499 research outputs found
Factors associated with pesticide use behaviors among farmworkers based on health belief model
[No abstract available
The Impact of Continuous Grazing by Free Ranging Sheep on the Structure and Botanical Composition of Grassland as Determined by Multivariate Analysis
Grazing shapes the botanical composition of vegetation at the landscape level (Oksanen et al., 1995). Sheep seek spatially scattered plants of nearly constant and high nutritional value. There is strong interaction between the grazing behaviour of the sheep and the structure of the plant community that it grazes (Squires, 1981). This paper examines the situation in a grassland vegetation grazed by free-ranging sheep in a semi arid region of North Eastern Iran
Adjustment and Completion of BASNEF Model to Provide a New Model for Educating Large Populations in Relation to Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Background: Educational models that have been created for educating small populations do not
have enough efficacy for educating large populations, so based on this premise and also high
prevalence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) in the Islamic Republic of Iran and lack of
efficient methods for CL control, this study was designed and done with the aim of applying
BASNEF model to provide a new model for educating large populations in relation to
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.
Methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 60 Volunteer Health Workers (VHWS) and 120
households that were resident in endemic areas of CL in Yazd were selected through census and
multi-stage sampling method, respectively. Then, educational intervention was designed and
implemented on the basis of BASNEF model. After educating VHWS based on BASNEF
model, they were asked to educate households on the basis of BASNEF model. Before and after
3 months of VHWS training activities, data were collected in intervention and control groups via
valid and reliable questionnaires and were analyzed with the SPSS software.
Results: The mean score of knowledge, attitude, behavioral intention, enabling factors,
behaviors and influence of subjective norms after educational intervention in households in
experimental were significantly increased (P<0.05) while the changes in control group were not
significant.
Conclusions: This educational program led to empowering of VHWS and a change in their
educational behavior which in turn led to preventive measures in households under study region.
It can be concluded that the new educational model presented in this research, formed based on
the BASNEF model, is able to educate a large population.
Keywords: BASNEF Model, Volunteer Health Workers, Health Education, Cutaneous Leishmaniasi
Estimation of productivity in Korean electric power plants : a semiparametric smooth coefficient model
This paper analyzes the impact of load factor, facility and generator types on the productivity of Korean electric power plants. In order to capture important differences in the effect of load policy on power output, we use a semiparametric smooth coefficient (SPSC) model that allows us to model heterogeneous performances across power plants and over time by allowing underlying technologies to be heterogeneous. The SPSC model accommodates both continuous and discrete covariates. Various specification tests are conducted to assess the performance of the SPSC model. Using a unique generator level panel dataset spanning the period 1995–2006, we find that the impact of load factor, generator and facility types on power generation varies substantially in terms of magnitude and significance across different plant characteristics. The results have strong implications for generation policy in Korea as outlined in this study
Detecting three-qubit bound MUB diagonal entangled states via Nonlinear optimal entanglement witnesses
One of the important approaches to detect quantum entanglement is using
linear entanglement witnesses EWs. In this paper, by determining the envelope
of the boundary hyper-planes defined by a family of linear EWs, a set of
powerful nonlinear optimal EWs is manipulated. These EWs enable us to detect
some three qubits bound MUB (mutually unbiased bases) diagonal entangled
states, i.e., the PPT (positive partial transpose) entangled states. Also, in
some particular cases, the introduced nonlinear optimal EWs are powerful enough
to separate the bound entangled regions from the separable ones. Finally, we
present numerical examples to demonstrate the practical accessibility of this
approach.
Keywords :nonlinear optimal entanglement witnesses, mutually unbiased bases,
MUB diagonal statesComment: 34 pages 11 figure
Effects of thylakoid intake on appetite and weight loss: a systematic review
Background: Previous studies have shown thylakoids, the membrane proteins which are extracted from green leaves like spinach, can induce satiety through homeostatic and non-homeostatic pathways. In this study, we reviewed the current human literature on thylakoids� characteristics and their relationship to satiety regulation and weight loss. Methods: A systematic search of literature published between January 1990 and May 2019 was conducted on the electronic databases; including WEB OF SCIENCE, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Scopus, and EMBASE databases. We included all clinical trials that addressed the effects of thylakoids or chloroplast intake on satiety and weight loss. Results: After excluding non-human studies, non-RCTs, duplications, studies with irrelevant data and interventions, eight studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. All studies supported this hypothesis that thylakoids reduce the feeling of hunger by increasing postprandial cholecystokinin and leptin and decreasing serum ghrelin, but the consequences of thylakoid intake on anthropometric characteristics were controversial. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results may approve this postulation that receiving a thylakoid-enriched meal can decrease appetite and probably food intake in short term; however, more studies are needed to explore the effects of long term supplementation with thylakoids on weight loss in human subjects. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Influence of Al2O3 reinforcement on precipitation kinetic of Cu-Cr nanocomposite
In this paper, the kinetic of precipitation process in mechanically alloyed Cu-1 wt.% Cr and Cu-1 wt.% Cr/3 wt.% Al2O3 solid solution was compared using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ageing kinetics in Cu¿Cr and Cu¿Cr/Al2O3 can be described using Johnson¿Mehl¿Avrami (JMA) and Sestak¿Berggren (SB) models, respectively. These different behaviors have been discussed in details. It was found that in presence of Al2O3 reinforcement, the ageing activation energy is decreased and the overall ageing process is accelerated. This behavior is probably due to higher dislocation density previously obtained during ball milling and Al2O3¿Cu interface. TEM observations confirm that Al2O3¿Cu interface and structural defects act as a primary and secondary nucleation sites, respectively.Gobierno de España ENE 2007-67926-C02-0
Investigating a Class of Chessboard Density Matrices via Linear and Non-linear Entanglement Witnesses Constructed by Exact Convex Optimization
Here we consider a class of chessboard density matrices
starting with three-qubit ones which have positive partial transposes with
respect to all subsystems. To investigate the entanglement of these density
matrices, we use the entanglement witness approach. For constructing
entanglement witnesses (EWs) detecting these density matrices, we attempt to
convert the problem to an exact convex optimization problem. To this aim, we
map the convex set of separable states into a convex region, named feasible
region, and consider cases that the exact geometrical shape of feasible region
can be obtained. In this way, various linear and non-linear EWs are
constructed. The optimality and decomposability of some of introduced EWs are
also considered. Furthermore, the detection of the density matrices by
introduced EWs are discussed analytically and numerically.
{\bf Keywords: chessboard density matrices, optimal non-linear entanglement
witnesses, convex optimization}
{\bf PACs Index: 03.65.Ud}Comment: 35 pages, 1 figure
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