996. Results suggest that resident participation in graduate programmes is an important part of their education. PMID:9538482

Implementation of The World Starts With Me, a comprehensive rights-based sex education programme in Uganda.

PubMed

Rijsdijk, Liesbeth E; Bos, Arjan E R; Lie, Rico; Leerlooijer, Joanne N; Eiling, Ellen; Atema, Vera; Gebhardt, Winifred A; Ruiter, Robert A C

2014-04-01

This article presents a process evaluation of the implementation of the sex education programme the World Starts With Me (WSWM) for secondary school students in Uganda. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine factors associated with dose delivered (number of lessons implemented) and fidelity of implementation (implementation according to the manual), as well as to identify the main barriers and facilitators of implementation. Teachers' confidence in teaching WSWM was negatively associated with dose delivered. Confidence in educating and discussing sexuality issues in class was positively associated with fidelity of implementation, whereas the importance teachers attached to open sex education showed a negative association with fidelity. Main barriers for implementing WSWM were lack of time, unavailability of computers, lack of student manuals and lack of financial support and rewards. Other barriers for successful implementation were related to high turnover of staff and insufficient training and guidance of teachers. Teachers' beliefs/attitudes towards sexuality of adolescents, condom use and sex education were found to be important socio-cognitive factors intervening with full fidelity of implementation. These findings can be used to improve the intervention implementation and to better plan for large-scale dissemination of school-based sex education programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Financing intersectoral health promotion programmes: some reasons why collaborators are collaborating as indicated by cost-effectiveness analyses.

PubMed

Johansson, Pia; Tillgren, Per

2011-03-01

Intersectoral collaboration is an important part of many health promotion programmes. The reasons for the local organisations to collaborate, i.e. to finance programmes, are presumably based on benefits they derive from the collaboration. The aim of this study is to discuss whether subsector financial analyses based on data from cost-effectiveness analyses reflect incentives of collaborating organisations in two intersectoral health promotion programmes. Within economics, financial incentives are important reasons for actions. The financial incentives of collaborators are exemplified with two subsector financial analyses containing avoided disease-related costs as estimated in two cost-effectiveness analyses, on an elderly safety promotion programme (Safe Seniors in Sundbyberg) and on a diabetes prevention programme (Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Program, SDPP) from Stockholm, Sweden. The subsector financial analyses indicate that there are financial incentives for the key local community organisation, i.e. the local authority, to collaborate in one of the programmes but not the other. There are no financial benefits for other important community organisations, such as non-governmental organisations. The reasons for collaborating organisations to collaborate within intersectoral health promotion programmes extend beyond financial benefits from averted disease. Thus, the reported subsector financial analyses are only partial reflections of the incentives of collaborators, but they might be used as a starting point for discussions on cost sharing among potential intersectoral collaborators.

[Appropriate dust control measures for jade carving operations].

PubMed

Liu, Jiang; Wang, Qiushui; Liu, Guangquan

2002-12-01

To provide the appropriate dust control measures for jade carving operations. Dust concentrations in the workplace were measured according to GB/T 5748-85. Ventilation system of dust control were measured according to GB/T 16157-1996. Dust particle size distributions for different sources and particle size fraction collecting efficiencies of the dust collectors were measured with WY-1 in-stack 7 stage cascade impactors. On the basis of adopting wet process in the carving operations, local exhaust ventilation system for dust control was installed, which included: the special designed slot exhaust hoods with hood face velocity of 2.5 m/s and exhaust volume of 600 m3/h. The pipe sizes were determined according to the air volume passing through the pipe and the reasonable air velocities. Impinging scrubber or bag filter dust collector were selected to treat the dust laden air from the local exhaust ventilation system, which gave a total collecting efficiency of 97% for impinging scrubber and 98% for bag filter; The type of fan and its size were selected according to the total air volume of the ventilation system and maximum total pressure needed for the longest pipe line plus the pressure drop of the dust collector. Practical application showed that, after installation and use of the appropriate dust control measures, the dust concentrations in the workplaces could meet or nearly meet the national hygienic standard and the dust laden air at the local exhaust ventilation system could meet the national emission standard.

Quercetin reverses hypobaric hypoxia-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration and improves memory function in the rat.

PubMed

Prasad, Jyotsna; Baitharu, Iswar; Sharma, Alpesh Kumar; Dutta, Ruma; Prasad, Dipti; Singh, Shashi Bala

2013-12-01

Inadequate oxygen availability at high altitude causes elevated oxidative stress, resulting in hippocampal neurodegeneration and memory impairment. Though oxidative stress is known to be a major cause of neurodegeneration in hypobaric hypoxia, neuroprotective and ameliorative potential of quercetin, a flavonoid with strong antioxidant properties in reversing hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment has not been studied. Four groups of male adult Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for 7 days in an animal decompression chamber at an altitude of 7600 meters. Rats were supplemented with quercetin orally by gavage during 7 days of hypoxic exposure. Spatial working memory was assessed by a Morris Water Maze before and after exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Changes in oxidative stress markers and apoptotic marker caspase 3 expression in hippocampus were assessed. Histological assessment of neurodegeneration was performed by cresyl violet and fluoro Jade B staining. Our results showed that quercetin supplementation during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia decreased reactive oxygen species levels and consequent lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus by elevating antioxidant status and free radical scavenging enzyme system. There was reduction in caspase 3 expression, and decrease in the number of pyknotic and fluoro Jade B-positive neurons in hippocampus after quercetin supplementation during hypoxic exposure. Behavioral studies showed that quercetin reversed the hypobaric hypoxia-induced memory impairment. These findings suggest that quercetin provides neuroprotection to hippocampal neurons during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia through antioxidative and anti-apoptotic mechanisms, and possesses promising therapeutic potential to ameliorate hypoxia-induced memory dysfunction.

Key and Driving Requirements for the Juno Payload of Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodge, Randy; Boyles, Mark A.; Rasbach, Chuck E.

2007-01-01

The Juno Mission was selected in the summer of 2005 via NASA's New Frontiers competitive AO process (refer to http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jun/HQ_05138_New_Frontiers_2.html). The Juno project is led by a Principle Investigator based at Southwest Research Institute [SwRI] in San Antonio, Texas, with project management based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL] in Pasadena, California, while the Spacecraft design and Flight System Integration are under contract to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company [LM-SSC] in Denver, Colorado. the payload suite consists of a large number of instruments covering a wide spectrum of experimentation. The science team includes a lead Co-investigator for each one of the following experiments: A Magnetometer experiment (consisting of both a FluxGate Magnetometer (FGM) built at Goddard Space Flight Center GSFC] and a Scalar Helium Magnetometer (SHM) built at JPL, a MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) also built at JPL, a Gravity Science experiment (GS) implemented via the telecom subsystem, two complementary particle instruments (Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment, JADE developed by SwRI and Juno Energetic-particle Detector Instrument, JEDI from the Applied Physics Lab (APL)--JEDI and JADE both measure electrons and ions), an Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) also developed at SwRI, and a radio and plasma (WAVES) experiment (from the University of Iowa). In addition, a visible camera (JunoCam) is included in the payload to facilitate education and public outreach (designed & fabricated by Malin Space Science Systems [MSSS]).

Organisation of Management Development Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markwell, D. S.; Roberts, T. J.

The purpose of this book is to provide practical guidelines for planning and implementing management development activities. In Part 1 Markwell establishes the framework for designing and organizing management development programs. The section covers the following topics: Practical Starting-Point for Management Development, Establishing Management…

Training Programmes as Incubators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erikson, Truls; Gjellan, Are

2003-01-01

A European technological university conducts quarterly incubator programs in which teams develop ideas into viable business plans. Analysis indicates that 57 of 102 ideas resulted in successful technology-based businesses and more than 400 students received hands-on experience in business start-up. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

How long does it take to become fit?

PubMed Central

Pearn, J

1980-01-01

To become fit an individual must generate optimal muscle strength and must develop cardiopulmonary reserve, or stamina. Physical fitness programmes require motivation, a graded series of appropriately designed exercises, and scientific surveillance. Motivation and efficiency in fitness programmes depends on early positive feedback to participants, confirming that stamina and strength are developing. A practical field experiment was performed to determine the minimum time that healthy young adults require to reach an initial plateau in objective measures of fitness. Fifty male university undergraduates were studied during an annual volunteer military training camp. Thirty had volunteered to take part in the fitness programme; the remaining 20 had initially rejected the offer but underwent the programme as part of their military training and acted as unmotivated controls. All the subjects became fit within 14 days of starting training, with objective improvement in both absolute strength and pulse recovery times. Non-motivated individuals, training with motivated individuals for 20 minutes each day, can therefore achieve levels of fitness indistinguishable from those of healthy highly motivated subjects. Fitness programmes must be carefully supervised, however, with medical examinations for those about to undergo vigorous exercise. PMID:7437862

An evaluation of the critical care assistant role within an acute NHS Trust Critical Care Unit.

PubMed

McGloin, Sarah; Knowles, Judie

2005-01-01

This study provides an evaluation of a training programme designed for developing six critical care assistants to work alongside registered nurses to care for patients within the critical care environment. The programme was run as a pilot funded from the Department of Health's 'critical care bid'. At 18 months long, the programme incorporated a foundation programme, and National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 in care and adapted Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) NVQ units. Six critical care assistants successfully completed the programme; however, they all then left the unit to undertake further study for pre-registration nursing qualifications. Upon evaluation, a number of key issues were identified. Clear definition of the critical care assistants's role is essential as are dedicated practice development staff, who focus purely on developing the critical care assistant role. More importantly, however, with such key changes in the staffing structure within critical care units, appropriate change management techniques should be employed, ensuring that all staff contributing to the training and development are fully involved from the start.

Does community-wide chronic kidney disease management improve patient outcomes?

PubMed

Rayner, Hugh C; Baharani, Jyoti; Dasgupta, Indranil; Suresh, Vijayan; Temple, Robert M; Thomas, Mark E; Smith, Steve A

2014-03-01

The number of patients starting renal replacement therapy (RRT) is increasing in England, as it is worldwide. Improvements in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) across communities to alter this trend are a public health priority. We have prospectively studied changes in the incidence and modality of treatment for end-stage renal disease following the introduction of a CKD management programme in the West Midlands region of England. Nephrology service to approximately 700 000 adult population of mixed ethnicity in urban and suburban areas, many with social deprivation. The programme was introduced in stages between 2003 and 2006 and comprised primary care education and financial incentives, personal clinical reports written directly to patients following every consultation, routine laboratory estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reporting, eGFR graph surveillance to identify and monitor patients at risk, multidisciplinary pre-RRT care and conservative care. Prevalent patients: 10 552 with CKD and 8509 without CKD with diabetes. access to nephrology care, trends in RRT incidence and starting modality, place of death without RRT. Incident count was adjusted for changes in the local adult population recorded in national censuses. Ninety-one per cent of patients aged ≥75 years with incident CKD stage 5 were known to a nephrologist. The population-adjusted incident RRT rate peaked in 2005 and then declined; the proportion starting with transplant, peritoneal dialysis or haemodialysis by arterio-venous fistula increased to 63% by 2012 (P = 0.001 versus 2005). Fifty-two per cent of patients receiving planned conservative care without dialysis died out of hospital. Following the introduction of a community-wide systematic CKD management programme, the population-adjusted incidence of RRT reduced, modality of initiation of RRT improved and a majority of patients receiving planned conservative care without dialysis died out of hospital.

Evaluation of the impact on human salmonellosis of control measures targeted to Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium in poultry breeding using time-series analysis and intervention models in France.

PubMed

Poirier, E; Watier, L; Espie, E; Weill, F-X; De Valk, H; Desenclos, J-C

2008-09-01

In France, salmonellosis is the main cause of foodborne bacterial infection with serotypes Enteritis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) accounting for 70% of all cases. French authorities implemented a national control programme targeting SE and ST in poultry and eggs from October 1998 onwards. A 33% decrease in salmonellosis has been observed since implementation. We designed an evaluation of the impact of this control programme on SE and ST human infections in France. Using monthly Salmonella human isolate reports to the National Reference Centre we defined two intervention series (SE and ST) and one control series comprising serotypes not know to be associated with poultry or eggs. The series, from 1992 to 2003, were analysed using autoregressive moving average models (ARMA). To test the hypothesis of a reduction of SE and ST human cases >0 after the programme started and to estimate its size, we introduced an intervention model to the ARMA modelling. In contrast to the control series, we found an annual reduction of 555 (95% CI 148-964) SE and of 492 (95% CI 0-1092) ST human infections, representing respectively a 21% and 18% decrease. For SE, the decrease occurred sharply after implementation while for ST, it followed a progressive decrease that started early in 1998. Our study, suggests a true relation between the Salmonella control programme and the subsequent decrease observed for the two targeted serotypes. For ST, however, the decrease prior to the intervention may also reflect control measures implemented earlier by the cattle and milk industry.

Community-directed treatment with ivermectin in two Nigerian communities: an analysis of first year start-up processes, costs and consequences.

PubMed

Onwujekwe, Obinna; Chima, Reginald; Shu, Elvis; Okonkwo, Paul

2002-10-01

To determine the start-up processes, costs and consequences of community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) in two onchocerciasis endemic rural towns of Southeast Nigeria; namely Achi and Nike. The other objectives were to discover the community-financing mechanisms, local ivermectin distribution strategies and communities' organisational capacity to handle the programme. Structured questionnaires, informal interviews, observations, discussions with community members at general village assemblies and community outreach lectures were used at different stages of the study. The towns had the organisational capacity to implement the programme. Coverage with ivermectin was between 31-73% in Achi (mean = 58.6%), and 36.6-72% in Nike (mean = 61.95%). The unit financial costs were $0.17 in Nike and $0.13 in Achi, but the unit aggregate cost was $0.37 in Nike and $0.39 in Achi. When research costs were removed, the unit aggregate cost was $0.22 in Achi and $0.20 in Nike. Provider's financial costs and communities' non-financial costs were the biggest contributors to the aggregate cost. The cost would decrease in subsequent years since the research cost and parts of the mobilisation and training costs would not be incurred after the first year. Governments and sponsors of CDTI should find means of continuously strengthening the programme and providing technical support to the communities. As both CDTI and communities are dynamic entities, continuous health education campaigns are needed to keep reminding the people of the benefit of long-term ivermectin distribution, together with the need for community ownership of the programme.

Financial incentives to discontinue long-term benzodiazepine use: a discrete choice experiment investigating patient preferences and willingness to participate

PubMed Central

Marti, Joachim; Bachhuber, Marcus; Feingold, Jordyn; Meads, David; Richards, Michael; Hennessy, Sean

2017-01-01

Objectives Investigate the acceptability of financial incentives for initiating a medically supervised benzodiazepine discontinuation programme among people with long-term benzodiazepine use and to identify programme features that influence willingness to participate. Methods We conducted a discrete choice experiment in which we presented a variety of incentive-based programs to a sample of older adults with long-term benzodiazepine use identified using the outpatient electronic health record of a university-owned health system. We studied four programme variables: incentive amount for initiating the programme, incentive amount for successful benzodiazepine discontinuation, lottery versus certain payment and whether partial payment was given for dose reduction. Respondents reported their willingness to participate in the programmes and additional information was collected on demographics, history of use and anxiety symptoms. Results The overall response rate was 28.4%. Among the 126 respondents, all four programme variables influenced stated preferences. Respondents strongly preferred guaranteed cash-based incentives as opposed to a lottery, and the dollar amount of both the starting and conditional incentives had a substantial impact on choice. Willingness to participate increased with the amount of conditional incentive. Programme participation also varied by gender, duration of use and income. Conclusions Participation in an incentive-based benzodiazepine discontinuation programme might be relatively low, but is modifiable by programme variables including incentive amounts. These results will be helpful to inform the design of future trials of benzodiazepine discontinuation programmes. Further research is needed to assess the financial viability and potential cost-effectiveness of such economic incentives. PMID:28988167

[Evaluation of the usefulness for neonatal mass screening in light of 35 years personal experience].

PubMed

Bozkowa, K; Cabalska, B; Radomyska, B; Ołtarzewski, M; Lenartowska, I

1999-01-01

The results and the significance of neonatal mass-screening programmes for inborn errors of metabolism, conducted by the National Research Institute of Mother and Child (NRIMC), are discussed. As the first in Poland, in 1964, mass-screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) was introduced. The BIA-Guthrie test was used. Other Guthrie tests (GBIA) were applied in homocystinuria, tyrosinemia, histidinemia and leucinosis (Maple Syrup Urine Disease-MSUD). In the middle of the 60. the Beutler and Baluda test was introduced for galactosaemia, as well as the Efron urine test in infant screening for different inborn errors of metabolism. In the middle of the 70., neonatal mass-screening for cystic fibrosis (CF, mucoviscidosis) was started. Meconium tests and the sweat test with ion selective chloride electrode were used. Apart from inborn errors of metabolism, we also introduced a screening programme for neuroblastoma in which vaniline mandelic acid (VMA) in urine was estimated and for congenital hypothyroidism were TSH level was assessed. The results of screening are shown in the tables and in the figures. In our opinion the best clinical results are obtained with screening for congenital hypothyroidism and for PKU, since very early detection and treatment in these diseases prevents severe mental retardation. We therefore consider that both these screening programmes should be treated as obligatory examinations in all neonates. Taking into consideration the fact that there are different types of hyperhenylalaninemias, the principles of differential diagnosis are discussed. Molecular genetic investigations, carried out in the NRIMC Department of Genetics proved to be a very important procedure in the verification of diagnosis of different mutations. The authors also discuss the problem of dietary treatment duration in PKU. In our opinion the hypophenyloalanine diet regimen in girls, should not be discontinued during adolescence, since there is the problem of maternal PKU and the possibility of foetal damage. The results of our own investigations of maternal PKU are discussed. The significance of mass-screening for galactosemia is still under discussion. In our opinion, mass-screening for galactosemia is not useful and we have discontinued it. Selective screening has been started combined with molecular genetic studies in high risk families. In the future, we plan to prepare guidelines on the principles of diagnosis and treatment of galactosemia in children and women in the reproductive age. Mass-screening for cystic fibrosis is also still under discussion. The results of the early screening programmes were not satisfactory and the tests were discontinued. In 1998, after reorganisation of the whole system, CF screening, using tripsin-radioimmune assays, was started again. The new screening programme is combined with molecular genetic investigation of different mutations. It is still too early to assess the importance and success of this CF mass-screening programme. We decided to discontinue the screening for homocystinuria, histidinemia, tyrosinemia, leucinosis and for neuroblastoma, since these programmes did not comply with criteria of mass-screening. In 1997, major reorganisation of screening programmes for inborn errors of metabolism, at NRIMC, was undertaken. The Guthrie test for PKU was changed to a quantitative colorimetric method. The immuno-luminometric method is used for TSH estimation. The whole system is based on complete computer control of all the steps of screening, from blood sampling on filter paper until the final diagnosis. The advantages of this modern system of organisation of the screening programme are discussed.

Digital Technologies Jump Start Telemedicine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Alan

2011-01-01

The technologists, research doctors, computer programmers, electrical engineers, and biomedical engineers who design and create new medical diagnostic equipment and medical treatments are now working on medical systems that use the computing power of personal computers and cell phones. For disease diagnosis, they are finding ways to shrink…

A programmable CCD driver circuit for multiphase CCD operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ewin, Audrey J.; Reed, Kenneth V.

1989-01-01

A programmable CCD (charge-coupled device) driver circuit was designed to drive CCDs in multiphased modes. The purpose of the drive electronics is to operate developmental CCD imaging arrays for NASA's tiltable moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS-T). Five objectives for the driver were considered during its design: (1) the circuit drives CCD electrode voltages between 0 V and +30 V to produce reasonable potential wells, (2) the driving sequence is started with one input signal, (3) the driving sequence is started with one input signal, (4) the circuit allows programming of frame sequences required by arrays of any size, (5) it produces interfacing signals for the CCD and the DTF (detector test facility). Simulation of the driver verified its function with the master clock running up to 10 MHz. This suggests a maximum rate of 400,000 pixels/s. Timing and packaging parameters were verified. The design uses 54 TTL (transistor-transistor logic) chips. Two versions of hardware were fabricated: wirewrap and printed circuit board. Both were verified functionally with a logic analyzer.

Are family-centred principles, functional goal setting and transition planning evident in therapy services for children with cerebral palsy?

PubMed

Darrah, J; Wiart, L; Magill-Evans, J; Ray, L; Andersen, J

2012-01-01

Family-centred service, functional goal setting and co-ordination of a child's move between programmes are important concepts of rehabilitation services for children with cerebral palsy identified in the literature. We examined whether these three concepts could be objectively identified in programmes providing services to children with cerebral palsy in Alberta, Canada. Programme managers (n= 37) and occupational and physical therapists (n= 54) representing 59 programmes participated in individual 1-h semi-structured interviews. Thirty-nine parents participated in eleven focus groups or two individual interviews. Evidence of family-centred values in mission statements and advisory boards was evaluated. Therapists were asked to identify three concepts of family-centred service and to complete the Measures of Process of Care for Service Providers. Therapists also identified therapy goals for children based on clinical case scenarios. The goals were coded using the components of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health. Programme managers and therapists discussed the processes in their programmes for goal setting and for preparing children and their families for their transition to other programmes. Parents reflected on their experiences with their child's rehabilitation related to family-centredness, goal setting and co-ordination between programmes. All respondents expressed commitment to the three concepts, but objective indicators of family-centred processes were lacking in many programmes. In most programmes, the processes to implement the three concepts were informal rather than standardized. Both families and therapists reported limited access to general information regarding community supports. Lack of formal processes for delivery of family-centred service, goal-setting and co-ordination between children's programmes may result in inequitable opportunities for families to participate in their children's rehabilitation despite attending the same programme. Standardized programme processes and policies may provide a starting point to ensure that all families have equitable opportunities to participate in their child's rehabilitation programme. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Recreational drug use in the Asia Pacific region: improvement in our understanding of the problem through the UNODC programmes.

PubMed

Dargan, P I; Wood, D M

2012-09-01

Until recently, there were limited data available on the epidemiology of recreational drug use in the Asia Pacific region. However, in the last few years, a number of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programmes have improved data collection networks, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. There are still significant data gaps from some countries, including India and China, and data reported from some countries in the region are based on expert estimates on recreational drug use rather than formally collected data. However, the availability of improved epidemiological data has enabled many countries in the region, both individually and through regional UNODC programmes, to start to understand the issues that need to be addressed. We will summarise in this mini-review the data available within the UNODC World Drug Report and from the other UNODC programmes in the region on the production and use of recreational drugs in the Asia Pacific region.

A longitudinal investigation of the preservice science teachers' beliefs about science teaching during a science teacher training programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buldur, Serkan

2017-01-01

The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the changes in preservice science teachers' beliefs about science teaching during a science teacher training programme. The study was designed as a panel study, and the data were collected from the same participants at the end of each academic year during a four-year period. The participants were composed of 76 preservice teachers, and the DASTT-C was used as the data collection tool. As a result of the study, it was determined that the students had conventional teaching beliefs after the first years of the teacher training programme. Moreover, the mental teaching styles of preservice teachers about the science teaching were found to undergo changes throughout their undergraduate education. Participants' beliefs about conventional teaching started to change, especially after they first took a science method course in their third year and their beliefs shifted towards student-centred teaching. Implications for science teacher training programmes were also addressed.

[A communication intervention in autism spectrum disorder by means of the programme 'More than Words'. A case study].

PubMed

Baixauli-Fortea, I; Gascon-Herranz, N; de Carlos-Isla, M; Colomer-Diago, C

2018-03-01

The 'More than Words' programme aims to enable parents to take advantage of day-to-day situations as communication learning settings, through the use of instruction in responsive-type interaction strategies. To describe the effects of this programme on the communication skills of a child with autism spectrum disorder and on the language the parents use to address him. A three-phase design (pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention) was employed, in which the responsive interactions of the parents and the child's communicative acts were measured. The intervention can modify the parents' communicative style, especially when the family receives guidance from a speech therapist. Nevertheless, the responsive nature of the parents' communication tends to diminish when the intervention finishes. Conversely, the child's communicative acts increase, with a medium-sized effect of the treatment. The 'More than Words' programme can be a good starting point for parents to become familiar with strategies that foster communication with their children who have autism spectrum disorder.

Multimodality cardiac imaging at IRCCS Policlinico San Donato: a new interdisciplinary vision.

PubMed

Lombardi, Massimo; Secchi, Francesco; Pluchinotta, Francesca R; Castelvecchio, Serenella; Montericcio, Vincenzo; Camporeale, Antonia; Bandera, Francesco

2016-04-28

Multimodality imaging is the efficient integration of various methods of cardiovascular imaging to improve the ability to diagnose, guide therapy, or predict outcome. This approach implies both the availability of different technologies in a single unit and the presence of dedicated staff with cardiologic and radiologic background and certified competence in more than one imaging technique. Interaction with clinical practice and existence of research programmes and educational activities are pivotal for the success of this model. The aim of this paper is to describe the multimodality cardiac imaging programme recently started at San Donato Hospital.

Science on Television

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stringer, John

2011-01-01

Television is frequently blamed for the problems adults face with some young people. Does television affect their understanding and behaviour? Of course it does. "Sesame Street", the most researched educational programme in the world, gave its pre-school viewers a head start in literacy that was still measurable ten years later. BBC…

The Implications of Academic Entrepreneurship for University Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teczke, Janusz; Gawlik, Remigiusz

2004-01-01

The authors argue that universities should offer training and education in Entrepreneurship to all students but particularly to those wishing to become entrepreneurs. Certain institutional changes in favour of Entrepreneurship should be made at the level of governance. Once started, Entrepreneurship programmes can reimburse the initial investments…

Intercultural Training and Development at Hildesheim University, Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosse, Elke

2009-01-01

Until recently, the few attempts to develop intercultural competence in German higher education institutions were limited to the initiative of individuals and were mostly targeted at selected groups, e.g. students participating in international master's programmes. Only recently have German universities started to acknowledge the fact that…

Progress and Achievements at the Mid Term of the Dragon 3 Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desnos, Yves-Louis; Li, Zengyuan; Zmuda, Andy; Gao, Zhihai

2014-11-01

The Dragon Programme is a joint undertaking between ESA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China and the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC). Its purpose is to encourage increased exploitation of ESA and Chinese space resources within China as well as stimulate increased scientific cooperation in the field of Earth Observation (EO) science and applications between China and Europe. Since 2004, this pioneering programme has become a model for scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe. By successfully encouraging joint research using ESA, Third Party Missions and Chinese EO data across a range of thematic areas, Dragon continues to deliver outstanding scientific results. The programme has successfully completed two phases, Dragon 1 from 2004 to 2008, Dragon 2 from 2008 to 2012. The third phase of Dragon was started in 2012 and will be completed in 2016. The Dragon 3 project teams are led by leading EO scientists and young scientists are also engaged on the projects. Advanced training in land, ocean and atmospheric applications is a feature of the programme and a course on land and one course on ocean applications have been successfully held in 2012 and 2013 in China. Here-in provided is an overview of the results, reporting and training activities at the mid-term stage of the programme.

A prospective study to evaluate a new residential community reintegration programme for severe chronic brain injury: the Brain Integration Programme.

PubMed

Geurtsen, G J; Martina, J D; Van Heugten, C M; Geurts, A C H

2008-07-01

To assess the effectiveness of a residential community reintegration programme for participants with chronic sequelae of severe acquired brain injury that hamper community functioning. Prospective cohort study. Twenty-four participants with acquired brain injury (traumatic n = 18; stroke n = 3, tumour n = 2, encephalitis n = 1). Participants had impaired illness awareness, alcohol and drug problems and/or behavioural problems. A skills-oriented programme with modules related to independent living, work, social and emotional well-being. The Community Integration Questionnaire, CES-Depression, EuroQOL, Employability Rating Scale, living situation and work status were scored at the start (T0), end of treatment (T1) and 1-year follow-up (T2). Significant effects on the majority of outcome measures were present at T1. Employability significantly improved at T2 and living independently rose from 42% to over 70%. Participants working increased from 38% to 58% and the hours of work per week increased from 8 to 15. The Brain Integration Programme led to a sustained reduction in experienced problems and improved community integration. It is concluded that even participants with complex problems due to severe brain injury who got stuck in life could improve their social participation and emotional well-being through a residential community reintegration programme.

Participation in a social and recreational day programme increases community integration and reduces family burden of persons with acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Gerber, Gary J; Gargaro, Judith

2015-01-01

To describe and evaluate a new day programme for persons living with an acquired brain injury (ABI), including persons exhibiting challenging behaviours. Activities were designed to reduce participants' social isolation, increase participation in community activities and increase social and leisure skills. It was expected that community integration would increase and challenging behaviours and family burden would decrease for day programme participants. Pre-post convenience sample design. Sixty-one participants and family members completed questionnaires before starting the day programme and after 6-month participation. Community Integration Questionnaire, Overt Behaviour Scale, Burden Assessment Scale, Goal Attainment Scaling. Participants had increased community integration (p = 0.000) and decreased family burden (p = 0.006). There was a trend to decreased severity of challenging behaviour. Participants and family members were very satisfied. Results suggest that the programme was effective in reducing participants' social isolation and increasing appropriate interpersonal behaviours. Participation increased community integration and reduced burden on family caregivers. ABI day programmes help fill the void left after other rehabilitation services end and provide survivors with opportunities to engage in a variety of activities. Persons living with ABI have need for ongoing social, recreational and life skill coaching services after formal rehabilitation has been completed.

Electrical stimulation and biofeedback exercise of pelvic floor muscle for children with faecal incontinence after surgery for anorectal malformation.

PubMed

Leung, M W Y; Wong, B P Y; Leung, A K P; Cho, J S Y; Leung, E T Y; Chao, N S Y; Chung, K W; Kwok, W K; Liu, K K W

2006-12-01

We report our experience of electrical stimulation and biofeedback exercise of pelvic floor muscle for children with faecal incontinence after surgery for anorectal malformation (ARM). Electrical stimulation and biofeedback exercise of pelvic floor muscle were performed on children with post-operative faecal soiling following repair of intermediate or high type ARM. Children under the age of 5 years or with learning difficulties were excluded. They had 6 months supervised programme in the Department of Physiotherapy followed by 6 months home based programme. Bowel management including toilet training, dietary advice, medications and enemas were started before the pelvic floor muscle exercise and continued throughout the programme. Soiling frequency rank, Rintala continence score, sphincter muscle electromyography (EMG) and anorectal manometry were assessed before and after the programme. Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed for statistical analysis. From March 2001 to May 2006, 17 children were referred to the programme. Twelve patients (M:F = 10:2; age = 5-17 years) completed the programme. There was a trend of improvement in Rintala score at sixth month (p = 0.206) and at the end of programme (p = 0.061). Faecal soiling was significantly improved at sixth month (p = 0.01) and at the end of the programme (p = 0.004). Mean sphincter muscle EMG before treatment was 1.699 microV. Mean EMG at sixth month and after the programme was 3.308 microV (p = 0.034) and 3.309 microV (p = 0.002) respectively. After the programme, there was a mean increase in anal sphincter squeeze pressure of 29.9 mmHg (p = 0.007). Electrical stimulation and biofeedback exercise of pelvic floor muscle is an effective adjunct for the treatment of faecal incontinence in children following surgery for anorectal malformation.

Financial incentives to discontinue long-term benzodiazepine use: a discrete choice experiment investigating patient preferences and willingness to participate.

PubMed

Marti, Joachim; Bachhuber, Marcus; Feingold, Jordyn; Meads, David; Richards, Michael; Hennessy, Sean

2017-10-06

Investigate the acceptability of financial incentives for initiating a medically supervised benzodiazepine discontinuation programme among people with long-term benzodiazepine use and to identify programme features that influence willingness to participate. We conducted a discrete choice experiment in which we presented a variety of incentive-based programs to a sample of older adults with long-term benzodiazepine use identified using the outpatient electronic health record of a university-owned health system. We studied four programme variables: incentive amount for initiating the programme, incentive amount for successful benzodiazepine discontinuation, lottery versus certain payment and whether partial payment was given for dose reduction. Respondents reported their willingness to participate in the programmes and additional information was collected on demographics, history of use and anxiety symptoms. The overall response rate was 28.4%. Among the 126 respondents, all four programme variables influenced stated preferences. Respondents strongly preferred guaranteed cash-based incentives as opposed to a lottery, and the dollar amount of both the starting and conditional incentives had a substantial impact on choice. Willingness to participate increased with the amount of conditional incentive. Programme participation also varied by gender, duration of use and income. Participation in an incentive-based benzodiazepine discontinuation programme might be relatively low, but is modifiable by programme variables including incentive amounts. These results will be helpful to inform the design of future trials of benzodiazepine discontinuation programmes. Further research is needed to assess the financial viability and potential cost-effectiveness of such economic incentives. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Telerehabilitation - a new model for community-based stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Lai, Jerry C K; Woo, Jean; Hui, Elsie; Chan, W M

2004-01-01

Community resources for stroke clients are underdeveloped in Hong Kong and stroke survivors often face difficulties in community reintegration. We have examined the feasibility of using videoconferencing for community-based stroke rehabilitation. The sample comprised 21 stroke patients living at home. All the subjects participated in an eight-week intervention programme at a community centre for seniors. The intervention, which comprised educational talks, exercise and psychosocial support, was conducted by a physiotherapist via a videoconference link. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES), Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) and a stroke knowledge test were administered at the start and end of the programme. In addition, at the start of the study the Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item Short Form, the Elderly Mobility Scale and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale were used to assess subjects' baseline status, and a focus group was also held at the end of the programme to gather qualitative findings. Nineteen subjects completed the eight-week intervention. The baseline functional status was high, although 52% had symptoms of depression. After the intervention, there were significant improvements in BBS, SSES and knowledge test scores and scores on all subscales of the SF-36. All the subjects accepted the use of videoconferencing for delivery of the intervention. The pilot study demonstrated the feasibility, efficacy and high level of acceptance of telerehabilitation for community-dwelling stroke clients.

Dyslexia and early intervention: what did we learn from the Dutch Dyslexia Programme?

PubMed

van der Leij, Aryan

2013-11-01

Part of the Dutch Dyslexia Programme has been dedicated to early intervention. The question of whether the genetically affected learning mechanism of children who are at familial risk (FR) of developing dyslexia could be influenced by training phoneme awareness and letter-sound associations in the prereading phase was investigated. The rationale was that intervention studies reveal insights about the weaknesses of the learning mechanisms of FR children. In addition, the studies aimed to gather practical insights to be used in the development of a system of early diagnosis and prevention. Focused on the last period of kindergarten before formal reading instruction starts in Grade 1, intervention methods with comparable samples and designs but differences in delivery mode (use of computer or manual), tutor (semi-professional or parent), location (at school or at home), and additional practices (serial rapid naming or simple word reading) have been executed to test the hypothesis that the incidence and degree of dyslexia can be reduced. The present position paper summarizes the Dutch Dyslexia Programme findings and relates them to findings of other studies. It is discussed that the Dutch studies provide evidence on why prevention of dyslexia is hard to accomplish. It is argued that effective intervention should not only start early but also be adapted to the individual and often long-lasting educational needs of children at risk of reading failure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

National allergy programme had little impact on parent-reported food allergies in children aged 6-7 years.

PubMed

Palmu, Sauli; Heikkilä, Paula; Uski, Virpi; Niitty, Siina; Kurikka, Sari; Korppi, Matti

2018-01-01

The ten-year Finnish national allergy programme was launched in 2008 to lessen the disease and psychological burden of allergy. This study assessed the prevalence of parent-reported food allergies requiring avoidance diets at primary school in children aged six and seven years. The cohort comprised 1937 children (51% boys) who started primary school in Tampere, Finland, in August 2016. School health nurses charted parent-reported, doctor-diagnosed food allergies requiring avoidance diets as part of the routine health examination. We found that 127 (6.6%) children had parent-reported, doctor-diagnosed allergies to at least one food and 37 (1.9%) were allergic to basic foods, namely cows' milk, wheat and one other grain. All required an avoidance diet. The figure did not differ significantly from the 2.7% and 2.5% found by studies of this age group in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Allergies to fresh fruit and vegetables decreased from 5.8% in 2009 to 3.6% in 2016. We studied the national allergy programme that started in 2008 and found that there was a nonsignificant overall decrease in the number of children aged six to seven years on avoidance diets for allergies between 2009 and 2016. The only allergies that showed significant decreases were fresh fruit and vegetables. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

``Astrophysique sur Mesure'', E-learning in Astronomy and Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosser, Benoît; Delsanti, Audrey; Guillaume, Damien; Balança, Christian; Balkowski, Chantal

2011-06-01

``Astrophysique sur Mesure'' (astrophysics made-to-measure) is a set of e-learning programmes started 4 years ago at the Paris Observatory. In order to deliver attractive and efficient programmes, we have added many multimedia tools to usual lectures: animations, Java applets. The programmes are presented on two different platforms. The first one offers the content of all the lectures in free access. A second platform with restricted access is provided to registered students taking part in the e-learning program and benefiting from the help of tutors. The development of these programs helps to increase the sphere of influence of astronomy taught at the Paris Observatory, hence to increase the presence of astronomy in various degree courses. Instead of teaching classical astronomy lectures to a happy few, we can bring astronomy and astrophysics to a wider audience.

Rebuilding research capacity in fragile states: the case of a Somali–Swedish global health initiative

PubMed Central

Dalmar, Abdirisak Ahmed; Hussein, Abdullahi Sheik; Walhad, Said Ahmed; Ibrahim, Abdirashid Omer; Abdi, Abshir Ali; Ali, Mohamed Khalid; Ereg, Derie Ismail; Egal, Khadra Ali; Shirwa, Abdulkadir Mohamed; Aden, Mohamed Hussain; Yusuf, Marian Warsame; Abdi, Yakoub Aden; Freij, Lennart; Johansson, Annika; Mohamud, Khalif Bile; Abdulkadir, Yusuf; Emmelin, Maria; Eriksen, Jaran; Erlandsson, Kerstin; Gustafsson, Lars L; Ivarsson, Anneli; Klingberg-Allvin, Marie; Kinsman, John; Källestål, Carina; Målqvist, Mats; Osman, Fatumo; Persson, Lars-Åke; Sahlén, Klas-Göran; Wall, Stig

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT This paper presents an initiative to revive the previous Somali–Swedish Research Cooperation, which started in 1981 and was cut short by the civil war in Somalia. A programme focusing on research capacity building in the health sector is currently underway through the work of an alliance of three partner groups: six new Somali universities, five Swedish universities, and Somali diaspora professionals. Somali ownership is key to the sustainability of the programme, as is close collaboration with Somali health ministries. The programme aims to develop a model for working collaboratively across regions and cultural barriers within fragile states, with the goal of creating hope and energy. It is based on the conviction that health research has a key role in rebuilding national health services and trusted institutions. PMID:28799463

40+ Years of Instrumentation for the La Silla Paranal Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Odorico, S.

2018-03-01

As ESO Period 100 comes to a close, I look back at the development of ESO's instrumentation programme over more than 40 years. Instrumentation and detector activities were initially started by a small group of designers, engineers, technicians and astronomers while ESO was still at CERN in Geneva in the late 1970s. They have since led to the development of a successful suite of optical and infrared instruments for the La Silla Paranal Observatory, as testified by the continuous growth in the number of proposals for observing time and in the publications based on data from ESO telescopes. The instrumentation programme evolved significantly with the VLT and most instruments were developed by national institutes in close cooperation with ESO. This policy was a cornerstone of the VLT programme from the beginning and a key to its success.

Glocalisation or Globalisation? Travelling Discourses of Child Poverty Policy in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jahng, Kyung Eun

2011-01-01

This article examines the interplay between globalising and localising forces occurring in a child welfare reform project in South Korea. Focusing especially on care and education services for children and families provided by the Korean "Dream Start" programme, which provides comprehensive health, parental involvement and welfare…

Storytelling across the Primary Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Alastair K.

2011-01-01

Starting from the question "what is a story?" "Storytelling Across the Primary Curriculum" leads the reader through the theory and practise of storytelling as an educational method--a method taught by the author over the last ten years through Primary English teaching programmes. This practical book gives teachers the skills and confidence to use…

New Learning - The IPP Programme: Improvements in Learning and Self Esteem by Changing the Organization of Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garber, Klaus; Ausserer, Oskar; Giacomuzzi, Salvatore

"New learning" is basically an individualized learning style. "New learning" starts by the individual itself. The individual is the basis for conditions, learning contents, rhythm, duration and intensity of the teaching. The appropriate slogan is: fetch the individual at his personal conditions.

Strawberries Do Grow on Trees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milne, Ian

2004-01-01

An important aim of primary science programmes should be to continue to encourage and nurture children in creating their own explanations. As Osborne and Freyberg (1985) contended, the aims of primary science in the early years should start with the children developing explanations for their experiences. The first two of their six developing aims…

Reclamation: what about trees

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

Kolar, C.A.; Ashby, W.C.

A five-year research programme was started in 1978 in the Botany Department of Southern Illinois University to evaluate the effect of reclamation practices on tree survival and growth. The project was initiated as a direct result of reports from Illinois and Indiana of tree-planting failures on mined lands reclaimed to current regulation standards.

Laboratory Experiments for Network Security Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brustoloni, Jose Carlos

2006-01-01

We describe a sequence of five experiments on network security that cast students successively in the roles of computer user, programmer, and system administrator. Unlike experiments described in several previous papers, these experiments avoid placing students in the role of attacker. Each experiment starts with an in-class demonstration of an…

Authentic, Dialogical Knowledge Construction: A Blended and Mobile Teacher Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruhalahti, Sanna; Korhonen, Anne-Maria; Rasi, Päivi

2017-01-01

Background: Knowledge construction and technology have been identified as critical for an understanding of the future of teacher education. Knowledge is discovered, applied and created collaboratively from authentic starting points. Today's new mobile and blended learning environments create increased opportunities for such processes, including…

Retention in care during the first 3 years of antiretroviral therapy for women in Malawi's option B+ programme: an observational cohort study.

PubMed

Haas, Andreas D; Tenthani, Lyson; Msukwa, Malango T; Tal, Kali; Jahn, Andreas; Gadabu, Oliver J; Spoerri, Adrian; Chimbwandira, Frank; van Oosterhout, Joep J; Keiser, Olivia

2016-04-01

Studies of Malawi's option B+ programme for HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women have reported high loss to follow-up during pregnancy and at the start of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but few data exist about retention during breastfeeding and after weaning. We examined loss to follow-up and retention in care in patients in the option B+ programme during their first 3 years on ART. We analysed two data sources: aggregated facility-level data about patients in option B+ who started ART between Oct 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, at 546 health facilities; and patient-level data from 20 large facilities with electronic medical record system for HIV-positive women who started ART between Sept 1, 2011, and Dec 31, 2013, under option B+ or because they had WHO clinical stages 3 or 4 disease or had CD4 counts of less than 350 cells per μL. We used facility-level data to calculate representative estimates of retention and loss to follow-up. We used patient-level data to study temporal trends in retention, timing of loss to follow-up, and predictors of no follow-up and loss to follow-up. We defined patients who were more than 60 days late for their first follow-up visit as having no follow-up and patients who were more than 60 days late for a subsequent visit as being lost to follow-up. We calculated proportions and cumulative probabilities of patients who had died, stopped ART, had no follow-up, were lost to follow-up, or were retained alive on ART for 36 months. We calculated odds ratios and hazard ratios to examine predictors of no follow-up and loss to follow-up. Analysis of facility-level data about patients in option B+ who had not transferred to a different facility showed retention in care to be 76·8% (20 475 of 26,658 patients) after 12 months, 70·8% (18,306 of 25,849 patients) after 24 months, and 69·7% (17,787 of 25,535 patients) after 36 months. Patient-level data included 29,145 patients. 14,630 (50·2%) began treatment under option B+. Patients in option B+ had a higher risk of having no follow-up and, for the first 2 years of ART, higher risk of loss to follow-up than did patients who started ART because they had CD4 counts less than 350 cells per μL or WHO clinical stage 3 or 4 disease. Risk of loss to follow-up during the third year was low and similar for patients retained for 2 years. Retention rates did not change as the option B+ programme matured. Our data suggest that pregnant and breastfeeding women who start ART immediately after they are diagnosed with HIV can be retained on ART through the option B+ programme, even after many have stopped breastfeeding. Interventions might be needed to improve retention in the first year on ART in option B+. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research Health, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of a structured exercise programme on cardiovascular risk programmes in post-menopausal women. CLIDERICA study].

PubMed

Saucedo Rodrigo, Pedro; Abellán Alemán, José; Gómez Jara, Purificación; Leal Hernández, Mariano; Ortega Toro, Enrique; Colado, Juan Carlos; Colado Sánchez, Juan Carlos; Sáinz de Baranda Andújar, Pilar

2008-07-01

To analyse the influence of a physical exercise programme of strength/stamina on cardiovascular risk factors in low-risk post-menopausal women. Six-month randomised clinical trial with post-menopausal women. Three health centres in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain. Sixty-three post-menopausal women aged 45 to 59 at low cardiovascular risk. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN MEASUREMENTS: They were split into 2 groups: a) control: 23 people with no specific intervention, and b) 40 people with an intervention of strength/stamina exercise with protocol for in water and on land. At their initial and final visits, everyone in the 2 groups had anamnesis, physical examination, and general analyses, including Apo A, Apo B, insulin, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, creatinine in urine, albuminuria, ultrasensitive PCR, and HOMA index. The insulin levels increased in the control group by 2.02 mU/L and dropped in the experimental group by 0.13 mU/L (P=.021). At the start of the study, creatinine in the control group was 0.83+/-0.12 mg/dL; and at the end, 0.91+/-0.02 mg/dL. In the intervention group it was 0.84+/-0.12 mg/dL at the start and 0.90+/-0.13 mg/dL at the end (NS). Systolic blood pressure dropped in both groups, with a bigger drop in the exercise group (11.81 vs 0.17 mm Hg) (P=.0001). HDL-C values increased in the control group by 4.97 mg/dL; and in the experimental group, by 3.46 mg/dL (NS). A controlled programme of strength/stamina physical exercise reduces the cardiovascular risk of post-menopausal women.

Evaluation of the impact on human salmonellosis of control measures targeted to Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium in poultry breeding using time-series analysis and intervention models in France

PubMed Central

POIRIER, E.; WATIER, L.; ESPIE, E.; WEILL, F.-X.; VALK, H. DE; DESENCLOS, J.-C.

2008-01-01

SUMMARY In France, salmonellosis is the main cause of foodborne bacterial infection with serotypes Enteritis (SE) and Typhimurium (ST) accounting for 70% of all cases. French authorities implemented a national control programme targeting SE and ST in poultry and eggs from October 1998 onwards. A 33% decrease in salmonellosis has been observed since implementation. We designed an evaluation of the impact of this control programme on SE and ST human infections in France. Using monthly Salmonella human isolate reports to the National Reference Centre we defined two intervention series (SE and ST) and one control series comprising serotypes not know to be associated with poultry or eggs. The series, from 1992 to 2003, were analysed using autoregressive moving average models (ARMA). To test the hypothesis of a reduction of SE and ST human cases >0 after the programme started and to estimate its size, we introduced an intervention model to the ARMA modelling. In contrast to the control series, we found an annual reduction of 555 (95% CI 148–964) SE and of 492 (95% CI 0–1092) ST human infections, representing respectively a 21% and 18% decrease. For SE, the decrease occurred sharply after implementation while for ST, it followed a progressive decrease that started early in 1998. Our study, suggests a true relation between the Salmonella control programme and the subsequent decrease observed for the two targeted serotypes. For ST, however, the decrease prior to the intervention may also reflect control measures implemented earlier by the cattle and milk industry. PMID:18047748

Data preprocessing for a vehicle-based localization system used in road traffic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patelczyk, Timo; Löffler, Andreas; Biebl, Erwin

2016-09-01

This paper presents a fixed-point implementation of the preprocessing using a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which is required for a multipath joint angle and delay estimation (JADE) used in road traffic applications. This paper lays the foundation for many model-based parameter estimation methods. Here, a simulation of a vehicle-based localization system application for protecting vulnerable road users, which were equipped with appropriate transponders, is considered. For such safety critical applications, the robustness and real-time capability of the localization is particularly important. Additionally, a motivation to use a fixed-point implementation for the data preprocessing is a limited computing power of the head unit of a vehicle. This study aims to process the raw data provided by the localization system used in this paper. The data preprocessing applied includes a wideband calibration of the physical localization system, separation of relevant information from the received sampled signal, and preparation of the incoming data via further processing. Further, a channel matrix estimation was implemented to complete the data preprocessing, which contains information on channel parameters, e.g., the positions of the objects to be located. In the presented case of a vehicle-based localization system application we assume an urban environment, in which multipath propagation occurs. Since most methods for localization are based on uncorrelated signals, this fact must be addressed. Hence, a decorrelation of incoming data stream in terms of a further localization is required. This decorrelation was accomplished by considering several snapshots in different time slots. As a final aspect of the use of fixed-point arithmetic, quantization errors are considered. In addition, the resources and runtime of the presented implementation are discussed; these factors are strongly linked to a practical implementation.

Dietary fish oil supplements increase tissue n-3 fatty acid composition and expression of delta-6 desaturase and elongase-2 in Jade Tiger hybrid abalone.

PubMed

Mateos, Hintsa T; Lewandowski, Paul A; Su, Xiao Q

2011-08-01

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fish oil (FO) supplements on fatty acid composition and the expression of ∆6 desaturase and elongase 2 genes in Jade Tiger abalone. Five test diets were formulated to contain 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5% of FO respectively, and the control diet was the normal commercial abalone diet with no additional FO supplement. The muscle, gonad and digestive glands (DG) of abalone fed with all of the five test diets showed significantly high levels of total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid n-3 (DPAn-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than the control group. In all three types of tissue, abalone fed diet supplemented with 1.5% FO showed the highest level of these fatty acids (P < 0.05). For DPAn-3 the higher level was also found in muscle and gonad of abalone fed diet supplemented with 2% FO (P < 0.05). Elongase 2 expression was markedly higher in the muscle of abalone fed diet supplemented with 1.5% FO (P < 0.05), followed by the diet containing 2% FO supplement. For ∆6 desaturase, significantly higher expression was observed in muscle of abalone fed with diet containing 0.5% FO supplement (P < 0.05). Supplementation with FO in the normal commercial diet can significantly improve long chain n-3 PUFA level in cultured abalone, with 1.5% being the most effective supplementation level.

A new method for quantifying the performance of EEG blind source separation algorithms by referencing a simultaneously recorded ECoG signal.

PubMed

Oosugi, Naoya; Kitajo, Keiichi; Hasegawa, Naomi; Nagasaka, Yasuo; Okanoya, Kazuo; Fujii, Naotaka

2017-09-01

Blind source separation (BSS) algorithms extract neural signals from electroencephalography (EEG) data. However, it is difficult to quantify source separation performance because there is no criterion to dissociate neural signals and noise in EEG signals. This study develops a method for evaluating BSS performance. The idea is neural signals in EEG can be estimated by comparison with simultaneously measured electrocorticography (ECoG). Because the ECoG electrodes cover the majority of the lateral cortical surface and should capture most of the original neural sources in the EEG signals. We measured real EEG and ECoG data and developed an algorithm for evaluating BSS performance. First, EEG signals are separated into EEG components using the BSS algorithm. Second, the EEG components are ranked using the correlation coefficients of the ECoG regression and the components are grouped into subsets based on their ranks. Third, canonical correlation analysis estimates how much information is shared between the subsets of the EEG components and the ECoG signals. We used our algorithm to compare the performance of BSS algorithms (PCA, AMUSE, SOBI, JADE, fastICA) via the EEG and ECoG data of anesthetized nonhuman primates. The results (Best case >JADE = fastICA >AMUSE = SOBI ≥ PCA >random separation) were common to the two subjects. To encourage the further development of better BSS algorithms, our EEG and ECoG data are available on our Web site (http://neurotycho.org/) as a common testing platform. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The role of the neuropeptide somatostatin on methamphetamine and glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in the striatum of mice.

PubMed

Afanador, Lauriaselle; Mexhitaj, Ina; Diaz, Carolyn; Ordonez, Dalila; Baker, Lisa; Angulo, Jesus A

2013-05-13

A large body of evidence shows that methamphetamine (METH) causes sustained damage to the brain in animal models and human METH users. In chronic users there are indications of cognitive and motor deficits. Striatal neuropeptides are in a position to modulate the neurochemical effects of METH and consequently striatal neural damage. Somatostatin (SST) is an intrinsic striatal neuropeptide that has been shown to inhibit glutamate transmission; glutamate is integral to METH toxicity and contributes to nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. We hypothesize that SST will protect from METH by inhibition of NO synthesis and thus reducing oxidative stress. To this end, the SST analogue octreotide (OCT) was microinjected into the striatum prior to a systemic injection of METH (30mg/kg). We then assessed 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), an indirect index of NO production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels (dopamine terminal marker) and Fluoro-Jade C positive cells (degenerating cells). The SST agonist OCT dose dependently attenuated the METH-induced accumulation of striatal 3-NT. Moreover, pretreatment with OCT effectively mitigated cell death but failed to protect dopamine terminals. Next we co-infused OCT and NMDA and measured 3-NT and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Treatment with OCT had no effect on these parameters. The data demonstrate that SST attenuates the METH-induced production of NO protecting the striatum from the METH-induced cell loss. However, SST failed to prevent the toxicity of the dopamine terminals suggesting that pre- and post-synaptic striatal damage occur via independent mechanisms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Role of the Neuropeptide Somatostatin on Methamphetamine and Glutamate-Induced Neurotoxicity in the Striatum of Mice

PubMed Central

Afanador, Lauriaselle; Mexhitaj, Ina; Diaz, Carolyn; Ordonez, Dalila; Baker, Lisa; Angulo, Jesus A.

2014-01-01

A large body of evidence shows that methamphetamine (METH) causes sustained damage to the brain in animal models and human METH users. In chronic users there are indications of cognitive and motor deficits. Striatal neuropeptides are in a position to modulate the neurochemical effects of METH and consequently striatal neural damage. Somatostatin (SST) is an intrinsic striatal neuropeptide that has been shown to inhibit glutamate transmission; glutamate is integral to METH toxicity and contributes to nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. We hypothesize that SST will protect from METH by inhibition of NO synthesis and thus reducing oxidative stress. To this end, the SST analogue octreotide (OCT) was microinjected into the striatum prior to a systemic injection of METH (30 mg/kg). We then assessed 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), an indirect index of NO production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels (dopamine terminal marker) and Fluoro-Jade C positive cells (degenerating cells). The SST agonist OCT dose dependently attenuated the METH-induced accumulation of striatal 3-NT. Moreover, pretreatment with OCT effectively mitigated cell death but failed to protect dopamine terminals. Next we co-infused OCT and NMDA and measured 3-NT and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Treatment with OCT had no effect on these parameters. The data demonstrate that SST attenuates the METH-induced production of NO protecting the striatum from the METH-induced cell loss. However, SST failed to prevent the toxicity of the dopamine terminals suggesting that pre- and post-synaptic striatal damage occur via independent mechanisms. PMID:23524190

Fluoro jade-C staining in the assessment of brain injury after deep hypothermia circulatory arrest.

PubMed

Wang, Ren; Ma, Wei-Guo; Gao, Guo-Dong; Mao, Qun-Xia; Zheng, Jun; Sun, Li-Zhong; Liu, Ying-Long

2011-02-04

To evaluate the efficacy of Fluoro Jade-C staining (FJC) in the assessment of brain injury after deep hypothermia circulatory arrest (DHCA). Six healthy adult miniature male pigs underwent DHCA, the rectal temperature was down to 18°C, circulation was stopped , circulatory arrest was maintained for 60 minutes. On postoperative day 1, perfusion-fixation was performed on brain tissue. Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum were taken for sampling. FJC, hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), nissl staining (NISSL), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were performed to detect the histological and pathological changes. Histological scores of all slices were ranked. Comparison between the FJC and other techniques was done by analysis of variance (ANOVA) according to histological scores. All animals survived the operation. On the cerebral cortex, in comparison of FJC between HE, NISSL and TUNEL, the p value was 0.90, 0.40, 0.16 respectively (p>0.05). On the hippocampus, the comparison of FJC with HE, NISSL and TUNEL had a p value of 0.12, 0.23, 0.62 respectively (p>0.05). On the cerebellum, in comparing FJC with HE, NISSL and TUNEL, the p value was 0.96, 0.77, 0.96 respectively (p>0.05). On representative regions, the results of FJC were in accordance with that of TUNEL, NISSL and HE. Furthermore, ascertainment of brain injury is easier with FJC. FJC is a reliable and convenient method to assess brain injury after DHCA. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The current screening programme for congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Basile, L; Oliveira, I; Ciruela, P; Plasencia, A

2011-09-22

Due to considerable numbers of migrants from Chagas disease-endemic countries living in Catalonia, the Catalonian Health Department has recently implemented a screening programme for preventing congenital transmission, targeting Latin American pregnant women who attend antenatal consultations. Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in women is based on two positive serological tests. Screening of newborns from mothers with positive serology is based on a parasitological test during the first 48 hours of life and/or conventional serological analysis at the age of nine months. If either of these tests is positive, treatment with benznidazole is started following the World Health Organization's recommendations. The epidemiological surveillance of the programme is based on the Microbiological Reporting System of Catalonia, a well established network of laboratories. Once a positive case is reported, the responsible physician is asked to complete a structured epidemiological questionnaire. Clinical and demographic data are registered in the Voluntary Case Registry of Chagas Disease, a database administered by the Catalonian Health Department. It is expected that this programme will improve the understanding of the real burden of Chagas disease in the region. Furthermore, this initiative could encourage the implementation of similar programmes in other regions of Spain and even in other European countries.

Coaches' perspectives on implementing an evidence-informed injury prevention programme in junior community netball.

PubMed

Saunders, N; Otago, L; Romiti, M; Donaldson, A; White, P; Finch, Cf

2010-12-01

For effective sports injury prevention, information is needed about the implementation context for interventions. This study describes coaches' feedback on the implementation of an evidence-informed injury prevention programme in community junior netball using coaches' perceptions and the RE-AIM framework. A lower-limb injury prevention programme (Down to Earth; D2E), for teaching safe-landing techniques, was delivered to 31 coaches from 31 junior community netball teams in a 1-h workshop. Coaches then delivered a 6-week programme at team training sessions starting in the week before the competition season commenced. 65% of coaches completed a feedback survey 17 weeks after they had delivered the programme. Most (88%) coaches believed that D2E improved their players' ability to perform correct landing techniques in games and that players had retained these improvements over the season. The majority (83%) indicated that an improvement in player athletic attributes was the greatest advantage of D2E, followed by a reduction in injury risk. Identified barriers to implementing D2E were running out of time and very young players finding the drills too difficult. Coaches reported that they needed more ideas for training drills that could be incorporated into their programmes and believed that their own coaching training did not adequately prepare them to implement an injury prevention programme. Although coaches believed that D2E was effective in developing correct landing techniques, some modifications are needed to make it more suitable for younger players and coach education by accreditation courses could be improved to support the implementation of injury prevention programmes.

The ELIXIR-EXCELERATE Train-the-Trainer pilot programme: empower researchers to deliver high-quality training.

PubMed

Morgan, Sarah L; Palagi, Patricia M; Fernandes, Pedro L; Koperlainen, Eija; Dimec, Jure; Marek, Diana; Larcombe, Lee; Rustici, Gabriella; Attwood, Teresa K; Via, Allegra

2017-01-01

One of the main goals of the ELIXIR-EXCELERATE project from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme is to support a pan-European training programme to increase bioinformatics capacity and competency across ELIXIR Nodes. To this end, a Train-the-Trainer (TtT) programme has been developed by the TtT subtask of EXCELERATE's Training Platform, to try to expose bioinformatics instructors to aspects of pedagogy and evidence-based learning principles, to help them better design, develop and deliver high-quality training in future. As a first step towards such a programme, an ELIXIR-EXCELERATE TtT (EE-TtT) pilot was developed, drawing on existing 'instructor training' models, using input both from experienced instructors and from experts in bioinformatics, the cognitive sciences and educational psychology. This manuscript describes the process of defining the pilot programme, illustrates its goals, structure and contents, and discusses its outcomes. From Jan 2016 to Jan 2017, we carried out seven pilot EE-TtT courses (training more than sixty new instructors), collaboratively drafted the training materials, and started establishing a network of trainers and instructors within the ELIXIR community. The EE-TtT pilot represents an essential step towards the development of a sustainable and scalable ELIXIR TtT programme. Indeed, the lessons learned from the pilot, the experience gained, the materials developed, and the analysis of the feedback collected throughout the seven pilot courses have both positioned us to consolidate the programme in the coming years, and contributed to the development of an enthusiastic and expanding ELIXIR community of instructors and trainers.

The ELIXIR-EXCELERATE Train-the-Trainer pilot programme: empower researchers to deliver high-quality training

PubMed Central

Morgan, Sarah L; Koperlainen, Eija; Dimec, Jure; Marek, Diana; Larcombe, Lee; Rustici, Gabriella; Attwood, Teresa K; Via, Allegra

2017-01-01

One of the main goals of the ELIXIR-EXCELERATE project from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme is to support a pan-European training programme to increase bioinformatics capacity and competency across ELIXIR Nodes. To this end, a Train-the-Trainer (TtT) programme has been developed by the TtT subtask of EXCELERATE’s Training Platform, to try to expose bioinformatics instructors to aspects of pedagogy and evidence-based learning principles, to help them better design, develop and deliver high-quality training in future. As a first step towards such a programme, an ELIXIR-EXCELERATE TtT (EE-TtT) pilot was developed, drawing on existing ‘instructor training’ models, using input both from experienced instructors and from experts in bioinformatics, the cognitive sciences and educational psychology. This manuscript describes the process of defining the pilot programme, illustrates its goals, structure and contents, and discusses its outcomes. From Jan 2016 to Jan 2017, we carried out seven pilot EE-TtT courses (training more than sixty new instructors), collaboratively drafted the training materials, and started establishing a network of trainers and instructors within the ELIXIR community. The EE-TtT pilot represents an essential step towards the development of a sustainable and scalable ELIXIR TtT programme. Indeed, the lessons learned from the pilot, the experience gained, the materials developed, and the analysis of the feedback collected throughout the seven pilot courses have both positioned us to consolidate the programme in the coming years, and contributed to the development of an enthusiastic and expanding ELIXIR community of instructors and trainers. PMID:28928938

The Swedish Regional Climate Modelling Programme, SWECLIM: a review.

PubMed

Rummukainen, Markku; Bergström, Sten; Persson, Gunn; Rodhe, Johan; Tjernström, Michael

2004-06-01

The Swedish Regional Climate Modelling Programme, SWECLIM, was a 6.5-year national research network for regional climate modeling, regional climate change projections and hydrological impact assessment and information to a wide range of stakeholders. Most of the program activities focussed on the regional climate system of Northern Europe. This led to the establishment of an advanced, coupled atmosphere-ocean-hydrology regional climate model system, a suite of regional climate change projections and progress on relevant data and process studies. These were, in turn, used for information and educational purposes, as a starting point for impact analyses on different societal sectors and provided contributions also to international climate research.

The impact of urban regeneration programmes on health and health-related behaviour: Evaluation of the Dutch District Approach 6.5 years from the start.

PubMed

Ruijsbroek, Annemarie; Wong, Albert; Kunst, Anton E; van den Brink, Carolien; van Oers, Hans A M; Droomers, Mariël; Stronks, Karien

2017-01-01

Large-scale regeneration programmes to improve the personal conditions and living circumstances in deprived areas may affect health and the lifestyle of the residents. Previous evaluations concluded that a large-scale urban regeneration programme in the Netherlands had some positive effects within 3.5 years. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects at the longer run. With a quasi-experimental research design we assessed changes in the prevalence of general health, mental health, physical activity, overweight, obesity, and smoking between the pre-intervention (2003-04 -mid 2008) and intervention period (mid 2008-2013-14) in 40 deprived target districts and comparably deprived control districts. We used the Difference-in-Difference (DiD) to assess programme impact. Additionally, we stratified analyses by sex and by the intensity of the regeneration programme. Changes in health and health related behaviours from pre-intervention to the intervention period were about equally large in the target districts as in control districts. DiD impact estimates were inconsistent and not statistically significant. Sex differences in DiD estimates were not consistent or significant. Furthermore, DiD impact estimates were not consistently larger in target districts with more intensive intervention programmes. We found no evidence that this Dutch urban regeneration programme had an impact in the longer run on self-reported health and related behaviour at the area level.

Antecedents and consequences of situational interest.

PubMed

Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa; Patall, Erika A; Messersmith, Emily E

2013-12-01

There is a growing body of research on situational interest (SI). Yet, we still know relatively little about how SI is supported in the classroom and the academic benefits of SI. The current study investigated (1) contextual antecedents of SI; (2) potential benefits of SI for academic outcomes; and (3) SI as a mediator of classroom practices to academic outcomes. Participants were 126 male and female adolescents (mean age = 14.6 years) who took part in a science course during a 3-week residential summer programme for talented adolescents. Participants completed self-report measures prior to the start of the summer programme and at the end of the programme. Summer programme instructors completed ratings of students' engagement during the programme. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate the three study aims. After controlling for initial individual interest, perceived choice, instructor approachability, and course connections to real life were statistically significant predictors of SI during the summer programme, with varying associations observed based on the form of SI (triggered, maintained-feeling, and maintained-value). SI was positively related to individual interest and perceived competence in science at the end of the programme as well as teacher-rated engagement; SI also mediated the associations of classroom practices with these outcomes. Results suggest that classroom practices shape SI. In turn, SI supports motivation and engagement. Moreover, differentiated antecedents and outcomes of the three sub-components of SI were identified, highlighting the utility of this three-component approach for studying SI. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

ESA situational awareness of space weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luntama, Juha-Pekka; Glover, Alexi; Keil, Ralf; Kraft, Stefan; Lupi, Adriano

2016-07-01

ESA SSA Period 2 started at the beginning of 2013 and will last until the end of 2016. For the Space Weather Segment, transition to Period 2 introduced an increasing amount of development of new space weather service capability in addition to networking existing European assets. This transition was started already towards the end of SSA Period 1 with the initiation of the SSA Space Weather Segment architecture definition studies and activities enhancing existing space weather assets. The objective of Period 2 has been to initiate SWE space segment developments in the form of hosted payload missions and further expand the federated service network. A strong focus has been placed on demonstration and testing of European capabilities in the range of SWE service domains with a view to establishing core products which can form the basis of SWE service provision during SSA Period 3. This focus has been particularly addressed in the SSA Expert Service Centre (ESC) Definition and Development activity that was started in September 2015. This presentation will cover the current status of the SSA SWE Segment and the achievements during SSA Programme Periods 1 and 2. Particular attention is given to the federated approach that allow building the end user services on the best European expertise. The presentation will also outline the plans for the Space Weather capability development in the framework of the ESA SSA Programme in 2017-2020.

CoDuSe group exercise programme improves balance and reduces falls in people with multiple sclerosis: A multi-centre, randomized, controlled pilot study.

PubMed

Carling, Anna; Forsberg, Anette; Gunnarsson, Martin; Nilsagård, Ylva

2017-09-01

Imbalance leading to falls is common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). To evaluate the effects of a balance group exercise programme (CoDuSe) on balance and walking in PwMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale, 4.0-7.5). A multi-centre, randomized, controlled single-blinded pilot study with random allocation to early or late start of exercise, with the latter group serving as control group for the physical function measures. In total, 14 supervised 60-minute exercise sessions were delivered over 7 weeks. Pretest-posttest analyses were conducted for self-reported near falls and falls in the group starting late. Primary outcome was Berg Balance Scale (BBS). A total of 51 participants were initially enrolled; three were lost to follow-up. Post-intervention, the exercise group showed statistically significant improvement ( p = 0.015) in BBS and borderline significant improvement in MS Walking Scale ( p = 0.051), both with large effect sizes (3.66; -2.89). No other significant differences were found between groups. In the group starting late, numbers of falls and near falls were statistically significantly reduced after exercise compared to before ( p < 0.001; p < 0.004). This pilot study suggests that the CoDuSe exercise improved balance and reduced perceived walking limitations, compared to no exercise. The intervention reduced falls and near falls frequency.

Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Initiatives in Tanzania and Mozambique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeffery, Bill; Parthesius, Robert

2013-06-01

The aim of this paper is provide an overview of the capacity building programmes in maritime and underwater cultural heritage (MUCH) conducted by the authors in Tanzania and Mozambique. Tanzania and Mozambique have long histories of indigenous cultures, foreign contacts and influences and African adaptations beginning in the late Greco-Roman period, when the coastal populations exploited the peoples and riches of the interior. Today the coastline contains numerous examples of indigenous tangible and intangible heritage and many sites and histories related to the Swahili culture. Some exploratory research and training has been conducted in Tanzania and Mozambique, but the implementation by local residents of their own MUCH programme is still at an early stage. Under a UNESCO agreement framework, Tanzania in particular has started to develop a MUCH programme, which can assist in highlighting their extensive histories, cultural landscapes and cultural identity.

Programme for specialization in family medicine

PubMed Central

Polliack, M. R.; Medalie, Jack H.

1969-01-01

A programme for specialized training in family medicine at Tel Aviv University Medical School provides four years of postgraduate study, two of which are in recognized hospital departments and two in clinics recognized for training in family medicine. At the end of this four-year period the graduate must submit a thesis of original work or an approved research project on an aspect of family medicine. Continuing contact of the trainee with both the family medicine clinic and the hospital departments is maintained throughout the period. While in hospital the trainee spends half a day a week in the family clinic with his personal tutor, and when in the clinic he spends half a day a week in the hospital. This programme has been provisionally accepted as meeting the formal requirements of the Israel Medical Association for specialization in family medicine, and the first physician has started training. PMID:5354841

Best Practices for Competency Development and Assessment in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redondo Duarte, Sara; Learreta Ramos, Begoña; Ruiz Rosillo, María Auxiliadora; Alperstedt, Cristiane; Hazé, Emmanuël

2015-01-01

The main objective of this article is to present the results of a study aimed at determining, classifying and evaluating practices of interest for general competency development and assessment in undergraduate programmes. The study encompassed the following phases: (1) focus group in order to establish a starting point regarding competency…

Patterns of Parental Involvement in Selected OECD Countries: Cross-National Analyses of PISA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartas, Dimitra

2015-01-01

Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), patterns of parental involvement were examined in selected OECD countries. The findings showed that, irrespective of educational qualifications, parents were frequently involved in their children's learning at the start of primary school and at age 15. Cross-national…

Developing Educational Alternatives: Some New Ways for Education in Rural Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, A. W.

The evolution and diversification of alternative educational programmes for rural communities are traced from the "shock-absorber" approach, aimed at a sector of society which presented a visible need, toward community education and some of the working principles behind it. The starting point for examining educational evolution is traditional…

Can Policymakers Improve the Effectiveness of Entrepreneurship Training Programmes? Evidence from Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matricano, Diego

2017-01-01

Despite efforts by European national governments to implement dedicated entrepreneurship training activities and enhance start-up expectations, as established by the Lisbon Strategy (2000), the results achieved have not always been satisfactory. A particularly noteworthy case occurred in Italy in 2008, when there were very few newly created…

The Contribution of PISA to the Convergence of Education Policies in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michel, Alain

2017-01-01

The international comparative studies on students' outcomes have initiated analyses that have had a growing influence on national and sub-national education policies in industrialised and developing countries. It is particularly the case of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which started in 2000 and has organised…

ExperimentaLab: A Virtual Platform to Enhance Entrepreneurial Education through Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iscaro, Valentina; Castaldi, Laura; Sepe, Enrica

2017-01-01

With a view to enhancing the entrepreneurial activity of universities, the authors explore the concepts and features of the "experimental lab", presenting it as an effective means of supporting entrepreneurial training programmes and helping students to turn ideas into actual start-ups. In this context, the term experimental lab refers…

Experiential Internships: Understanding the Process of Student Learning in Small Business Internships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varghese, Mary E.; Parker, Loran Carleton; Adedokun, Omolola; Shively, Monica; Burgess, Wilella; Childress, Amy; Bessenbacher, Ann

2012-01-01

This qualitative study examines the process of student learning in a small-business experiential internship programme that pairs highly qualified undergraduates with local small or start-up companies. The Cognitive Apprenticeship model developed by Collins et al (1991) was used to conceptualize students' reported experiences. The results revealed…

Play Beliefs and Responsive Parenting among Low-Income Mothers of Preschoolers in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaForett, Doré R.; Mendez, Julia L.

2017-01-01

This study examined associations between parents' developmentally appropriate beliefs about young children's play and responsive parenting. Low-income parents and their children enrolled in Head Start programmes (n = 231) in the United States participated in the study. Responsive parenting skills (characterized by high levels of warmth and…

Trends in Educational Evaluations in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ndubueze, M. Okoloeze; Iyoke, J. O.; Okoh, S. C.; Beatrice, N. Akubuilo

2015-01-01

The paper highlights the trends in educational evaluations in Nigeria starting from the pre-colonial Nigeria to the contemporary. Nigeria first practiced traditional educational evaluation but the system was criticized for lack of documented data. Then the colonial one-shot end of programme evaluation which was later found to be judgmental, breeds…

Challenging Elementary Learners with Programmable Robots during Free Play and Direct Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy-Parker, Kimberly S.; Paull, Lindsey N.; Rule, Audrey C.; Montgomery, Sarah E.

2017-01-01

Computer programming skills are important to many current careers; teaching robot coding to elementary students can start a positive foundation for technological careers, develop problem-solving skills, and growth mindsets. This study, through a repeated measures design involving students in two classrooms at two widely-separated grade levels…

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2007-01-01

Part of the 2006 industrial minerals review. During 2006, total U.S. gemstone trade with all countries and territories exceeded $28.3 billion. Estimates indicate that U.S. gemstone markets accounted for over 35 percent of world gemstone demand in 2006. Natural gemstone production from U.S. deposits during 2006 was worth an estimated $13.3 million, a slight decrease from 2005, and included agates, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise, and many other gem materials. Laboratory-created gemstone production in the U.S. was worth an estimated $47.4 million, a 7 percent drop compared to 2005 production.

Why do Romanian junior high school students start to smoke?

PubMed

Lotrean, L M; Mesters, I; de Vries, H

2013-11-01

Adolescence is a crucial period in the development of smoking behaviour. To develop efficient prevention programmes for teenagers, it is essential to understand why adolescents start to smoke. The objective of this study was to assess the predictors of smoking onset among Romanian junior high school students aged 13-14. The data were obtained from a two-wave, 9-month longitudinal study carried out among 504 junior high school non-smokers from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Questionnaires assessed smoking behaviour, attitudes, social influence, self-efficacy and intention regarding smoking (motivational variables), as well as different sociodemographic features. The results from the logistic regression analysis revealed that baseline lower self-efficacy in refraining from smoking in several social situations, baseline pressures from peers to smoke and baseline intentions to smoke significantly increased the risk of non-smokers to become smokers at follow-up 9 months later. These findings underline that reinforcing social self-efficacy to refuse smoking, resisting peer pressures and maintaining negative intentions regarding smoking are essential ingredients for smoking prevention programmes among Romanian junior high school students. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A SPAD-based 3D imager with in-pixel TDC for 145ps-accuracy ToF measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vornicu, I.; Carmona-Galán, R.; Rodríguez-Vázquez, Á.

2015-03-01

The design and measurements of a CMOS 64 × 64 Single-Photon Avalanche-Diode (SPAD) array with in-pixel Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) are presented. This paper thoroughly describes the imager at architectural and circuit level with particular emphasis on the characterization of the SPAD-detector ensemble. It is aimed to 2D imaging and 3D image reconstruction in low light environments. It has been fabricated in a standard 0.18μm CMOS process, i. e. without high voltage or low noise features. In these circumstances, we are facing a high number of dark counts and low photon detection efficiency. Several techniques have been applied to ensure proper functionality, namely: i) time-gated SPAD front-end with fast active-quenching/recharge circuit featuring tunable dead-time, ii) reverse start-stop scheme, iii) programmable time resolution of the TDC based on a novel pseudo-differential voltage controlled ring oscillator with fast start-up, iv) a global calibration scheme against temperature and process variation. Measurements results of individual SPAD-TDC ensemble jitter, array uniformity and time resolution programmability are also provided.

Information security: where computer science, economics and psychology meet.

PubMed

Anderson, Ross; Moore, Tyler

2009-07-13

Until ca. 2000, information security was seen as a technological discipline, based on computer science but with mathematics helping in the design of ciphers and protocols. That perspective started to change as researchers and practitioners realized the importance of economics. As distributed systems are increasingly composed of machines that belong to principals with divergent interests, incentives are becoming as important to dependability as technical design. A thriving new field of information security economics provides valuable insights not just into 'security' topics such as privacy, bugs, spam and phishing, but into more general areas of system dependability and policy. This research programme has recently started to interact with psychology. One thread is in response to phishing, the most rapidly growing form of online crime, in which fraudsters trick people into giving their credentials to bogus websites; a second is through the increasing importance of security usability; and a third comes through the psychology-and-economics tradition. The promise of this multidisciplinary research programme is a novel framework for analysing information security problems-one that is both principled and effective.

A framework for a process-driven common foundation programme for graduates.

PubMed

Jasper, M; Rolfe, G

1993-10-01

This paper discusses some of the problems encountered in writing a shortened Common Foundation Programme in nursing for graduates, and outlines a course which takes as its starting point the particular educational needs and requirements of the student group. Thus, the first question to be addressed by the curriculum writers when designing the course was "How can we teach these students?", rather than "What can we teach them?". The resulting process-driven course is heavily influenced by the student-centred philosophy of Carl Rogers, and utilizes a variety of large- and small-group methods to facilitate the students in gradually taking responsibility for, and making decisions about, their learning needs. The paper continues with some strategies for ensuring a smooth transition from a tutor-led, syllabus-driven start to the course, to a student-led, process-driven finish for both the theoretical and clinical components, and for the assessment schedule. Finally, a student-centred approach to evaluation is briefly outlined, and the paper concludes by suggesting that the principles employed in designing and implementing this course could be successfully transferred to a wide variety of other educational settings.

Effects of telephone-based peer support in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving integrated care: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Chan, Juliana C N; Sui, Yi; Oldenburg, Brian; Zhang, Yuying; Chung, Harriet H Y; Goggins, William; Au, Shimen; Brown, Nicola; Ozaki, Risa; Wong, Rebecca Y M; Ko, Gary T C; Fisher, Ed

2014-06-01

In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), team management using protocols with regular feedback improves clinical outcomes, although suboptimal self-management and psychological distress remain significant challenges. To investigate if frequent contacts through a telephone-based peer support program (Peer Support, Empowerment, and Remote Communication Linked by Information Technology [PEARL]) would improve cardiometabolic risk and health outcomes by enhancing psychological well-being and self-care in patients receiving integrated care implemented through a web-based multicomponent quality improvement program (JADE [Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation]). Between 2009 and 2010, 628 of 2766 Hong Kong Chinese patients with T2DM from 3 publicly funded hospital-based diabetes centers were randomized to the JADE + PEARL (n = 312) or JADE (n = 316) groups, with comprehensive assessment at 0 and 12 months. Thirty-three motivated patients with well-controlled T2DM received 32 hours of training (four 8-hour workshops) to become peer supporters, with 10 patients assigned to each. Peer supporters called their peers at least 12 times, guided by a checklist. Changes in hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) level (primary), proportions of patients with attained treatment targets (HbA(1c) <7%; blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <2.6 mmol/L [to convert to milligrams per deciliter, divide by 0.0256]) (secondary), and other health outcomes at month 12. Both groups had similar baseline characteristics (mean [SD] age, 54.7 [9.3] years; 57% men; disease duration, 9.4 [7.7] years; HbA(1c) level, 8.2% [1.6%]; systolic blood pressure, 136 [19] mm Hg; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, 2.89 [0.82] mmol/L; 17.4% cardiovascular-renal complications; and 34.9% insulin treated). After a mean (SD) follow-up period of 414 (55) days, 5 patients had died, 144 had at least 1 hospitalization, and 586 had repeated comprehensive assessments. On intention-to-treat analysis, both groups had similar reductions in HbA(1c) (JADE + PEARL, 0.30% [95% CI, 0.12%-0.47%], vs JADE, 0.29% [95% CI, 0.12%-0.47%] [P = .97]) and improvements in treatment targets and psychological-behavioral measures. In the JADE + PEARL group, 90% of patients maintained contacts with their peer supporters, with a median of 20 calls per patient. Most of the discussion items were related to self-management. In patients with T2DM receiving integrated care, peer support did not improve cardiometabolic risks or psychological well-being. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00950716.

Cost benefit analysis of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination programme in Israel.

PubMed Central

Ginsberg, G M; Kassis, I; Dagan, R

1993-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The recent availability of Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB) conjugate vaccines prompted an examination of the costs and benefits of four and three dose HIB prevention programmes targeting all newborns in Israel. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--A four dose programme would reduce the number of childhood (aged 0-13) HIB cases from 184.2 to 31.3 per year, yielding a benefit ($1.03 million) to cost ($3.55 million) ratio of just 0.29/l for health services only, based on a vaccine price of $7.74 per dose. When benefits resulting from a reduction in mild handicaps and severe neurological sequelae are included, the benefit ($4.48 million) to cost ratio rises to 1.26/l and it reaches 1.45/l when the $0.66 million indirect benefits of reduced work absences and mortality are also included. Break even vaccine costs are $2.24 when health service benefits only are considered and $11.21 when all the benefits are included. CONCLUSION--In the absence of other projects with higher benefit to cost ratios, Israel should start to provide a nationwide HIB vaccination programme since the monetary benefits to society of such a programme will exceed the costs to society. A barrier to implementation may occur, however, because the costs of the programme exceed the benefits to the health services alone. PMID:8120505

Progress and Achievements at the Mid Term Stage of the Dragon 3 Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desnos, Yves-Louis; Li, Zengyuan; Zmuda, Andy; Gao, Zhihai

2014-11-01

The Dragon Programme is a joint undertaking between ESA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China and the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC). Its purpose is to encourage increased exploitation of ESA and Chinese space resources within China as well as stimulate increased scientific cooperation in the field of Earth Observation (EO) science and applications between China and Europe. Since 2004, this pioneering programme has become a model for scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe. By successfully encouraging joint research using ESA, Third Party Missions and Chinese EO data across a range of thematic areas, Dragon continues to deliver outstanding scientific results. The programme has successfully completed two phases, Dragon 1 from 2004 to 2008, Dragon 2 from 2008 to 2012. The third phase of Dragon was started in 2012 and will be completed in 2016. The Dragon 3 project teams are led by leading EO scientists and young scientists are also engaged on the projects. Advanced training in land, ocean and atmospheric applications is a feature of the programme and a course on land and one course on ocean applications have been successfully held in 2012 and 2013 in China. Here-in provided is an overview of the results, reporting and training activities at the mid-term stage of the programme.

[Family-oriented group therapy in the treatment of female patients with anorexia and bulimia nervosa--a pilot study].

PubMed

Salbach, Harriet; Bohnekamp, Inga; Lehmkuhl, Ulrike; Pfeiffer, Ernst; Korte, Alexander

2006-07-01

Family therapy has proven effective in the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) in adolescence. While cognitive-behavioural treatment has been shown to be effective in adult patients suffering from BN, there have been few studies on the effectiveness of psychotherapy in the treatment of adolescents. Since in the majority of AN patients their illness starts in mid-adolescence, and in late adolescence in BN patients, it is crucial to develop and evaluate treatment programmes for these disorders and age groups. In view of these arguments, a programme of group psychotherapy was set up for eating-disordered patients and their parents, combining disorder-specific psychoeducational components with a family group psychotherapy approach that is more open with regard to individual treatment goals. Patients participated together with their parents in the same group. The treatment programme was evaluated within the framework of a naturalistic single-group study design. Pre-post changes were assessed. 32 female patients (29 with AN, 3 with BN) and their parents took part in the treatment programme. All of the families completed the programme, which was interpreted as a high rate of acceptance. Pre-post analysis revealed a decrease in the degree of eating-disorder symptoms. The advantages and disadvantages of this treatment programme, as well as the limitations of the pilot study are critically discussed.

Support of Herschel Key Programme Teams at the NASA Herschel Science Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shupe, David L.; Appleton, P. N.; Ardila, D.; Bhattacharya, B.; Mei, Y.; Morris, P.; Rector, J.; NHSC Team

2010-01-01

The first science data from the Herschel Space Observatory were distributed to Key Programme teams in September 2009. This poster describes a number of resources that have been developed by the NASA Herschel Science Center (NHSC) to support the first users of the observatory. The NHSC webpages and Helpdesk serve as the starting point for information and queries from the US community. Details about the use of the Herschel Common Science Software can be looked up in the Helpdesk Knowledgebase. The capability of real-time remote support through desktop sharing has been implemented. The NHSC continues to host workshops on data analysis and observation planning. Key Programme teams have been provided Wiki sites upon request for their team's private use and for sharing information with other teams. A secure data storage area is in place for troubleshooting purposes and for use by visitors. The NHSC draws upon close working relationships with Instrument Control Centers and the Herschel Science Center in Madrid in order to have the necessary expertise on hand to assist Herschel observers, including both Key Programme teams and respondents to upcoming open time proposal calls.

Smile Train: The ascendancy of cleft care in India

PubMed Central

Singh, Subodh Kumar

2009-01-01

Though India has an estimated population of one million untreated cleft patients, facilities for its treatment have been limited and are not evenly distributed across the country. Furthermore, a paucity of committed cleft surgeons in fewer hospitals to provide quality surgical treatment to these patients, poverty, illiteracy, superstitions and poor connectivity in some remote regions severely limit the chances of an average cleft lip patient born in India from receiving rational and effective comprehensive treatment for his/her malady. The Smile Train Project with its singular focus on cleft patients started its philanthropic activities in India in the year 2000. It made hospitals and included clefts surgeon equal partners in this programme and helped them treat as many cleft patients as they possibly could. The Project encouraged improvement of the training and infrastructure in various centres across the length and breadth of the region. The Project received an unprecedented success in terms of growth of number of centres, cleft surgeons and quantum of cleft patients reporting for treatment. The G S Memorial Hospital is one such partner hospital. It started innovative outreach programmes and took a holistic view of the needs of these patients and their families. With the support of the Smile Train, it has not only succeeded in providing treatment to more than 14,500 patients in 5 years, but has also devised innovative outreach programmes and seamlessly incorporated salient changes in the hospital system to suit the needs of the target population. PMID:19884676

Start-stop funding, its causes and consequences: a case study of the delivery exemptions policy in Ghana.

PubMed

Witter, Sophie; Adjei, Sam

2007-01-01

This article looks at the issue of sustaining funding for a public programme through the case study of the delivery exemptions policy in Ghana. The Government of Ghana introduced the policy of exempting users from delivery fees in September 2003 in the four most deprived regions of the country, and in April 2005 it was extended to the remaining six regions in Ghana. The aim of the policy of free delivery care was to reduce financial barriers to using maternity services. Using materials from key informant interviews at national and local levels in 2005, the article examines how the policy has been implemented and what the main constraints have been, as perceived by different actors in the health system. The interviews show that despite being a high-profile public policy and achieving positive results, the delivery exemptions policy quickly ran into implementation problems caused by inadequate funding. They suggest that facility and district managers bear the brunt of the damage that is caused when benefits that have been promised to the public cannot be delivered. There can be knock-on effects on other public programmes too. Despite these problems, start-stop funding and under-funding of public programmes is more the norm than the exception. Some of the factors causing erratic funding--such as party politics and intersectoral haggling over resources--are unavoidable, but others, such as communication and management failures can and should be addressed. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Funding for self-employment of people with disabilities. Grants, loans, revolving funds or linkage with microfinance programmes.

PubMed

de Klerk, Ton

2008-03-01

In 2005, Handicap International commissioned a study on the practices of funding for self-employment activities of people with disabilities (PWD), with a special focus on access to microfinance. The overall goal of the study was to produce a framework document highlighting good practices, strategies, tools and operational methods that guarantee the efficiency and sustainability of self-employment projects for PWDs. The first phase of the study consisted of a literature review and a worldwide survey. Through this first phase the research team identified the most innovative programmes for further analysis through field visits. In the second phase field visits were conducted in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nicaragua and Uganda, while regional workshops were organised in Dhaka and Nairobi. Phase three involved consolidation and analysis of the information and finally drafting of the framework document. This paper summarises the findings and good practices as presented in the framework document, based on the results of the literature review, the survey and the field research. It is not a scientific paper, i.e. it doesn't contain a discussion of the literature reviewed or systematic reference to sources, the same as the document on which it is based, as it is primarily meant for 'practitioners'. A main finding of the study was that there is no single 'best solution' to funding of self employment activities. While inclusion of PWDs in existing microfinance institutions (MFIs) is the preferred strategy, guaranteeing efficiency, sustainability and future access to funding for the target group, it was found that in reality many PWDs do not have access to microfinance programmes. This can be explained by stigmatisation of PWDs by staff of MFIs, who do not believe in their income earning and repayment capacity, and self-exclusion by PWDs. To fight against it projects have been set-up linking MFIs with programmes for PWDs, focusing on better information exchange between both parties respectively on disability for MFIs and the characteristics of microfinance for programmes for PWDs. Other programmes experiment with special credit lines or guarantee funds, placed at the disposal of MFls and earmarked for loan disbursement for PWDs, to facilitate their inclusion. Another reason for non-inclusion is the vulnerability of many PWDs. Many of them have no prior business experience, while many MFIs only provide loans to clients with an existing business. Vocational and/or business training and raising of their self-confidence, to be assured by a programme for PWDs, is often required prior to setting-up of a self-employment activity and taking a loan. If not prepared to run a 'business' successfully, taking a loan will present a too great a risk for themselves, getting indebted, and for the MFI. 'Start-up' grants for business-starters and revolving funds managed by PWD programmes, are other approaches practised by PWD programmes, of which the pros and cons are discussed in the study. A major weakness of many MFIs is that they do not reach the most vulnerable clients, including many of the PWDs, and their weak presence in rural areas especially in Africa. MFls have to look for innovative approaches to deepen their outreach. The self-help group approach in India, starting with the clients' own savings from which loans can be disbursed to the group members while linking the well-performing groups to banks for access to bank loans, is such a new approach. It is practised by The Leprosy Mission Trust in India. In Africa, some international NGOs started with similar 'community based saving and lending groups'.

Antibiotics Smart Use: a workable model for promoting the rational use of medicines in Thailand

PubMed Central

Chongtrakul, Pisonthi; Anuwong, Kunyada; Pumtong, Somying; Kongsomboon, Kedsenee; Butdeemee, Parichart; Khonglormyati, Jurairat; Chomyong, Santi; Tongyoung, Parnuchote; Losiriwat, Suraphol; Seesuk, Piyanooch; Suwanwaree, Pongthep; Tangcharoensathien, Viroj

2012-01-01

Abstract The Antibiotics Smart Use (ASU) programme was introduced in Thailand as a model to promote the rational use of medicines, starting with antibiotics. The programme’s first phase consisted of assessing interventions intended to change prescribing practices; the second phase examined the feasibility of programme scale-up. Currently the programme is in its third phase, which centres on sustainability. This paper describes the concept behind ASU, the programme’s functional modalities, the development of its conceptual framework and the implementation of its first and second phases. To change antibiotic prescription practices, multifaceted interventions at the individual and organizational levels were implemented; to maintain behaviour change and scale up the programme, interventions at the network and policy levels were used. The National Health Security Office has adopted ASU as a pay-for-performance criterion, a major achievement that has led to the programme’s expansion nationwide. Despite limited resources, programme scale-up and sustainability have been facilitated by the promotion of local ownership and mutual recognition, which have generated pride and commitment. ASU is clearly a workable entry point for efforts to rationalize the use of medicines in Thailand. Its long-term sustainability will require continued local commitment and political support, effective auditing and integration of ASU into routine systems with appropriate financial incentives. PMID:23284196

A continuing education programme for general practitioners. Status report after 5 years of function.

PubMed

Wiskott, H W; Borgis, S; Simoness, M

2000-05-01

In 1992, following newly issued university regulations, the board of the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Geneva decided to establish a structured continuing education course programme for practising dentists in an effort to better meet the school's continuing education mandate. The programme started in January 1994 and was structured so that regular courses would be offered in each discipline of dentistry. The course contents were aimed at satisfying the demands of practising dentists, but it was also established that basic science issues and theoretical concepts should be included. Possible course formats were "conference", "hands-on", "clinical" and "seminar". The courses were meant as a form of knowledge transfer from the school to the practising community, but also as a means to generate revenue for research and teaching programmes. Operative aspects were supervised by a small staff which was assisted by computer software designed to handle all procedural steps of course administration, participant registration, accounting, communication. The dentists' responses were rewarding in that attendance was very satisfactory. Closer scrutiny of our data, however, indicates that our impact is still low since at best only 20% of the course-hours required by the Swiss dental association are actually taken. Both course and programme evaluations were satisfactory and are discussed using the Harden and Laidlaw CRISIS criteria.

New pathways in the evaluation of programmes for men who perpetrate violence against their female partners.

PubMed

Wojnicka, Katarzyna; Scambor, Christian; Kraus, Heinrich

2016-08-01

Today, evaluation research in the field of intervention programmes for men who perpetrate violence against their female partners still makes a fragmentary impression. Across Europe various evaluation studies have been performed. However, the methodologies applied are too heterogeneous to allow the combination of the results in a meta-analytical way. In this paper we propose a future pathway for organising outcome evaluation studies of domestic violence perpetrator programmes in community settings, so that today's problems in this field can be overcome. In a pragmatic framework that acknowledges the limited pre-conditions for evaluation studies in the area of domestic violence perpetrator programmes as it is today, feasible approaches for outcome evaluation are outlined, with recent developments in the field taken as starting points. The framework for organising future evaluation studies of work with perpetrators of domestic violence is presented together with a strategy to promote this framework. International networks of practitioners and researchers play a central role in this strategy through upskilling the area of practical work, preparing the ground for evaluation research and improving cooperation between practitioners and researchers. This paper is based on the results of the European funded project IMPACT (under the Daphne-III-funding programme of the European Commission). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparedness of final-year Turkish nursing students for work as a professional nurse.

PubMed

Güner, Perihan

2015-03-01

To determine the preparedness levels of final-year Turkish nursing students starting their careers as professional nurses. The transition from nursing student to professional nurse is challenging. One of the ways to help facilitate this transition is to determine how well students are prepared to start work. There are limited, but conflicting, results on this topic. Mixed-methods study. Undergraduate nursing students (n = 4490) in their final year of study from 74 Turkish universities were eligible to participate in this study. Of these, 1804 total students participated from 38 randomly selected universities. Data were collected through an investigator-developed questionnaire (n = 1804) and focus group interviews (n = 57). Students felt highly prepared to start work (57·6%). Those who were older, male, graduates of a vocational high school or already working as a nurse felt most prepared. Students who felt that their education preparation and resources were adequate felt more prepared. Focus group interviews revealed that students felt confident in their knowledge of educational theory, but not in clinical skills. Students may have felt prepared to start work, but insufficient clinical experience probably contributed to a lack of confidence in their skills. The resources of the school, the quality of the education, and the clinical practice environments were considered most important for the students' perceived preparedness levels. An undergraduate education provides the foundation for successful nurse preparation. A good clinical environment along with a high-quality education programme can help give students more confidence in their skills when they join the nursing workforce. Internship or residency programmes may also facilitate this learning. This is extremely important for safe, high-quality patient care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness of digital mammography screening before the age of 50 in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Sankatsing, Valérie D V; Heijnsdijk, Eveline A M; van Luijt, Paula A; van Ravesteyn, Nicolien T; Fracheboud, Jacques; de Koning, Harry J

2015-10-15

In the Netherlands, routine mammography screening starts at age 50. This starting age may have to be reconsidered because of the increasing breast cancer incidence among women aged 40 to 49 and the recent implementation of digital mammography. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of digital mammography screening that starts between age 40 and 49, using a microsimulation model. Women were screened before age 50, in addition to the current programme (biennial 50-74). Screening strategies varied in starting age (between 40 and 50) and frequency (annual or biennial). The numbers of breast cancers diagnosed, life-years gained (LYG) and breast cancer deaths averted were predicted and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated to compare screening scenarios. Biennial screening from age 50 to 74 (current strategy) was estimated to gain 157 life years per 1,000 women with lifelong follow-up, compared to a situation without screening, and cost €3,376/LYG (3.5% discounted). Additional screening increased the number of LYG, compared to no screening, ranging from 168 to 242. The costs to generate one additional LYG (i.e., ICER), comparing a screening strategy to the less intensive alternative, were estimated at €5,329 (biennial 48-74 vs. current strategy), €7,628 (biennial 45-74 vs. biennial 48-74), €10,826 (biennial 40-74 vs. biennial 45-74) and €18,759 (annual 40-49 + biennial 50-74 vs. biennial 40-74). Other strategies (49 + biennial 50-74 and annual 45-49 + biennial 50-74) resulted in less favourable ICERs. These findings show that extending the Dutch screening programme by screening between age 40 and 49 is cost-effective, particularly for biennial strategies. © 2015 UICC.

ENLIGHT: European network for Light ion hadron therapy.

PubMed

Dosanjh, Manjit; Amaldi, Ugo; Mayer, Ramona; Poetter, Richard

2018-04-03

The European Network for Light Ion Hadron Therapy (ENLIGHT) was established in 2002 following various European particle therapy network initiatives during the 1980s and 1990s (e.g. EORTC task group, EULIMA/PIMMS accelerator design). ENLIGHT started its work on major topics related to hadron therapy (HT), such as patient selection, clinical trials, technology, radiobiology, imaging and health economics. It was initiated through CERN and ESTRO and dealt with various disciplines such as (medical) physics and engineering, radiation biology and radiation oncology. ENLIGHT was funded until 2005 through the EC FP5 programme. A regular annual meeting structure was started in 2002 and continues until today bringing together the various disciplines and projects and institutions in the field of HT at different European places for regular exchange of information on best practices and research and development. Starting in 2006 ENLIGHT coordination was continued through CERN in collaboration with ESTRO and other partners involved in HT. Major projects within the EC FP7 programme (2008-2014) were launched for R&D and transnational access (ULICE, ENVISION) and education and training networks (Marie Curie ITNs: PARTNER, ENTERVISION). These projects were instrumental for the strengthening of the field of hadron therapy. With the start of 4 European carbon ion and proton centres and the upcoming numerous European proton therapy centres, the future scope of ENLIGHT will focus on strengthening current and developing European particle therapy research, multidisciplinary education and training and general R&D in technology and biology with annual meetings and a continuously strong CERN support. Collaboration with the European Particle Therapy Network (EPTN) and other similar networks will be pursued. Copyright © 2018 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Senegal.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Ly Wane, Coudy Thierno

2011-04-01

Progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children <5 years of age has been less than needed to achieve related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Therefore, several international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel', starting with an analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The main objectives of the situational analysis are to compile, analyse and interpret available information on infant and child feeding and the nutrition situation of children <2 years of age in Senegal, as one of the six targeted countries. These findings will be used to assist in identifying inconsistencies and filling gaps in current programming. Between August and December 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Senegal were interviewed, and 157 documents were examined on the following themes: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, management of acute malnutrition, food security and hygienic practices. Nearly all of the key IYCN topics were addressed, specifically or generally, in national policy documents. Senegal reported substantial improvements since the 1990s towards reducing infant and young child mortality and underweight, and increasing exclusive breastfeeding among infants <6 months of age (34%). Senegal is one of the few countries in the region that is nearly on track for reaching related MDGs. Notable activities that may have played a role include: (1) vitamin A supplementation was expanded to nearly semi-annual national campaigns starting in 1994; (2) the Ministry of Health partnered with several national and international agencies to scale up child survival activities under the umbrella of the Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (1994-2006); (3) a national nutrition division was developed to support a national nutrition strengthening programme; (4) the national nutrition counsel was organized to coordinate nutritional activities across various organizations and governmental sectors, involving representatives from health, agriculture and surveillance; and (5) an integrated communications programme was developed to support harmonized behaviour change communication tools for the health and nutrition sectors. Along with these activities, a number of programme evaluations were conducted to ensure that programmes obtain desired results. Although useful, these evaluations were not rigorous enough to identify effective programmes that contributed to the mentioned reductions in the prevalence of underweight and mortality, and increases in exclusive breastfeeding. The policy and programme framework is well established for support of optimal IYCN practices in Senegal. Despite the recent improvements in infant and young child nutritional status indicators, there is still much to do. Greater resources and continued capacity building are needed to: (1) conduct necessary research for adapting training materials and programme protocols to programmatic needs; (2) improve and carry out monitoring and evaluation that identify effective programme components; and (3) apply these findings in developing, expanding and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Addressing the social determinants of health: a case study from the Mitanin (community health worker) programme in India

PubMed Central

Schneider, Helen

2014-01-01

The Mitanin Programme, a government community health worker (CHW) programme, was started in Chhattisgarh State of India in 2002. The CHWs (Mitanins) have consistently adopted roles that go beyond health programme-specific interventions to embrace community mobilization and action on local priorities. The aim of this research was to document how and why the Mitanins have been able to act on the social determinants of health, describing the catalysts and processes involved and the enabling programmatic and organizational factors. A qualitative comparative case study of successful action by Mitanin was conducted in two ‘blocks’, purposefully selected as positive exemplars in two districts of Chhattisgarh. One case focused on malnutrition and the other on gender-based violence. Data collection involved 17 in-depth interviews and 10 group interviews with the full range of stakeholders in both blocks, including community members and programme team. Thematic analysis was done using a broad conceptual framework that was further refined. Action on social determinants involved raising awareness on rights, mobilizing women’s collectives, revitalizing local political structures and social action targeting both the community and government service providers. Through these processes, the Mitanins developed identities as agents of change and advocates for the community, both with respect to local cultural and gender norms and in ensuring accountability of service providers. The factors underpinning successful action on social determinants were identified as the significance of the original intent and vision of the programme, and how this was carried through into all aspects of programme design, the role of the Mitanins and their identification with village women, ongoing training and support, and the relative autonomy of the programme. Although the results are not narrowly generalizable and do not necessarily represent the situation of the Mitanin Programme as a whole, the explanatory framework may provide general lessons for programmes in similar contexts. PMID:25274643

Future initiatives to reduce lung cancer incidence in the United Kingdom: smoking cessation, radon remediation and the impact of social change.

PubMed

Denman, Antony R; Rogers, Stephen; Timson, Karen; Phillips, Paul S; Crockett, Robin Gm; Groves-Kirkby, Christopher J

2015-03-01

Smoking and radon cause lung cancer, with smoking being the more significant risk factor. Although programmes to identify UK houses with raised radon levels and to encourage remedial action started in 1990, uptake has been limited and those most at risk, smokers and young families, are not being reached. The risks from smoking and radon are multiplicative. Public health campaigns have reduced smoking prevalence significantly. Since most radon-induced lung cancers occur in smokers, reducing the number of smokers will reduce the number of radon-induced lung cancers. This article considers the impact of reducing smoking prevalence on the effectiveness of radon remediation programmes, combining this with demographic trends and regional variations to assess implications for future public health. Results on cost-effectiveness of smoking cessation and radon remediation programmes were combined with government figures for smoking prevalence to estimate the number of cancers averted and the cost-effectiveness of such programmes, taking into account demographic changes, including increasing life expectancy. Regional variations in smoking prevalence and smoking cessation programmes were reviewed, comparing these to the geographic variation of radon. The continuing impact of smoking cessation programmes in reducing smoking prevalence will reduce the number of radon-induced lung cancers, but with a lag. Smoking cessation programmes are more cost-effective than radon remediation programmes, presenting an additional opportunity to reduce radon risk to smokers. Regional data show no correlation between smoking prevalence and radon levels. Reduced smoking prevalence reduces the effectiveness of radon remediation programmes. This, coupled with limited uptake of radon remediation, suggests that radon remediation programmes should be targeted, and that an integrated public health policy for smoking and radon is appropriate. Lack of correlation between smoking prevalence and radon suggests that local assessment of relative priorities for public health strategies, such as the 'Total Place' initiative, is appropriate. © Royal Society for Public Health 2014.

An evaluation of independent component analyses with an application to resting-state fMRI

PubMed Central

Matteson, David S.; Ruppert, David; Eloyan, Ani; Caffo, Brian S.

2013-01-01

Summary We examine differences between independent component analyses (ICAs) arising from different as-sumptions, measures of dependence, and starting points of the algorithms. ICA is a popular method with diverse applications including artifact removal in electrophysiology data, feature extraction in microarray data, and identifying brain networks in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). ICA can be viewed as a generalization of principal component analysis (PCA) that takes into account higher-order cross-correlations. Whereas the PCA solution is unique, there are many ICA methods–whose solutions may differ. Infomax, FastICA, and JADE are commonly applied to fMRI studies, with FastICA being arguably the most popular. Hastie and Tibshirani (2003) demonstrated that ProDenICA outperformed FastICA in simulations with two components. We introduce the application of ProDenICA to simulations with more components and to fMRI data. ProDenICA was more accurate in simulations, and we identified differences between biologically meaningful ICs from ProDenICA versus other methods in the fMRI analysis. ICA methods require nonconvex optimization, yet current practices do not recognize the importance of, nor adequately address sensitivity to, initial values. We found that local optima led to dramatically different estimates in both simulations and group ICA of fMRI, and we provide evidence that the global optimum from ProDenICA is the best estimate. We applied a modification of the Hungarian (Kuhn-Munkres) algorithm to match ICs from multiple estimates, thereby gaining novel insights into how brain networks vary in their sensitivity to initial values and ICA method. PMID:24350655

Evaluation of the colorectal cancer screening Programme in the Basque Country (Spain) and its effectiveness based on the Miscan-colon model.

PubMed

Idigoras, I; Arrospide, A; Portillo, I; Arana-Arri, E; Martínez-Indart, L; Mar, J; de Koning, H J; Lastra, R; Soto-Gordoa, M; van der Meulen, M; Lansdorp-Vogelaar, I

2017-08-01

The population-based Basque Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Programme started in 2009 with a biennial immunochemical quantitative test (FIT) biennial and colonoscopy under sedation in positive cases. The population target of 586,700 residents was from 50 to 69 years old and the total coverage was reached at the beginning of 2014. The aim of our study was to determine possible scenarios in terms of incidence, mortality and reduction of Life-years-Lost (L-y-L) in the medium and long term of CRC. Invitations were sent out by the Programme from 2009 to 2014, with combined organizational strategies. Simulation was done by MISCAN-colon (Microsimulation Screening Analysis) over 30 years comparing the results of screening vs no-screening, taking the population-based Cancer Registry into account. Lifetime population and real data from the Programme were used from 2008 to 2012. The model was run differentially for men and women. 924,416 invitations were sent out from 2009 to 2014. The average participation rate was 68.4%, CRC detection rate was 3.4% and the Advanced Adenoma detection rate was 24.0‰, with differences observed in sex and age. Future scenarios showed a higher decrease of incidence (17.2% vs 14.7%), mortality (28.1% vs 22.4%) and L-y-L (22.6% vs 18.4%) in men than women in 2030. The Basque Country CRC Programme results are aligned to its strategy and comparable to other programmes. MISCAN model was found to be a useful tool to predict the benefits of the programme in the future. The effectiveness of the Programme has not been formally established as case control studies are required to determine long term benefits from the screening strategy.

Dietary flavonoid fisetin regulates aluminium chloride-induced neuronal apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of mice brain.

PubMed

Prakash, Dharmalingam; Sudhandiran, Ganapasam

2015-12-01

Dietary flavonoids have been suggested to promote brain health by protecting brain parenchymal cells. Recently, understanding the possible mechanism underlying neuroprotective efficacy of flavonoids is of great interest. Given that fisetin exerts neuroprotection, we have examined the mechanisms underlying fisetin in regulating Aβ aggregation and neuronal apoptosis induced by aluminium chloride (AlCl3) administration in vivo. Male Swiss albino mice were induced orally with AlCl3 (200 mg/kg. b.wt./day/8 weeks). Fisetin (15 mg/Kg. b.wt. orally) was administered for 4 weeks before AlCl3-induction and administered simultaneously for 8 weeks during AlCl3-induction. We found aggregation of Amyloid beta (Aβ 40-42), elevated expressions of Apoptosis stimulating kinase (ASK-1), p-JNK (c-Jun N-terminal Kinase), p53, cytochrome c, caspases-9 and 3, with altered Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in favour of apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of AlCl3-administered mice. Furthermore, TUNEL and fluoro-jade C staining demonstrate neurodegeneration in cortex and hippocampus. Notably, treatment with fisetin significantly (P<0.05) reduced Aβ aggregation, ASK-1, p-JNK, p53, cytochrome c, caspase-9 and 3 protein expressions and modulated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. TUNEL-positive and fluoro-jade C stained cells were also significantly reduced upon fisetin treatment. We have identified the involvement of fisetin in regulating ASK-1 and p-JNK as possible mediator of Aβ aggregation and subsequent neuronal apoptosis during AlCl3-induced neurodegeneration. These findings define the possibility that fisetin may slow or prevent neurodegneration and can be utilised as neuroprotective agent against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of equipotent doses of bupivacaine and ropivacaine in high-fat diet fed neonatal rodent model.

PubMed

Lian, Ying-Dong; Chen, Zong-Xiang; Zhu, Kang-Ru; Sun, Shu-Yin; Zhu, Li-Ping

The increase in the prevalence of obesity presents a significant health and economic problem. Obesity has been reported to be a major contributor to variety of chronic diseases. Childhood obesity has been rising over the past decades leading to various complications in health. Millions of infants and children undergo surgery every year on various health grounds. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of spinal anesthesia of equipotent doses of ropivacaine and bupivacaine on over-weight neonatal rats. The Sprague-Dawley rat pups were overfed on high fat diet to induce obesity. Behavioral assessments for sensory and motor blockade was made by evaluating thermal and mechanical withdrawal latencies at various time intervals following intrathecal injections of bupivacaine (5.0mg·kg -1 ) and ropivacaine (7.5mg·kg -1 ) in P14 rats. Spinal tissue was analyzed for apoptosis by determination of activated caspase-3 using monoclonal anti-activated caspase-3 and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Long-term spinal function in P30 rat pups was evaluated. Exposure to intrathecal anesthesia in P14 increased thermal and mechanical latencies and was observed to increase apoptosis as presented by increase in activated caspase-3 and Fluro-Jade C positive cells. Significant alterations in spinal function were observed in high fat diet-fed pups as against non-obese control pups that were on standard diet. Bupivacaine produced more pronounced apoptotic effects on P14 pups; ropivacaine however produced long lasting effects as evidenced in motor function tests at P30. Ropivacaine and bupivacaine induced spinal toxicity that was more pronounced in over-fed rat pups as against normal controls. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

[Effect of equipotent doses of bupivacaine and ropivacaine in high-fat diet fed neonatal rodent model].

PubMed

Lian, Ying-Dong; Chen, Zong-Xiang; Zhu, Kang-Ru; Sun, Shu-Yin; Zhu, Li-Ping

The increase in the prevalence of obesity presents a significant health and economic problem. Obesity has been reported to be a major contributor to variety of chronic diseases. Childhood obesity has been rising over the past decades leading to various complications in health. Millions of infants and children undergo surgery every year on various health grounds. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of spinal anesthesia of equipotent doses of ropivacaine and bupivacaine on over-weight neonatal rats. The Sprague-Dawley rat pups were overfed on high fat diet to induce obesity. Behavioral assessments for sensory and motor blockade was made by evaluating thermal and mechanical withdrawal latencies at various time intervals following intrathecal injections of bupivacaine (5.0mg·kg -1 ) and ropivacaine (7.5mg·kg -1 ) in P14 rats. Spinal tissue was analyzed for apoptosis by determination of activated caspase-3 using monoclonal anti-activated caspase-3 and Fluoro-Jade C staining. Long-term spinal function in P30 rat pups was evaluated. Exposure to intrathecal anesthesia in P14 increased thermal and mechanical latencies and was observed to increase apoptosis as presented by increase in activated caspase-3 and Fluro-Jade C positive cells. Significant alterations in spinal function were observed in high fat diet-fed pups as against non-obese control pups that were on standard diet. Bupivacaine produced more pronounced apoptotic effects on P14 pups; ropivacaine however produced long lasting effects as evidenced in motor function tests at P30. Ropivacaine and bupivacaine induced spinal toxicity that was more pronounced in over-fed rat pups as against normal controls. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Changes in biochemical processes in cerebellar granule cells of mice exposed to methylmercury.

PubMed

Bellum, Sairam; Bawa, Bhupinder; Thuett, Kerry A; Stoica, Gheorghe; Abbott, Louise C

2007-01-01

At postnatal day 34, male and female C57BL/6J mice were exposed orally once a day to a total of five doses totaling 1.0 or 5.0 mg/kg of methylmercuric chloride or sterile deionized water in moistened rodent chow. Eleven days after the last dose cerebellar granule cells were acutely isolated to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and mitochondrial membrane potential using CM-H(2)DCFDA and TMRM dyes, respectively. For visualizing intracellular calcium ion distribution using transmission electron microscopy, mice were perfused 11 days after the last dose of methylmercury (MeHg) using the oxalate-pyroantimonate method. Cytosolic and mitochondrial protein fractions from acutely isolated granule cells were analyzed for cytochrome c content using Western blot analysis. Histochemistry (Fluoro-Jade dye) and immunohistochemistry (activated caspase 3) was performed on frozen serial cerebellar sections to label granule cell death and activation of caspase 3, respectively. Granule cells isolated from MeHg-treated mice showed elevated ROS levels and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential when compared to granule cells from control mice. Electron photomicrographs of MeHg-treated granule cells showed altered intracellular calcium ion homeostasis ([Ca(2+)](i)) when compared to control granule cells. However, in spite of these subcellular changes and moderate relocalization of cytochrome c into the cytosol, the concentrations of MeHg used in this study did not produce significant neuronal cell death/apoptosis at the time point examined, as evidenced by Fluoro-Jade and activated caspase 3 immunostaining, respectively. These results demonstrate that short-term in vivo exposure to total doses of 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg MeHg through the most common exposure route (oral) can result in significant subcellular changes that are not accompanied by overt neuronal cell death.

Celebrities and screening: a measurable impact on high-grade cervical neoplasia diagnosis from the ‘Jade Goody effect' in the UK

PubMed Central

Casey, G M; Morris, B; Burnell, M; Parberry, A; Singh, N; Rosenthal, A N

2013-01-01

Background: The celebrity Jade Goody's cervical cancer diagnosis was associated with increased UK cervical screening attendance. We wanted to establish if there was an increase in high-grade (HG) cervical neoplasia diagnoses, and if so, what the characteristics of the women with HG disease were. Methods: We analysed prospective data on 3233 consecutive colposcopy referrals in North East London, UK, from 01 April 2005 to 30 June 2010. Characteristics and outcomes of pre- and post-Goody cohorts were compared. Results: Goody's diagnosis was associated with an increased incidence of colposcopy referrals in all subsequent annual quarters (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.3–1.9, P<0.002–P<0.0005) and increased HG disease diagnoses in the fourth quarter 2008/2009 (IRR 1.3, P=0.05) and first quarter 2009/2010 (IRR 1.3, P=0.07). We observed 1.90-fold (CI: 1.06–3.39), 2.06 (CI: 1.13–3.76) and 2.13-fold (CI: 1.07–4.25) respective increases in the odds of HG disease women being screening-naive in the first and second quarter 2009/2010, and the first quarter 2010/2011 (P<0.04, P<0.02 and P<0.04, respectively). There was a 2.23-fold increase in the odds of screening-naive HG disease women being symptomatic post-Goody's diagnosis (P=0.023). The age distributions of the pre- and post-Goody cohorts did not differ in any study group. Conclusion: Continued publicity about celebrities' diagnoses might encourage screening in at-risk populations. PMID:23963142

Enhancing Sensitivity in Adolescent Mothers: Does a Standardised, Popular Parenting Intervention Work with Teens?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohr, Yvonne; BinNoon, Noam

2014-01-01

This community pilot study was designed to evaluate a small group intervention, Right From The Start (RFTS), in terms of the benefits it provides to adolescent mothers specifically. The effectiveness of the programme was examined in the areas of maternal sensitivity, parenting confidence, parenting stress, and postnatal depression. RFTS has been…

The Nature and Development of Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beswick, Kim; Callingham, Rosemary; Watson, Jane

2012-01-01

In this article, we report on the use of a teacher profiling instrument with 62 middle school teachers at the start of a 3-year professional learning programme. The instrument was designed to assess the aspects of teachers' knowledge identified by Shulman ("1987") refined by Ball et al. ("2008") and extended to include teachers' confidence to use…

Starting School: The Importance of Parents' Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Fran

2005-01-01

Following the diagnosis of a child's disability parents can find that their expectations are shattered. As they adjust to their new situation they will begin to develop new ideas of what the future will hold. Supporting families is a key theme in current government policy, hence the development of the Early Support Programme. In this paper Fran…

Unexpected Outcomes from Teachers' TV

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanner, Ruth

2006-01-01

In this article, the author explains why she has unexpectedly become a fan of Teacher's TV. It started when she was asked to show some clips from Teachers' TV as part of a workshop she was leading. She dutifully accepted a CD containing three downloaded programmes about using ICT to teach mathematics and put it into her laptop. Within a few…

Full Service Extended Schools and Educational Inequality in Urban Contexts--New Opportunities for Progress?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raffo, Carlo; Dyson, Alan

2007-01-01

This paper examines the extent to which the UK government's full service extended schools programme has the capacity to ameliorate educational inequality in urban contexts. It starts by examining a variety of explanatory narratives for educational inequality in urban contexts in the UK and suggests that the dynamics of social exclusion created by…

Youth Apprenticeships in Canada: On Their Inferior Status Despite Skilled Labour Shortages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehmann, Wolfgang; Taylor, Alison; Wright, Laura

2014-01-01

In Canada, youth apprenticeships have been promoted as an educational alternative that leads to the development of valuable skills, allows for the opportunity to earn an income while learning and helps youth to gain a head start into lucrative, creative and in-demand careers. Yet, these programmes have remained rather marginal and continue to be…

Toddler Feeding: Expectations and Experiences of Low-Income African American Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horodynski, Mildred A.; Brophy-Herb, Holly; Henry, Michelle; Smith, Katharine A.; Weatherspoon, Lorraine

2009-01-01

Objective: To ascertain maternal expectations and experiences with mealtimes and feeding of toddlers among low-income African American mothers in two mid- to large-size cities in the United States. Design: Qualitative focus group study. Setting: Two Early Head Start programme sites in a Midwestern state which serve low income families. Method:…

Knowledge Based Artificial Augmentation Intelligence Technology: Next Step in Academic Instructional Tools for Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crowe, Dale; LaPierre, Martin; Kebritchi, Mansureh

2017-01-01

With augmented intelligence/knowledge based system (KBS) it is now possible to develop distance learning applications to support both curriculum and administrative tasks. Instructional designers and information technology (IT) professionals are now moving from the programmable systems era that started in the 1950s to the cognitive computing era.…

Changing Cognitions in Parents of Two-Year-Olds Attending Scottish Sure Start Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolfson, Lisa Marks; Durkin, Kevin; King, Julia

2010-01-01

The study examined how preschool intervention programmes set up by three Scottish local authorities changed parents' cognitions. Quantitative parent outcomes were measured using Parenting Daily Hassles Scales (N = 88). A matched comparison group of parents (N = 55) recruited from the same areas of disadvantage but whose children did not attend the…

Children's Engagement in Play at Home: A Parent's Role in Supporting Play Opportunities during Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaForett, Doré R.; Mendez, Julia L.

2017-01-01

This study examined parents' developmentally appropriate beliefs about young children's play and parents' views on their child's play skills. This exploratory secondary data analysis was drawn from data on low-income African-American and Latino parents and their children (n = 109) participating in Head Start programmes in the USA. Compared with…

Transformation and Regulation: A Century of Continuity in Nursery School and Welfare Policy Rhetoric

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Read, Jane

2015-01-01

This article explores policy development for under-fives and its implementation in nursery schools in the first two decades of the twentieth century and draws parallels with current policy initiatives such as Sure Start and the "Troubled Families" programme. It interrogates how discourse on British racial health shaped policy and…

Report from the International Permafrost Association: carbon pools in permafrost regions

Treesearch

Peter Kuhry; Chien-Lu Ping; Edward A.G. Schuur; Charles Tarnocai; Sergey Zimov

2009-01-01

The IPA Carbon Pools in Permafrost Regions (CAPP) Project started in 2005, with endorsement of the Earth System Science Partnership (EESP) Global Carbon Project and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Climate and Cryosphere Project. CAPP is also a project of the IPY. The project was launched because there is considerable concern and increased awareness both...

Shaping Tomorrow: The Servol Programmes in Trinidad and Tobago.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Ruth N.

This publication describes the work of the Servol program in Trinidad and Tobago. The Servol organization was started in Port of Spain in 1970 by Gerry Pantin. Servol's approach to helping disadvantaged people implies that one should never presume to know the needs of people; rather, one should ask them what their needs are. This approach produces…

A Building Development Plan at Laval University, Quebec

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daoust, Gilles

2004-01-01

Laval University is launching a series of major development projects aimed at meeting the needs of an institution that currently offers over 350 academic programmes to more than 36,000 students. This article will focus on three of the most important construction projects that are already under way or about to start: the Wood Processing Centre,…

The photovoltaic pilot projects of the European Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnell, W.

The Commission of the European Communities has started in 1980 a programme for the design and construction of a series of photovoltaic pilot projects in the range of 30-300 kWp. Virtually all important industries and other development organisations in Europe working on photovoltaic cells and systems are involved in this programme. The different technologies which are being developed concern the modules, the cabling of the array, structure design, storage strategy and power conditioning. The various applications include powering of an island, villages, recreation centres, water desalination and disinfection, powering of radio transmitters, emergency power plants, dairy farm, training school, cooling, water pumping, powering of a solar heated swimming pool and last but not least, hydrogen production.

Outcomes of weight management in obese pet dogs: what can we do better?

PubMed

German, Alexander J

2016-08-01

Obesity is arguably the biggest health and welfare issue affecting pet dogs. Although successful weight loss has health benefits, current strategies are far from ideal. Many obese dogs that start a weight programme fail to lose weight, or subsequently regain the weight they have lost. Given that current weight loss strategies are not perfect, clinicians need to focus carefully on tailoring the programme, perhaps setting a pragmatic target for weight loss, so as to ensure the benefits are maximised. This review will summarise key findings from recent clinical research into pet obesity, and present a framework for improving success, by better tailoring weight management regimens and end points to the individual.

Smoking Habits and Attitudes in Students of the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague.

PubMed

Schneidrová, Dagmar; Herotová, Tereza Kopřivová; Šustková, Magdaléna; Hynčica, Viktor

2016-06-01

This study seeks to assess smoking habits, attitudes and intention to quit in students of the Third Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. A cross-sectional survey designed to obtain information on smoking history, current smoking status, cessation attempts, and attitudes towards smoking among health professionals was conducted in 452 students of the first and last years of a 6-year Master's Study Programme (General Medicine) and a 3-year Bachelor's Study Programme (Public Health). An anonymous questionnaire was administered during the classes in the course of academic years 2011-12 and 2012-13. 5.7% of the Master's Study Programme students (3.3% women and 9.0% men ) and 4.8% of the Bachelor's Study Programme students reported that they are regular smokers. The share of regular smokers was almost twice as big in students of the English Curriculum of the Master's Programme (10.7%) in comparison with the students of the Czech Curriculum (4.5%), and more than twice as big in students of the last years of both study programmes (3.9% in students of the 1st year and 10.8% in students of the 6th year of the Master's Programme; 3.2% in students of the 1st year and 7.0% in students of the 3rd year of the Bachelor's Study Programme). At the time of the research, 18.9% of students of the Master's Programme and 17.1% of students of the Bachelor's Programme were occasional smokers. 5.9% of students of the Master's Programme and 19.0% of students of the Bachelor's Programme reported that they quit smoking during their studies at the medical faculty; on the contrary, 9.8% of students of the Master's Programme and 14.3% of students of the Bachelor's Programme started smoking during that time. Smoking in health professionals undermines their significant role in health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases in their patients. Therefore, education at the medical faculty should focus on motivation of future health professionals towards non-smoking except providing knowledge on current research and guidance on early identification and further intervention in smokers. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2015.

Barriers to community case management of malaria in Saraya, Senegal: training, and supply-chains.

PubMed

Blanas, Demetri A; Ndiaye, Youssoupha; Nichols, Kim; Jensen, Andrew; Siddiqui, Ammar; Hennig, Nils

2013-03-14

Health workers in sub-Saharan Africa can now diagnose and treat malaria in the field, using rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy in areas without microscopy and widespread resistance to previously effective drugs. This study evaluates communities' perceptions of a new community case management of malaria programme in the district of Saraya, south-eastern Senegal, the effectiveness of lay health worker trainings, and the availability of rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy in the field. The study employed qualitative and quantitative methods including focus groups with villagers, and pre- and post-training questionnaires with lay health workers. Communities approved of the community case management programme, but expressed concern about other general barriers to care, particularly transportation challenges. Most lay health workers acquired important skills, but a sizeable minority did not understand the rapid diagnostic test algorithm and were not able to correctly prescribe arteminisin-based combination therapy soon after the training. Further, few women lay health workers participated in the programme. Finally, the study identified stock-outs of rapid tests and anti-malaria medication products in over half of the programme sites two months after the start of the programme, thought due to a regional shortage. This study identified barriers to implementation of the community case management of malaria programme in Saraya that include lay health worker training, low numbers of women participants, and generalized stock-outs. These barriers warrant investigation into possible solutions of relevance to community case management generally.

Perceptions and Impact of Mandatory eLearning for Foundation Trainee Doctors: A Qualitative Evaluation.

PubMed

Brooks, Hannah L; Pontefract, Sarah K; Vallance, Hannah K; Hirsch, Christine A; Hughes, Elizabeth; Ferner, Robin E; Marriott, John F; Coleman, Jamie J

2016-01-01

Junior doctors in the UK must complete various educational components during their two year Foundation training programme. It is important that mandatory learning is informative and engaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate trainee doctors' perceptions of a Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) programme developed to improve prescribing competency. Focus groups and interviews were conducted at three hospital sites in the West Midlands. Codes, sub-themes and themes were determined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Data were collected from 38 Foundation trainee doctors. Results revealed major themes relating to prescribing education, the user experience and user engagement. Key findings included the positive impact of preparedness following undergraduate education on the user experience of the TEL programme at the postgraduate level; the impact of content, structure, and individual learning needs and styles on the user experience; and the impact of motivation and time on engagement. Most trainees engaged with the programme owing to its mandatory nature; however, some trainees also used the programme voluntarily, for example, to acquire knowledge prior to starting a new placement. It is important to ensure that learners are willing to engage with mandatory TEL, and that they have the time and motivation to do so. It is also important to ensure that learners have a positive user experience and that in designing TEL individual differences in learning styles and needs are taken into account. These findings have implications for educators and system developers in the construction and design of mandatory eLearning programmes.

Smokers can quit regardless of motivation stage in a worksite smoking cessation programme in Malaysia.

PubMed

Yasin, Siti Munira; Retneswari, Masilamani; Moy, Foong Ming; Koh, David; Isahak, Marzuki

2011-01-01

There is an unclear relationship between smoker's early motivation and success rates. Here we aimed to explore the correlates of motivation and smoking abstinence and relapse in worksite smoking cessation programmes. This prospective cohort study involved employees from two major public universities in Malaysia. Participants were actively recruited into a smoking cessation programme. At the start of treatment, participants were administered a questionnaire on sociodemographic variables, smoking habits and 'stage of change'. Behaviour therapy with free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was given as treatment for two months. A similar stage of change questionnaire was given at six months, and their smoking status was determined. There were 185 smokers from both Universities, who joined the programme. At six months, 24 smokers reported sustained abstinence while the others had relapsed. Prior to the programme, the majority of smokers were seriously planning on quitting (59.5%--preparation stage), but over a third had no plans to quit (35.5%--contemplation stage). There was no significant difference noted in changes of motivation stage among the relapsers and the non quitters. In addition, logistic regression showed that sustained abstinence was not predicted by pre-session motivation stage, but this did predict higher relapse for the participants, compared to those in the preparation stage. It is possible to help smokers in the lower motivation groups to quit, provided extra caution is taken to prevent relapse. Healthcare providers' recruitment strategies for cessation programmes should thus encompass smokers in all motivation stages.

Studying policy implementation using a macro, meso and micro frame analysis: the case of the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research & Care (CLAHRC) programme nationally and in North West London.

PubMed

Caldwell, Sarah E M; Mays, Nicholas

2012-10-15

The publication of Best research for best health in 2006 and the "ring-fencing" of health research funding in England marked the start of a period of change for health research governance and the structure of research funding in England. One response to bridging the 'second translational gap' between research knowledge and clinical practice was the establishment of nine Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs). The goal of this paper is to assess how national-level understanding of the aims and objectives of the CLAHRCs translated into local implementation and practice in North West London. This study uses a variation of Goffman's frame analysis to trace the development of the initial national CLAHRC policy to its implementation at three levels. Data collection and analysis were qualitative through interviews, document analysis and embedded research. Analysis at the macro (national policy), meso (national programme) and micro (North West London) levels shows a significant common understanding of the aims and objectives of the policy and programme. Local level implementation in North West London was also consistent with these. The macro-meso-micro frame analysis is a useful way of studying the transition of a policy from high-level idea to programme in action. It could be used to identify differences at a local (micro) level in the implementation of multi-site programmes that would help understand differences in programme effectiveness.

[Development of an evidence-based self-management programme for patients in the first year after renal transplantation with a focus on prevention of weight gain, physical exercise and drug adherence].

PubMed

Schmid-Mohler, Gabriela; Fehr, Thomas; Witschi, Patrick; Albiez, Thomas; Biotti, Beatrice; Spirig, Rebecca

2013-06-01

In the first year after kidney transplantation patients are challenged with incorporating new behaviour patterns into their daily lives. Due to the higher risk of cardiovascular disease amongst kidney transplant recipients, behaviours such as preventing undesired weight gain, exercising, avoiding smoking, and managing medications take on crucial importance. The aim of the project was to develop a programme based on prevailing evidence to promote self-management skills in this patient population. To this end a participatory action research approach was chosen. The programme was developed with inter-professional collaboration under the direction of an advanced practice nurse. As theoretical framework for the development of the intervention models of behaviour change and self-management were chosen. The content is based on current literature and includes the viewpoints of both patients and nursing experts. The programme consists of three elements: 1) Educational brochures developed through inter-professional collaboration and evaluated in a pilot survey. These brochures provide a framework for appointments with nursing professionals. 2) The appointments are a forum in which the patient can gain access to relevant information and can be supported in putting sustainable health-related behaviours into practice in daily life. 3) A peer programme that uses treatment plans to encourage patients deviating from preferred health-related behaviours to make changes in their behaviour. The programme evaluation started in May of 2012. Results of the pilot study are expected in 2014.

Making British cortisone: Glaxo and the development of corticosteroids in Britain in the 1950s-1960s.

PubMed

Quirke, Viviane

2005-12-01

Following the announcement in 1949 in the USA that cortisone offered rheumatoid arthritis sufferers effective treatment for their crippling disease, the Ministry of Health came under considerable pressure from the medical profession and the public to make cortisone available in Britain. The Ministry, therefore, urged British companies to start manufacturing cortisone. Among the several pharmaceutical firms responding to the Ministry's request, Glaxo's expertise in the field of vitamins gave them a head start. This paper describes the varied and flexible strategy that enabled Glaxo to maintain this head start, and the scientific and technical capabilities which the company subsequently built up, enabling them to dominate the market for corticosteroids in Britain. Among the drugs to emerge out of the Glaxo project to manufacture cortisone, which began in 1950 and later became a wider R&D programme on steroids, was the topical steroid Betnovate, launched in 1963, which remains a best-seller today. However, although it led to successful new products, Glaxo's programme had limitations. The paper identifies a missed opportunity, in the shape of the biosynthetic route to steroid drugs, often considered as a milestone in the development of the new biotechnology. Whether or not this missed opportunity proved costly to the company is uncertain. However, it illustrates the role of technological path-dependence, and the importance of the integration between different scientific disciplines, in this case chemistry and biology, in pharmaceutical innovation.

Susceptibility (risk and protective) factors for in-patient violence and self-harm: prospective study of structured professional judgement instruments START and SAPROF, DUNDRUM-3 and DUNDRUM-4 in forensic mental health services

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The START and SAPROF are newly developed fourth generation structured professional judgement instruments assessing strengths and protective factors. The DUNDRUM-3 and DUNDRUM-4 also measure positive factors, programme completion and recovery in forensic settings. Methods We compared these instruments with other validated risk instruments (HCR-20, S-RAMM), a measure of psychopathology (PANSS) and global function (GAF). We prospectively tested whether any of these instruments predict violence or self harm in a secure hospital setting (n = 98) and whether they had true protective effects, interacting with and off-setting risk measures. Results SAPROF and START-strengths had strong inverse (negative) correlations with the HCR-20 and S-RAMM. SAPROF correlated strongly with GAF (r = 0.745). In the prospective in-patient study, SAPROF predicted absence of violence, AUC = 0.847 and absence of self-harm AUC = 0.766. START-strengths predicted absence of violence AUC = 0.776, but did not predict absence of self-harm AUC = 0.644. The DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery scales also predicted in-patient violence (AUC 0.832 and 0.728 respectively), and both predicted in-patient self-harm (AUC 0.750 and 0.713 respectively). When adjusted for the HCR-20 total score however, SAPROF, START-S, DUNDRUM-3 and DUNDRUM-4 scores were not significantly different for those who were violent or for those who self harmed. The SAPROF had a significant interactive effect with the HCR-dynamic score. Item to outcome studies often showed a range of strengths of association with outcomes, which may be specific to the in-patient setting and patient group studied. Conclusions The START and SAPROF, DUNDRUM-3 and DUNDRUM-4 can be used to assess both reduced and increased risk of violence and self-harm in mentally ill in-patients in a secure setting. They were not consistently better than the GAF, HCR-20, S-RAMM, or PANSS when predicting adverse events. Only the SAPROF had an interactive effect with the HCR-20 risk assessment indicating a true protective effect but as structured professional judgement instruments all have additional content (items) complementary to existing risk assessments, useful for planning treatment and risk management. PMID:23890106

Vortex Formation and Acceleration of a Fish-Inspired Robot Performing Starts from Rest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devoria, Adam; Bapst, Jonathan; Ringuette, Matthew

2009-11-01

We investigate the unsteady flow of a fish-inspired robot executing starts from rest, with the objective of understanding the connection among the kinematics, vortex formation, and acceleration performance. Several fish perform ``fast starts,'' where the body bends into a ``C'' or ``S'' shape while turning (phase I), followed by a straightening of the body and caudal fin and a linear acceleration (phase II). The resulting highly 3-D, unsteady vortex formation and its relationship to the acceleration are not well understood. The self-propelled robotic model contains motor-driven joints with programmable motion to emulate phase II of a simplified C-start. The experiments are conducted in a water tank, and the model is constrained to 1 direction along rails. The velocity is measured using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) in multiple planes. Vortex boundaries are identified using the finite-time Lyapunov exponent, then the unsteady vortex circulation is computed. The thrust is estimated from the identified vortices, and correlated with the circulation and model acceleration for different kinematics.

Incidence, risk factors and causes of death in an HIV care programme with a large proportion of injecting drug users.

PubMed

Spillane, Heidi; Nicholas, Sarala; Tang, Zhirong; Szumilin, Elisabeth; Balkan, Suna; Pujades-Rodriguez, Mar

2012-10-01

To identify factors influencing mortality in an HIV programme providing care to large numbers of injecting drug users (IDUs) and patients co-infected with hepatitis C (HCV). A longitudinal analysis of monitoring data from HIV-infected adults who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 2003 and 2009 was performed. Mortality and programme attrition rates within 2 years of ART initiation were estimated. Associations with individual-level factors were assessed with multivariable Cox and piece-wise Cox regression. A total of 1671 person-years of follow-up from 1014 individuals was analysed. Thirty-four percent of patients were women and 33% were current or ex-IDUs. 36.2% of patients (90.8% of IDUs) were co-infected with HCV. Two-year all-cause mortality rate was 5.4 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 4.4-6.7). Most HIV-related deaths occurred within 6 months of ART start (36, 67.9%), but only 5 (25.0%) non-HIV-related deaths were recorded during this period. Mortality was higher in older patients (HR = 2.50; 95% CI, 1.42-4.40 for ≥40 compared to 15-29 years), and in those with initial BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2) (HR = 3.38; 95% CI, 1.82-5.32), poor adherence to treatment (HR = 5.13; 95% CI, 2.47-10.65 during the second year of therapy), or low initial CD4 cell count (HR = 4.55; 95% CI, 1.54-13.41 for <100 compared to ≥100 cells/μl). Risk of death was not associated with IDU status (P = 0.38). Increased mortality was associated with late presentation of patients. In this programme, death rates were similar regardless of injection drug exposure, supporting the notion that satisfactory treatment outcomes can be achieved when comprehensive care is provided to these patients. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Sand dollar sites orogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amos, Dee

2013-04-01

The determinology of the humble sand dollars habitat changing from inception to the drastic evolution of the zone to that of present day. Into the cauldron along the southern Californian 'ring of fire' lithosphere are evidence of geosynclinals areas, metasedimentary rock formations and hydrothermal activity. The explanation begins with 'Theia' and the Moon's formation, battles with cometary impacts, glacial ages, epochs with evolutionary bottlenecks and plate tectonics. Fully illustrated the lecture includes localised diagrams and figures with actual subject photographic examples of plutonic, granitic, jade and peridodite. Finally, the origins of the materials used in the lecture are revealed for prosecution by future students and the enjoyment of interested parties in general.

Critical interactions between Global Fund-supported programmes and health systems: a case study in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

PubMed

Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Rudge, James W; Phetsouvanh, Rattanaxay; Chanthapadith, Chansouk; Coker, Richard

2010-11-01

In Lao PDR, investment by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has played an important role in scaling up the response to HIV and tuberculosis (TB). As part of a series of case studies on how Global Fund-supported programmes interact with national health systems, we assessed the nature and extent of integration of the Global Fund portfolios within the national HIV and TB programmes, the integration of the HIV and TB programmes within the general health system, and system-wide effects of Global Fund support in Lao PDR. The study relied on a literature review and 35 interviews with key stakeholders using the Systemic Rapid Assessment Toolkit and thematic analysis. In Lao PDR, the HIV and TB programmes remain vertical and mostly weakly integrated with the general health system. However, Global Fund investments have extended the network of facilities delivering care at local level, resulting in greater integration with primary care and improved access for patients, particularly for TB. For HIV, as the prevalence remains low, services primarily target high-risk groups in urban areas. Less integrated functions include procurement and drug supply, and monitoring and evaluation. HIV and TB programmes are only starting to coordinate with each other. Global Fund-supported activities are generally integrated within the national disease programmes, except for monitoring and evaluation. Synergies of Global Fund support with the health system include improved access to services, institutional strengthening and capacity building, improved family planning (with wider condom distribution through HIV/AIDS social marketing programmes), and the delivery of add-on interventions, such as vaccinations and health education, alongside Global Fund-supported interventions at community level. Unintended consequences concern the lack of alignment between national stated priorities (maternal and child health) and the strong focus of external partners, such as the Global Fund, on financing communicable disease programmes.

Return to work of cancer patients after a multidisciplinary intervention including occupational counselling and physical exercise in cancer patients: a prospective study in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Leensen, Monique C J; Groeneveld, Iris F; Heide, Iris van der; Rejda, Tomas; van Veldhoven, Peter L J; Berkel, Sietske van; Snoek, Aernout; Harten, Wim van; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; de Boer, Angela G E M

2017-06-15

To support return to work (RTW) among cancer patients, a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme was developed which combined occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme during chemotherapy. The aim was to investigate RTW rates of cancer patients and to evaluate changes in work-related quality of life and physical outcomes. Longitudinal prospective intervention study using a one-group design. Two hospitals in the Netherlands. Of the eligible patients, 56% participated; 93 patients with a primary diagnosis of cancer receiving chemotherapy and on sick leave were included. Patients completed questionnaires on RTW, the importance of work, work ability (WAI), RTW self-efficacy, fatigue (MFI), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ C-30) at baseline and 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up. Before and after the exercise programme 1-repetition maximum (1RM) muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO 2 peak) were assessed. Six months after the start of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme that combined occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme, 59% of the cancer patients returned to work, 86% at 12 months and 83% at 18 months. In addition, significant improvements (p<0.05) in the importance of work, work ability, RTW self-efficacy, and quality of life were observed, whereas fatigue levels were significantly reduced. After completing the exercise programme, 1RM muscle strength was significantly increased but there was no improvement in VO 2 peak level. RTW rates of cancer patients were high after completion of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. A multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme which combines occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme is likely to result in RTW, reduced fatigue and increased importance of work, work ability, and quality of life. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Effect of a group intervention in the primary healthcare setting on continuing adherence to physical exercise routines in obese women.

PubMed

del Rey-Moya, Luz Maria; Castilla-Álvarez, Carmen; Pichiule-Castañeda, Myrian; Rico-Blázquez, Milagros; Escortell-Mayor, Esperanza; Gómez-Quevedo, Rosa

2013-08-01

To determine the effect of a seven-week-long, group-delivered, nurse-monitored, exercise training programme on the adherence of obese women to physical exercise routines at 12 months. The worldwide obesity epidemic is posing huge public health challenges. The main cause of obesity in Europe is very possibly a sedentary lifestyle. Uncertainty exists regarding whether people will continue to exercise once a structured intervention programme of physical activity ends. No-control-group (before-after) intervention study. One Hundred Seventy-Four women from the Madrid region (Spain) aged ≥ 45 years with a body mass index of ≥30 undertook a maximum of 21 × 1 hour exercise training programme sessions (three per week) over seven weeks starting in February 2009. The number of women making use of exercise training programme before the intervention, and at 6 and 12 months postintervention, was recorded using the Nursing Outcome Classification. Information was collected by interviewing the study subjects. Bivariate (McNemar and Student's t-tests) and multivariate (binary logistic regression) analyses were then performed. The Nursing Outcome Classification Indicator 'Does the subject follow an exercise training programme?' showed that at the end of one year, the percentage of women who remained adhered to exercise training programme increased in those who completed the study (from 11-41%). As the number of programmed exercise training programme sessions completed increased beyond 14, so too did the likelihood of adhering to an exercise training programme regime at one year. The results show that an exercise training programme intervention can encourage obese women to continue exercising after exercise interventions end. This type of intervention could provide a valuable means of helping women lose weight and improve their health. It may also have important economic benefits for health systems. Clinical trials with longer follow-up times and in other populations are needed to confirm the present results. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Return to work of cancer patients after a multidisciplinary intervention including occupational counselling and physical exercise in cancer patients: a prospective study in the Netherlands

PubMed Central

Leensen, Monique C J; Groeneveld, Iris F; van der Heide, Iris; Rejda, Tomas; van Veldhoven, Peter L J; van Berkel, Sietske; Snoek, Aernout; van Harten, Wim; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; de Boer, Angela G E M

2017-01-01

Objectives To support return to work (RTW) among cancer patients, a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme was developed which combined occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme during chemotherapy. The aim was to investigate RTW rates of cancer patients and to evaluate changes in work-related quality of life and physical outcomes. Design Longitudinal prospective intervention study using a one-group design. Setting Two hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants Of the eligible patients, 56% participated; 93 patients with a primary diagnosis of cancer receiving chemotherapy and on sick leave were included. Patients completed questionnaires on RTW, the importance of work, work ability (WAI), RTW self-efficacy, fatigue (MFI), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ C-30) at baseline and 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up. Before and after the exercise programme 1-repetition maximum (1RM) muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 peak) were assessed. Results Six months after the start of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme that combined occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme, 59% of the cancer patients returned to work, 86% at 12 months and 83% at 18 months. In addition, significant improvements (p<0.05) in the importance of work, work ability, RTW self-efficacy, and quality of life were observed, whereas fatigue levels were significantly reduced. After completing the exercise programme, 1RM muscle strength was significantly increased but there was no improvement in VO2 peak level. Conclusions RTW rates of cancer patients were high after completion of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme. A multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme which combines occupational counselling with a supervised physical exercise programme is likely to result in RTW, reduced fatigue and increased importance of work, work ability, and quality of life. PMID:28619770

Four years of experience with the Australian kidney paired donation programme.

PubMed

Cantwell, Linda; Woodroffe, Claudia; Holdsworth, Rhonda; Ferrari, Paolo

2015-03-01

New approaches to increase kidney transplantation rates through expansion of live donor kidney transplantation have become necessary due to ongoing shortage of deceased donor organs. These strategies include desensitization in antibody-incompatible transplants to overcome the barrier of blood group incompatibility or human leucocyte antigen antibodies between recipient and donor and kidney paired donation (KPD) programmes. In KPD, a kidney transplant candidate with an incompatible live donor joins a registry of other incompatible pairs in order to find potentially compatible transplant solutions. To match the largest possible number of donor-recipient pairs while minimizing immunologic risk, KPD programmes use sophisticated algorithms to identify suitable matches with simultaneous two-way or more complex multi-way exchanges as well as including non-directed anonymous donors to start a chain of compatible transplantations. Because of the significant immunologic barriers when fewer donor options are available, the optimal solution for difficult-to-match, highly sensitized patients is access to more potential donors using large multi-centre or national KPD registries. This review focuses on the first 4 years of experience with the Australian multi-centre KPD programme that was established in October 2010. © 2014 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

Dental nursing education and the introduction of technology-assisted learning.

PubMed

Sheridan, C; Gorman, T; Claffey, N

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to explore the profile of dental nursing students in the National Dental Nurse Training Programme of Ireland and their adjustment to a technology-assisted learning environment. Evaluation by students of the course and their reactions to the course were analysed. Dental nurses must possess the skills and knowledge to proficiently function in the modern day dental surgery. The implementation of a dental nurse programme that is heavily reliant on technology has started to create a group of dental nurses equipped with basic skills to access and retrieve information over a lifetime. However, the transition to a technology-assisted learning environment including online learning activities requires adaptation and expertise by educators and students alike. Careful evaluation and stakeholder feedback is imperative in the creation and maintaining of a quality programme. In conclusion, the students in this study responded well to the transition to a technology-based learning environment. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest that the use of an online environment is an effective and stimulating learning environment for the students of a dental nurse programme; however, familiarity skills and knowledge of information technology is a prerequisite for success.

Drug Delivery: Enabling Technology for Drug Discovery and Development. iPRECIO® Micro Infusion Pump: Programmable, Refillable, and Implantable

PubMed Central

Tan, Tsung; Watts, Stephanie W.; Davis, Robert Patrick

2011-01-01

Successful drug delivery using implantable pumps may be found in over 12,500 published articles. Their versatility in delivering continuous infusion, intermittent or complex infusion protocols acutely or chronically has made them ubiquitous in drug discovery and basic research. The recent availability of iPRECIO®, a programmable, refillable, and implantable infusion pump has made it possible to carry out quantitative pharmacology (PKPD) in single animals. When combined with specialized catheters, specific administration sites have been selected. When combined with radiotelemetry, the physiologic gold standard, more sensitive and powerful means of detecting drug induced therapeutic, and/or adverse effects has been possible. Numerous application examples are cited from iPRECIO® use in Japan, United States, and Europe with iPRECIO® as an enabling drug delivery device where the refillable and programmability functionality were key benefits. The ability to start/stop drug delivery and to have control periods prior dosing made it possible to have equivalent effects at a much lower dose than previously studied. Five different iPRECIO® applications are described in detail with references to the original work where the implantable, refillable, and programmable benefits are demonstrated with their different end-points. PMID:21863140

Exploring the theoretical foundations of visual art programmes for people living with dementia.

PubMed

Windle, Gill; Gregory, Samantha; Howson-Griffiths, Teri; Newman, Andrew; O'Brien, Dave; Goulding, Anna

2017-01-01

Despite the growing international innovations for visual arts interventions in dementia care, limited attention has been paid to their theoretical basis. In response, this paper explores how and why visual art interventions in dementia care influence changes in outcomes. The theory building process consists of a realist review of primary research on visual art programmes. This aims to uncover what works, for whom, how, why and in what circumstances. We undertook a qualitative exploration of stakeholder perspectives of art programmes, and then synthesised these two pieces of work alongside broader theory to produce a conceptual framework for intervention development, further research and practice. This suggests effective programmes are realised through essential attributes of two key conditions (provocative and stimulating aesthetic experience; dynamic and responsive artistic practice). These conditions are important for cognitive, social and individual responses, leading to benefits for people with early to more advanced dementia. This work represents a starting point at identifying theories of change for arts interventions, and for further research to critically examine, refine and strengthen the evidence base for the arts in dementia care. Understanding the theoretical basis of interventions is important for service development, evaluation and implementation.

Analysing Costs/Benefits for Distance Education Programmes. Knowledge Series: A Topical, Start-Up Guide to Distance Education Practice and Delivery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rumble, Greville

Cost analysis makes it possible to establish how much things costs, set budgets, determine prices, and compare the costs of different options. In distance education (DE), the main areas of cost analysis are as follows: print-based correspondence systems; educational/institutional television and radio systems; multimedia systems, and e-education…

Academic and Social Integration of Master Students: A Cross-Institutional Comparison between Dutch and International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rienties, Bart; Luchoomun, Dharma; Tempelaar, Dirk

2014-01-01

In Europe there is a growing concern among educators and policy makers that students are not well-prepared to start a Master programme. This study draws on longitudinal research conducted at four universities in the Netherlands and a follow-up exploratory purposively chosen from one of the study sites. In Study 1, differences in academic…

Development of Early English Language and Literacy Skills among Spanish-Speaking Children: Does Preschool Make a Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Myae; Silva, Luisa; Vukelich, Carol; Buell, Martha; Hou, Likun

2014-01-01

This study examined the early English language and literacy skill development of 179 children from 11 Head Start classrooms who participated in an added focus on language and literacy skill-building supported by Early Reading First programme. Of this sample, 118 children were Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELL). All children were…

Medical and Nursing Students' Development of Conceptions of Science during Three Years of Studies in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersson, Gunilla

2005-01-01

This study describes how medical and nursing students develop their conceptions and understanding of science during 3 years of study at the academic level. The point of departure is the students' commonsense conceptions at the start of the undergraduate programme, which are seen as alternative ways of thinking to the more theoretical explanatory…

Evaluating the Impact of SPEED on Students' Career Choices: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodier-Harris, Naomi R.

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two-fold; first, to explore the Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) programme, which aims to help students gain real business start-up experience whilst at university and second to examine the impact of SPEED on the students. Design/methodology/approach: For the first part of the paper,…

Toward One of the Leading Education-Based Economies? Investigating Aims, Strategies, and Practices of Finland's Education Export Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schatz, Monika

2015-01-01

Since the first publication of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results in 2000, the Finnish education system has received much praise both in Finland and abroad. In recent years, Finland started to build up its own education export sector with the aim of…

Middle East Meets West: Negotiating Cultural Difference in International Educational Encounters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodall, Helen

2014-01-01

This paper sets out to evaluate a proposed twelve-month programme of development aimed at academic staff at a new university in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The author uses a model of cultural difference proposed by Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede as her starting point. Reference is also made to the work of other researchers and to the…

Struggling for Integration: Universalist and Separatist Discourses within El Sistema Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Åsa; Lindgren, Monica; Saether, Eva

2016-01-01

This article focuses on the El Sistema programme, which started up in Sweden in 2010 with the objective to deal with segregation problems typical for Swedish urban areas. The purpose of the article is to examine how promoting integration through music and music education is constructed within El Sistema as a way to help children growing up in…

A Journey to the East?: Trials and Tribulations of a Personal Journey with Technology and Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadoux, Marion

2015-01-01

Marion Saddoux describes the stages of her professional journey that began when she started teaching languages in an Institution Wide Language Programme (IWLP) at the beginning of the 1990s. She chronicles her journey as she describes how the use and knowledge of technology in language learning and teaching has developed over time, how contact…

Quality Assurance in Open and Distance Learning. Knowledge Series. A Topical, Start-Up Guide to Distance Education Practice and Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkpatrick, Denise

2005-01-01

Assuring the quality of education provision is a fundamental aspect of gaining and maintaining credibility for programmes, institutions and national systems of higher education worldwide. Despite a long and generally successful track record, open and distance learning (ODL) is still required to prove that the quality of student learning is at…

"They Tell a Story and There's Meaning behind That Story": Indigenous Knowledge and Young Indigenous Children's Literacy Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hare, Jan

2012-01-01

This research draws on the reflections from group discussions with indigenous families and interviews with early childhood educators and community stakeholders from five First Nations reserve communities in Canada whose young children participate in the national aboriginal Head Start On Reserve (AHSOR) programme. The purpose of the study was to…

Behind the Starting Line: School Capacity Building in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Dora; Chen, Shu-Chin Susan

2013-01-01

This paper describes the process of school capacity building in Hong Kong's early childhood education at a time when there was a quest for quality education. A local preschool was selected for the study, which took part in a university-school support programme through which consultancy was hired from a university to provide school-based support.…

Preparing Engineering Students to Work in a Global Environment to Co-Operate, to Communicate and to Compete

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Arvid

2004-01-01

Since the inception in 1987 of European funding programmes the number of students and the range of countries annually involved in international exchange have increased dramatically. In order to comply with this international development, the European Project Semester (EPS) was started in 1995. Since then, more and more students, also from…

Improvement in South African Students' Outlook Due to Music Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Michael M.; Devroop, Karendra; Getz, Laura

2015-01-01

In the spring of 2009, we started a concert band programme at a high school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In the fall of 2011, we returned to the school to measure the impact of participating in a concert band on the students' attitude and outlook. During our initial and return visits, we measured feelings of self-esteem, optimism, positive…

Child oral health concerns amongst parents and primary care givers in a Sure Start local programme.

PubMed

Daly, B; Clarke, W; McEvoy, W; Periam, K; Zoitopoulos, L

2010-09-01

To conduct an oral health promotion needs assessment amongst parents and primary care givers of pre-school children in a South East London Sure Start Local Programme (SSLP). To explore the oral health concerns and oral health literacy with regard to children's oral health amongst parents and primary care givers in a South East London SSLP. A qualitative study using four in-depth focus groups with a purposive sample of 20 participants. Data were analysed using the framework method. The SSLP was identified as an important source of information, support and social interaction for participants. Participants rated the informal networks of the programme as equally authoritative as other formal sources of information. Oral health concerns included: introducing healthy eating, establishing tooth brushing, teething and access to dental care. While participants had adequate knowledge of how to prevent oral disease they cited many barriers to acting on their knowledge which included: parents' tiredness, lack of confidence in parenting skills, confusing information, widespread availability of sugary foods and drinks, and lack of local child friendly dentists. Parenting skills and the social support provided by the SSLP appeared to be integral to the introduction of positive oral health behaviours. SSLPs were seen as a trusted source of support and information for carers of pre-school children. Integration of oral health promotion into SSLPs has the potential to tap into early interventions which tackle the wider support needs of carers of pre-school children while also supporting the development of positive oral health behaviours.

The challenges of starting a cochlear implant programme in a developing country.

PubMed

Krishnamoorthy, Kumaresh; Samy, Ravi N; Shoman, Nael

2014-10-01

Deafness is indeed a silent disability in many parts of the world, and the majority of people who have hearing impairment live in developing countries. With rising economy and developing nations becoming hub of industrialization, hearing loss may increase in these countries. In this review, the authors have elected to focus the discussion on India to frame the challenges of cochlear implants in a developing country. This article reviews the common causes of hearing loss, the challenges faced by those with hearing impairment and why the penetration of these devices is low and also reviews some reasons for the inability of the government to support the implant programme in India. Early identification of hearing is crucial towards ensuring appropriate hearing rehabilitation; it is, however, challenged by various factors, including public awareness, absence of a national new born screening programme, accessibility to diagnostic centres, availability of trained personnel and equipment and patient affordability. Cochlear implants are a proven auditory rehabilitative option for individuals with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, who otherwise do not benefiting from hearing aids. Nevertheless, only a small percentage of these individuals receive cochlear implants, and cost remains a leading prohibitive factor, particularly in developing countries. For example, in India, the personal average annual income is well below US $2000, whereas these devices cost between $12,000 and $25,000, exclusive of hospital and staff fees. Hence, the technology is virtually unavailable to the masses. To overcome the cost limitation of those who would benefit from cochlear implants countries such as India and China have started to develop their own indigenous implants.

The Soviet-Russian space suits a historical overview of the 1960's.

PubMed

Skoog, A Ingemar; Abramov, Isaac P; Stoklitsky, Anatoly Y; Doodnik, Michail N

2002-01-01

The development of protective suits for space use started with the Vostok-suit SK-1, first used by Yu. Gagarin on April 12, 1961, and then used on all subsequent Vostok-flights. The technical background for the design of these suits was the work on full pressure protective suits for military pilots and stratospheric flights in the 1930's through 50's. The Soviet-Russian space programme contains a large number of 'firsts', and one of the most well known is the first EVA by Leonov in 1965. This event is also the starting point for a long series of space suit development for Extravehicular Activities over the last 35 years. The next step to come was the transfer in void space of crew members between the two spacecraft Soyuz 4 and 5 in 1969. As has later become known this was an essential element in the planned Soviet lunar exploration programme, which in itself required a new space suit. After the termination of the lunar programme in 1972, the space suit development concentrated on suits applicable to zero-gravity work around the manned space stations Salyut 6, Salyut 7 and MIR. These suits have become known as the ORLAN-family of suits, and an advanced version of this suit (ORLAN-M) will be used on the International Space Station together with the American EMU. This paper covers the space suit development in the Soviet Union in the 1960's and the experience used from the pre-space era. c2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

It is over three decades of graduate education in Epizootiology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (1975-2011): is there a need to revise the curriculum?

PubMed

Olugasa, Babasola Oluseyi; Ijagbone, Ighodalo Folorunso; Esuruoso, Gabriel Oluwole

2012-01-01

Epizootiology is the study of variable factors, events, forces and circumstances that contribute to the occurrence, distribution, control and prevention of ill-health, diseases and other problems in animal groups. It is a key component of veterinary medicine education at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria since 1975. It started as a Graduate Certificate in Epizootiology (GCE) in 1976. Later it was revised into M.Sc. Epizootiology in 1986. At graduate level, epizootiology curriculum has supported the M.Sc. Epizootiology programme. It compliments training in Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine. This epizootiology curriculum has been operational at graduate level for more than three decades. Now in 2011, a consortium of English speaking West African Universities is committed to review the current curriculum at the University of Ibadan to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world with scope for internationalized practicum in disease investigation. Emphases are made towards skills development in molecular studies on disease causal agents and the mapping of associated geographic risk factors, including indigenous knowledge and practices. It is notable that most English-speaking West African countries including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia either lack a Veterinary School or just started some, but do not have graduate programme in Epizootiology. Thus, the curriculum at Ibadan is positioned to make impact in three key areas, namely, sub-regional ecosystem health studies, improving human-animal disease surveillance programmes, and in indigenization of bio-technology for monitoring and evaluation of trans-boundary animal disease control interventions for global health in West Africa.

Knowledge and experience of young people of drug abuse 1969-84.

PubMed

Wright, J D; Pearl, L

1986-01-18

An anonymous questionnaire survey of the knowledge and experience of drug abuse among fourth year pupils in three Wolverhampton secondary schools in 1969, 1974, 1979, and 1984 showed familiarity with the names of drugs but considerable ignorance and misunderstanding about how the drugs were taken and their dangers. The proportion of pupils who knew someone taking illicit drugs almost doubled over the period from 15% in 1969 to 28% in 1984, and the proportion of those who had been offered illicit drugs almost trebled, from 5% in 1969 to 14% in 1984. Television remained the most important source of information about drugs. Peer group and social pressures continued to be the most important reason for starting to take drugs. The results of this study endorse the need for continued evaluation of programmes of education about drugs. Such programmes must be part of a wider programme of health and social education, define clear goals, and be sensitive to culture, locality, and ability.

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis: Polish 4 years' experience with CFTR sequencing strategy.

PubMed

Sobczyńska-Tomaszewska, Agnieszka; Ołtarzewski, Mariusz; Czerska, Kamila; Wertheim-Tysarowska, Katarzyna; Sands, Dorota; Walkowiak, Jarosław; Bal, Jerzy; Mazurczak, Tadeusz

2013-04-01

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (NBS CF) in Poland was started in September 2006. Summary from 4 years' experience is presented in this study. The immunoreactive trypsin/DNA sequencing strategy was implemented. The group of 1,212,487 newborns were screened for cystic fibrosis during the programme. We identified a total of 221 CF cases during this period, including, 4 CF cases were reported to be omitted by NBS CF. Disease incidence in Poland based on the programme results was estimated as 1/4394 and carrier frequency as 1/33. The frequency of the F508del was similar (62%) to population data previously reported. This strategy allowed us to identify 29 affected infants with rare genotypes. The frequency of some mutations (eg, 2184insA, K710X) was assessed in Poland for the first time. Thus, sequencing assay seems to be accurate method for screening programme using blood spots in the Polish population.

Experiences from 10 years of school programmes at GEOMAR Kiel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dengg, Joachim

2014-05-01

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany, started a programme of cooperations with secondary schools in 2003, which has been expanding continually since that time. By active involvement of teachers and students, the Centre's research topics are communicated to schools, and young people are encouraged to develop their interest for biogeosciences. The portfolio of activities includes: project work with schools over periods from one day to several months, individual student theses at the research centre, internships, a weekly "Research Club" allowing individual experiments, summer school programmes, teacher training courses, joint activities with international partners and a video-project in which students portray scientific aspects of oceanic oxygen minimum zones (in the context of the Collaborative Research Center SFB 754) to other students. Essential prerequisites for these activities are the direct involvement of the Centre's researchers who contribute their expertise and act as role-models for the students, dedicated staff for coordination and continuity, and financial and structural support both at the research centre and the schools.

ESO Public Surveys at VISTA: Lessons learned from Cycle 1 Surveys and the start of Cycle 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaboldi, M.; Delmotte, N.; Gadotti, D.; Hilker, M.; Hussain, G.; Mascetti, L.; Micol, A.; Petr-Gotzens, M.; Rejkuba, M.; Retzlaff, J.; Ivison, R.; Leibundgut, B.; Romaniello, M.

2017-06-01

The ESO Public Surveys on VISTA serve the science goals of the survey teams while increasing the legacy value of ESO programmes, thanks to their homogeneity and the breadth of their sky coverage in multiple bands. These projects address a variety of research areas: from the detection of planets via microlensing, to stars, the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies, to extragalactic astronomy, galaxy evolution, the high-redshift Universe and cosmology. In 2015, as the first generation of imaging surveys was nearing completion, a second call for Public Surveys was opened to define a coherent scientific programme for VISTA until the commissioning of the wide-field multi-fibre spectrograph, 4MOST, in 2020. This article presents the status of the Cycle 1 surveys as well as an overview of the seven new programmes in Cycle 2, including their science goals, coverage on the sky and observing strategies. We conclude with a forward look at the Cycle 2 data releases and the timelines for their release.

Optimizing emissions targets for residential recycling programmes: Why 'more' is not necessarily better with respect to diversion.

PubMed

Lakhan, Calvin

2016-11-01

This study highlights the economic and environmental challenges of recycling in Ontario, specifically examining the effect of attempting to increase the emissions target for the province's household recycling programme. The findings from the cost model analysis found that Ontario's Blue Box programme reduces overall carbon emissions by approximately 1.8 million tonnes every year. This study also found that targeting specific materials for recovery could result in a scenario where the province could improve both overall diversion and emissions offsets while reducing material management costs. Under our modelled scenario, as the tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) avoided increases, the system cost per tonne of GHG avoided initial declines. However, after avoiding 2.05 million tonnes of GHGs, the system cost/tonne GHG avoided increases. To achieve an emissions target in excess of 2.05 million tonnes, the province will have to start recycling higher cost non-core materials (composite materials, other plastics, etc.). © The Author(s) 2016.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Mali.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Coulibaly, Mouctar

2011-04-01

Progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children <5 years of age has been less than needed to achieve related Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, several international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel', starting with a situational analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The main objectives of the situational analysis are to compile, analyse and interpret available information on infant and young child feeding, and the nutrition situation of children <2 years of age in Mali, as one of the six targeted countries. Between June and September 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Mali were interviewed, and 117 documents were examined on the following themes: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, screening and management of acute malnutrition, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, food security, and hygienic practices. Most of the key IYCN topics were addressed in national policies, training materials, and programme documents. Information on the national coverage and impact of these programmes is generally not available. Exclusive breastfeeding (<6 months) has increased in Mali, but no studies identified the contributors to this increase. Despite improvements in breastfeeding practices, optimal infant, and young child feeding is still practiced among too few young children in Mali. Several research articles were identified, but few of these were linked to programme development. Some programme monitoring and evaluation reports were available, but few of these were rigorous enough to identify whether IYCN-specific programme components were implemented as designed or were achieving desired outcomes. Therefore, we could not confirm which programmes contributed to reported improvements. Monitoring of programmes managing malnutrition identified gaps in human and institutional capacities to fully carry out intended interventions and the government has recognized the overall lack of adequate numbers of health care providers to carry out necessary programmes in Mali, of which nutrition programmes are a part. The policy and programme framework is well established for support of optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) conduct necessary research to adapt training materials and programme protocols to programmatic needs; (ii) implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation that identify effective programme components; and (iii) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The reasons students choose to undertake a nursing degree.

PubMed

Wilkes, Lesley; Cowin, Leanne; Johnson, Maree

2015-01-01

Determining the reasons people choose to study nursing may help educators and managers develop student-focussed and enticing nursing programmes. In Australia, little research has been undertaken with students entering nursing programmes and the reasons for their choice. The aim of this study was to determine why new students choose to enter nursing at university. A descriptive survey design. An urban university in Sydney, Australia. Undergraduate nursing students at the beginning of their first year of study. An open-ended question relating to the reasons for students' choice of a nursing programme was included in the survey. The transcribed textual data were content analysed for words related to the students' choice. The students' reasons for entering nursing programmes were both personal and career related, with personal being more dominant. The reasons to start nursing were: being able to help and care for people, job security, the ability to enter tertiary education and the enjoyment or love of nursing. Nursing remains a career of choice for young and mature students entering university. It is seen to provide security, interest and opportunity to help and care for others. Universities must focus on this as they develop programmes for a generation where multiple changes of career appear inevitable during their lifetime. The nursing profession needs to look at career pathways after graduation that provide these challenges within nursing itself.

Organisational readiness: exploring the preconditions for success in organisation-wide patient safety improvement programmes.

PubMed

Burnett, Susan; Benn, Jonathan; Pinto, Anna; Parand, Anam; Iskander, Sandra; Vincent, Charles

2010-08-01

Patient safety has been high on the agenda for more than a decade. Despite many national initiatives aimed at improving patient safety, the challenge remains to find coherent and sustainable organisation-wide safety-improvement programmes. In the UK, the Safer Patients' Initiative (SPI) was established to address this challenge. Important in the success of such an endeavour is understanding 'readiness' at the organisational level, identifying the preconditions for success in this type of programme. This article reports on a case study of the four NHS organisations participating in the first phase of SPI, examining the perceptions of organisational readiness and the relationship of these factors with impact by those actively involved in the initiative. A mixed-methods design was used, involving a survey and semistructured interviews with senior executive leads, the principal SPI programme coordinator and the four operational leads in each of the SPI clinical work areas in all four organisations taking part in the first phase of SPI. This preliminary work would suggest that prior to the start of organisation-wide quality- and safety-improvement programmes, organisations would benefit from an assessment of readiness with time spent in the preparation of the organisational infrastructure, processes and culture. Furthermore, a better understanding of the preconditions that mark an organisation as ready for improvement work would allow policymakers to set realistic expectations about the outcomes of safety campaigns.

Absenteeism following a workplace intervention for older food industry workers.

PubMed

Siukola, A; Virtanen, P; Huhtala, H; Nygård, C-H

2011-12-01

The effects of workplace interventions on sickness absence are poorly understood, in particular in ageing workers. To analyse the effects of a senior programme on sickness absence among blue-collar food industry workers of a food company in Finland. We followed up 129 employees aged 55 years or older, who participated in a senior programme (intervention group), and 229 employees of the same age from the same company who did not participate (control group). Total sickness absence days and spells of 1-3, 4-7, 8-21 and >21 days were recorded for the members of the intervention group from the year before joining the programme and for the control group starting at age 54 years. Both groups were followed for up to 6 years. The median number of sickness absence days per person-year increased significantly from baseline in both groups during the follow-up. Compared with the control group, the intervention group had increased risk for 1-3 days spells [rate ratio 1.34 (1.21-1.48)] and 4-7 days spells [rate ratio 1.23 (1.07-1.41)], but the risk for >21 days spells was decreased [rate ratio 0.68 (0.53-0.88)] after participation in the senior programme. A programme to enhance individual work well-being in ageing workers may increase short-term but reduce long-term sickness absence.

Effects of early whole-body vibration treatment on knee neuromuscular function and postural control after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Pistone, Eugenio Maria; Laudani, Luca; Camillieri, Gianluca; Di Cagno, Alessandra; Tomassi, Gabriele; Macaluso, Andrea; Giombini, Arrigo

2016-11-11

To assess the effects of adding a whole-body vibration protocol at optimal frequency (WBV-OF) to a traditional rehabilitation programme (TRP) early after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, on maximal strength and balance, in comparison with a traditional rehabilitation programme. A total of 34 anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed patients with hamstring-tendon graft underwent either 4 weeks of WBV-OF training in addition to a traditional rehabilitation programme, or a traditional rehabilitation programme only, starting from the first month after surgery. Patients were assessed for maximal voluntary isometric strength during both knee extension and flexion and for balance on a force platform before, 1 month after treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Strength symmetry of the knee flexor muscles improved in WBV-OF+TRP patients more than in TRP patients 1 month after treatment (mean 66% (standard deviation (SD) 15) vs 58% SD 13), and also at the 3-month follow-up (mean 77% (SD 15) vs 64% (SD 15)), with no differences in balance improvements between the groups. Adding 4-weeks of WBV-OF to a traditional rehabilitation programme 1 month after surgery is effective in improving muscle strength of the knee flexor muscles. This early intervention may be incorporated into current rehabilitation to facilitate early strength recovery of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructed patients.

The Sexuality Education Initiative: a programme involving teenagers, schools, parents and sexual health services in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

PubMed

Marques, Magaly; Ressa, Nicole

2013-05-01

In response to abstinence-only programmes in the United States that promote myths and misconceptions about sexuality and sexual behaviour, the comprehensive sexuality education community has been sidetracked from improving the sexuality education available in US schools for almost two decades now. Much work is still needed to move beyond fear-based approaches and the one-way communication of information that many programmes still use. Starting in 2008 Planned Parenthood Los Angeles developed and launched a teen-centred sexuality education programme based on critical thinking, human rights, gender equality, and access to health care that is founded on a theory of change that recognises the complex relationship between the individual and broader environment of cultural norms, socio-economic inequalities, health disparities, legal and institutional factors. The Sexuality Education Initiative is comprised of a 12-session classroom sexuality education curriculum for ninth grade students; workshops for parents; a peer advocacy training programme; and access to sexual health services. This paper describes that experience and presents the rights-based framework that was used, which seeks to improve the learning experience of students, strengthen the capacity of schools, teachers and parents to help teenagers manage their sexuality effectively and understand that they have the right to health care, education, protection, dignity and privacy. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness of a community-based physical activity programme for adults (Be Active) in the UK: an economic analysis within a natural experiment.

PubMed

Frew, Emma J; Bhatti, Mobeen; Win, Khine; Sitch, Alice; Lyon, Anna; Pallan, Miranda; Adab, Peymane

2014-02-01

To determine the cost-effectiveness of a physical activity programme (Be Active) aimed at city-dwelling adults living in Birmingham, UK. Very little is known about the cost-effectiveness of public health programmes to improve city-wide physical activity rates. This paper presents a cost-effectiveness analysis that compares a physical activity intervention (Be Active) with no intervention (usual care) using an economic model to quantify the reduction in disease risk over a lifetime. Metabolic equivalent minutes achieved per week, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained and healthcare costs were all included as the main outcome measures in the model. A cost-benefit analysis was also conducted using 'willingness-to-pay' as a measure of value. Under base-case assumptions-that is, assuming that the benefits of increased physical activity are sustained over 5 years, participation in the Be Active programme increased quality-adjusted life expectancy by 0.06 years, at an expected discounted cost of £3552, and thus the cost-effectiveness of Be Active is £400 per QALY. When the start-up costs of the programme are removed from the economic model, the cost-effectiveness is further improved to £16 per QALY. The societal value placed on the Be Active programme was greater than the operation cost therefore the Be Active physical activity intervention results in a net benefit to society. Participation in Be Active appeared to be cost-effective and cost-beneficial. These results support the use of Be Active as part of a public health programme to improve physical activity levels within the Birmingham-wide population.

Dreams and disappointments regarding nursing: Student nurses' reasons for attrition and retention. A qualitative study design.

PubMed

Ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Castelein, Stynke; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

2017-07-01

In the Netherlands, hundreds of students register annually for a nursing programme, but not all of these students manage to complete their training. The main aim of this study was to examine which factors affect student nurses' decision to leave or complete their programme. The study used an exploratory descriptive design, employing a qualitative phenomenological approach. Student nurses (n=17) at the beginning of their third year of the four-year Bachelor's programme. Data were collected at four Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, from December 2013 to January 2014. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, using an interview guide. The main reasons for students to become nurses were the caring aspect, personal experiences with healthcare, role models in their immediate environment, and job opportunities. They had both altruistic and professional perceptions of their profession. Reasons for attrition were strongly related to the training programme and to their clinical placements, in particular the perceived lack of support from mentors and team. Feelings of being welcomed and working in a nice team proved to be more important reasons for completing the programme than the specific clinical field. Student nurses started their studies with many dreams, such as caring for people and having the opportunity to deliver excellent nursing care. When their expectations were not met, their dreams became disappointments which caused them to consider stopping and even to leave (attrition). The role of lecturers and mentors seems invaluable in protecting and guiding students through their programme and placements. Optimal cooperation between lecturers and mentors is of paramount importance to retain student nurses in their training programmes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality indicators for in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes: a systematic literature review and international Delphi study

PubMed Central

Van Grootven, Bastiaan; McNicoll, Lynn; Mendelson, Daniel A; Friedman, Susan M; Fagard, Katleen; Milisen, Koen; Flamaing, Johan; Deschodt, Mieke

2018-01-01

Objective To find consensus on appropriate and feasible structure, process and outcome indicators for the evaluation of in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes. Design An international two-round Delphi study based on a systematic literature review (searching databases, reference lists, prospective citations and trial registers). Setting Western Europe and the USA. Participants Thirty-three people with at least 2 years of clinical experience in geriatric co-management were recruited. Twenty-eight experts (16 from the USA and 12 from Europe) participated in both Delphi rounds (85% response rate). Measures Participants rated the indicators on a nine-point scale for their (1) appropriateness and (2) feasibility to use the indicator for the evaluation of geriatric co-management programmes. Indicators were considered appropriate and feasible based on a median score of seven or higher. Consensus was based on the level of agreement using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. Results In the first round containing 37 indicators, there was consensus on 14 indicators. In the second round containing 44 indicators, there was consensus on 31 indicators (structure=8, process=7, outcome=16). Experts indicated that co-management should start within 24 hours of hospital admission using defined criteria for selecting appropriate patients. Programmes should focus on the prevention and management of geriatric syndromes and complications. Key areas for comprehensive geriatric assessment included cognition/delirium, functionality/mobility, falls, pain, medication and pressure ulcers. Key outcomes for evaluating the programme included length of stay, time to surgery and the incidence of complications. Conclusion The indicators can be used to assess the performance of geriatric co-management programmes and identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the indicators can be used to monitor the implementation and effect of these programmes. PMID:29549210

Can workers with chronic back pain shift from pain elimination to function restore at work? Qualitative evaluation of an innovative work related multidisciplinary programme.

PubMed

Buijs, Peter C; Lambeek, Ludeke C; Koppenrade, Vera; Hooftman, Wendela E; Anema, Johannes R

2009-01-01

Workers with chronic low back pain (LBP) mean a heavy human and social-economic burden. Their medical histories often include different treatments without attention to work-relatedness or communication with occupational health providers, leaving them passive and medicalized in (outpatient) health care. So we developed and implemented an innovative, patient-activating alternative: the multidisciplinary outpatient care (MOC) programme, including work(place) intervention and graded activity. It aims at function restore (instead of pain elimination), return to work (RTW) and coordinated communication. To qualitatively explore how patients and health care providers perceive the programme effectiveness and which factors influence its implementation. In-depth, semi structured interview with patients and focus groups of health care providers are used, all recorded, transformed into verbatim transcript and analysed. This qualitative study shows that although patients' expectations were low at the start of the program, and despite long LBP histories, including many different therapies, (primarily) directed at pain reduction, the MOC programme was successful in changing patients' goal setting from pain oriented towards function restore and RTW. The programme was therefore perceived as applicable and effective. Patient compliance was influenced by barriers - despair, supervisory and subordinate resistance at work, waiting period, medicalisation in health care - and facilitators: disciplinary motivation, protocolled communication, information supply, tailor-made exercises. For some patients the barriers were too high. Several improvement suggestions were given. This qualitative study shows that generally, patients and professionals perceived the multidisciplinary outpatient care programme as applicable and effective. After incorporating improvement suggestions this program seems promising for further, broader application and hypothesis testing. For those, negatively evaluating the programme, alternatives should be explored.

HELIO: The Heliophysics Integrated Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentley, R. D.; Csillaghy, A.; Aboudarham, J.; Jacquey, C.; Hapgood, M. A.; Bocchialini, K.; Messerotti, M.; Brooke, J.; Gallagher, P.; Fox, P.;

Addressing the social determinants of health: a case study from the Mitanin (community health worker) programme in India.

PubMed

Nandi, Sulakshana; Schneider, Helen

2014-09-01

The Mitanin Programme, a government community health worker (CHW) programme, was started in Chhattisgarh State of India in 2002. The CHWs (Mitanins) have consistently adopted roles that go beyond health programme-specific interventions to embrace community mobilization and action on local priorities. The aim of this research was to document how and why the Mitanins have been able to act on the social determinants of health, describing the catalysts and processes involved and the enabling programmatic and organizational factors. A qualitative comparative case study of successful action by Mitanin was conducted in two 'blocks', purposefully selected as positive exemplars in two districts of Chhattisgarh. One case focused on malnutrition and the other on gender-based violence. Data collection involved 17 in-depth interviews and 10 group interviews with the full range of stakeholders in both blocks, including community members and programme team. Thematic analysis was done using a broad conceptual framework that was further refined. Action on social determinants involved raising awareness on rights, mobilizing women's collectives, revitalizing local political structures and social action targeting both the community and government service providers. Through these processes, the Mitanins developed identities as agents of change and advocates for the community, both with respect to local cultural and gender norms and in ensuring accountability of service providers. The factors underpinning successful action on social determinants were identified as the significance of the original intent and vision of the programme, and how this was carried through into all aspects of programme design, the role of the Mitanins and their identification with village women, ongoing training and support, and the relative autonomy of the programme. Although the results are not narrowly generalizable and do not necessarily represent the situation of the Mitanin Programme as a whole, the explanatory framework may provide general lessons for programmes in similar contexts. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2014; all rights reserved.

Perceptions and Impact of Mandatory eLearning for Foundation Trainee Doctors: A Qualitative Evaluation

PubMed Central

Brooks, Hannah L.; Vallance, Hannah K.; Hirsch, Christine A.; Hughes, Elizabeth; Ferner, Robin E.; Marriott, John F.; Coleman, Jamie J.

2016-01-01

Background Junior doctors in the UK must complete various educational components during their two year Foundation training programme. It is important that mandatory learning is informative and engaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate trainee doctors’ perceptions of a Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) programme developed to improve prescribing competency. Method Focus groups and interviews were conducted at three hospital sites in the West Midlands. Codes, sub-themes and themes were determined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Results Data were collected from 38 Foundation trainee doctors. Results revealed major themes relating to prescribing education, the user experience and user engagement. Key findings included the positive impact of preparedness following undergraduate education on the user experience of the TEL programme at the postgraduate level; the impact of content, structure, and individual learning needs and styles on the user experience; and the impact of motivation and time on engagement. Most trainees engaged with the programme owing to its mandatory nature; however, some trainees also used the programme voluntarily, for example, to acquire knowledge prior to starting a new placement. Conclusions It is important to ensure that learners are willing to engage with mandatory TEL, and that they have the time and motivation to do so. It is also important to ensure that learners have a positive user experience and that in designing TEL individual differences in learning styles and needs are taken into account. These findings have implications for educators and system developers in the construction and design of mandatory eLearning programmes. PMID:28005938

Studying policy implementation using a macro, meso and micro frame analysis: the case of the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research & Care (CLAHRC) programme nationally and in North West London

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The publication of Best research for best health in 2006 and the “ring-fencing” of health research funding in England marked the start of a period of change for health research governance and the structure of research funding in England. One response to bridging the ‘second translational gap’ between research knowledge and clinical practice was the establishment of nine Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs). The goal of this paper is to assess how national-level understanding of the aims and objectives of the CLAHRCs translated into local implementation and practice in North West London. Methods This study uses a variation of Goffman’s frame analysis to trace the development of the initial national CLAHRC policy to its implementation at three levels. Data collection and analysis were qualitative through interviews, document analysis and embedded research. Results Analysis at the macro (national policy), meso (national programme) and micro (North West London) levels shows a significant common understanding of the aims and objectives of the policy and programme. Local level implementation in North West London was also consistent with these. Conclusions The macro-meso-micro frame analysis is a useful way of studying the transition of a policy from high-level idea to programme in action. It could be used to identify differences at a local (micro) level in the implementation of multi-site programmes that would help understand differences in programme effectiveness. PMID:23067208

Examinations as an Instrument for Strengthening Pedagogy: Lessons from Three Decades of Experience in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wasanga, Paul; Somerset, Anthony

2013-01-01

This paper starts with an analysis of the twin purposes of an examination reform programme originally launched in Kenya during the 1970s: first, to broaden the spectrum of cognitive skills being tested; and second, to set up a feedback system based on the performance profiles, providing schools and teachers with guidance as to how pedagogy and…

In Business: Developing the Self Employment Option for People with Learning Disabilities. Programme Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Keith

2009-01-01

People with learning disabilities have talents and skills, but rarely do they get the chance to start their own business. In Business was designed to challenge this and to make self employment a realistic option for some by setting out to support and capture the journey to business for people with a learning disability and those who support them.…

Has optics finally found its rightful place in physics curriculum in universities of Eastern Africa?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niyibizi, Alphonse

2017-08-01

For a long time, optics has been the "neglected child" in physics university curriculum in Kenya and indeed in East Africa as a whole! But due to emerging applications of laser technology and photonics, some physics departments have started developing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in optics, lasers and photonics. What are the challenges and chances of success?

The Future Development of the European Union Education, Training and Youth Programmes After 2006: A Public Consultation Document.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

This document launches a wide public consultation with all those involved in and with an interest in the European Union's (EU's) education, training, and youth programs called Socrates, Tempus, Leonardo da Vinci, and Youth for Europe. It is the first step toward preparing the new generation of programs to start in 2007 and will inform the…

Teachers as "Reform-Doers": Developing a Participatory Curriculum to Teach English as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banegas, Dario Luis

2011-01-01

In this article I investigate the process of an in-service programme for English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers in Argentina started in 2007. Teachers began to feel uneasy about the EFL curriculum for secondary education at the time, feeling that something should be done to develop a participatory curriculum to be implemented in the future.…

Evaluation of a web-based ECG-interpretation programme for undergraduate medical students.

PubMed

Nilsson, Mikael; Bolinder, Gunilla; Held, Claes; Johansson, Bo-Lennart; Fors, Uno; Ostergren, Jan

2008-04-23

Most clinicians and teachers agree that knowledge about ECG is of importance in the medical curriculum. Students at Karolinska Institute have asked for more training in ECG-interpretation during their undergraduate studies. Clinical tutors, however, have difficulties in meeting these demands due to shortage of time. Thus, alternative ways to learn and practice ECG-interpretation are needed. Education offered via the Internet is readily available, geographically independent and flexible. Furthermore, the quality of education may increase and become more effective through a superior educational approach, improved visualization and interactivity. A Web-based comprehensive ECG-interpretation programme has been evaluated. Medical students from the sixth semester were given an optional opportunity to access the programme from the start of their course. Usage logs and an initial evaluation survey were obtained from each student. A diagnostic test was performed in order to assess the effect on skills in ECG interpretation. Students from the corresponding course, at another teaching hospital and without access to the ECG-programme but with conventional teaching of ECG served as a control group. 20 of the 32 students in the intervention group had tested the programme after 2 months. On a five-graded scale (1- bad to 5 - very good) they ranked the utility of a web-based programme for this purpose as 4.1 and the quality of the programme software as 3.9. At the diagnostic test (maximal points 16) by the end of the 5-month course at the 6th semester the mean result for the students in the intervention group was 9.7 compared with 8.1 for the control group (p = 0.03). Students ranked the Web-based ECG-interpretation programme as a useful instrument to learn ECG. Furthermore, Internet-delivered education may be more effective than traditional teaching methods due to greater immediacy, improved visualisation and interactivity.

The World Health Organization and public health research and practice in tuberculosis in India.

PubMed

Banerji, Debabar

2012-01-01

Two major research studies carried out in India fundamentally affected tuberculosis treatment practices worldwide. One study demonstrated that home treatment of the disease is as efficacious as sanatorium treatment. The other showed that BCG vaccination is of little protective value from a public health viewpoint. India had brought together an interdisciplinary team at the National Tuberculosis Institute (NTI) with a mandate to formulate a nationally applicable, socially acceptable, and epidemiologically sound National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP). Work at the NTI laid the foundation for developing an operational research approach to dealing with tuberculosis as a public health problem. The starting point for this was not operational research as enunciated by experts in this field; rather, the NTI achieved operational research by starting from the people. This approach was enthusiastically welcomed by the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Tuberculosis of 1964. The NTP was designed to "sink or sail with the general health services of the country." The program was dealt a major blow when, starting in 1967, a virtual hysteria was worked up to mobilize most of the health services for imposing birth control on the people. Another blow to the general health services occurred when the WHO joined the rich countries in instituting a number of vertical programs called "Global Initiatives". An ill-conceived, ill-designed, and ill-managed Global Programme for Tuberculosis was one outcome. The WHO has shown rank public health incompetence in taking a very casual approach to operational research and has been downright quixotic in its thinking on controlling tuberculosis worldwide.

Dealing with locally-driven degradation: A quick start option under REDD+.

PubMed

Skutsch, Margaret M; Torres, Arturo Balderas; Mwampamba, Tuyeni H; Ghilardi, Adrian; Herold, Martin

2011-12-28

The paper reviews a number of challenges associated with reducing degradation and its related emissions through national approaches to REDD+ under UNFCCC policy. It proposes that in many countries, it may in the short run be easier to deal with the kinds of degradation that result from locally driven community over-exploitation of forest for livelihoods, than from selective logging or fire control. Such degradation is low-level, but chronic, and is experienced over very large forest areas. Community forest management programmes tend to result not only in reduced degradation, but also in forest enhancement; moreover they are often popular, and do not require major political shifts. In principle these approaches therefore offer a quick start option for REDD+. Developing reference emissions levels for low-level locally driven degradation is difficult however given that stock losses and gains are too small to be identified and measured using remote sensing, and that in most countries there is little or no forest inventory data available. We therefore propose that forest management initiatives at the local level, such as those promoted by community forest management programmes, should monitor, and be credited for, only the net increase in carbon stock over the implementation period, as assessed by ground level surveys at the start and end of the period. This would also resolve the problem of nesting (ensuring that all credits are accounted for against the national reference emission level), since communities and others at the local level would be rewarded only for increased sequestration, while the national reference emission level would deal only with reductions in emissions from deforestation and degradation.

The Alaskan mineral resource assessment program; background information to accompany folio of geologic and mineral resource maps of the Ambler River Quadrangle, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mayfield, Charles F.; Tailleur, I.L.; Albert, N.R.; Ellersieck, Inyo; Grybeck, Donald; Hackett, S.W.

1983-01-01

The Ambler River quadrangle, consisting of 14,290 km2 (5,520 mi2) in northwest Alaska, was investigated by an interdisciplinary research team for the purpose of assessing the mineral resource potential of the quadrangle. This report provides background information for a folio of maps on the geology, reconnaissance geochemistry, aeromagnetics, Landsat imagery, and mineral resource evaluation of the quadrangle. A summary of the geologic history, radiometric dates, and fossil localities and a comprehensive bibliography are also included. The quadrangle contains jade reserves, now being mined, and potentially significant resources of copper, zinc, lead, and silver.

Performance and Calibration of H2RG Detectors and SIDECAR ASICs for the RATIR Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, Ori D.; Kutyrev, Alexander S.; Rapchun, David A.; Klein, Christopher R.; Butler, Nathaniel R.; Bloom, Josh; de Diego, Jos A.; Simn Farah, Alejandro D.; Gehrels, Neil A.; Georgiev, Leonid;

[The rearrangement of the medical faculty and the teaching of the medicine in the era of the reforms. The plan of the medical studies in the "restored" university of Cagliari and Sassari (1764-1766)].

PubMed

Tognotti, Eugenia

2004-01-01

In the same decade during which Vienna government was proceeding to the rearrangement of the Medical Faculty of the University of Pavia, Savoy government started the reform of Cagliari and Sassari Universities. The programme of medical studies to be introduced in the "restored" Universities aroused an important debate which involved the government of Turin, the local authorities and the Magistrature. The main points concerned the teachings to be started, the programmes and the texts to be adopted, the methods and contents of teaching. The range of ideas aiming to conform island medical Faculties to the progress of science, gave life to the critique of a teaching model, still ruled by the Galenic authority and by metaphysical etiological explanations, which ignored the physiological and pathological reality revealed by the anatomical study methodically on performed corpses. The new programme of studies admitted the teaching of surgery, which had completely disappeared in the university ruled by Jesuites, and increased the value of anatomy teaching, that will be chosen as a subject for the speech made during the solemn opening of the medical Faculty of Sassari in 1765. The need for an empirical testing which had to follow theorical studies in wards, where teachers had to give lessons at patients' bedside, was considered of such importance that it was codified in the Regulations of the reformed University. It was the very first step towards the welding between medical-surgical studies and nosocomial practice which was about to revolutionize the teaching framework of medical studies.

Changes of dietary patterns during participation in a web-based weight-reduction programme.

PubMed

Luger, Eva; Aspalter, Rosa; Luger, Maria; Longin, Rita; Rieder, Anita; Dorner, Thomas Ernst

2016-05-01

To examine the weight-loss success associated with distinct dietary patterns and to determine changes of these dietary patterns during participation in a web-based weight-reduction programme. Factor analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns of twenty-two food groups that were administered in 14 d dietary protocols at baseline and after 3 months. Successful weight loss (≥5% of initial weight) and BMI were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the rates of weight-loss success from each dietary pattern and changing or remaining in the initial dietary pattern. A generalised linear mixed model was used to estimate the effects of changing or staying in a dietary pattern on change in BMI. Adults (n 1635) aged 18-81 years. Users of a web-based weight-reduction programme (2006-2012). Participants who aligned to a healthful dietary pattern at baseline (OR=1·8; 95% CI 1·5, 2·3) and after 3 months (OR=1·5; 95% CI 1·2, 1·9) had a greater chance of successfully losing weight. After adjusting for age, sex, initial dietary pattern and BMI, participants who started with or changed to the healthful dietary pattern had a greater chance of being successful (OR=1·4; 95% CI 1·1, 1·7) and a higher BMI reduction of 0·30 (95% CI 0·2, 0·5) kg/m(2) compared with those who started with or changed to the energy-dense or high-carbohydrate dietary pattern. A favourable healthful dietary pattern at the beginning and after 3 months was positively associated with anthropometry. However, successful weight loss was feasible in each dietary pattern.

[Three dimensional mathematical model of tooth for finite element analysis].

PubMed

Puskar, Tatjana; Vasiljević, Darko; Marković, Dubravka; Jevremović, Danimir; Pantelić, Dejan; Savić-Sević, Svetlana; Murić, Branka

2010-01-01

The mathematical model of the abutment tooth is the starting point of the finite element analysis of stress and deformation of dental structures. The simplest and easiest way is to form a model according to the literature data of dimensions and morphological characteristics of teeth. Our method is based on forming 3D models using standard geometrical forms (objects) in programmes for solid modeling. Forming the mathematical model of abutment of the second upper premolar for finite element analysis of stress and deformation of dental structures. The abutment tooth has a form of a complex geometric object. It is suitable for modeling in programs for solid modeling SolidWorks. After analysing the literature data about the morphological characteristics of teeth, we started the modeling dividing the tooth (complex geometric body) into simple geometric bodies (cylinder, cone, pyramid,...). Connecting simple geometric bodies together or substricting bodies from the basic body, we formed complex geometric body, tooth. The model is then transferred into Abaqus, a computational programme for finite element analysis. Transferring the data was done by standard file format for transferring 3D models ACIS SAT. Using the programme for solid modeling SolidWorks, we developed three models of abutment of the second maxillary premolar: the model of the intact abutment, the model of the endodontically treated tooth with two remaining cavity walls and the model of the endodontically treated tooth with two remaining walls and inserted post. Mathematical models of the abutment made according to the literature data are very similar with the real abutment and the simplifications are minimal. These models enable calculations of stress and deformation of the dental structures. The finite element analysis provides useful information in understanding biomechanical problems and gives guidance for clinical research.

It is over three decades of graduate education in Epizootiology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (1975–2011): is there a need to revise the curriculum?

PubMed Central

Olugasa, Babasola Oluseyi; Ijagbone, Ighodalo Folorunso; Esuruoso, Gabriel Oluwole

2012-01-01

Epizootiology is the study of variable factors, events, forces and circumstances that contribute to the occurrence, distribution, control and prevention of ill-health, diseases and other problems in animal groups. It is a key component of veterinary medicine education at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria since 1975. It started as a Graduate Certificate in Epizootiology (GCE) in 1976. Later it was revised into M.Sc. Epizootiology in 1986. At graduate level, epizootiology curriculum has supported the M.Sc. Epizootiology programme. It compliments training in Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine. This epizootiology curriculum has been operational at graduate level for more than three decades. Now in 2011, a consortium of English speaking West African Universities is committed to review the current curriculum at the University of Ibadan to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world with scope for internationalized practicum in disease investigation. Emphases are made towards skills development in molecular studies on disease causal agents and the mapping of associated geographic risk factors, including indigenous knowledge and practices. It is notable that most English-speaking West African countries including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia either lack a Veterinary School or just started some, but do not have graduate programme in Epizootiology. Thus, the curriculum at Ibadan is positioned to make impact in three key areas, namely, sub-regional ecosystem health studies, improving human-animal disease surveillance programmes, and in indigenization of bio-technology for monitoring and evaluation of trans-boundary animal disease control interventions for global health in West Africa. PMID:23024829

'Start to finish trans-institutional transdisciplinary care': a novel approach improves colorectal surgical results in frail elderly patients.

PubMed

Chia, C L K; Mantoo, S K; Tan, K Y

2016-01-01

The frail elderly surgical patient is at increased risk of morbidity after major surgery. A transdisciplinary Geriatric Surgery Service (GSS) has been shown to produce consistently positive results in our institution. A trans-institutional transdisciplinary Start to Finish (STF) programme was initiated incorporating seamless prehabilitation and rehabilitation to enhance the outcome further. Patients who underwent major colorectal resection in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and were managed under the GSS from January 2007 to December 2014 were included in this prospective study. The STF programme was initiated from January 2012. The surgical outcome of patients managed under the GSS before the initiation of STF was compared with that after its implementation. There were 57 patients after the initiation of the STF programme compared with 60 patients managed before STF. There were 26.4% and 25% of frail patients in the STF group compared with the non-STF group (P = 0.874). The mean length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the STF group (8.4 days vs 11.0 days, P = 0.029). Functional recovery in patients available for follow-up at 6 weeks showed 100% (46/46) recovery in the elective STF group who received prehabilitation and 95.7% (45/47) in the elective non-STF group who did not (P = 0.157). There were no significant differences in a Clavien-Dindo complication score of Grade 3 or more and 30-day mortality between the two groups. Through a trans-institutional transdisciplinary approach, we managed to achieve a significantly shorter hospital stay in frail patients having colorectal surgery. All elective patients who received prehabilitation achieved full functional recovery. Colorectal Disease © 2015 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Effect of the programme Plan de egreso on chronically ill patients and their family caregivers.

PubMed

Melo Melo, Blanca Gregoria; Vargas Hernández, Yamile; Carrillo, Gloria Mabel; Alarcón Trujillo, Diana Katherine

To determine the effect of the programme Hospitalisation discharge plan for patients with chronic diseases and family caregivers to strengthen their home care competence -CUIDAR- and reduce the caregiver burden. Quasi-experimental study approach with intervention group. Participants were 62 patients and their caregivers who consulted with a health care institution in the city of Girardot (Colombia). The intervention was carried out for one month, during which, measurements were performed before and after the programme. Most patients were elderly, diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension or COPD, 35% of them with some degree of dependency. The caregivers were mostly women, between the ages of 35 and 59 years old, domestic caregivers, and responsible for caring for their patients for between 13-24hours a day. At the start of the programme the competency for care was low in both patients and caregivers, after the intervention there was a general increase in care and a statistically significant change. Also, at the beginning, 48% of caregivers had some level of burden, and after the study only 27% reported burden with care. The Hospitalisation discharge plan is a strategy that increases the home care competency of the patient and the caregiver, and decreases the caregiver burden. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The International Proteomics Tutorial Programme (IPTP): a teaching tool box for the proteomics community.

PubMed

James, Peter

2011-09-01

The most critical functions of the various proteomics organisations are the training of young scientists and the dissemination of information to the general scientific community. The education committees of the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) and the European Proteomics Association (EuPA) together with their national counterparts are therefore launching the International Proteomics Tutorial Programme to meet these needs. The programme is being led by Peter James (Sweden), Thierry Rabilloud (France) and Kazuyuki Nakamura (Japan). It involves collaboration between the leading proteomics journals: Journal of Proteome Research, Journal of Proteomics, Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, and Proteomics. The overall level is aimed at Masters/PhD level students who are starting out their research and who would benefit from a solid grounding in the techniques used in modern protein-based research. The tutorial program will cover core techniques and basics as an introduction to scientists new to the field. At a later stage the programme may be expanded with a series of more advanced topics focussing on the application of proteomics techniques to biological problem solving. The entire series of articles and slides will be made freely available for teaching use at the Journals and Organisations homepages and at a special website, www.proteomicstutorials.org. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The National Resuscitation Council, Singapore, and 34 years of resuscitation training: 1983 to 2017.

PubMed

Anantharaman, Venkataraman

2017-07-01

Training in the modern form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) started in Singapore in 1983. For the first 15 years, the expansion of training programmes was mainly owing to the interest of a few individuals. Public training in the skill was minimal. In an area of medical care where the greatest opportunity for benefit lies in employing core resuscitation skills in the prehospital environment, very little was being done to address such a need. In 1998, a group of physicians, working together with the Ministry of Health, set up the National Resuscitation Council (NRC). Over the years, the NRC has created national guidelines on resuscitation and reviewed them at five-yearly intervals. Provider training manuals are now available for most programmes. The NRC has set up an active accreditation system for monitoring and maintaining standards of life support training. This has led to a large increase in the number of training centres, as well as recognition and adoption of the council's guidelines in the country. The NRC has also actively promoted the use of bystander CPR through community-based programmes, resulting in a rise in the number of certified providers. Improving the chain of survival, through active community-based training programmes, will likely lead to more lives being saved from sudden cardiac arrest. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association.

The National Resuscitation Council, Singapore, and 34 years of resuscitation training: 1983 to 2017

PubMed Central

Anantharaman, Venkataraman

2017-01-01

Training in the modern form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) started in Singapore in 1983. For the first 15 years, the expansion of training programmes was mainly owing to the interest of a few individuals. Public training in the skill was minimal. In an area of medical care where the greatest opportunity for benefit lies in employing core resuscitation skills in the prehospital environment, very little was being done to address such a need. In 1998, a group of physicians, working together with the Ministry of Health, set up the National Resuscitation Council (NRC). Over the years, the NRC has created national guidelines on resuscitation and reviewed them at five-yearly intervals. Provider training manuals are now available for most programmes. The NRC has set up an active accreditation system for monitoring and maintaining standards of life support training. This has led to a large increase in the number of training centres, as well as recognition and adoption of the council’s guidelines in the country. The NRC has also actively promoted the use of bystander CPR through community-based programmes, resulting in a rise in the number of certified providers. Improving the chain of survival, through active community-based training programmes, will likely lead to more lives being saved from sudden cardiac arrest. PMID:28741008

Putting two and two together? Early childhood education, mothers’ employment and care service expansion in Chile and Mexico.

PubMed

Staab, Silke; Gerhard, Roberto

2011-01-01

In recent years, several middle-income countries, including Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, have increased the availability of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. These developments have received little scholarly attention so far, resulting in the (surely unintended) impression that Latin American social policy is tied to a familialist track, when in reality national and regional trends are more varied and complex. This article looks at recent efforts to expand ECEC services in Chile and Mexico. In spite of similar concerns over low female labour force participation and child welfare, the approaches of the two countries to service expansion have differed significantly. While the Mexican programme aims to kick-start and subsidize home- and community-based care provision, with a training component for childminders, the Chilean programme emphasizes the expansion of professional ECEC services provided in public institutions. By comparing the two programmes, this article shows that differences in policy design have important implications in terms of the opportunities the programmes are able to create for women and children from low-income families, and in terms of the programmes’ impacts on gender and class inequalities. It also ventures some hypotheses about why the two countries may have chosen such different routes.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Niger.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Biga Hassoumi, Abdoulazize

2011-04-01

Due to limited progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children <5 years of age, an alliance of international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel,' starting with a situational analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The main objectives of this analysis are to compile, analyse, and interpret available information on infant and child feeding and the nutrition situation of children <2 years of age in Niger, as one of the six targeted countries. Between August and November 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Niger were interviewed, and 90 documents were examined on: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, management of acute malnutrition, food security, and hygienic practices. The results reported are limited by the availability of documents for review. Mortality rates are on track to reaching the Millennium Development Goal to reduce mortality among young children by two-thirds by 2015, but there has been no change in undernutrition, and total mortality rates are still high among young children. Nearly all of the key IYCN topics were addressed, specifically or generally, in national policy documents, training materials, and programmes. A national nutrition council meets regularly to coordinate programme activities nationally. Many of the IYCN-related programmes are intended for national coverage, but few reach this coverage. Monitoring and impact evaluations were conducted on some programmes, but few of these reported on whether the specific IYCN components of the programme were implemented as designed or compared outcomes with non-intervention sites. Human resources have been identified as inadequate to fully carry out nutrition programmes in Niger. Due to these limitations, we could not confirm whether the lack of progress in reducing malnutrition was due to ineffective or inadequately implemented programmes, though both of these were likely contributors. The policy framework is well established for the promotion of optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) increase human capacities to carry out nutrition programmes; (ii) expand and track the implementation of evidence-based programmes nationally; (iii) improve and carry out monitoring and evaluation that identify effective and ineffective programmes; and (iv) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Inexpensive programmable clock for a 12-bit computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vrancik, J. E.

1972-01-01

An inexpensive programmable clock was built for a digital PDP-12 computer. The instruction list includes skip on flag; clear the flag, clear the clock, and stop the clock; and preset the counter with the contents of the accumulator and start the clock. The clock counts at a rate determined by an external oscillator and causes an interrupt and sets a flag when a 12-bit overflow occurs. An overflow can occur after 1 to 4096 counts. The clock can be built for a total parts cost of less than $100 including power supply and I/O connector. Slight modification can be made to permit its use on larger machines (16 bit, 24 bit, etc.) and logic level shifting can be made to make it compatible with any computer.

Study on Analysis of Variance on the indigenous wild and cultivated rice species of Manipur Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medhabati, K.; Rohinikumar, M.; Rajiv Das, K.; Henary, Ch.; Dikash, Th.

2012-10-01

The analysis of variance revealed considerable variation among the cultivars and the wild species for yield and other quantitative characters in both the years of investigation. The highly significant differences among the cultivars in year wise and pooled analysis of variance for all the 12 characters reveal that there are enough genetic variabilities for all the characters studied. The existence of genetic variability is of paramount importance for starting a judicious plant breeding programme. Since introduced high yielding rice cultivars usually do not perform well. Improvement of indigenous cultivars is a clear choice for increase of rice production. The genetic variability of 37 rice germplasms in 12 agronomic characters estimated in the present study can be used in breeding programme

The hacker ethic

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

Granger, S.

The hacker ethic can be a peculiar concept to those unfamiliar with hacking and what really is. In fact, the entire definition of hacking is somewhat obscure. Hacking originated as a challenge between programmers. Programmers at MIT are known for coining the term. Individuals would hack at code meaning that they would work at programming problems until they could maniuplate their computers into doing exactly what they wanted. The MIT hackers began with simple programs and moved on to fidding with UNIX machines, especially those on the Arpanet. Hackers started freely distributing their code to their friends and eventually tomore » their friends across the network. This gave rise to a notion that software should be free. Eventually this was taken to the extreme information and network access should also be free.« less

Focusing on changing clinical practice to enhance rational prescribing--collaboration and networking enable comprehensive approaches.

PubMed

Helin-Salmivaara, Arja; Huupponen, Risto; Klaukka, Timo; Hoppu, Kalle

2003-10-01

Most western societies are enhancing rational pharmacotherapy to get best value for the constantly increasing expenditure on drugs. Government bodies and the medical profession took joint responsibility for the education programme for rational prescribing, launched in Finland at the end of the 1990s. The goals were to enhance critical thinking, and when appropriate, change prescribing behaviour. Various approaches that included evidence-based continuing medical education (CME), implementing clinical guidelines, delivering information, and providing prescribing feedback were used simultaneously. The commitment of the stakeholders and participants has been strong and the approaches have succeeded even though there is no clear outcome measure. The Government has recently decided to continue and widen the process, which started as a pilot programme, on a tight budget.

Learning to manage COPD: a qualitative study of reasons for attending and not attending a COPD-specific self-management programme.

PubMed

Sohanpal, Ratna; Seale, Clive; Taylor, Stephanie J C

2012-08-01

The aim of this article is to understand the reasons for attending a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-specific self-management (SM) programme and how attendance at such programmes might be improved. A total of 20 qualitative semistructured interviews were carried out with patients and with lay programme tutors involved in the Better Living with Long term Airways disease (BELLA) pilot trial. Thematic framework data analysis was used. Common reasons for participant attendance arising from patients and tutors include (1) desire to learn about SM, (2) social benefits of meeting others with COPD and (3) altruism. Patients' reasons for poor attendance include (1) being too ill or not feeling ill enough and (2) practical, physical and emotional barriers. Tutor's explanations for patients' poor attendance were (1) failure to accept their condition, (2) fear of making a change, (3) lack of adequate support, (4) guilt about smoking and (5) the 'scripted' nature of the course. Suggestions for improving programme participation included (1) having choice of several start dates, (2) minimal delay inviting participant onto courses, (3) planning for 'special needs'. Participation may be better amongst those who have accepted their condition or who are motivated towards improving their condition or to help others. Providing solutions for practical barriers may improve participation. However, alternatives to group-based interventions need to be developed for people with functional and emotional barriers to attendance.

Outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in a northern Indian urban clinic.

PubMed

Sharma, Surendra K; Dhooria, Sahajal; Prasad, K T; George, Ninoo; Ranjan, Sanjay; Gupta, Deepak; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla; Kadhiravan, Tamilarasu; Miglani, Sunita; Sinha, Sanjeev; Wig, Naveet; Biswas, Ashutosh; Vajpayee, Madhu

2010-03-01

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes have been successful in several countries. However, whether they would succeed as part of a national programme in a resource-constrained setting such as India is not clear. The outcomes and specific problems encountered in such a setting have not been adequately studied. We assessed the efficacy and functioning of India's national ART programme in a tertiary care centre in northern India. All ART-naive patients started on ART between May 2005 and October 2006 were included in the study and were followed until 31 April 2008. Periodic clinical and laboratory evaluations were carried out in accordance with national guidelines. Changes in CD4+ lymphocyte count, body weight and body mass index were assessed at follow-up, and the operational problems analysed. The setting was a tertiary care centre in northern India with a mixed population of patients, mostly of low socioeconomic status. The centre is reasonably well resourced but faces constraints in health-care delivery, such as lack of adequate human resources and a high patient load. The response to ART in the cohort studied was comparable to that reported from other countries. However, the programme had a high attrition rate, possibly due to patient-related factors and operational constraints. A high rate of attrition can affect the overall efficacy and functioning of an ART programme. Addressing the issues causing attrition might improve patient outcomes in India and in other resource-constrained countries.

Outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in a northern Indian urban clinic

PubMed Central

Dhooria, Sahajal; Prasad, KT; George, Ninoo; Ranjan, Sanjay; Gupta, Deepak; Sreenivas, Vishnubhatla; Kadhiravan, Tamilarasu; Miglani, Sunita; Sinha, Sanjeev; Wig, Naveet; Biswas, Ashutosh; Vajpayee, Madhu

2010-01-01

Abstract Problem Antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes have been successful in several countries. However, whether they would succeed as part of a national programme in a resource-constrained setting such as India is not clear. The outcomes and specific problems encountered in such a setting have not been adequately studied. Approach We assessed the efficacy and functioning of India’s national ART programme in a tertiary care centre in northern India. All ART-naive patients started on ART between May 2005 and October 2006 were included in the study and were followed until 31 April 2008. Periodic clinical and laboratory evaluations were carried out in accordance with national guidelines. Changes in CD4+ lymphocyte count, body weight and body mass index were assessed at follow-up, and the operational problems analysed. Local setting The setting was a tertiary care centre in northern India with a mixed population of patients, mostly of low socioeconomic status. The centre is reasonably well resourced but faces constraints in health-care delivery, such as lack of adequate human resources and a high patient load. Relevant changes The response to ART in the cohort studied was comparable to that reported from other countries. However, the programme had a high attrition rate, possibly due to patient-related factors and operational constraints. Lessons learnt A high rate of attrition can affect the overall efficacy and functioning of an ART programme. Addressing the issues causing attrition might improve patient outcomes in India and in other resource-constrained countries. PMID:20428391

Effects of a structured exercise programme in sedentary dogs with chronic diarrhoea.

PubMed

Huang, H-P; Lien, Y-H

2017-03-04

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of a structured exercise programme in sedentary dogs with chronic diarrhoea. Twenty-two dogs were enrolled in the study. All dogs received oral prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day for 14 days, followed by a tapering dosage) for 10 weeks. After four weeks of prednisolone treatment, dogs were assigned to either the exercise or control group (n=11 each). Owners of dogs in the exercise group were instructed to guide their dogs in structured exercise training (low-intensity to moderate-intensity aerobic and resistance exercise three to five days per week). After 10 weeks of prednisolone treatment with concomitant 6 weeks of complementary exercise, the Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity Index (CIBDAI) score had decreased significantly in the exercise group (from 8.8±1.5 at the start of the exercise programme to 2.4±1.5; P<0.001); no such change was observed in the control group (from 9.2±0.9 to 9.2±1.1). CIBDAI scores differed significantly between the groups at the end of the 10-week study period (P<0.001). The exercise programme affected all six CIBDAI parameters significantly; bodyweight (P<0.001, adjusted r 2 =0.722) was most affected. A structured exercise programme may have positive effects on clinical symptoms in sedentary dogs with chronic diarrhoea. British Veterinary Association.

[Influence of a programme of therapeutic exercise on different clinical indicators related to dyslipidaemia in adult subjects aged between 26 to 73 years with a cardiovascular risk factor].

PubMed

Meseguer Zafra, M; Rosa Guillamón, A; García-Cantó, E; Rodríguez García, P L; Pérez-Soto, J J; Tárraga López, P J; Del Moral García, J E; Tárraga Marcos, M L

2018-04-07

A sedentary lifestyle is indicated in the international literature as one of the main causes for the onset of some cardiovascular risk factors. To assess the effect of a therapeutic physical exercise programme on different clinical indicators related to dyslipidaemia (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL) in sedentary subjects with a cardiovascular risk factor. Intervention study with before-and-after evaluation of a sample of 340 patients (132 males and 208 females) referred from the 2 primary care centres of the municipality of Molina de Segura (Murcia), and who participated in a 30-week programme of physical exercise combining muscle-conditioning work circuits with other cardio-respiratory resistance workouts. Regarding the clinical indicators, the health professionals collected in the medical history the health indicators corresponding to the biological evolution of the process for which the subjects studied had started the physical exercise programme. The statistical analyses showed a significant improvement (p<.005) in the LDL indicator and a non-significant improvement in total and HDL cholesterol indicators after a 3-month exercise programme of 3 weekly sessions. The prescription of physical exercise in dyslipidaemic subjects from primary care centre should be evaluated as a resource for improving the clinical indicators specific to their pathology. Copyright © 2018 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Effects of a 'theory of mind' cognitive development pilot programme in three children with autism: emotional component].

PubMed

Villanueva-Bonilla, Cristian; Bonilla-Santos, Jasmín; Arana-Guzmán, Fernanda; Ninco-Cuenca, Ingrid; Quintero-Lozano, Andrea

2016-03-16

Theory of mind is defined as the capacity to predict, understand and act when faced with other people's behaviour, their knowledge, their intentions, their emotions and their beliefs. It is proposed as a feasible alternative for establishing a programme adapted to the characteristics of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The effect of a 'theory of mind' cognitive development pilot programme on the emotional skills of three children with autism spectrum disorder is reported. Case 1: 9-year-old boy, with scarce emotional identification and expression, as well as difficulties to hold fluent and coherent conversations. Case 2: 10-year-old boy, with mechanical, not very fluent language, and difficulties to start and maintain a conversation. Case 3: 8-year-old girl who presents deficits in the non-verbal communicative behaviours used in social interaction and difficulties to adapt to situations other than everyday ones. In the three cases there is an improvement in the emotional capacities following implementation of the programme; moreover, their parents, teachers or therapists perceived positive changes in the children's adaptive skills. The methodological and structural aspects of the cognitive development programme were well-suited to the children with autism who took part in the research study. Due to the preliminary nature of this study, it is suggested that future research should utilise a larger sample and a double-blind design with randomised case-controls that allow the findings to be generalised.

Interactive web-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme: a randomised controlled feasibility trial

PubMed Central

Chaplin, Emma; Hewitt, Stacey; Apps, Lindsay; Bankart, John; Pulikottil-Jacob, Ruth; Boyce, Sally; Morgan, Mike; Williams, Johanna; Singh, Sally

2017-01-01

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine if an interactive web-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme is a feasible alternative to conventional PR. Design Randomised controlled feasibility trial. Setting Participants with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited from PR assessments, primary care and community rehabilitation programmes. Patients randomised to conventional rehabilitation started the programme according to the standard care at their referred site on the next available date. Participants 103 patients were recruited to the study and randomised: 52 to conventional rehabilitation (mean (±SD) age 66 (±8) years, Medical Research Council (MRC) 3 (IQR2–4)); 51 to the web arm (mean (±SD) age 66 (±10) years, MRC 3 (IQR2–4)). Participants had to be willing to participate in either arm of the trial, have internet access and be web literate. Interventions Patients randomised to the web-based programme worked through the website, exercising and recording their progress as well as reading educational material. Conventional PR consisted of twice weekly, 2 hourly sessions (an hour for exercise training and an hour for education). Outcome measures Recruitment rates, eligibility, patient preference and dropout and completion rates for both programmes were collected. Standard outcomes for a PR assessment including measures of exercise capacity and quality of life questionnaires were also evaluated. Results A statistically significant improvement (p≤0.01) was observed within each group in the endurance shuttle walk test (WEB: mean change 189±211.1; PR classes: mean change 184.5±247.4 s) and Chronic Respiratory disease Questionnaire-Dyspnoea (CRQ-D; WEB: mean change 0.7±1.2; PR classes: mean change 0.8±1.0). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in any outcome. Dropout rates were higher in the web-based programme (57% vs 23%). Conclusions An interactive web-based PR programme is feasible and acceptable when compared with conventional PR. Future trials maybe around choice-based PR programmes for select patients enabling stratification of patient care. Trial registration number ISRCTN03142263; Results. PMID:28363923

Longitudinal study of the effect of high intensity weight training on aerobic capacity.

PubMed

Nakao, M; Inoue, Y; Murakami, H

1995-01-01

To investigate the effect of a long-term weight lifting programme characterized by high intensity, low repetition and long rest period between sets on maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and to determine the advantage of this programme combined with jogging, 26 male untrained students were involved in weight training for a period of 3 years. The VO2max and body composition of the subjects were examined at beginning, 1 year, 2 years (T2), and 3 years after (T3) training. Of the group, 19 subjects performed the weight lifting programme 5 days each week for 3 years (W-group), 4 subjects performed the same weight lifting programme for 3 years with an additional running programme consisting of 2 miles of jogging once a week during the 3rd year (R1-group), and 3 subjects performed the weight lifting programme during the 1st year and the same combined jogging and weight lifting programme as the R1-group during the 2nd and 3rd years (R2-group). The average VO2max relative to their body mass of the W-group decreased significantly during the 1st year, followed by an insignificant decrease in the 2nd year and a levelling off in the 3rd year. The average VO2max of the W-group at T2 and T3 was 44.2 and 44.1 ml.kg-1.min-1, respectively. The tendency of VO2max changes in the R1- and R2-groups was similar to the W-group until they started the jogging programme, after which they recovered significantly to the initial level within a year of including that programme, and they then levelled off during the next year. Lean body mass estimated from skinfold thicknesses had increased by about 8% after 3 years of weight lifting. The maximal muscle strength, defined by total olympic lifts (snatch, and clean and jerk), of these three groups increased significantly and there was no significant difference among the amounts of the increase in the three groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Interactive web-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme: a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

PubMed

Chaplin, Emma; Hewitt, Stacey; Apps, Lindsay; Bankart, John; Pulikottil-Jacob, Ruth; Boyce, Sally; Morgan, Mike; Williams, Johanna; Singh, Sally

2017-03-31

The aim of this study was to determine if an interactive web-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme is a feasible alternative to conventional PR. Randomised controlled feasibility trial. Participants with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited from PR assessments, primary care and community rehabilitation programmes. Patients randomised to conventional rehabilitation started the programme according to the standard care at their referred site on the next available date. 103 patients were recruited to the study and randomised: 52 to conventional rehabilitation (mean (±SD) age 66 (±8) years, Medical Research Council (MRC) 3 (IQR2-4)); 51 to the web arm (mean (±SD) age 66 (±10) years, MRC 3 (IQR2-4)). Participants had to be willing to participate in either arm of the trial, have internet access and be web literate. Patients randomised to the web-based programme worked through the website, exercising and recording their progress as well as reading educational material. Conventional PR consisted of twice weekly, 2 hourly sessions (an hour for exercise training and an hour for education). Recruitment rates, eligibility, patient preference and dropout and completion rates for both programmes were collected. Standard outcomes for a PR assessment including measures of exercise capacity and quality of life questionnaires were also evaluated. A statistically significant improvement (p≤0.01) was observed within each group in the endurance shuttle walk test (WEB: mean change 189±211.1; PR classes: mean change 184.5±247.4 s) and Chronic Respiratory disease Questionnaire-Dyspnoea (CRQ-D; WEB: mean change 0.7±1.2; PR classes: mean change 0.8±1.0). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in any outcome. Dropout rates were higher in the web-based programme (57% vs 23%). An interactive web-based PR programme is feasible and acceptable when compared with conventional PR. Future trials maybe around choice-based PR programmes for select patients enabling stratification of patient care. ISRCTN03142263; Results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Industry Versus DoD: A Comparative Study of Software Reuse

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

development costs and production time. By no means have they perfected reuse, but some corporations are starting to reap the benefits of their reuse...and cultural resistance (Garry, 1992). Reusable code is not a cure-all for programmers and does not always provide significant benefits . Quite often...and benefits , quality, achievable reuse goals, domain analysis, staff experience, development, and recognition of the effort involved (IEEE Software

Social Exclusion, Sure Start and Organizational Social Capital: Evaluating Inter-Disciplinary Multi-Agency Working in an Education and Health Work Programme. Documents and Debates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, Carl; Ackerley, Clare; Rattray, Julie

2004-01-01

Social policy-making in the UK under the Labour government has galvanized around the issue of social exclusion, identifying young children (0-4 years) and their families living in areas of high social disadvantage to be particularly at risk. This paper attempts to recover the experiences and views of professionals concerned with the delivery and…

Using Process Drama in Museum Theatre Educational Projects to Reconstruct Postcolonial Cultural Identities in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Wan-Jung

2014-01-01

Museums have been employing theatre activities in their educational programmes to outreach youngsters for more than three decades all over the world since the late 1980s; however, it is still quite a new experience for eastern and south-eastern Asian countries. In the past 3 years, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan started to use different forms of…

The Dual Promise of Green Jobs: A Qualitative Study of Federally Funded Energy Training Programmes in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scully-Russ, Ellen

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to review the policy literature on green jobs and green jobs training in the USA and to present findings of a qualitative study on the start-up of two Energy Training Partnerships (ETP) funded by the US Department of Labour to train workers for green jobs. Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes a review…

The Challenges of Change: A Tracer Study of San Preschool Children in Botswana. Early Childhood Development: Practice and Reflections. Following Footsteps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

le Roux, Willemien

This report details findings of a study undertaken during 1993-1995 in the Ghanzi District of Botswana to ascertain the progress of the San children in primary school, comparing children who attended preschool to those who did not. The report also describes the Bokamoso Preschool Programme, started in 1986. Data for the study were collected…

Raising the Reading Skills of Secondary-Age Students with Severe and Persistent Reading Difficulties: Evaluation of the Efficacy and Implementation of a Phonics-Based Intervention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffes, Ben

2016-01-01

The importance of reading skills to academic achievement, job acquisition and future success is well documented. Most of the research on reading interventions focuses on children in primary schools but many children start secondary school with very poor reading skills and schools require evidence-based interventions to support these children. The…

The evolving role of CD4 cell counts in HIV care.

PubMed

Ford, Nathan; Meintjes, Graeme; Vitoria, Marco; Greene, Greg; Chiller, Tom

2017-03-01

The role of the CD4 cell count in the management of people living with HIV is once again changing, most notably with a shift away from using CD4 assays to decide when to start antiretroviral therapy (ART). This article reflects on the past, current and future role of CD4 cell count testing in HIV programmes, and the implications for clinicians, programme managers and diagnostics manufacturers. Following the results of recent randomized trials demonstrating the clinical and public health benefits of starting ART as soon as possible after HIV diagnosis is confirmed, CD4 cell count is no longer recommended as a way to decide when to initiate ART. For patients stable on ART, CD4 cell counts are no longer needed to monitor the response to treatment where HIV viral load testing is available. Nevertheless CD4 remains the best measurement of a patient's immune and clinical status, the risk of opportunistic infections, and supports diagnostic decision-making, particularly for patients with advanced HIV disease. As countries revise guidelines to provide ART to all people living with HIV and continue to scale up access to viral load, strategic choices will need to be made regarding future investments in CD4 cell count and the appropriate use for clinical disease management.

Talent identification and deliberate programming in skeleton: ice novice to Winter Olympian in 14 months.

PubMed

Bullock, Nicola; Gulbin, Jason P; Martin, David T; Ross, Angus; Holland, Terry; Marino, Frank

2009-02-15

The aims of this study were to talent transfer, rapidly develop, and qualify an Australian female athlete in the skeleton event at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games and quantify the volume of skeleton-specific training and competition that would enable this to be achieved. Initially, 26 athletes were recruited through a talent identification programme based on their 30-m sprint time. After attending a selection camp, 10 athletes were invited to undertake an intensified skeleton training programme. Four of these athletes were then selected to compete for Australia on the World Cup circuit. All completed runs and simulated push starts were documented over a 14-month period. The athlete who eventually represented Australia at the Torino Winter Olympic Games did so following approximately 300 start simulations and about 220 training/competition runs over a period of 14 months. Using a deliberate programming model, these findings provide a guide to the minimum exposure required for a novice skeleton athlete to reach Olympic representative standard following intensified sport-specific training. The findings of this study are discussed in the context of the deliberate practice theory and offer the term "deliberate programming" as an alternative way of incorporating all aspects of expert development.

A sophisticated programmable miniaturised pump for insulin delivery.

PubMed

Klein, J C; Slama, G

1980-09-01

We have conceived a truly pre-programmable infusion system usable for intravenous administration of insulin in diabetic subjects. The original system has been built into a small, commercially available, syringe-pump of which only the case and the mechanical parts have been kept. The computing until has a timer, a programmable memory of 512 words by 8 bits and a digital-to-frequency converter to run the motor which drives the syringe. The memory contains 8 profiles of insulin injections stored in digital form over 64 words. Each profile is selected by the patient before eating according to the carbohydrate content of the planned meal and last about two hours, starting from and returning to the basal rate of insulin, at which it remains until next profile selection. Amount, profiles and duration of insulin injection are either mean values deduced from previous studies with a closed-loop artificial pancreas or personally fitted values; they are stored in an instantly replaceable memory cell. This device allows the patient to choose the time, nature and amount of his food intake.

[Population screening for breast cancer: an interim assessment].

PubMed

van der Maas, P J

2000-06-03

The Dutch national breast cancer programme started in 1989 and ten years later complete coverage of the target population was realised. Screening will save the lives of 27% of all women with screen detected breast cancer. In the other 73% survival will not change, but they will know some years earlier that they have breast cancer. There are 4 lessons from the 12 year experience: (a) mortality reduction due to the present programme can only be identified in individual follow-up data of all women with breast cancer; (b) systematic improvement of the programme's performance can only be based on feedback from a detailed quality and outcome monitoring system; (c) the advice to increase the upper age limit to 75 years was based on the interpretation of trial results for younger age groups and model analysis; (d) breast cancer screening contributed to the systematic improvement of clinical procedures. Current scientific and practical challenges are mortality evaluation, optimising test properties, setting upper and lower age limits, understanding regional differences, developing optimal screening frequencies in women with an elevated breast cancer risk, digital mammography and computer assisted diagnosis.

Usability-driven evolution of a space instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCalden, Alec

2012-09-01

The use of resources in the cradle-to-grave timeline of a space instrument might be significantly improved by considering the concept of usability from the start of the mission. The methodology proposed here includes giving early priority in a programme to the iterative development of a simulator that models instrument operation, and allowing this to evolve ahead of the actual instrument specification and fabrication. The advantages include reduction of risk in software development by shifting much of it to earlier in a programme than is typical, plus a test programme that uses and thereby proves the same support systems that may be used for flight. A new development flow for an instrument is suggested, showing how the system engineering phases used by the space agencies could be reworked in line with these ideas. This methodology is also likely to contribute to a better understanding between the various disciplines involved in the creation of a new instrument. The result should better capture the science needs, implement them more accurately with less wasted effort, and more fully allow the best ideas from all team members to be considered.

Rehabilitation in children with juvenile chronic arthritis.

PubMed

Häfner, R; Truckenbrodt, H; Spamer, M

1998-05-01

Chronic childhood arthritis impairs joint function and may result in severe physical handicap. Joint pain and inflammation trigger a vicious cycle that often ends in joint damage and fixed deformities. A comprehensive rehabilitation programme must start early to restore loss of function and prevent permanent handicap. It is dominated by a physiotherapeutic regimen consisting of pain relief, movement expansion, training of muscular coordination and finally re-integration of a physiological movement pattern. The approaches of occupational therapy become integrated into the treatment programme, concentrating on joint protection and self-care training. Additional aids support the aim of joint restoration. They include individual splinting, adapted footwear and walking aids. Depending on the child's age and developmental status different aspects of rehabilitation dominate. Small children need adequate mobility to promote their psychosocial development. In later years integration into school life and the peer group becomes important. Adolescents require help for an adequate vocational training and self-care support. Last but not least, parental education and integration of the whole family into the rehabilitation programme markedly improve the patient's prognosis.

A journey of negotiation and belonging: understanding students' transitions to science and engineering in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmegaard, Henriette Tolstrup; Madsen, Lene Møller; Ulriksen, Lars

2014-09-01

The paper presents results from a longitudinal study of students' decisions to enrol on a higher education science programme and their experiences of it. The aim is to give insights into students' transition process and negotiation of identity. This is done by following a cohort of 38 students in a series of qualitative interviews during a 3-year period starting as they were about to finish upper secondary school. We find that the students' choice of study is an ongoing process of meaning-making, which continues when the students enter higher education and continuously work on their identities to gain a sense of belonging to their science or engineering programme. The use of a narrative methodology provides understanding of choice of study as involving changes in future perspectives and in the interpretation of past experiences. Further, we gain access into how this meaning-making process over time reflects the students' negotiations in terms of belonging to higher education and their coping strategies when their expectations of their new programme interact with their first-year experiences.

Efficacy of the Otago Exercise Programme to reduce falls in community-dwelling adults aged 65-80 years old when delivered as group or individual training.

PubMed

Albornos-Muñoz, Laura; Moreno-Casbas, María Teresa; Sánchez-Pablo, Clara; Bays-Moneo, Ana; Fernández-Domínguez, Juan Carlos; Rich-Ruiz, Manuel; Gea-Sánchez, Montserrat

2018-04-06

This study will compare how falls can be reduced in non-institutionalized older Spanish adults aged 65-80 years by providing group or individual exercise sessions using the Otago Exercise Programme. The Otago Exercise Programme is a progressive home-based exercise programme, where trained health professionals help people engage in strength, balance and endurance exercises. Its format is based on the evidence from four clinical trials. The benefits of the Otago Exercise Programme are the same for people who have and have not suffered falls and it can also be used for visually impaired people. A multicentre, simply blinded, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial, with two arms-group training and individual training-that started in January 2017 and will continue until December 2019. Each study group has 364 subjects, who will take part in four individual or group sessions delivered mainly by nurses over an 8-week period, with a reinforcement session 6 months later. Data will be collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. The fall percentage will be the most relevant clinical variable and we will also consider safety, viability, compliance, economic analysis and therapeutic value. Approval and funding was granted in December 2016 for this 3-year study by the Spanish Health Research Fund (PI16CIII/00031). Older people from 65-80 years old tend to be more isolated and tackling worries about falls can improve social activities and independence. It has been shown that group training provides better adherence to exercise than individual training and this study will test that hypothesis for the Otago Exercise Programme. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King's College London School of Medicine.

PubMed

Hamaoui, Karim; Sadideen, Hazim; Saadeddin, Munir; Onida, Sarah; Hoey, Andrew W; Rees, John

2013-01-01

Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King's College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula.

Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King’s College London School of Medicine

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Purpose: Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King’s College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. Methods: A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. Results: Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. Conclusion: A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula. PMID:24498471

Beyond where it started: a look at the "Healing Images" experience.

PubMed

Goodsmith, Lauren

2007-01-01

In March 2004, the Baltimore-based nonprofit organization Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (ASTT) initiated a photography-based therapeutic programme for clients. Developed by a professional photographer/teacher in collaboration with a psychologist, the programme has the goal of enabling clients to engage in creative self-exploration within a supportive, group setting. Since its inception, thirty survivors of conflict-related trauma and torture from five different countries have taken part in the programme, known as "Healing Images", using digital cameras to gather individually-chosen images that are subsequently shared and discussed within the group. These images include depictions of the natural and manmade environments in which clients find themselves; people, places and objects that offer comfort; and self-portraits that reflect the reality of the life of a refugee in the United States. This description of the "Healing Images" programme is based on comments gathered through discussion with participants and through interviews. Additional information was gathered from observation of early workshop sessions, review of numerous client photographs and captions, and pertinent organizational materials. A fundamental benefit of the programme was that it offered a mutually supportive group environment that diminished clients' feelings of psychological and physical isolation. Participants gained deep satisfaction from learning the technical skills related to use of the cameras, from the empowering experience of framing and creating specific images, and from exploring the personal significance of these images. Programme activities sparked a process of self-expression that participants valued on the level of personal discovery and growth. Some clients also welcomed opportunities to share their work publicly, as a means of raising awareness of the experience of survivors.

Innovative health systems projects.

PubMed

Green, Michael; Amad, Mansoor; Woodland, Mark

2015-02-01

Residency programmes struggle with the systems-based practice and improvement competency promoted by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The development of Innovative Health Systems Projects (IHelP) was driven by the need for better systems-based initiatives at an institutional level. Our objective was to develop a novel approach that successfully incorporates systems-based practice in our Graduate Medical Education (GME) programmes, while tracking our impact on health care delivery as an academic medical centre. We started the IHelP programme as a 'volunteer initiative' in 2010. A detailed description of the definition, development and implementation of the IHelP programme, along with our experience of the first year, is described. Residents, fellows and faculty mentors all played an important role in establishing the foundation of this initiative. Following the positive response, we have now incorporated IHelP into all curricula as a graduating requirement. IHelP has promoted scholarly activity and faculty mentorship, [and] has improved aspects of patient care and safety A total of 123 residents and fellows, representing 26 specialties, participated. We reviewed 145 projects that addressed topics ranging from administrative and departmental improvements to clinical care algorithms. The projects by area of focus were: patient care - clinical care, 38 per cent; patient care - quality, 27 per cent; resident education, 21 per cent; and a cumulative 16 per cent among pharmacy, department activities, patient education, medical records and clinical facility. We are pleased with the results of our first year of incorporating a systems-based improvement programme into the GME programmes. This initiative has promoted scholarly activity and faculty mentorship, has improved aspects of patient care and safety, and has led to the development of many practical innovations. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The impact of HENRY on parenting and family lifestyle: A national service evaluation of a preschool obesity prevention programme.

PubMed

Willis, T A; Roberts, K P J; Berry, T M; Bryant, M; Rudolf, M C J

2016-07-01

One in five children in England are overweight/obese at school entry. Tackling obesity is therefore a priority. Right from the Start with HENRY is a widely-commissioned programme delivered by trained facilitators to small groups of parents over eight weekly sessions. It is designed to provide parents of infants and preschool children with the skills, knowledge and confidence required for a healthier family lifestyle. The aim of this work was to investigate programme impact using data collected routinely for quality control purposes. Analysis of routinely collected pre-post data from programmes delivered in the UK from January 2012 to February 2014. Data were analysed from 144 programmes, including questionnaires relating to parenting, family eating behaviours, dietary intake, and physical activity/screen time. Over 24 months, 1100 parents attended programmes running in 86 locations. 788 (72%) completed >5 sessions of whom 624 (79%) provided baseline and completion questionnaires. Parents reported increases in healthiness of family lifestyle, parenting attributes, and emotional wellbeing following attendance (all P < .001). Both parents and children were reported to have increased their daily fruit/vegetable consumption, and reduced their consumption of high fat/sugar foods (both P < .001). There were also positive changes in eating behaviours, physical activity (P < .001) and children's screen time (P < .001). Significant changes were reported in all domains similar to those reported in a previous, smaller study in locations selected for experience and quality. The HENRY approach appears to have a beneficial impact even when delivered at scale in non-selected locations. Such changes, if maintained, may serve to protect against later obesity. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Free formula milk in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme: voices of a peri-urban community in South Africa on policy change.

PubMed

Ijumba, Petrida; Doherty, Tanya; Jackson, Debra; Tomlinson, Mark; Sanders, David; Persson, Lars-Åke

2013-10-01

In 2001, South Africa began implementing the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme. This programme included distribution of free formula milk for infants up to 6 months of age at all public health facilities. Effective from 1 January 2011, KwaZulu-Natal became the first province to phase out free formula milk from its PMTCT programme. On 23 August 2011, the South African National Department of Health adopted promotion of exclusive breastfeeding as the national infant feeding strategy and made a decision to withdraw free formula milk from the PMTCT programme. To explore the perceptions and understanding of households at community level on the policy decision to phase out free formula milk from the PMTCT programme in South Africa. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted amongst women enrolled in a community randomized trial known as Good Start III. Focus group discussions were held with grandmothers, fathers and teenage mothers; and in-depth interviews were performed with HIV-positive and HIV-negative mothers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Identified themes included: (1) variations in awareness and lack of understanding of the basis for the policy change, (2) abuse of and dysfunctional policy as perceived reasons for policy change and (3) proposed strategies for communicating the policy change. There is an urgent need to develop a multifaceted communication strategy clearly articulating the reasons for the infant feeding policy change and promoting the new breastfeeding strategy. The communication strategy should take into account inputs from the community. With a supportive environment and one national infant feeding strategy, South Africa has an opportunity to reverse years of poor infant feeding practices and to improve the health of all children in the country.

Clinical SAS programming in India: A study of industry needs versus wants.

PubMed

Ananthakrishnan, Nithiyanandhan

2014-07-01

The clinical SAS (www.sas.com) programming industry, in India, has seen a rapid growth in the last decade and the trend seems set to continue, for the next couple of years, due to cost advantage and the availability of skilled labor. On one side the industry needs are focused on less execution time, high margins, segmented tasks and the delivery of high quality output with minimal oversight. On the other side, due to the increased demand for skilled resources, the wants of the programmers have taken a different shift toward diversifying exposure, unsustainable wage inflation due to multiple opportunities and generally high expectations around career progression. If the industry needs are not going to match with programmers want, or vice versa, then there is the possibility that the current year on year growth may start to slow or even go into decline. This paper is intended to identify the gap between wants and need and puts forwards some suggestions, for both sides, in ways to change the equation to benefit all. Questionnaire on similar themes created to survey managers and programmers working in clinical SAS programming industry and was surveyed online to collect their perspectives. Their views are compared for each theme and presented as results. Two surveys were created in www.surveymonkey.com. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SAS_India_managment_needvswant_survey. Programmer: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SAS_India_programmer_needvswant_survey. Bar chart and pie chart used on data collect to show segmentation of data. In conclusion, it seeks to highlight the future industry direction and the skillset that existing programmers need to have, in order to sustain the momentum and remain competitive, to contribute to the future pipeline and the development of the profession in India.

A qualitative evaluation of a comprehensive self-management programme for COPD patients: effectiveness from the patients' perspective.

PubMed

Monninkhof, Evelyn; van der Aa, Maaike; van der Valk, Paul; van der Palen, Job; Zielhuis, Gerhard; Koning, Karen; Pieterse, Marcel

2004-11-01

The COPE self-management programme, including a self-management education course, self-treatment of exacerbations and a fitness programme, appeared to have no significant effect on health related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). This is in contrast to our hypothesis and despite expressions of satisfaction of patients to healthcare workers. To understand this discrepancy, a qualitative study was performed. A purposive sample of 20 participants of the COPE self-management programme were interviewed at home using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim and analysed according grounded theory. The fitness programme was most positively evaluated by patients due to the perceived increase of exercise capacity and the social aspect of the group training. Major effects gained by the self-management education course reported by patients were the skills to evenly distribute their energy and to listen to their body signals. Most patients thought favourable about self-treatment of exacerbations. The possibility to start early, not having to call a doctor and autonomy were raised as important advantages. Furthermore, several patients reported increased self-confidence and coping behaviour as important effects of the COPE programme. Finally, many patients reported feeling safe due to the frequent follow-up visits and 24h access to the hospital, and this aspect elicited to be very important. In this study, the qualitative interviews suggest that the SGRQ and possibly other existing HRQoL instruments might fail to capture the full experience of patients in self-management studies. The need for more elaborate qualitative research on this subject is indicated.

Physics and operation oriented activities in preparation of the JT-60SA tokamak exploitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giruzzi, G.; Yoshida, M.; Artaud, J. F.; Asztalos, Ö.; Barbato, E.; Bettini, P.; Bierwage, A.; Boboc, A.; Bolzonella, T.; Clement-Lorenzo, S.; Coda, S.; Cruz, N.; Day, Chr.; De Tommasi, G.; Dibon, M.; Douai, D.; Dunai, D.; Enoeda, M.; Farina, D.; Figini, L.; Fukumoto, M.; Galazka, K.; Galdon, J.; Garcia, J.; Garcia-Muñoz, M.; Garzotti, L.; Gil, C.; Gleason-Gonzalez, C.; Goodman, T.; Granucci, G.; Hayashi, N.; Hoshino, K.; Ide, S.; Imazawa, R.; Innocente, P.; Isayama, A.; Itami, K.; Joffrin, E.; Kamada, Y.; Kamiya, K.; Kawano, Y.; Kawashima, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Kojima, A.; Kubo, H.; Lang, P.; Lauber, Ph.; de la Luna, E.; Maget, P.; Marchiori, G.; Mastrostefano, S.; Matsunaga, G.; Mattei, M.; McDonald, D. C.; Mele, A.; Miyata, Y.; Moriyama, S.; Moro, A.; Nakano, T.; Neu, R.; Nowak, S.; Orsitto, F. P.; Pautasso, G.; Pégourié, B.; Pigatto, L.; Pironti, A.; Platania, P.; Pokol, G. I.; Ricci, D.; Romanelli, M.; Saarelma, S.; Sakurai, S.; Sartori, F.; Sasao, H.; Scannapiego, M.; Shimizu, K.; Shinohara, K.; Shiraishi, J.; Soare, S.; Sozzi, C.; Stępniewski, W.; Suzuki, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Szepesi, T.; Takechi, M.; Tanaka, K.; Terranova, D.; Toma, M.; Urano, H.; Vega, J.; Villone, F.; Vitale, V.; Wakatsuki, T.; Wischmeier, M.; Zagórski, R.

2017-08-01

The JT-60SA tokamak, being built under the Broader Approach agreement jointly by Europe and Japan, is due to start operation in 2020 and is expected to give substantial contributions to both ITER and DEMO scenario optimisation. A broad set of preparation activities for an efficient start of the experiments on JT-60SA is being carried out, involving elaboration of the Research Plan, advanced modelling in various domains, feasibility and conception studies of diagnostics and other sub-systems in connection with the priorities of the scientific programme, development and validation of operation tools. The logic and coherence of this approach, as well as the most significant results of the main activities undertaken are presented and summarised.

Neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine amide on experimental focal penetrating brain injury in rats.

PubMed

Günther, Mattias; Davidsson, Johan; Plantman, Stefan; Norgren, Svante; Mathiesen, Tiit; Risling, Mårten

2015-09-01

We examined the effects of N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) in the secondary inflammatory response following a novel method of focal penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has limited but well-documented neuroprotective effects after experimental central nervous system ischemia and TBI, but its bioavailability is very low. We tested NACA, a modified form of NAC with higher membrane and blood-brain barrier permeability. Focal penetrating TBI was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly selected for NACA treatment (n=5) and no treatment (n=5). In addition, four animals were submitted to sham surgery. After 2 hours or 24 hours the brains were removed, fresh frozen, cut in 14 μm coronal sections and subjected to immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Fluoro-Jade and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) analyses. All treated animals were given 300 mg/kg NACA intraperitoneally (IP) 2 minutes post trauma. The 24 hour survival group was given an additional bolus of 300 mg/kg IP after 4 hours. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration by Fluoro-Jade at 24 hours with a mean change of 35.0% (p<0.05) and decreased TUNEL staining indicative of apoptosis at 2 hours with a mean change of 38.7% (p<0.05). Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) increased in the NACA treatment group at 24 hours with a mean change of 35.9% (p<0.05). Levels of migrating macrophages and activated microglia (Ox-42/CD11b), nitric oxide-producing inflammatory enzyme iNOS, peroxynitrite marker 3-nitrotyrosine, NFκB translocated to the nuclei, cytochrome C and Bcl-2 were not affected. NACA treatment decreased neuronal degeneration and apoptosis and increased levels of antioxidative enzyme MnSOD. The antiapoptotic effect was likely regulated by pathways other than cytochrome C. Therefore, NACA prevents brain tissue damage after focal penetrating TBI, warranting further studies towards a clinical application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The targets of acetone cyanohydrin neurotoxicity in the rat are not the ones expected in an animal model of konzo.

PubMed

Soler-Martín, Carla; Riera, Judith; Seoane, Ana; Cutillas, Blanca; Ambrosio, Santiago; Boadas-Vaello, Pere; Llorens, Jordi

2010-01-01

Konzo is a neurotoxic motor disease caused by excess consumption of insufficiently processed cassava. Cassava contains the cyanogenic glucoside linamarin, but konzo does not present the known pathological effects of cyanide. We hypothesized that the aglycone of linamarin, acetone cyanohydrin, may be the cause of konzo. This nitrile rapidly decomposes into cyanide and acetone, but the particular exposure and nutrition conditions involved in the emergence of konzo may favor its stabilization and subsequent acute neurotoxicity. A number of preliminary observations were used to design an experiment to test this hypothesis. In the experiment, young female Long-Evans rats were given 10mM acetone cyanohydrin in drinking water for 2 weeks, and then 20mM for 6 weeks. Nutrition deficits associated with konzo were modeled by providing tapioca (cassava starch) as food for the last 3 of these weeks. After this period, rats were fasted for 24h in order to increase endogenous acetone synthesis, and then exposed to 0 (control group) or 50 micromol/kg-h of acetone cyanohydrin for 24h (treated group) through subcutaneous osmotic minipump infusion (n=6/group). Motor activity and gait were evaluated before exposure (pre-test), and 1 and 6 days after exposure. Brains (n=4) were stained for neuronal degeneration by fluoro-jade B. Rats exposed to 50 micromol/kg-h of acetone cyanohydrin showed acute signs of toxicity, but no persistent motor deficits. Two animals showed fluoro-jade staining in discrete thalamic nuclei, including the paraventricular and the ventral reuniens nuclei; one also exhibited labeling of the dorsal endopiriform nucleus. Similar effects were not elicited by equimolar KCN exposure. Therefore, acetone cyanohydrin may cause selective neuronal degeneration in the rat, but the affected areas are not those expected in an animal model of konzo. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[An epidemiological survey on saturnism among children due to lead pollution released from township enterprise].

PubMed

Li, Heng-xin; Song, Ya-li; Li, Hong-guang; Yuan, Yong-xin; Xu, Qing; Liu, En-xu; Li, Jin-song

2008-03-01

To understand the current situations of saturnism and blood lead levels of children resided in village and circumjacent areas, and to know its relations with sex, age and other factors on children' s health as to providing some evidences for prevention and control. An epidemiological survey was conducted for finding out the pollution sources and for a better understanding of the surrounding environment. All 221 children under 14 years old, from the lead pollution villages and surrounding establishments were enrolled, and their blood lead levels were detected by graphite atomizer absorption spectrophotometer method. Symptoms of the saturnism were investigated through a standardized questionnaire. SPSS13.0 software was administrated for data analysis. High blood lead level identification rate was 66.06% (146/221), and saturnism rate 32.13% (71/221). The children's blood lead levels among group 1, group 2, group 3 in this village and jade factory were (161.20 +/- 32.94), (176.60 +/- 43.62), (258.00 +/-106.08) and (238.01 +/- 55.20) microg/L respectively and the significant differences were observed through Kruskal-Wallis test (chi2 = 51.84, df= 3, P<0. 01). The blood lead levels of children from group 3 in this village and the jade factory were higher than those of other two groups. No correlation was found between children's age and blood lead level (r = 0.10, P = 0.13). There was a significant difference in blood lead levels between boys and girls (t' = 3.83, P<0.01). With the children's blood lead levels rising, the occurrence rate of main saturnism symptoms was significantly increased. This survey suggested that the pollution source was a coarse lead smelter. The blood lead level should ke overwhelmingly increased among children who live nearby the higher level of lead blood, that living nearby the lead smeltery,might result in stautnism and negative effect on children's healthy.

Determinants of hospitalization in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes receiving a peer support intervention and JADE integrated care: the PEARL randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Yeung, Roseanne O; Cai, Jing-Heng; Zhang, Yuying; Luk, Andrea O; Pan, Jun-Hao; Yin, Junmei; Ozaki, Risa; Kong, Alice P S; Ma, Ronald; So, Wing-Yee; Tsang, Chiu Chi; Lau, K P; Fisher, Edwin; Goggins, Williams; Oldenburg, Brian; Chan, Julianna

2018-01-01

In a randomized controlled trial of 628 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes receiving multidisciplinary care in the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Progam, 372 were randomized to receive additional telephone-based peer support (Peer Empowerment And Remote communication Linked by information technology, PEARL) intervention. After 12 months, all-cause hospitalization was reduced by half in the PEARL group especially in those with high Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) scores. We used stratified analyses, negative binomial regression, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine the inter-relationships between emotions, self-management, cardiometabolic risk factors, and hospitalization. Hospitalized patients were older, more likely to have heart or kidney disease, and negative emotions than those without hospitalization. Patients with high DASS score who did not receive peer support had the highest hospitalization rates. After adjustment for confounders, peer support reduced the frequency of hospitalizations by 48% with a relative risk of 0.52 (95% CI 0·35-0·79; p  = 0·0018). Using SEM, improvement of negative emotions reduced treatment nonadherence (Est = 0.240, p  = 0.034) and hospitalizations (Est=-0.218, p  = 0.001). The latter was also reduced by an interactive term of peer support and chronic kidney disease (Est = 0.833, p  = < 0.001) and that of peer support and heart disease (Est = 0.455, p  = 0.001). In type 2 diabetes, improvement of negative emotions and peer support reduced hospitalizations, especially in those with comorbidities, in part mediated through improving treatment nonadherence. Integrating peer support is feasible and adds value to multidisciplinary care, augmented by information technology, especially in patients with comorbidities. NCT00950716 Registered July 31, 2009.

Optic tract injury after closed head traumatic brain injury in mice: A model of indirect traumatic optic neuropathy.

PubMed

Evanson, Nathan K; Guilhaume-Correa, Fernanda; Herman, James P; Goodman, Michael D

2018-01-01

Adult male C57BL/6J mice have previously been reported to have motor and memory deficits after experimental closed head traumatic brain injury (TBI), without associated gross pathologic damage or neuroimaging changes detectable by magnetic resonance imaging or diffusion tensor imaging protocols. The presence of neurologic deficits, however, suggests neural damage or dysfunction in these animals. Accordingly, we undertook a histologic analysis of mice after TBI. Gross pathology and histologic analysis using Nissl stain and NeuN immunohistochemistry demonstrated no obvious tissue damage or neuron loss. However, Luxol Fast Blue stain revealed myelin injury in the optic tract, while Fluoro Jade B and silver degeneration staining revealed evidence of axonal neurodegeneration in the optic tract as well as the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus and superior colliculus (detectable at 7 days, but not 24 hours, after injury). Fluoro Jade B staining was not detectable in other white matter tracts, brain regions or in cell somata. In addition, there was increased GFAP staining in these optic tract, lateral geniculate, and superior colliculus 7 days post-injury, and morphologic changes in optic tract microglia that were detectable 24 hours after injury but were more prominent 7 days post-injury. Interestingly, there were no findings of degeneration or gliosis in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is also heavily innervated by the optic tract. Using micro-computed tomography imaging, we also found that the optic canal appears to decrease in diameter with a dorsal-ventral load on the skull, which suggests that the optic canal may be the site of injury. These results suggest that there is axonal degeneration in the optic tract and a subset of directly innervated areas, with associated neuroinflammation and astrocytosis, which develop within 7 days of injury, and also suggest that this weight drop injury may be a model for studying indirect traumatic optic neuropathy.

ESA SSA Programme in support of Space Weather forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luntama, J.; Glover, A.; Hilgers, A. M.

2010-12-01

In 2009 European Space Agency (ESA) started a new programme called Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Preparatory Programme. The objective of the programme is to support the European independent utilisation of and access to space research or services. This will be performed through providing timely and quality data, information, services and knowledge regarding the environment, the threats and the sustainable exploitation of the outer space surrounding the planet Earth. SSA serves the implementation of the strategic missions of the European Space Policy based on the peaceful uses of the outer space by all states, by supporting the autonomous capacity to securely and safely operate the critical European space infrastructures. The SSA Preparatory Program will establish the initial elements that will eventually lead into the full deployment of the European SSA services. The SWE Segment of the SSA will provide user services related to the monitoring of the Sun, the solar wind, the radiation belts, the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. These services will include near real time information and forecasts about the characteristics of the space environment and predictions of space weather impacts on sensitive spaceborne and ground based infrastructure. The SSA SWE system will also include establishment of a permanent database for analysis, model development and scientific research. These services are will support a wide variety of user domains including spacecraft designers, spacecraft operators, human space flights, users and operators of transionospheric radio links, and space weather research community. The precursor SWE services to be established starting in 2010 will include a selected subset of these services based on pre-existing space weather applications and services in Europe. This paper will present the key characteristics of the SSA SWE system that is currently being designed. The presentation will focus on the system characteristics that support space weather forecasting and the related services. The presentation will show results from the analysis of the existing European assets and the identified development needs in the mid and long term future to ensure forecasting capability for the services requested the by SSA SWE users. The analysis covers the future SSA SWE space segment and the service development needs for the ground segment.

Mission Specific Platforms: Past achievements and future developments in European led ocean research drilling.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotterill, Carol; McInroy, David; Stevenson, Alan

2013-04-01

Mission Specific Platform (MSP) expeditions are operated by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD). Each MSP expedition is unique within the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). In order to complement the abilities of the JOIDES Resolution and the Chikyu, the ECORD Science Operator (ESO) must source vessels and technology suitable for each MSP proposal on a case-by-case basis. The result is that ESO can meet scientific requirements in a flexible manner, whilst maintaining the measurements required for the IODP legacy programme. The process of tendering within EU journals for vessels and technology means that the planning process for each MSP Expedition starts many years in advance of the operational phase. Involvement of proposal proponents from this early stage often leads to the recognition for technological research and development to best meet the scientific aims and objectives. One example of this is the planning for the Atlantis Massif proposal, with collaborative development between the British Geological Survey (BGS) and MARUM, University of Bremen, on suitable instruments for seabed drills, with the European Petrophysics Consortium (EPC) driving the development of suitable wireline logging tools that can be used in association with such seabed systems. Other technological developments being undertaken within the European IODP community include in-situ pressure sampling for gas hydrate expeditions, deep biosphere and fluid sampling equipment and CORK technology. This multi-national collaborative approach is also employed by ESO in the operational phase. IODP Expedition 302 ACEX saw vessel and ice management support from Russia and Sweden to facilitate the first drilling undertaken in Arctic sea ice. A review of MSP expeditions past, present and future reveal the significant impact of European led operations and scientific research within the current IODP programme, and also looking forward to the start of the new International Ocean Discovery Programme in October 2013. Key successes encompass technological development, operational procedures in sensitive areas and research into palaeoclimate and shoreline responses to sea level change amongst others. Increased operational flexibility in the new programme only serves to make the future an exciting one for ocean drilling in Europe.

The Tingathe programme: a pilot intervention using community health workers to create a continuum of care in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) cascade of services in Malawi

PubMed Central

Kim, Maria H; Ahmed, Saeed; Buck, W Chris; Preidis, Geoffrey A; Hosseinipour, Mina C; Bhalakia, Avni; Nanthuru, Debora; Kazembe, Peter N; Chimbwandira, Frank; Giordano, Thomas P; Chiao, Elizabeth Y; Schutze, Gordon E; Kline, Mark W

2012-01-01

Introduction Loss to follow-up is a major challenge in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme in Malawi with reported loss to follow-up of greater than 70%. Tingathe-PMTCT is a pilot intervention that utilizes dedicated community health workers (CHWs) to create a complete continuum of care within the PMTCT cascade, improving service utilization and retention of mothers and infants. We describe the impact of the intervention on longitudinal care starting with diagnosis of the mother at antenatal care (ANC) through final diagnosis of the infant. Methods PMTCT service utilization, programme retention and outcomes were evaluated for pregnant women living with HIV and their exposed infants enrolled in the Tingathe-PMTCT programme between March 2009 and March 2011. Multivariate logistic regression was done to evaluate maternal factors associated with failure to complete the cascade. Results Over 24 months, 1688 pregnant women living with HIV were enrolled. Median maternal age was 27 years (IQR, 23.8 to 30.8); 333 (19.7%) were already on ART. Among the remaining women, 1328/1355 (98%) received a CD4 test, with 1243/1328 (93.6%) receiving results. Of the 499 eligible for ART, 363 (72.8%) were successfully initiated. Prior to, delivery there were 93 (5.7%) maternal/foetal deaths, 137 (8.1%) women transferred/moved, 51 (3.0%) were lost and 58 (3.4%) refused ongoing PMTCT services. Of the 1318 live births to date, 1264 (95.9%) of the mothers and 1285 (97.5%) of the infants received ARV prophylaxis; 1064 (80.7%) infants were tested for HIV by PCR and started on cotrimoxazole. Median age at PCR was 1.7 months (IQR, 1.5 to 2.5). Overall transmission at first PCR was 43/1047 (4.1%). Of the 43 infants with positive PCR results, 36 (83.7%) were enrolled in ART clinic and 33 (76.7%) were initiated on ART. Conclusions Case management and support by dedicated CHWs can create a continuum of longitudinal care in the PMTCT cascade and result in improved outcomes. PMID:22789644

Prospective study of factors influencing conditional discharge from a forensic hospital: the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery structured professional judgement instruments and risk

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background We set out to examine whether structured professional judgement instruments DUNDRUM-3 programme completion (D-3) and DUNDRUM-4 recovery (D-4) scales along with measures of risk, mental state and global function could distinguish between those forensic patients detained in a secure forensic hospital (not guilty by reason of insanity or unfit to stand trial) who were subsequently discharged by a mental health review board. We also examined the interaction between these measures and risk, need for therapeutic security and eventual conditional discharge. Methods A naturalistic observational cohort study was carried out for 56 patients newly eligible for conditional discharge. Patients were rated using the D-3, D-4 and other scales including HCR-20, S-RAMM, START, SAPROF, PANSS and GAF and then observed over a period of twenty three months during which they were considered for conditional discharge by an independent Mental Health Review Board. Results The D-3 distinguished which patients were subsequently discharged by the Mental Health Review board (AUC = 0.902, p < 0.001) as did the D-4 (AUC = 0.848, p < 0.001). Item to outcome analysis showed each item of the D-3 and D-4 scales performed significantly better than random. The HCR-20 also distinguished those later discharged (AUC = 0.838, p < 0.001) as did the S-RAMM, START, SAPROF, PANSS and GAF. The D-3 and D-4 scores remained significantly lower (better) for those discharged even when corrected for the HCR-20 total score. Item to outcome analyses and logistic regression analysis showed that the strongest antecedents of discharge were the GAF and the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion scores. Conclusions Structured professional judgement instruments should improve the quality, consistency and transparency of clinical recommendations and decision making at mental health review boards. Further research is required to determine whether the DUNDRUM-3 programme completion and DUNDRUM-4 recovery instruments predict those who are or are not recalled or re-offend after conditional discharge. PMID:23837697

[A study of the effectiveness of a group-based cognitive-behavioral parent training program].

PubMed

Konstadinidis, L; Goga, P; Simos, G; Mavreas, V

2012-01-01

The role of the family in the development of the child as well as the quality of the parent-child relationship and its effect in the social, mental and cognitive development of the child has been the focus of attention of many sciences and scientists and it has been discovered that many parents are not well prepared to do their best for their children. The parent training programmes are willing to partly give a solution to this with their preventive role. In recent years, the effectiveness of the parent training programmes, which are offered to "high risk" parents, has been the focus of a big amount of research, meta-analyses and reviews. A smaller amount concerns the effectiveness of the universal programmes which are offered to the parents of the general population. The effectiveness of a ten-meeting structured group parent training programme of cognitive-behavioral approach, which had been offered to mothers of the general population, was researched in the present study. It aimed to research the effectiveness of the specific programme in the children's behavior and the subjective perception of the functionality of the family of the mothers who chose to participate in and completed the programme (n=56, experimental group/participants), compared to those who chose not to (n=113, control group/non participants). The mothers of the two groups were mothers with children aged between 2 and 12 and filled in the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scales, FACES-III and the Questionnaire of Inter-personal and Cross-personal Adaptation, before (Phases A) and after (Phases B) the programme. The two groups were fully matched and did not present any significant difference regarding their demographic characteristics. During both Phases A and B of the training programme participants and non-participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction by the functionality of their family and did not differentiate significantly in the evaluation of the existent family cohesion and adaptability, the type of the family based on the cohesion and adaptability and the general type of family based on the functionality. In addition, while the children of the participants were, before the start of the programme, in a significantly disadvantaged position compared to the children of the non-participants, after the end of the programme, they were significantly improved, decreasing the negative symptoms and behaviors. This particular parent training programme of cognitive-behavioral approach, as well as other programmes which belong to the same theoretical direction, could contribute to the prevention of the behavior problems and the promotion of the mental health.

Sure start: voices of the 'hard-to-reach'.

PubMed

Coe, C; Gibson, A; Spencer, N; Stuttaford, M

2008-07-01

This research aimed to look in depth at the factors affecting the ability of four Sure Start local programmes, based in a multicultural Midlands city, to engage with 'hard-to-reach' populations. A variety of research strategies and methods were employed. Geographical information systems, participatory research methods and interviews were used in order to understand the extent of the challenge, and hear first hand, why parents may not get involved with Sure Start. The mapping exercise involved collation and mapping of postcode data with respect to boundaries and potential and actual users of Sure Start services. This made possible the identification of any geographical patterning in the distribution of service users and non-users. Participatory research methods were used with parents, enabling them to conduct short interviews within their own communities and make sense of the data collected. Interviews were also conducted with 70 parents across the city, recruited through local schools. The results indicate that parental decisions regarding Sure Start are the product of a complex interaction between numerous factors which may act as either barriers or facilitators to service utilization. The results suggest that a multi-method approach to data collection is useful and appropriate in gaining access to those parents who are non-users of the Sure Start services and enabling their voices to be heard. These findings offer some explanations and insight into the apparent ambivalent attitudes of some families toward Sure Start services. Implications for future practice are discussed.

Situational analysis of infant and young child nutrition policies and programmatic activities in Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Wuehler, Sara E; Ouedraogo, Albertine Wendpagnagdé

2011-04-01

Progress towards reducing mortality and malnutrition among children < 5 years of age has been less than needed to achieve related Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, several international agencies joined to 'Reposition children's right to adequate nutrition in the Sahel', starting with an analysis of current activities related to infant and young child nutrition (IYCN). The objectives of the present paper are to compare relevant national policies, training materials, programmes, and monitoring and evaluation activities with internationally accepted IYCN recommendations. These findings are available to assist countries in identifying inconsistencies and filling gaps in current programming. Between August and November 2008, key informants responsible for conducting IYCN-related activities in Burkina Faso were interviewed, and 153 documents were examined on the following themes: optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, prevention of micronutrient deficiencies, screening and treatment of acute malnutrition, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, food security and hygienic practices. National policy documents addressed nearly all of the key IYCN topics, specifically or generally. Formative research has identified some local barriers and beliefs related to general breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, and other formative research addressed about half of the IYCN topics included in this review. However, there was little evidence that this formative research was being utilized in developing training materials and designing programme interventions. Nevertheless, the training materials that were reviewed do provide specific guidance for nearly all of the key IYCN topics. Although many of the IYCN programmes are intended for national coverage, we could only confirm with available reports that programme coverage extended to certain regions. Some programme monitoring and evaluation were conducted, but few of these provided information on whether the specific IYCN programme components were implemented as designed. Most surveys that were identified reported on general nutrition status indicators, but did not provide the detail necessary for programme impact evaluations. The policy framework is well established for optimal IYCN practices, but greater resources and capacity building are needed to: (i) conduct necessary research and adapt training materials and programme protocols to local needs; (ii) improve, carry out, and document monitoring and evaluation that highlight effective and ineffective programme components; and (iii) apply these findings in developing, expanding, and improving effective programmes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Quality indicators for in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes: a systematic literature review and international Delphi study.

PubMed

Van Grootven, Bastiaan; McNicoll, Lynn; Mendelson, Daniel A; Friedman, Susan M; Fagard, Katleen; Milisen, Koen; Flamaing, Johan; Deschodt, Mieke

2018-03-16

To find consensus on appropriate and feasible structure, process and outcome indicators for the evaluation of in-hospital geriatric co-management programmes. An international two-round Delphi study based on a systematic literature review (searching databases, reference lists, prospective citations and trial registers). Western Europe and the USA. Thirty-three people with at least 2 years of clinical experience in geriatric co-management were recruited. Twenty-eight experts (16 from the USA and 12 from Europe) participated in both Delphi rounds (85% response rate). Participants rated the indicators on a nine-point scale for their (1) appropriateness and (2) feasibility to use the indicator for the evaluation of geriatric co-management programmes. Indicators were considered appropriate and feasible based on a median score of seven or higher. Consensus was based on the level of agreement using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method. In the first round containing 37 indicators, there was consensus on 14 indicators. In the second round containing 44 indicators, there was consensus on 31 indicators (structure=8, process=7, outcome=16). Experts indicated that co-management should start within 24 hours of hospital admission using defined criteria for selecting appropriate patients. Programmes should focus on the prevention and management of geriatric syndromes and complications. Key areas for comprehensive geriatric assessment included cognition/delirium, functionality/mobility, falls, pain, medication and pressure ulcers. Key outcomes for evaluating the programme included length of stay, time to surgery and the incidence of complications. The indicators can be used to assess the performance of geriatric co-management programmes and identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the indicators can be used to monitor the implementation and effect of these programmes. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Methodology and results of a space station education pilot programme in the primary school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirra, G.; Mirra, C.

Potential users of the Space Station Freedom are now still in the Primary School. Subject studies 1 have shown that a robust familiarization programme has to be developed in order to increase public awareness on the microgravity environment and its capabilities to perform unique science. At the same time, several surveys 2 have demonstrated that elementary school students are showing the greatest interest and enthusiasm in space related activities among all school students. With these boundary conditions, a pilot programme, aimed at verifying the capabilities of young primary school pupils (aged between 10 and 12) in understanding why one performs research in space, has been conceived. In order to overcome the lack of space training of school teachers, an expert in space operations joined a group of elementary teachers to activate this program: merging the necessary didactic and technical capabilities. Consequently, the aim of the program becomes two folded: •generate critical thinking and problem solving capacities as well as inventiveness in children making them aware on the use of space to improve life on Earth. •identify the key issues for the definition of a robust space utilization educational programme. The programme has been managed by MARS Center. the Italian User Support Center for the Space Station utilization, and the institute "Speranzas" in the nearby of Naples, Italy. MARS Center, in particular, is responsible towards the national agency ASI, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, of the execution of the promotional activity towards all the possible target groups: young students are among these groups. This programme started in late 1992 and is currently ongoing. The objective of this paper is to provide a description of the methodology and the reasons of such a programme with a snapshot on the preliminary results and future trends. Means used as supporting tools, such as films, posters and role plays are herein depicted as well as statistics on the pupils apprehension level.

Scaling up family medicine training in Gezira, Sudan - a 2-year in-service master programme using modern information and communication technology: a survey study.

PubMed

Mohamed, Khalid G; Hunskaar, Steinar; Abdelrahman, Samira Hamid; Malik, Elfatih M

2014-01-21

In 2010 the Gezira Family Medicine Project (GFMP) was initiated in Gezira state, Sudan, designed as an in-service training model. The project is a collaboration project between the University of Gezira, which aims to provide a 2-year master's programme in family medicine for practicing doctors, and the Ministry of Health, which facilitates service provision and funds the training programme. This paper presents the programme, the teaching environment, and the first batch of candidates enrolled. In this study a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect baseline data at the start of the project from doctors who joined the programme. A checklist was also used to assess the health centres where they work. A total of 188 out of 207 doctors responded (91%), while data were gathered from all 158 health centres (100%) staffed by the programme candidates. The Gezira model of in-service family medicine training has succeeded in recruiting 207 candidates in its first batch, providing health services in 158 centres, of which 84 had never been served by a doctor before. The curriculum is community oriented. The mean age of doctors was 32.5 years, 57% were males, and 32% were graduates from the University of Gezira. Respondents stated high confidence in practicing some skills such as asthma management and post-abortion uterine evacuation. They were least confident in other skills such as managing depression or inserting an intrauterine device. The majority of health centres was poorly equipped for management of noncommunicable diseases, as only 10% had an electrocardiography machine (ECG), 5% had spirometer, and 1% had a defibrillator. The Gezira model has responded to local health system needs. Use of modern information and communication technology is used to facilitate both health service provision and training. The GFMP represents an example of a large-volume scaling-up programme of family medicine in Africa.

Evaluation of a tobacco prevention programme among teenagers in Sweden.

PubMed

Hedman, Linnéa; Andersson, Martin; Stridsman, Caroline; Rönmark, Eva

2015-05-14

To study the prevalence of tobacco use among teenagers, to evaluate a tobacco prevention programme and to study factors related to participation in the prevention programme. Population-based prospective cohort study. Within the Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) studies, a cohort study about asthma in schoolchildren started in 2006. All children aged 7-8 years in three municipalities were invited to a questionnaire survey and 2585 (96%) participated. The cohort was followed up at age 11-12 years (n=2612, 95% of invited) and 14-15 years (n=2345, 88% of invited). In 2010, some of the children in the OLIN cohort (n=447) were invited to a local tobacco prevention programme and 224 (50%) chose to participate. At the age of 14-15 years, the prevalence of daily smoking was 3.5%. Factors related to smoking were female sex, having a smoking mother, participation in sports and lower parental socioeconomic status (SES). The prevalence of using snus was 3.3% and risk factors were male sex, having a smoking mother, having a snus-using father and non-participation in the prevention programme. In the prevention programme, the prevalence of tobacco use was significantly lower among the participants compared with the controls in the cohort. Factors related to non-participation were male sex, having a smoking mother, lower parental SES and participation in sports. The prevalence of tobacco use was lower among the participants in the tobacco prevention programme compared with the non-participants as well as with the controls in the cohort. However, the observed benefit of the intervention may be overestimated as participation was biased by selection. 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.

Scaling up family medicine training in Gezira, Sudan – a 2-year in-service master programme using modern information and communication technology: a survey study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In 2010 the Gezira Family Medicine Project (GFMP) was initiated in Gezira state, Sudan, designed as an in-service training model. The project is a collaboration project between the University of Gezira, which aims to provide a 2-year master’s programme in family medicine for practicing doctors, and the Ministry of Health, which facilitates service provision and funds the training programme. This paper presents the programme, the teaching environment, and the first batch of candidates enrolled. Methods In this study a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect baseline data at the start of the project from doctors who joined the programme. A checklist was also used to assess the health centres where they work. A total of 188 out of 207 doctors responded (91%), while data were gathered from all 158 health centres (100%) staffed by the programme candidates. Results The Gezira model of in-service family medicine training has succeeded in recruiting 207 candidates in its first batch, providing health services in 158 centres, of which 84 had never been served by a doctor before. The curriculum is community oriented. The mean age of doctors was 32.5 years, 57% were males, and 32% were graduates from the University of Gezira. Respondents stated high confidence in practicing some skills such as asthma management and post-abortion uterine evacuation. They were least confident in other skills such as managing depression or inserting an intrauterine device. The majority of health centres was poorly equipped for management of noncommunicable diseases, as only 10% had an electrocardiography machine (ECG), 5% had spirometer, and 1% had a defibrillator. Conclusions The Gezira model has responded to local health system needs. Use of modern information and communication technology is used to facilitate both health service provision and training. The GFMP represents an example of a large-volume scaling-up programme of family medicine in Africa. PMID:24443978

Dealing with locally-driven degradation: A quick start option under REDD+

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The paper reviews a number of challenges associated with reducing degradation and its related emissions through national approaches to REDD+ under UNFCCC policy. It proposes that in many countries, it may in the short run be easier to deal with the kinds of degradation that result from locally driven community over-exploitation of forest for livelihoods, than from selective logging or fire control. Such degradation is low-level, but chronic, and is experienced over very large forest areas. Community forest management programmes tend to result not only in reduced degradation, but also in forest enhancement; moreover they are often popular, and do not require major political shifts. In principle these approaches therefore offer a quick start option for REDD+. Developing reference emissions levels for low-level locally driven degradation is difficult however given that stock losses and gains are too small to be identified and measured using remote sensing, and that in most countries there is little or no forest inventory data available. We therefore propose that forest management initiatives at the local level, such as those promoted by community forest management programmes, should monitor, and be credited for, only the net increase in carbon stock over the implementation period, as assessed by ground level surveys at the start and end of the period. This would also resolve the problem of nesting (ensuring that all credits are accounted for against the national reference emission level), since communities and others at the local level would be rewarded only for increased sequestration, while the national reference emission level would deal only with reductions in emissions from deforestation and degradation. PMID:22204698

How HANDy Are Baby Signs? A Commentary on a Systematic Review of the Impact of Gestural Communication on Typically Developing, Hearing Infants under the Age of 36 Months

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Lorraine E.; Doherty-Sneddon, Gwyneth

2014-01-01

The ethos behind provision of early intervention programmes to infants and young children with additional support needs has been established for some time (e.g. Right-from-the-Start), but targeting the development of typically developing infants has been a relatively recent phenomenon. Baby sign is one of the many intervention techniques…

A novel FPGA-programmable switch matrix interconnection element in quantum-dot cellular automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashemi, Sara; Rahimi Azghadi, Mostafa; Zakerolhosseini, Ali; Navi, Keivan

2015-04-01

The Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is a novel nanotechnology, promising extra low-power, extremely dense and very high-speed structure for the construction of logical circuits at a nanoscale. In this paper, initially previous works on QCA-based FPGA's routing elements are investigated, and then an efficient, symmetric and reliable QCA programmable switch matrix (PSM) interconnection element is introduced. This element has a simple structure and offers a complete routing capability. It is implemented using a bottom-up design approach that starts from a dense and high-speed 2:1 multiplexer and utilise it to build the target PSM interconnection element. In this study, simulations of the proposed circuits are carried out using QCAdesigner, a layout and simulation tool for QCA circuits. The results demonstrate high efficiency of the proposed designs in QCA-based FPGA routing.

Looking for fungi in all the right places: screening for cryptococcal disease and other AIDS-related mycoses among patients with advanced HIV disease.

PubMed

Greene, Greg; Sriruttan, Charlotte; Le, Thuy; Chiller, Tom; Govender, Nelesh P

2017-03-01

As HIV treatment programmes scale up to meet the UNAIDS 90-90-90 goals, care must be taken to start antiretroviral treatment safely in patients with advanced disease (CD4 counts <200 cells/μl) who are simultaneously at risk for opportunistic infections and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. Invasive fungal diseases pose a great threat at this critical time point, though the development of inexpensive and highly accurate rapid diagnostic tests has changed the approach HIV programmes are taking to reduce the high mortality associated with these opportunistic infections. This article summarizes recent advances and findings in fungal opportunistic infection diagnostics with a focus on screening to prevent cryptococcal meningitis. Cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening using a lateral flow assay platform is cost-effective and feasible to implement as either a laboratory reflex or point-of-care test. Recent CrAg screening pilots have elucidated the varying prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia across geographic regions, which may aid programme planning. Evidence from recently completed clinical trials provides a strong motivation for the use of CrAg titer to refine treatment options for patients with subclinical cryptococcal disease. Although several operational barriers to programme effectiveness still need to be addressed, the utility of CrAg screening using inexpensive and accurate antigen assays has been demonstrated in real-world HIV programmes, paving the way for development and testing of other fungal opportunistic infection screening strategies and for an integrated advanced HIV disease testing package to reduce AIDS mortality and ensure safe antiretroviral treatment initiation.

"Cosmic Vision": the new ESA Science Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-05-01

The outcome of the ESA Council at Ministerial level held in Edinburgh in November 2001 was not as positive as expected for the Agency's Science Programme. It appeared that the money made available would not be sufficient to carry out the Long Term Programme approved by the Science Programme Committee in October 2000, based on financial assumptions approved by the same Committee in Bern in May 1999. The resources granted in Edinburgh taken at their face value meant the cancellation of a mission (e.g. GAIA). At the conclusion of the exercise, following extensive consultations with all its partners, the Executive could propose a revised plan, which not only maintained the missions approved in October 2000, but added the Eddington mission in addition. The new plan, strongly endorsed by the Science Programme Committee on the occasion of its 99th meeting, contains the following missions, listed by production groups: Astrophysics Group 1: XMM-Newton (1999), INTEGRAL (2002). X and Gamma Ray Observatories (studying the 'violent' universe) Group 2: Herschel, exploring the infrared and microwave universe; Planck, to study the cosmic microwave background; Eddington, searching for extra-solar planets and studying the stellar seismology. (The three missions will be launched in the 2007-2008 timeframe.) Group 3: GAIA, the ultimate galaxy mapper (to be launched no later than 2012). Missions will follow in the same group after 2012. Solar System Science: Group 1:Rosetta, a trip to a comet (2003); Mars Express, a Mars orbiter carrying the Beagle2 lander (2003); (Venus Express, a Venus orbiter, would have been in this group.) Group 2: SMART-1, which will demonstrate solar propulsion technology while on its way to the Moon (2003); BepiColombo, a mission to Mercury, Solar Orbiter, a mission to take a closer look at the Sun (missions to be launched in 2011-2012). Fundamental Physics missions: (one group only) STEP (2005) the 'equivalence principle' test, SMART2, a technology demonstration mission (2006) for LISA, a joint mission with NASA, searching for gravitational waves (2011). In addition the Agency is committed to cooperation with NASA in NGST (the Next Generation Space Telescope), the successor of the Hubble Space telescope, with launch in 2010. STEP (2005), the mission to test of the nature of mass and the basis of mechanics, relies on a decision by NASA, the major partner. The production groups are more than scientific groupings. Missions within each will be built synergistically using common technologies and engineering teams where possible. Such a scenario is going to rely on specific commitment to new ways of working: - The implementation of BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter with international partners. Both missions will be implemented as a single activity, leading to significant savings. - The implementation of Herschel/Planck and Eddington in a single project, re-using the same bus. This implies a launch of Eddington not later than 2008. - Major technical changes reducing the cost of GAIA with no science loss. GAIA will be launched no later than 2012, the date agreed in Bern. - Significant gains through new technology in cost effectiveness of spacecraft development and procurement. - The timely availability of payloads, one of the current pressing problems. - Acceptance of increased managerial complexity and overall programmatic risk. Obviously, the implementation of such an ambitious programme requires full commitment of all involved parties, namely industry, the Executive, the national funding agencies and the scientific community from the start. Initially the Executive had included in its proposal also VENUS EXPRESS, which would have started immediately. However, the Director of the Science Programme felt that the precondition had not been met and decided to withdraw the proposal. The Executive is going to have to keep such an attitude in the future if it is to implement the programme successfully. Increased programmatic risk means that the programme will be less resilient to an event like the Cluster mission loss in 1996 where a recovery was instituted in 4 years. The approved scenario, stretching over ten years, naturally includes some uncertainties. These will be exploited to the best advantage of the overall programme in a flexible way: Within each combined set of missions (Herschel/ Planck/ Eddington; BepiColombo/ Solar Orbiter) the launch sequence can be optimised. Work will start immediately on GAIA to ensure earlier launch dates remain a possibility. Launch dates of some major collaborative elements of the programme (e.g. STEP, NGST, LISA) are outside the control of ESA. Parallel (ESA controlled) activities need to be carried out in a flexible way to adjust to the workload. Further international collaboration on missions and payloads can be beneficial. Specifically a significant contribution from NASA on Solar Orbiter as part of the International Living with a Star (ILWS) programme may be linked to European participation in other elements of the American LWS/STP programme. Speaking of his feelings about the new plan, the Director of Science, David Southwood said 'Apparent miracles or no, one should realise that much of this is simply our building on the legacy of my predecessor, Roger Bonnet. Of course, we are pushing further. However, his culture of welcoming change and demanding commitment to science from everyone involved lie at the base of what we are doing.' Whilst the new name 'Cosmic Vision' refers to the universe, the programme is also providing vision in technological and managerial innovation down here on Earth. The overall funding assumption underlying the new plan is that the buying power will be preserved in the years following 2005. Is this unduly pessimistic? The Executive feels that no more proofs are needed that the science programme is an extremely good investment. More resources can only improve the leverage. Should they become available, literally the heavens would be the limit.

Use of herd management programmes to improve the reproductive performance of dairy cattle.

PubMed

McDougall, S; Heuer, C; Morton, J; Brownlie, T

2014-05-01

There has been a long history of herd health and production management programmes in many dairy industries around the world, but evidence for the efficacy of such programmes is limited. In response to a perceived decline in fertility of dairy cows, a herd reproductive management programme (InCalf) was introduced in New Zealand in 2007. This programme uses a management cycle approach that includes an assessment of the current herd status, identification of areas for improvement, development of a plan, implementation of this plan and finally a review process. The programme uses facilitators who work with farmers either in a one-to-one manner or in a formalised group setting that involves a series of meetings over a 12-month period (the farmer action group). The hypothesis that involvement in a reproductive management programme would improve herd reproductive performance was tested using a herd-level controlled randomised study (the National Herd Fertility Study) involving herds in four geographic regions of New Zealand over 2 years. Within each region, herds were ranked on the basis of the 6-week in-calf rate (i.e. the proportion of the herd pregnant in the first 6 weeks of the seasonal breeding programme) in the year preceding commencement of the study and then randomly assigned to be involved in a farmer action group or left as untreated controls. The key outcome variable of the study was the 6-week in-calf rate. Pregnancy diagnosis was undertaken at 12 weeks after the start of the seasonal breeding programme, which allowed determination of conception dates and hence calculation of the 6-week in-calf rate. Additional measurements including heifer live weight and body condition score (pre-calving and pre-mating) were undertaken to test whether treatment resulted in measurable changes in some of the key determinants of herd reproductive performance. Involvement in the farmer action group of InCalf resulted in a 2 percentage point increase in the 6-week in-calf rate (P=0.05). The following additional observations were made in herds involved in the farmer action group relative to control herds: heifers had live weight closer to target; the pre-mating body condition score of cows was higher; and oestrous detection rates were higher. It was concluded that involvement in this herd reproductive management programme improved reproductive outcomes in this New Zealand study. However, to achieve substantial improvements in herd reproductive performance at the regional or national level a greater response to the programme and a high uptake of such programmes is required, as well as use of other industry-level tools such as genetic management programmes.

Effective screening programmes for cervical cancer in low- and middle-income developing countries.

PubMed

Sankaranarayanan, R; Budukh, A M; Rajkumar, R

2001-01-01

Cervical cancer is an important public health problem among adult women in developing countries in South and Central America, sub-Saharan Africa, and south and south-east Asia. Frequently repeated cytology screening programmes--either organized or opportunistic--have led to a large decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in developed countries. In contrast, cervical cancer remains largely uncontrolled in high-risk developing countries because of ineffective or no screening. This article briefly reviews the experience from existing screening and research initiatives in developing countries. Substantial costs are involved in providing the infrastructure, manpower, consumables, follow-up and surveillance for both organized and opportunistic screening programmes for cervical cancer. Owing to their limited health care resources, developing countries cannot afford the models of frequently repeated screening of women over a wide age range that are used in developed countries. Many low-income developing countries, including most in sub-Saharan Africa, have neither the resources nor the capacity for their health services to organize and sustain any kind of screening programme. Middle-income developing countries, which currently provide inefficient screening, should reorganize their programmes in the light of experiences from other countries and lessons from their past failures. Middle-income countries intending to organize a new screening programme should start first in a limited geographical area, before considering any expansion. It is also more realistic and effective to target the screening on high-risk women once or twice in their lifetime using a highly sensitive test, with an emphasis on high coverage (>80%) of the targeted population. Efforts to organize an effective screening programme in these developing countries will have to find adequate financial resources, develop the infrastructure, train the needed manpower, and elaborate surveillance mechanisms for screening, investigating, treating, and following up the targeted women. The findings from the large body of research on various screening approaches carried out in developing countries and from the available managerial guidelines should be taken into account when reorganizing existing programmes and when considering new screening initiatives.

Effective screening programmes for cervical cancer in low- and middle-income developing countries.

PubMed Central

Sankaranarayanan, R.; Budukh, A. M.; Rajkumar, R.

2001-01-01

Cervical cancer is an important public health problem among adult women in developing countries in South and Central America, sub-Saharan Africa, and south and south-east Asia. Frequently repeated cytology screening programmes--either organized or opportunistic--have led to a large decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality in developed countries. In contrast, cervical cancer remains largely uncontrolled in high-risk developing countries because of ineffective or no screening. This article briefly reviews the experience from existing screening and research initiatives in developing countries. Substantial costs are involved in providing the infrastructure, manpower, consumables, follow-up and surveillance for both organized and opportunistic screening programmes for cervical cancer. Owing to their limited health care resources, developing countries cannot afford the models of frequently repeated screening of women over a wide age range that are used in developed countries. Many low-income developing countries, including most in sub-Saharan Africa, have neither the resources nor the capacity for their health services to organize and sustain any kind of screening programme. Middle-income developing countries, which currently provide inefficient screening, should reorganize their programmes in the light of experiences from other countries and lessons from their past failures. Middle-income countries intending to organize a new screening programme should start first in a limited geographical area, before considering any expansion. It is also more realistic and effective to target the screening on high-risk women once or twice in their lifetime using a highly sensitive test, with an emphasis on high coverage (>80%) of the targeted population. Efforts to organize an effective screening programme in these developing countries will have to find adequate financial resources, develop the infrastructure, train the needed manpower, and elaborate surveillance mechanisms for screening, investigating, treating, and following up the targeted women. The findings from the large body of research on various screening approaches carried out in developing countries and from the available managerial guidelines should be taken into account when reorganizing existing programmes and when considering new screening initiatives. PMID:11693978

An assessment of workplace programmes designed to control inhalation risks using respiratory protective equipment.

PubMed

Bell, Nikki; Vaughan, Nicholas P; Morris, Len; Griffin, Peter

2012-04-01

Few studies have assessed respiratory protective equipment (RPE) failures at the organizational level despite evidence to suggest that compliance with good practice may be low. The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of what current RPE programmes look like across industry and how this compares with good practice. Twenty cross-industry site visits were conducted with companies that had RPE programmes in place. Visits involved management interviews to explore current RPE systems and procedures and the decision making underpinning these. Observations of RPE operatives were included followed by short interviews to discuss the behaviours observed. Post-site assessments jointly undertaken by an RPE scientist and psychologist produced ratings for each site on six critical aspects of RPE programmes (knowledge/awareness, selection, use, training/information, supervision, and storage/cleaning/maintenance). Overall ratings for theoretical competence (i.e. management knowledge of RPE) and practical control (i.e. actual RPE practice on the shop floor) were also given. Qualitative analysis was performed on all interview data. The performance of RPE programmes varied across industry. Fewer than half the companies visited were considered to have an acceptable level of theoretical competence and practical control. Four distinct groups emerged from the 20 sites studied, ranging from Learners (low theoretical competence and practical control--four sites), Developers (acceptable theoretical competence and low practical control--five sites), and Fortuitous (low theoretical competence and acceptable practical control--two sites), to Proficient (acceptable theoretical competence and practical control--nine sites). None of the companies visited were achieving optimal control through the use of RPE. Widespread inadequacies were found with programme implementation, particularly training, supervision, and maintenance. Our taxonomy based on the four groups (Learners, Developers, Fortuitous, and Proficient) provided a useful expert-informed tool for explaining the variation in performance of RPE programmes across industry. Although further research and development are required, this taxonomy offers a useful starting point for the development of practical tools that may assist managers in making the much-needed improvements to all facets of programme implementation, particularly training, supervision, and maintenance.

Should I stay or should I go? A systematic review of factors that influence healthcare students' decisions around study abroad programmes.

PubMed

Brown, Mary; Boateng, Edward Appiah; Evans, Catrin

2016-04-01

Study abroad programmes have been shown to have significant benefits for participating healthcare students such as promoting cultural awareness and understanding of different healthcare settings, policies and practices. Healthcare students are encouraged to undertake elective or Erasmus placements overseas to enhance personal and professional development and to broaden horizons through lived cultural experience. However, there is a relatively low uptake of such opportunities amongst this student group. This systematic review aimed to explore factors that influence healthcare students' decision making around study abroad opportunities within undergraduate training programmes. A systematic review was undertaken utilising a narrative synthesis approach. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ASSIA, and ERIC databases. Key institutions were contacted for grey literature. Studies that reported on factors that influence healthcare students' decisions regarding study abroad programmes were included in the review. Ten studies were identified for inclusion (5 qualitative studies, 5 surveys), indicating a paucity of research in this area. Data synthesis indicates that factors that influence healthcare students' decisions to participate in study abroad programmes are similar across different geographic locations and different professional groups. Factors that support decisions to study overseas include having sufficient information about study abroad programmes, especially early in an academic programme, having an interest in other cultures/countries and having academic staff and family as positive role models who motivate them to study abroad. Key barriers are cost and language issues. Language remains a significant barrier even when generous bursaries are available, as with the Erasmus scheme, when students are not proficient with the language spoken in host countries. Students tend to prefer destinations where language is not a problem or where countries have cultural or historical connections, such as being part of the Commonwealth countries. Promotion of study abroad opportunities needs to start early in an academic programme. It should include detailed information and provision of language support. Faculty have an important part to play as enthusiastic role models. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening for colorectal cancer: medical and economic aspects.

PubMed

Sanduleanu, S; Stockbrügger, R W

2003-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second commonest cause of cancer death in the Western world. In The Netherlands, CRC causes about 4400 deaths per year, and its diagnosis and treatment make up for a large share of health-care costs. Review and discussioN. Experts in the field presently assume that screening for CRC and its precursor lesions, colorectal adenomas (CRAs), could prevent death from colorectal neoplasia by more than 80%. Additionally, there is increasing acknowledgement that CRC screening programmes can save lives at a cost similar to, or even less than, the generally accepted breast cancer or cervical cancer screening programmes. Nonetheless, while neighbouring countries have taken vigorous measures to fight CRC, the Dutch are still hesitating in this matter. This is partly due to some yet unanswered questions concerning the acceptability of screening for CRC in the general population, the starting age and the frequency of screening, the type of screening tests to be used, and the programme organization. In this commentary, general epidemiological and pathogenetic aspects of CRC are addressed. In addition, some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and (very subjective) answers about screening for CRC are offered, as potential substrate for further in-depth discussions. The emerging message for the community is that an effective national screening programme is urgently required to reduce the substantial morbidity and mortality from this disease.

A pilot iron substitution programme in female blood donors with iron deficiency without anaemia.

PubMed

Pittori, C; Buser, A; Gasser, U E; Sigle, J; Job, S; Rüesch, M; Tichelli, A; Infanti, L

2011-04-01

Blood donation can contribute to iron deficiency. The possibly resulting anaemia importantly affects donor return rate. The determination of serum ferritin levels revealed iron deficiency in many non-anaemic premenopausal female blood donors at our Institution. We started an iron substitution programme targeting this donor group to prevent anaemia and enhance donor retain. Women aged≤50 with haemoglobin levels adequate for donation and serum ferritin≤10 ng/ml were offered iron supplementation. Substitution lasted 16 weeks and the donation interval was extended. History collection including iron deficiency-related symptoms, whole blood count and serum ferritin determination was performed at baseline and after 2 and 6 months. Data were recorded prospectively and compared with those of 108 female controls with iron deficiency not receiving iron substitution (retrospective data). Of the 116 participating subjects, 60% completed the programme. Significant results were serum ferritin increase (from a mean value of 7.12 to 25.2 ng/ml), resolution of prostration, fatigue, sleep disturbances, tension in the neck, hair loss and nail breakage. No case of anaemia occurred. Sixty per cent of the women completed the programme and donated blood again. Targeted iron substitution prevents the development of anaemia and enhances donation return in premenopausal female blood donors with iron deficiency. © 2010 The Author(s). Vox Sanguinis © 2010 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Position statement. Part two: Maintaining immune health.

PubMed

Walsh, Neil P; Gleeson, Michael; Pyne, David B; Nieman, David C; Dhabhar, Firdaus S; Shephard, Roy J; Oliver, Samuel J; Bermon, Stéphane; Kajeniene, Alma

2011-01-01

The physical training undertaken by athletes is one of a set of lifestyle or behavioural factors that can influence immune function, health and ultimately exercise performance. Others factors including potential exposure to pathogens, health status, lifestyle behaviours, sleep and recovery, nutrition and psychosocial issues, need to be considered alongside the physical demands of an athlete's training programme. The general consensus on managing training to maintain immune health is to start with a programme of low to moderate volume and intensity; employ a gradual and periodised increase in training volumes and loads; add variety to limit training monotony and stress; avoid excessively heavy training loads that could lead to exhaustion, illness or injury; include non-specific cross-training to offset staleness; ensure sufficient rest and recovery; and instigate a testing programme for identifying signs of performance deterioration and manifestations of physical stress. Inter-individual variability in immunocompetence, recovery, exercise capacity, non-training stress factors, and stress tolerance likely explains the different vulnerability of athletes to illness. Most athletes should be able to train with high loads provided their programme includes strategies devised to control the overall strain and stress. Athletes, coaches and medical personnel should be alert to periods of increased risk of illness (e.g. intensive training weeks, the taper period prior to competition, and during competition) and pay particular attention to recovery and nutritional strategies.

Antimicrobial resistance monitoring projects for zoonotic and indicator bacteria of animal origin: common aspects and differences between EASSA and EFSA.

PubMed

Moyaert, Hilde; de Jong, Anno; Simjee, Shabbir; Thomas, Valérie

2014-07-16

Resistance monitoring programmes are essential to generate data for inclusion in the scientific risk assessment of the potential for transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or their resistance determinants from food-producing animals to humans. This review compares the technical specifications on monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic Salmonella, Campylobacter and indicator Escherichia coli and Enterococcus as performed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with veterinary pharmaceutical industry's European Antimicrobial Susceptibility Surveillance in Animals (EASSA) programme. The authors conclude that most of EFSA's recent monitoring recommendations have been covered by EASSA since the start of the latter programme in 1998. The major difference between the two programmes is the classification into 'susceptible' versus 'resistant'. While EFSA categorises all isolates with an MIC value above the epidemiological cut-off value as 'resistant', EASSA differentiates between 'percentage decreased susceptible' and 'percentage clinical resistant' strains by applying both epidemiological cut-off values and clinical breakpoints. Because there is still a need to further improve harmonisation among individual EU Member State activities, Animal Health Industry welcomes EFSA's initiative to further improve the quality of resistance monitoring as it is of utmost importance to apply standardised collection procedures and harmonised susceptibility testing, when monitoring antimicrobial resistance across Europe. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing participation in a community-based health planning and services programme in Ghana

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Community participation is increasingly seen as a pre-requisite for successful health service uptake. It is notoriously difficult to assess participation and little has been done to advance tools for the assessment of community participation. In this paper we illustrate an approach that combines a ‘social psychology of participation’ (theory) with ‘spider-grams’ (method) to assess participation and apply it to a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) programme in rural Ghana. Methods We draw on data from 17 individual in-depth interviews, two focus group discussions and a community conversation with a mix of service users, providers and community health committee members. It was during the community conversation that stakeholders collectively evaluated community participation in the CHPS programme and drew up a spider-gram. Results Thematic analysis of our data shows that participation was sustained through the recognition and use of community resources, CHPS integration with pre-existing community structures, and alignment of CHPS services with community interests. However, male dominance and didactic community leadership and management styles undermined real opportunities for broad-based community empowerment, particularly of women, young people and marginalised men. Conclusion We conclude that combining the ‘spider-gram’ tool and the ‘social psychology of participation’ framework provide health professionals with a useful starting point for assessing community participation and developing recommendations for more participatory and empowering health care programmes. PMID:23803140