"I have got something positive out of this situation": psychological benefits of caregiving in relatives of young people with muscular dystrophy.

This paper focuses on the psychological benefits of caregiving in key relatives of patients with muscular dystrophies (MD), a group of rare diseases characterized by progressive weakness and restriction of the patient's functional abilities. We describe whether relatives perceived caregiving to be a positive experience and test whether relatives' perceptions vary in relation to their view of the patient as a valued person, the degree of involvement in care, and the level of support provided by social network and professionals. The study sample included 502 key relatives of patients aged 4-25 years, suffering from Duchenne, Becker, or limb-girdle MD, in treatment for at least 6 months to one of the eight participating centers, living with at least one relative aged 18-80 years. Of key relatives, 88 % stated that they had gotten something positive out of the situation, 96 % considered their patients to be sensitive, and 94 % viewed their patients as talented. Positive aspects of caregiving were more recognized by key relatives who were more convinced that the patient was sensitive and who perceived that they received higher level of professional help and psychological social support. These results suggest that most key relatives consider that their caregiving experience has had a positive impact on their lives, despite the practical difficulties of caring for patients with MD. Professionals should help relatives to identify the benefits of caregiving without denying its difficulties. Clinicians themselves should develop positive attitudes towards family involvement in the care of patients with long-term diseases

Risk of Kaposi's sarcoma and of other cancers in Italian renal transplant patients

A follow-up study of 1844 renal transplant patients in Italy showed a 113-fold increased risk for Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi's sarcoma risk was higher in persons born in southern than in northern Italy. Significant increases were also observed for cancers of the lip, liver, kidney and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

ANALISIS MUTU FISIK DAN CITARASA BEBERAPA VARIETAS KOPI ARABIKA GAYO AKIBAT PENUNDAAN PROSES PULPING

Selama abad terakhir ini pemanasan global yang terjadi berdampak terhadap peningkatan suhu. Dengan meningkatnya suhu, masa panen kopi menjadi lebih singkat. Singkatnya masa panen kopi memiliki masalah dikalangan petani karena kapasitas pemanenan yang meningkat dalam kurun waktu panen yang semakin pendek. Untuk mencapai pemanenan yang tepat waktu, petani biasanya cenderung lebih memilih menunda proses pulping karena kapasitas tenaga kerja yang terbatas. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari berapa lama waktu penundaan proses pulping yang masih bisa ditoleransi sehingga tidak terlalu berdampak pada mutu fisik dan citarasa yang dihasilkan dari beberapa varietas kopi. Penelitian ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan pola faktorial yang terdiri atas 2 faktor. Faktor pertama adalah varietas kopi yang digunakan (V) yaitu V1 = Tim-tim, V2 = Bourbon dan V3 = Ateng Super. Faktor kedua adalah lama penundaan proses pulping yang dilakukan (P) yaitu P0 = 0 hari, P1 = 1 hari, P2 = 2 hari, P3 = 3 hari, P4 = 4 hari dan P5 = 5 hari. Setiap perlakuan diulang sebanyak dua kali sehingga terdapat 36 satuan percobaan. Analisis yang dilakukan meliputi: persentase buah mengapung, suhu buah selama penundaan proses pulping, densitas kamba, kadar air, biji busuk, biji hitam dan biji berwarna coklat. Serta pengujian pH seduhan kopi.Kata kunci : Kopi Arabika Gayo, mutu fisik,citarasa,penundaan proses pulping

Neo Euclide: a low-cost system for performance animation and puppetry

This paper presents a low-cost flexible Performance Animation system for gesture generation and mapping, easy to use and general purpose, focusing on the most ancient and classical idea of animation: Puppetry. A system designed for generic puppetry, and not for a special purpose that can be easily adapted to different scenarios and budgets. For this reason we chose consumer and mainstream technologies, common graphic libraries, PC graphic cards and cheap motion-capture equipment allowing the user to insert movies and sounds integrated with a three-dimensional scene

Changes on female fertility aggregate index in Italian Holstein dairy cattle

The aggregate index for female fertility was introduced into the national Holstein cattle breeding objectives in 2005, and included five selection criteria, namely days from calving to first service (DTFS), non-return rate at 56 d from first insemination (NR56), calving interval (CI), angularity (ANG), and equivalent-mature milk yield (MY). Conception rate at first service (CR) was the only breeding goal. The objective of the present study was to revise this aggregate index by including new information from both linear scoring (body condition score, BCS), services and pregnancy testing (interval from first to last insemination, IFL). After edits, information was available on 5,466,546 primiparae calving since 1994; to reduce computational time, six subsets of approximately 15,000 cows were extracted. (Co)variance components of DTFS, NR56, IFL, MY, BCS, and CR were estimated simultaneously with a multi-trait animal model, which included the fixed effects of herd-year-season of calving (DTFS, NR56, IFL, MY, and CR), age-year of calving (DTFS, NR56, IFL, CR), month of calving (DTFS, IFL, CR), month of insemination (NR56), herd-year-season of linear scoring (BCS), age-stage of lactation at linear scoring (BCS), and year of calving (BCS). Random terms were animal additive genetic and the residual. At a national level, means of DTFS, NR56, IFL, BCS, MY, and CR were 88 d, 59%, 71 d, 2.98, 10,483 kg, and 35%, respectively. (Co)variances estimated in each subset were averaged to derive G and R matrixes. Heritability estimates of fertility traits ranged from 0.013 (NR56) to 0.076 (DTFS); heritability estimates of BCS and MY were 0.18 and 0.29, respectively. Selection index methodology was employed to derive appropriate index weights from (co)variances between breeding goal (CR) and (among) selection criteria. Results from the present study indicated that the genetic response of the breeding goal using information on BCS and IFL, substituting ANG and CI, respectively, increases by 5.6% after one selection round

Factors associated with feed efficiency traits in Italian Jersey cows

Feed efficiency in lactating cows is one of the major aspects in modern dairy farm management. Purpose of the present study was to identify sources of variation of body live weight (LW) and feed efficiency traits in a population of 8,516 primiparous Jersey cows. The variables tested included LW, fat corrected milk (FCM), predicted dry matter intake (pDMI), energy corrected milk (ECM), and predicted feed efficiency (pFE_ECM), defined as ECM/pDMI. Linear scoring and age at evaluation were used to estimate LW. Factors associated with such traits were investigated using linear mixed models which included the fixed effects of origin of the paternal grandsire (USA, Denmark, Canada), stage of lactation, year of birth, and age at first calving. Random terms were cow, contemporary group (herd-year-season at linear scoring), and the residual. Mean of LW and pFE_ECM were 435 kg and 1.36, respectively. Feed efficiency was weakly negatively correlated (-0.15) with LW, and pDMI was positive correlated with ECM (0.88). Values of LW ranged from 444.01 to 449.88 kg in cows born between 2006 and 2014. Furthermore, cows with paternal grandsire born in Canada were the heaviest, but they had the lowest values for FCM, pDMI, ECM and pFE_ECM. Feed efficiency, FCM, ECM, and pDMI increased in the first three months of lactation, and then decreased. Kilos of pDMI and FCM increased concurrently with age at first calving and systematically decreased as year of birth proceeds. Energy corrected milk of cows born between 2011 and 2014 was lower than ECM of animals born between 2008 and 2010, consequently resulting in lower pFE_ECM. Late calving Jerseys were less feed efficient compared to early calving contemporaries. Systematic environmental factors associated with feed efficiency will be used to adjust phenotypes for routine genetic evaluation

Renal cysts and diabetes syndrome linked to mutations of the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β gene: Description of a new family with associated liver involvement

Background: Mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1beta gene (TCF2) are responsible for a syndrome characterized by maturity-onset diabetes of the young, a nondiabetic renal disease, genital malformations, and liver dysfunction. Methods: The HNF-1beta gene was screened for mutations in four members of an Italian family with early-onset, nonketotic diabetes or a familiar, nondiabetic renal disease and nonprogressive liver disorder. Results: The genetic analysis revealed an already described nonsense mutation in codon 177 of HNF-1beta gene (R177X) in the four related subjects. Clinical features included diabetes in three of four patients, monolateral renal hypoplasia with cysts in the controlateral kidney in two patients, and bilaterally small hyperechoic kidneys without cysts in the other two patients, Renal function Impairment was severe in one patient, requiring dialysis treatment, and mild in three. Three patients had nonprogressive liver dysfunction, with long-lasting enzyme alterations but no liver insufficiency or jaundice. Conclusion: HNF-1beta gene mutations are associated with a wide variability in severity and pattern of clinical symptoms within the same kindred regarding diabetes and renal impairment. Moderate liver dysfunction may be a so far overlooked component of the syndrome. (C) 2002 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc