scholarly journals An overview of sheep farming features and management practices in the region of south western Peloponnese and how they reflect on milk microbial load

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
E. MANOLOPOULOU ◽  
A. AKTYPIS ◽  
C. MATARA ◽  
P. TSIOMI ◽  
E. KONSTANTINOU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Ph Value ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Milk Quality ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Total Bacterial Count ◽  
Flock Size ◽  
North West ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

In this study the demographic features, various farm characteristics and milk quality parameters were investigated in sheep farms (n =128) from the North West Peloponnese region, using a prescreen questionnaire. The interviewed sheep farmers were under the control of the regional milk control laboratory of the Hellenic Milk Organization ELGO «Dimitra», which provided us with the corresponding milk quality data for the first quarter of 2014. Our findings regarding the demographic data demonstrated that 23% of farmers were 31-40 years old, 64% of them were high school graduates and 28% had received relevant farming general training; namely 17% of them has designated as “young farmers” in the frame of Third Axis of the Operational Program «Rural Development-Regeneration of the Countryside 2000-2006» and 11% have attended briefings by veterinarians and agriculturists. Ιn terms of farm characteristics, it has been revealed that the mean flock size was 148 sheep and regarding the farming system, the majority of the farms (89.15%) applied a mixed extensive / indoors system. Additionally, regarding building infrastructures and the way of milking, there was limited technological penetration, since the buildings were old-style (77%) and the milking procedure was performed by hands (83%). Concerning the milk composition, the measurements showed mean values of (%) content of fat, protein, lactose and non-fat dry matter (NFDM) at 6.54±0.88, 5.56±0.36, 4.59±0.23 and 10.95±0.42, respectively. Furthermore, the mean value of the total bacterial count (TBC) was found 5.38±0.55 log cfu/ml and the pH value at 6.71±0.11. In general, sheep farmers had a good perception of the integrated management and their prospect for sheep farming was optimistic. The impact of this study is that farmers increase their trust to the educational institutions and are prompted to become more receptive to new adaptive trends.

scholarly journals PRE- and POST-STORM LiDAR SURVEYS FOR ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON COASTAL EROSION

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W8 ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
A.-L. Montreuil ◽  
M. Chen ◽  
A. Esquerré ◽  
R. Houthuys ◽  
R. Moelans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Storm Surges ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Coastline Change ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Sustainable management of the coastal resources requires a better understanding of the processes that drive coastline change. The coastline is a highly dynamic sea-terrestrial interface. It is affected by forcing factors such as water levels, waves, winds, and the highest and most severe changes occur during storm surges. Extreme storms are drivers responsible for rapid and sometimes dramatic changes of the coastline. The consequences of the impacts from these events entail a broad range of social, economic and natural resource considerations from threats to humans, infrastructure and habitats. This study investigates the impact of a severe storm on coastline response on a sandy multi-barred beach at the Belgian coast. Airborne LiDAR surveys acquired pre- and post-storm covering an area larger than 1 km<sup>2</sup> were analyzed and reproducible monitoring solutions adapted to assess beach morphological changes were applied. Results indicated that the coast retreated by a maximum of 14.7 m where the embryo dunes in front of the fixed dunes were vanished and the foredune undercut. Storm surge and wave attacks were probably the most energetic there. However, the response of the coastline proxies associated with the mean high water line (MHW) and dunetoe (DuneT) was spatially variable. Based on the extracted beach features, good correlations (r>0.73) were found between coastline, berm and inner intertidal bar morphology, while it was weak with the most seaward bars covered in the surveys. This highlights the role of the upper features on the beach to protect the coastline from storm erosion by reducing wave energy. The findings are of critical importance in improving our knowledge and forecasting of coastline response to storms, and also in its translation into management practices.</p>

Intensive Care Nurses’ Knowledge of Pressure Ulcers: Development of an Assessment Tool and Effect of an Educational Program

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Tweed ◽  
Mike Tweed
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Pressure Ulcers ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Intensive Care Nurses ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Nurses Knowledge

Background Critically ill patients are at high risk for pressure ulcers. Successful prevention of pressure ulcers requires that caregivers have adequate knowledge of this complication. Objective To assess intensive care nurses’ knowledge of pressure ulcers and the impact of an educational program on knowledge levels. Methods A knowledge assessment test was developed. A cohort of registered nurses in a tertiary referral hospital in New Zealand had knowledge assessed 3 times: before an educational program, within 2 weeks after the program, and 20 weeks later. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine if attributes such as length of time since qualifying or level of intensive care unit experience were associated with test scores. The content and results of the assessment test were evaluated. Results Completion of the educational program resulted in improved levels of knowledge. Mean scores on the assessment test were 84% at baseline and 89% following the educational program. The mean baseline score did not differ significantly from the mean 20-week follow-up score of 85%. No association was detected between demographic data and test scores. Content validity and standard setting were verified by using a variety of methods. Conclusion Levels of knowledge to prevent and manage pressure ulcers were good initially and improved with an educational program, but soon returned to baseline.

THE ANALYSIS OF SINGLETONS IN GENERALIZED BIRTHDAY PROBLEMS

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthijs R. Koot ◽  
Michel Mandjes
Keyword(s):  
Iterative Scheme ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Homogeneous Distribution ◽  
Birthday Problem ◽  
Mean And Variance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

This paper describes techniques to characterize the number of singletons in the setting of the generalized birthday problem, that is, the birthday problem in which the birthdays are non-uniformly distributed over the year. Approximations for the mean and variance presented which explicitly indicate the impact of the heterogeneity (expressed in terms of the Kullback–Leibler distance with respect to the homogeneous distribution). Then an iterative scheme is presented for determining the distribution of the number of singletons. The approximations are validated by experiments with demographic data.

scholarly journals Impact of health service provision on mothers and infants in a rural village in North West Frontier Province, Pakistan

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A Northrop-Clewes ◽  
Nisar Ahmad ◽  
Parvez I Paracha ◽  
David I Thurnham
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
North West ◽  
Neonatal Deaths ◽  
North West Frontier Province ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjective:The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of the Health Service Research Project of the Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) on mothers and infants in Budhni village, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan.Methods:Information from the PMRC records on the socioeconomic and demographic situation over the last 10 years and anthropometric measurements made on all infants from 1986–96 were collected and analysed.Results:The demographic data showed a number of changes, namely a reduction in birth rate and improvements in perinatal, neonatal, infant and child mortality rates. Literacy in the village was poor (27 and 39% literate in 1986 and 1996, respectively) and female literacy showed no improvement (14%). Improvements in sanitation and in the water supply introduced by the PMRC had limited success, as clean water was subsequently contaminated by unclean hands and utensils, and 50% of the population continued to use open fields for sanitation. In 1986 only 27% of children 0–5 years were vaccinated, but by 1996, 96% of children had completed polio, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) and bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination programmes and 95% of women of child-bearing age were vaccinated against tetanus. Protection against tetanus reduced neonatal deaths and from 1333 onwards there have been no further cases.Anthropometric data for the period 1986–96 for infants (0–24 months) showed that at birth the majority of infants were close to the 50th National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) centile for weight and length, and only 5% of birth-weights were less than 2.5 kg. Growth charts showed faltering in length and weight and by 24-months length in both boys and girls was below the 3rd NCHS centile and weights were just above.Conclusions:Reductions in child mortality have occurred over the period 1986–96. However, the slow progress in adopting hygienic practices, despite health education, and the low literacy rates, particularly in women, may hamper continued improvement.

scholarly journals The impact of transport infrastructure projects on sustainable development within a major logistics gateway in North West England

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Paraskevadakis ◽  
Alan Bury ◽  
Jin Wang ◽  
Jun Ren ◽  
Stephen Bonsall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In the North West of England the issue of a perceived infrastructure gap is of increasing concern. Investment needs to be made to improve the transport infrastructure of the region if it is to be expected to promote the development of its own regional logistics gateway. Funding tools have been set up to address the challenges arising from the imbalance in infrastructure development that exists between regions in the north of the United Kingdom and those in the south. For regions with well developed economies the outlook is promising as the availability of modern transport infrastructure looks set to improve. However, some sources believe that the development of new transport infrastructure will have a negative impact upon sustainable development. It is expected that this will occur in a range of both direct and indirect ways. As a result, it is critical that planning for the creation of new intermodal transport infrastructure, or the upgrading of that which already exists, takes into account the impact that these developments will have on the sustainable development of the host region. A scenario based development methodology is proposed in this paper. It was developed to provide a way to identify potential scenarios that may arise within a given region as a result of transport infrastructure projects. To create significant scenarios the methodology is dependent on the availability of a sufficient quantity of quality data. For this paper that data was collected through a focus group composed of stakeholders from the region in question. This was further supported by the performance of an impact survey using the same group of stakeholders.

Impact of robotic-assisted approach on lymphadenectomy for colorectal cancer.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 787-787
Author(s):  
Reza Gamagami ◽  
Paul Kozak ◽  
Venkata R. Kakarla
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Lymph Node ◽  
Laparoscopic Surgery ◽  
Lymph Nodes ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Robotic Assisted ◽  
Lymph Node Harvest ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

787 Background: In most recent years, robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) has proven to be a viable alternative to laparoscopic and traditional open surgery for colorectal cancer. Obtaining the adequate number of lymph nodes is not only essential for accurate staging, but also impacts both prognosis and the need for adjuvant chemotherapy. To date, the efficacy of lymph node harvest for RALS is not well studied or established. The aim of our study is to analyze the impact of RALS on lymphadenectomy for colorectal cancer. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent curative resections for colorectal cancer over a five-year period at a single institution by a single surgeon. Resections were classified as right-sided, sigmoid, or rectal, and subdivided into robotic and non-robotic surgery groups. The demographic data and histopathology were obtained, with an emphasis on the number lymph nodes harvested (LNH) during resections. Emergencies and non-curative resections were excluded. Results: Between January 2010 and December 2015, 136 patients with colorectal cancer underwent curative resections. Sixty-four underwent right-sided resections (28 laparoscopic, 36 robotic). Twenty-five underwent sigmoid resections (11 laparoscopic, 14 robotic), and 47 underwent rectal resections (15 open, 32 robotic). There was no significant difference in age, sex, BMI and ASA scores between the cohorts examined. The mean number of LNH with RALS was significantly higher in all three groups (right-sided—24 vs. 15 ( p= .0001), sigmoid—16 vs. 12 ( p= .046), rectal—19 vs. 4 ( p= .0016)). There was no difference in the rate of adequate lymph node extraction for staging purpose, i.e., 12 lymph nodes in all three groups. Conclusions: Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery is associated with a statistically significant increase in lymph node harvest for right-sided, sigmoid and rectal resections for malignancy. Future studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to validate these findings.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Hemodialysis Patients' Satisfaction with Their Dialysis Therapy

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Al Eissa ◽  
M. Al Sulaiman ◽  
M. Jondeby ◽  
A. Karkar ◽  
M. Barahmein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Hemodialysis Patients ◽  
Sexual Life ◽  
Dialysis Therapy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Degree Of Satisfaction ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Aim. To assess the degree of satisfaction among hemodialysis patients and the factors influencing this satisfaction.Methods. Patients were recruited from 3 Saudi dialysis centers. Demographic data was collected. Using 1 to 10 Likert scale, the patients were asked to rate theoverall satisfactionwith, andthe overall impactof, their dialysis therapy on their lives and to rate the effect of the dialysis therapy on 15 qualities of life domains.Results. 322 patients were recruited (72.6% of the total eligible patients). The mean age was 51.7 years (15.4); 58% have been on dialysis for 3 years. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3.2 (2), and Kt/V was 1.3 (0.44). The mean satisfaction score was (7.41 2.75) and the mean score of the impact of the dialysis on the patients' lives was 5.32 2.55. Male patients reported worse effect of dialysis on family life, social life, energy, and appetite. Longer period since the commencement of dialysis was associated with adverse effect on finances and energy. Lower level of education was associated with worse dialysis effect on stress, overall health, sexual life, hobbies, and exercise ability.Conclusion. The level of satisfaction is affected by gender, duration on dialysis, educational level, and standard of care given.

scholarly journals Chronic Urticaria and Its Impact on the Quality of Life of Nepalese Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Sushil Paudel ◽  
Niraj Parajuli ◽  
Rabindra Prasad Sharma ◽  
Sudip Dahal ◽  
Sudarshan Paudel
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Chronic Urticaria ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Principle Component ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a skin condition characterized by sudden and recurrent episodes of wheals, angioedema, or both and commonly associated with itching for a duration of more than six weeks. The available data indicate that urticaria markedly affects both objective functioning and subjective well-being of patients. A review of patients’ records with chronic urticaria attending Civil Service Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 was done. A detailed demographic data of all patients with chronic urticaria was also retrieved. Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire (DLQI) Nepalese version was used for the assessment of the impact of disease on life quality. Mann–Whitney U-test was applied to compare means, and principle component analysis for factor analysis was used. A total of 149 patients were included, with a male-to-female ratio of 1 : 1.9. The mean age of the study population was 32.86  ±  12.837 years. The mean DLQI score was 8.30  ±  6.73 with men having a significantly greater score than women ( p < 0.02 ). DLQI scores negatively correlated with age ( p < 0.01 ). There was a high internal consistency among items (Cronbach’s alpha 0.89), and all items had satisfactory correlation with each other as well. Principle component extraction revealed that there were two underlying factors in the DLQI questionnaire on measuring quality of life in chronic urticaria. Males had a greater impairment in quality of life than females due to chronic urticaria. Most severe impairment was seen in symptoms/feelings subdomain. It also revealed that there were two different underlying factors in DLQI questionnaire.

The impact of bird populations on the microbiological quality of bathing waters

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Wither ◽  
M. Rehfisch ◽  
G. Austin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
North West ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Bathing Waters ◽  
The Impact

To ensure optimum quality at Bathing Waters, the control of diffuse sources of bacterial contamination is receiving increasing attention. As part of an initiative to improve the quality of the EU designated bathing waters on the Fylde Coast (North West England), a project was undertaken to quantify the faecal indicator load from birds and assess the significance on water quality. High bird counts are encountered on the Fylde Coast with gulls, feral pigeons and starlings being prominent. The piers at Blackpool make an attractive roost for starlings with numbers peaking at over 30,000 in late summer. Systematic recording of bird numbers and locations was undertaken during 2001/2. Estimates were also made of the daily faecal organism production by the different species. The spatial distribution of faecal organisms from the bird population was statistically linked to synoptic water quality data. This allowed estimates to be made of the contribution from birds to the faecal pollution load at the bathing waters. The work confirmed a statistically significant link between bird populations and water quality with a marked seasonal bias.

scholarly journals Weight-dependent susceptibility of tilapia to tilapia lake virus infection

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11738
Author(s):  
Sri Rajiv Kumar Roy ◽  
Jidapa Yamkasem ◽  
Puntanat Tattiyapong ◽  
Win Surachetpong
Keyword(s):  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Virulent Strain ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Cumulative Mortality ◽  
Fish Weight ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Weight Groups

The emergence of tilapia lake virus (TiLV) has had a severely negative impact on global tilapia aquaculture. TiLV infection has been reported at different life stages of tilapia, with more emphasis on fry and fingerlings; however, the virulence and pathology of TiLV at different tilapia size remains unexplored. In this study, tilapias from a single spawning were raised to 5 g, 25 g, and 65 g, and subsequently challenged by the intraperitoneal injection and cohabitation of a virulent strain of TiLV. The cumulative mortality, viral load, and histopathology of the fish were determined until 22 days post-infection (dpi). The cumulative mortality of the 5 g, 25 g, and 65 g fish was 85% (±1.67), 55% (±2.89), and 51.67% (±7.49), respectively. At 14 dpi, the mean TiLV load in the liver of the 5 g fish was significantly higher than in the 25 g and 65 g fish. All the weight groups showed severe pathological changes in the liver, spleen, and intestine after TiLV infection, but no particular difference was otherwise noted during the study with the exception of higher pathological scores in the liver of the small fish at 14 dpi. Overall, this study indicated that small fish are more susceptible to TiLV infection than large fish. Although multiple factors, including environmental factors, farm management practices, strains of virus could contribute to different susceptibility of fish to viral infection, the present study provides the evidence to support that fish weight affects the mortality and clinical outcome during TiLV infection. More intensive measures such as strict biosecurity and disease surveillance during the susceptible weight should therefore be emphasized to reduce the impact of this virus.

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