Adherence to medication before and after the use of a Drug-Dispensing System with usage control

The aim of the present work was to assess the adherence to medication from polymedicated patients before and after the use of a Drug-dispensing System with Usage Control (DDSUC) and compare the levels of the clinical parameters - blood pressure, postprandial glycemia, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides and cholesterol. DDSUC consisted of a monthly drug-dispensing package, in the shape of a blister with a calendar. This quasi-experimental study was performed in a Basic Health Unit. Twenty four patients were selected to use DDSUC for 4 months. Medication adherence was assessed through Morisky-Green test. Among the participants of the study, 62.5% were women and the average age was 67 years old. Before the use of DDSUC, 83.3% of the patients were considered as "less adherent". After the use of the system, 100% were considered as "more adherent" (p < 0.01), the means of the systolic blood pressure decreased 23.7 mmHg (p=0.000), the diastolic blood pressure decreased 12.1 mmHg (p=0.004) and glycemia diminished 79.3 mg/dl (p=0.000). The use of DDSUC improved the adherence to medication and decreased the values of the clinical parameters, making patients safer when it comes to respecting the correct use of their medication.</p

Representational predicaments for employees: Their impact on perceptions of supervisors\u27 individualized consideration and on employee job satisfaction

A representational predicament for a subordinate vis-à-vis his or her immediate superior involves perceptual incongruence with the superior about the subordinate\u27s work or work context, with unfavourable implications for the employee. An instrument to measure the incidence of two types of representational predicament, being neglected and negative slanting, was developed and then validated through an initial survey of 327 employees. A subsequent substantive survey with a fresh sample of 330 employees largely supported a conceptual model linking being neglected and negative slanting to perceptions of low individualized consideration by superiors and to low overall job satisfaction. The respondents in both surveys were all Hong Kong Chinese. Two case examples drawn from qualitative interviews illustrate and support the conceptual model. Based on the research findings, we recommend some practical exercises to use in training interventions with leaders and subordinates. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Hairpin resonator probe measurements in RF plasmas

This work investigates the use of hairpin probes in plasma where RF plasma potential is present. The microwave resonance of the hairpin is used to determine electron density. Two types of hairpin probe were used. One type was dc coupled: its dc potential could be varied while monitoring its resonance frequency and collected current. The other probe was designed to be fully floating, being (dc) isolated from ground and able to float with RF variations in the plasma potential. Additional measurements of the RF plasma potential and its effect on the dc floating potential of the former probe were made using a wire loop probe. The resonant frequency of the dc coupled probe at zero current (nominal floating potential) was less than that determined from the fully floating probe. This is attributed to the wider sheath around the former caused by RF plasma potential across it. The presence of the electron-free sheath around the wires of the hairpin is included in the analysis that links the resonant frequency to the electron density in the bulk plasma. When the dc coupled probe was biased at the true floating potential (determined from independent loop probe measurements) its resonant frequency was closer to, though still consistently higher than, that of the floating probe. This work shows that RF potential across the probe sheath affects the resonance of a hairpin probe and should be accounted for when using hairpin probes in discharges where RF plasma potential variations are even as low as a few times the electron temperature (in volts)