Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Metaphoric Perceptions of School of Physical Education and Sport Students to the Concept “Computers Education”

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to perceptions of the School of Physical Education and Sport students related to the concept of “computer education” through metaphor. This study was conducted with the participation of 118 (mean age: 19.92±1.54) students from School of Physical Education and Sport. In order to collect data participants, students were asked to fill the gaps in the phrase of “computer education is like..........; because.............”. SPSS package program was used for statistical analyses. According to the results, overall, participants produced 73 valid metaphors. These metaphors are collected based 8 different catagories in terms of common features. Findings of this study, metaphors can be used as a powerful research tool in the understanding of personel perceptions of computer education concept has been concluded

Effects of dynamic stretches on Isokinetic hamstring and Quadriceps femoris muscle strength in elite female soccer players

This study investigated the effects of dynamic stretches on isokinetic hamstring (H) strength, quadriceps femoris (Q) strength, and the H/Q ratio in elite female soccer players. Fifteen elite female soccer players (age: 22.13±2.69; height: 164.53±7.57; weight: 57.8±7.86) participated in the study. The length of the lower extremity and the circumference of the thigh were measured for each subject. On different days, isokinetic muscle strength of the participants was measured twice using a Biodex dynamometer and concentric/concentric 60˚/s, 180˚/s and 300˚/s test protocols. Knee flexion-extension range of motion (ROM) was measured using goniometry at two different times. After a non-stretching warm-up, the peak torque (PT) of the H and Q muscles at 60˚/s, 180˚/s and 300˚/s were measured. The H/Q ratios were calculated for 60˚/s, 180˚/s and 300˚/s. In addition, the PT values for the latter were calculated after dynamic stretches for H and for Q. Comparisons between the H and Q measurements showed a significant difference between peak torques, H/Q ratios, and ROM (p<0.01). In conclusion, dynamic stretches have positive effects on muscle strength, H/Q ratios and ROM. Therefore, dynamic stretches may increase performance and reduce the risk of injury to athletes.Keywords: Quadriceps; Hamstrings; Muscles Isokinetic; Dynamic stretchesSouth African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 2012, 34(2): 15-25

The postgraduate students’ (masters, PhD) metaphors about education of statistic

Statistics is an important part of our life when it comes to economy, education, sport, politics and research. Research is a primary job for the ones pursuing academic career and statistics is one of the basic components of a research. Metaphor is used as an equivalent to figurative expression (‘mecaz’ in Turkish language). Study group is composed of 19 females (age 27.7) and 40 males (age 30.85) - 59 students in total. Demographic information of participants was collected. Participants were provided with questionnaire in order to assess their metaphorical creation whereby they were asked to fill in the sentence - “statistics is like/ similar to …, because…” - with metaphor. The study has collected total of 59 metaphors in 6 categories. The most created metaphor is in ‘discovering/ revealing’ category. 42.5% of Master’s students and 25% of PhD students are in this category. Metaphors created by graduate students are representing their views about statistics course and hence their view about importance of research. The category ‘discovering/ revealing’, the one with the most created metaphor of this study, is the main concept of science. Consequently, good knowledge of statistics is needed for graduate students to conduct research

The postgraduate students’ (masters, PhD) metaphors about education of statistic

Statistics is an important part of our life when it comes to economy, education, sport, politics and research. Research is a primary job for the ones pursuing academic career and statistics is one of the basic components of a research. Metaphor is used as an equivalent to figurative expression (‘mecaz’ in Turkish language). Study group is composed of 19 females (age 27.7) and 40 males (age 30.85) - 59 students in total. Demographic information of participants was collected. Participants were provided with questionnaire in order to assess their metaphorical creation whereby they were asked to fill in the sentence - “statistics is like/ similar to …, because…” - with metaphor. The study has collected total of 59 metaphors in 6 categories. The most created metaphor is in ‘discovering/ revealing’ category. 42.5% of Master’s students and 25% of PhD students are in this category. Metaphors created by graduate students are representing their views about statistics course and hence their view about importance of research. The category ‘discovering/ revealing’, the one with the most created metaphor of this study, is the main concept of science. Consequently, good knowledge of statistics is needed for graduate students to conduct research

Ischemia-modified Albumin Levels In Professional Male Soccer Players Before And After Training

Özbek, Aydın/0000-0001-5864-8166; Colak, Serap/0000-0003-3093-0607; Colak, Tuncay/0000-0002-9483-3243Objectives: The ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) test is a promising indicator of myocardial ischemia in the early diagnosis of the acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Recent studies examining alterations in IMA levels caused by myocardial ischemia that develops during exercise have shown contradictory results. There has been an increase in severe exercise-related cardiac events in football. We therefore, assessed IMA levels before and after exercise in professional soccer players in order to examine the effect of the exercise on IMA levels. Methods: Blood was collected from professional soccer players before and after exercise. IMA levels were measured by using spectrophotometric methods, and the albumin levels were measured in an autoanalyzer. Results: The average pre- and post exercise IMA levels of 16 soccer players were found to be 0.438 +/- 0.071 and 0.386 +/- 0.069, respectively. The pre-and post exercise albumin levels of the same group were 4.08 +/- 0.20 g/dL and 4.21 +/- 0.19 g/dL, respectively. There was a strong negative correlation between post exercise IMA and albumin levels, which was statistically significant (r = -0.535. p = 0.033). Conclusion: IMA levels should be examined not only in non-cardiac pathologies, but also in specific serum albumin concentrations and in individuals practicing vigorous sport activities

The Palu-Uluova Strike-Slip Basin in the East Anatolian Fault System, Turkey: Its Transition from the Palaeotectonic to Neotectonic Stage

The East Anatolian fault system (EAFS) is the 80-km-wide, 700-km-long, NE-trending sinistral strike-slip fault system forming a seismically very active intracontinental transfom fault boundary. It is located between Karhova County in the northeast and Karatas-Samandag counties in the southwest, and forms the southeastern boundary of the Anatolian platelet. The Palu-Uluova basin is one of several strike-slip basins located along the EAFS. It is surrounded by several push-ups such as the Karaomerdagi, Mastardagi and Askerdagi push-ups caused by the complexities peculiar to strike-slip faulting. The Palu-Uluova basin consists of three sub-sections: two are NE-trending strike-slip sub-basins, the Uluova and the Palu-Kumyazi sub-basins, while the third is a ramp basin, the E-W-trending Yolustu basin which links the earlier two sub-basins. The Palu-Uluova basin is characterized and shaped by a 130-m-thick neotectonic basin infill (Palu Formation) and a series of bounding strike-slip fault zones such as the Sivrice, Adiyaman, Uluova, Elazig, Pertek and Yolustu fault zones. The Palu Formation is an undeformed fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary sequence. The youngest palaeotectonic rock-stratigraphic unit is the Upper Miocene-Lower Pliocene caybagi Formation, deposited in a ramp type of intermontane basin bounded and controlled by the reverse faults. The caybagi Formation is intensely deformed (steeply tilted, folded and thrust to reverse-faulted) on a regional (mappable) scale. The compressional deformation pattern of the Caybagi Formation is truncated, sealed and overlain with angular unconformity by the nearly horizontal undeformed Plio-Quaternary Palu Formation. This regional angular unconformity reflects: (a) a series of pre-Late Pliocene regional tectonic inversions (e.g., type of the tectonic regime, style of deformation and nature of magmatic activity), and (b) the timing of the major transition from the folding and thrust to reverse faulting-dominated palaeotectonic period into the strike-slip faulting-dominated neotectonic period is Late Pliocene

Solid phase extractive preconcentration of trace metals using p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene-1,2-crown-4-anchored chloromethylated polymeric resin beads

5,11,17,23-Tetrakis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-25,26-dihydroxy-27,28-crown-4-calix[4]arene in the cone conformation was synthesized. This p-tertbutylcalix[4]arene-1,2-crown-4 compound was then anchored with Merrifield chloromethylated resin beads. The modified polymeric resin was characterized by H-1 NMR, FT-IR and elemental analysis and used successfully for the separation and preconcentration of Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) prior to their determination by FAAS. Effective extraction conditions were optimized in both batch and column methods. The resin exhibits good separating ability with maximum between pH 6.0-7.0 for Cu(II), pH 6.0 for Cd(II), pH 5.0 for Co(II), pH 4.0-4.5 for Ni(II), and pH 4.5 for Zn(H). The elution studies were carried out with 0.5 mol L-1 HCL for Cu(II), Co(II) and Co(II), 1.0 mol L-1 HCl for Cd(II) and Zn(II). The sorption capacity, preconcentration factor and distribution coefficient of each metal ion were determined. The detection limits were 1.10, 1.25, 1.83, 1.68 and 2.01 mu g L-1 for Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II). The influence of several ions on the resin performance was also investigated. The validity of the proposed method was checked for these metal ions in NIST standard reference material 2709 (San Joaquin Soil) and 2711 (Montana Soil). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved