The long term blood glucose level and its relation to knowledge, empowerment, distress and type of diabetes

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenÞeim fjölgar ört sem fá sykursýki en sykursýkin getur valdið fylgikvillum sem rýra lífsgæði og auka kostnað við heilbrigðisþjónustu. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að greina hvað hefur áhrif á langtímasykurgildið (HbA1c-gildið). Hugað er sérstaklega að þekkingu, sjálfseflingu og streitu sem og að bakgrunnsþáttum sem áhrif geta haft á langtímasykurgildið. Þátttakendur voru 143 einstaklingar með sykursýki. Níutíu einstaklingar tóku þátt í rannsókn 1, sem framkvæmd var árið. 2002 meðal fólks með sykursýki af tegund 1. Í rannsókn 2 voru þátttakendur 53 með sykursýki af tegund 2, en rannsóknin var gerð árin 2005-2007. Allir svöruðu þrem spurningalistum, auk þess spurningum um bakgrunnsþætti. Langtímasykurgildið var mælt hjá öllum. Borið saman við fólk með sykursýki af tegund 1 svaraði fólk með tegund 2 færri spurningum rétt á þekkingarkvarða, hafði minni skilning á meðferð sykursýkinnar og átti verra með að laga sig „á jákvæðan hátt að þeirri staðreynd“ að vera með sykursýki. Þátttakendur með langtímasykurgildi ≥7,5% sýndu marktækt minni skilning á sykursýkismeðferð sinni heldur en þátttakendur með langtímasykurgildi undir 7,5%. Streita og menntun höfðu fylgni við langtímasykurgildið og þau tengsl virðast að mestu óháð öðrum þáttum. Einstaklingar með framhaldsskólapróf eru næstum fimmfalt líklegri en einstaklingar með grunnskólamenntun eingöngu til að mælast með langtímasykurgildi undir 7,5%. Huga þarf sérlega vel að fólki sem er með sykursýki af tegund 2 og litla menntun þar sem það sýndi minni skilning á meðferðThe prevalence of diabetes is increasing and diabetes can cause complications that affect the quality of life of people with diabetes and increases cost of care. The aim of the study was to analyze knowledge, empowerment and distress as well as background factors affecting the long term blood glucose level. Participants were 143 individuals with diabetes. Ninety individuals with Type 1 diabetes participated in Study 1, which was conducted in the year 2002. In Study 2, 53 individuals with Type 2 diabetes participated. The study was conducted in the years 2005-2007. Participants answered three instruments, demographic questions and the long term blood glucose level was measured. Compared with people with Type 1 diabetes those with Type 2 diabetes answered fewer items correct on the knowledge test, had less understanding of diabetes and its treatment, and were less able to fit diabetes into their life in a positive manner. Those with HbA1c level ≥7.5% had significantly lower understanding of diabetes and its treatment compared with people with lower HbA1c level. Educational level and scoring on the distress scale correlated significantly with the HbA1c level and the relations are mostly independent of other factors. Those with high school exams are almost five times more likely to have HbA1c level < 7.5%. Care of people with Type 2 diabetes and lower education need to be given more priority as they showed less understanding of diabetes and its treatment and their long term blood glucose level was higher. As scoring on the distress scale correlated with the HbA1c level, health care professionals should consider distress among people with diabetes

SYMMETRIC SPACES WITH DISSECTING INVOLUTIONS

An involutive diffeomorphism σ of a connected smooth manifold M is called dissecting if the complement of its fixed point set is not connected. Dissecting involutions on a complete Riemannian manifold are closely related to constructive quantum field theory through the work of Dimock and Jaffe/Ritter on the construction of reflection positive Hilbert spaces. In this article we classify all pairs (M, σ), where M is an irreducible connected symmetric space, not necessarily Riemannian, and σ is a dissecting involutive automorphism. In particular, we show that the only irreducible, connected and simply connected Riemannian symmetric spaces with dissecting isometric involutions are Sn and ℍn, where the corresponding fixed point spaces are Sn−1 and ℍn − 1, respectively

Mat á alvarleika persónuleikavandamála : athugun á spurningalistanum Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP) í úrtaki íslenskra háskólanema

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenSpurningalistinn Severity Indices of Personality Problems eða SIPP er nýr spurningalisti sem metur alvarleika vandamála sem oft tengjast persónuleikaröskunum. Listinn er til í tveimur útgáfum og inniheldur önnur 118 atriði (SIPP- 118) sem skiptast á alls 16 undirþætti sem tilheyra fimm yfirþáttum. Hin útgáfan er styttri og inniheldur 60 atriði (SIPP-60) sem notuð eru til að reikna út skor þátttakenda á yfirþáttunum fimm. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna próffræðilega eiginleika íslenskrar þýðingar á SIPP listunum í úrtaki 634 háskólanema. Niðurstöður sýndu að áreiðanleiki 13 af 16 undirþáttum SIPP-118 var ásættanlegur eða góður ( 0,70). Í leitandi þátttagreiningu voru þrír af fimm þáttum sambærilegir við niðurstöður erlendrar rannsóknar á SIPP-118. Skor á yfirþáttum SIPP-60 höfðu miðlungs til sterka fylgni við skor á spurningalista um lífsánægju þannig að meiri alvarleiki persónuleikavanamála tengdist minni lífsánægju. Marktækur munur var á meðaltölum á öllum yfirþáttum SIPP-60 milli hópa sem höfðu lág, miðlungs eða há skor á skimunarlista fyrir persónuleikaraskanir. Fyrstu niðurstöður á íslenskri þýðingu SIPP spurningalistans benda til að próffræðilegir eiginleikar listans séu góðir en kanna þarf betur þátttabyggingu listans. Áframhaldandi rannsóknir ættu einnig að beinast að notagildi listans við greiningu og mat á árangri meðferðar við persónuleikaröskunum

Toeplitz operators on the domain {Z∈M2×2(C)∣ZZ∗<I}\{Z\in M_{2\times2}(\mathbb{C}) \mid Z Z^* < I\} with U(2)×T2\mathrm{U}(2)\times\mathbb{T}^2-invariant symbols

Let $D$ be the irreducible bounded symmetric domain of $2\times2$ complex matrices that satisfy $ZZ^* < I_2$. The biholomorphism group of $D$ is realized by $\mathrm{U}(2,2)$ with isotropy at the origin given by $\mathrm{U}(2)\times\mathrm{U}(2)$. Denote by $\mathbb{T}^2$ the subgroup of diagonal matrices in $\mathrm{U}(2)$. We prove that the set of $\mathrm{U}(2)\times\mathbb{T}^2$-invariant essentially bounded symbols yield Toeplitz operators that generate commutative $C^*$-algebras on all weighted Bergman spaces over $D$. Using tools from representation theory, we also provide an integral formula for the spectra of these Toeplitz operators

Heilsa og lifun íbúa fyrir og eftir setningu strangari skilyrða fyrir flutningi á hjúkrunarheimili 2007

INNGANGUR Fjölmargir þættir hafa áhrif á þjónustuþörf og lifun íbúa hjúkrunarheimila, meðal annars inntökuskilyrði fyrir flutningi á hjúkrunarheimili. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að athuga hvort munur væri á heilsufari, lifun og forspárgildi mismunandi heilsufars- og færnivísa fyrir eins og tveggja ára lifun þeirra sem fluttu inn á íslensk hjúkrunarheimili á árunum 2003-2007 annars vegar og 2008-2014 hins vegar. EFNIVIÐUR OG AÐFERÐIR Lýsandi, afturskyggn samanburðarrannsókn. Gögnin fengust úr gagnagrunni á vegum Embættis landlæknis yfir allar interRAI-matsgerðir á íslenskum hjúkrunarheimilum frá 1. janúar 2003 til og með 31. desember 2014 (N=8.487). NIÐURSTÖÐUR Marktækur munur var á heilsu og lifun nýrra íbúa hjúkrunarheimila fyrir og eftir 31. desember 2007. Á seinna tímabilinu var meðalaldur 82,7 ár, en 82,1 ár á hinu fyrra og tíðni Alzheimer-sjúkdóms, blóðþurrðarsjúkdóms í hjarta, hjartabilunar, sykursýki og langvinnrar lungnateppu jókst. Eins árs lifun lækkaði úr 73,4% í 66,5% eftir 1. janúar 2008 og tveggja ára lifun úr 56,9% í 49,1%. Sterkustu áhættuþættirnir fyrir dauðsfalli innan eins og tveggja ára frá komu á báðum tímabilum voru sjúkdómsgreiningarnar hjartabilun og langvinn lungnateppa, auk fleiri stiga á lífskvarðanum og langa ADL-kvarðanum. ÁLYKTUN Í kjölfar reglugerðarbreytingar 2007 voru þeir sem fluttu á hjúkrunarheimili eldri og veikari við komu og lifðu skemur eftir vistaskiptin en þeir sem fluttu inn fyrir breytingu. Niðurstöðurnar benda til að markmið reglugerðarbreytingarinnar, að forgangsraða þeim sem voru veikastir, hafi því náðst. Því má telja líklegt að umönnunarþörf íbúa sé önnur og meiri en áður.Introduction: Many factors influence the nursing needs and survival of nursing home residents, including the admission criteria. The aim of the study was to compare health, survival and predictors for one- and two-year survival of people entering Icelandic nursing homes between 2003–2007 and 2008–2014. Material and methods: Retrospective, descriptive, comparative study. The data was obtained from a Directorate of Health database for all interRAI assessments of Icelandic nursing homes from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2014 (N = 8487). Results: There was a significant difference in the health and survival of new nursing home residents before and after December 31, 2007. In the latter period, the mean age was 82.7 years. In the previous period, it was 82.1 years, and the prevalence of Alzheimer‘s disease, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, diabetes and COPD increased between the periods. One-year survival decreased from 73.4% to 66.5%, and two-year survival decreased from 56.9% to 49.1%. The strongest mortality risk factors were heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as high scores on the CHESS scale and ADL long scale. Conclusion: After 2007, new residents were older, in poorer health, and their life expectancy was shorter than for those moving to nursing homes before that. The results suggest that the aim of the regulatory change was achieved, i.e., to prioritise those in worst health. Their care needs may therefore be different and greater than before.Rannsakendur vilja þakka styrk til rannsóknarinnar frá vísindasjóði Landspítala og vísindasjóði Félags íslenskra hjúkrunarfræðinga.Peer reviewe

Chironomidae fauna of springs in Iceland: Assessing the ecological relevance behind Tuxen’s spring classification

In 1937, S.L. Tuxen studied the animal community of hot springs in Iceland, and classified springs according to their relative temperature into cold, tepid, and hot. Eighty years after Tuxen’s study, we revisited some of the hot springs in Skagafjörður, Northern Iceland. Our aim was to compare the invertebrate community of 1937 and today, and to assess the stability of hot spring habitats over the years. To test Tuxen’s spring classification on an ecological basis, we furthermore collected chironomid larvae from 24 springs of a broad range of temperature, with samples taken both at the surface area of the spring and at the groundwater level. The chironomid species composition of hot springs differed from that of cold and tepid springs. Whereas Cricotopus sylvestris, Arctopelopia sp., and Procladius sp. characterised the chironomid community in Icelandic hot springs, cold and tepid springs were dominated by Eukiefferiella minor, Orthocladius frigidus and Diamesa spp. Community composition analyses and the exclusive occurrence of taxa in one of the temperature classes validated the ecological relevance of Tuxen’s spring classification for the chironomid species community. Both environmental parameters and invertebrate community of Icelandic hot springs seem to be the same as 80 years ago. Although springs have the potential to provide stable habitats, they are currently under high anthropogenic pressure, and should be increasingly considered in nature conservation.

Transactional Support for Visual Instance Search

International audienceThis article addresses the issue of dynamicity and durability for scalable indexing of very large and rapidly growing collections of local features for visual instance retrieval. By extending the NV-tree, a scalable disk-based high-dimensional index, we show how to implement the ACID properties of transactions which ensure both dynamicity and durability. We present a detailed performance evaluation of the transactional NV-tree, showing that the insertion throughput is excellent despite the effort to enforce the ACID properties

Interpolation Theorems for Self-adjoint Operators

We prove a complex and a real interpolation theorems on Besov spaces and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces associated with a selfadjoint operator $L$, without assuming the gradient estimate for its spectral kernel. The result applies to the cases where $L$ is a uniformly elliptic operator or a Schr\"odinger operator with electro-magnetic potential.Comment: 8 pages. Submitte

Developing evaluation tools for assessing the educational potential of apps for preschool children in the UK

Selecting high quality apps can be challenging for caregivers and educators. We here develop tools evaluating educational potential of apps for preschool children. In Study 1, we developed two complementary evaluation tools tailored to different audiences. We grounded them in developmental theory and linked them to research on children’s experience with digital media. In Study 2 we applied these tools to a wide sample of apps in order to illustrate their use and to address the role of cost in quality of educational apps. There are concerns that a social disadvantage may lead to a digital disadvantage, an “app gap”. We thus applied our tools to the most popular free (N=19) and paid (N=24) apps targeting preschoolers. We found that the “app gap” associated with cost is only related to some aesthetic features of apps rather than any observable educational advantage proffered by paid apps. Our study adds a novel contribution to the research on children’s apps by developing tools to be used across a wide range of audiences, providing the first description of the quantity of app design features during app use and evaluating the educational potential of free and paid apps

Seasonal variation in the invertebrate community and diet of a top fish predator in a thermally stable spring

Many life-history events in aquatic invertebrates are triggered by seasonal changes in water temperature, but other ecological factors may be important as well. To rule out the confounding effects of changing water temperature, we studied the seasonal dynamics of an aquatic invertebrate community and their effect on a top fish predator in a thermally stable freshwater spring in South Iceland. We sampled benthic invertebrates five times over a year and conducted a mark-recapture study on the top predator in the system, small benthic Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.). We assessed variation in diet composition and feeding preferences by calculating the electivity and individual specialisation of each fish at each sampling time. There was a clear separation of winter and summer communities for the benthic invertebrates. The variation in prey availability was also reflected in the fish diet, with higher feeding selectivity in summer than in winter for the highly abundant Chironomidae larvae. In contrast, individual specialisation as a measure of intrapopulation niche variation was higher in winter when prey availability was lower. We furthermore found that groundwater amphipods might play an important role in the winter diet of spring-dwelling Arctic charr. In conclusion, seasonal variation in the invertebrate community is an important factor to consider and has the potential to alter the phenotype (e.g. growth rates) and behaviour (e.g. feeding preferences) of higher trophic levels