The effects of an individual, multistep intervention on adherence to treatment in hemodialysis patients

Purpose: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of individual, multistep intervention on adherence to treatment in hemodialysis patients referred to a hemodialysis center in Shahrekord, Iran. Method: In this interventional study, hemodialysis patients referring the center of the study were randomly assigned into two control and intervention groups (each 33). The control group received routine treatment, recommended dietary and fluid restrictions. The intervention group participated in eight individual interventional sessions accompanied routine treatment. At the beginning and the end of the study, routine laboratory tests and end-stage renal disease-adherence questionnaire were filled out for patients in both groups. The data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. Results: At the end of the study, the two groups showed a significant difference in all domains of adherence except adherence to diet and adherence was better in the intervention group (p < 0.05). In demographic characteristic, only age indicated a positive correlation with adherence to dialysis program (p = 0.04, r = 0.254). After intervention, serum phosphorus decreased significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Adherence to treatment is one of the major problems in hemodialysis patients; however, comprehensive interventions are required in view of individual condition. ▸ Implications for Rehabilitation • Adherence to treatment means that all patients behaviors (diet, fluids and drugs intake) should be in line with the recommendations given by healthcare professionals. • There is evidence on the association between adherence to treatment and decreased risk of hospitalization in dialysis patients. • Individual structured programs are most likely to be successful in encouraging adherence to treatment. © 2015 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved

Simulation of Traffic Flow Model with Traffic Controller Boundary

This paper considers a fluid dynamic traffic flow model appended with a closure linear velocity-density relationship which provides a first order hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) and is treated as an initial boundary value problem (IBVP). We consider the boundary value in such a way that one side of highway treat like there is a traffic controller at that point. We present the analytic solution of the traffic flow model as a Cauchy problem. A numerical simulation of the traffic flow model (IBVP) is performed based on a finite difference scheme for the model with two sided boundary conditions and a suitable numerical scheme for this is the Lax-Friedrichs scheme. Solution figure from our scheme indicates a desired result that amplitude and frequency of cars density and velocity reduces as time grows. Also at traffic controller point, velocity and density values change as desired manner. In further, we also want to introduce anisotropic behavior of cars(to get more realistic picture) which has not been considered here. Doi: 10.12777/ijse.5.1.25-30 [How to cite this article: Sultana, N., Parvin, M. , Sarker, R., Andallah, L.S. (2013). Simulation of Traffic Flow Model with Traffic Controller Boundary. International Journal of Science and Engineering, 5(1),25-30. Doi: 10.12777/ijse.5.1.25-30

The efficacy of group hiking on some physical health indexes and quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients: A randomized clinical trial

زمینه و هدف: بیماران مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی مزمن تحت درمان با برخی داروهای آنتی سایکوتیک از اختلالات متابولیکی رنج می برند. هدف از مطالعه حاضر، تعیین تأثیر پیاده روی گروهی در طبیعت بر برخی شاخص های سلامت جسمی و کیفیت زندگی بیماران بستری مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی بود. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی، 62 بیمار مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی مزمن بستری در بیمارستان روانپزشکی سینای شهر جونقان به صورت تصادفی در دو گروه کنترل (30 نفر) و مداخله (32 نفر) قرار گرفتند. گروه کنترل درمان روتین و گروه مداخله علاوه بر درمان روتین، در برنامه پیاده روی در طبیعت، هر روز صبح به مدت 90 دقیقه برای دو ماه شرکت کردند. در ابتدا و انتهای مطالعه، تری گلیسرید، کلسترول، قند خون ناشتا، شاخص توده بدنی و کیفیت زندگی در دو گروه ارزیابی و مقایسه شد. یافته ها: در ابتدای مطالعه، تفاوت معنی داری در میانگین کیفیت زندگی در دو گروه وجود نداشت (09/0P=)؛ اما پس از مداخله، کیفیت زندگی در گروه پیاده روی به شکل معنی داری ارتقاء یافت. میانگین نمره کلی کیفیت زندگی در گروه پیاده روی در ابتدای مطالعه 26/11±69/81 و در پایان مطالعه 93/10±62/77 بود (001/0

Validity and worth in the science curriculum: learning school science outside the laboratory

It is widely acknowledged that there are problems with school science in many developed countries of the world. Such problems manifest themselves in a progressive decline in pupil enthusiasm for school science across the secondary age range and the fact that fewer students are choosing to study the physical sciences at higher levels and as careers. Responses to these developments have included proposals to reform the curriculum, pedagogy and the nature of pupil discussion in science lessons. We support such changes but argue from a consideration of the aims of science education that secondary school science is too rooted in the science laboratory; substantially greater use needs to be made of out-of-school sites for the teaching of science. Such usage should result in a school science education that is more valid and more motivating and is better at fulfilling defensible aims of school science education. Our contention is that laboratory-based school science teaching needs to be complemented by out-of-school science learning that draws on the actual world (e.g. through fieldtrips), the presented world (e.g. in science centres, botanic gardens, zoos and science museums) and the virtual worlds that are increasingly available through information and communications technologies (ICT)

The Suppressor of AAC2 Lethality SAL1 Modulates Sensitivity of Heterologously Expressed Artemia ADP/ATP Carrier to Bongkrekate in Yeast

The ADP/ATP carrier protein (AAC) expressed in Artemia franciscana is refractory to bongkrekate. We generated two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae where AAC1 and AAC3 were inactivated and the AAC2 isoform was replaced with Artemia AAC containing a hemagglutinin tag (ArAAC-HA). In one of the strains the suppressor of ΔAAC2 lethality, SAL1, was also inactivated but a plasmid coding for yeast AAC2 was included, because the ArAACΔsal1Δ strain was lethal. In both strains ArAAC-HA was expressed and correctly localized to the mitochondria. Peptide sequencing of ArAAC expressed in Artemia and that expressed in the modified yeasts revealed identical amino acid sequences. The isolated mitochondria from both modified strains developed 85% of the membrane potential attained by mitochondria of control strains, and addition of ADP yielded bongkrekate-sensitive depolarizations implying acquired sensitivity of ArAAC-mediated adenine nucleotide exchange to this poison, independent from SAL1. However, growth of ArAAC-expressing yeasts in glycerol-containing media was arrested by bongkrekate only in the presence of SAL1. We conclude that the mitochondrial environment of yeasts relying on respiratory growth conferred sensitivity of ArAAC to bongkrekate in a SAL1-dependent manner. © 2013 Wysocka-Kapcinska et al

Perinatal mental ill health - the experiences of women from ethnic minority groups

This study aimed to investigate ethnic minority women’s experiences and opinions of perinatal mental health problems and the provision of perinatal mental health support services. An exploratory survey was undertaken using a questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a simple thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. A total of 51 responses from women of 14 different ethnic minority backgrounds were analysed. Women from minority ethnic groups face barriers to seeking help for perinatal mental ill health as a result of ongoing stigma and the poor attitudes and behaviours of health professionals and inappropriately designed services. Future interventions should focus on providing adequate cultural competency for health care professionals and ensure that all women are able to access culturally appropriate spaces to talk and be listened to within community settings and wider services

Plant functioning in a changing global atmosphere

Editorial, Plant Biology, Volume 22, Issue S1, Special Issue: Plant Functioning in a Changing Global Atmoshphere

EVALUATING THE RESEARCH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS: AN EVALUATIVE STUDY

This research paper highlights the top twenty research funding agencies of the world in the discipline of Information Science and Library Information Science. The citation analysis method has been adopted for the present study and used the database Web of Science and InCites. The aim of this research paper is to make aware research scholars, faculty members, LIS professional and Practitioners, and policymakers about the various National and International top-level funding agencies available to fund their research proposals. The research and academic fraternity and particularly the library professionals who always face problems to get funds to work on any project will able to start new research with innovative ideas with the help of research grant. The finding of the study gives the insight of top-level research funding data with publication ratio of funded research publications in both Open and Closed access journals covered by WoS and InCites bibliographic Database. This paper also focused on the collaboration pattern of funded research publications