A comparative study on knowledge and perceptions of radioactivity

Hierdie verkennende studie is gedoen om vas te stel hoe die kennis en persepsies oor radioaktiwiteit van drie groepe voorgraadse onderwysstudente vergelyk met dié van kundiges op die gebied. Die eerste groep verteenwoordig studente wat beskik oor feitelike kennis van radioaktiwiteit, omdat hulle daarin onderrig is. Die tweede groep verteenwoordig studente met ’n baie beperkte kennis van dié onderwerp en die laaste is ’n groep studente wat slegs terloops met die onderwerp kennis gemaak het en geen formele onderrig daarin ontvang het nie. Die laaste groep is vergelykbaar met die grootste deel van die algemene publiek. Omdat die deelnemers aan die studie vrae moes beantwoord wat hulle besluite laat neem en redes gee, gebaseer op hulle kennis van die onderwerp, is die antwoorde van kundiges gebruik om die deelnemers se antwoorde teen te meet. ’n Nieekwivalente ex post facto-groepontwerp is gebruik. Die hipotese dat feitelike inligting die publiek se mening oor sekere aspekte van radioaktiwiteit vorm, is ondersoek. Kwantitatiewe data wat deur geslote vrae in ’n Lickertskaal-vraelys versamel is, is geanaliseer en het statisties beduidende verskille tusssen die kennisbasis van die respondentgroepe getoon. Die kwalitatiewe data van die studie is verkry deur gemotiveerde antwoorde in die Lickertskaal-vraelys. Hieruit is dit duidelik dat die opinies van studente wat meer feitlike blootstelling aan radioaktiwiteit gehad het, die beste vergelyk met dié van kundiges in gevalle waar die persepsies ’n direkte uitvloeisel is van die vlak van kennis wat ’n persoon oor die onderwerp het. Waar situasies ingesluit is wat verband hou met gesondheid en die omgewing, veiligheid en risiko, is die persepsies egter baie uiteenlopend en kan daar nie uitspraak gelewer word oor die invloed van kennis op persepsies nie.This explanatory study was done to get an understanding of how three groups of preservice teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of radiation compare to that of experts. The first group consists of students with factual radiation knowledge, due to their training. The second group is students with limited knowledge and the third group students with no official training in this area. The last group represented ordinary citizens. Experts were used as ‘yard stick’ as the participants had to answer questions where decisions and reasons had to be presented based on their knowledge. A non-equivalent ex post facto group design was used. The hypothesis that factual information shapes citizens’ decisions on certain aspects of radiation was investigated. The quantitative data collected via closed-ended questions in a Lickert questionnaire, was analysed and statistically significant differences were indicated. The qualitative data was collected as openended responses to the Lickert questionnaire. As expected the students with more factual knowledge compared most favourable with that of the experts where perceptions are directly related to formal education. However, this premise of knowledge was not found with regard to perceptions of health, environment, safety and risk due to a diversity of applications.http://www.satnt.ac.zaam201

Boston Hospitality Review: Fall 2017

Table of contents: Design: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place: The Application of Feng Shui to Hotels by Ingrid Y. Lin -- Sharing Economy: The hotel industry’s Achilles Heel? Quantifying the negative impacts of Airbnb on Boston’s hotel performance by Makarand Mody, Courtney Suess-Raeisinafchi, and Tarik Dogru -- History: Fragments of the Past: The Exchange Buffet, Building a Business on Trust for 78 Years by Dr. Peter Szende and Jeanne Pak -- Theory: “The Six Touchstones” A Model for Hospitality Students by Christopher C. Muller and Michael Oshins -- Hotels: A (Diamond) Cut Above the Rest: Improving Hotel Operations Based on TripAdvisor Rating Attributes by Suzanne Markham BagneraTable of contents: Design: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place: The Application of Feng Shui to Hotels by Ingrid Y. Lin -- Sharing Economy: The hotel industry’s Achilles Heel? Quantifying the negative impacts of Airbnb on Boston’s hotel performance by Makarand Mody, Courtney Suess-Raeisinafchi, and Tarik Dogru -- History: Fragments of the Past: The Exchange Buffet, Building a Business on Trust for 78 Years by Dr. Peter Szende and Jeanne Pak -- Theory: “The Six Touchstones” A Model for Hospitality Students by Christopher C. Muller and Michael Oshins -- Hotels: A (Diamond) Cut Above the Rest: Improving Hotel Operations Based on TripAdvisor Rating Attributes by Suzanne Markham Bagner

Influencing as a learning process : think tanks and the challenge of improving policies and promoting social change

This working paper was prepared for the Conference “Think Tank Exchange” organized by the Think Tank Initiative in South Africa, June 18-20, 2012.This conference paper aims to redefine policy influence and broaden the view of the work think tanks carry out. It draws from twelve accounts of policy influence from research centers participating in the Think Tank Initiative (from Africa, Latin America, and South Asia). The study concludes that think tanks are political actors, a role that exceeds the traditional view of think tanks as knowledge producers and communicators. Consequently, for research organizations to successfully influence policy they must develop the internal capacity to lead in complex scenarios

Seven years of development and change within 200\u27 of the shore in Puget Sound

The 1971 Washington Shoreline Management Act (SMA) defines Shorelands or shoreland areas as those lands extending landward for two hundred feet in all directions as measured on a horizontal plane from the ordinary high water mark. We analyzed land use change in the Shorelands of Puget Sound using WDFW’s High Resolution Change Detection project. We identified 2,960 individual change locations that intersected those shorelands. We found 73% of the locations exhibited anthropogenic change, 14% had no real change within the shoreland area, 5% of the locations were landslides, 3% were erroneously mapped as change and the remaining locations fell into other minor categories of changes, some difficult to interpret. The entire study area covered 230 km2 or a 61m wide strip about 3800 km in length. The total change area was about 1.4 km2 or about 0.09% per year. This change area included about 0.4 km2 new impervious surface with about 0.9 km2 of tree removal. While we do not quantify vegetation growth, tree and other vegetation growth likely outpaced loss during this time period. We will provide final statistics and examples of change events as part of this presentation. We believe this presents the first comprehensive Puget Sound wide assessment of change within the “Shorelands” defined by the SMA

Percepção de familiares e cuidadores quanto à segurança do paciente em unidades de internação pediátrica

Objetivo: Conhecer a percepção de familiares e cuidadores quanto à Segurança do Paciente em unidades de internação pediátrica.Método: Estudo qualitativo exploratório-descritivo. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com 24 cuidadores, em três áreas de internação pediátrica de hospital universitário do sul do Brasil, entre junho e agosto de 2016. A análise de conteúdo temática foirealizada com auxílio do QSR NVivo 11.0.Resultados: Foram identificados nove temas, agrupados em duas categorias: “Pressupostos de segurança do paciente”, descrevendo conhecimentos que os cuidadores relacionaram à segurança do paciente e a necessidade de inclusão e parceria da família; e “Protocolos de segurança do paciente implementados na instituição”, destacando falas coerentes com protocolos já estabelecidos no hospital que promovem segurança.Conclusões: As percepções dos cuidadores referentes a segurança do paciente em unidades de internação pediátrica demonstram que estes absorvem orientações que favorecem o cuidado seguro, embora não tenham um conhecimento formal a respeito do assunto.Palavras-chave: Segurança do paciente. Cuidadores. Família. Criança hospitalizada

Carpal alignment in distal radial fractures

BACKGROUND: Carpal malalignment following the malunited distal radial fracture is described to develop as an adaptation to realign the hand to the malunion. It worsens gradually after healing of the fracture due to continued loading of the wrist. It is also reported to develop during the immobilization itself rather than after fracture healing. The present work was aimed to study the natural course and the quantitative assessment of such adaptive carpal realignment following distal radial fracture. METHODS: In a prospective study, 118 distal radial fractures treated with different modalities were followed-up with serial radiographs for a year for assessment of various radiological parameters. RESULTS: Two patterns of carpal malalignment were identified depending upon the effective radio-lunate flexion (ERLF) measured on pre-reduction radiographs. The midcarpal malalignment was seen in 98 radial fractures (83%) with the lunate following the dorsiflexed fracture fragment and a measured ERLF of less than 25°. The second pattern of radio-carpal malalignment showed the fracture fragment to dorsiflex without taking the lunate with a measured ERLF of more than 25°. The scaphoid did not follow the fracture fragment in both the patterns of malalignment. CONCLUSION: It is better to assess distal radial fractures for any wrist ligamentous injury on the post-reduction film with the restored radial anatomy than on the pre-reduction film since most carpal malalignments get corrected with the reduction of the fracture. Similar carpal malalignment reappear with the redisplacement of the fracture as seen in pre-reduction radiographs and develops during the immobilization rather than as a later compensatory mechanism for the malunion

Comparative in vitro activity of Meropenem, Imipenem and Piperacillin/tazobactam against 1071 clinical isolates using 2 different methods: a French multicentre study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Meropenem is a carbapenem that has an excellent activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The major objective of the present study was to assess the <it>in vitro </it>activity of meropenem compared to imipenem and piperacillin/tazobactam, against 1071 non-repetitive isolates collected from patients with bacteremia (55%), pneumonia (29%), peritonitis (12%) and wound infections (3%), in 15 French hospitals in 2006. The secondary aim of the study was to compare the results of routinely testings and those obtained by a referent laboratory.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Susceptibility testing and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of meropenem, imipenem and piperacillin/tazobactam were determined locally by Etest method. Susceptibility to meropenem was confirmed at a central laboratory by disc diffusion method and MICs determined by agar dilution method for meropenem, imipenem and piperacillin/tazobactam.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cumulative susceptibility rates against <it>Escherichia coli </it>were, meropenem and imipenem: 100% and piperacillin/tazobactam: 90%. Against other <it>Enterobacteriaceae</it>, the rates were meropenem: 99%, imipenem: 98% and piperacillin/tazobactam: 90%. All <it>Staphylococci</it>, <it>Streptococci </it>and anaerobes were susceptible to the three antibiotics. Against non fermeters, meropenem was active on 84-94% of the strains, imipenem on 84-98% of the strains and piperacillin/tazobactam on 90-100% of the strains.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Compared to imipenem, meropenem displays lower MICs against <it>Enterobacteriaceae</it>, <it>Escherichia coli </it>and <it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</it>. Except for non fermenters, MICs90 of carbapenems were <4 mg/L. Piperacillin/tazobactam was less active against <it>Enterobacteriaceae </it>and <it>Acinetobacter </it>but not <it>P. aeruginosa</it>. Some discrepancies were noted between MICs determined by Etest accross centres and MICs determined by agar dilution method at the central laboratory. Discrepancies were more common for imipenem testing and more frequently related to a few centres. Overall MICs determined by Etest were in general higher (0.5 log to 1 log fold) than MICs by agar dilution.</p

Tryptophan degradation in women with breast cancer: a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Altered tryptophan metabolism and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity are linked to cancer development and progression. In addition, these biological factors have been associated with the development and severity of neuropsychiatric syndromes, including major depressive disorder. However, this biological mechanism associated with both poor disease outcomes and adverse neuropsychiatric symptoms has received little attention in women with breast cancer. Therefore, a pilot study was undertaken to compare levels of tryptophan and other proteins involved in tryptophan degradation in women with breast cancer to women without cancer, and secondarily, to examine levels in women with breast caner over the course of chemotherapy.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Blood samples were collected from women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer (<it>n </it>= 33) before their first cycle of chemotherapy and after their last cycle of chemotherapy. The comparison group (<it>n </it>= 24) provided a blood sample prior to breast biopsy. Plasma concentrations of tryptophan, kynurenine, and tyrosine were determined. The kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (KYN/TRP) was used to estimate indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity. On average, the women with breast cancer had lower levels of tryptophan, elevated levels of kynurenine and tyrosine and an increased KYN/TRP ratio compared to women without breast cancer. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the KYN/TRP ratio (<it>p </it>= 0.036), which remained elevated in women with breast cancer throughout the treatment trajectory.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this pilot study suggest that increased tryptophan degradation may occur in women with early-stage breast cancer. Given the multifactorial consequences of increased tryptophan degradation in cancer outcomes and neuropsychiatric symptom manifestation, this biological mechanism deserves broader attention in women with breast cancer.</p

Normal Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines Exhibit Pervasive Mosaic Aneuploidy

Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines have been considered to be homogeneously euploid. Here we report that normal hPSC – including induced pluripotent - lines are karyotypic mosaics of euploid cells intermixed with many cells showing non-clonal aneuploidies as identified by chromosome counting, spectral karyotyping (SKY) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of interphase/non-mitotic cells. This mosaic aneuploidy resembles that observed in progenitor cells of the developing brain and preimplantation embryos, suggesting that it is a normal, rather than pathological, feature of stem cell lines. The karyotypic heterogeneity generated by mosaic aneuploidy may contribute to the reported functional and phenotypic heterogeneity of hPSCs lines, as well as their therapeutic efficacy and safety following transplantation

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase&nbsp;1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation&nbsp;disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age&nbsp; 6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score&nbsp; 652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc&nbsp;= 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N&nbsp;= 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in&nbsp;Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701