1,217 research outputs found
Testing demand responsive shared transport services via agent-based simulations
Demand Responsive Shared Transport DRST services take advantage of
Information and Communication Technologies ICT, to provide on demand transport
services booking in real time a ride on a shared vehicle. In this paper, an
agent-based model ABM is presented to test different the feasibility of
different service configurations in a real context. First results show the
impact of route choice strategy on the system performance
Psychological stress factors and salivary cortisol in nursing students throughout their training
OBJECTIVE: to analyze psychological stress factors and salivary cortisol concentration in nursing undergraduates throughout their training. METHOD: a cross-sectional, analytical, and comparative study carried out in an evening course using a sociodemographic questionnaire, an Instrument to Assess Stress in Nursing Students, and salivary cortisol analysis. The study included descriptive and comparative analyses and a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: 187 participants answered the questionnaires, and 129 had their cortisol quantified. The domains Practical Activities Execution, Professional Communication, and Professional Training represented the stress factors with the highest mean values for 3rd, 4th, and 5th-year students compared to 1st and 2nd year. For the 5th year, it was the domains Professional Communication and Professional Training compared to the 3rd year and Environment compared to the 1st and 3rd year. A significant result was obtained between the times of cortisol collections for males (p < 0.0001), females (p < 0.0001), and for 1st (p = 0.0319) 2nd (p = 0.0245), and 5th (p < 0.0001) years. CONCLUSION: Students in years 3 through 5 had higher exposure to stressors, and there were adjustments in cortisol production rhythmicity for students in years 1, 2, and 5
Hypertriglyceridemic Pancreatitis: Conventional Treatment Versus Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
Introdução:A pancreatite aguda (PA) por hipertrigliceridemia (HTG) pode ser tratada com troca plasmĂĄtica terapĂȘutica (TPT), com redução rĂĄpida dos valores de triglicerĂdeos. Contudo, nĂŁo existem estudos comparativos definitivos que comprovem o real benefĂcio desta terapĂȘutica. Objetivo: Comparação dos mĂ©todos de tratamento (troca plasmĂĄtica terapĂȘutica versus convencional) em doentes com PA HTG, durante um perĂodo de 12 anos (2000-2012). MĂ©todos: Estudo retrospetivo descritivo e inferencial de 37 doentes, avaliando: sexo, idade, antecedentes pessoais, gravidade, valores de TG e evolução consoante o tratamento (âTPTâ ou terapĂȘutica convencional âCâ). Resultados: Os dois grupos TPT e C mostraram-se homogĂ©neos quanto ao sexo (p = 0,647), idade (43,5 ± 9,74 anos TPT versus 45,30 ± 9,90 anos C; p = 0.320), pancreatite prĂ©via (40% TPT vs 40,7% C; p = 1,0) alcoolismo crĂłnico (50% TPT vs 70,4% C; p = 0,275) e gravidade pelo score de APACHE II (p = 0,054) e Ranson Ă s 48 horas (p = 0,258). Dos doentes 45,95% apresentava mais de um fator de risco secundĂĄrio para HTG. O grupo TPT apresentou maiores valores de TG Ă admissĂŁo: 4850 ± 2802 mg/dL vs 1845 ± 1858 mg/dL (p = 0,001). NĂŁo se verificaram diferenças na duração do internamento 14,2 ± 6,8 dias vs 13,5 ± 9,0 dias (p = 0,56) ou na taxa de mortalidade (p = 0,47). Ă data de alta a redução dos TG foi superior no grupo TPT: 4433,70 ± 2896,08 mg/dL - 91,41% vs 1582,95 ± 2051,06 mg/dL â 83,92% (p = 0,002). De referir seis intercorrĂȘncias minor durante a troca plasmĂĄtica terapĂȘutica. DiscussĂŁo/ConclusĂ”es: Apesar do viĂ©s de seleção (estudo retrospetivo), foi constatada uma maior redução dos TG por esta tĂ©cnica. As intercorrĂȘncias inerentes Ă tĂ©cnica de troca plasmĂĄtica terapĂȘutica foram de simples resolução.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Pancreatite HipertrigliceridĂ©mica: Tratamento Convencional Versus Troca PlasmĂĄtica TerapĂȘutica
Introduction: Acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by hypertriglyceridemia
(HTG) can be treated with therapeutic plasma exchange
(TPE), resulting in rapid reduction of triglyceride level.
However, there are no definitive comparative studies that
prove the real benefits of this therapy.
Objectives: Comparison of treatment methods (TPE versus
conventional) in patients with HTG AP during a period of 12
years (2000-2012).
Methods: Retrospective, descriptive and inferential analysis of
37 patients, evaluating: gender, age, personal pathologic history,
severity of disease, HTG values and evolution depending
on treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange (âTPEâ) or
with conventional therapy (âCâ).
Results: Both groups TPE and C demonstrated homogeneity
considering gender (p = 0.647), age (43.5 ± 9.74 years TPE vs
45.30 ± 9.90 years C; p = 0.320), prior AP episode (40% TPE
vs 40.7% C; p = 1.0), chronic alcohol consumption (50% TPE
vs 70.4% C; p = 0.275) and severity disease scores: APACHE
II (p = 0.054) and Ranson (p = 0.258). More than one secondary
HTG risk factor was presented in 45.95% of patients
. TPE group presented higher TG levels at admission: 4850
± 2802 mg/dL vs 1845 ± 1858 mg/dL (p = 0.001). No significant
statistical differences were observed considering length
of hospital stay [14.2 ± 6.8 days vs 13.5 ± 9.0 days (p = 0.56)]
or mortality rate (p = 0.47). At discharge, TG reduction was
greater in TPE group: 4433.70 ± 2896.08 mg/dL â 91.41% vs
1582.95 ± 2051.06 mg/dL â 83,92% (p = 0.002). Six minor
complications associated to TPE occurred.
Discussion/Conclusion: Despite the selection bias (retrospective
study), a greater TG reduction was observed with TPE
technique. Complications associated with the technique were
simple to resolveinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Implantação de sistema de videoconferĂȘncia aplicado a ambientes de pesquisa e de ensino de enfermagem
Patterns of antimicrobial resistance in a surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey
BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported higher rates of antimicrobial resistance among isolates from intensive care units than among isolates from general patient-care areas. The aims of this study were to review the pathogens associated with nosocomial infections in a surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey and to summarize rates of antimicrobial resistance in the most common pathogens. The survey was conducted over a period of twelve months in a tertiary-care teaching hospital located in the south-eastern part of Turkey, Gaziantep. A total of 871 clinical specimens from 615 adult patients were collected. From 871 clinical specimens 771 bacterial and fungal isolates were identified. RESULTS: Most commonly isolated microorganisms were: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.3%), Candida species (15%) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.9%). Among the Gram-negative microorganisms P. aeruginosa were mostly resistant to third-generation cephalosporins (71.3â98.1%), while Acinetobacter baumannii were resistant in all cases to piperacillin, ceftazidime and ceftriaxone. Isolates of S. aureus were mostly resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, and methicillin (82â95%), whereas coagulase-negative staphylococci were 98.6% resistant to methicillin and in all cases resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline. CONCLUSION: In order to reduce the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in ICUs, monitoring and optimization of antimicrobial use in hospitals are strictly recommended. Therefore local resistance surveillance programs are of most value in developing appropriate therapeutic guidelines for specific infections and patient types
One Problem, Many Solutions: Simple Statistical Approaches Help Unravel the Complexity of the Immune System in an Ecological Context
The immune system is a complex collection of interrelated and overlapping solutions to the problem of disease. To deal with this complexity, researchers have devised multiple ways to measure immune function and to analyze the resulting data. In this way both organisms and researchers employ many tactics to solve a complex problem. One challenge facing ecological immunologists is the question of how these many dimensions of immune function can be synthesized to facilitate meaningful interpretations and conclusions. We tackle this challenge by employing and comparing several statistical methods, which we used to test assumptions about how multiple aspects of immune function are related at different organizational levels. We analyzed three distinct datasets that characterized 1) species, 2) subspecies, and 3) among- and within-individual level differences in the relationships among multiple immune indices. Specifically, we used common principal components analysis (CPCA) and two simpler approaches, pair-wise correlations and correlation circles. We also provide a simple example of how these techniques could be used to analyze data from multiple studies. Our findings lead to several general conclusions. First, relationships among indices of immune function may be consistent among some organizational groups (e.g. months over the annual cycle) but not others (e.g. species); therefore any assumption of consistency requires testing before further analyses. Second, simple statistical techniques used in conjunction with more complex multivariate methods give a clearer and more robust picture of immune function than using complex statistics alone. Moreover, these simpler approaches have potential for analyzing comparable data from multiple studies, especially as the field of ecological immunology moves towards greater methodological standardization
PENGARUH HARGA DAN DESAIN PRODUK TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN MEBEL PADA UD. JEPARA INDAH KOTA PASURUAN
The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of price, and product design on furniture purchasing decision at UD. Jepara Indah Pasuruan City. This study uses multiple linier regression analysis on 100 respondents that have been determined using purposive sampling technique as a method of sampling by using questionnaires for data collection. The results of this study revealed that prices have a positive and significant effect on purchasing decision of furniture in UD. Jepara Indah and product design have a positive and significant impact on purchasing decision of furniture in UD. Jepara Indah
New insights into the photochemistry of carotenoid spheroidenone in light-harvesting complex 2 from the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2) from the
semi-aerobically grown purple phototrophic bacterium
Rhodobacter sphaeroides was studied using optical (static
and time-resolved) and resonance Raman spectroscopies.
This antenna complex comprises bacteriochlorophyll
(BChl) a and the carotenoid spheroidenone, a ketolated
derivative of spheroidene. The results indicate that the
spheroidenone-LH2 complex contains two spectral forms
of the carotenoid: (1) a minor, ââblueââ form with an S2
(11
Bu
?) spectral origin band at 522 nm, shifted from the
position in organic media simply by the high polarizability
of the binding site, and (2) the major, ââredââ form with the
origin band at 562 nm that is associated with a pool of
pigments that more strongly interact with protein residues,
most likely via hydrogen bonding. Application of targeted
modeling of excited-state decay pathways after carotenoid
excitation suggests that the high (92%) carotenoid-to-BChl
energy transfer efficiency in this LH2 system, relative to
LH2 complexes binding carotenoids with comparable
double-bond conjugation lengths, derives mainly from
resonance energy transfer from spheroidenone S2 (11
Bu
?)
state to BChl a via the Qx state of the latter, accounting for
60% of the total transfer. The elevated S2 (11
Bu
?) ? Qx
transfer efficiency is apparently associated with substantially
decreased energy gap (increased spectral overlap)
between the virtual S2 (11
Bu
?) ? S0 (11
Ag
-) carotenoid
emission and Qx absorption of BChl a. This reduced
energetic gap is the ultimate consequence of strong carotenoidâprotein
interactions, including the inferred hydrogen
bondin
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