Analysis of Road Surface Defects Using Road Condition Index Method on the Caruban-Ngawi Road Segment

Road maintenance action program must begin with identification of road surface defects before compiling a work program. One method of identification of road defects is the Road Condition Index (RCI) method. This method is simpler than the other methods because the survey method is by visualizing. This study aims to identify road defects with the RCI method carried out by several surveyors and how defects occur on the Caruban-Ngawi road section.The method used in this study is by direct survey of primary data on road surface defects conditions. There were 3 surveyors who conducted a survey with normal and opposite directions along the road. Data slices are made at lengths of every 100 m to identify road defects. The data is processed by doing an average on each data which is then made a strip map of road defects image. Data processing was done by determining the percentage of defects categories ranging from good, moderate, light defects, and heavy defects.The results of the study showed that the survey conducted by several surveyors was good and the general results were not significantly different. This means that the surveyors have almost the same perception in terms of assessing the condition of road defectss with the RCI method. The condition of road pavement on the Caruban-Ngawi road in general can be said that the road is still in good condition where heavy defects road damage in the normal and opposite directions is only 1.13% and 0.28% respectively

The association between hospital nursing resource profiles and nurse and patient outcomes

Aims To identify and describe profiles of nursing resources and compare nurse and patient outcomes among the identified nursing resource profiles. Background Research linking nurse education, staffing, and the work environment treats these nursing resources as separate variables. Individual hospitals exhibit distinct profiles of these resources. Methods This cross-sectional secondary analysis used 2006 data from 692 hospitals in four states. Latent class mixture modelling was used to identify resource profiles. Regression models estimated the associations among the profiles and outcomes. Results Three profiles were identified (better, mixed and poor) according to their nursing resource levels. Hospitals with poor profiles were disproportionately mid-sized, for-profit, and had lower technology capability. Nurse job outcomes, patient mortality and care experiences were significantly improved in hospitals with better resource profiles. Conclusions Hospitals exhibit distinct profiles of nursing resources that reflect investments into nursing. Nurse and patient outcomes and patients' experiences are improved in hospitals with better nursing resource profiles. This finding is consistent with the literature that has examined these resources independently. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers can identify their nursing resource profile and the associated outcomes. Our results show the advantages of improving one's hospital nursing resource profile, motivating managers to make an informed decision regarding investments in nursing resources

Outcomes Associated With Good Hospital Work Environments for Nurses

Hospital work environments that promote nurse leadership, encourage nurse participation in hospital governance and decision-making, assure adequate resources and staffing, and foster collaboration between doctors and nurses are consistently associated with better patient, quality, safety, and job outcomes. The work environment offers a powerful target for improvement efforts and warrants the resources and attention of health care administrators

Population attributable fractions for ovarian cancer in Swedish women by morphological type

Using the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, among a total of 1 030 806 women followed from 1993 through 2004, invasive and borderline epithelial ovarian cancer was identified in 3306 and 822 women respectively, with data on family history, reproductive variables, residential region and socioeconomic status. Relative risks and population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were estimated by Poisson regression. The overall PAFs of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer for family history and for reproductive factors were 2.6 and 22.3%, respectively, for serous/seropapillary cystadenocarcinoma (3.0 and 19.1%), endometrioid carcinoma (2.6 and 26.6%), mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (0.5 and 23.9%) and clear-cell carcinoma (2.6 and 73.9%). The corresponding PAFs of borderline tumours due to family history were lower, but higher due to reproductive factors. Family history, low parity and young age at first birth were associated with elevated risks. The risks for women with a family history were among the highest, but these women accounted for the smallest proportion of the cases, giving the lowest PAFs

Breast-feeding and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Among women who have had the opportunity to breast-feed, ever breast-feeding and increasing durations of episodes of breast-feeding for each breast-fed child are associated with a decrease in the risk of ovarian cancer independent of numbers of births, which may be strongest for the endometrioid subtype

Twin births, sex of children and maternal risk of ovarian cancer: a cohort study in Norway

In a follow-up of 1 208 001 women aged 20–74 years, no significant association was found between twin births (112 cases) and risk, though those with twin girls had a non-significantly higher risk than those with singleton births; among the latter, those with girls only had a higher risk of endometrioid tumours (incidence rate ratio 1.35; 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.76, based on 475 cases) than women with boys only

Visualization of Radiation Environment on Mars: Assessment with MARIE Measurements

For a given GCR (Galactic Cosmic Ray) environment at Mars, particle flux of protons, alpha particles, and heavy ions, are also needed on the surface of Mars for future human exploration missions. For the past twelve months, the MARJE (Martian Radiation Environment Experiment) instrument onboard the 200J Mars Odyssey has been providing the radiation measurements from the Martian orbit. These measurements are well correlated with the HZETRN (High Z and Energy Transport) and QMSFRG (Quantum Multiple-Scattering theory of nuclear Fragmentation) model calculations. These model calculations during these specific GCR environment conditions are now extended and transported through the CO2 atmosphere onto the Martian surface. These calculated pa11icle flux distributions are presented as a function of the Martian topography making use of the MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) data from the MGS (Mars Global Surveyor). Also, particle flux calculations are presented with visualization in the human body from skin depth to the internal organs including the blood-forming organs

A prospective study of postmenopausal hormone use and ovarian cancer risk

The relationship between postmenopausal hormone use (PMH) and ovarian cancer risk is unclear, particularly for specific hormone formulations, but recent studies suggest that there is a positive association. We conducted a prospective observational study with 82 905 postmenopausal women, including 389 ovarian cancers, in the Nurses' Health Study from 1976 to 2002. Compared with never users of PMH, both current and past users of ⩾5 years had a significantly elevated risk of ovarian cancer (RR=1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–1.86 and relative risk (RR)=1.52, 95% CI 1.01–2.27, respectively). Examined by hormone type in continuous years, use of unopposed estrogen was associated with a significant increase in the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (P for trend <0.001; RR for 5-year increment of use=1.25, 95% CI 1.12–1.38). Use of estrogen plus progestin (RR for 5-year increment of use=1.04, 95% CI 0.82–1.32) was not significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk. Generally, results were similar for serous tumours (RR for 5-year increment of unopposed estrogen use=1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.40) and slightly stronger for endometrioid tumours (RR for 5-year increment of unopposed estrogen use=1.53, 95% CI 1.20–1.94). Recency of use was not significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk, but statistical power was limited here

Wine and other alcohol consumption and risk of ovarian cancer in the California Teachers Study cohort

OBJECTIVE: Whether alcohol consumption influences ovarian cancer risk is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the association between alcohol intake at various ages and risk of ovarian cancer. METHODS: Among 90,371 eligible members of the California Teachers Study cohort who completed a baseline alcohol assessment in 1995–1996, 253 women were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer by the end of 2003. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Consumption of total alcohol, beer, or liquor in the year prior to baseline, at ages 30–35 years, or at ages 18–22 years was not associated with risk of ovarian cancer. Consumption of at least one glass per day of wine, compared to no wine, in the year before baseline was associated with increased risk of developing ovarian cancer: RR = 1.57 (95% CI 1.11–2.22), P(trend) = 0.01. The association with wine intake at baseline was particularly strong among peri-/post-menopausal women who used estrogen-only hormone therapy and women of high socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol intake does not appear to affect ovarian cancer risk. Constituents of wine other than alcohol or, more likely, unmeasured determinants of wine drinking were associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer