812 research outputs found
Prevalence and associated psychosocial factors of increased hand hygiene practice during the influenza A/H1N1 pandemic: findings and prevention implications from a national survey in Taiwan.
No full textObjective To investigate increased hand hygiene practice in response to the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) and its associated psychosocial factors in the Taiwanese general population.
Methods A national telephone survey using random digit dialing was conducted on October 28–30, 2009 in Taiwan, resulting in a final sample of 1079 participants aged 15 or older.
Results Seventy-seven per cent reported that they increased hand hygiene practice during the pH1N1 epidemic. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased hand hygiene practice was associated with health beliefs that pH1N1 was more transmissible than avian influenza (OR = 1.42); that pH1N1 was slightly more severe in Taiwan compared with other countries (OR = 1.59); that handwashing was very effective in preventing pH1N1 (OR = 3.12), and that handwashing after contact with possibly pH1N1-contaminated objects/surfaces was not very difficult (OR = 2.14) or not difficult at all (OR = 2.49).
Conclusions These findings suggest that future campaigns to promote preventive health behaviour in the public should consider communicating evidence-based information concerning the effectiveness of the recommended preventive behaviour, comparing the emerging epidemic with prior local outbreaks, and not overplaying the seriousness of the disease with fear tactics.
Objectif: Investiguer sur une meilleure pratique d’hygiène des mains en réponse à la pandémie de grippe A/H1N1 (pH1N1) et les facteurs psychosociaux associés dans la population générale taïwanaise.
Méthodes: Un sondage téléphonique national à l’aide de la composition aléatoire des numéros a été mené du 28 au 30 octobre 2009 à Taiwan, résultant en un échantillon final de 1079 participants âgés de 15 ans ou plus.
Résultats: 77% ont déclaré qu’ils ont pratiqué une meilleure hygiène des mains lors de l’épidémie pH1N1. Une analyse de régression logistique multivariée a montré que l’amélioration de l’hygiène des mains a été associée à des croyances de santé que le virus pH1N1 était plus transmissible que la grippe aviaire (OR = 1,42); que le virus pH1N1 était légèrement plus sévère à Taiwan par rapport à d’autres pays (OR = 1,59), que le lavage des mains était très efficace dans la prévention de la grippe pH1N1 (OR = 3,12) et que le lavage des mains après un contact éventuellement avec des sujets ou des surfaces contaminés par pH1N1 n’était pas très difficile (OR = 2,14) ou pas du tout difficile (OR = 2,49).
Conclusions: Ces résultats suggèrent que les campagnes futures visant à promouvoir les comportements de santé préventive dans le secteur public devraient envisager de communiquer des informations factuelles concernant l’efficacité du comportement préventif recommandé, en comparant l’épidémie émergente avec des épidémies locales antérieures et ne pas surjouer sur la gravité de la maladie avec des tactiques de peur.
Objetivo: Investigar la mejoría en la práctica de higiene de manos como respuesta a la pandemia de influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) y los factores psicosociales asociados en la población general de Taiwan.
Métodos: Estudio telefónico a nivel nacional utilizando una numeración elegida al azar realizado entre el 28 y 30 de Octubre del 2009 en Taiwan, con una muestra final de 1,079 participantes de 15 años o mayores.
Resultados: Un 77% reportó que durante la epidemia de pH1N1 practicaron una mejor higiene de manos. Un análisis de regresión logística multivariada mostró que una mejor práctica de higiene de manos estaba asociada con la creencia de que el pH1N1 era más transmisible que la gripe aviar (OR = 1.42); que el pH1N1 era un poco más severo en Taiwan comparado con otros países (OR = 1.59); que el lavado de manos era muy efectivo para la prevención del pH1N1 (OR = 3.12), y que el lavado de manos después del contacto con objetos/superficies posiblemente contaminadas con pH1N1 no era difícil (OR = 2.14) o para nada difícil (OR = 2.49).
Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos sugieren que las campañas futuras para promover un comportamiento sanitario preventivo entre el público deberían incluir información basada en la evidencia sobre la efectividad del comportamiento preventivo, comparando la epidemia emergente con brotes locales anteriores, y no exagerando la seriedad de la enfermedad, con tácticas basadas en el miedo
Pandemic influenza H1N1 vaccination intention: psychosocial determinants and implications from a national survey, Taiwan.
No full textAbstract
BACKGROUND:
Vaccination has been recommended as an effective way to protect people from severe illness during influenza pandemics; however, little is known about the acceptability and psychosocial determinants of intention to receive vaccination against pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1).
METHODS:
A national computer-assisted telephone interview survey using random digit dialing was conducted during 28-30 October 2009 among residents of Taiwan aged ≥15 years.
RESULTS:
Of the 1079 participants interviewed, 70.1% reported intention to receive pH1N1 vaccination. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that participants who perceived pH1N1 in Taiwan to be much more severe than that in other countries [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.05-3.60], who agreed (AOR=2.44; 95% CI=1.30-4.58) or strongly agreed (AOR=2.53; 95% CI=1.38-4.65) that contracting pH1N1 would have a great impact on their daily life, who perceived pH1N1 vaccination to be very effective in preventing pH1N1 (AOR=2.64; 95% CI=1.61-4.33) and who considered receiving vaccination not very difficult (AOR=8.97; 95% CI=6.05-13.29) or not at all difficult (AOR=30.72; 95% CI=19.24-49.04) were more inclined towards getting vaccinated against pH1N1.
CONCLUSION:
These specific and modifiable health beliefs have practical implications for prevention and policy making, and highlight the importance of minimizing perceived barriers while convincing the public of the seriousness of the disease and effectiveness of vaccination when promoting vaccination programmes
Dynamic interaction of an elastic container with fluid
No full textThe vibration analysis of an elastic container with partially filled fluid was investigated in this paper. The container is made of a thin cylinder and two circular plates at the ends. The axis of the cylinder is in the horizontal direction. It is difficult to solve this problem because the complex system is not axially symmetric. The equations of motion for this system were derived. An incompressible and ideal fluid model is used in the present work. Solutions of the equations were obtained by the generalized variational method. The solution was expressed in a series of normalized generalized Fourier's functions. This series converged rapidly, and so its approximate solution was obtained with high precision. The agreement of the calculated values with the experimental result is good. It should be mentioned that with our method, the computer time is less than that with the finite-element method
Evaluation of management factors affecting the relative success of a Brook Trout eradication program using YY male fish and electrofishing suppression
Full text linkRemoval of non-native fish populations can be crucial to the conservation of native species, but often presents a complex challenge for managers. The goal of Trojan Y chromosome (TYC) programs is to skew the non-native sex ratio until only males remain, leading to eradication. We present results from a simulation model used to explore effects of alternative management approaches on an in-progress mechanical removal and TYC program to eradicate non-native Brook Trout. Simulation results indicated that stocking fingerling YY males (~137 mm) was more effective than stocking catchable-sized YY males (~230 mm), although questions about inter-cohort competition warrant further investigation. Increasing the proportion of mature fingerling YY males reduced treatment time by increasing the number of YY male spawners and increasing density-dependent mortality on young, mature wild Brook Trout. Maximizing the spatial distribution of YY male releases may be crucial to program success but is also dependent upon immediate dispersal movements. Principles derived from our results can be broadly applied to the management of other aquatic invaded systems using TYC programs to eradicate non-native species.The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Wheat gluten hydrolysate potently stimulates peptide-YY secretion and suppresses food intake in rats
Full text linkThe study was aimed to compare the satiating effect of various protein hydrolysates in rats and examine the underlying mechanism associated with the satiety hormones. Food intake and portal satiety hormone levels were measured in rats. Enteroendocrine cell-lines were employed to study the direct effect of protein hydrolysates on gut hormone secretions. The results showed that oral preload of wheat gluten hydrolysate (WGH) suppressed food intake greater and longer than other hydrolysates. The portal peptide-YY levels in WGH-treated rats at 2 h and 3 h were higher than those in control- and lactalbumin hydrolysate (LAH)-treated rats. In a distal enteroendocrine cell model, WGH more potently stimulated glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion than LAH, and the effect was largely enhanced by pepsin/pancreatin digestion of WGH. These results suggest WGH is potent in activating enteroendocrine cells to release satiety hormones leading to the prolonged suppression of food intake
Block TERM factorization of block matrices
No full textReversible integer mapping (or integer transform) is a useful way to realize lossless coding, and this technique has been used for multi-component image compression in the new international image compression standard JPEG 2000. For any nonsingular linear transform of finite dimension, its integer transform can be implemented by factorizing the transform matrix into 3 triangular elementary reversible matrices (TERMs) or a series of single-row elementary reversible matrices (SERMs). To speed up and parallelize integer transforms, we study block TERM and SERM factorizations in this paper. First, to guarantee flexible scaling manners, the classical determinant (det) is generalized to a matrix function, DET, which is shown to have many important properties analogous to those of det. Then based on DET, a generic block TERM factorization, BLUS, is presented for any nonsingular block matrix. Our conclusions can cover the early optimal point factorizations and provide an efficient way to implement integer transforms for large matrices.Computer Science, Information SystemsSCI(E)3ARTICLE4421-4364
Local estimate on singular solution to scalar curvature equation
No full textAbstractIn this paper, we study the local behavior of a positive singular solution u near its singular points of the following equation: Δu(x)+d(x,Z)2Nun+2n−2=0inΩ⧹Z,u(x)>0andu∈C2inΩ⧹Z, where N is a positive integer, Ω is a bounded open domain in Rn, Z is a finite set of points, and d(x,Z) denotes the distance between x and Z
Attraction of Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to the semiochemical volatiles of stored rice materials
No full textIn order to explore the influence of stored cereal volatiles on the behavior of Sitophilus oryzae, the olfactory responses of adult rice weevils to the volatiles of different rice cultivars [Red brown rice (RBR), Daohuaxiangmi (DHXM), Baishuigongmi (BSGM), Yashuixinmi (YSXM), and white glutinous rice (WGR)] were studied using electroantennography (EAG) and behavioural bioassays in different types of olfactometers. S. oryzae showed significantly different preferences for these rice cultivars, in the order RBR > DHXM = YSXM >= BSGM > WGR. Furthermore, 26 components were identified in the volatile profile of RBR. Nonanal (29.37%), hexanal (16.08%), and 1-octen-3-ol (8.83%) were the most abundant compounds. EAG recordings showed that the antennae of S. oryzae were able to perceive these three compounds in a dose-dependent manner. The compounds elicited significant EAG responses at various concentrations, with the strongest responses at 100 mu g mu L-1. S. oryzae had a significant positive behavioural response to nonanal, hexanal, and 1-octen-3-ol at various concentrations, with the most attractive being 50, 100, and 100 mu g mu L-1, respectively. The olfactory preferences of S. oryzae, based on a comparison of these compounds at their optimal concentrations, were nonanal > 1-octen-3-ol = hexanal. These results indicated that the volatiles of the preferred rice cultivar (RBR) were perceived by the peripheral olfactory system of S. oryzae adults and individually elicited positive chemotaxis. These findings offer new insights into the mechanism of host preferences of stored-grain pests. Nonanal showed the greatest potential for use as a novel monitoring and control tool against this storage-beetle pest
Evaluation and analysis of impact of subsidies on small scale renewable energy technologies dissemination: a case study of Nepal
Full text linkThe report has analysed the status of rural electrification using renewable energy technologies (RETs) and the current subsidy delivery modality of RETs in Nepal. As the Government of Nepal is subsidizing small scale renewable energy projects, it is important to evaluate and analyse the programme to make sure that a programme is running in an effective and efficient way while reaching the target group.
During the course of the research, primary information collected from the field has been compiled using appropriate tools/software (such as MS Office) and analyzed. Different sets of questionnaires were prepared, targeting different personnel ranging from the users’ level to the government policy level. The field survey methods include field observations of RETs installations and operations along with interviews with selected users on a random sampling basis to identify barriers to subsidy delivery and possible measures to overcome these barriers; to determine user satisfaction level and time period for subsidy delivery mechanisms.
The report started with the country background information and the rationale behind the study. This is followed by the literature review and information on the current status of small scale RETs in the country. Next it deals with the organizational structure and current subsidy delivery modality of RETs in the country. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the subsidy with the current subsidy delivery modality has been analyzed based on six parameters; Targets and Achievements, Impact of RETs, Subsidy Delivery System Efficiency, Transparency, Sustainability and Effectiveness.
The research shows that the subsidized government program has been successful in achieving its goal to provide basic energy services in rural areas through RETs in terms of its quantitative target. Although the subsidized program is successful in electrifying the rural communities via RETs, the poorest of the poor families are still excluded from the subsidy. The program seems to benefit more the rich and upper middle class families rather than the poor families for which the subsidy was intended. The high capital cost and long subsidy delivery process are the main important reasons for this failure. The author has proposed a new modality which might overcome the time barriers and bureaucratic process in the subsidy delivery mechanism and will decrease the lead time. This will in turn help to reduce the operational cost of the private companies and will encourage more players to enter the market, increase competition and result in lower system costs.
After identifying gaps in the current subsidy delivery modality, the project report ends with the recommendation of a new modality improving the current modality and filling the gaps identified. As this study has some limitations, as described in chapter one, the scope of further works has been listed at the end
Polymorphisms and mutations of the folate receptor-alpha gene and risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population
No full textFolate deficiency is associated with increased risk of many human diseases including several cancers. Folate receptor-alpha (FR-alpha) plays an important role in mediating influx of folates into cells and its expression can be induced by some environmental risk factors. Our previous study showed that decreased expression of FR-alpha Occurs in human gastric cancer cell lines. In order to reveal the molecular mechanism of the difference of FR-alpha expression among these cell lines and analyze the relation between the mutations or/and polymorphisms of FR-alpha gene and gastric cancer, we screened the mutations of global FR-alpha gene in 12 gastric cancer cell lines and 28 gastric tumors and matched normal tissues by using PCR-DHPLC and DNA sequencing techniques, then further checked the exon2 of FR-alpha gene in 138 gastric tumors and matched normal tissues. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between two polymorphisms of FR-alpha A1314G and C1816delC and risk for gastric cancer in 296 cases and 354 age and sex-matched controls in northern China. We found that the allele frequency of FR-alpha 1314A among cases was 7 significantly higher than that among controls (0.186 vs. 0.143, P=0.014). Subjects with the A/G and A/A genotype had an increased risk for developing Gastric cancer compared with the G/G genotype (OR=1.55; 95% CI=1.10-2.17). These results support the hypothesis that genetic polymorphism in the FR-alpha gene may contribute to susceptibility to carcinogenesis of the gastric cancer in the at-risk Chinese population.Medicine, Research & ExperimentalSCI(E)PubMed6ARTICLE4627-6321
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