6,226 research outputs found
Representations of swine flu: Perspectives from a Malaysian pig farm
© The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below.Novel influenza viruses are seen, internationally, as posing considerable health challenges, but public responses to such viruses are often rooted in cultural representations of disease and risk. However, little research has been conducted in locations associated with the origin of a pandemic. We examined representations and risk perceptions associated with swine flu amongst 120 Malaysian pig farmers. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents felt at particular risk of infection, two-thirds were somewhat or very concerned about being infected. Those respondents who were the most anxious believed particular societal “out-groups” (homosexuals, the homeless and prostitutes) to be at higher infection risk. Although few (4%) reported direct discrimination, 46% claimed friends had avoided them since the swine flu outbreak. Findings are discussed in the context of evolutionary, social representations and terror management theories of response to pandemic threat
Initial behavioural and attitudinal responses to influenza A, H1N1 ('swine flu')
Copyright © 2010 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. All rights reserved.This study was sponsored by Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and
supported by the Community Coalition Concerned about SARS and other community organisations in the great Toronto area
Entropy and Exact Matrix Product Representation of the Laughlin Wave Function
An analytical expression for the von Neumann entropy of the Laughlin wave
function is obtained for any possible bipartition between the particles
described by this wave function, for filling fraction nu=1. Also, for filling
fraction nu=1/m, where m is an odd integer, an upper bound on this entropy is
exhibited. These results yield a bound on the smallest possible size of the
matrices for an exact representation of the Laughlin ansatz in terms of a
matrix product state. An analytical matrix product state representation of this
state is proposed in terms of representations of the Clifford algebra. For
nu=1, this representation is shown to be asymptotically optimal in the limit of
a large number of particles
Genitourinary tuberculosis: A profile of 55 in-patients
Objective: To outline the pattern and trends in major cases of genito-urinary tuberculosis (GUTB) which require hospital treatment.Method: We retrospectively reviewed 55 patients with proven GUTB who were treated as in-patients in a major referral hospital in Pakistan.Results: The male/female ratio was 3:1. Prevailing symptoms were lower urinary tract symptoms, flank pain, gross hematuria and fever. A urine culture was positive for tuberculosis (TB) in 57%, bladder biopsies in 54%. For renal TB, intravenous urogram (IVU) and ultrasound were suggestive in about 50% of cases. Ultrasound was very helpful in the diagnosis of testicular TB. Patients underwent surgery in 36% of cases. In contrast to the general trend reported worldwide, surgery was mainly ablative rather than re-constructive. Patient compliance in clinical follow-up and drug therapy was poor.Conclusion: Surgery for GUTB in Pakistan is still mainly ablative, probably due to a high number of complicated and progressed cases. To date, therapy of GUTB is mainly based on anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy (ATT). However, huge efforts will be required to improve patient compliance without which every therapeutic approach will remain futile
Particle partitioning entanglement in itinerant many-particle systems
For itinerant fermionic and bosonic systems, we study `particle
entanglement', defined as the entanglement between two subsets of particles
making up the system. We formulate the general structure of particle
entanglement in many-fermion ground states, analogous to the `area law' for the
more usually studied entanglement between spatial regions. Basic properties of
particle entanglement are uncovered by considering relatively simple itinerant
models.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Analysis of a fully packed loop model arising in a magnetic Coulomb phase
The Coulomb phase of spin ice, and indeed the Ic phase of water ice,
naturally realise a fully-packed two-colour loop model in three dimensions. We
present a detailed analysis of the statistics of these loops, which avoid
themselves and other loops of the same colour, and contrast their behaviour to
an analogous two-dimensional model. The properties of another extended degree
of freedom are also addressed, flux lines of the emergent gauge field of the
Coulomb phase, which appear as "Dirac strings" in spin ice. We mention
implications of these results for related models, and experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Racial Differences in the Use of Most Commonly Performed Medical Procedures in the United States
Objective: This study investigates racial disparities in the use of commonly performed medical procedures in U.S. hospitals. Methods: To examine racial disparities, we calculated age-adjusted rate of procedures used by all Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians or Pacific Islanders and Native Americans and calculated corresponding Relative Risks(RRs) of White vs. all other races based on procedure utilizations and insurance types using 20% random sample of Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data between 2001 and2003. Results: Whites were significantly more likely to receive 3 of the study procedures than Blacks, 3 of the procedures than Hispanics, 2 of the procedures than Asians or Pacific Islanders and 4 of the procedures than Native Americans (p\u3c0.05). We also found racial disparities to receive medical procedures based on patients’ insurance status.However, only in a few cases were these differences substantial. Conclusion: Race plays a significantly important role in the use of commonly performed medical procedures in U.S. hospitals
Synthesis and structural characterization of hexa-μ<sub>2</sub>-chlorido-μ<sub>4</sub>-oxido-tetrakis{[4-(phenylethynyl)pyridine-κN]copper(II)} dichloromethane monosolvate
In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu4Cl6O(C13H9N)4]·CH2Cl2, the core molecular structure consists of a Cu4 tetrahedron with a central interstitial O atom. Each edge of the Cu4 tetrahedron is bridged by a chlorido ligand. Each copper(II) cation is coordinated to the central O atom, two chlorido ligands and one N atom of the 4-phenylethynylpyridine ligand. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by intermolecular C - H⋯Cl interactions. Furthermore, C - H⋯π and π-π interactions also connect the molecules, forming a three-dimensional network. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions for the packing arrangement are from H⋯H and C⋯H/H⋯C interactions.</p
Synthesis and structural characterization of hexa-μ<sub>2</sub>-chlorido-μ<sub>4</sub>-oxido-tetrakis{[4-(phenylethynyl)pyridine-κN]copper(II)} dichloromethane monosolvate
In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu4Cl6O(C13H9N)4]·CH2Cl2, the core molecular structure consists of a Cu4 tetrahedron with a central interstitial O atom. Each edge of the Cu4 tetrahedron is bridged by a chlorido ligand. Each copper(II) cation is coordinated to the central O atom, two chlorido ligands and one N atom of the 4-phenylethynylpyridine ligand. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by intermolecular C - H⋯Cl interactions. Furthermore, C - H⋯π and π-π interactions also connect the molecules, forming a three-dimensional network. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions for the packing arrangement are from H⋯H and C⋯H/H⋯C interactions.</p
Self-Monitoring of Blood Pressure in Hypertension: A UK Primary Care Survey
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure amongst people with hypertension using a cross-sectional survey. Of the 955 who replied (53%), 293 (31%) reported that they self-monitored blood pressure. Nearly 60% (198/331) self-monitored at least monthly. Diabetic patients monitoring their blood glucose were five times more likely than those not monitoring to monitor their blood pressure. Self-monitoring is less common in the UK than internationally, but is practiced by enough people to warrant greater integration into clinical practice
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