Knowledge Of Different Aspects Research Articles

Nurses’ knowledge and perceptions about osteoporosis: A questionnaire survey

Background Knowledge about a disease provides professionals involved in its prevention and treatment with the information to make informed decisions about health practices. Gaps of knowledge regarding osteoporosis prevention and treatment have been found among different health professionals over the world, including nurses. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess a wider variety of aspects related to nurses’ knowledge and attitudes regarding osteoporosis. Design A cross-sectional research design was used. Settings Two academic centers in the northern part of Israel. Participants A convenience sample of 158 registered nurses (mean age=39±10.3), attending classes at two academic centers. Methods Data were collected using a self-administered survey. Results Nurses were positive about their role and their skills for osteoporosis management, yet subjective and objective knowledge in different aspects of the disease was moderate. The average score of knowledge regarding risk factors for osteoporosis, as assessed by the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOOQ), was 17 (SD=3) out of 24, with female nurses, nurses working in Health Maintenance Organizations—HMOs, and nurses who underwent a bone density measurement scoring higher ( p< 0.05). Conclusions Nurses believed they have an important role in educating the public on osteoporosis prevention and management. Yet, their knowledge on different issues (e.g. signs of the disease, medication, and lifestyle issues) was only moderate. The only osteoporosis-related aspect they reported being confident about was advising on fall prevention. Measures should be taken in order to expand nurses’ knowledge, such as education programs and postgraduate courses.

Quality prediction of bakery products in the initial phase of process design

The development of food production processes is facilitated by tools which explore the interaction between process design, operation conditions and product characteristics. In this work an approach how to set-up a simulation model is presented for the phenomena and transformations which occur during baking and which fix the product quality. The simulation model has three consecutive parts: mass and heat transport in the product, transformations concerning starch state transition and color, and the formation of quality attributes (color, softness, crispness and staling). The model for mass and heat transfer is based on laws of conservation and expressed in partial differential equations for spatial products. The starch state transition and color formation are a mixture of qualitative and quantitative information, while the product quality model is mainly based on qualitative information. The model is applied to three bakery products: bread, biscuit and a cake-type. The results show that the model estimates the product quality and its transformations as a function of dough composition, baking and storage condition. The results fit well to observed changes of properties and product quality during baking. Food industries require tools to evaluate processing options in the feasibility phase of process design. Therefore, simulation of process models is important for this purpose. However, knowledge of different aspects is subject to area of expertise (for example heat and mass transfer versus product quality formation) and often these areas are hardly connected. This work presents a systematic modeling approach for the dominant processes during baking and their interconnection. The main functions of the model are to explore the consequences of choices in design, to rank design options and to find in what direction properties will change when operational conditions change. Moreover, the model can be used for sensitivity analysis to explore on what items further information must be gathered.

Dedication of the Third Issue of &amp;#x2018;Current Alzheimer Research&amp;#x2019; to President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

Alzheimers disease (AD) respects not privilege, rank, nor fame. It is among the great equalizers that strike where they will and reveal the fundamental human unity we all share. In November of 1994, the world was shown this when Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States of America, announced that he had been diagnosed as a likely case of AD [1]. As of June of 2004, his long struggle has ended. He announced his diagnosis already having weathered ridicule based upon worn-out prejudices regarding age and mental capacity. His publication of his AD diagnosis takes on all the more meaning in such light-even though Mr. Reagan had already experienced the stereotypes many elderly have to endure regarding their mental competency, he stepped up and willingly became a target and a banner. In association with the Alzheimers Association, Mr. and Mrs. Reagan formed the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute in 1995, dedicated specifically to funding basic science research on mechanisms and molecules associated or potentially linked with AD [2]. Nancy Reagan has since been tireless as an advocate of AD research, including speaking publicly at a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in favor of US government support of stem cell research [3], a stand which may have put her at odds with long-term political allies. Their daughter, Maureen Reagan, was committed to the cause of AD research, serving as a board member for the Alzheimers Association from 1999 to her death from melanoma in 2001. Her duties were taken up by her husband, continuing the Reagan family legacy of support for AD research. She has also testified before the US Congress regarding AD and served as an honorary chair for the Alzheimers Associations Memory Walk from 1997 to 2000. In 2000 she received the Alzheimers Associations Distinguished Service Award [2]. Ronald Reagan was diagnosed in his eighth decade of life and managed to survive nearly a decade with the condition. This is more than double the median survival time after diagnosis reported for male patients in one recent study [4]. While this may point to what can currently be done when a patient fully acknowledges and seeks treatment for AD as soon as a diagnosis is reached, it also should bring to mind that current treatments, which slow but neither halt nor reverse AD progression, cannot lift the significant burden that AD puts on caregivers [4, 5]. This burden is not merely financial, but is, in the words of Nancy Reagan, “a truly long, long good-bye” [6]. In essence, a caregiver must deal with watching a loved one die twice: “There are so many memories I can no longer share, which makes it very difficult. When it comes right down to it, youre in it alone.”[6] Currently available treatments do no more than postpone the sentence that AD inflicts on its victims. We as AD researchers are caught short and humbled by every decline due to AD and the part the disease plays in a patients death, and more especially, the inevitability of ADs progression, even with complete access to the best therapies we have been able to offer. Indeed, in an ultimate sense, AD can be said to not only give no respect to rank, but precious little to treatment. It is this basic shortcoming of our current methods that saddens us most regarding the decline and death of Ronald Reagan, that it was inevitable despite our best efforts. This is not to say there is no hope. Tremendous research is currently underway in basic science and clinical settings to understand the pathobiology, genetics, and patient care issues of AD in order to find novel strategies for treatment of Alzheimers disease. To this end, a new journal, Current Alzheimer Research, has been started. This peer-reviewed research journal “is meant to disseminate up-to-date knowledge in different aspects of current AD research” [7]. Nevertheless, the difficulties they faced only served to drive Mr. Reagan and his family to redouble their efforts to see to it that researchers received the funding needed and the public receive the education needed to deal with Alzheimers disease, not only as a current problem, but to seek its causes, seek more effective treatments, and possibly find a means to eradicating it. Therefore, we dedicate this, the third issue of Current Alzheimer Research, to Ronald W. Reagan, 40th president of the United States of America and unashamed AD patient, to Mrs. Nancy Reagan, AD caregiver, survivor, and advocate, and to Ms. Maureen Reagan.

The Devonian of western Canada -- aspects of a petroleum system: Introduction

This special volume of the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology has two objectives. Firstly, it gathers together contributions which represent recent advances in our understanding of the Devonian of western Canada. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly from the perspective of the petroleum geologist, it summarizes our current knowledge of different aspects of the western Canadian Devonian as a petroleum system. As such, it seeks to augment previous contributions to this discipline, including the most recent Symposium on the Devonian System (McMillan et al., 1989). As editors, we sought to collect as broad a range of papers on western Canadian petroleum geology as possible. While not exhaustive in scope, we believe this volume covers enough ground to be of interest to earth scientists and petroleum geoscientists in particular. As Canadian geoscientists, we can take pride in the amount, and quality, of work that has been done on our Devonian petroleum system. The availability of high quality data, both in the subsurface and outcrop, makes these strata an important laboratory for scientific concepts and, given the region’s status as a world-class hydrocarbon basin, serves as a data-rich analogue for explorationists pursuing carbonate plays in other basins. The contribution by Root adds to our knowledge of the tectonic history of our Devonian basin. It provides data on basin evolution which, until now, has mostly been the subject of speculation. It will also allow us to see the role of Antler tectonism north of the 49th parallel in a different light. Potma et al. describe in detail the sequence stratigraphic model for the late Givetian-Frasnian of the Alberta Basin (Fig. 1⇓) they first presented in 1992 (e.g. Wong et al., 1992). Third-order depositional sequences are correlated across the basin, from the subsurface to the mountain outcrop …

Information technology decision support and business process change in the USA

Decision making and the nature of decisions themselves are changing with the introduction of new information technology (IT)-based systems in the construction industry. The use of IT systems relates to and can induce changes in business processes within firms as well as interorganizational project processes between firms. In the USA, some of the world's largest hardware and soft-ware producers are developing new generations of systems. The market for such systems is potentially large, and these vendors work in close proximity to powerful engineering and construction organizations as well as leading research establishments. It is likely that some of these systems will become de facto standards. For this and other reasons of industrial competitiveness, developments in US IT decision support systems are of interest to practitioners and researchers around the world. The present paper presents the findings of a UK Department of Trade and Industry Expert Mission to assess the development and use of IT systems in the US construction industry. The mission team included seven members, each with specialist knowledge of different aspects of IT development and implementation. The team visited 18 leading organizations where detailed interviews and seminars were conducted during a 2-week period. The present paper highlights questions for researchers and systems developers. The main findings indicate fundamental changes to the timing, sequence and hierarchy of decision making.

Information technology decision support and business process change in the USA

Decision making and the nature of decisions themselves are changing with the introduction of new information technology (IT)‐based systems in the construction industry. The use of IT systems relates to and can induce changes in business processes within firms as well as interorganizational project processes between firms. In the USA, some of the world's largest hardware and software producers are developing new generations of systems. The market for such systems is potentially large, and these vendors work in close proximity to powerful engineering and construction organizations as well as leading research establishments. It is likely that some of these systems will become de facto standards. For this and other reasons of industrial competitiveness, developments in US IT decision support systems are of interest to practitioners and researchers around the world. The present paper presents the findings of a UK Department of Trade and Industry Expert Mission to assess the development and use of IT systems in the US construction industry. The mission team included seven members, each with specialist knowledge of different aspects of IT development and implementation. The team visited 18 leading organizations where detailed interviews and seminars were conducted during a 2‐week period. The present paper highlights questions for researchers and systems developers. The main findings indicate fundamental changes to the timing, sequence and hierarchy of decision making.

A hybrid knowledge-based system for chemical incident management

A methodology for the diagnosis and management of the effects of small chemical releases into the environment is presented. This methodology, termed real world modelling by the authors, has been used to develop a prototypical knowledge-based system for managing such incidents. This system processes explicit knowledge of different aspects of the release, i.e. the geography of the release area, the nature and properties of released chemicals and the current weather conditions around the release site. These three areas act as separate modules controlled by a co-ordinating module which accesses the information held within them in producing recommendations on different aspects of the chemical release, including corrective action, evacuation and routing, hazard area identification, medical symptomatology persistency and risk assessment. The system has been developed in the logic programming language PROLOG and utilizes a synthesis of different knowledge representation methods, varying from modelling of simple databases to more complex aggregation and inheritance.

Understanding anger: Comment on Deffenbacher, Oetting, et al. (1996), Deffenbacher, Lynch, et al. (1996), and Kopper and Epperson (1996).

The articles in the Special Section (J. L. Deffenbacher, E. R. Oetting, et al., 1996; J. L. Deffenbacher, R. S. Lynch, et al., 1996; B. A. Kopper & D. L. Epperson, 1996) further our empirical knowledge of different aspects of anger. This comment discusses each study's contributions and offers suggestions for future research. In particular, it is argued that we have neglected to address the sociocultural context of anger and therefore need to conduct cross-cultural analyses of anger.

The development of mitochondrial medicine

I consider mitochondrial medicine a tentative designation for an area within clinical medicine still to be delineated. Its development extends over a period of 35 years, from its discovery in 1959 [1]. Progress had been gradual until recent years when it has become explosive in nature with extensions in many different directions. My presentation is an effort to illustrate this evolution with emphasis on especially important observations which by leaps advanced the area. We are fortunate to have here several of the distinguished investigators, who have contributed so much to those advances. They will share with us their deep knowledge in different aspects of mitochondrial medicine, what is known, what remains to be elucidated, and what the problems are to be encountered in that elucidation.

Nitrate transport in the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans

A significant progress in the knowledge of different aspects of nitrate transport in the unicellular cyanobacterium Anacystis (Synechococcus) has been achieved in the last few years. The main contributions of our group are summarized in this article and discussed in relation to other information available. Endergonic accumulation of nitrate into the cells, indicative of the operation of an active nitrate transport system, has been experimentally substantiated and methods established to evaluate and analyze the activity of the system. Nitrate transport activity is sensitive to regulation exerted by products of both ammonium and CO2 assimilation, thus providing evidence that photosynthetic nitrate assimilation in cyanobacteria is primarily controlled at the level of substrate supply to the cell. The expression of nitrate transport was also shown to be under nitrogen control, being repressed when ammonium is used as the nitrogen source. A 47‐kDa polypeptide, which is a major plasma membrane component in nitrate‐grown cells but is virtually absent in ammonium‐grown cells, was identified as an essential component of the nitrate transporter. More recently, evidence of a strict Na'‐dependence of active nitrate transport has been obtained, Δμ(Na+) appearing as the driving force of a sodium‐nitrate symport system. Kinetic studies indicate also that the nitrate transporter may transport nitrite into the cell.

Effects of Management Improvement on Production and Herd Health in the Largest Intensive Dairy Cattle Operation in Iran

There is a great demand for animal source protein, especially milk and its by products in developing countries including Iran.&#x0D; To partially cover this need, large numbers of registered and non registered Holstein dairy cattle have been imported to Iran mostly from America and Europe during the past two dicades.&#x0D; Meantime, the lack of knowledge in different aspects of efficient management and disease control, in addition, the sensitivity of the imported pure breed cattle to the existing pathogenic agents have caused noticeable damages to the dairy farms and national income.&#x0D; To eliminate the major problems and reveal the effects of sound management and disease control on efficiency of the dairy farms under local conditions, the present study was carried out in 13 Intensive Dairy Farms owned by the Mostazafan Foundation and run by its Department of Agriculture and Animal Production. The beneficial results however, could be applied as a guideline to increase the efficiency in dairy farms throughout the country.

Danish primary schoolteachers' knowledge about asthma: results of a questionnaire

We present an anonymous questionnaire inquiry involving 334 primary schoolteachers in the Randers area with the purpose of elucidating teachers' knowledge about asthma. To a series of statements about asthma, the teachers answered yes, no or don't know. A limited knowledge of different aspects of asthma in children was found, although 57% had asthma children in their classes. Specially limited was knowledge about medical treatment. Five percent had received proper instruction about asthma and had a significantly better knowledge of medical treatment (p less than 0.001-0.05). Only 57% knew that wheezing after physical exertion is a strong indicator of asthma and only 33% knew that exertion in cold weather increases the risk of an attack. It is recommended that instruction in children's diseases, especially asthma, is introduced in teacher training colleges.

Measuring the educational needs of doctors for training in child health surveillance

The educational needs of general practitioners and other doctors wishing to provide child health surveillance are unknown. This study determines the needs of doctors prior to attending a course in child health surveillance by testing their knowledge of childhood immunization, and by self assessment of their skills and knowledge in different aspects of surveillance. A child health surveillance course must cover a core content to enable participants to reach a required standard. Assessment of educational needs allows greater emphasis and time to be given to certain aspects, thus making the course of greater educational value and more relevant to the participant.

Availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptibility: Four attributes of African ethno-medicine

Many years of ethno-medical research in Africa have increased our knowledge of different aspects of indigenous medical systems. Like any other cultural system, indigenous medical systems have been undergoing changes over the years as African countries continue to experience tremendous alterations in their ecological systems, socio-economic activities, political and cultural life. These changes have had some impact on the practice of indigenous medicine in many parts of Africa. Compared with bio-medical services, ethno-medicine is usually characterized as more available, accessible, acceptable, and adaptable. This paper seeks to draw attention to the need to re-examine these attributes as applied to ethno-medical practices in contemporary Africa in view of the present rate of social change in most African countries.

Historical archaeology in abandoned nitrate “oficinas” in Northern Chile: A preliminary report

The present report forms part of a general program of interdisciplinary research conducted by an thropologists of the Department of History and Archaeology, Universidad del Norte, Antofagasta (Chile), concerned with man's relationship to the desert environment from as far back as possible up to the present. Scattered across the desert landscape of northern Chile are a series of archaeological phenomena or ruins known as the abandoned nitrate oficinas (refineries, settlements, "towns"). Historians, private collectors of "treasure," and those in terested in the purchase and sale of scrap metal and used building materials in general have paid them a great amount of attention, but their potential value for study through archaeology has been neglected. The reasons for this might be, partly that these oficinas reflect the very recent past of our own culture, and partly the idea that problems pertain ing to the nitrate industry, and the people who were involved in the work, can best be studied on the basis of documentary sources. As a matter of fact, considerable formal history has been written dealing with different aspects of the rise, boom, and decline of the nitrate industry in northern Chile (for an extensive bibliography, see Bermudez 1963). In Chile, the practice of historical archaeology is still largely associated with the reconstruction and restoration of monuments, and efforts to attack the historical past by archaeological techniques similar to those used in prehistory have not been made until quite recently. Interest in the abandoned ni trate settlements was raised, partly because their ruins form an important part of the desert land scape, difficult to ignore by anybody interested in the archaeology of the historic past, and partly be cause the results of exploratory archaeological work together with a survey of published historical records suggested that archaeological research would supplement much of our knowledge gained from the history books on the people who lived there. Furthermore, it was expected that archaeolo gy would provide information not available in the written sources. Another incentive to initiate systematic investigations was the discovery that many former residents of the mining settlements are still alive, and that a great amount of unstudied archival material exists. The project has the multiple objectives of: 1) incoporating the abandoned mining settlements in to the archaeological records; 2) attempting to demonstrate that archaeology can effectively en large and enrich our knowledge of different aspects of life of the people who lived there, and 3) com bining the results of archaeological research with evidence obtained from historic records, ethnogra phy, interviews and correspondence with former residents. For purposes of comparison the authors also aim to conduct a "living archaeology" study in one of the only two nitrate settlements still functioning. As present interests are largely oriented toward the non-technologically-related aspects of be haviour, it has been preferred to use the term "his torical archaeology" rather than "industrial archaeology." The principal goals of this paper are: (1) first to present a summary of the preliminary results of a multi-stage project of investigation related to the abandoned nitrate oficinas situated in the II Region-Antofagasta (formerly Antofagasta prov ince), and (2) attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of archaeological techniques in conjunction with evidence from other disciplines as a means of recovering data pertinent to these settlements and their inhabitants.

Literature of Nutrition

THE scientific investigation of nutritional problems has attracted so many workers to this field that it is difficult for anyone to keep in touch with advances made in directions other than those in which he is immediately engaged. We therefore welcome the appearance of the first two parts of vol. 1 of Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews. This new journal is issued under the auspices of the Imperial Agricultural Bureaux Council, the Medical Research Council, and the Reid Library of the Rowett Institute, Aberdeen. The editors are Dr. J. B. Orr, Prof. J. J. R. Macleod, and Dr. Harriette Chick. The first number, a double one, contains 351 pages and 1334 abstracts. Reviews are contributed by Sir F. Gowland Hopkins on nutrition and human welfare, Prof. E. P. Cathcart on some of the difficulties in the quantitative assessment of human diets, and Dr. J. B. Orr on the qualitative aspects of nutrition, with special reference to farm animals. The journal will appear quarterly. Abstracts will be made from some 450 periodicals, and the reviews will be of two types, those of a general nature, stating a point of view, as in the present number, and others dealing exhaustively with the present state of knowledge of different aspects of the subject, giving a bibliography of the literature. A hearty welcome may be extended to the new journal, which will be invaluable to workers in this science and of great use as a work of reference.